Payton Could Face Up To 10 Years In A Canadian Jail

Gary Payton, along with Sam Cassell and Jason Caffey, are due to appear in a Canadian court on Monday to face assault charges stemming from an incident outside a Toronto strip club, according to court documents obtained by Reuters on Wednesday.

The incident occurred in April 2003 after a Bucks/Raptors game with Payton being charged with one count of aggravated assault causing bodily harm and two counts of simple assault.

Cassell, who now plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves, is charged with two counts of simple assault, while Caffey, a free agent, faces one count of simple assault.

Via ESPN

Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors

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Source: Paul Pierce Is Available

Reports are surfacing across the country that Paul Pierce is the biggest superstar available via trade this summer.

Danny Ainge's youth movement is in full swing and Pierce still has a ton of value as one of the best pure basketball players in the game.

This is not a Tracy McGrady situation where a trade must be made, which should help Ainge negotiate a favorable deal that gives the Celtics both salary cap flexibility, as well as young talent.

Via RealGM

Boston Celtics

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Ainge Wants Another Look At Some Picks

On Sunday, the Celtics director of basketball operations flew to New York to watch Spaniard Fran Vazquez work out.

In that Vazquez is widely projected to be a lottery pick, it would seem to indicate Ainge could quite possibly move up from the Celtics' No. 18 slot on Tuesday. But he said yesterday nothing is in the works.

``Nothing happens on the weekend anyway,'' he said.

Ainge will be back in Waltham at the club's facility on Monday to see others go through their paces. Among those set to audition (or on the Celtics wish list for another look) are Arizona State power forward Ike Diogu, Providence swingman Ryan Gomes, UConn forward Charlie Villanueva, Oklahoma State forward Joey Graham and South Kent Prep forward Andray Blatche. In the absence of a trade to a higher position, the idea for Ainge is to get another read on as many of the top players as he can in the likely event a few of them slide the Celtics' way. He added that he's seen more than 100 players, ``and some players I have watched as much as 20 games, which is two-thirds of an entire season on players I think are a real possibility for us.''

``What I have to do is rank the players, and if they go off the board, they're gone, and I have to take the next best guy,'' he said. ``I can't let all of the rumors and different theories get in the way and distract us from what we're doing.''

Via Boston Herald

Boston Celtics

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