The Boston Celtics Take Their Talents To Europe In October; Orlando & Vegas This Summer

The Boston Celtics are still one of the most popular and marketable franchises in the NBA, as further proof of that (not that you needed it), they are scheduled to play two preseason games in Europe this October.

Along with the Dallas Mavericks, the C's are one of two NBA squads to travel to Europe for something the marketing geniuses have called NBA Europe Live 2012.

Oct. 5 - Celtics vs. Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul - Ulker Sports Arena, Istanbul
Oct. 7 - Celtics vs. EA7 Emporio Armani - Mediolanum Forum, Milan

From the Euroleague website
The Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and top Euroleague Basketball teams Alba Berlin from Germany, EA7 Emporio Armani from Italy and Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul from Turkey will play a series of preseason games this October as part of NBA Europe Live 2012 presented by BBVA", the NBA, Euroleague Basketball and BBVA announced today.

The four-game tour tips off on Oct. 5 when the 17-time NBA Champion Boston Celtics play five-time Turkish Champions Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul at the newly opened, state-of-the-art Ulker Sports Arena in Istanbul, Turkey.

Way more interesting than those fake games to me is the Orlando Summer League and Las Vegas Summer League which both take place in a few weeks.

CELTICS AT ORLANDO SUMMER LEAGUE
Monday, July 9 - Celtics vs. Thunder, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, July 10 - Celtics vs. Nets, 5 p.m.
Wednesday, July 11 - Celtics vs. Pacers, 11 a.m.
Thursday, July 12 - Celtics vs. Pistons, 11 a.m.
Friday, July 13 - Celtics vs. Magic, 10 a.m.

CELTICS AT LAS VEGAS SUMMER LEAGUE
Monday July 16
• COX Pavilion
4 PM -- Atlanta vs. Boston
Tuesday July 17
• COX Pavilion
10 PM -- Chicago vs. Boston
Thursday July 19
• Thomas & Mack
6:30 PM -- Boston vs. Sacramento
Saturday July 21
• COX Pavilion
10:30 PM -- Milwaukee vs. Boston
Sunday July 22
• COX Pavilion
6 PM -- Boston vs. LA Clippers

The 2012 NBA Draft is Thursday night (7 p.m., ESPN) and Boston has the 21st and 22nd pick in the first round along with the 51st pick in the second round. Expect those players, some of the Celts younger guys (E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson) along with a smattering of undrafted rookies and veterans trying to get contracts to dot these rosters. All those games are shown on NBATV which is nice, it's fun to have some basketball to tide us over during the long summer months.

UPDATE 6/26: Boston gets Oklahoma City's 2013 second-round draft pick that it controls from Charlotte as compensation for the heart problems that Jeff Green suffered with the Celtics. That should be early in the second round since the Bobcats were historically bad last season and they probably won't do much better next season. As for Green, he's a free agent but he hopes to re-sign with the C's.

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Von Wafer Goes To Italy

Von Wafer, who played for the Boston Celtics in 2010-11 but is currently an unrestricted free agent, is headed to Italy to play for Venoli Cremona.

Wafer received the opt-out clause, meaning he'll be able to return stateside as soon as the NBA lockout ends.

He was one of the last guys off the bench last season, averaging 3.2 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists over 9.8 minutes per game. In total, he played in 58 games and actually seemed to be gaining more of a role late in the regular season before a calf injury affected his minutes in the playoffs.

From ESPNBoston's Chris Forsberg
Last month, Wafer's agent, Terrance Doyle of the Veritas Venture Group, suggested his client would be interested in a return engagement with the Celtics.

"Von would love to be back [with Boston]," Doyle said of the 6-foot-5 swingman who has played for seven teams since being drafted by the Lakers in the second round (35th overall) of the 2005 draft. "He's never gotten that opportunity to go back with a team."

Wafer signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Celtics last August and fended off numerous charges at his roster spot and endured a locker room dust-up with teammate Delonte West to stick for the entire campaign. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge often voiced praise for Wafer and he would seemingly be a candidate to fill out the end of the Boston bench next season should the team need a depth swingman.

This will be Wafer's second voyage overseas. He chased an international payday following a breakout season with the Houston Rockets in 2009, but soon parted ways with Greek squad Olympiakos. After earning $915,852 on a minimum contract last season (and roughly $3 million in NBA contracts over six seasons), this overseas opportunity allows Wafer to earn some cash and keep sharp while waiting for the owners and players to work out a new collective bargaining agreement.

Venoli Cremona competes in Italy's Lega Serie A, the same highly regarded league that Celtics second-round draft pick E'Twaun Moore is set to join (Moore signed with Benetton Treviso last month).

Playing in Europe seems like a no-brainer for someone with Wafer's boarder line NBA skills. He'll get way more minutes than he ever will here in the NBA, travel across a foreign land and maybe earn a bigger pay day whenever the NBA decides to start things rolling again. Former NCAA players often star in Europe so you'd have to think that an NBA veteran would have a distinct advantage over his European opponents. I guess we shall see.

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