Pierce: "Posey and House" two free agents priorities and cap implications

[Rida]

[dang] john Niednagel

Those were an NBA scout's first comments to me after hearing about the trade the Celtics' general manager made on Thursday. In the deal, Boston agreed to send guard Ricky Davis, center Mark Blount, forward Justin Reed, and guard Marcus Banks to Minnesota for forward Wally Szcerbiak and center Michael Olowokandi.

Ainge's "brain doctor" in this case is consultant John Niednagel, who has created a cottage industry around the idea that how players' brains are wired determines how they react during games. It was his input that resulted in the Celtics' five-year, $15 million offer to former Net forward Brian Scalabrine this summer. Niednagel said that Scalabrine's "brain type" of ISTP (introverted, sensing, thinking, perceiving) was something he had in common with Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and John Stockton.