The Associated Press speculates that the recent sale of the Celtics may allow Larry Bird to return to the franchise. When owner Paul Gaston announced that he had sold the club for $360 million to a group led by venture capitalists Stephen Pagliuca and Wyc Grousbeck, as well as Grousbeck's father, H. Irving Grousbeck, the founder of Continental Cablevision and now a Stanford Business School professor, all of Boston wondered if the new owners might be able to lure Larry Legend to come in and run the team.

The new owners said they were interested in adding investors and would welcome Bird, who had been involved with a group trying to buy the team before moving on and trying to put a franchise in Charlotte, N.C. Bird's return would be welcome news to Celtics fans who see the former Hall of Famer as the savior for a franchise struggling through the worst title drought in its history.

It's no secret that Bird has wanted to come back to Boston -- but only if the situation was right. That wasn't going to happen as long as the team was owned by Gaston, who reportedly rebuffed attempts by Bird and Boston businessman Steve Belkin to buy the team.

Belkin told The Boston Globe that his priority now is getting a team in Charlotte, but he wouldn't rule out investing in the Celtics instead. "I wouldn't do anything without Larry,'' Belkin told the paper.

Boston Basketball Partners, L.P., a local private investment group, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire the Boston Celtics basketball team of the National Basketball Association.
Co-Managing Partners of Boston Basketball Partners, L P. are Wycliffe (Wyc) Grousbeck, a General Partner at Highland Capital Partners, H. Irving Grousbeck, Co-Founder of Continental Cablevision, and Stephen Pagliuca, a Managing Director at Bain Capital.

"We are delighted to reach this agreement, but we fully understand that nobody really owns the Celtics except the people and basketball fans of Boston, the State of Massachusetts and New England," said Wyc Grousbeck, Co-Managing Partner of Boston Basketball Partners. "As long-time community residents and Celtics fans, our goal is to build on the success that has already been achieved by the team's strong management, coaching staff and players. We look forward to years of involvement with one of the greatest sports teams ever."

"The NBA has enjoyed tremendous growth and success by developing terrific young talent, and the Celtics are a great example of this philosophy in action," said Steve Pagliuca, one of the Co-Managing Partners. "The Celtics have always enjoyed a close relationship with this community, and we are committed to further strengthening that bond. We invite the active participation and tremendous energy of the local business community in support of one of the greatest franchises in professional sports."

Steve Aschburner of the Star Tribune reports that Gary Trent will return to the Timberwolves this season. It is believed that he agreed to a one-year minimum salary contract.

With Trent, the Wolves will have 12 players under contract. Center Loren Woods, a restricted free agent, still has not yet accepted the team's qualifying offer. The Wolves still have some interest in free agent point guard Rod Strickland, swingman Kendall Gill and journeyman forward John Wallace. Strickland, a 14-year veteran, also has talked with Boston and Cleveland. Wallace is said to have a guaranteed offer from a team in Israel.

The Associated Press reports: Celtics forward Paul Pierce testified Monday at the trial of three men accused of stabbing him two years ago.

Pierce was on the stand only about 15 minutes before court adjourned for the day. He did not describe the attack, in which he was stabbed eight times and suffered a collapsed lung.

Anthony Hurston, William Ragland and Trevor Watson, all of Boston, are accused of stabbing Pierce and hitting him over the head with a champagne bottle in a club Sept. 25, 2000.

The defense maintains that Pierce has never been able to positively identify his attackers. Witnesses have said there were as many as 20 people involved in the melee at the club that night.

Pierce recovered from his injuries and returned in time to start the 2000-01 NBA season.

The trial began last week.

The Orlando Magic signed two free agents Monday in guards Omar Cook and Corey Benjamin, General Manager John Gabriel announced.

Cook (6'1", 190) played in 35 games last season with Fayetteville of the National Basketball Development League, averaging 12.2 points, 7.8 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.51 steals a game. He led the NBDL in assists, ranked seventh in steals and ninth in three-point field goal percentage (41-107, .383).

Cook was named to the 2001-02 All-NBDL Second Team. He also set a league record for most assists in a game, dishing out 19 on Feb. 8 vs. North Charleston.

The Magic originally selected Cook in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft. The team traded Cook?s rights to Denver for a future first-round draft pick.

Benjamin (6'6", 205) spent the 2001-02 season in Italy with S.S. Sutor Montegranaro and in the ABA with the Southern California Surf. He was originally selected in the first round (28th overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft by Chicago.

Benjamin has appeared in 144 NBA regular season games during his career, all with the Bulls, averaging 5.5 points and 1.6 rebounds a game.

The trial following the stabbing of Paul Pierce two years ago started Tuesday.  The Associated Press reports that all three defendants pleaded innocent.

The defendants are William Ragland, 20, Anthony Hurston, 33, and Trevor Watson, 35.  They are charged with armed assault with intent to murder

All three men agreed they were at Boston?s Buzz Club on September 25, 2000, but all claim they had no involvement in the fight that resulted in Pierce being stabbed at least eight times in the chest, abdomen and back, and struck across the face and head with a bottle.

Ragland, Hurston and Watson have claimed that police targeted them because they are associates of the rap group Made Men.

However, prosecutors claim it was Ragland who started the fight, confronting Pierce after Pierce struck up a conversation with his female cousin.  The prosecution claims Pierce did not know any of the men who attacked him and did not provoke the fight.

Peter May of the Boston Globe reports that the Celtics have added their 12th man. The team settled on Ruben Wolkowyski, the burly Argentine who was one of the inside anchors on the team that earned the silver medal at the World Championships

Wolkowyski will make the league minimum, which for a player with two years of experience is $587,435 and he will be a restricted free agent at the tend of the season. The contract has not been signed yet as Wolowyski is still in Argentina.

Wolkowyski won the international contest over Yugoslav Dejan Koturovic, who worked out yesterday for the Celtics. While the Celtics weren't displeased with the 6-11 Koturovic, general manager Chris Wallace said the difference was Wolkowyski's ability to shoot from the perimeter. ''In the end, that ability was more in line with what Jim [O'Brien] wants from his big men,'' Wallace said.

Peter May of the Boston Globe reports that the Celtics are looking to add a world champion to their roster. Dejan Koturovic, the 6-11 center from the Yugoslavian World Championship team arrived in Boston yesterday afternoon and is scheduled to work out for the team today.

Although it has been reported in the official website of the government of Serbia (serbia.sr.gov.yu) that Koturovic has already signed a one-year contract with the Celtics, the deal has not happened.

Koturovic, 30, fits the mold of the Celtics' criteria for the 12th and final roster spot. He's big and he is coming off a key role in the Yugoslavs' recent gold medal-winning effort at the World Championships. Unlike Argentina's Ruben Wolkowyski, who played with Seattle and is still on Boston's short list after working out here Monday, Koturovic has no NBA experience.

In the World Championships, Koturovic appeared in eight of the nine games, averaging 19.4 minutes. He also averaged 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field (although he went 0 for 7 against Argentina in the title game.)

The Miami Heat have signed Bulls free agent Travis Best, heat.com is reporting.  The signing was accounced by Heat president and head coach Pat Riley, who did not disclose terms of the signing.

Boston, who had made Best their number 1 priority, will now need to search elsewhere for their point guard.

Shira Springer of the Boston Globe reports that the Celtics are focusing on Travis Best. After Erick Strickland signed with the Indiana Pacers, the Celtics need for a point guard turned them toward best.

The Celtics have been interested in Best ever since Kenny Anderson was traded to the Seattle earlier this summer, but it was believed that Best would command too much money to agree to sign with Boston.  But early last week, Minnesota signed Troy Hudson to what many believed would be the last big-money contract for a point guard. After that move, Best resurfaced among the Celtics' options. Still, Boston will not pay Best more than the minimum of $762,435 (with the team responsible for $637,435) as he enters his seventh NBA season this fall.

''We would like to have Travis visit,'' said Celtics GM Chris Wallace. ''He's the guy we're putting our emphasis on now. We would like to have him come in, if he feels that's part of his decision-making process. Sometimes guys sign without ever making a visit.

''If we miss on him, we'll regroup and go from there. We think he would bring significant experience from playing on winning playoff teams, including a trip to the NBA Finals. Travis has played well against the Celtics the last few years. He can shoot the long ball, which is imperative in this system, and he can defend as well.''

The Miami Heat are also interested in Best, and may have more money to offer, but are probably not interested in more than a one-year contract. Best has been offered the veteran minimum by other teams, though Boston is hoping that playing time, the opportunity to start, and being near his hometown will be strong selling points.