James Posey of the Boston Celtics has been suspended without pay for one game for pleading no contest to reckless driving, in violation of the law of the State of Florida, the NBA announced today.

Posey will serve his suspension when the Celtics open the 2007-08 regular season against Washington on Nov. 2 at TD Banknorth Garden.

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have named Tom Thibodeau as an assistant coach.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

?I've admired Tom as a coach for a long time. It?s good to have him on my side.? said Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers.

Thibodeau, who comes to the team from the Houston Rockets, had helped the Rockets rank among the top five in the NBA in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense in each of the past four campaigns.

Newly signed free agent forward James Posey took his seat in between one of the Boston Celtics' owners and director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, and something that was very noticeable right away was the oversized NBA championship ring on his left hand.

"We're very happy Danny put this deal together and, obviously, from the weight on his hand he has championship experience," owner Steve Pagliuca said of the team's recent addition.

The Boston Celtics added another piece to what they hope is a championship-caliber team Monday, signing the 6-foot-8 free agent forward to a two-year deal. Posey will make between $7 and $7.5 million over the course of the deal, although the second season is a player option.

"I think he's one of the brightest spots this summer," Ainge said during a press conference to introduce Posey at the team's training complex. "He's a huge addition to our team. He's got incredible versatility on both ends of the court."

Celtics executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge returned to Boston last week after an extended stay with family in the San Diego area and predicted that second-round picks Glen Davis and Gabe Pruitt will be signed this week.

"They'll be done shortly," said Ainge.

The Celtics have agreed to terms with James Posey, a player who should give the Celtics defense a significant upgrade.

This 6-8 forward, known in particular for his role as a defensive stopper on the 2006 Miami team that won the NBA title, averaged 7.7 points, five boards and one steal per game last season.

The deal came together with relative haste. Though Danny Ainge, the Celtics? director of basketball operations, had been in touch with Posey over the last month, discussions gained momentum yesterday, after Reggie Miller informed the Celtics that he would not come out of retirement to join the team.

By this afternoon, the sides had reached agreement on a deal that will pay Posey just over $3 million - the amount left on the team?s mid-level exception - next season. The full contract will pay him $7 million over the next two years, with Posey holding an option on the second season.

The Celtics may have lost out on Reggie Miller, but that doesn't mean Danny Ainge is done making moves.

?We still have a little bit of work to do - not a lot,? said Ainge, whose goal remains signing a free agent who can simply help - not one who can provide the kind of support Miller would have given off the bench.

?We just need good players,? Ainge said. ?Whether that means that they can defend or shoot, that would be nice.?

Though Ainge declined to comment on who the Celtics might be pursuing now, it appears the team may continue looking at players who can swing between the big guard and small forward positions.

The lure of Jason Kidd is a strong reason the Nets could land one of the more attractive remaining free agents, small forward James Posey.

"We've been talking and talking for a while," Posey's agent, Mark Bartelstein, confirmed yesterday. "And while it's hard to get into specifics, yes, the Nets are in the running. I would think there will be a decision soon."

Bartelstein was hoping for a decision last night, but said it might go into the weekend before Posey makes his choice.

Though attracted to playing with Kidd, Posey, 6-foot-8, 30 years old, who spent his last two seasons in Miami, is considering offers from the Celtics and Cavaliers. The Nets are at a financial disadvantage and have the biannual exception, $1.8 million, unless they can work a sign-and-trade with the Heat.

Boston has $3.6 million of its mid-level exception remaining.

With Reggie Miller calling Danny Ainge to inform him that he isn't interested in returning to the NBA, the Celtics must now resume their search for bench help.

One looming possibility is said to be Ruben Patterson, a defensively-tough free agent swingman who played for the Bucks last season.

The Celtics are also reportedly considering Dahntay Jones, the Memphis swingman who the Celtics originally drafted with the 20th pick of the 2003 draft as part of their eventual deal for Marcus Banks, and Miami swingman James Posey.

Posey is still negotiating to return to the Heat.

After two weeks of pushing his body to see how it might react to the punishment of an NBA season, Reggie Miller told The Star late Thursday night he has decided he will not make a comeback with the Boston Celtics or anybody else.

"That's it,'' he said by telephone from his home in Malibu, Calif. "Physically, I know I could have done it. But mentally, when you do something like this, you've either got to be all in or all out. And I've decided I'm all out.

"Earlier today (Thursday), I was ready to come back. I was going to do it. But then I flew back here, I thought about it, I talked to a lot of people, and honestly, most people told me I should come back. Charles (Barkley), Mark (Jackson), Doug (Collins), they all said I should do it. And when I was back in Indy this week for the Peyton (Manning charity bowling event), people on the streets, they'd tell me to do it.

"But as the day went on, I just realized I wasn't ready mentally to put myself through the grind again.''

Adonal Foyle came to terms with the Magic on Wednesday.

Boston and Charlotte also pursued Foyle, but the 10-year veteran made no secret that he favored Orlando because of its proximity to his Caribbean roots. He hails from tiny Canouan, which is among the cluster of islands that make up St. Vincent and the Grenadines.