One of the biggest challenges of Brad Stevens first season in the NBA is dealing was a Boston Celtics' roster that is less than ideally balanced.

“It’s not a very balanced roster,” said Danny Ainge. “I like the players on the roster, but it’s not very balanced.

“I think that Brad has a challenge of just trying to sort of figure out who’s going to play where. You know, guys like Jeff Green and Gerald Wallace, Avery (Bradley) — those guys can play multiple positions, and Courtney (Lee) has done a little bit of that. So that’s going to be a challenge of trying to figure out how it fits. And it’s an opportunity for guys right now to step up and really separate themselves.”

Stevens sees his vision for the Celtics as similar to Ainge.

“I look at it day by day,’ Stevens said, “with the idea of a long-term, big-picture culture — you know, how we want to make sure we operate in practice, how we want to support each other. The team stuff is really important.

“(Culture) is a long-term thing as well as a short-term. You’re not going to get everything you want in the short term, but you’re not going to build anything worth a darn without it. Those things are important in both terms, but I’m looking more day to day than that.”

Roy Hibbert played with Jeff Green for three seasons at Georgetown and the Indiana Pacers' center has faith that Green can be the Boston Celtics' go-to star.

“I just tell him it’s his team, you’re always going to have growing pains,” Hibbert said. “I had growing pains the past couple of years and they have a good GM, a good president, so they’re going to bring good, quality players depending on the cap. He’s a good player. I wish him the best, just not against us.”

Green has gone through struggles this season but is still confident in his ability to lead the Celtics as their go-to guy.

“Yeah, for sure,” Green said recently. “I’m going to always feel like that, no matter what.

“Now all the attention is on me. I’ve been the guy who has been the third option most of my career. Now, it starts with me, in my eyes. But we’ve got to figure it out as a team how we can get past that and how we can win as a team.”

Gerald Wallace has been fined $10,000 for using profane language during his postgame media availability session on Tuesday, the NBA announced on Wednesday.

Wallace lashed out after the Boston Celtics' road loss to the Houston Rockets.

The Boston Celtics are not discussing a trade of Rajon Rondo despite new trade rumors in media reports.

"I haven’t talked to any teams about Rajon Rondo," Danny Ainge told the Herald on Monday morning.

Ainge has instead received a number of calls from other teams asking if there is truth to the rumors.

"It's frustrating," Ainge said.

Rondo continues to rehab from ACL surgery.

Iman Shumpert underwent a second surgery on his left knee and is currently being packaged by the New York Knicks in proposed trades for Rajon Rondo and Omer Asik, according to a source.

Shumpert had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee last July that the Knicks never reported. He originally tore the ACL and meniscus in his left knee against the Miami Heat during Game 1 of the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

Danny Ainge appears unlikely to deal Rondo to the Boston Celtics' rival in New York. The Houston Rockets, meanwhile, appear set to trade Asik at some point this season.

The Knicks reportedly want to deal Stoudemire, whose bloated contract doesn't expire until after next season, while Felton's value has never been lower with the point guard underperforming this season. Felton has been playing with a hamstring injury.

The general feeling around the NBA is that Shumpert will be traded sooner than later. Shumpert was in reported trade talks between the Knicks and Denver Nuggets centered on Kenneth Faried.

Doc Rivers reflected upon his time coaching Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce with the Boston Celtics as the Los Angeles Clippers played against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.

Garnett and Pierce did not play in the game.

"They're just so darn professional," Rivers said of his time with Garnett and Pierce in Boston. "I caught them at the perfect time. They had no other reason to play basketball except to win. They'd already had an individual career. That made it very easy to coach them. Every game was just a battle to try and figure out how to win that game. There was very little clutter."

Rivers believes his bond with Garnett and Pierce will grow even stronger now that their time working together is over.

"We talk to each other a lot, text each other a lot. I think sometimes we contact each other more," Rivers said. "As a coach, especially in the offseason I try to avoid conversation with my players because they hear for nine months and they don't need to hear you. But now that you're not with them, you pick up a phone, you see something funny, you text them. It's been like that with a lot of my guys, Tony Allen and [Kendrick Perkins].

"Mike Fratello had it right, 'That's probably the best part of coaching, the afterlife with your players when you start having relationships with 'em.' "

Danny Ainge responded to speculation that the Boston Celtics are attempting to tank.

“They’re not paying attention,” Ainge said of the fans who may believe the team is losing on purpose. “They’re not watching all the games. They’re not watching all the exhibition games and they’re not at practice. That certainly is not the case. Anybody that’s informed that sees what goes on day-to-day would not make those conclusions.”

The Celtics have a 1-4 record and may soon get Rajon Rondo back in the lineup.

The Utah Jazz and Gordon Hayward were unable to agree upon a contract extension and he will become a restricted free agent this offseason.

Hayward was not seeking a four-year, max contract worth more than $60 million, according to reporting from ESPN's Marc Stein.

Stein believes Hayward will find a deal in that neighborhood in free agency with teams like the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics having cap space.

The Boston Celtics are interested in Kendall Marshall, who was waived after he was traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Washington Wizards.

Marshall is a pass-first point guard that struggled in the Suns' system as a rookie.

The Celtics, however, do not want to be pushed above the luxury tax to become a repeat offender.