Greg Stiemsma had bounced around between Europe and the D-League before getting his big chance in the NBA with the Celtics. In 2008, he played in Turkey. In 2009 he played in Korea. Between 2009 and 2001, Stiemsma bounced around between the Dakota Sky Force, a couple of 10 day contracts with Cleveland and Minnesota, and Turkey. He finally landed with the Celtics in 2011 on a rookie minimum contract. In his Celtics debut, he recorded 2 points, 6 blocks, and 4 rebounds. His 6 blocks was a Celtics franchise record for a player's debut. In February, the Celtics guaranteed his contract for the rest of the season. He even got a contract with Nike out of his success in Boston.
Now, the Wolves, who had signed him to a contract in April of 2010 and then waived him in September without playing in a single game, want him back and signed him to a 1 year contract at $3 million, just enough that the Celtics couldn't match. Greg, for his part, is happy to be closer to home, and I'm sure he's happy with the extra money. But he is thankful for the Celtics for giving him his big chance to make it in the NBA. While it would have been nice to have him back in Boston, I wish him the best. Maybe after a year with the Wolves, he'll relish the chance to come back to Boston for more tutelage from KG.
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