Doc Rivers Excited About Celtics Getting Rasheed Wallace

ORLANDO -- Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins is coming off the best season of his NBA career, but he may be losing the starting role he worked so hard to obtain.

Rasheed Wallace is going to want it now.

The signing Wednesday of Wallace to a two-year, $11.8 million deal not only gives the Celtics more depth in their chase for another championship but may change their starting lineup. .

"We're going to put our best five on the floor,'' said Celtics Coach Doc Rivers Wednesday. "At this point, I don't know if we're going to change the starting lineup.''

Perkins averaged 8.5 points and 8.1 rebounds this season, his sixth in the NBA. Wallace, 34, isn't as quick anymore, but he still has the experience and the long-range shooting ability that Perkins lacks.

Rivers could also decide to use Wallace as a backup to both Perkins and Kevin Garnett, but he was not ready to speculate over playing time.

"His [Wallace's] impact will be huge because he helps make others better. He's really going to help [Rajon] Rondo,'' said Rivers, who was beaming Wednesday when he finally arrived at the Orlando Pro Summer League. "He wants to win another championship. And so do we.''

Wallace is likely to join Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett in the starting lineup. The Celtics won the 2007 NBA title, but they lost in the second round to Orlando. It didn't help that Garnett missed the playoffs with his knee injury.

The Magic would have loved to sign Wallace on Wednesday. Instead, they helped the Boston Celtics do it as a courtesy to another NBA team.

Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, who is at the Orlando Pro Summer League, used the Magic offices Wednesday afternoon to fax Wallace's contract to the NBA for its stamp of approval.

The Wallace signing is going to make Orlando's task of getting back to the NBA Finals considerably tougher, although Rivers wasn't about to call his team the favorites now.

"The teams that reached the Finals last season [Lakers and Magic] are still the favorite to get there until somebody proves otherwise,'' he said.

To secure more depth, the Celtics are also still trying to sign free agent Grant Hill to serve as a backup to both Allen and Pierce. He and Rivers last met Sunday to talk about the possibility. Hill also is considering offers from the New York Knicks and his last team, the Phoenix Suns.

"For any team trying to win a title, Grant Hill would be a big help to them,'' Rivers said.