Carlos Arroyo Completes Transition From Heat Starter to Celtics’ New Backup Point Guard

Two months ago, Carlos Arroyo was the starting point guard for the enemy.

As recently as last week, in fact, he was still with the Miami Heat, clinging to a roster spot after a couple of personnel moves had dropped him on Erik Spoelstra's depth chart.

Now he's in Boston. He's gone from a starring role on the South Beach superteam to a bit part against it. Arroyo is in Celtic green, and he'll be around for the rest of this season as a backup guard for the injury-plagued Celtics.

He may not be that athletic at 31, but Arroyo did just do a complete 180.

"It's been a roller coaster," said Arroyo, who officially signed with the C's on Sunday afternoon. "But I'm truly excited to start a new career here in Boston. I feel this is a great opportunity for me in my career, to do whatever is possible to help the team win, to do whatever the coach wants me to do out there. Be a leader, get guys involved, put them in the right spots. I'm just truly excited to be a part of a great franchise overall, and with great teammates."

The Celtics are Arroyo's seventh NBA team. That's not even counting the clubs he's played with internationally — in his native Puerto Rico, in Spain and most recently in Israel before signing with the Heat in 2009.

There's nowhere Arroyo hasn't been, and nothing he hasn't done. He's learned the game inside and out. Adjusting to life in Boston should be a piece of cake for the veteran guard.

"He played against us in two playoff series," coach Doc Rivers said. "So he should know some of our stuff. That's the way I look at it.

"He's a point guard. He's been a point guard all his life. So I think some of the stuff, he'll pick up pretty quickly. Then all the nuances and things, that'll just take time. But he knows how to run a team, so that'll be great for us."

We'll see how quickly the adjustment comes for Arroyo. He'll probably be thrust into a role quickly, as the C's are currently sorely hurting for depth at the guard spots. Nate Robinson is long gone to Oklahoma City, Delonte West is still nursing a sprained ankle, and Von Wafer may be out for a while with a calf injury. The C's need minutes any place they can find them.

Short-term, the Celtics need Arroyo to play. Long-term, though? His role is up to him.

"We don't know yet," Rivers said. "We don't know how he's going to play. If he plays great the rest of the year, then he'll answer that question. I can't answer that question."

Then again, Arroyo's already spent upwards of 15 years establishing himself as a basketball player. By now, how much can he really have left to prove?

"At this point in my career, I don't know," he said. "Everybody knows what I'm capable of. Hopefully I can do a little bit here to help the team. That's what I came here for. I'm excited to get things going and hopefully win a championship here in Boston."