July 9, 2009 Big Three welcome Rasheed Wallace to Celtics Play video

(NECN: Waltham, Mass.) - The Boston Celtics introduced Rasheed Wallace Thursday.

Wallace is a four-time All-Star, known for his shooting, rebounding and technical fouls. At 6'11" he's big enough to play down low at power forward, or center. He's also a threat to score from the outside.

Rasheed said one of the main things that influenced his decision, was the Celtics defensive play. Another big factor was how Celtics Big Three welcomed him to the team.

Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge says it should only Rasheed two practices to get up to speed with his new teammates. Ainge says, "He'll be giving direction, and telling Ray and Paul where to go on defense, and holding his team accountable, and holding himself accountable."

Last week the Celtics made a recruiting trip to Rasheed's home in Michigan, with a crew that included Garnett, Pierce, Ray Allen, Doc Rivers and Danny Ainge.

Ray Allen said that at the end of last season, he Pierce and Garnett talked about things to make the team better. Allen said, "Rasheed was at the top of the list for all of us."

Allen said the trio even brought Wallace's name up during the regular season because they knew he was going to become a free agent.