Aug. 5, 1999
SportsLine wire reports

BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics, who earlier this week traded second-leading scorer

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Ron Mercer, Thursday signed veteran swingman Calbert Cheaney to a three-year deal.

Cheaney, a 6-foot-7 guard-forward who spent the first six years of his career with the Washington Wizards, was signed under the team's $2 million exception option. The 28-year-old Cheaney earned $4 million last season in the final year of a six-year deal.

The 1993 College Player of the Year and the Big Ten's all-time leading scorer, Cheaney averaged 7.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 50 games last season. He played in every game for the second straight season and 188 straight overall but saw his minutes per game drop from nearly 35 in 1997-98 to 25.3 in last year's lockout-shortened campaign.

Cheaney also saw his field goal percentage drop from 46 percent in 1997-98 to 41 percent last season. Maybe more alarming for a player who was among the best 3-point shooters in the league over the last five seasons, was his fall off from beyond the arc. Entering the 1998-99 campaign, Cheaney had made 47 percent of his career 3-pointers, but last season he was just 8-of-37.

On Tuesday, the Celtics acquired physical forward Danny Fortson from the Denver Nuggets in a six-player deal that saw Boston part with small forward Ron Mercer. At 17 points per contest, Mercer was the Celtics' second-leading scorer and Cheaney should help fill that void.

Cheaney has never averaged less than 10.6 points per contest but never more than the 16.6 he managed in 1994-95. He has career averages of 12.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest and in 1996-97 led all shooting guards with a .505 field goal percentage.

In college, Cheaney earned both the Wooden and Naismith Awards his senior season at Indiana. He is the school's all-time leader in 3-pointers and second in career field goal percentage (.559).