LAS VEGAS — Keith Bogans wants back into the NBA, and knows his unusual departure from the Celtics two seasons ago has left a large stain on his resume.
It’s not often that a player, with full pay, is sent home. Bogans, a 35-year-old playing for Portland’s entry this week in the NBA summer league, claims not to know why. He refers to his departure as “a leave of absence” and leaves no doubt that the phrase has a bitter taste for him.
“When it happened, I didn’t know what was going on,” the 11-year veteran said of the day he was called into president of basketball operations Danny Ainge’s office and told it would be better if he left.