Citing a numbers game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers announced Saturday that the team had waived rookie forward Tony Gaffney from the team on Saturday. The move brings the current roster to 17.

Gaffney, who played as a standout at UMass, was the final cut of the Lakers before last season, before signing on with a team in Israel. He injured his ankle in his first game overseas and returned to the States to rehab. Gaffney and Oliver Lafayette on April 14 to get an extended look at both over the summer.

The 25-year-old Gaffney, a native of Berkley, Mass., was a Celtics fan before becoming a standout at Somerset High School.

And as a senior at UMass, he was Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year in a season, averaging 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.8 blocks.