Celtics Tidbits

I’d rather have Al.

I think what she was trying to convey is out of our young players, the one player teams are going to be asking for is Jefferson, so if the C’s really want to add an all-star like Garnett or O’Neal, Jefferson will have to be part of the deal. It’s a big price but also reality. My suggestion is Ainge and Co. get off their @ss and mimic the Raptor model and try to pick up some european role players with good fundamentals and high bball IQ for short money.

Am I wrong or did Brikowsi tell us this was going to happen.

PP “I want to be recognized for what I’ve accomplished,” Pierce said. "That may sound selfish, but I’ve sacrificed a lot. I want to win. That’s all I want. Most great players are selfish.

What exactly have you accomplished PP and what have you sacrificed? Has this game not made you a millionaire? Did I mention you are playing a game for a living? Now answer my second question again. Thanks.

I love you, but STFU.

I have a major distaste for Paul giving this interview. There was no reason for it IMO. What could it serve? I am so friggin’ tired of PP telling us about how he is some sort of victim by playing for the celtics. He has not been in the playoffs for two years now. The last play offf series we had he was an embarrassment to the Celtics in his behavior. There are better players than PP that have more than two seasons in a row without making the playoffs.

I agree with theUndertow 100%

I appreciate Paul Pierce the player but i question his character.

I think Pierce is being miss interpreted here. I don’t think he’s mad with the Celtics, although he does want them to upgrade. I think he is mad with the fact that the rest of the world doesn’t give him any respect. Which is true. People outside of C’s fans have no idea how good he is. I’ve said it before, Kobe, James, Pierce. That’s the list for swing men in the NBA. Look at the numbers. Maybe not this year because of the injuries but year in and year out he’s better then T-Mac, he’s better then Vince Carter, Dwayne Wade, Carmello, et. al. But because he can’t dunk the ball between his legs and he plays for the Celtics he gets 0 recognition. And it’s a shame. But I think this is what’s bothering him.

This just seems a little weird. I can see how Pierce is frustrated about never being on a contender, but this is coming just a day after he was saying how happy he was with the progession of the younger guys, and how if they were all healthy, they’d be a playoff team. Looks like they caught him on a bad day.

Why are we acting as though any of this is news?
Paul Pierce is unhappy the team is losing is news? Is anyone happy the team had a bad year (draft pick not withstanding)? The probable high pick and its yield is simply a silver lining to a dissapointing year.
The team will shop its pick is news? That’s dumb, of course the Celtics will shop the pick no matter what number it is. It makes no difference what number the pick is, Danny will listen to calls on it.
Danny Ainge has always said he would be willing to take offers on anyone, and that no one, except Paul Pierce, was untouchable. All the other “untouchable” tags have not come from Danny but from media/press dolts who know about as much as the rest of us about the happenings in the NBA. Danny has maintained he would trade anyone at the right price. If we land the #1 pick it will be available at the right price. None of this is news.

I would agree, Paul should keep his crying in perspective and limit his tears and outrage to his accountant.

if big al goes im killing myself

Paul should shut down both for himself and the organization. Give Gerald his minutes for the rest of the season. See what Gerald can do now as oppose to the beginning of this season. Do not trade Jefferson in any off season deal. I agree with Doc that this team will be good enough to make the playoffs next season (but I say with a different coach – not sure if we will if Doc returns). I am not opposed to trades but just not Jefferson – anybody else if it makes us a better team in the long run – just not for short term fixes.

They’re only gonna shop the pick if it’s 3-5 (or if Oden and/or Durant stay in school). There is no way Danny will shop Oden or Durant. He’ll listen to offers. It would be foolish not to. But there is really no way Ainge is giving up either of those two guys.

Regarding Pierce, while one interpretation regarding his comments about endorsement opportunities may be about money, I don’t see it that way. When looking at the entirety of his comments (endorsements, all-star appearances, national telecasts of games), I think he is talking about “respect” in the sense of acknowledgement of his game, his place in the pantheon of greatness. All-star appearances and national telecasts aren’t necessarily about money. I believe Paul think he’s a great player (as he should). I think in many fields, people who think they are exceptional want to be recognized as so. I think he is echoing that the current status of the Celtics is hurting his appropriate level of recognition.

Now given that, he did indeed sign a contract to stay here, because I truly believe that he wants to be a Celtic for life, but he is voicing concern/frustration over the price he is paying. Unfortunately (for him), I don’t think there are/were really many paths for him to show his greatness. I don’t think even if he became a free agent, that he could have gone to a place where his greatness could have been displayed more prominently (barring taking a minimum salary to play for some contender, which I dismiss as a reasonable option).

Roy, nice job on the front page (i’d give you a TP if i could). Interesting to hear about PP. I agree it is a case of wanting to eat one’s cake and have it too — but I think it might help spur the owners to spend money/ resources this offseason to upgrade the team (ie not just let Theo’s contract expire and save the money, but actually use it in a trade to get some veteran help at PG or PF).

They’ll shop the pick regardless of 1- whatever.

When Pitino took over and Duncan was at stake in the draft (Pitino had picks 3 and 5?) he called San Antonio to inquire what it would take for Duncan. San Antonio was willing to part with the pick, but in Pitino’s own words they simply wanted too much that it would mortgage the teams future. Why bring this up?
Oden is not Duncan, at least not yet. Durant is amazing, but he’s not Kevin Garnett, at least not yet. Those two look wonderful right now, but there is no garauntee that their future will be what is suggested by their present (Bias, Lewis, Sampson, Camby, Smith, Laettner, Coleman, etc etc etc ad nauseum).
Am I saying Danny is definitively going to trade the pick? No. Will he listen to offers? Shop around? You bet. If he lands the #1 pick will he see what Minn wants for Kevin? You bet. Will he see what Indiana wants for Oniel? You bet. He wouldn’t be acting responsibly with the pick if he didn’t. Would you take a current superstar (alla KG) for a possible star (Oden/Durant) if the price is right? You bet you do.
The qualifier with Danny has always been: if the deal makes sense, and that’s why you’ve haven’t seen any of Boston’s young talent leave in a deal. Danny is not going to move this teams young core just to make a deal to placate fans, and he’s not going to not trade a #1 or #2 pick just because these two young studs are exceptionally promising “might becomes.”

Jefferson isn’t going anywhere…JM may be able to write, but she has a 4th graders understanding of the trade market. Every team will WANT Al Jefferson, but not every team that is a match for trading with has an Al Jefferson level talent to exchange, or the volume of other assets…

If the Celtics shop the pick 3 and beyond, they won’t have to trade Jefferson to land a legit All Star player. With KG, JO, and Pau possibly on the move, there are only so many teams that have the assets and the financials to consumate such a move…

more likely scenario is the C’s getting the 1st or 2nd pick and then trading for a lesser player…

The market is STACKED with quality vets this year, the C’s will end up with one of them if the price is right…

I think PP is stating the obvious “Truth” as he usually does. I would not give up Al Jefferson for either KG or Jermaine O’Neil. I don’t think the Celtics will either.

If the Celtics get the #1 pick it will not be shopped. Al and Paul will not be shopped. Everyone else would be. The owners would not let Oden get away even for Garnett. Way to much money at stake. With Oden, the fans will wait and pay for 2 – 3 years, before they start to complain. You won’t be able to buy tickets, just like when Larry was in town.

If they get 3 – 5 it may be shopped but who could you get? Would anyone be happy with Lewis in
Seattle? I wouldn’t.

The Spurs never offered Duncan to anyone. Pitino tried as hard as he could to get him, but SA (wisely) didn’t budge. I’ll reiterate; Ainge will NOT trade away Oden or Durant. Listening to offers and “shopping” a player are two totally different things. He wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t listen to offers, but no team will offer anything worth giving up a potential HOFer for.

If PP doesn’t play tonite or for the rest of the season I don’t think it matters anymore. It was important for him to play the games he did with the players who will probably be the future core. He needed to adjust his game to their’s and they needed to adjust to him; i.e., not have him bail them out. This will continue into next year. Now I think he should get healed up and be able to get into his summer conditioning routine so he is ready to start next year healthy. I would also like to see GG get big minutes and start to work on the things he needs to work on such as knowing when to shoot and when to take it to the basket.

Yes, a package for O’neil or Gasol with the 3rd – 5th pick would get me excited, as long as PP, Rondo and Al stay.

If you recall the news conference with Pitino he did implicitly state that San Antonio was willing to part with the #1, but Pitino said it would “mortgage Boston’s future.” Duncan was available.

I like Oden, I like Durant (and think for Boston he’s the correct pick), they may turn in to wonderful pros. Future HoF is a stretch at this point, even potential HoF is a bit of a hyperbole. Paul Pierce is a all star’s all star but is a stretch for the hall being that he has won nothing, and has only even been honorable mention as MVP.

Maybe your right in arguing semantics over “shop” and “listen to offers,” but either way the pick will certainly be available at the right price.

“I’m the classic case of a great player on a bad team, and it stinks.”
I agree with Pierce, but who cares if he is being selfish or not. Walker was true Celtic so to speak in heart any way. Pierce is a phenomenal talent who knows his weaknesses and is able to compensate for them most of the time. The brass has a to make a serious decision and this will not be the last time I mention this.

Garnet would be worthy of a giving up Durant or Oden and I am still not sold that both or one is coming out. Tomorrow will be a great test for Oden bec Hibbert is a big boy and a very descent center.

The Celtics brass has to make a decision in my opinion. Do they a: Trade for a solid all-star, with Al in the package and go for 17 within the next 3 years or do you trade Pierce and build for 17 in the future? Its a tough choice because I don’t know if Al is ready to carry the load.

The other variable is Green. Can he shake his fear of missing shots and just let himself play. His scouting report on nbadraft.net couldn’t be more accurate. He seems to either take time off, get discouraged and then he will look like a potential perennial all-star. If I could say to myself Gerald will make the final leap next year then I would feel more comfortable with trading Paul and getting a new number 3. I am still interested to see if the brass view Phoenix for one or two of there 3 first round picks.

I love irony. Guy signs a contract that makes him nearly untradeable then complains about the team he’s on.

Very well written article, councelor. One quote concern me:

“With important games coming up against Milwaukee and Atlanta, this might be the end of The Truth for the year.”

I’ll maintain we’d better win the games we’re supposed to win or you might see a precedent set….too many blatantly obvious C’s tank games already. Be careful what you wish for….

I’d stop complaining if my income was say, two zeros less than Paul’s….I could live without the recognition.

Little D, O’Neal can’t stay on the court….a lot of money to pay someone who plays 50-60 games per year…..and a redundant player with Al on the team. I don’t know that a broken-down post player is conducive to a running game. I’d take Gasol.

This draft sounds deep enough that anybody in the top 5 should help right away.

Nothing here surprises me in the least. I wrote that I felt PP looked very unhappy, after returning from the disabled list, and expected to hear something along the lines of what we are now reading. Almost everybody here said I was wrong. Oh well.

tmcdon said:

“If you recall the news conference with Pitino he did implicitly state that San Antonio was willing to part with the #1, but Pitino said it would "mortgage Boston’s future.” Duncan was available."

Except that Pitino was a liar.

So what players on the Celtics’ 1997-98 roster (Pitino’s first year) wre the Cekltics unwilling to relinquish for Duncan? Antoine Walker? Ron Mercer? Walter McCarty?

Or maybe when the Spurs asked for Travis Knight Pitino simply got up and walked away from the negotiations. That was the last straw.
 

I don’t see what the problem is.

Pierce isn’t asking for anything more than the rest of us are clamoring for on this board. He is just politely asking Danny to remove his head from his * and get this team turned around.

Ainge has two tasks this offseason that will make or break his tenure with the Celtics:
1- Get us a good coach
2- Get the most out of this high draft pick and then kiss the lottery goodbye for the next 10 years.

Pierce made a dumb statement showing no respect to his teammates. How does he expect his teammates to feel about it. Dumb, dumb, dumb. If he feels he has gotten sucgh a raw deal for playing for such a subpar team, he should have become a free agent instead of sacrificing his ego for $60Mil. I cant believe he would say that to be published. You guys talk about Celtic pride and Celtic tradition. PP does not fit that mold. I could care less about what happens to him from now on. Not my type of player anymore. He blew it. Who does he think he is? Enough with a second rate athlete.

athletes used to say “play me or trade me”
then it became “pay me or trade me”
not its “pay me and trade me — if we dont win”

i understand PP’s point…in fact, more fans should be demanding a winner. but the captain making $18M/yr should express his frustration a little more tactfully.

another good get by jackiemac…why cant we get more celtic coverage like that?

perkins
jefferson
durant
PP
bdavis
equals 48 wins
i dont care who comes off the bench….

Thanks, Brick, for bringing a smile to my weary face tonight…Personally, I refuse to go whacko over this situation any longer…Sure we’ll shop Oden or Durant…My good lord…ludicrous!
That we’ll shop 3 thru 5, of course we’ll see what’s going on…Is that shopping?…and are we shopping for vets or lower picks plus?
Actually, while watching the game tonight, I’m reminded: Great player on the bench/Bad team on the floor. It’s an hell of a howdy-do. Personally, off the top of my head, I think the JackieMac story spells the end of Paul Pierce as a Celtic…
I felt the same way when during the pre-season several years ago ‘Toine stated flatly that “sure they talk about up-tempo, but, you know, when the season starts, the ball will still go through Paul and me…” This isn’t an exact quote, so I really shouldn’t have the marks there, but the gist is exact…About a week later he was traded (for better or worse)…Nobody is above the team…ask AI.

all great performers are very selfish. it is part of the reason they are good. most great players are also windbags. let paul blow off steam. big al is too valuable to trade. finally,we have someone down low. we keep him, or we are bigger fools than we already are. rondo is the other keeper. so, he can’t shoot. he will only get better on d. he is a jackrabbit and can push the ball. he will be able to score because he is not afraid to work. gerald is the toughest call. yes or no. only if they get someone really good in return. don’t fish in the shallow water for the small fish with gerald as bait.

“Garnet would be worthy of a giving up Durant or Oden and I am still not sold that both or one is coming out. Tomorrow will be a great test for Oden bec Hibbert is a big boy and a very descent center.”

Right now its up to about 99.8% that Oden is declaring, and I expect Durant to join him. Only way I saw Durant returning is if his team made it to the FF or NC or something, and his team came up just short and he wanted to lead them to a championship.

I think there are a few scenarios were Ainge would move the 1st or 2nd pick. The first would be if Ainge actually valued Durant more than Oden. I could see him selecting Oden at #1 then trading with the team that gets the #2. This would get us a future first or another player. It would be similar to Orlando selecting Webber, then trading him to GS for Penny. They already had Shaq and didn’t need a “redundent” Webber.

Another scenario would be something like Ainge dealing the #1 or #2 pick to Memphis/Indiana/Minnesota/Phoenix(by ATL) for their pick and Gasol/O’Neal/KG/Marion. We could then spin off that pick, Theo, etc for another player to round out the team. Maybe an Andre Miller or AK47 type player.

Picture this type of deal:
Boston gets:
Marion

1. Pick (Noah is gone at 4)
   Phoenix gets:
2. Pick (Durant)
   Theo
   Allen Ray

Or if they wanted Oden at #1, we could do an Oden/Theo swap for Amare Stoudemire and the #5.

I’m not saying dealing the #1 or #2 pick is neccessarily a good idea; however, it does open up a ton of other possibilities.

I don’t think PP’s comments are anything new. He resigned here because he saw a lot of promise in the young guys and figured they’d make a lot of progress this year. Obviously, the team didn’t play well and feels like it’s Doc’s/Ainge’s fault. I don’t see him demanding a trade though. As everyone knows, this summer will determine what happens with the future of this team. It will be up to Ainge to turn some of our young “talent” into veterans, and some luck to get Oden/Durant. If neither of those things happen, and the team is in the lottery again next year, I could see PP asking out. Anything short of that though, and he stays.

I still think this whole thread is much ado about not very much.

If you get the chance you take Oden or Durant and keep them. Sure you shop a lesser pick, but shopping doesn’t always mean buying (or in this case selling.)

if he’s unhappy then why not bite the bullet and send him to pheonix for

their 3 picks this draft
whatever they have next draft
boris diaw (6-8 F 25yo)
barbosa (6-3 PG 25yo)

could they resist a lineup with 4 all*stars?
nash
bell
pierce
marion
stoudemire

I know most of you want to win now.. but this would be a great way to organically grow the celtics into a championship contender in a few years time.. hopefully around Oden :P

Paul spoke the TRUTH, it hard for us to hear or accept but it’s the TRUTH.It is not always about the money, respect and recognition means alot to some people. Right now the entire Celtics Organization doesn’t have either.The only way this will change is to Win, and I don’t care how much money you make nobody like losing.

Let’s see, when fans on this blog complain and demand a winner, that’s okay. When a player does the same thing, he gets called out. Is it because Pierce makes more money annually than most of the posters combined? What does how much money he makes have to do with anything?

What Pierce really needs to do is make sure he’s “resting” during the two games against the Bucks. No matter which players come out or don’t having the second most ping-pong balls in the next draft is the most important team accomplishment over the rest of the season.

UCN don’t be so sure about both declaring and I watched Oden play tonight. I’ll be honest when he comes to the Nba he probably won’t dominate until year 3. Unless I watched a different game then the rest of you.

I agree with you on Durant I think he will declare. Someone mentioned trading Paul to Phoenix for their three picks. Not a bad idea. As far a new head coach gm. Unless Jerry West feels like taking control I don’t know. New Coach, I had a thought, I do like Doc, I really do but what about Van Gundy the ex Miami coach.

I think Jefferson will be traded this off season.