Paul Pierce Not As "Available" As Advertised Memphis Commercial Appeal [imgl]http://media.lawrence.com/img/nbahawks/pierce.jpg[/imgl]We know a little about what the Grizzlies didn?t do this summer. They failed on numerous attempts to acquire Boston?s Paul Pierce. Reported in this space Aug. 7 was an early-summer proposal that included Bonzi Wells. The Grizzlies? pursuit didn?t end there, and they weren?t alone. Denver tried, too, but Boston remained reluctant even though Memphis was open to sending anyone but Pau Gasol In a separate Memphis/Boston transaction, the Griz turned down sending Wright for rookie Gerald Green (the hotshot prep player the Griz coveted in the draft) and Mark Blount (Griz didn?t view him as an adequate replacement for Wright and were turned off by a trade kicker in Blount?s contract). Only a few out of the thousands of trade proposals generated daily in the NBA. Source
There was all that talk about Pierce leaving and fans wanting him gone, but the organization and the fans know...deep inside they need him and respect what he has done for the team. They just went through a little "hate" phase after that series and Im very proud to say that that phase is over. I read in somewhere in a different article Pierce said he is happy to be wearing a Celtics Uniform that was very refreshing to hear that after everything he still loves the team and is excited to be a part of that. I think he will get the respect from more and more basketball fans as the season goes along. The organization kept him on low thank God because they knew no matter what they said that they need him and that hes a major part of their franchise.
As usual, the press blows every Pierce rumor out of proportion. Are we shocked as this point? I'm sure not. I'm actually rather tired of hearing everyone berate my beloved 2 guard. It's time for the Herald, and the Globe, and everyone other major northeast newsmedia publication to just sit for one off season and hold their breath. But then how do they get paid? Oh well, I guess I'm in a vicious circle here.
Contracts aside, you'd probably have to offer quite a bit along with Bonzi Wells, to get Paul Pierce. These trade rumors are getting more and more irritating. I like Pierce, but there's so much else to it. Pierce's game developed last year. We may not have noticed it, but it did. Yes, he had one bad playoff series, and I was as angry as anybody when I saw those technicals, but look at his numbers and you'll see the type of player that teams get built around. I think that he knows that they missed their chance, that he probably isn't going to win a championship in the prime of his career, but he'll still be able to play competitive basketball in the Eastern Conference. The championship may come later, but it can still happen. Welcome to rebuilding. And we have to admit that he has said the right thing by saying he wants to retire in a celts uniform. It may not even be true, but at the very least it's a noble piece of PR. Gerald Green and Mark Blount for Lorenzen Wright? And the Griz didn't take it? Yah ok. If that were true, I'd be making millions selling Tapioca and "Personal Enlargement" to Jerry West. And I ain't. So let's analyze, shall we? Lorenzen Wright is an under-sized center with a bum contract that he wants extended. Mark Blount is a center with a bum contract. Wright is smaller than Blount, plays the same defense, and has a similar offensive game, although he is a better rebounder. They are the same age, and neither plays well when unmotivated. Blount may be motivated by a move to the Griz (unlikely but possible) but Wright would never be motivated by a move to the rebuilding celts, so it's a wash. Gerald Green is a young man who could turn into a star within the next three years. Add it all together and you have the kind of trade rumor that may have been heard in a bar in Memphis by some reporter who was drinking his cares away waiting for Rick Pitino to come into town for a Memphis game and make some people angry. Maybe somebody named Ainge mentioned this, but more likely it was Erik Ainge (or maybe his dad) than Danny Ainge. The point here is this: With some notable exceptions, Danny Ainge has shown solid basketball judgment. Is this team going to win anything with Doc? No, he can't manage a game. Will this team sooner or later have the kind of talent that a great coach could mold into a real winner? It will. And it falls upon us as Boston fans to support the players and the team, to let them know when they make mistakes, but to ultimately love them even for that. I intend to. The hell with everyone else. In a related story, I heard that Jim McIlvaine was back on the market, and that Ainge had his eye on him, but that Isiah Thomas snatched him away before Ainge could make an offer. Also, Danny offered Paul Pierce and a bottle of cheap scotch to Golden State for Mikael Pietrus, Nikoloz Tskitishvilli and the rights to Baron Davis' lower back. Chris Mullin counter offered with Zarko Cabarkapa, Tskitishvilli and Adonal Foyle's hands for a bottle of Johnny Walker, which Ainge accepted until Mullin remembered he "didn't drink anymore."
