If Danny buys out the captain I won't follow C's next season

[crownontherocks]

1. People keep asking me about the rumored Paul Pierce buyout. No chance. He is a trade asset: expiring deal or you can buy him out for 5m.

BillSimmons


2. For instance - if N.O. wanted to get out of last 3 yrs of Eric Gordon's mini-max deal, they could flip him to Boston for PP + 16th pick.

BillSimmons



Spoke to someone with the Celtics last night, and they laughed off the recent report that the Celtics are "likely" to buy out Pierce.

rich_levine/tweets

[gpap]

There's something more important than getting a championship. Pierce has stood for the culture of this team for more than a decade. His value is much more than the contribution on the court, and his current contract was actually a bargain for the Celtics at the time Pierce agreed the deal.

If Danny dumps Pierce just to lower the payroll for one single season, I simply won't follow the Celtics next season, and we know they're not going to contend anyway. Moreover, I bet somewhere a bald dude will laugh at us if it really happens.

Over exaggerate much??? And a more important question: Have you seen how badly Pierce has declined the last couple years?

In closing, like another fan mentioned, there's nothing more important than a championship.

If dealing Pierce meant it was the right move for the team, then I'd personally drive him to the airport and also stop to get him a coffee on the way there.

I like Paul and also want to see him retire as a Celtic. But, this is the business of winning and losing, not sentimentality.

[Monkhouse]

There's something more important than getting a championship. Pierce has stood for the culture of this team for more than a decade. His value is much more than the contribution on the court, and his current contract was actually a bargain for the Celtics at the time Pierce agreed the deal.

If Danny dumps Pierce just to lower the payroll for one single season, I simply won't follow the Celtics next season, and we know they're not going to contend anyway. Moreover, I bet somewhere a bald dude will laugh at us if it really happens.

Actually pierce voiced that he wanted out of Boston and was also a terd for quite a bit of his celtics tenure. He wouldn't be here and he's only here because Danny got him some help in KG and Ray. So Pierce actually owes a lot to Ainge.
You're missing the point as to why pierce would be waived. He'd never be dumped just for payroll purposes for the Celtics. He's worth more to the organization just selling jerseys and tickets than to just dump him...we'd still be over the cap. He'd be dumped so another team can use his contract as a way to lower their payroll thus giving us assets, or he'd be dumped to a contender so they can use his veteran leadership to actually win a championship, again to give us assets.
Pierce will always be a Celtic. If we can get something that gets us closer to the next championship for his whale of a deal then that's great, the name on the front of the jersey is more important than the name on the back, and Pierce knows this and understands that whatever happens, happens.
The day the Lakers overtake us is a sad day. If he were to get rid of Pierce, no matter what route he takes, Pierce will be picked up by a contender one way or the other.


Ps. There's nothing that's more important than winning a championship

Pierce never said that he wanted out. He asked to either be traded or to be surrounded with better help.

Agreed that is basically the equivalent to what KG has said.

Every player wants to win a championship. No one wants to be in mediocrity. If I'm Paul Pierce I don't want to live my career years doing nothing. Especially if I feel like I'm an HoFer. I want to cement my legacy, and there's nothing wrong with that.

If the GM doesn't try to do that, then why would I want to be part of any organization hat doesn't care about winning? Should be winning first, then soothing egos second.

[gpap]

I don't agree with this position that only the name on the front of the jersey matters. If you're a player I hate and you come to the Celtics I'm still going to hate you. And if the Celtics built a team of players I couldn't stand then I'd have to walk away from the team until those players got replaced.I'd still say I was a Celtics fan but Id point out "not right now."



And another thing that's kind of bugged me as of late. When Ray Allen took his talents to south beach this place exploded with people call him a trader and saying he had no loyalty. But now it seems that many people want Paul to get dumped.

I think Ray's criticism had a lot more to do with the fact that he took less money to play for our arch-rival more so than simply just leaving Boston.

[CelticConcourse]

There's something more important than getting a championship. Pierce has stood for the culture of this team for more than a decade. His value is much more than the contribution on the court, and his current contract was actually a bargain for the Celtics at the time Pierce agreed the deal.

If Danny dumps Pierce just to lower the payroll for one single season, I simply won't follow the Celtics next season, and we know they're not going to contend anyway. Moreover, I bet somewhere a bald dude will laugh at us if it really happens.

What if Pierce ASKS to get bought out? (just wonderin')

[Tgro]

Where I disagree with the OP is that no matter how much your team blows (Celtics in 2007,) they are your team and you follow them and look for things to be excited for.

TP

That includes with or WITHOUT PP.

The Celtics were around before PP and they will be after PP and KG and RR and everyone else too.

And as much as we all hated seeing Ray join the hated rival Heat because it seemed like a punk move at the time, you have to wonder if PP and KG are a little more understanding seeing him in position to win another ring while the Celtics seem further away from even sniffing a ring.

Regardless, if the Celtics suddenly had none of our stars and the record of the Charlotte Bobcats, I'd still love them and look forward to better days. 

[NocturnalRebel]

I'm also hoping for KG and PP to retire as Celtics.

If they do, then Danny might be able to point to that when trying to recruit stars in future; that Boston has a history of treating its franchise cornerstones respectfully at the end of their careers. Bird and McHae are other examples. Regardless of that, they've earned the right to go out on their terms plus they're both in Wyc's good books.

KG should also be given some sort of assistant coaching position when his playing days are done, even if it's a token one. Having him just ride off into the sunset would badly affect the ongoing blue collar work ethic of the club.

False on both counts. First Kg and Paul retiring as celtics has zero effect on what free agents decide to come here. You think Lebron would say oh look Kg and Pierce retired as a celtics, that organization is so great in treating their players right by letting the players finish they careers with the team. with so let me go join them. I'm sorry but it doesn't work that way. Even the Great Larry Bird didn't retire with the Celtics. I was surprised when I found that out years ago.

Second the Celtics doesn't owe Kg any coaching position and it doesn't affect negatively on them. Maybe Kg doesn't want anything to do with coaching at all when he retires and just wants to spend time with those close to him.

First of all Larry only ever played for the Celtics. He may have coached elsewhere but he retired as a player in Boston. That's what I'm talking about. Not sure what you mean.

Second of all, how do you know what effect their retirement in Boston may or may not have on other free agents? I said it was a possibility. I also said 'franchise cornerstones' not 'players'. There's a big difference.

I guess I'm just not the type of person who would just put old sick grandma in a retirement home to rot away after she has dedicated her best years to supporting the family, while others appear happy to do so because the 'grass is greener' elsewhere. Loyalty is Royalty.

Preach.

[Celtics4ever]

That includes with or WITHOUT PP.

The Celtics were around before PP and they will be after PP and KG and RR and everyone else too.

I think the 86 team would own the 08 team.

[kgainez]

There's something more important than getting a championship. Pierce has stood for the culture of this team for more than a decade. His value is much more than the contribution on the court, and his current contract was actually a bargain for the Celtics at the time Pierce agreed the deal.

If Danny dumps Pierce just to lower the payroll for one single season, I simply won't follow the Celtics next season, and we know they're not going to contend anyway. Moreover, I bet somewhere a bald dude will laugh at us if it really happens.

where the heck have you people been?
Paul has stated HE DOESN'T WANT TO BE AROUND FOR ANOTHER REBUILD!! Paul has also stated HE WILL WILLINGLY TEST OUT FREE AGENCY!!
Stop choosing to be loyal to someone who's not interested in being loyal to you.
If he goes, that means we're rebuilding. DA is doing the RIGHT thing by letting him go. He's also doing Paulie a solid.

Jesus, guys, relax.

[syfy9]

I guess I'm just not the type of person who would just put old sick grandma in a retirement home to rot away after she has dedicated her best years to supporting the family, while others appear happy to do so because the 'grass is greener' elsewhere. Loyalty is Royalty.

Pierce isn't an old sick grandma in a retirement home.

Yeah, he's old. Yeah, he's sick. But he isn't in a retirement home.

He's employed and getting payed millions. I don't want to see Pierce gone either, but let's face it. If we want what's best for grandma, we should send grandma to a contender (not a retirement home) so grandma can have one more legit chance at a ring. Why let her rot here? It's basically as worse as a retirement home.

I say we should let grandma decide on whether she wants to stay or go, imo.