Boston loves Paul Pierce. And for the former Celtic, the feeling is mutual.
Even though Pierce agreed to be traded to Brooklyn in the summer of 2013, and has since moved on to play for Washington, he spent 15 years in Celtics green. Beantown and its beloved basketball team mean so much to him, in early December Pierce made a video about his most recent return before facing Boston as a member of the Wizards in TD Garden.
http://vimeo.com/113714635
So it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise [Pierce told the Boston Herald he could return to the organization once he calls it quits][1] (the 37-year-old [has a player-option on his contract at the end of this season][2], and could opt out to earn more money in 2015-16).
According to the former Kansas standout, sometime in the coming offseason, he plans to visit Boston and will seek out Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and co-owner Wyc Grousbeck to talk about opportunities that might be available for him when he retires.
The Herald’s Steve Bulpett reported though the 2008 NBA Finals MVP long had thought about front-office positions for his post-playing days, Pierce might even be interested in a spot on the bench.
> “I’m not sure, man. I like to keep my
> options open,” Pierce said. “Coaching
> could be in my future. I think I still
> have a lot left to give this game. I
> always find myself talking to the
> guys. When we’re going through
> scouting, I’m giving out pointers. A
> lot of the assistants say, ‘Man,
> you’ve got a lot to give this game
> after you’re done.’ So whether it’s
> coaching or being a general manager,
> it’s something I think about. I think
> it’s something that Kevin (Garnett,
> his former C’s and Nets teammate) has
> even thought about. Me and him talked
> about it. I think he would enjoy
> coaching. You know, Kevin likes to
> teach.”
Pierce, who has career averages of 21.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals has seen his production decline over the past two seasons, as the wear and tear of hundreds of NBA games — 1207 and counting — catches up with him.
This season with Washington (22-9, No. 3 in the Eastern Conference), he is shooting 44.6% from the floor, right at his career mark of 44.7%, and has made 36.3% of his 3-pointers, not too far off from the 37% he has made in his 16-plus seasons. Like last year with the Nets, he is playing below 30 minutes a game (27.0), but is contributing 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.8 steals in a Wizards uniform.
Even though he is a productive member of a successful team, the veteran knows retirement comes closer every day.
> “I’m just going to listen to my body,”
> Pierce told the Herald. “Some days are
> better than others, definitely. But
> it’s going to be a personal and family
> decision — even going into this
> summer.”
In the meantime, he’ll keep doing what he did all those years in Boston — just maybe on a reduced scale. Gotta save those legs for coaching.
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*- Keep up with the production of all the ‘Hawks in the NBA [daily at KUsports.com][3].*
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*- [Follow @BentonASmith on Twitter][4].*
[1]: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2014/12/pierce_s_future_plans_include_visiting_celts
[2]: http://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/WAS.html
[3]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/mens_basketball/hawks_nba/
[4]: https://twitter.com/BentonASmith
