During my pain-staking write-ups during the NBA Finals, I constantly talked about how the Celtics are really Rajon Rondo's team now. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and KG may not realize that, they may think they're still A-Level players, but reality played itself out on the 2010 playoff stage.
Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe agrees with me, and he writes that Paul Pierce opting out of his contract may give Danny Ainge an opportunity to re-build around Rondo sooner than he might have otherwise. A blessing in disguise, kind of like not trading Pierce a couple years back.
First off, I'm a huge Pierce fan. Without him, the Celtics do not win the 2008 title and do not make it to the 2010 Finals. Yes, he sputtered in Game 7 against Ron Artest, but he did put up a 19/6/3 in the playoffs on 44/40/83 shooting. Despite declining skills, he's still a very good player.
But I think it's likely he will be a good player somewhere else in 2010-11. I think Ainge is going to take a chance on a free agent. According to Mazz, he's got $25 million to play with. Is he going to sign one of the big guys like LeBron or D-Wade? No, that's not going to happen. But what about Joe Johnson (I'm not a fan)? Or Amar'e? Carlos Boozer? David Lee? The Celtics need to get younger and more athletic. All of those guys would qualify.
Of course, I have no idea how this will turn out. Could Pierce return? Sure. He's mentioned in the past about being a lifelong Celtic, but would he pass up the opportunity to play along side Nash in Phoenix (not likely), Wade in Miami (a little more likely), or maybe be a veteran presence in a place like Oklahoma City? Only he could say for sure.
I will miss Pierce if he leaves, and will look forward to the day his No. 34 jersey joins the others in the rafters. But it's time for the Rondo era to begin.
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