As Pierce said, this isn’t his first rodeo. He’s seen teammates from Antoine Walker to Kendrick Perkins come and go. “I understand,” he said. “What the Celtics have done for me in my career, I’m more than happy. They’ve kept me this long, and I’ve been able to play in a lot of good situations. You’ve got to understand the business.
WEEI: Pierce: Of course I want to retire a Celtic
I know Paul Pierce is coming off a loss in which he didn't shoot very well, but man he seems especially down in this video.
And he can say what he wants about not paying attention to all of the talk, but it's unavoidable. Because things like that interview with 10 reporters happen, and its hard for anyone to just hop in the car and tune it out. Especially after a loss like that.
You just stunk up the joint, the fans were booing, you've got reporters in your face asking about being traded… that stuff sticks with you.
We can only hope the C's figure something out and turn this around. Looking at their performance last night, I'm a little less hopeful that will happen.
Related links: ESPN Boston: Pierce on trade rumors: part of the business | CSNNE: Pierce understands, ignores rumors | Herald: Pierce not blind to the truth | Globe: Pierce tries to block out woes
On Page 2: Some praise for Avery Bradley
Nash finished with 11 points and nine assists, but Ray Allen noted after the game that Nash's overall impact was diminished due to Bradley's efforts on the defensive end.
"I thought [Bradley] was definitely a bright spot out there because he put a lot of pressure on Nash," Allen said. "You could tell he got his feet twisted a little bit, because Avery was right in front of him every time he turned. He just always kept him guessing. It wasn't [Nash] picking us apart, because Avery did a great job on him."
"I just commend Avery for the way he came in and he put a lot of pressure on Nash and he got some steals, and he just made him work harder than he would have otherwise."
ESPN Boston: First start full of positive for Avery Bradley
I am hard on Avery Bradley. It's because he's looked absolutely awful for so much of this young season so far. The mistakes he makes are big mistakes. They're ugly mistakes. They stand out in the sea of crap that has been the C's season so far.
And he made big, glaring mistakes last night. And I was hard on him for those too. But he also did good things, and he deserves praise for the good things. He was, once again, pretty good defensively. Steve Nash was largely kept in check. If Marcin Gortat wasn't channeling Wilt Chamberlain out there, Nash would have probably had half as many assists.
Bradley's a second year player who's playing along side struggling, aging Hall of Famers with almost no time to practice. It's going to be hard, I'll give him that. Still, though, he needs to work on making some of those easy shots. He has to start making those or else he's going to stay in limbo.
Related links: CSNNE: Bradley holds his own in first start | WEEI: Avery Bradley's successful first NBA start | Herald: Bradley tested from the start
The rest of the links:
CSNNE: Allen frustrated, not worried | Gortat: Celtics "weaker" this year | ESPN Boston: Win or Spin | WEEI: Suns rise, Celtics fall… again | Rivers: Our offense is awful | Allen: This hurts everybody deeply | Herald: Without Rondo, C's fall victim to Phoenix | Rondo gets wristed up | Pietrus has no warm feelings for Suns | Globe: C's a few shades worse than Suns | No answers for lack of offense | MWDN: Celtics burned by Suns
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