Rajon Rondo the First Domino To Fall

http://bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2013/08/rajon_rondo_first_domino_to_fall


In Paul Pierce’s mind, there were many factors that went into the dismantling of the Celtics roster this offseason. That chain reaction, however, may have started on Jan. 27, 2013. It was on that winter day — one where the Celtics dramatically defeated the Miami Heat in double overtime at TD Garden — that the team learned point guard Rajon Rondo would need surgery to repair a tear in his ACL, ending his season.

With time growing shorter with every passing game for the old Celtics core and with Rondo’s health uncertain for the upcoming year as he rehabs his knee, Pierce acknowledged that the injury was a big reason why he is now wearing a Brooklyn Nets uniform and not the one he wore for the past 15 years.

“It would be hard to contend,” Pierce told the Herald yesterday, the last day of his camp at Basketball City in the shadow of the Garden. “I saw the vision. I saw all that. As a player, I’m selfish. I want what’s going to be good for me and the team. But you’ve got to look at the management looking at what’s down the road. If it’s up to me I would want to rebuild to win a championship by bringing players in. They were looking at the future, down the line.

“Rajon might not be here for the beginning of the year or however long he takes, so it would be tough for us to be a contender or get in a position to contend. Everybody saw that and I think that helped the decision on both sides.”

The moves were franchise-altering and they were swift. Doc Rivers was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers in a trade, and on draft night, the framework of a megadeal was put in place with Brooklyn.

Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry were moved to Brooklyn officially after the July moratorium was lifted, and the Celtics got back Kris Humphries, Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Gerald Wallace, three future first-round draft picks and the chance to start over.

Add the surprise hiring of Celtics coach Brad Stevens, and in just a few weeks the Atlantic Division looked a whole lot different.

“It was like a domino effect,” Pierce said. “It was like (the Rondo injury) was there and then Doc. When you put all that stuff together, you know the writing was on the wall.”

The chance to get another ring was important for Pierce and rebuilding was not. The second-leading scorer in Celtics history is hoping his presence — along with that of Garnett, Terry and Nets head coach Jason Kidd — can bring that same kind of championship mettle to his new team, because time is running out.

“It’s a lot shorter,” Pierce, who played in 1,102 games with the C’s, said of the window to win in Brooklyn. “I think this might be like a two-year window right now. I have one year left on my deal, but I know KG probably plans on retiring in two years. I feel like you got players of our caliber and players that can change a culture and do so many things on and off the court to help the ballclub. It’s really based on that.”
The press conferences and the farewells are done, and Pierce’s run in Boston has come to a close. He is settling into New York living, and with the conclusion of his basketball camp yesterday it will most likely mark the last time he will be in Boston until the Nets visit on Jan. 26.
Pierce said he doesn’t plan on attending the preseason matchup with the Celtics (Oct. 23) because he doesn’t want to go through a “welcome back” twice. He also said the camp with his name attached to it at Basketball City will end in Boston this year. He spent three days with approximately 200 campers this week and he plans to start a new camp in the New York area.

Either way it’s a sendoff that was hard for Pierce to go through, and it won’t be the last.

“We’ve seen a lot of these kids grown up,” Pierce said. “We built a lot of relationships with this camp. It was tough because you get the interaction and you hear people saying that they are going to miss you. You’ve got a few people crying, so that was the tough part. I’ve already dealt with reality and what’s going to happen. Coming here and getting reaction from the parents and the kids, that was tough.”
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bob



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Sam my nephew that alot met at the Cheers party went to Pierces camp 2 years ago, I don't know what you find arcane and funny? hes just expressing hes gonna miss the camp and the kids.