Paul Pierce: Should He Go or Should He Stay?

Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

After the torn ACL to their leading point man Rajon Rondo, what are the Boston Celtics to do from here?

It’s a question on everyone’s mind. Should the Celtics breakup their aging, star-studded cast that has worked so well together over the past half decade in the absence of their one glimmering superstar?

In the fallout from Rondo’s injury, rumors have started to circulate on whether the Celtics would be willing to part ways with Paul Pierce, one of the five best players in their franchise’s history. And it’s a one worth exploring.

Currently, the Celtics have no blossoming superstars on their roster, nor any means of acquiring such talent through the way of draft picks. Though Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger are developing quite nicely at the NBA level, neither are centerpieces for a franchise to build off of. At the very best, Boston is simply stuck with a roster who’s on the path to a mediocre .500 season.

The only means of obtaining such talent in the short run is by waiting. If a playoff contender feels it is missing a piece to make a realistic push into title contention, they could make a play for Pierce by offering a draft pick. As of now, we can see three teams who identify with such  a problem: the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers and Indiana Pacers.

Though, obtaining Pierce puts a franchise in enormous jeopardy. Pierce is on the older half of 35 years of age and is shooting 41.9 percent from the floor, a substandard number for a shooting guard. But given his list of postseason accomplishments and steady play over the years, he could prove to be a big factor in late-game situations.

Unfortunately, the problem is out of the hands of the Celtics’ organization. If no team were to make a move for Pierce (or Garnett), the Celtics would have to venture on with a point guard-by-committee experiment which would leave the scoring load to the veteran shooters. Realistically, we can’t see this panning out in the long haul.

But Pierce has made it clear that he doesn’t want out.

“I want to retire as a Celtic,” Pierce said Tuesday. “That’s been my longtime goal. But it’s not in my control.”

So where does that leave us?

The best bet is to breakup a cast of outdated stars and hope for the best in the next few rebuilding years. Yes, it won’t be the popular choice at the time, but it’s the best choice given the ugly circumstances.