Paul Pierce, L.A. Clippers?

Late last night, while I was working my bar shift at the Baseball Tavern, the news slowly ran across the bottom of the ESPN screen: "Celtics forward Paul Pierce will opt out of the final year of his contract." Just like that, Danny Ainge has been given the opportunity to re-tool the Celtics for the next decade. Pierce is now free to join whatever team decides to pay him. Yesterday I predicted that team would be the Boston Celtics but like Bill Parcells taught me when I was a teenager, I reserve the right to change my mind. The reason for the change of thought is that Pierce actually has the ability to make the most money of all the potential big name free agents due to the rules of the current collective bargaining agreement. He is in line for a 4-year, $96 million dollar contract that I sincerely doubt the Celtics want to give to a 33-year-old forward who is clearly reaching the end of his prime. Now you would think that would prevent another team from investing so much into Pierce but he is still a big name and he will be attractive to teams that miss out on signing LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and/or Joe Johnson. He is also a better all-around player than fellow free agent small forward Rudy Gay, although I may be partial to Gay's athleticism and explosiveness at this point than Pierce's herky-jerky offensive arsenal. One team that has the money and desire to add Pierce should be the Clippers. Before I get into the reasons for a Pierce-Clippers union, we all must remember that their owner Donald Sterling is a complete buffoon and common sense is something he sorely lacks but for the purpose of this argument, I think even he would be open to adding an attraction like Pierce. First of all, Pierce is a Los Angeles native. He grew up a Lakers fan - and judging by his Game 7 performance a few weeks ago, he still might have a thing for the Purple & Gold - but he will not be joining Kobe in the immediate future so a move to the Clippers is his one chance to play his home games at home. Another reason why this makes sense is that signing Pierce would allow the Clippers to be relevant in such an exciting NBA summer. Being in the news for positive reasons at a time when the landscape of the league is about to change dramatically would be a welcome change for the Clippers. Finally - and most importantly - Pierce would make the Clippers into a potential contender in the West. The Clippers have built a solid nucleus of good young players and solid veterans that Pierce could step into and make a quiet run at a title. Blake Griffin, the top pick of the 2009 Draft, is 100% healthy and prepared to return from a knee injury that cost him his rookie season. Eric Gordon is a young shooting guard who would be a nice compliment to Pierce on the perimeter. Al Thornton and Al-Farooq Aminu are two athletic forwards who would take defensive pressure off of Pierce. DeAndre Jordan is a young center who provides depth and could become a defensive presence similar to what Pierce knew in Boston with Kendrick Perkins. Eric Bledsoe, a speedy point guard from Kentucky, was added in a draft-day trade and is a good shooter who is capable of handling the responsibilities of running a team. Those youngsters are supported by point guard Baron Davis and center Chris Kaman. Put together, that is a nice looking roster that has a balance of promising young stars and veteran leaders that needs a presence like Pierce to make them into a legitimate contender. If Pierce does leave the Celtics, Ainge will have just over $15 million in cap space to invest in the future of his team. That could be money spent on adding an established star such as Joe Johnson or a younger player like Rudy Gay, who would be cheaper than Johnson allowing Ainge the ability to get a younger shooting guard like J.J. Redick to replace Ray Allen. If Ainge does the latter, the Celtics would immediately become a lot younger and much more athletic. That might not be the best option to win a title in 2011 but it would make them more likely to compete for championships throughout this decade. And if Ainge still finds a veteran big man - like Brad Miller - to team with Kendrick Perkins (expected back in January), re-sign Tony Allen, and get a cheap small forward (the recently released James Jones, late of the Heat, has always been a favorite of mine as is former Celtic Ryan Gomes) this team could be a championship team next June. 5: Kendrick Perkins, Brad Miller 4: Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, Luke Harangody 3: Rudy Gay, James Jones/Ryan Gomes 2: J.J. Redick, Tony Allen 1: Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley It is a lot different looking than what we have enjoyed the last three years but that is a team that keeps the Celtics in contention in 2011 and keeps them on track to contend for the rest of the decade.