aaron c beals

Paul Pierce opting out of his contract seemed like a slam-dunk in theory a few months ago: he’d opt out, sign back with the team for less money per year (so we could tap into the rich free agent pool of 2010) but over a longer period of time, and retire a Celtic.

suddenly, the reality of the free market has hit me. if Doc doesn’t return and the team doesn’t re-up Ray’s contract, they might start re-building around Rondo now, and we might be Pierce-less. *gulp*

i realize that I’m being more sentimental than practical — if i were GM, i’d be letting Pierce walk unless he re-signed for much less money so we could start building for the future. barring a miracle, the current aging core is not going to bring us another championship. i’m not the GM, though. i’m a long-time, hard-core fan. so i’m now devoting my remaining mental energies to thinking about anything and everything but this.

more info from around the web:
Celtics Blog reports and has some nice analysis
Boston.com rolls out a photo montage of Paul’s time in Boston (ease up. he’s not gone until he signs elsewhere, guys.)
Mazz represents the non-sentimental approach i’ll probably talk myself into if Pierce walks away

well, it seems everyone else is commenting on the omnipresent vuvuzelas at the World Cup, so i’ll throw my hat into the ring with two quick links:

1. apparently, soccer is disrupting the concert

2. some sheet music, if you have the instrument on hand

after reading this article about Jennings getting fined for tweeting after a game, i can’t help but think that the ban on tweeting before, during, and after games (up until the media session) has less to do with the NBA not wanting players distracted in the locker rooms and more to do with the media getting upset about players scooping them.

i’m loving the new blog by Paul Pierce on boston.com. Pierce has been one of my favorite players for years — watching and supporting him through the lean years, celebrating with him when he finally got his ring in 2008 — and I have said ever since ~2005 that his numbers should go up in the rafters even if he never won a championship, simply because of what he’s meant to and done for this team. and now we’re getting a chance to hear what’s on his mind in a more verbose manner than Twitter.

his first post explained how Boston became his home. great to see that he feels about this town the same way this town feels about him.

today’s post covers what he’s do if he ran the NBA or the country. two of my favorite quotes:

(On changes he’d make to the NBA) 3. Raise the rim three inches: The athletes today are crazy. You see the way guys are jumping these days. I would raise the rim three inches. Then, you have to learn the art of the jump shot. You’ll have to know how to play this game a little bit better then. Raising the rim, you’ll see improved play. You’ll see increasing fundamentals. I’m telling you.

(On changes he’d make to the nation) 1. Every person who goes to war, when they come back, they get a free house — no taxes: I was talking about this the other day, about what happens to people who go to war. When they come back a lot of them are on the streets. A lot of them get certain benefits, but the adjustment they make, it’s crazy.

through his blog, we are getting to see a side of Pierce that has not been shown on the court or in post-game interviews that focus on the team or the season. it is encouraging to see that our captain and The Truth has a mind as sharp as his game.

i don’t know Tommy personally, but after years of listening to / watching him, and hearing him always mention the “redhead from Needham”, the news today made me a little sad…

it’s a little dusty in here…

link

from the sublime (Amare goes to Sierra Leone to help build wells) … to the unbelievable (LeBron gets schooled in HORSE).

there’s been a lot of talk over the last few years about flopping and floppers in the NBA, but every time i hear the term, my mind goes to one man: Vlade Divac. it’s always been astounding to me that none of the announcers today reference his flop-abilities. however, i’m finally vindicated by the following video montage, put together by Vlade’s charitable organization:

even though the Celtics couldn’t keep Posey, it looks like we were able to hang on to TonyA and House (Money). certainly, i would rather have a single player (Posey) that embodied tight defensive play and clutch outside shooting, but i’m happy to settle for two players that fit those roles (TA and House, respectively).

dang it.

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2008/07/posey_to_hornet.html

Posey, we’ll miss you, buddy.