NBA News 2012: Pierce not interested in signing extension

English: Paul Pierce 2000 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Paul Pierce has played all 14 of his NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics, but he is not seeking an extension on his current contract, preferring to become a free agent when it expires, according to the Boston Globe.

Pierce, 34, is under contract through 2013-2014, but it’s not guaranteed as a team option.

“I think I am going to play this one out,” he told the Globe. “I want to see what it feels like to be a free agent for once in my life. I think I am going to play this one out. A lot can change in two years. My body [may not] be where I want it to be, I could retire, a lot of things could happen. I love the game. I made as much money as I possibly can. It’s about winning a championship and if I feel like it’s the right thing to do, maybe so [come back]. If I solidify my third year, maybe they opt out, so it’s about keeping your options open.”

His decision about whether to stay with the Celtics may depend on what other pieces the Celtics have then.

Ray Allen left to join the Miami Heat, and coach Doc Rivers might be ready to walk away from the NBA sometime soon. Kevin Garnett signed a three-year extension this summer, but he is 36 years old.

Pierce was put on the trading block last season before general manager Danny Ainge decided to keep the team together for another run.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/report-pierce-not-interested-in-signing-extension/

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NBA News 2012: Ainge knows Big 3 not enough

10 years in the making (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
After deciding to bring back Boston's aging Big Three for another run at the NBA title, Danny Ainge knew he needed to surround it with more talent.

The Celtics general manager settled on former Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Jason Terry as one of the key pieces. Terry has reportedly agreed to a three-year deal for $15 million that is only waiting for the NBA's moratorium on free agent signings to be lifted on July 11 for the deal to be finalized.

Brandon Bass has reportedly agreed to a three-year deal that is also being held up until the signing date. That gives Boston back its third-leading scorer, a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 12.5 points in his first season with the Celtics.

Terry, who is one of the league's top 3-point shooters, would not keep the Celtics from bringing back Ray Allen. The 36-year-old Allen has also met with the Miami Heat, but salary cap rules allow Boston to offer him more money.

''We really want Ray to come back,'' Ainge said this week. ''Time will tell.''

That would keep the Big Three intact to try for a second NBA championship - the 18th for the league's most-decorated franchise. Paul Pierce is under contract for two more years and Rajon Rondo for three.

Ainge nearly dealt away Allen, the top 3-point shooter in NBA history, at the trading deadline in a deal that would have signaled the end of the partnership that led the Celtics to the 2008 championship. The same group returned to the NBA Finals in 2010, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.

After the Celtics lost to the eventual champion Miami Heat in seven games in this year's Eastern Conference finals, Ainge waited for Garnett to decide if he wanted to retire and considered rebuilding with a younger roster. But the 6-foot-11 star agreed to terms on a three-year, $34.5 million deal he can sign next Wednesday.

Terry, who is 34, doesn't make the Celtics much younger - especially not if Allen returns. But he gives them depth they needed when Allen was hobbled with bone spurs in his ankle.

The 2009 NBA Sixth Man of the Year and a member of the Mavericks team that won it all in 2011, Terry came off the bench to average 15 points per game for Dallas last season. In his career, he has averaged 16.1 points and 4.7 rebounds.

Over five years with Atlanta and eight with Dallas, Terry is a career 38 percent 3-point shooter who has made 1,788 of them over his career - fourth-most in NBA history. (Allen is first, with 2,718.)

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ainge-knows-big-3-not-192944110--nba.html;_ylt=AsjEdUhzG0eaf6O9O9FX37a8vLYF

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NBA News 2012: Celtics reach deal with Jason Terry

English: Jason Terry (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Boston Celtics have reached agreement with Dallas Mavericks free-agent guard Jason Terry on a three-year contract, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The Celtics will use their $5 million mid-level exception to sign Terry. The total value of the contract will be $15.6 million.

Terry spoke with Celtics president Danny Ainge and coach Doc Rivers on the first day of free agency Sunday. Rivers told Yahoo! Sports he hopes Boston can still re-sign Ray Allen, in addition to adding Terry. The Celtics have also already reached agreement with Kevin Garnett on a three-year, $34 million contract.

Free agents can sign contracts on July 11.

Terry averaged 15.1 points and 3.6 assists while shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range last season for Dallas. Terry, 34, often expressed frustration about not being signed to a contract extension after being a key member of the Mavericks' 2011 NBA championship team.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--celtics-reach-deal-with-jason-terry.html;_ylt=AgvrRsyeseTU1Srmd3LaNia8vLYF

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NBA News 2012: Ainge says Garnett considering retirement

Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge spoke with free-agent center center Kevin Garnett last week, though Ainge said Garnett hasn't made a decision on his future.

Garnett, 36, is pondering retirement despite finishing strongly in his 17th season. He needs time to reflect, putting Boston's offseason plans in an uncertain state.

"Kevin and I had a good conversation last week and the conversation was mostly on how he needs time before he makes that decision," Ainge told Boston sports radio station WEEI-93.7 FM. "I think we'll talk within the next week, but I'm not so sure that's a decision day for him. He may want to wait and see what sort of team we have. I'm not sure.

"I know that he wants to come back. I know he likes Boston, and I know he loves playing for (coach) Doc (Rivers). He loves everything about the team and the city and so forth. I think that his decision will be, 'Do I really want to play? Or do I not want to play.'"

The longer Garnett delays, the more difficult Boston's situation becomes, with the NBA draft later this month and cap space allocated in holds for Garnett and Ray Allen when free agency opens in early July.

"It is complicated and the timing is complicated. Juggling all these different scenarios is difficult," Ainge said. "But the reality is that, on July 1, Kevin Garnett is on our books for $21 million until we either sign him to a new contract, or renounce him, which means we can't re-sign him. Otherwise, it really limits our cap space."

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba-roundup-ainge-says-garnett-225009321--nba.html

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NBA News 2011: Andrew Bynum: In 2 Years, Will He Be the NBA's Best Big Man?

Image via Wikipedia
Is Andrew Bynum on his way to becoming the most dominant basketball big-man in America?  I believe he is.

If he can stay healthy, then the lake is the limit.  He’ll roll as far as the mighty waters will carry him.  He’s been showing flashes of dominance since he was 18 years old.

I saw him swatting Kendrick Perkins’ shot into the crowd during the last game against Boston in Beantown.  I believe Bynum’s play prompted Danny Ainge to find other options at center—even though Shaq and Jermaine O’Neal are there.

Bynum’s defense forced the Celtics to make roster moves in hopes of contending with him in the Finals.  I can see Ainge waking up in a cold sweat after seeing visions of Bynum’s steady progression to a dominant force.

By the time the NBA Finals roll around this year—Ainge was probably thinking—Bynum will be a one man wrecking crew in the lane.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/625618-andrew-bynum-in-2-years-will-he-be-the-nbas-best-big-man

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