Paul Pierce was teammates with a young Rajon Rondo back in Boston. Rondo, fresh out of Kentucky entered A Boston Celtics squad that was ready for another championship. And in 2008 they did just that.
Now. In 2014 moving onto 2015, Paul Pierce is on his third team after a stint with Brooklyn and is now on a potential Eastern Conference winning team in Washington. For Rajon Rondo. After being in trade talks for the past two years, is finally on another team. A championship contender in Dallas.
Even though Pierce hasn’t played with Rondo for some time now, he was genuinely surprised that the Rondo trade finally became a reality, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reports.
“It’ll probably be a little different now,” said Pierce before he had 17 points as his Wizards blew away the C’s, 101-88, last night. “The last of the Mohicans is gone. Now they’ve got a new regime in.”
“I was a little bit surprised, especially because trade season starts close to All-Star or after All-Star break,” Pierce said. “Not a lot of trades happen in mid-December. You know, teams are trying to find their stride.
“But we had a chance to talk. We had our weekly mass text, and he understood the situation. The Celtics were either going to go in one direction, build around him, or continue with the youth movement. So I think Rondo understood it.
“I was shocked definitely, because I thought this was a year they were going to maybe this summer find some pieces to put around him. But he had a great run in Boston, and as long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters.”
Pierce believes the inability to add to Rondo led to him being subtracted.
“I think so,” he said. “On top of him being a free agent. So it was a combination of things, I think.“
Boston have finally renewed themselves from the 2008 squad with Allen, Pierce, Garnett and Rondo leading. For Ainge it must be a breath of fresh air.
Personally I think they could’ve done all this much earlier. If Rondo didn’t have the injury. This would’ve been done much quicker. I think Ainge jumped at the Dallas offer. They did get two half decent talents in Brandan Wright and Jae Crowder, and I think with Marcus Smart, Jared Sullinger and Jeff Green. I think the Celtics are fine for the long term. And that’s what matters.
For Rondo and Pierce. They both have an opportunity to get another ring with their respective teams. I think everybody has one out of all this.
