Paul Pierce Still Unsure About Future

Chris Forsberg, a staff writer at ESPN, had an article yesterday about Clippers' wing Paul Pierce. Basically, its an update on what we have been hearing all summer: Paul Pierce isn't sure if he wants to play in the 2017 season or retire. Doc said that the decision won't happen until closer to training camp, but camp is already closing in. We should therefore have knowledge of his resolution in the next week or two. If no news has come out by training camp, it is safe to assume Paul will be playing on the Clippers next year.

Doc also said that if he thought Pierce couldn't play, he would tell him so, and encourage him to retire. While we have to take Doc at his word, and its very possible that he has that open of a relationship with Pierce, I can't really imagine Doc advising Pierce to retire. For one thing, even if Doc thought Paul was done, Pierce might take it more from "Doc the GM/coach" perspective instead of from the friend and mentor aspect of their relationship. It's hard to really blame either party. It would be really hard telling someone you respect that they are no longer proficient at their job, and it is equally as hard to walk away from guaranteed money. From a fan perspective, it would be nice to have the open roster spot if Pierce retired, but having him around the team could still prove beneficial for off the court reasons. And who knows, he might even have a bounce-back final year!

If Pierce does retire, Doc affirmed that he will sign a one day contract and sign as a Celtic. This is unsurprising-- he is one of the greatest Celtics of all time, and spent most of his career in green and white.