LA Clippers team president and head coach Doc Rivers convinced Paul Pierce to re-unite with him on the West Coast, and says Pierce’s decision came down to joining the Clips or returning to the Boston Celtics.
For Pierce, 37, the Clippers’ three-year, $10 million offer was a no-brainer.
Rivers doesn’t envision Pierce taking on a very large role with the loaded Clippers next season.
Per ESPN:
Rivers did, however, have an idea how the 37-year-old could help his team. […] “Well, hopefully make some shots when we are up 20 in the fourth quarter. That would be nice,” quipped Rivers.
Turning more serious, Rivers added, “Paul will be great. Paul, I don’t want to overuse him. I know that. So, I don’t even know how we are going to use him yet. I want to play him at [power forward] a lot. What I want him to be is healthy in the playoffs. So however we can figure that out, that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
Also intriguing is the fact Rivers suggested that Pierce’s choice of playing locations this season might have come down to Boston or Los Angeles. One year after the Washington Wizards won a tug-of-war for his services, Rivers reveled in getting Pierce to sign a three-year, $10 million contract with the Clippers this offseason. […] “I’m really looking forward to him. You know, I think he wanted to go one of two places: One, he’d come back [to Boston], or he wanted to finish his career at home where he grew up,” Rivers said while standing courtside at TD Garden as part of a fundraising event for ABCD Hoops Dreams that also featured current Celtics coach Brad Stevens.
