Pierce addresses trade rumors

January 20, 2012|By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Paul Pierce spoke with the media for the first time since team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told the Globe he would consider breaking up the Big Three in the right deal. Here are a few nuggets from the interview.

*"You can’t pay attention to that, that’s part of the business. You’ve just got to continue to do your job as a professional each and every day. What makes we want to play well is our record. That’s more than anything. I don’t read the papers. I really don’t buy into everything that’s been said. I just more concerned about this group and what’s going on in this locker room.”

Pierce has had a rocky tenure in Boston at times and was almost traded to Portland on draft night five years ago.

“I understand,” he said. “What the Celtics have done for me throughout my career, I’m more than happy. They’ve kept me this long and I’ve been able to play in a lot of good situations and you gotta understand the business. It’s been a while since I’ve been down that road. But I don’t think about it actually.”

What can the Celtics do to get out of this rutt?

*“Just to keep grinding, just to keep going, not to get discouraged. Keep the guys confident, keep their heads up and tell them eventually we’ll turn this thing around."

Is he disappointed with the 5-9 start?

*"Why wouldn’t I be. We’re four or five games under .500. We’d like to be a lot better but it is what it is. We just got keep going back to the drawing board and getting back to work. Keep preparing. This is a group that’s not going to lose any confidence. That’s not going to put our heads down. This is a good opportunity for us to show what we’re made of through the adversity.

"It’s about putting the four quarters together. You do see the signs of some good things out there. It’s about putting it out there for four quarters. I’m still confident in this group."