Paul Pierce walked onto the podium erected on the floor of Barclays Center, sat down in front of the microphone in his gray suit and black shirt, and said: “Obviously, I would have loved to end my career in Boston.”
Those were nearly the first words out of the mouth of the iconic 15-year Celtic at his formal Nets introduction yesterday, three weeks after the trade agreement was reached to send him, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry from the only professional basketball home Pierce had known — Boston — to Brooklyn.
An expression of regret, before the professions of “excitement.”
“That day and age is probably over when players spend their career in one city,” Pierce said, with almost a sigh. “When the trade happened, I kind of felt excited. … We’ve made a lot of money in our careers, won awards. At this point, we’re all about winning a championship, and Brooklyn, we feel, gives us the best opportunity.”
In comparison to the emphatic Garnett and the jovial Terry, Pierce — the 35-year-old small forward, 10-time All-Star and 2008 Finals MVP — seemed conflicted and contemplative.
“I think it’s really starting to sink in as we speak,” Pierce said. “I’m no longer a Boston Celtic, I’m a Brooklyn Net. … It’s a business, and sometime we all have to move on. And I’m here to try to create some kind of legacy in Brooklyn.”
New coach Jason Kidd, who changed scenery four times in 19 seasons, was sympathetic to Pierce’s mixed emotions.
“He’s won a championship there, and eventually I think his number will be retired with some of the great Celtics,” Kidd said. “So yes, it’s emotional, because it’s real now.”
Later, Pierce said he could not question the rationale behind the megadeal.
“The Celtics were in a no-man’s land where they realized it’s going to be tough to compete for a championship, and I understand that,” he said. “One day I plan on being a GM if that’s possible, and if I was a GM, I would have made the same decision.”
Pierce acknowledges the relocation is likely to affect his stats and not just the shift from what he recalled as a five-minute commute to the Celtics’ practice facility to what he predicted would be a two-hour trip through traffic to home games on Flatbush Avenue. He goes from his team’s go-to crunch-time scorer likely to a glue guy on the wing in a starting lineup that also includes Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez with Garnett.
“There’s less pressure on me,” said Pierce, who last season averaged 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 77 games while shooting 38 percent on 3-pointers. “We have so many options and All-Stars,” said Pierce, who last season averaged 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 77 games while shooting 38 percent on 3-pointers. “There’s going to be nights I don’t score a lot of points, but I can [help] with my ability to do so many things on the floor.
Pierce, seeking his second NBA title, indicated the lofty expectations placed on the talent-laden Nets have helped in the transition.
“I have warmed myself up to it,” he said. “I’m happy where I am. You hear the number of times that winning a championship has come up already — it’s going to come up a lot.”
As Garnett put it, “I don’t know anyone who loves change, but change has to happen for things to get better.”
“The great players always figure it out,” Pierce said, “and I think we will.”