Plan helped Pierce to stay put

WALTHAM -- With Paul Pierce officially signed to a three-year, $59 million extension, these are cautiously optimistic times for the Celtics and their franchise player. Executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, coach Doc Rivers, and ownership flanked Pierce at a news conference yesterday at the team practice facility at which they commented on the extension and fielded questions about the future.

The extension technically keeps Pierce under contract for the next five seasons, with the final year a player option worth $21 million. According to Ainge, the deal also includes a trade kicker (a figure less than the commonly applied 15 percent) and outlines a payment schedule that was one of the ``final details" negotiated until the sides agreed last Friday. Given the money at stake for the final year, when Pierce will turn 33, it is highly unlikely he will decline the option. The same could not be said about the option Pierce held for the final year of his former deal.

Pierce acknowledged yesterday that his agent, Jeff Schwartz, encouraged him to decline his player option for the 2007-08 season and test the market next summer. Ainge said he could understand why an agent would make such a suggestion, but he never doubted Pierce would sign a long-term deal with the Celtics. In several serious conversations between Ainge and Pierce since last March, Ainge was left with the strong impression Pierce wanted to remain in Boston.

During the final stages of the negotiations, Pierce voiced his concerns about the future and appreciated the honest answers he received from Ainge.

``Jeff actually wanted me to be a free agent just because I hadn't experienced the whole thing," said Pierce, who also revealed that he will have minor surgery on his left elbow Aug. 1 in Boston. ``But I wanted to be a Celtic. That's why I made this decision. Danny told me he's going to do everything he can to make this a better team each and every year until eventually we become contenders. I believe him. He was just honest. Sometimes Danny is brutally honest. As a competitor who's played the game, he understands me. He wants to win just as bad as I do.

``With the [possible deal] for Allen Iverson, he straight-up said, `Paul, I really don't know if we're going to get Allen Iverson, but the one thing I can say is we're working hard to bring someone here to help you and to help this ballclub become better.' I believe him. I don't think they would have made this commitment to me if they weren't trying to help this team be a winner. If they didn't want to re-sign me, then they were going in a different direction. By making this commitment to me, I think they're making a commitment to be a contending team in these next five years."

Ainge called the deal ``historic" and ``a big step in us becoming a great basketball team." Pierce praised the commitment shown by the owners, Ainge, and Rivers and promised ``this will be a great situation for everybody." While Ainge and Pierce may be guilty of hyperbole regarding the significance of the extension, privately both agreed the next step will be surrounding the captain with players who can help bring a championship to Boston.

``Obviously, I'm trying to get something done," said Ainge. ``I don't feel that I have to [do anything] because then I would panic and do something that's stupid. I don't want to sacrifice the future of the Celtics if there's not something that I feel will make us better now.

``It can be tough when you have a lot of money tied up in a player, because that player can't do it by himself. The Paul Pierces and the Kevin Garnetts and the Vince Carters and the Jason Kidds . . . there's a long list of players who haven't been able to win it on their own. You can't do it by yourself. At the same time, players of Paul's caliber, there's just not very many of them. You've got 30 teams and there are not 30 players of Paul's caliber. We're fortunate that we have one player of that caliber, but we need more. Paul needs help."

Neither Ainge nor Pierce knows where that help will come from or if it will arrive before the start of next season. But recognizing the importance of the chemistry between Pierce and any additions, Ainge promised to keep the captain informed of major personnel moves and solicit his opinion on players. When asked for names of players who might be realistic acquisitions, Pierce mentioned Carlos Boozer and Morris Peterson. As the offseason progresses, Pierce trusts Ainge will come up with intriguing deals and keep him up to date.

``Danny has called me this summer to ask me what I think about certain guys and I give my opinion on it," said Pierce. ``That's how you grow, when guys are on the same page and communicating about how to make this team better. We have to consult with each other. We've improved that communication over the last two years."

But while everybody was all smiles at the news conference, the Pierce extension likely will force Ainge to make some difficult decisions. As Pierce plays through the prime of his career and the full financial weight of the extension goes into effect, younger players such as Kendrick Perkins, Al Jefferson, Delonte West, Sebastian Telfair, and Gerald Green and will be eligible for their own extensions.

``There's going to be winners and losers in that whole crowd," said Ainge, who officially signed 6-foot-8-inch, 245-pound rookie forward Leon Powe yesterday to a three-year, partially guaranteed contract that could be worth $2 million. ``A great scenario is that they would all be worthy of big-dollar contracts. That means that they'll all be playing really, really good. That's more unlikely than likely based on how many young players we have. We have a lot of decisions to make in the next few years on those young players. We're aware of that.

``If any of those guys turn out to be Paul Pierce, I'll be surprised. Right now, we probably have too many young guys because it's going to be tough to get them developed because one of the key components of development is going to be playing time. We have too many youngs to get them the minutes they need to develop."

The Celtics still find themselves in familiar territory, trying to balance the need to win with the desire to develop. Pierce recognizes that could mean some trying times next season, at the very least. But he said he signed the extension knowing full well what to expect and how to handle the inevitable frustration and disappointment that come with trying to build a contender. A career with the Celtics has taught him that.