Paul Pierce

A memo to Danny Ainge:  Don't trade Paul Pierce.

Don't break up the 'Big Three.'

To do so, of course, would be to utilize the Chicago Bulls methodology of rebuilding. In 1999, following the retirement of Michael Jordan, then-General Manager Jerry Krause sent most of the squad packing -- and, in return, he acquired a slew of young players. He, and the rest of the organization, wanted to start over.

It didn't work. Chicago was, until recently, one of the worst teams in the NBA.

And so it would be with the Celtics if Ainge uses the same approach.

The Celtics should make trades -- any team should attempt to make improvements. But, it would be fallacious to assume that dumping Garnett, Pierce, and Allen would immediately yield success. These players, even if they don't possess the same explosiveness as they once did, still bring something extremely important to the team:  leadership, poise, and seriousness.

To lose that would leave the Celtics without guidance in the locker room.

And it would also be a slap in the face of the greatest Celtic since Larry Bird. Pierce, as well as Allen and Garnett, deserve to retire in Boston. 

I hope Ainge -- and the rest of the Celtics Front Office -- keeps that in mind.