WALTHAM -- Paul Pierce was never concerned that Rajon Rondo was leaving Boston.
"I knew he wasn’t going to be traded," Pierce said on Tuesday afternoon while at his Nike-sponsored Paul Pierce Skills Academy for the top college and high school players at his position. "But that’s the fun part about the summer. All the rumors.
"Danny (Ainge) told me and told Kevin (Garnett)," he added. "We knew he wasn’t going to be traded."
As far as the reputation that Rondo is seemingly gaining as a player who is difficult to coach, Pierce said that his teammate’s “biggest weakness is also his biggest strength.”
"He’s so competitive," Pierce said. "Sometimes he blocks everything out."
Despite watching two Eastern Conference contenders – Cleveland and Orlando – make major moves just prior to the draft, Pierce said he eventually found a way to remain calm.
"You see Cleveland get Shaq (O’Neal) and Orlando get Vince (Carter) and you say, 'Wow. We’ve got to do something,'" Pierce said. "But we didn’t expect to do anything. It was a disappointing season, but we were injured. We just need to get healthy.
"We like our starting five," he added.
Pierce, a healthy Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rondo and Kendrick Perkins can stack up with just about anyone in the NBA.
But Pierce knows that the team needs quality depth – especially with reserve forward Leon Powe likely on the shelf for a significant portion of the season after yet another major knee surgery.
Celtics backup guard Eddie House did opt to re-sign with the Celtics just prior to the start of free agency and Pierce was in favor of bringing back Glen Davis.
"We’re hoping to re-sign him," Pierce said of Big Baby. "He was big for us and made tremendous progress – especially since it’s only his second year in the NBA."
Look for the C’s to make a strong push for another big body via free agency – which opened at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday - and guys like Zaza Pachulia, Rasheed Wallace, Marcin Gortat, Drew Gooden, Charlie Villanueva and Joe Smith will all be in the mix.
"We need to add depth and obviously, we’ve got to get some size," Pierce said. "We have some holes to fill."
The C’s also need to secure a backup point guard – whether that means brining back Stephon Marbury or someone else who can handle defensive pressure and also accept a limited role behind Rondo.
A third need that hasn’t been talked about much is a wing player who can, at the very least, defend guys like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in the postseason. Pierce can’t be counted upon to exert that kind of energy for major minutes and also dominate on the offensive end, Tony Allen clearly isn’t up to the task and young guys like Bill Walker and J.R. Giddens aren’t quite ready, either.
While the Lakers now take the reigns as the defending champs and teams such as Orlando, Cleveland and San Antonio have all improved (at least on paper), Pierce still doesn’t appear concerned.
"I feel like we haven't been knocked off yet," Pierce said. "There are many ways to improve a team and the key for us is getting healthy."
And still adding a few pieces via free agency.
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