Paul Pierce News

Denver Nuggets' Ty Lawson, center, drives for the basket as Boston Celtics' Brandon Bass defends in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Friday, Dec. 6, 2013.

Coming into this season, the Boston Celtics season was very unpredictable. Some "fans" expected them to tank; others figured that, once Rajon Rondo returned, the team would fight for a playoff spot.

Following a home-court loss to the hapless crosstown rival New York Knicks , the Brooklyn Nets have lost four of their last five games.

COULD USE THE HELP: Injured Net Deron Williams, seen on the bench taking in another loss, this time to the Pistons in November, could return soon.

If you're thinking first-year Nuggets coach Brian Shaw might see some sentimental value in coaching his first game against the team he was drafted to play for all those years ago, think again.

It's exceedingly hard to be gracious at a time like this, not that it's ever been a strong suit.

Many hoped the mission this season was to lose as many games and get the highest draft pick as possible.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis says he won't need surgery on his broken left hand and expects to remain as involved as possible with team activities while he heals.

Paul Pierce drives on the Rockets' Francisco Garcia last Friday, when Pierce sustained the hand injury that was finally diagnosed properly as a fractured metacarpal on Monday.

The question that Kris and I get all the time, be it on Twitter or on the site, is about the option that the Atlanta Hawks have on the Brooklyn Nets picks, specifically regarding lottery protection.

Career-highs. Clutch shots. Kobe dunking. Triple doubles. Comebacks. More injuries.

Boston Celtics All-Star point guard and recent addition to the awesome-players-with-torn-ACLs-club Rajon Rondo is a pretty controversial guy.

Kidd cited philosophical differences with Frank as reason for the change. A person with knowledge of the move told USA TODAY Sports that Kidd and Frank disagreed on defensive strategy, and Kidd was upset that players were going to Frank first with questions about defense.

Jeff Green's on-court label couldn't be more simple: passive aggressive. Not in its typical definition, but in a more literal tense.

Jared Sullinger: "We just want to win and show everybody that they can kiss our butts about that tanking stuff."

The news that Paul Pierce has broken his shooting hand, and won't be on the floor when the Celtics visit Brooklyn on Dec. 10, drew a limited amount of sympathy from the Nets forward's former teammates.

Nov 30, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger grabs a rebound against Milwaukee Bucks guard Giannis Antetokounmpo and forward John Henson in the 4th quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center.

The day the Boston Celtics completed the trade to send Paul Pierce , Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets , Celtics fans were ready to move on from an entertaining and highly competitive era.

There are no win expectations this season. What Brad Stevens is charged with instead, is to find effective combinations of players, do what he can to maximize each player's potential and place these players into the best situations to grow their talents.

Paul Pierce, who sat out of Saturday's win in Memphis with a bruised right hand, will now miss the next 2-4 weeks after the Nets announced Monday morning that he has a non-displaced fracture of the third metacarpal of his right hand.