Pierce sounds really happy to be here and he also sounds excited about the young guys on the team. He wants to build on his career year last year and be even better this year. I agree with Pierce that this team will be even better with no other moves. These kids are all working hard and improving and with the addition of 2 pure points we should be a different team. It sounds like Pierce is very much looking forward to playing with this group.

The ink on the new contract as barely dry, but Paul Pierce is already fired up about the upcoming season and renewing his commitment to the Celtics for the next five years. We caught up with The Truth for an exclusive one-on-one interview for Celtics.com just minutes after his press conference. Here's what The Captain had to say about his new deal and future with the Celtics. The contract is signed; you've already heard the same questions over and over. But how does it feel? "This is a dream come true, man. It's another opportunity to add to my legacy with the Celtics and also add to my commitment, like I've said all along, to me being here the rest of my career." You've had quite a few ups and downs over the years with the Celtics, from the Eastern Conference Finals run, to the first round exit in 2004, and even going back to the nightclub incident. How far have you come to get to this point? "I'm just thankful to be in this position, to say that I've committed to the Celtics my whole career. You know, I didn't know what was going to happen last summer. There were a lot of trade rumors going around, and the way the season ended, people didn't think I'd be here last season. So that just shows you that when you change your attitude and turn it around that anything can happen. "I showed the team my commitment, and I think that's never been a question for me, my dedication and my commitment. When you have a long relationship like that, you're going to have your ups and downs. That's part of life. But we've been able to turn things around and make it a more positive environment and everybody's happy with where we're going." Talk about that direction. It's a young team, and it's already changed quite a bit since the draft. Do you feel like the team has already gotten better than it was at the end of last year? "We're going to be better next year just with the fact that we've got guys that have been working all summer to improve, including myself. We had a great draft, [Rajon] Rondo played great in the Summer League, and we added Telfair to the mix. So it pretty much changes the look of our team. "I think we're definitely going to be a playoff team this year, and I'm excited about playing with these guys and watching them grow." [More] source: Celtics.com Discuss this topic on the Celtics Green Forums!