‘‘I think about it,’’ Pierce said about the possibility of shutting his season down early. ‘‘I think about it definitely with the way my body’s been feeling since I’ve been back. I mean, it’s crossed my mind, especially with these remaining games and whether I should just take the rest and come back strong next season. But it’s a tough situation. I’m such a competitive person, I want to be out there. The foot’s been OK, but I think I’ve hurt other parts of my body because of it. When I first came back I really didn’t want to jump as much or put as much pounding on it. That ended up hurting other parts of my body.
‘‘I’ll probably have to sit down and talk with Doc. I know I’ve been having problems with my elbow and other parts. So I’ll probably sit down with coach some time after this road trip and talk to him about it and see what he thinks.’’

At this point, Rivers doesn’t think much of the theory that something can be gained by Pierce beginning his offseason early.
‘‘I don’t buy into that,’’ Rivers said. ‘‘I think you get paid to play, and if you’re healthy enough to play, you play. He’s not hurting himself. If he had an injury, then that’s a whole different ballgame. But he doesn’t have an injury that’s going to hurt him. To me, you play. . . . No would be my answer right now. I think you should want to play, and I think Paul does. I think he set a great example when he pushed hard to come back.’’