NBA News 2013: Paul Pierce ‘Not Optimistic’ About Celtics' Rajon Rondo’s ACL Surgery Return

Brooklyn Nets small forward Paul Pierce has given a pessimistic opinion on the injury of Rajon Rondo, believing the Boston Celtics All-Star point guard could spend most of the season rehabilitating his surgically repaired knee.

The Nets officially introduced Pierce along with newly-acquired power forward Kevin Garnett and shooting guard Jason Terry in Thursday's press conference in Brooklyn.

Pierce, who played his first 15 seasons with the Celtics, said he has no ill feeling towards Celtics general manager Danny Ainge despite being traded to the Brooklyn Nets this offseason.

Assuming that he was the Celtics general manager, the former Boston captain said he would have traded himself as he believes it was Ainge's duty to come through with players transactions and not him.

"Paul Pierce said that he was the #Celtics GM, he would have traded himself also, said Ainge is responsible for the Celtics, not Paul Pierce," NBA insider Gary Washburn reported on Friday.

Pierce added that playing against the Celtics at the TD Garden would be emotional, saying he has been thinking of it almost every time since he was traded.

"Pierce got choked up talking about his return to Boston, said he had envisioned it "a thousand times, and every time shed tears," tweeted Sports Illustrated writer Chris Mannix.

Before the end of his interview, Pierce provided his own time table of when Rondo will return from an ACL injury and he believes it will be around December or even early next year.

"Might have just been guessing, but Dr. Pierce on Rondo, he's 'probably not going to be back until probably December, January, who knows,?'" Chris Forsberg posted on his Twitter page.

Ainge has been optimistic that Rondo will be ready to join the squad at training camp and start the 2013-2014 season for the new-look Celtics, who will be coached by former Butler Bulldogs bench tactician Brad Stevens.