Paul Pierce has something to say and we all better stop and listen. Unfortnately, what Pierce told a Spanish reporter this past week can’t be taken seriously. In fact it might be the best lie I have ever heard. Pierce, who was attending a basketball camp overseas, was asked if he thought Kobe Bryant was best player in the world. The interview went a little something like this:

Q: Is Kobe really the best player in the world?

Pierce: I don’t think Kobe is the best player. I’m the best player. There’s a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don’t cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself.

Q: Who are your top five favorite players in the NBA today?

Pierce: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Paul Pierce.

Unbelievable. Funny thing is, there was a kid watching the interview live and this was his reaction.

Getting back to a more serious note, it blows my mind for Pierce to even cross this line. Kobe and Lebron stand head and shoulders above the Celtic forward and it’s not even close. Pierce isn’t even the best player on his own team. In fact, I can name a group of other players, including the likes of Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul to name a few.

I love how Pierce names his teammates as the next four best players in the league, also. Just because Boston took home the ultimate prize doesn’t mean we have to go through them first before analyzing the rest of the league. Pierce needs to check himself. Hard.

Apparently, all the talk surrounding Kobe Bryant’s demand for a trade has gotten to some player’s heads. Paul Pierce is one of those players. A member of the Boston Celtics since 1998, Pierce has issued an ultimatum to the team. If they don’t come out of this week with a talented veteran, he wants out.

“Danny is under tremendous pressure, from inside and outside, to get a deal for someone done this week,” one league executive said.

The trade frenzy that has surrounded the league since the Finals ended has got a lot of players talking. Fortunately for Pierce, the Celtics have been included in most of these rumors. The bad news? None of these players want to play for Danny Ainge in Boston. Kevin Garnett, Shawn Marion, and Jermaine O’Neal could all help out Pierce and a cast of talented young players.

Is Pierce overreacting? Perhaps a little. The Celtics are desperately trying to get things done but aren’t willing to part with their young stud, Al Jefferson. I don’t think this team is that screwed. Players like Jefferson, Delonte West, Rajon Rondo, and Ryan Gomes are only getting better. With the chance to land another young player in tomorrow’s draft, the Celts aren’t too far out of playoff contention in the miserable Eastern Conference.