Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Aldridge, Turner

Tommy Heinsohn of CSNNE sees a bright future for former Celtics star Paul Pierce when his playing days are through, but he isn’t sure exactly what he’ll be doing.  “He’s liable to be a broadcaster for all we know,” Heinsohn joked. “Paul Pierce is a perfect example of a guy that’s made for an organization. He’s a very, very team oriented person. He’s a self motivator, so every time you put that type of individual into an organization, they’ll find a way to get the best out of them. I don’t know what he’ll end up being, but they will surely want him to be involved.”

• Pending free agent LaMarcus Aldridge is unlikely to join the Knicks, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.  Aldridge, he explains, seems to be after a five year deal and the Knicks cannot offer more than four.
• After disappointing stints with the Sixers and Pacers, Evan Turner may have found a comfortable NBA role with the Celtics, as A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. Turner, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, is averaging nearly nine points per game as a versatile sixth man for Boston. Coach Brad Stevens talked about playing to Turner’s strengths. “He’s a mid-range guy,” Stevens said. “He’s a better mid-range player than he is a three-point shooter at this time. But his three-point shot is getting better and will continue to get better.”
• While the criticism of Knicks coach Derek Fisher and president Phil Jackson is mounting, one league personnel director told Berman that not much was expected of the new regime in year one.  “You’ve got to be patient,’’ he said. “You got a coach who’s never coached and a president who’s never built a team.’’
• The struggling football coaches in New York can’t say the same, but Fisher has job security despite the Knicks‘ lousy play, writes Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News.

Arthur Hill contributed to this post.