I'm on the verge of completely turning on Paul Pierce. Last year he negotiates a 3 year $60 million dollar extension which will make him one of the highest paid players in the NBA. So instead of being grateful to a team an owner that invested so much money in a player that probably doesn't deserve to be paid as an elite, he starts grumbling that he wants to be traded if the Celtics don't make a get another elite level player. Now the Celtics have very little space under the cap to get a free agent due to Pierce's contract and missing out on Oden and Durant made their #5 draft pick not all that valuable. I'll never understand why players who want to be traded go to the press which instantly weaken their team's bargaining leverage with anyone they hope to negotiate with and making an eventual trade more difficult. I say screw Pierce. By the time the Celtics are decent again Pierce will be beyond his prime. His body type makes me think that he is not going to be great player in his 30's. A charitable observer would say that Paul desperately wants to win and is frustrated by the current state of things. Well so am I but this is not going to make it any better and if he really wants to be traded he isn't helping his own cause by being such a loudmouth. Danny should get the most he can for him and start over. My God the Celtics are a disaster.
12 comments:
In fairness to the Truth, he's not the only reason they haven't been able to make a play for any free agents. Their salary cap situation has been fucked up over the last several years due to other ridiculous management decisions including the Vin and Tonic disaster, which I believe is just now coming off the books, the Raef LaFrentz and Theo Ratliff contracts, and overpaying for a guy like Scalabrine. It's not unreasonable for a team to pay big $ for their one marquee guy. Pierce was out much of last year with "injuries" or because they were tanking, depending on how you look at it, but he had a career year before that and now is super rested for next year. What is it about his body type that suggests he won't be a great player for the next 5 years? If Jefferson makes the leap this year and they can get some sort of quality production out of the 5/Green/Theo's contract, this team is contending in the East. I know that's not saying much, but what are you going to get for Pierce that's going to make it better? Another tier 2 superstar that's going to struggle with the same issues with this team/franchise? I think Pierce has been pretty loyal during his time with the C's considering all the changes that have been made and the fact that he has had to endure being the one star on a constantly rebuilding team. A lot of other stars would have demanded a trade already, but he hasn't. I think the thing about going to the media and demanding a trade is that it's kind of recognized as a bargaining chip for the players, because as you said it lowers their trade value which is bad for the team. So it's a way for Paul to say, listen, I don't want to have to do this but if you waste the entire prime of my career with an endless, wishful thinking, rebuilding and youth movement when I'm the only one still putting asses in your seats, then I'm going to have to consider demanding a trade. Do what you have to do to make sure that this team can win in my career lifespan.
I don't think that's that unfair given the behavior of some of his peers around the NBA.
Yes. Pierce is not the only reason the Celtics can't lure a free agent. The Celtics have made some very poor decisions. But does Paul really think that Danny doesn't have just as much a passion to make the team better? Of course he does. Paul is looking to make his situation better. If that make the Celtic better, ok. If not, he wants out. That is the definition of selfishness. There are much more selfish guys in the NBA but that doesn't make his behavior any better.
I've always thought Paul didn't look like he was in great shape. Certainly some time in the weight room could help his poor dribbling. And I'm not so certain he had a phantom ankle injury last year. The elbow surgery was real. There are legitimate questions about his durability.
You may be right about contending in the East next year but I have serious doubts. They were the 2nd worst team in the league last season and I'm not sure how many games they would have been better had Paul played more. Remember that they were pretty bad before he went out as well.
Yes, Danny wants the team to be better; he just doesn't care whether or not that includes Pierce. He doesn't care if Pierce wastes his prime. Pierce does. I think if you take any other superstar and put them in Paul's situation, 90 maybe 95% of them react the same way (and for the record, he has yet to demand a trade; I still say he's using that as a bargaining chip to encourage the C's to get something done). As far as free agency goes, I'm more concerned about the fact that 3 consecutive all-stars have just said that they don't want to play in Boston (Marion, KG, O'Neal). Why don't players (and is it just black players?) want to play here?
How does lifting weights help dribbling? isn't that a coordination thing rather than a strength thing?
So Pierce is just as bad as the 90%-95% percent of NBA stars. This is why I hate the NBA.
Free agents don't want to go to Boston because the Celtics suck and aren't going to be a lot better next season.
Lifting improves quick twitch muscles which improves dribbling.
I agree with Dave that Free Agents would be happy to come here if it seemed like there was a real chance of winning in the near future. I think that Pierce is stating the obvious, either get some decent veterans around him or don't waste his time. Pierce has been pretty consistent on this point for the last few years, so it's not like it's coming out of nowhere. I happen to think it makes much more sense to get rid of him at this point.
It's going to take a lot to get me really pumped up about the Celtics. (heat in my TV room would be a good start). If they had another superstar to play with Pierce (Garnett) I'd follow them a lot more closely. But overall I'm pretty sick of this rebuilding cycle it seems like there is no end in sight. I'd like to see a big jump in talent or else who cares?
So Pierce is just as bad as the 90%-95% percent of NBA stars. This is why I hate the NBA.
Free agents don't want to go to Boston because the Celtics suck and aren't going to be a lot better next season.
Lifting improves quick twitch muscles which improves dribbling.
1. Like the NFL or MLB (who cares about the NHL) are any better in this regard? Or European soccer? How about Henry playing the whole
"I'm a gunner for now" game then bailing for Barca. How about Didier Drogba saying that Chelsea doesn't "match his ambition". If not Chelsea, who? What?
2. I don't buy it. I think if a really good free agent joined the C's core right now, they would not suck. This is the East. They're about 1 player away from the Finals and then they might be able to pull an 04 Pistons or an 06 Heat.
3. Is this true? If so, excellent informative tip.
4. What could we even get for Pierce and his giant salary?
1. NFL players essentially don't have guaranteed contracts so they are much better. There certainly are whiners in MLB but name a single player worse than Kobe. No sport depends more on an individual player than basketball and the players know it. Therefore there are more divas in the NBA than anywhere else.
2. I love your optimism but don't share it. You also told me the Celtics would win more than 45 games last season and that the Yankees would be 4 1/2 games back on July 4.
3. That's what I was told at basketball camp in 1983.
4. And don't know but we may find out soon enough.
1. A-Rod. TO in NFL.
2. I said they'd be over .500 = 42 wins. that was a prediction based on a healty C's team. Without the injuries to Big Al (at the beginning of the season), Pierce, Wally, Tony Allen, Theo Ratliff, and Perkins, and subtract the tanking factor in the second half of the season, I don't think 42 was outrageously optimistic. I also didn't fully realize how much Doc sucked as a coach.
3. that might be more applicable to skinny 13 year olds than fully grown professional players in their 30's.
A-Rod isn't even close to Kobe. T.O. was bad but was released by the Eagles who were sick of his act. That never happens in the NBA to a superstar.
Celtics wouldn't have won 40 games with a healthy Pierce. Injuries are a part of the game. And Doc is a horrible coach.
I was ripped when I was 13.
ripped on Cisco maybe.
For the record, and I don't know if this makes your argument or mine more credible, but the Sports Guy agrees with you:
Bill: Pierce would have demanded a trade last winter if he didn't get hurt. All of this was totally and completely inevitable, I'm not sure why it became a story this week. I have a huge problem with the Celtics bending over backwards to appease a borderline All-Star who's being paid like a franchise player. He signed the big extension last summer, he knew what he was getting into. Some of these guys want to get paid like franchise players, but they don't want the responsibility of carrying a franchise -- I mean, there are far worse things than playing on a basketball team that features Al Jefferson, Rajon Rondo, Tony Allen, Ryan Gomes, Kendrick Perkins and the No. 5 pick in a loaded draft. The Celtics should be telling him to screw off. Instead, they're catering to him. This is what happens when your owner has a gigantic framed Pierce jersey in his office.
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