Pierce has always maintained that he wants to be a Celtic and remain a Celtic. He's a generally quiet guy about being traded and hasn't really ever talked about moving to another team.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I would not want him.</div> Ok, I'll bite: WHY NOT?
To tell you the truth, I am not really sure. I guess my impression of him seems to be like he has an attitude. And that is not the kind of team Mullin is trying to put together. I really could be way off because I have not watched a whole lot of him play.
Well, to be fair, those who caught glimpses of him last season, might get that impression. He was very frustrated with the team last season. His demeanor may have told stories, but he never said a negative word in the press, despite having more than enough reason to. Overall though, Paul Pierce is the type of guy who would kill himself to help the Celtics win(and almost did get killed for that matter ) I think PP's biggest fault is that he tries to do too much sometimes and it causes as many problems as it solves.
I am a big believer in Pierce. I love his game and I love the heart that he plays with. Sometimes he does try to do too much but do you blame him? He doesn't have much to work with. I understood his frustration last season and although he could have handled it better behind closed doors, it showed his strong desire to win and be the best.
I like Paul Pierce because not only is he from Oakland, but he's the finished product of what Jrich should become later. And don't forget Paul Pierce was a much more finished product than Jrich was entering the league and thus Pierce was able to make more of an impact earlier. Here's the qualities I like about Pierce. Pierce is a proven go-to guy in the 4th quarter, very clutch, can dribble, can shoot, can get to the line, can defend, can leap, can overpower weaker guards, he's great at stealing the ball, he can initiate the break, he can split defenders, above average one on one skills and he's one of the best rebounding guards in the game. Well Jrich can also rebound, he's got a really strong upper body, he can leap, he's becoming a go to guy who can nail clutch shots, he's split defenders at least a couple times (on weaker defensive teams), he's getting to the line more with his athleticism, he's always been able to steal the ball at least once per game, tries to initiate a break (but has no one to run with at times and doesn't feel comfortable driving against two defenders), still learning how to take a man off the dribble and avoid turnovers, and is still working on a consistent shot as well as consistent defense (knowing how to read an offense and anticipate). All in all if a trade was made that involved getting Pierce. The warrior fans wouldn't complain about not having a true superstar. Jrich could possibly end up not living up to his potential, so we could 2 good qualities if we had Pierce, instead of Jrich. We'd get a hometown hero and a true superstar now. I mean I like Jrich, he's exciting, but his rawness in skills and his scoring inconsistency kind of limited his immediate impact in the NBA. Its like Dunleavy's slowness getting in the way of all those awesome basketball skills he has.
Notice how Pierce sulks when things do not go his way? Guys who want and know how to win do not do that. They think of ways to try to win, whatever it takes. Take Rasheed for example, even though I disliked him for his drug antics, he never sulked on the court. Now he's a winner.
I guess if you had Danny Ainge blow up your franchise you'd be sulking too I guess. Welcome back Phil.