Paul Pierce is the most Underrated Player Ever

[Marcus13]

He's not even the most underrated player on the team

[BballTim]

Guys you're discussing about different basketball. I really want to see a simulation of McHale trying to outrun LeBron or get past Tony Allen. Now if you tell me the NBA was as extreme then as it is today, I probably won't buy it. Bill Russell was a great player but Dwight could throw him out of the building...

Jeez, these things are impossible to discuss.

  Did you ever see McHale play? I'd like to see anyone in the league try and cover him one on one in the post. He'd make them look stupid all day long. Maybe you could imagine a simulation of Jordan trying to get past Tony Allen? Maybe of LeBron trying to jump like Nique? It's not like McHale and Cousy played in the same era. There were plenty of great athletes in the 80s and 90s.

[dysgenic]

Dominique Wilkins couldn't carry Paul Pierce's jock strap.
That is all.

[Celtics18]

Paul needs a little more love from his own fans on this one.

Dantley, King, and English above Paul Pierce in the big legacy picture?!  Cut it out, guys!

I would say 'Nique, Pippen, and Worthy are all questionable as well.  I guess everybody can keep their old timers; I'm not really qualified to comment on those guys.

[syfy9]

Guys you're discussing about different basketball. I really want to see a simulation of McHale trying to outrun LeBron or get past Tony Allen. Now if you tell me the NBA was as extreme then as it is today, I probably won't buy it. Bill Russell was a great player but Dwight could throw him out of the building...

Jeez, these things are impossible to discuss.

  Did you ever see McHale play? I'd like to see anyone in the league try and cover him one on one in the post. He'd make them look stupid all day long. Maybe you could imagine a simulation of Jordan trying to get past Tony Allen? Maybe of LeBron trying to jump like Nique? It's not like McHale and Cousy played in the same era. There were plenty of great athletes in the 80s and 90s.

TP. We are talking about a Top 2 (Hakeem Olajuwon) greatest post player ever to play the game. If you watch Orlando games, you notice Dwight's signature move is the running hook - very ugly and predictable.

The best NBA post up player right now is Al Jefferson. He has multiple moves and dominates with variations of up and unders and ball fakes. He has maybe 4 or 5 signature post moves.

Kevin McHale literally had a dozen or more post moves he would use. Big Al dominates with 4 or 5 - McHale had 12+!!! Not to mention McHale worked out with Big Al as well. 

[xmuscularghandix]

Paul Pierce might be the best inside/outside scorer of all time. All those three's while still consistently getting to the free throw line... I looked it up when he got to 20K, no one else in NBA history got to that mark with less FGA's.

Adrian Dantley is one of the greatest scorers of all time... and he's a poor man's Paul Pierce. BOOM!

[Celtics18]

TP for the line about Adrian Dantley being "a poor man's Paul Pierce."

[DavorCroatiaFan]

And here are a Croatia votes:

1) Larry Bird
2) John Havlicek
3) Elgin Baylor
4) Julius Erving
5) Scottie Pippen
6) Rick Barry
7) LeBron James *incomplete*
Paul Pierce
9) Dominique Wilkins
10) Kevin Durant *incomplete*
11) Alex English
12) Chris Mullin
13) Bernard King (i simply have to make him #13 )
14) James Worthy
15) Adrian Dantley

[ianboyextreme]

I completely agree hes one of the most underrated players ever. I dont agree that the reason he isnt commercially popular is because of his personality. He actually seems like a pretty fun guy to be around on the basketball team. I think its purely because of his style of play and because of that, he was never a chosen nba golden boy. To the average viewer, nothing Paul Pierce does is something that will make you say wow. To an even somewhat knowledgeable basketball fan, though, hes obviously one of the most skilled small fowards ever. His step back jumper is one of the deadliest moves in the nba and hes just flat out good at literally everything in basketball. No question top 10 small fowards ever.

[ianboyextreme]

#1 - Bird
#2 - Dr J
#3 - Pippen
#4 - LeBron
#5 - Baylor
#6 - Havlicek
#7 - Barry*
#8 - Pierce

* I've seen very little of Rick Barry. Not sure where he should be.

Not too sure what to do with James Worthy. I consider him more of a combo forward than a true small forward (like I consider Joe Dumars a combo guard rather than a SG).

I think Pierce is better than Nique, King (injuries), Dantley and English.

agree with this, but i think lebron is better than scottie

[ianboyextreme]

1. Larry
2. Lebron (when its all said and done)
3. Dr.J
4. Havlicek
5. Elgin Baylor
6. Rick Barry
7. Scottie Pippen
8. Paul Pierce
9. Dominique Wilkens
10. Kevin Durant (will probably be above paul pierce when hes finished)

I mean when Paul Pierce is really on, iam in awe the same way i am when i see KG and the other greats dominate.

[ballin]

Hobbs nailed exactly what I was going to say in the very first response.

If any Celtics player has ever been massively underrated, it's Havlicek. Havlicek is seriously one of the best players of all time that nobody talks about, and the fact that this thread was made just illustrates the point.

Bill Simmons actually makes a good point in his "book of basketball" that Havlicek has gotten the short end of the stick in history partly because he was a white guy dominating when the league had more white players. Had he been black, people would have looked back and thought he was a revolutionary, Lebron James-esque player. No way to know if Simmons is right about this but at least it's an interesting theory.

At any rate, Pierce is my favorite player of all time, but it'd be hard to call him better than Hondo.

[dysgenic]

I don't think PP is in Havlicek's class, but that doesn't mean PP isn't underrated.  Personally, I believe PP IS incredibly underrated, probably because he can look so bad at certain moments.  Pierce does not get nearly enough credit for his leadership and basketball IQ.  That said I think certain of the SFs mentioned were better.  I def think Pippen was better.  Andrian Dantley or Alex English?  Puh-leaze.  No way.  And as I mentioned, Dominique Wilkins couldn't carry Paul Pierce's jock strap.  (I don't even think he could carry Adrian Dantley's jockstrap)

[soap07]

But Pippen is not on Pierce's level. No doubt Pippen has him on defense, was probably the best perimeter defender ever. But Pierce is a better scorer, leader, passer, and can create his own shot

"Leader" is a totally subjective term that is a bit ridiculous to throw around when one guy has six rings and the other guy has one. How do you determine that?

Secondly, no, Pierce is nowhere near the passer that Pippen was.

Thirdly, Pippen absolutely could create his own shot.