Paul Pierce's maturity / gang signs? (merged)

[Hrvoje]

I'll upload clip tomorrow.

[Redz]

We'll anxiously await. 

I'll stick by my cheery, glass half full theory that he was giving the "OK" sign. 

[Scott]

Like I said in the other thread:

Ok folks I think we need to chill for a minute.  I agree with a lot of what Dark Lord is saying and I think some are just getting carried away.

Let us look at this.  Pierce is a 30 year old multimillionaire dollar professional athlete.  He is playing a game live on national TV.  He arguably has more exporsure to the national audience that he has ever had in his career (which he wanted based off his comments from last season of always being overlooked because he was on a bad team).  In addition he just had his first child not too long back.  In my opinion, this doesn't sound like someone who will make himself look like a fool by throwing a "gang sign" for the  entire basketball watching communtiy across the nation to see. 

I think we should give people a little more credit.

[Scott]

Horford is obviously a punk

Why is Horford a punk?  He played well and got caught up in the moment.  As far as the taunting / celebrating / trash talk the Celtics have been doing it all year.  The Celtics are just as bad, if not worse. 

[Redz]

Horford is obviously a punk

Why is Horford a punk?  He played well and got caught up in the moment.  As far as the taunting / celebrating / trash talk the Celtics have been doing it all year.  The Celtics are just as bad, if not worse. 

Point me to the circumstance where a Celtic was that demonstrative.  Come on, he bent over a guy who was on the ground, and well, you saw it. 

[Scott]

Horford is obviously a punk

Why is Horford a punk?  He played well and got caught up in the moment.  As far as the taunting / celebrating / trash talk the Celtics have been doing it all year.  The Celtics are just as bad, if not worse. 

Point me to the circumstance where a Celtic was that demonstrative.  Come on, he bent over a guy who was on the ground, and well, you saw it. 

You are right in that Celtics haven't that demonstrative but they have been doing their fair share of this all year.  My comment of just as bad, if not worst was over the top, and you were right for correcting me there, apologies to all. 

But there have been numerous accounts of trash talking across the web throughout the season.  Horford may have gone over the top but I don’t think you can really blame him with the talking that has been going back and forth.  He is a young guy on a team that was expected, and did in the first two games, provide very little competition.  They have been ridiculed in the press and I am sure by the Celtics.  They came up big on their home floor against the team with the best record in the league and he got a little carried away with emotions.  I don't think its fair we lable him a punk for that.

[nickagneta]

First off I think this is being blown way out of proportion by some.

Horford tried to show Pierce up and Paul got caught up in the action for a couple of seconds. I don't think that reflects anything on his maturity, intelligence or character. I've seen guys in pick up games go off on less than what Horford did. I don't think an immediate response is anything but human and that's it.

As for the whole gang sign thing, I think that's pretty far fetched. Pierce had better not have put up some kind of gang signal. Gangs don't take non members using their colors, signals, or anything else very lightly. The usual response is a bullet.

And I know what I speak of. I live in a gang infested area. I've seen an MS13 kid butcher another kid as just an innitiation and either a blood or a crip, not sure which, took a matchette to a kid in broad daylight in the main square of my city for the simple reason that he thought the other kid was wearng his gangs colors.

I don't even want to get into what has happen in my area because people tried to clean up the gang tags on the walls of their houses.

[Knox Harrington]

Do you really think that Paul Pierce, who has been playing in the NBA for 9 years, who went to college in Kansas before that time, who has no history of any criminal behavior and certainly no history of gang activity is throwing gang signs?

Are you just assuming that everyone who grows up in Inglewood is a gang member?

I don't like it when people throw the whole racism thing out there, but this thread seriously borders on racism.  Would you ever accuse Brian Scalabrine of throwing gang signs?  Paul Pierce is no more a gang member than Brian Scalabrine, or Danny Ainge for that matter.

[EJPLAYA]

I don't think PP is a member of a gang. That doesn't however prevent him from making that sign as a stupid gesture. Not so mature, was it?! If he had just ignored him it is a moot point.

As far as ''not being down there to hear what was said by PP'' Oh Dark One, PP didn't say anything. He just walked down towards them with his chest puffed out making stupid hand gestures. HEARING anything had nothing to do with it.

Next Topic!!

again, why the condescending tone? why do u think ur right, when u, me, and everyone else has no idea?? none of us were on the court or near it!

two scenarios which could fit...
1- he implied, "its only game three"
2- he implied, "u have three more to go"

I sure wish you would share with us your special gift of reading ''Tone"" into a post. If anything my tone has only been frustrated that you have been blowing my comment out of proportion. I said that walking down to the other bench was immature. He should have ignored him. I said he appeared to be flashing some kind of sign at Horford as he was walking towards him. One of the links to known gang signs below looked exactly like what I rewound and saw PP doing. He grew up in LA, so I am sure that he knew what a gang sign was. I don't think PP is a gang member, but IF he was flashing a gang sign at the guy, and I think there is evidence he might have been, that he should be punished by the league for it. If he has a valid explanation of what he was doing then fine. I like PP as a player. Nothing more. He brings a great deal of talent to our team and is one amazing scorer. I have NEVER wanted him traded away even when he was acting like a punk and saying detrimental things a few years back. However, if he was doing what it appears he was, I sure wouldn't be real happy of him disgracing the Celtics that way.

As far as your picture of Calderon, he obviously just hit a three. That is the NBA sign  for it. You don't see him doing it with only one hand and that hand across his chest. Funny though.

[Knox Harrington]

unless u were on or around the court and could see, as well as hear, what was being said....it is purely speculation to imply it was a gang sign and should not be considered fact unless it is proven.  i think paul deserves more respect from his fans/supporters.

Be clear about what I posted. I said all along I was not aware whether it was or it wasn't, but that another poster seemed pretty sure that it was. Enough so to name the gang it was a sign from. That may or may not be true, but the way that he came down flashing what he did had nothing to do with 3rd game. That was clear. I rewound it and watched again because it seemed odd the way he was holding his hand out.

I will show PP respect if and when I think he deserves it. If he is going to act like a fool following Horford to his bench then he doesn't. They just got their tails handed to them and he is more worried about his personal ego than the team. THAT is not worthy of respect either.

I do not look at any of these guys out there as anything other than entertainers. No one knows these guys individually, good or bad. The only thing that they have earned is that big fat check that they get for keeping us entertained. Some would question that.  To imply these guys are the pillar of society because they are athletic is making quite a leap. Some of them are and some of them aren't. Their talent on the court doesn't dictate that.

So you're saying Paul Pierce might be a gang member because he's an NBA player??

Man, we've really hit rock bottom here.

[Bahku]

The guy's human, like the rest of us ... and we as humans, never finish the process of maturing, and never stop making stupid mistakes. Paul is going to fall victim to imperfections as much as the rest of us, and we should give him at least a little of the understanding that we would hope for ourselves.

[SShoreFan]

The guy's human, like the rest of us ... and we as humans, never finish the process of maturing, and never stop making stupid mistakes. Paul is going to fall victim to imperfections as much as the rest of us, and we should give him at least a little of the understanding that we would hope for ourselves.

TP

[nickagneta]

I figured i'd just cut and paste what I said in the other thread.

As for the whole gang sign thing, I think that's pretty far fetched. Pierce had better not have put up some kind of gang signal. Gangs don't take non members using their colors, signals, or anything else very lightly. The usual response is a bullet.

Speculate what you want about his past Pierce is no gang member now. Use of such a signal on national television would be dangerous to Paul's health.

I think people are blowing this way out of proportion and reading way too much into a minor hand gesture.

This is just a guess but I'll bet that the majority of people who feel he didn't give a gang sign are over 25 years old and that the those that do think he put out a gang symbol are under 25.This could all be just a generational misreading of body language and nothing more.

[cdif911]

Please don't let the national media pick this story up.....Please don't let the national media pick this story up..... repeat repeat repeat

[Bahku]

I figured i'd just cut and paste what I said in the other thread.

As for the whole gang sign thing, I think that's pretty far fetched. Pierce had better not have put up some kind of gang signal. Gangs don't take non members using their colors, signals, or anything else very lightly. The usual response is a bullet.

Speculate what you want about his past Pierce is no gang member now. Use of such a signal on national television would be dangerous to Paul's health.

I think people are blowing this way out of proportion and reading way too much into a minor hand gesture.

This is just a guess but I'll bet that the majority of people who feel he didn't give a gang sign are over 25 years old and that the those that do think he put out a gang symbol are under 25.This could all be just a generational misreading of body language and nothing more.

Well said, Nick ... when and if we ever find this to be true, we can address the problem then, but to make such accusatory assumptions is jumping the gun, (horrible pun not intended), and we need to give Paul the benefit of the doubt, and not make more of this than it deserves ... for now.