Pierce is also snubbed for top tier b-ball IQ

[GreenFaith1819]

Good Point as well, TruckLewis...

Kobe playing in LA helps a lot, too. "Showtime" has always been more glitzy and glamorous than Boston.

Anytime you see the amount of stars sitting in the stands during their games the Media HAS to prop Kobe up.

But I'll never forget game 4 of the 2007-2008 finals...Jack Nicholson was STEAMING, lol.....and the other stars in the crowd were quiet.

They'll be quiet again this year, too.

[hpantazo]

Good Point as well, TruckLewis...

Kobe playing in LA helps a lot, too. "Showtime" has always been more glitzy and glamorous than Boston.

Anytime you see the amount of stars sitting in the stands during their games the Media HAS to prop Kobe up.

But I'll never forget game 4 of the 2007-2008 finals...Jack Nicholson was STEAMING, lol.....and the other stars in the crowd were quiet.

They'll be quiet again this year, too.

yea, that was great. During the 2008 finals, my sister was working on a movie set with Leonardo Dicaprio in the boston area. Leo kept hanging lakers banners around the set and wearing lakers jerseys. Well, after game 4, he took everything down and didn't talk to anyone on the set for a couple of days. Later on after the celtics won the title, he actually brought the trophy to the set as a peace offering. Awesome.

[hpantazo]

Paul Pierce has always been a second-tier star in the eyes of the media.  This isn't anything new.  His game is based on effectiveness - his jumpshot isn't sugary like Ray's, he's not as fast as Wade, he's not as athletic as Dwight or LeBron.  There's nothing sexy about his game - it just works.  We can probably all agree about that. 

i agree with all of this, but i also think a major reason Pierce is ignored is his lack of charisma or media savy, whichever you choose to call it, especially pre-KG and Ray Ray.  We love him for all the right reasons (great play, hustle and attitude), but players get overhyped and overexposed when they either make the national media fall for them or simply ooze charisma.  Pierce justs plays and plays great, which i love.  Pierce has never been a media darling and therefore gets overlooked for these kind of lists.

what charisma does Kobe have? The guy looks like a smug jerk. What charisma does carmelo have? Pierce is as charismatic as most of those guys, it's just that Stern's media crew decided not to hype him and give him the special set of rules. Sheed speaks the truth, if he was the golden child or a borders without boundaries guy, he would also be promoted much, much more.

kobe is a smug jerk, but you cant tell me he doesnt know how to work the media.  His fake laugh and jokes with the tnt crew.  I didnt mean it as a negative for Pierce.  Pierce doesnt act fake like Kobe does.  But Kobe's fakeness endears him to the media elite. 

you have a point there, Kobe knows how to work the cameras, Pierce just lets himself be natural.

[Steve Weinman]

http://www.newsok.com/article/3421468

Once again, Wade, Anthony and other *usual suspect* franchise players are chosen over Pierce.

I think it's time to call an ace an ace and a spade a spade... Paul Pierce is actively being ignored by the press and the mainstream public.

Curious as to how that bolded part is a relevant conclusion from a link that read as follows when I clicked on it:

Five current players a panel of coaches and players say have the highest basketball IQs.

Boldface mine.

-sw

[Roy Hobbs]

I don't necessarily agree with those players who were picked, but I also wouldn't rank Pierce at the top of the league in basketball IQ.  That's not to suggest he's poor in that area, but I don't think he's elite, either.  He takes a lot of bad shots, and is prone at times to going into iso-mode. I think he's a player that does great things, but doesn't always make the smartest decision possible.

(Of course, I wouldn't put Kobe or Carmelo in the "elite BBIQ" category, either.)

[ToppersBsktball10]

It's hard to argue with PGs as having the highest IQs.  I buy that.

But Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade?  Clearly all three are gifted with physical ability, but I'm not so sure about their intelligence, per se.

Shouldn't the survey include players who "play well off the ball"?  The usual suspects in this list would include players like Shane Battier...  ie: players who aren't gifted with natural b-ball skills, but make do with smarts and hustle.

I buy LeBron does. He understands how to read defenses well, same with Wade. Not so much Melo.

[ToppersBsktball10]

But Kobe in my eyes, is the most intelligent basketball player on Earth. Probably gonna catch some heat for saying that, but it's true.

[EJPLAYA]

I don't necessarily agree with those players who were picked, but I also wouldn't rank Pierce at the top of the league in basketball IQ.  That's not to suggest he's poor in that area, but I don't think he's elite, either.  He takes a lot of bad shots, and is prone at times to going into iso-mode. I think he's a player that does great things, but doesn't always make the smartest decision possible.

(Of course, I wouldn't put Kobe or Carmelo in the "elite BBIQ" category, either.)

100% agree. How many hundreds of times did PP try and dribble behind his back or through his legs in between 2 defenders only to turn the ball over yet again? PP is clutch. PP is tough. PP is a very very good player. PP is not however a superstar like a Bird or Magic or Jordan. As sad as it is to say I would trade him straight across without thinking twice for Kobe or Lebron or Wade. I might even straight up for Carmelo due to him being young and PP being about done. That isn't to say that I don't appreciate what PP has done, but he isn't in the same tier as anyone on that list except for Carmelo, who also does not belong.

[Bahku]

So who came up with the exact definition of "Basketball IQ" anyway? I think it means a lot of things to a lot of different people, and until a precise definition is decided upon, (which I don't see ever happening), any kind of assessment about basketball IQ should be taken with a grain of salt ... or two.

[Bahku]

I don't necessarily agree with those players who were picked, but I also wouldn't rank Pierce at the top of the league in basketball IQ.  That's not to suggest he's poor in that area, but I don't think he's elite, either.  He takes a lot of bad shots, and is prone at times to going into iso-mode. I think he's a player that does great things, but doesn't always make the smartest decision possible.

(Of course, I wouldn't put Kobe or Carmelo in the "elite BBIQ" category, either.)

100% agree. How many hundreds of times did PP try and dribble behind his back or through his legs in between 2 defenders only to turn the ball over yet again? PP is clutch. PP is tough. PP is a very very good player. PP is not however a superstar like a Bird or Magic or Jordan. As sad as it is to say I would trade him straight across without thinking twice for Kobe or Lebron or Wade. I might even straight up for Carmelo due to him being young and PP being about done. That isn't to say that I don't appreciate what PP has done, but he isn't in the same tier as anyone on that list except for Carmelo, who also does not belong.

I usually agree with you, EJ, but this is one time I have to take exception, respectfully. While Kobe and LeBron may be what's considered "elite" players, they will never be the complete team player that Paul Pierce is, nor buy into the same type of Ubuntu concept ... their arrogance and egos are just too big, and I'd rather have a cohesive unit like the C's than a superstar any day.

[KJ33]

I don't necessarily agree with those players who were picked, but I also wouldn't rank Pierce at the top of the league in basketball IQ.  That's not to suggest he's poor in that area, but I don't think he's elite, either.  He takes a lot of bad shots, and is prone at times to going into iso-mode. I think he's a player that does great things, but doesn't always make the smartest decision possible.

(Of course, I wouldn't put Kobe or Carmelo in the "elite BBIQ" category, either.)

Have you watched Celtics games this year?  Your points may have some validity in the past, but Pierce has taken very few bad shots this year, and hardly any isos.  I realize we cannot discard the past completely, but how he has evolved is definitely a testament to his Bball IQ in my opinion.

[Roy Hobbs]

I don't necessarily agree with those players who were picked, but I also wouldn't rank Pierce at the top of the league in basketball IQ.  That's not to suggest he's poor in that area, but I don't think he's elite, either.  He takes a lot of bad shots, and is prone at times to going into iso-mode. I think he's a player that does great things, but doesn't always make the smartest decision possible.

(Of course, I wouldn't put Kobe or Carmelo in the "elite BBIQ" category, either.)

Have you watched Celtics games this year?  Your points may have some validity in the past, but Pierce has taken very few bad shots this year, and hardly any isos.  I realize we cannot discard the past completely, but how he has evolved is definitely a testament to his Bball IQ in my opinion.

He's having an excellent year.  However, in deciding which players have the best basketball IQ, I'd prefer to judge Pierce on his 12 year career, not on 18 games. 

I like Paul.  He's a great player.  However, never once in his Celtics career have I thought he was one of the most cerebral or fundamentally sound players in the entire NBA.  He doesn't rank near the bottom in that category, but I don't think he particularly ranks near the top, either.

[BASS_THUMPER]

paul comes out and play..hit miss shots like evryone else...

bump that ball playa iq trash~

[GreenFaith1819]

I don't necessarily agree with those players who were picked, but I also wouldn't rank Pierce at the top of the league in basketball IQ.  That's not to suggest he's poor in that area, but I don't think he's elite, either.  He takes a lot of bad shots, and is prone at times to going into iso-mode. I think he's a player that does great things, but doesn't always make the smartest decision possible.

(Of course, I wouldn't put Kobe or Carmelo in the "elite BBIQ" category, either.)

100% agree. How many hundreds of times did PP try and dribble behind his back or through his legs in between 2 defenders only to turn the ball over yet again? PP is clutch. PP is tough. PP is a very very good player. PP is not however a superstar like a Bird or Magic or Jordan. As sad as it is to say I would trade him straight across without thinking twice for Kobe or Lebron or Wade. I might even straight up for Carmelo due to him being young and PP being about done. That isn't to say that I don't appreciate what PP has done, but he isn't in the same tier as anyone on that list except for Carmelo, who also does not belong.

So EJPlaya if Boston did in fact trade Pierce for Kobe, Wade, or Lebron do you think that either of those three could win a Championship for Boston?

[EJPLAYA]

I don't necessarily agree with those players who were picked, but I also wouldn't rank Pierce at the top of the league in basketball IQ.  That's not to suggest he's poor in that area, but I don't think he's elite, either.  He takes a lot of bad shots, and is prone at times to going into iso-mode. I think he's a player that does great things, but doesn't always make the smartest decision possible.

(Of course, I wouldn't put Kobe or Carmelo in the "elite BBIQ" category, either.)

100% agree. How many hundreds of times did PP try and dribble behind his back or through his legs in between 2 defenders only to turn the ball over yet again? PP is clutch. PP is tough. PP is a very very good player. PP is not however a superstar like a Bird or Magic or Jordan. As sad as it is to say I would trade him straight across without thinking twice for Kobe or Lebron or Wade. I might even straight up for Carmelo due to him being young and PP being about done. That isn't to say that I don't appreciate what PP has done, but he isn't in the same tier as anyone on that list except for Carmelo, who also does not belong.

I usually agree with you, EJ, but this is one time I have to take exception, respectfully. While Kobe and LeBron may be what's considered "elite" players, they will never be the complete team player that Paul Pierce is, nor buy into the same type of Ubuntu concept ... their arrogance and egos are just too big, and I'd rather have a cohesive unit like the C's than a superstar any day.

Definitely pains me to say Kobe, but his ability to completely take over games offensively is quite a bit higher than PP's. I do agree he isn't a complete or team player though.

Lebron I think is WAY too early to tell, and his sheer ability to dominate at every level is getting more and more amazing every year. He arguably has the ability to be the best ever, and even though he might not be the greatest team player, he is definitely a complete PLAYER.

As far as PP being a great teammate, there were a lot of examples of him not being the best teammate for a lot of the bad years as well. It's only been with the big 3 that he really bought into that IMO.