Deron Williams already unhappy in New Jersey?(Rumor)

[PosImpos]

I never said Dirk was Larry Bird.  That's a pretty lame straw-man.


2010-2011 Paul Pierce could not have carried a team through four straight playoff series, scoring all of the key buckets down the stretch in the fourth quarter.

Dirk did that last summer.

Now, if you want to argue whether or not Pierce was better in the spring / summer of '08, then we can have that discussion, but I just don't see how there can be any question of whether Dirk is the better player right now.

  Are you expecting Dirk to carry a team through four straight playoff series, scoring all of the key buckets down the stretch in the fourth quarter this season? If not, you'd have to consider that this is the only time Dirk's done this in 13 or so seasons and chalk it up to a great scorer getting hot at the right time.

If your point is that Dirk was playing above himself in the post-season last year, then I'd agree with you.  I would say the same about Jason Terry.  Dirk played like the best player in the NBA during the playoffs last season, and Terry played like an All-Star.  Though both are very good players, neither is quite THAT good in general.

Still, Dirk has it in him to completely take over and become unstoppable.  Paul had that gear once upon a time, but I don't think it's really there anymore except for once in a while.  At this point in their respective careers, Dirk is capable of being a top notch clear-cut #1 offensive option for a very good team.  

I wouldn't say the same about Paul Pierce.  At this point, Pierce is a very good offensive option on a team with a number of quality offensive options, and that's the perfect role for him, I think.

[Celtics18]

Wow I don't believe what im reading
Pierce > Dirk
Let Dirk guard a player like Lebron one on one the way Pierce does, them that'll be saying something
I love Dirk, one of my fav players, but his defense is not on Pierce's level. Also Pierce is a jack of all trades with his variety of offensive skills, plus he is more of a leader

I agree with Kane3387 that PRESENTLY, Dirk is better than Pierce because he is a little bit younger and more in his prime

I agree that Paul Pierce's defense and overall play are often vastly under-rated. 

As to the age thing, Paul Pierce is only 7 months older than Dirk Nowitzki.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Paul playing at a high level longer than Dirk.

[Kane3387]

Wow I don't believe what im reading
Pierce > Dirk
Let Dirk guard a player like Lebron one on one the way Pierce does, them that'll be saying something
I love Dirk, one of my fav players, but his defense is not on Pierce's level. Also Pierce is a jack of all trades with his variety of offensive skills, plus he is more of a leader

I agree with Kane3387 that PRESENTLY, Dirk is better than Pierce because he is a little bit younger and more in his prime

I agree that Paul Pierce's defense and overall play are often vastly under-rated. 

As to the age thing, Paul Pierce is only 7 months older than Dirk Nowitzki.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Paul playing at a high level longer than Dirk.

I don't know. Both of their games will age well. I think Dirk's game will age better though because of the way he scores the ball. He will always be able to shoot like that and his shot is almost unguardable.

[Celtics18]

I never said Dirk was Larry Bird.  That's a pretty lame straw-man.


2010-2011 Paul Pierce could not have carried a team through four straight playoff series, scoring all of the key buckets down the stretch in the fourth quarter.

Dirk did that last summer.

Now, if you want to argue whether or not Pierce was better in the spring / summer of '08, then we can have that discussion, but I just don't see how there can be any question of whether Dirk is the better player right now.

  Are you expecting Dirk to carry a team through four straight playoff series, scoring all of the key buckets down the stretch in the fourth quarter this season? If not, you'd have to consider that this is the only time Dirk's done this in 13 or so seasons and chalk it up to a great scorer getting hot at the right time.

If your point is that Dirk was playing above himself in the post-season last year, then I'd agree with you.  I would say the same about Jason Terry.  Dirk played like the best player in the NBA during the playoffs last season, and Terry played like an All-Star.  Though both are very good players, neither is quite THAT good in general.

Still, Dirk has it in him to completely take over and become unstoppable.  Paul had that gear once upon a time, but I don't think it's really there anymore except for once in a while.  At this point in their respective careers, Dirk is capable of being a top notch clear-cut #1 offensive option for a very good team.  

I wouldn't say the same about Paul Pierce.  At this point, Pierce is a very good offensive option on a team with a number of quality offensive options, and that's the perfect role for him, I think.

I would agree that Paul Pierce's current role on the Celtics is the perfect role for him, but I don't think that Dirk Nowitzki is clearly a better player at this point in their respective careers.

Dirk had an amazing run along with his Dallas team last May and June.  Props to him.  That run to the title will help his legacy immensely.  

You talk about Paul Pierce as if you see some kind of marked decline in his game over the last couple of years.  "Truth" be told, I haven't seen it.  Yes, he shoots less and handles the ball less than he did in his younger days, but he's also become a more efficient scorer and a better all around player and defender as his athleticism has started to wane some.  

If you want to point to the '07-'08 title year as the pinnacle of Paul Pierce's career, have a look at his numbers since that year.  There has been no drop off in his per minute numbers or his efficiency statistics.  

If we are going by the eyeball test, what I've seen out of Paul Pierce so far in this short season shows no sign that Paul Pierce is breaking down.

We shall see. Obviously the time will come for all the aging stars around the league.  Luckily, our Captain has been a durable and physically tough character over the years, and, I'm thinking he has a good chance to play out his current contract as an all star level small forward.

As to Deron Williams, let him go be unhappy somewhere else.

[TA9]

Dang guys, we dont need Williams.
Appreciate what Rondo does for us!
I wouldnt trade him for ANY player in this league, he is the definition of a CELTIC!