Paul Pierce will forego his Wizards option; (Updated) Signs with the Clippers

keynote · Post #121 » by **keynote** » Thu Jul 2, 2015 9:42 pm

So long, Paul. You'll be missed.

(I also just wanted an excuse to post that pic)

Induveca · Post #122 » by **Induveca** » Fri Jul 3, 2015 4:43 pm

long suffrin' boulez fan wrote:Does this mean we lose Exculpatory too?

That alone is worth the loss, I can now banish the "Paul MFing PIERCE" references, and his exact time of birth to a distant place. Sorry Ex, had to get in one last dig.

dckingsfan · Post #123 » by **dckingsfan** » Fri Jul 3, 2015 8:18 pm

With Jordan leaving - I would say he didn't choose wisely... other than being close to home.

Post #124 » by **pineappleheadindc** » Fri Jul 3, 2015 8:27 pm

Induveca wrote:
long suffrin' boulez fan wrote:Does this mean we lose Exculpatory too?

That alone is worth the loss, I can now banish the "Paul MFing PIERCE" references, and his exact time of birth to a distant place. Sorry Ex, had to get in one last dig.

LOL - exculpatory, you know we love joshing you, right? You're always welcome.

Dudes, for some reason, I thought the ex was local to the DC area. If that's the case, you KNOW who's going to be at the Phone Booth when the Clips come to town.

:nod:

Dark Faze · Post #125 » by **Dark Faze** » Fri Jul 3, 2015 9:01 pm

he'll be at home his entire life after this year smh

did he sign the paper cuz damn, clips gonna get rocked this year

gambitx777 · Post #126 » by **gambitx777** » Fri Jul 3, 2015 9:17 pm

When Wizards fans heard about Jordan going to the Mavs.

wizards-fan · Post #127 » by **wizards-fan** » Sat Jul 4, 2015 1:29 am

If Clippers sign Pierce as planned they will have 2.27M of cap space. If they mutually agree to back out, the clips would have 5.46M to sign a serviceable center. Then Pierce accepts Washington's original offer for a better chance in his last year or two, and it's win-win-win!

This is assuming he hasn't signed cause of the moratorium. But he was certainly expecting to be the missing piece of a championship team, not a team without a center in the west. He wouldn't have agreed to that.

gambitx777 · Post #128 » by **gambitx777** » Sat Jul 4, 2015 1:57 am

If you have the chance, PP, RUN! You don't want to grind out 32 minutes a game on a team that might not even make the play off's !

hands11 · Post #129 » by **hands11** » Sat Jul 4, 2015 4:07 am

sfam wrote:
hands11 wrote:
sfam wrote:Really enjoyed having PP for a year and wish him the best. But I think his impact will be greater than that. PP taught the Wizards how to compete at the next level. I'd like to hope this is reflected in improved playoff performances next year.

And in Truth, the Clippers need PP more than we do now. PP is exactly what that team needs to prevent epic collapses. Otto Porter has grown enough to do fine with the starter role. We also have a rook needing minutes, so let's just concentrate on a realistic stretch 4 option, through trade or FA.

Agreed. He left is lessons.

Now you can't judge that on just wins next year though. Anything can happen. But you should see it throughout their careers.

I think we can absolutely judge Pierce's impact by looking at next year's playoff run. If we close out games and maintain poise in the last 5 minutes of key games, I think we can give them passing grades for Pierce's course. If they choke like Wizards, then Pierce's impact was fleeting.

Just saying its more complicated then that and one season is not the judge. Roster. Injuries. Etc.

But you should also be able to see it in lots of ways.

It may translate into a better playoffs and season wins. It might not. To many other factors. But long run, you should see it.

Post #130 » by **jmrosenth** » Sat Jul 4, 2015 3:29 pm

I was actually completely good with this news. Watching Game 6 v. the Hawks live, it was really glaring how old Pierce has gotten and what sieve he's become on defense (ATTENTION STAT DORKS: the stats may say different but I don't care). Loved his leadership, swag, and clutchness, obviously, but he's frankly only good to be a 15-20 minute guy at this point. Would have been happy to have him back and provide that, but he's replaceable. Thanks for great year, Truth.

Kanyewest · Post #131 » by **Kanyewest** » Sat Jul 4, 2015 4:57 pm

jmrosenth wrote:I was actually completely good with this news. Watching Game 6 v. the Hawks live, it was really glaring how old Pierce has gotten and what sieve he's become on defense (ATTENTION STAT DORKS: the stats may say different but I don't care). Loved his leadership, swag, and clutchness, obviously, but he's frankly only good to be a 15-20 minute guy at this point. Would have been happy to have him back and provide that, but he's replaceable. Thanks for great year, Truth.

It changes from game to game I suppose. In game 3, Pierce was good enough defensively especially since Millsap only had 8 points. In game 6, Millsap had 20 points. Pierce also struggled in game 6 as he only had 4 points (could have been 7 if that buzzer beater had counted). Still, it remains to be seen if we have a big shot maker in the clutch- although perhaps Wall/Beal/Porter may have taken notes from Paul Pierce.

FAH1223 · Post #132 » by **FAH1223** » Thu Jul 9, 2015 4:22 am

[tweet]https://twitter.com/paulpierce34/status/618997675979988993[/tweet]

Paul is a big time troll :lol:

TGW · Post #133 » by **TGW** » Fri Jul 10, 2015 11:39 pm

LOL at hands in damage control in this thread

exculpatory · Post #134 » by **exculpatory** » Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:00 pm

pineappleheadindc wrote:
Induveca wrote:
long suffrin' boulez fan wrote:Does this mean we lose Exculpatory too?

That alone is worth the loss, I can now banish the "Paul MFing PIERCE" references, and his exact time of birth to a distant place. Sorry Ex, had to get in one last dig.

LOL - exculpatory, you know we love joshing you, right? You're always welcome.

Dudes, for some reason, I thought the ex was local to the DC area. If that's the case, you KNOW who's going to be at the Phone Booth when the Clips come to town.

LOL. No problems.

I am local & I will be there for certain.

I will also come for the Celtics.

You guys are very substantial posters!

payitforward · Post #135 » by **payitforward** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 3:02 am

It was a treat to have Pierce on the team. Really great for us fans. May he live long and prosper!

Higga · Post #136 » by **Higga** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 2:51 pm

I just wish he signed with someone else. I can't stand the Clippers. Even more so now after this whole Jordan fiasco.

cdouglas · Post #137 » by **cdouglas** » Mon Jul 13, 2015 3:08 pm

I believe Pierce prefers to play for a team that isn't well liked versus a nice no trash talk team like the Wiz. During the preseason he was trying to get this young team to be more physical and talk trash. The preaseason game against the Bulls, Pierce was trying to carryover some stuff that happenedf while he was playing with the Nets. The Clippers are known as a non physical team so maybe Pierce will bring some of that nastiness from Boston to the team. Watch how the Clippers games will change next season and how they'll thrive on being known as the most hated team.

closg00 · Post #138 » by **closg00** » Wed Jul 22, 2015 3:47 am

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wizards-insider/wp/2015/07/21/paul-pierce-explains-why-he-signed-with-the-clippers/

fishercob · Post #139 » by **fishercob** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 12:57 pm

closg00 wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wizards-insider/wp/2015/07/21/paul-pierce-explains-why-he-signed-with-the-clippers/

But Pierce declined the $5.5 million player option at the end of June to become a free agent for the second straight summer. The Wizards then formally offered Pierce $6.6 million for next season on the first night of free agency — nearly double the $3.37 million Pierce will play for the next two years — but refused to give Pierce a guaranteed second season. Seeking maximum financial flexibility next summer, Washington only would give Pierce a team option for the second season. The Clippers were not as reluctant and the two sides reportedly agreed to a three-year, $10 million pact with a team option for the third season.

I wonder if not guaranteeing Pierce's second year was a tactical mistake -- a huge one, actually.

The main argument against it was that it could stand in the way of getting Durant. But, worst case scenario, it would have meant that you'd have to decline the option on Humphries.

And don't you think the Wizards would have had a better shot at landing Durant if Pierce had been part of that pitch? Pierce clearly has a gravitas that is respected by NBA players.

And knowing that Dudley had some injury concerns, it would have been big to have had PP in the fold while Dudley recovered; keeping Pierce and adding Dudley was always my hope. It would have made the Wiz's rotation much more formidable come playoff time.

I don't know that Pierce would have stayed for that second guaranteed year, but it would have made his decision tougher.

payitforward · Post #140 » by **payitforward** » Thu Jul 23, 2015 1:14 pm

It was great having him here. A real treat for fans like me (us) to watch the guy do his thing wearing a Wizards uniform. But, there was an awful lot of weight on the Clippers end of the scale this year, and I doubt we could have done much to retain him.

I can't imagine becoming a Clippers fan, although I think they're a terrific team (obviously). But I'll always be a Paul Pierce fan.