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Paul Pierce Believes Deron Williams Didn't Want MVP Pressure, Nets' Vets Lacked Drive
APR 14, 2015 9:59 PM


Paul Pierce discussed his tenure with the Brooklyn Nets last season, saying Deron Williams puzzled him and the team's veterans lacked the drive to elevate the team with he and Kevin Garnett as older players.

"Before I got there, I looked at Deron as an MVP candidate,'' Pierce said. "But I felt once we got there, that's not what he wanted to be. He just didn't want that. I think a lot of the pressure got to him sometimes. This was his first time in the national spotlight. The media in Utah is not the same as the media in New York, so that can wear on some people. I think it really affected him.

"I'm much happier. It was a tough situation (in Brooklyn) last year. Horrible, really. It was just the guys' attitudes there. It wasn't like we were surrounded by a bunch of young guys. They were vets who didn't want to play and didn't want to practice. I was looking around saying, 'What's this?' Kevin (Garnett) and I had to pick them up every day in practice.

"If me and Kevin weren't there, that team would have folded up. That team would have packed it in. We kept them going each and every day.''

Pierce and the Nets did not sign a new deal after he became a free agent last offseason.

"Joe is quiet,'' Pierce noted. "He doesn't want much attention. He doesn't say much.

"There's a lot of secondary guys on that team. KG and I went there looking at them as the main guys who would push us, because we were advancing in years. But we ended up doing all the pushing.''

JACKIE MACMULLAN/ESPN

Still?

Beyond the (sorry for that OP but come on) stupide thread title, it really goes to show the difference between alpha athletes and guys who were made to be second banana... the problem with the Nets was that they had no leaders in DWill an Joe or Brook, and Pierce and KG were too washed up to be real leaders, They both were there to be solid veteran contributors in 20minutes per, not leaders anymore.

Nope. I would rather waive Rose straight up (if it comes to that), than bring D-Will here.

Neither guy is reliable.

I would trade Rose for Knicks pick!

To be "STILL" interested, that would have to mean we ever "WERE" interested.
Dwill is overrated and would be a terrible fit for our team.

Still?

OP, I think u were the only one ever interested in such a trade.


And yeah, DWill just isn't much of a leader. Interesting quotes from PP.

Yep, I don't think anyone from Chicago was ever interested in this trade at any point in time in history. That being said, if it ever came to it, we would all obviously prefer to waive Derrick or find an expiring contract than trade for Deron Williams.

Uhh isn't this the guy that drove Jerry Sloan to get fed up and retire?

chrispatrick wrote:That being said, if it ever came to it, we would all obviously prefer to waive Derrick or find an expiring contract than trade for Deron Williams.

So many stars end up as albatross contracts, so that they go from being highly desired to untradable. I suspect that Melo will soon prove that way, too. Fans are always excited to get a big bucks star -- everybody wanted DWill at the time -- but man those deals blow up a lot.

veji1 wrote:Beyond the (sorry for that OP but come on) stupide thread title, it really goes to show the difference between alpha athletes and guys who were made to be second banana... the problem with the Nets was that they had no leaders in DWill an Joe or Brook, and Pierce and KG were too washed up to be real leaders, They both were there to be solid veteran contributors in 20minutes per, not leaders anymore.

Stupid my behind....there were some on this board that cried out for this trade to happen a short while ago. But if you weren't over here at that time then I can understand your post.

I agree that (not so much this thread...but) the very IDEA of a Rose/Williams trade is dumb. With that being said....I request that this thread stay open for at least a day...just to see if those who were in favor of it (due to the heat of their emotions) will step forward.

Krazy!!! wrote:

veji1 wrote:Beyond the (sorry for that OP but come on) stupide thread title, it really goes to show the difference between alpha athletes and guys who were made to be second banana... the problem with the Nets was that they had no leaders in DWill an Joe or Brook, and Pierce and KG were too washed up to be real leaders, They both were there to be solid veteran contributors in 20minutes per, not leaders anymore.

Stupid my behind....there were some on this board that cried out for this trade to happen a short while ago. But if you weren't over here at that time then I can understand your post.

Maybe my memory is going, but I don't recall that kind of trade suggestion in quite some time. If someone did say it, that would have been an opinion that was in the extreme minority and wasn't brought up frequently.

IMHO, DWill was always overrated. I used to argue that here frequently but I swear I haven't had that discussion in years.

DWill packed it in when he got the big contract and had to battle injuries. Both were probably a factor, along with the NY pressure. He's just on cruise control now. I could see him being useful in a few years as a role-player ring chaser, Kyrie Irving's backup, that sort of thing.

even having an awful year deron has still been significantly better than derrick. and i'd say he's a better candidate for a bounceback the next two years (contract lengths) than derrick is as well

Krazy!

Deron is done. at least Rose is a question mark.

dice wrote:even having an awful year deron has still been significantly better than derrick. and i'd say he's a better candidate for a bounceback the next two years (contract lengths) than derrick is as well

You think? It doesn't seem to me that he cares enough.

Ice Man wrote:

dice wrote:even having an awful year deron has still been significantly better than derrick. and i'd say he's a better candidate for a bounceback the next two years (contract lengths) than derrick is as well

You think? It doesn't seem to me that he cares enough.

he has always played well on good teams. derrick rose, on the other hand, is ON a good team and doesn't seem to care

coldfish wrote:

Krazy!!! wrote:

veji1 wrote:Beyond the (sorry for that OP but come on) stupide thread title, it really goes to show the difference between alpha athletes and guys who were made to be second banana... the problem with the Nets was that they had no leaders in DWill an Joe or Brook, and Pierce and KG were too washed up to be real leaders, They both were there to be solid veteran contributors in 20minutes per, not leaders anymore.

Stupid my behind....there were some on this board that cried out for this trade to happen a short while ago. But if you weren't over here at that time then I can understand your post.

Maybe my memory is going, but I don't recall that kind of trade suggestion in quite some time. If someone did say it, that would have been an opinion that was in the extreme minority and wasn't brought up frequently.

IMHO, DWill was always overrated. I used to argue that here frequently but I swear I haven't had that discussion in years.

Shortly after D-Rose had his first MCL surgery....there were some folks who wanted this trade to happen.

This is NOT intended to be a "Ha Ha you were fooled" type of thread...we're all human and as such we make mistakes (including myself) especially when we allow emotion to take over our thought process.