Wizards sign Paul Pierce, 2 years @ MLE

[Dat2U]

I don't think I'd go this far. I consider it highly doubtful that Porter will be anywhere near the player that Ariza was for us last year. This is clearly a big downgrade in the short term. Perhaps it's a move that will pan out in the long term (particularly when factoring salary), but it hurts right now.

And I believe I'll be saying I told you so once Porter gets into the starting lineup and gets acclimated. I don't think Ariza was going to replicate what he did last year and I think Porter will make us forget about Ariza pretty quickly.

The huge loss will be on Defense. Nivek has said Ariza has been a top 5 wing defender in the league over recent years. Its unrealistic to expect Porter (who needs to really upgrade his body) to be anywhere close to the defender that Ariza has been throughout his career. There will be a massive downgrade on defense for sure.

I'm sure Porter won't initially be the lockdown individual defender Ariza was and I'm not sure which tool Nivek used to measure defense but Ariza's overall defensive impact is overstated IMO because how he gambles for steals which often causes a chain reaction of an opponent having an open look. Porter as a more disciplined defender, can play a safer cerebral game and be just as effective if given time to develop a comfort level.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

People have very short memories of how Ariza clamped down Augustine and for the most part, George, in last year's playoffs. Pierce won't come close to being the versatile Pippen-like (yes, that's high praise but Ariza earned it in last year's playoffs) defender Ariza was.

But it's still a solid stop-gap move because of the terms and the development of Otto, in terms of playing time, pressure, tutelage, etc.

I bitched the most about Ariza not being resigned. I appreciate all that Ariza did. I wanted him resigned for 4 years, up to 42M. I didn't want the dropoff of losing continuity from last season's playoff team.

Talk about Pierce being too slow to cut it at SF has me less enthusiastic than when I learned Pierce was signed.

I think Otto Porter is not as good as Ariza. I think assuming Wittman will do anything besides plugging Pierce in for 30 minutes plus at starting SF is unrealistic.

If the Wizards take a step back and miss the playoffs, they'll be worse off for not keeping Ariza.

I hope Pierce is much more than a "Booker upgrade". I also hope Dat is right about Porter.

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[nate33]

Would love to ship out nene for garnett thatd be a dream come true

Why? Nene is currently better than Garnett. Garnett would come off the books a year earlier, but of what use is cap room in 2015? Particularly when we are trying to stay cap free in 2016?

The only reason a Nene for Garnett trade makes sense is if Love is still a viable option.

[Kanyewest]

Would love to ship out nene for garnett thatd be a dream come true

Nene had a better season than Garnett and they both played a similar number of games last season.

[Dat2U]

Move only works if Pierce is here to play stretch 4... Pierce really struggled at beginning of last season until he was moved to PF. He opens up spacing and defends 4s surprisingly well, better than he does 3s.

Pierce as stretch 4 is a big upgrade over Booker and should work well in combo with Nene. At the 3 he becomes a big downgrade on both sides of the court and forces us to slow the pace.

If Pierce can't play SF effectively that will be a buzz kill for me.

An upgrade over Booker? Booker came off the bench. Pierce was signed to replace Ariza, who effectively played SF, SG, and even some stretch PF. Pierce also will need to play with a very fast John Wall, something that Ariza did well.

Until I see otherwise I'm going to think of Pierce as a HOF small forward who can still be effective at SF.

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If Pierce is replacing Ariza and we plan to throw Pierce out there for 30 minutes a night against other SFs, its going to backfire pretty badly.

[Deivy202]

Would love to ship out nene for garnett thatd be a dream come true

Nene had a better season than Garnett and they both played a similar number of games last season.

O no it just so we can get rid of nene contract and have kg option out. I dont mind nene to stay but rather have booker/pierce/ and maybe a blair signing than nene contract.

KG is done.

[CeltsfaninDC]

Great signing by the Wiz. PP is my 2nd all time favorite player and everyone in DC is about to find out why they call him The Truth. PP brings it every night. These kids are going to grow up fast this year with PP on the team. Excited about the Wiz this year.

[Deivy202]

Would love to ship out nene for garnett thatd be a dream come true

Why? Nene is currently better than Garnett. Garnett would come off the books a year earlier, but of what use is cap room in 2015? Particularly when we are trying to stay cap free in 2016?

The only reason a Nene for Garnett trade makes sense is if Love is still a viable option.

I want nene contract gone not KG talent.

[GhostsOfGil]

Would love to ship out nene for garnett thatd be a dream come true

KG is done. We do not want any part of that. Also you need to accept that PP will only be effective at the 4. His production took a huge nose dive when played at the 3.

Edit. I see your response to this above.

[GhostsOfGil]

A couple of thoughts:

I don't think Porter is ready to be a stopper yet (though I think he'll have an impact offensively this year).

Second time Ive seen you mention Ottos defense. Are you suggesting you think Ottos offense is ahead of his defense? The only thing I thought Otto did well was play defense. Small sample size but last season Otto allowed .69 ppp as an overall defender. A ridiculously low number. Maybe not a stopper yet but surly no slouch.

[Dat2U]

Would love to ship out nene for garnett thatd be a dream come true

KG is done. We do not want any part of that. Also you need to accept that PP will only be effective at the 4. His production took a huge nose dive when played at the 3.

Edit. I see your response to this above.

The Nets didn't start winning last year until Brook Lopez got hurt and Garnett moved to starting C. Garnett doesn't offer much offensively anymore but he's still defends the low post at a very high level for 20 minutes a night.

[exculpatory]

Hi everyone in Wizards world. :0)

I am Ex - lifelong Celtic fan & the most ardent Truth fan on the planet.

And I just happen to live in the DC suburbs (dad to 2 beautiful twentysomething girls & a Professor of Medicine).

Now I can simultaneously watch first ballot future HOFER Paul freaking Pierce jump from #18 to #10 on the NBA All Time Scoring List during the next 2 seasons IN PERSON AND the Celtics rebuild as well.

Paul Pierce will be a VERY valuable member of your team during the 2014-2015 & 2015-2016 seasons. He has aged like freaking fine wine! He has PLENTY left in the tank. He will alternate between stretch 4 & the 3 for you guys. He will provide leadership, ~15 PPG with occasional 20-30 point outbursts, & end of game clutch shooting, & will mentor your young studs. At age 36 3/4, he understandably is no longer the Super Star/Franchise Player Truth (he once was) capable of brilliant games on a consistent "game in & game out basis" - BUT he sure as hell is STILL a VERY valuable & elite baller.

And he is a STEAL @ 5.5mil per year for his final 2 years. Unlike asswipe Judas Shuttlesworth, Paul goes where he is needed & does NOT chase rings.

For anyone interested, please find below a detailed description of Paul's excellent & highly efficient 2013-2014 season with the Nets (after freaking Danny Ainge traded a 15 year Celtic HOFER & legend to the Nets in 7/2013).

Paul Pierce stats in 2013-2014

I. 2014 Playoffs

12 games - shooting ONLY 10.8 FGA & playing ONLY 30.7 mpg:
13.7 ppg on 46.5%/35.8% & 57.3 TS% & 53.9 eFG%, 108 ORating;
4.5R, 2.0A, 1.2 steals, 1.7 TO

---Multiple clutch shots including 9 straight points to close out the Raps in Round 1 Game 1, & GAMEWINNING block to close out the Raps series in Round 1 Game 7

---Scored 15-22 points in 5 out of 12 games

---Shot about SEVEN! less FGAs & played TWELVE! less mpg (compared with the 2012-2013 Playoffs: 17.7 FGA & 42.5 mpg)

II. 2013-2014 Regular Season

A. 12/2013 thru 4/2014 - 60 games - shooting ONLY 9.3 FGA & playing ONLY 27.7 mpg:

13.7 ppg on 47.4%/39.8% & 62.1 TS% & 56.1 eFG%, 110 ORating;
4.6R, 2.3A, 1.2 steals, 1.9 TO

B. CY 2014 (after switch to PF) - 49 games - shooting ONLY 9.4 FGA & playing ONLY 27.5 mpg:

13.9 ppg on 47.7%/38.8% & 62.3 TS% & 56.4 eFG%, 112 Orating;
4.4R, 2.1A, 1.3 steals, 1.8 TO

C. Entire RS - 75 games - shooting ONLY 9.5 FGA/game (decreased ~5 from 14.2 mpg in 2012-2013 RS) & playing ONLY 28.0 mpg (decreased ~5 from 33.4 mpg in 2012-2013 RS):

13.5 ppg on 45.1%/37.3% & 59.5 TS% & 52.9% eFG%, 107 ORating;
4.6R, 2.4A, 1.1 steals, 2.0 TO, PER 16.82

---Excluding 11/2013 when his numbers were terrible because he played with an UNdiagnosed fractured shooting hand (when the 'usual basketball savants' incorrectly wrote him off YET again), Paul had an EXCELLENT/EXTREMELY EFFICIENT season.

---The ONLY reasons that he did not score 18-19 PPG were because his minutes were down about 5 mpg, his FGAs were down about 5 FGAs, & his USG% was down about 5%.

---Scored 18-33 points in 17/75 games

---Still clutch as all hell - tied for 3rd in the freaking NBA in 3 pointers made in close games during the last 5 minutes!!!!

HENCE:

As stated above, at age 36 3/4, Paul understandably is no longer the Super Star Franchise Player Truth capable of brilliant nights on a consistent 'game in & game out basis' - but he sure as hell is STILL a very valuable/elite baller!

His immense leadership skills & will to win were absolutely integral to the phenomenal record posted by the Nets after 1/1/2014!

Paul passed 25K points & became the 18th leading scorer in NBA history - only 4 of those currently ahead of him have a higher career TS% (Paul = 56.9%) & 3 of those 4 are BIGS! By the end of the 2014-2015 season, Paul most likely will become the FOURTEENTH leading scorer in NBA history & he has a chance to become the freaking TENTH leading scorer in NBA history by the end of the 2015-2016 season - when he will retire after a truly magnificent first ballot HOF career!

I am pleased to join you guys as I divide my time between the Celtics board & the Wizards board.

[jeffsays]

A couple of thoughts:

I don't think Porter is ready to be a stopper yet (though I think he'll have an impact offensively this year).

Second time Ive seen you mention Ottos defense. Are you suggesting you think Ottos offense is ahead of his defense? The only thing I thought Otto did well was play defense. Small sample size but last season Otto allowed .69 ppp as an overall defender. A ridiculously low number. Maybe not a stopper yet but surly no slouch.

I know it's only summer league, but I thought that Otto's mid range jumpshot looked... OttoMatic.

[doclinkin]

The move fits, but I think it's important to point out that signing Pierce is a patch job with a 36 year old who could lose it over-night. And henceforth, anyone who calls he Wizards a young team should smack themselves. Instead of using the MLE to get a talented young player, they used it for the short-term goal of trying to stay about as good as last season. And what we're seeing in this thread is - this is what the fan base wants.

Yeah, no what this fanbase wants is to land the Slim Reaper. And a move like this just keeps our name in the conversation as a relevant team, while keeping a slot open for 2016's cap space. Which young FA does that?

[JWizmentality]

Would love to ship out nene for garnett thatd be a dream come true

Why? Nene is currently better than Garnett. Garnett would come off the books a year earlier, but of what use is cap room in 2015? Particularly when we are trying to stay cap free in 2016?

The only reason a Nene for Garnett trade makes sense is if Love is still a viable option.

I want nene contract gone not KG talent.

And it will be gone in 2 years. What's the rush? Who are you looking at in 2015 that's worth the significant downgrade?

[hands11]

I don't think there's a better "big-bodied" center available for the vet min we could get (that's all we have to offer). At least Seraphin is big and burly, and could foul people. He's got "talent", and really, Nene is out backup center. We just have to hope he lasts the season. I'd limit Nene to 24-28 MPG, and give him occasional days off. Gooden would also play over Kevin, depending on the circumstances.

Agreed. With Nene and Gooden around, I think I'd rather continue trying to develop Seraphin rather than find some stop-gap crappy washed-up veteran willing to play for the vet minimum.

I would love to have Okafor back on this team.

I wonder what the real story is behind him keeping his name out of free agency.

I repeatedly search for any new on him, and I never find anything.

[JWizmentality]

Hi everyone in Wizards world. :0)

I am Ex - lifelong Celtic fan & the most ardent Truth fan on the planet.

And I just happen to live in the DC suburbs (dad to 2 beautiful twentysomething girls & a Professor of Medicine).

Now I can simultaneously watch first ballot future HOFER Paul freaking Pierce jump from #18 to #10 on the NBA All Time Scoring List during the next 2 seasons IN PERSON AND the Celtics rebuild as well.

Paul Pierce will be a VERY valuable member of your team during the 2014-2015 & 2015-2016 seasons. He has aged like freaking fine wine! He has PLENTY left in the tank. He will alternate between stretch 4 & the 3 for you guys. He will provide leadership, ~15 PPG with occasional 20-30 point outbursts, & end of game clutch shooting, & will mentor your young studs. At age 36 3/4, he understandably is no longer the Super Star/Franchise Player Truth (he once was) capable of brilliant games on a consistent "game in & game out basis" - BUT he sure as hell is STILL a VERY valuable & elite baller.

And he is a STEAL @ 5.5mil per year for his final 2 years. Unlike asswipe Judas Shuttlesworth, Paul goes where he is needed & does NOT chase rings.

For anyone interested, please find below a detailed description of Paul's excellent & highly efficient 2013-2014 season with the Nets (after freaking Danny Ainge traded a 15 year Celtic HOFER & legend to the Nets in 7/2013).

Paul Pierce stats in 2013-2014

I. 2014 Playoffs

12 games - shooting ONLY 10.8 FGA & playing ONLY 30.7 mpg:
13.7 ppg on 46.5%/35.8% & 57.3 TS% & 53.9 eFG%, 108 ORating;
4.5R, 2.0A, 1.2 steals, 1.7 TO

---Multiple clutch shots including 9 straight points to close out the Raps in Round 1 Game 1, & GAMEWINNING block to close out the Raps series in Round 1 Game 7

---Scored 15-22 points in 5 out of 12 games

---Shot about SEVEN! less FGAs & played TWELVE! less mpg (compared with the 2012-2013 Playoffs: 17.7 FGA & 42.5 mpg)

II. 2013-2014 Regular Season

A. 12/2013 thru 4/2014 - 60 games - shooting ONLY 9.3 FGA & playing ONLY 27.7 mpg:

13.7 ppg on 47.4%/39.8% & 62.1 TS% & 56.1 eFG%, 110 ORating;
4.6R, 2.3A, 1.2 steals, 1.9 TO

B. CY 2014 (after switch to PF) - 49 games - shooting ONLY 9.4 FGA & playing ONLY 27.5 mpg:

13.9 ppg on 47.7%/38.8% & 62.3 TS% & 56.4 eFG%, 112 Orating;
4.4R, 2.1A, 1.3 steals, 1.8 TO

C. Entire RS - 75 games - shooting ONLY 9.5 FGA/game (decreased ~5 from 14.2 mpg in 2012-2013 RS) & playing ONLY 28.0 mpg (decreased ~5 from 33.4 mpg in 2012-2013 RS):

13.5 ppg on 45.1%/37.3% & 59.5 TS% & 52.9% eFG%, 107 ORating;
4.6R, 2.4A, 1.1 steals, 2.0 TO, PER 16.82

---Excluding 11/2013 when his numbers were terrible because he played with an UNdiagnosed fractured shooting hand (when the 'usual basketball savants' incorrectly wrote him off YET again), Paul had an EXCELLENT/EXTREMELY EFFICIENT season.

---The ONLY reasons that he did not score 18-19 PPG were because his minutes were down about 5 mpg, his FGAs were down about 5 FGAs, & his USG% was down about 5%.

---Scored 18-33 points in 17/75 games

---Still clutch as all hell - tied for 3rd in the freaking NBA in 3 pointers made in close games during the last 5 minutes!!!!

HENCE:

As stated above, at age 36 3/4, Paul understandably is no longer the Super Star Franchise Player Truth capable of brilliant nights on a consistent 'game in & game out basis' - but he sure as hell is STILL a very valuable/elite baller!

His immense leadership skills & will to win were absolutely integral to the phenomenal record posted by the Nets after 1/1/2014!

Paul passed 25K points & became the 18th leading scorer in NBA history - only 4 of those currently ahead of him have a higher career TS% (Paul = 56.9%) & 3 of those 4 are BIGS! By the end of the 2014-2015 season, Paul most likely will become the FOURTEENTH leading scorer in NBA history & he has a chance to become the freaking TENTH leading scorer in NBA history by the end of the 2015-2016 season - when he will retire after a truly magnificent first ballot HOF career!

I am pleased to join you guys as I divide my time between the Celtics board & the Wizards board.

Ah so you're the "ONE" the Celtics board spoke of.

[cdouglas]

Hi everyone in Wizards world. :0)

I am Ex - lifelong Celtic fan & the most ardent Truth fan on the planet.

And I just happen to live in the DC suburbs (dad to 2 beautiful twentysomething girls & a Professor of Medicine).

Now I can simultaneously watch first ballot future HOFER Paul freaking Pierce jump from #18 to #10 on the NBA All Time Scoring List during the next 2 seasons IN PERSON AND the Celtics rebuild as well.

Paul Pierce will be a VERY valuable member of your team during the 2014-2015 & 2015-2016 seasons. He has aged like freaking fine wine! He has PLENTY left in the tank. He will alternate between stretch 4 & the 3 for you guys. He will provide leadership, ~15 PPG with occasional 20-30 point outbursts, & end of game clutch shooting, & will mentor your young studs. At age 36 3/4, he understandably is no longer the Super Star/Franchise Player Truth (he once was) capable of brilliant games on a consistent "game in & game out basis" - BUT he sure as hell is STILL a VERY valuable & elite baller.

And he is a STEAL @ 5.5mil per year for his final 2 years. Unlike asswipe Judas Shuttlesworth, Paul goes where he is needed & does NOT chase rings.

For anyone interested, please find below a detailed description of Paul's excellent & highly efficient 2013-2014 season with the Nets (after freaking Danny Ainge traded a 15 year Celtic HOFER & legend to the Nets in 7/2013).

Paul Pierce stats in 2013-2014

I. 2014 Playoffs

12 games - shooting ONLY 10.8 FGA & playing ONLY 30.7 mpg:
13.7 ppg on 46.5%/35.8% & 57.3 TS% & 53.9 eFG%, 108 ORating;
4.5R, 2.0A, 1.2 steals, 1.7 TO

---Multiple clutch shots including 9 straight points to close out the Raps in Round 1 Game 1, & GAMEWINNING block to close out the Raps series in Round 1 Game 7

---Scored 15-22 points in 5 out of 12 games

---Shot about SEVEN! less FGAs & played TWELVE! less mpg (compared with the 2012-2013 Playoffs: 17.7 FGA & 42.5 mpg)

II. 2013-2014 Regular Season

A. 12/2013 thru 4/2014 - 60 games - shooting ONLY 9.3 FGA & playing ONLY 27.7 mpg:

13.7 ppg on 47.4%/39.8% & 62.1 TS% & 56.1 eFG%, 110 ORating;
4.6R, 2.3A, 1.2 steals, 1.9 TO

B. CY 2014 (after switch to PF) - 49 games - shooting ONLY 9.4 FGA & playing ONLY 27.5 mpg:

13.9 ppg on 47.7%/38.8% & 62.3 TS% & 56.4 eFG%, 112 Orating;
4.4R, 2.1A, 1.3 steals, 1.8 TO

C. Entire RS - 75 games - shooting ONLY 9.5 FGA/game (decreased ~5 from 14.2 mpg in 2012-2013 RS) & playing ONLY 28.0 mpg (decreased ~5 from 33.4 mpg in 2012-2013 RS):

13.5 ppg on 45.1%/37.3% & 59.5 TS% & 52.9% eFG%, 107 ORating;
4.6R, 2.4A, 1.1 steals, 2.0 TO, PER 16.82

---Excluding 11/2013 when his numbers were terrible because he played with an UNdiagnosed fractured shooting hand (when the 'usual basketball savants' incorrectly wrote him off YET again), Paul had an EXCELLENT/EXTREMELY EFFICIENT season.

---The ONLY reasons that he did not score 18-19 PPG were because his minutes were down about 5 mpg, his FGAs were down about 5 FGAs, & his USG% was down about 5%.

---Scored 18-33 points in 17/75 games

---Still clutch as all hell - tied for 3rd in the freaking NBA in 3 pointers made in close games during the last 5 minutes!!!!

HENCE:

As stated above, at age 36 3/4, Paul understandably is no longer the Super Star Franchise Player Truth capable of brilliant nights on a consistent 'game in & game out basis' - but he sure as hell is STILL a very valuable/elite baller!

His immense leadership skills & will to win were absolutely integral to the phenomenal record posted by the Nets after 1/1/2014!

Paul passed 25K points & became the 18th leading scorer in NBA history - only 4 of those currently ahead of him have a higher career TS% (Paul = 56.9%) & 3 of those 4 are BIGS! By the end of the 2014-2015 season, Paul most likely will become the FOURTEENTH leading scorer in NBA history & he has a chance to become the freaking TENTH leading scorer in NBA history by the end of the 2015-2016 season - when he will retire after a truly magnificent first ballot HOF career!

I am pleased to join you guys as I divide my time between the Celtics board & the Wizards board.

Thanks for the information! I haven't posted on this board in a long time. I'm Excited about the season!!

[hands11]

Move only works if Pierce is here to play stretch 4... Pierce really struggled at beginning of last season until he was moved to PF. He opens up spacing and defends 4s surprisingly well, better than he does 3s.

Pierce as stretch 4 is a big upgrade over Booker and should work well in combo with Nene. At the 3 he becomes a big downgrade on both sides of the court and forces us to slow the pace.

If Pierce can't play SF effectively that will be a buzz kill for me.

An upgrade over Booker? Booker came off the bench. Pierce was signed to replace Ariza, who effectively played SF, SG, and even some stretch PF. Pierce also will need to play with a very fast John Wall, something that Ariza did well.

Until I see otherwise I'm going to think of Pierce as a HOF small forward who can still be effective at SF.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

I don't see it that way. Otto is the replacement for TA. Not PP.

PP is a support vet to help in that transition so the team can maintain a higher level of play while Otto ramps up and Webster returns. And he upgrades their ability to play in S4 line ups which he did last year. And he can create his own shot and score in crunch time.

And in all that, we lost a title winner and added back a title winner.

Its not a one for one more exactly. But in turning to Otto to ultimately replace TA, we are turning to a younger player who has better handles then TA did. One that can grow with Wall and Beal for a longer period of time. And on a cheaper contract.

Sucks to have lost TA. I grow to really like him on the team. I wish we could have gotten him on a two year contract. But ultimately, it was TA who left.

I think he made the wrong decision. I don't think the HOU roster/locker room is going to provide him what he had here. He should have stayed two more years and let things play themselves out.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Agreed. With Nene and Gooden around, I think I'd rather continue trying to develop Seraphin rather than find some stop-gap crappy washed-up veteran willing to play for the vet minimum.

I would love to have Okafor back on this team.

I wonder what the real story is behind him keeping his name out of free agency.

I repeatedly search for any new on him, and I never find anything.

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2014/7/13 ... rds-impact

Prada mentions Okafor as possible big man depth but notes Wiz can only offer a min deal.