Cofman: Pierce Shows Improvement

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

      Boston Herald
        
      Pierce shows world of improvement
      by Mark Cofman 
      Monday, August 16, 1999
      As a rookie last season, Paul Pierce made a name for himself as one of the 
      NBA's brightest young stars. Lately, the Celtics swingman has been making 
      a name for himself far away from the bright lights of NBA arenas.
      Pierce joined Vancouver star Shareef Abdur-Rahim in conducting a youth 
      clinic recently in Taipei, Taiwan. Both players flew to Japan last week to 
      take part in the weeklong Nike All-Asia Clinic in Tokyo. Now he's in Korea 
      for the last leg of the tour.
      The three-day Taiwan event, which combined basketball training with 
      educational workshops and recreational activities, was part of the NBA's 
      Summer JamVan Program. It marked the first clinic staged by the league in 
      the Far East.
      ``It was a great experience to be in Taiwan and to see a different 
      culture,'' Pierce said before beginning the second leg of his trip to 
      Japan. ``It's great to know kids here love basketball and the NBA.
      ``There was so much enthusiasm. I was also highly impressed with the level 
      of their basketball skills.''
      Sounds familiar. The Celtics were highly impressed with the level of 
      Pierce's skills last season, during which he averaged 16.5 points, 6.4 
      rebounds and 1.71 steals per game while ranking 10th in the league in 
      3-point shots (84) and accuracy (.412). They were further impressed by his 
      diligence this offseason in developing greater ballhandling and perimeter 
      skills.
      So impressed, in fact, they dealt talented off-guard Ron Mercer to Denver 
      last week in a six-player trade. Celtics coach Rick Pitino and general 
      manager Chris Wallace would not have pulled the trigger on that deal had 
      they harbored any doubt Pierce could flourish in Mercer's old spot.
      ``One of the great things we saw in Long Beach was how hard Paul Pierce 
      was working to improve his game,'' said Pitino, referring to the Fila Pro 
      Summer League last month. ``He was coming in every morning to work out and 
      then worked out with a friend on his own each and every night - and I mean 
      every night. That was in addition to our team workout.
      ``We also found out Paul had improved his ballhandling dramatically and 
      could make the transition from (small forward) to (off-guard). We feel 
      very comfortable moving him back there.''
      For his part, the 6-foot-6 former Kansas star feels equally comfortable 
      with the move to the backcourt, though it comes at the expense of Mercer's 
      departure. The two had become friends during their one season together 
      with the Celtics.
      ``I think in our system the (small forward) and (off-guard) are doing a 
      lot of the same things on offense,'' said Pierce.
      ``The biggest change is probably defensively, where you're going to be 
      defending (off-guards). But I don't think that will be a big problem for 
      me.
      ``I've worked hard to improve my all-around skills. Right now I'm just 
      looking forward to coming back for my second season.''
      He's coming off of a strong first one in which he finished second to 
      Toronto's Vince Carter in Rookie of the Year balloting.
      Pierce has enjoyed a fruitful offseason as well. He led the Fila Pro 
      Summer League in scoring for the Celtics (23.6 points per game), 
      participated in Alonzo Mourning's benefit game in Miami, conducted his 
      inaugural basketball school in Brookline last week and then embarked on 
      his journey to the Far East.
      ``He's a terrific young man,'' said Pitino. ``He has a tremendous passion 
      and love for the game, which drives him to constantly work to improve 
      himself as a player.
      ``He's not satisfied to simply be good. He's hungry to get better. That's 
      refreshing to see in a young athlete.''