Re: Does anybody think.....

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

> Does anybody actually believe that Paul Pierce stays with this team if
> Pitino can't turn things around soon. I know he's tied up for 2 or 3(?)
> more years, but is he really going to give it his all much longer for a
> loser, especially if Ricky keeps blaming the players? We all know that
> Antoine will apparently play hard for anybody, and God only knows why, but
> Pierce? I'm not saying Pierce should stay the course because at this point
> I think Antoine made a big mistake being so loyal. I just don't think
> Pierce makes the same mistake. I fully expect him to pack it in on the
> court and start complaining if it looks like there's no hope of improvement
> soon. I just think Ricky needs to do a bit of soul searching....and quit.
> Just a few thoughts before I head off to work and come back to a "Jacques
> Vaughn" rumor. Wow!

Well, the collective bargaining agreement makes it pretty hard for Pierce
to leave because we get right of first refusal when his contract expires
in 2002. As for "giving it all much longer for a loser", something to 
remember is that the Bulls didn't break .500 until Michael Jordan's
fourth season. So it's a bit early for Pierce to be "packing it in".
Maybe he has a bit more patience and loyalty than some of the fans.
And maybe Antoine plays hard because he has some pride, or because
he actually respects and likes his coach, or because he knows that the
team wins more when he plays hard, or even because he's being paid $71M? 

Alex