My take on building "around" Pierce (was: 2nd rounders)

[Eric Albert]

>IMO -- and i think we differ -- the problem isn't that you *can't* win
>with Pierce, it's that we haven't in a while.

I don't feel a team built around Pierce can win.  I've seen what the top
NBA talents can do, and Pierce just isn't one of them.  I believe he
never will be.

If Pierce was comfortable as the #2 man, I think he could be great in that
role.  That's a big "if," though.  And it would still mean finding the #1 guy:
I repeat that Pierce just isn't talented enough to do it himself.

Could Al be that #1 guy?  I think it's unlikely, but not impossible.  I was
very encouraged by his big leap in leadership, especially emotional
leadership, at the end of this past season.  And who knows just how good
his offense can get.  Still, he'd have to get *much* better on defense to
be The Man.

>I'm not any more convinced
>that if we swap Pierce for (say) Gordon, Thomas, and Noah that we're any
>closer to winning now OR in the future.

That could well be true.  But it doesn't mean Pierce is the answer.  He's
not.  A (big) piece of the puzzle, at best.

-- Eric