I remember when the Celtics were giving Pierce his "max" contract, thinking that he might or might not be one of the 50 most desirable players if the league were to just have one current draft. That is not to say he is not outstanding, but the NBA is a league of stars, and I could name at least one person on nearly all of the other 29 teams that I would rather have, several teams had two, and a couple of teams had three. Was Pierce a more desirable player than any of Washington's "Big Three" of Jameson, Butler and Arenas were considered to have been at the start of this season?
What is his free throw percentage at the end of close, important games? What was his playoff record for his first decade in the league?
Still, he might sneak into a Celtics top ten list because the Celtics played more team ball than did the teams they beat. Havlicek scored about 20 points a game when he was on the teams with Sam Jones and Bill Russell, but as soon as they retired, his scoring average leaped up to where it would have been if his primary objective was scoring. Paul Westphal could never get the opportunity to produce as a Celtic, but he left to become a better playoff player than Paul Pierce has been.
Dave Cowens was one of the most amazing players I have ever seen live. If you never saw him play live, then you never saw him play. The guy ran up and down the court like a madman for forty minutes a game, absolutely bowling over anyone and everyone in his way. I put him way ahead of Pierce. Parish, too. I'd place Pierce only slightly ahead of Reggie Lewis and JoJo White.
