Paul Pierce pulls the old sportswriter trick...

i don't think it's laughable to suggest that some of what pierce has to say regarding kobe comes from a place of envy and that he's likely engaging in some schadenfreude regarding kobe's decline. that he also implicitly favorably compares himself to kobe in terms of aging with grace, I think the laker fan reaction is natural and somewhat sensible. him being right about kobe not settling into a sidekick role doesn't make him classy, nor does it change the facts about the history of each player's career.

I would like to see kobe reign it in some given his physical decline, but there's no need to throw stones because you were sent packing by your longtime franchise and forced into a tertiary role or else faced forced early retirement. kobe's team isn't going to trade him, nor are they going to force him to alter his game so that they can finish 11th instead of 12th. I'm thinking paul wishes that was him, instead of moving from team to team, trying to win another ring as a role player. c'est la vie, too bad he wasn't drafted by the lakers.

 

except..... "so that they can finish 11th instead of 12th."

 

Lesser minutes and a slightly reduced roll, yes

But Pierce's role of ring-chasing-journeyman-off-the-bench is a wee bit different

 

The only thing Kobe should take from Pierce's comments is that he should practice in training camp alot of open jump shots from the 3. Because with the guys on this team it will happen alot. And wide open shots is not something Kobe is used to.

 

Don't forget ....all that and then the 2 or 3 pump fakes

 

I think Kobe has the best legs (lolol) he's had since 2010. I think he'll surprise us all, he's not going down without at least another epic season in some form.

Dudes a dreamer and done inhuman things in the past.. he's got something in mind and it's definitely not a farewell tour.

 

Still going to have a bigger role that Paulina.

 

Honestly I didn't get mad when I read this. Kobe sent the initial shot years ago, saying he'd retire if he couldn't play at the level he wants to, and would never accept a reduced role scoring 19 PPG like PP with the C-Bags. I'm glad it stung enough for Pierce to still be trying to send a shot back all these years later.

 

Not smack talk by any means. He knows Kobe likes to have the legend of his tenacity pumped up. They're friends. Imo he's stating the obvious. Look, sitting around unable to play almost at all for 3 years is got to be tough enough, and a bit of an ego-crusher for him. I think Kobe will adjust somewhat but we all know if he is still playing come mid-season you can say goodbye to that 20 min hard cap junk considering our needs for an experienced hi-scoring wing. Once he proves his health he'll be ranging closer to 24-30 depending on the game in three 8-10 minute shifts. How many minutes is wheelchair gonna get?

 

20 minute hard cap......

 

Well in fairness Pierce played with two superior players last year in Washington in Beal and Wall so he pretty much had to take a reduced role. Then of course Rondo in Boston. In Brooklyn I don't really think his role was reduced so much as he couldn't play big minutes anymore. They also moved him to the 4.

Who is Kobe supposed to defer too the last few years? Last season he was put in a position where he had to carry the load offensively which is just crazy for a 36 year old to have to do. You've got the likes of Jeremy Lin, Wesley Johnson, Ed Davis, Jordan Hill, etc. None of these guys have any business starting. Because of so many injuries they were forced too. You had Dwight Howard in 2013, but he's not a #1 option on a championship team. That's showed itself over the course of his career.

 

I think the point is that current or former C Bags are not allowed to have an opinion on all time Laker greats in the mind of fans.

If it's a stupid quote by a former Sun trying to get into broadcasting, you brush it/them off as irrelevant. When it's one of the more hated rivals, it won't go unaddressed. Especially when the only reason for bringing it up is an attempt to bring attention to yourself. Let your play on the court do your talking. Making huge shots in the last playoffs for Washington, stock goes up in my eyes. Talk about it afterwards in interviews like you're God, stock goes down in my eyes. Choose to talk about a rival you were NEVER as good as for apparently only self seeking reasons? You're a lowlife C bag piece of crap, and will be treated as such.

Fans aren't rational. Let us enjoy ripping Paulina a new a******.

:Haaaaaa: