Editorial: Paul Pierce - Hall of Famer or not?

[Amuseddaysleeper]

No way.

I don't even know if I'd put Wade in the hall of fame and he's better than Paul Pierce.


If Pierce wins 2 more championships then obviously you'd have to consider it, but while I can see his jersey being retired by the Celtics, I don't think he deserves a spot in the HOF as of right now.

[bostonguy]

This is something I am iffy on. Pierce is a legit superstar in this league. No he isnt on Kobe/Brons/Wade/Duncan/Dirks superstar level but he is a superstar nonetheless.

IF KG gets in, Pierce has to get in too. Now does that mean they are true HOF material? Ehhh PP makes a better case than KG but I dont know if that would still qualify him.



And at anyone who put Pierce in the class of Worthy/Dumars.

[lefty]

Players that PP is better than who are in the HOF, off the top of my head:

Dumars
Nique
Worthy
Murphy

Pierce better than Wilkins?

Did you pick up Findog's weed from his toilet bowl ?

[barbacoataco]

He's borderline HOF'er. The combination of a career 23 PPG and outplaying Kobe and winning the 2008 Finals MVP will be enough. If the Celtics win another Championship he is in for sure.

Also, just because he "needed" two other superstars doesn't make him weak. First of all, Ray Allen wasn't all that great, and most championship teams have at least two stars. Pierce was the hero of that series, Period.

[Darrin]

He's the Celtics' 5th leading scorer and he's the gray beard who spent 10 of the 22 years without a Championship in Beantown. He was the best player on that 2002 team that made the Conference Finals and the Finals MVP in 2008. That's a Hall-of-Fame player. Current Hall-of-Famers:

Kobe Bryant
Tim Duncan
Shaquille O'Neal
Kevin Garnett
Jason Kidd
Dikembe Mutombo
Paul Pierce
Ray Allen
Allen Iverson
Chauncey Billups

Soon-to-be (Be careful: Larry Johnson, Mike Bibby, Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway used to be on this list):
Carmelo Anthony
Lebron James
Dwyane Wade
Chris Bosh
Chris Paul
Deron Williams
Joe Johnson
Jermaine O'Neal

[LnGrrrR]

I'm a Celtics homer, and even I wouldn't put Pierce in the Hall. Maybe if he keeps up production for the next two years and wins another ring, but not yet.

[hater]

right now? no in way

maybe after his career is over. maybe

[diego]

i like pierce. a couple of my friends are hardcore boston fans so i've seen him quite a bit over the years.

and i think there is more to his game than just scoring, though thats what he does best.

but there is one thing that strikes me about this argument.

most agree that as a pro, pierce has two main arguments- one, that he was the best player on their first champ team in decades,
and 2, that hes near the top of the celts all time scorers list.

yet, when they won the championship his scoring output was lowest since his sophmore season and his worst playoff scoring avg. And when he was scoring a lot, they were losing a lot.

he's got the best of both worlds- the prestige of winning (with average stats) and the prestige of having great stats (while losing). of course if these celtics can stay compe ive, i expect his career averages to all go down. but if he were to retire right now, i'd definitely consider it an unfair advantage.

[diego]

oh, and how could i forget!

another knock on his HOF credentials: was on the first US NT with NBA players to lose. yeah, i remember pierce looking mad and sad at the same time, twas great!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvnDF...eature=related

vid quality sucks but its good enough to enjoy the show

[sonic21]

not yet, he went only two times far in the playoff, he has a ring but guys like Dirk, nash, reggie miller are more deserving.