I have waxed poetic about Paul Pierce before. I do it a lot. In my opinion, Paul Pierce is one of the most underrated superstars of our time.
Well, maybe that's changing a little. Or... maybe it's only the people who really know basketball who understand how great he has been. Today, Ball Don't Lie ranked Paul Pierce the second best small forward of the decade.
One year, 2003-04, didn't work out all that well. Pierce slept through the entire season. Actually, 2006-07 was kind of a drag, Pierce was hurt and the Celtics stunk it up, but other than that? He's been all you can ask for as a small forward. Kind of annoying, pretty potent, sound in all areas
Number 1 is LeBron James and I'm not going to argue that. But I like seeing Paul ranked higher than Tracy McGrady and Carmelo Anthony.
People might not like him much, but KD hit the nail on the head: he's all you can as for in a small forward. He's a big-time scorer from anywhere on the floor and in the clutch... while maintaining the ability to defend, rebound and pass.
The sad thing is that for some people, Paul Pierce's Hall of Fame status is up for some kind of debate. The fact is, there is no debate. He's going to make a speech in Springfield. He deserves to.