Paul Pierce has been one of the most consistent scorers in the leauge, a periennial All-Star and a two-time All-NBA player. He's also stuck with the Celtics at a time when they have been struggling, and he could have easily asked to have been dealt. He hasn't had the most playoff success, but that fact is in spite of PP's performance in the playoffs, rather than because of his performance, as basketball-reference.com shows us: Year Ag Tm Lg | MP TRB AST PTS| +---------------+---+----+----+----+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+ 2002 24 BOS NBA | 42 8.6 4.1 24.6| 2003 25 BOS NBA | 45 9.0 6.7 27.1| 2004 26 BOS NBA | 41 8.8 2.5 20.8| 2005 27 BOS NBA | 40 7.7 4.6 22.9| +---------------+---+----+----+----+---+---+----+----+----+----+---+---+---+---+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+ 4 Seasons | 42 8.5 4.7 24.5| He's made it deep in the ECF before, and has carried some middling squads (i.e. 2005 Celtics) to the playoffs. In short, Paul Pierce is a recognized top-30 talent who is in the discussion as one of the top 12 Celtics at this time. If the Celtics get their front office squared away, he's a centerpiece around any contender the Celtics build for the next 5 years or so.
Thought i'd add this interesting tidbit: A great achievement, no? If he ends up top 5 all-time scoring for a storied, legendary franchise like the Celtics i think its a great achievement. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AuE2VZIWRsFUOuxj4uQo5oa8vLYF?slug=ap-celtics-pierce&prov=ap&type=lgns
