🏀 KuBuckets Archive

Paul Pierce in a post-game interview sounding like a coach...

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12055979/paul-pierce-says-washington-wizards-improve-defensive-habits ↗ ↗

"You can learn a lot of lessons from losses, but you also learn lessons from winning," Pierce said. "Hopefully we have better urgency on defense as this stretch comes up. We got Phoenix, Chicago, and of course New York and then our [Western Conference] trip. So we got to build better habits before this trip."

For just a moment, I wondered what if Pierce was an assistant to Self in a few years... hmmmm.

@bskeet Man thats a heck of a thought! Its no secret that any KU fan would like to see Manning coach KU. But, The Truth? I think that would be just as cool. He has ties to both coasts though too, if I'm not mistaken. I know his KU ties are deep as well. But, what if? Yah, thats cool.

I like. :) Sign me up for the ride.

He made this comment after the Miami game...

"I thought the one thing they were lacking was a veteran leader in the locker room," Pierce said. "I'm not the Paul Pierce that has to go out and score 30 every night, I've got these young guns that can come in here, command double-teams and make life easier on me."

Looks like he knows he is coming to the end of his career; However, I don't believe I have ever heard him express any interest in coaching, but you never know

Two other players near retirement are Hinrich and Collison who I think might end up coaching since they are both technically so sound. Collison is still solid as a backup PF or C but with the development of Adams, his minutes have decrease. Hinrich is having a hard time with his shooting this season but the other parts of his game, particularly game management and defense, are sound that he continues to get big minutes.

Of course Jaque Vaughn is the HC at Orlando and a disciple of Popovich so he cannot be counted out.

@bskeet Works for me.

I like Paul taking over a team some day. Kirk too.

@wissoxfan83

I would love to see Collison work with our bigs...

The question for all of these guys is whether or not they can recruit. Their X and O ability should be high since they have all been in the pros for so long, but the ability to recruit it so important in the college game that I just can't say a guy will be a good coach unless I believe in him as a recruiter, too.

@justanotherfan

More importantly, not every players is cut out to be a coach. Phil Jackson was not a star in the NBA and he spent the majority of his career as a backup but he ended up being a superior coach. Other players that were NBA stars, such as Isiah Thomas, turned out to be mediocre coaches.

@JayHawkFanToo

I agree. The thing with stars is that they cannot relate to how other players see the game. They see things much faster and much clearer than others, so they expect their players to make plays that the players may not even be able to see.

That makes it difficult to transition from a great player with physical gifts that far surpass most to a great teacher. As you point out, the best coaches tend to be more middle of the road players than actual greats. If I had to pick a former KU player that would be a great coach I would bet on a guy like Michael Lee, who was a fairly average collegiate player, or a guy like Brady Morningstar or Tyrel Reed. They would tend to be able to relate to many more players because of their own personal skill level.

I don't think it takes too much imagination to see Pierce wearing a suit on the sidelines.

He doesn't need the money and he is still in the league. He's proven everything, and won a title, MVP of the Finals, 10x NBA All-Star, NBA All-Rookie Team, NBA Three-Point Shootout Champion.... He has nothing left to prove, and it's hard to imagine why he's still on the court.

There can be only one reason.... he loves the game. Players that love the game often want to stay involved in the game after their playing days are over. Coaching is a way to do that. So is working in the team front office. I think Paul could make a good coach, but as others above me mentioned, there are several important aspects to becoming a good coach.

No one can question his demonstrative abilities. Pierce doesn't lack communication skills. And he has been known as a great motivator for teammates. Hard to think that he couldn't be a great recruiter (but proof is in the pudding). IMHO, he actually has a more social personality for coaching than Danny has.

@drgnslayr

I believe Michael Lee was an assistant to former KU great Rex Walters at San Francisco, so at least we know he wants to coach. I think Reed would make a good coach but does not seem interested. The one player I think would make great coach is Kirk Hinrich; he has better court vision and game management than most every other guard in the NBA, and even when having a sub-par shooting year, he still gets big minutes with the Bulls. As far as bigs, Collison would be awesome.

@JayHawkFanToo

"The one player I think would make great coach is Kirk Hinrich"

Absolutely!