Getty Image
Paul Pierce is one of the most iconic Boston Celtics players ever, with the former small forward winning a title in 2008 with the team, while setting a ton of franchise records during his time playing on the parquet court. And now that he’s retired and an ESPN analyst, Pierce is telling “the truth” — see what I did there? — about all things NBA, combining his personality with his own playing experiences.
One of the topics Paul Pierce decided to talk about on The Jump this week was Steph Curry’s injury, which has gotten a lot of attention following the debacle of the Golden State Warriors. And, considering the Dubs don’t appear to be going anywhere this season after five-straight trips to the NBA Finals, many think it’s only common sense to keep the two-time league MVP on the sidelines; even if he recovers and can return to the court.
Count Pierce among those people who doubt Curry will let that happen, though, saying that the greatest shooter in NBA history will want to play if he can for one simple reason: career records. Here’s what Pierce had to say about the topic, admitting that Curry’s competitiveness will lead him to trying to come back if nothing more than to add to his long-term legacy — and maybe prove to Michael Jordan that he’s definitely a Hall of Famer.
“There’s a lot of legacy things on the line for him,” Pierce said on ESPN’s The Jump. “Why would he want to waste a whole year? If he has a chance to come back, he’s gonna come back. He has records that he’s gonna break. He’s just gonna add to his legacy, whether it be more points, 3’s, whatever kind of statistics he’s gonna put up just like we saw Kobe (Bryant) do in his last few years when he passed Michael Jordan.”
It’s an interesting point by Paul Pierce, because, even if Steph Curry heals up and does return, the appeal to pad his own stats in a lost year for his Warriors team might be too much to turn down. That might sound selfish, but, if he’s good enough to go, why wouldn’t he play? Plus, it’ll only help him get into form heading into next season once teammate Klay Thompson gets back on the floor after his ACL injury.
Curry was averaging 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game prior to injuring his wrist. He also signed a massive, five-year, $201 million deal with the Warriors back in the summer of 2017, meaning he’s making $40.2 million this season — which doesn’t really impact his return or not, but, with someone who has lots of pride, is probably something Steph wants to take into consideration as the face of the franchise.