Paul Pierce rips former Nets teammates

Paul Pierce did not hold back when discussing his lone season with the Brooklyn Nets, as he slammed the attitudes of his former teammates.

The Brooklyn Nets traded for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on the night of the 2013 NBA Draft in the hopes that such a move would make them threats to the LeBron James-led Miami Heat during the 2013-14 season.

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However, despite having five former all-stars in their starting lineup to start the year, the Nets won just 44 games and were eliminated in the postseason’s second round.

What was the cause for such a disappointing season?

Well, according to Pierce, his teammates (excluding Garnett) didn’t have a winning attitude.

Pierce to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan:

"“I’m much happier,” he said. “It was a tough situation (in Brooklyn) last year. Horrible, really.…"

"“It was just the guys’ attitudes there. It wasn’t like we were surrounded by a bunch of young guys. They were vets who didn’t want to play and didn’t want to practice. I was looking around saying, ‘What’s this?’ Kevin (Garnett) and I had to pick them up every day in practice.“If me and Kevin weren’t there, that team would have folded up. That team would have packed it in. We kept them going each and every day.”"

Pierce wasn’t done with his critiques of his Nets teammates, though. He also specifically called out Deron Williams and his lack of desire to be great.

"“Before I got there, I looked at Deron as an MVP candidate,” Pierce said. “But I felt once we got there, that’s not what he wanted to be. He just didn’t want that.“I think a lot of the pressure got to him sometimes. This was his first time in the national spotlight. The media in Utah is not the same as the media in New York, so that can wear on some people. I think it really affected him.”"

Welp.

You rarely see a guy still in the league go after former teammates like Pierce does here, but credit to him for actually being honest about the situation.

Fortunately for Pierce, he only had to spend a year in Brooklyn. The Nets didn’t express interest in re-signing Pierce after the 2013-14 season and he ultimately signed with the Washington Wizards.

It’s clear just from watching him play this season that he’s much happier in Washington than he ever was in Brooklyn. He’s been a integral part of the Wizards’ success on the court this season and has been a helpful mentor for John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Instead of trying to push unmotivated veterans like he had to do in Brooklyn, Pierce is trying to take a team on the rise to the next level. That’s a serious upgrade in situation.

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Paul Pierce rips former Nets teammates, calls time in Brooklyn ‘horrible’

By Sam Richmond | Apr 15, 2015