Three NBA drafts are considered head and shoulders above the rest: 1984, 1996, and 2003. Of these classes, players such as Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, John Stockton, Ray Allen, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kendrick Perkins, and.. oh yeah, Michael Jordan. Not every draft is full of franchise altering players. As a matter of fact, drafting is one of the hardest things any General Manger has to do. Any minor slip up can be the difference between a perennial All Star and a bust. The decision that faced the Boston Celtics, who held the 10th overall pick on June 24, 1998, was certainly franchise altering, but without any of the pressure. A decision which, no matter the result, would benefit them for years to come. There was still pressure, however, but it was all on the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavs sat with the ninth pick in the draft. After watching the Clippers select Pacific College star Michael Olowokandi with the first pick, the (then) Vancouver Grizzlies follow with Mike Bibby, the Nuggets take Raef LaFrentz, and the Raptors and Warriors swap North Carolina stars Antwan Jamison and Vince Carter, they decided to drop back to ninth, swapping picks with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks used the sixth pick to draft Robert “Tractor” Traylor. With only two picks left, the Mavs were holding out for one of two players.
With the seventh pick, the Sacramento Kings drafted Jason Williams. The Mavs were assured one of the two. With the eighth pick, the Philadelphia 76ers took St. Louis guard Larry Hughes. Now, the Mavericks had a decision to make. Draft a player they were able to watch play against some of the top talent in the world in division one college basketball. Or, go out on a limb and draft a high risk high reward prospect out of Germany. The Mavs went with their gut and drafted Dirk Nowitzki with the ninth overall pick in the 1998 draft.
Over the past few years, the Celtics have made it clear that they were going to draft whoever the Mavericks passed on. They did not select Paul Pierce. This was a match made from destiny. (Pardon the cinematic cheesy-ness, but it sure seems that way.)
After Pierce, the draft thinned out incredibly. Rashard Lewis was the only other All Star drafted after the tenth pick, and that did not come until the second round. Brad Miller went undrafted and also made an All Star appearance. Other than that, the ’98 draft was filled with vagabond role players such as Al Harrington, Ricky Davis, Rafer Alston, Cuttino Mobley, Nazr Mohammed, and Kevin Garnett’s cousin Shammond Williams. Needless to say, the last impactful, franchise altering pick was the one the Celtics held.
If the Association could redo the ’98 draft, the Clippers would be unable to make a wrong pick. That is, assuming they wouldn’t redraft the Kandi Man. They would probably take the home grown Pierce since he was born in raised in Los Angeles, but in reality that is the only difference between the two. In any draft, you can look back and say, “Team X should have taken Player Y instead of Player Z.”
In the ’98 draft, the Mavericks could make no wrong pick. Nowitzki and Pierce are both headed to the Hall of Fame. Nowitzki and Pierce both have a Finals MVP. Nowitzki and Pierce are both 1-1 in the NBA Finals, amidst constant trips to the playoffs ranging from first round exits to Conference Finals appearances. Both have scored over 21,000 points and both have registered over 1,200 three pointers made. Both are career 80% free throw shooters and both have pulled in over 5,000 rebounds each. Most importantly, both have stuck with their respective franchises, through the highs and the lows, and have become fan favorites for generations to come.
The reason this piece comes now is because Paul Pierce just passed Larry Bird for second place on the Celtics all time scoring list. Larry “Legend” as he is revered around Boston. For an organization with more Championships than any other franchise in NBA history, that is no minor feat. Paul Pierce got his nickname on March 13, 2001. In a 112-107 loss to the Lakers at the Staples Center, Pierce had 42 points in his hometown shooting 13-of-19 from the floor.
After the game, a Lakers’ player grabbed a Boston reporter to pass along a little message. The rest is history.
“Take this down. My name is Shaquille O’Neal, and Paul Pierce is the f***ing truth. Quote me on that, and don’t take nothing out. I knew he could play, but I didn’t know he could play like this. Paul Pierce is The Truth.” When the Big Aristotle gives you a nickname, it tends to stick. In this case, the honor bestowed upon Paul Pierce was more than a catchy nickname. It was the recognition to the rest of the league, a mere three years into his early career, that Paul Pierce was more than another NBA player. He was, and remains, The Truth.
The 2008 Finals MVP cemented that nickname, giving Pierce the self-affirmation that he indeed belonged on the pantheon along side others who donned green and white before his time. While it is eminent his kelly green 34 will be adorned along side the slew of numbers which take residency above Red Auerbach court in the rafters of the Boston Garden, perhaps Pierce will choose a different avenue. Perhaps he will steal a page from Jim Loscutoff, who wore number 18 for the Celtics for nine seasons, seven of which resulted in championships. While number 18 hangs for all to admire, it is in honor of Dave Cowens who played 11 seasons for the Celtics throughout the ’70s and into the ’80s. When Loscutoff was told his number was to be retired, he asked that it stay in circulation so that others may wear it on future teams. For this act of selfishness, the Celtics still honored Loscutoff by retiring his name, “Loscy.”
I don’t know about you, but I would love to see “Truth” hanging along side “Loscy” for the younger generations to gaze at with a puzzled look only to ask the meaning behind it. Then, someone from my generation can begin to tell of the greatest comeback in NBA playoff history. Or the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. And tell a tale of a player who, through incredible lows, never demanded a trade and stuck it out in a town where he had been brutally stabbed and left for dead…literally. While many remember Bill Russell, Red Auerbach, Larry Bird, and Kevin McHale before they even think the name Paul Pierce, there is no denying The Truth. The Truth, after all, shall set you free.
Congratulations Paul, uh, Mr. Pierce. Your milestone is one that may never be reached by another member of the Boston Celtics again.
And thank you Dallas. While there is no denying Dirk Nowitzki’s talent, I wouldn’t want it any other way. @Swish41 just doesn’t seem to have the same ring to it either, wouldn’t you agree?
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