When Paul Pierce signed with his old coach Doc Rivers in Los Angeles last summer, he believed he was joining a team on the verge of a championship. But after being dumped in the first round by the Blazers, accompanied by some of the worst injury luck ever to befall a team; even the Clippers who are used to incredibly bad luck, Pierce is iffy on whether to return to the Clips next season.
Should Pierce return next season, he would be 39 years old and coming off an iffy season himself. He played in 68 games and averaged 6.1 points on 36% shooting in 18 minutes per game, all career lows. Has time finally caught up with Pierce? Certainly the raw emotion of the situation did:
Paul Pierce was crying after the game. He said he's had his heart broken 17 times.
— Anne M. Peterson (@AnnieMPeterson) April 30, 2016
Pierce has plenty of time to make his decision, and the possibility of a healthy and improved Clippers team competing for a title could entice him to return. But it’s just as likely he doesn’t, not only because the Clippers are snakebitten, but to be successful and productive at 39 years old in the modern NBA is difficult and getting more and more difficult by the day.
This is one of the many storylines that will make the offseason for the Clippers even more fascinating.
