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Monday, December 12, 2011

WEEK 6, DEBATE 1: Al Horford vs. Paul Pierce


        

VS.




Who would you rather have this season: Al Horford or Paul Pierce?

HORFORD'S REP:
"I have great respect for Paul Pierce. Always a class-act, he continues to defy Father Time with his All-Star caliber play. Al Horford, however, is the most underrated superstar in basketball. He’s never been known for flashiness – you won’t catch too many Horford plays on Sportcenter’s Top 10 – but he doesn’t have a single weaknesses and is exceptional in certain areas. For instance, he’s the NBA’s best midrange shooter; his 51.2% mark from 10-23 feet was tops among all players with 150 attempts, including Dirk Nowtizki (who may be the best of all-time). He was #3 among starting centers in assist and turnover rate, equating to a fantastic 2.24 assist/turnover ratio that was higher than Chauncey Billups, Russell Westbrook, and John Wall. Finally, he’s exceptionally durable, missing just 22 total games in his NBA career. Put it together, and you have the league’s second-most valuable center after Dwight Howard."

PIERCE'S REP:
“Maybe Horford is the #2 or #3 ranked player in some areas, but Paul Pierce is a class-act as you said. He’s played in nine All-Star games, been an Eastern Conference Champion twice, and got a ring in 2008. I know a lot of NBA superstars who never get even a single ring in this league but Pierce has it. Let’s compare these two players: Al Horford’s career averages are 12.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game whereas Paul Pierce’s career averages are 22.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 6.1 rebounds per a game. Clearly, Paul Pierce is good in all areas. Horford got two championships in college and was selected 3rd overall by Atlanta, but I always wait for better performances from Al."



HORFORD'S REP:
"If the debate were which player’s accomplished more in his career, my friend, you are the winner. Of course, that’s not what the debate is and it’s ridiculous to even list things such as Pierce’s number of All-Star trips. Breaking news – Al Horford has only played four years! Pierce didn’t even make his first All-Star appearance until his fourth season, and Horford’s been there twice already – I’d say he’s perfectly on pace to match Pierce there. As for Pierce’s Championship, yes, I was very pleased he finally got his ring… in his 10th season!!! That’s 2½ times as long Horford’s entire career! I won’t waste any more words commenting on your flawed argument; instead I’ll get back to the original question: Which player would I rather have for this upcoming season? My answer is Horford, whose PER has risen every year he’s been in the league (14.85, 17.06, 19.43, 20.79)."

PIERCE'S REP:
“Okay you are right, let’s talk about who I would rather have this season. I think right now Pierce and Horford are equal. Honestly, I was amazed to see Horford’s PER. In my opinion, though, scoring points is slightly more important. Horford is younger than Pierce; this is his advantage. And Pierce is a veteran so he will become more cumbersome. This time I will not give you just PPG averages because it’s not only about that. Pierce’s PPG have been going down over the last four years, but the Celtics play the game as a team. They are tough, especially on defense. That’s why I would rather have Pierce this season. However, I agree that Horford is as good of a player as Pierce, but his team is not good enough to win the Eastern Conference."


Who won this debate? Go to the right sidebar to cast your vote!

2 comments:

  1. Horford's rep says he is the league's second most valuable center after Dwight Howard. Do you guys agree with that? I feel like there are some many other possible candidates - Tim Duncan, Marc Gasol, Nene, Joakim Noah, Andrew Bogut, Andrew Bynum, Tyson Chandler, etc. Who takes the cake in your opinion as the league's second best?

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  2. Maybe if we confine ourselves to the Eastern conference one could make that argument. It's a pretty close tie between Horford and Noah.

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