Paul Pierce -- The forgotten truth

By Rich Levine Sports Central Columnist

I was originally going to write this article about Vin Baker. But to be honest, it has been done to death. Everyone realizes that Baker is a disgrace and easily the worst thing to hit Boston since the Blizzard of '78. The thought of writing more about it made me want to cry (keeping with the Vin theme).

Instead, I'll talk about one of the NBA's best, but least-appreciated stars.

If you were asked to name the top scorers in the NBA, do you think that you could do it? Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and Allen Iverson will probably be the first to come to mind, but then who's next?

It's Paul Pierce.

Now, if you don't think that is impressive, how about the fact that he also ranks first on the Celtics (the East's fourth-best team) in rebounds (7.5), assists (4.5), steals (1.87, seventh in NBA), free-throw % (.815), and field goal percentage (.415). He also leads the NBA in both free-throw attempts and makes.

So why don't people think of Paul Pierce when they think of the best players in the league? That's a tough question to tackle.

On one hand, it seems that some people out there appreciate the truth, because his No. 34 Celtics jersey is the top-selling NBA jersey in the USA. But, if that is the case, why hasn't Pierce been selected to represent the USA in the next Olympics?

Further, he was just recently selected to his second-straight All-Star Game. But why did he spend the majority of the game sitting on the bench while a far less-deserving Vince Carter played almost 10 minutes more?

Pierce gets to the foul-line more than anyone else in the NBA. But, why do those calls all seem to disappear down the stretch, when respected players, if anything, should get more calls?

Not much of it really makes sense, and for some reason, I don't see it changing anytime soon. The Olympics is what really gets me frustrated. I realize that Pierce plays a position that is currently loaded with unbelievable talent, and that he has been semi-overshadowed by the superhuman play of both Kobe and T-Mac, but there is absolutely no good reason that he hasn't been named on that team.

If his skills aren't proof enough, what about his status as a role model? You never hear about Pierce getting arrested, beating his wife, or getting caught with drugs, and perhaps that is one of the reasons he isn't getting the credit he deserves? Maybe the media thinks he is boring, maybe Pierce's lack of controversy makes him less appealing?

Regardless of whether or not he makes for an interesting story, Pierce belongs in the Olympics along with guys like Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, so that he can showcase his talents on an international level and represent this country in the fashion that it deserves.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.