Washington Wizards forward Paul Pierce did not enjoy his lone season in Brooklyn—calling his experience with the Nets “horrible”—and threw some of his high-profile former teammates under the bus.
Joe Johnson and Deron Williams elected to take the high road, and basically shrugged their shoulders when asked about Pierce’s gripes Thursday.
Both Williams and Johnson say they can’t (or care to) change Pierce’s mind.
Per the NY Post:
“I’m not bothered at all,” Williams said. “Being here, I’ve got thick skin. He has his opinions, and that’s fine. […] I can’t change his opinions, so we’ll leave it at that.”
“It doesn’t bother me,” Johnson said. “I’ve been criticized before. That’s not the first time and it definitely won’t be the last, so it doesn’t bother me one way or another, I swear. […] If that’s how Paul felt, that’s how Paul felt. He’s entitled to his opinion.”
One person who wasn’t mentioned by Pierce was his coach with the Nets, Jason Kidd. Before his Bucks lost, 105-100 to the Celtics in Milwaukee, Kidd was asked about Pierce’s comments. He said Pierce has “freedom of speech,” but did push back at the future Hall of Famer’s criticism of the Nets. […] “That group of guys that played [and went from] 10-21 and find ourselves with 44 wins, someone has to care if you’re going to turn it around that way,” Kidd said. “I think sometimes when trades are made the beginning of the season on paper they look great. It just takes time. Sometimes the process by the media or outside influences or sources want it to be now. Sometimes it doesn’t work that way.”
