Kidd has some nice things to say about Paul Pierce going to the Wizards

The much maligned newly anointed head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, Jason Kidd, had some nice things to say about Paul Pierce going to the Washington Wizards according to Wizards correspondent Ben Standig at CSNWashington.com.

Kidd, of course, coached Pierce last season in Brooklyn:
“Washington got better,” said Kidd on Monday from the Thomas & Mack center on the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus, site of the 2014 Las Vegas summer league. “They got a veteran guy who understands what it means to be a professional, comes to work every day and understands what it takes to win championships.”

Pierce comes into Washington as a replacement to Trevor Ariza who bolted the Wizards to become Houston's consolation prize once Chris Bosh decided to return to Miami.

As far as statistics go, Pierce and Ariza stack up pretty evenly from last season.

Pierce averaged 17.3 per 36 minutes whereas Ariza scored 14.6 per.

However, Ariza had the advantage in three point shooting percentage at just under 41 percent compared to The Truth's .373 mark.

Kidd elaborated on what Pierce's impact would be on Washington's talented but young core:
“I think it’s just a matter of the process of getting better. You can see that with [Marcin] Gortat coming back. The backcourt is very talented. They lose a player, a piece, but they’re not afraid to go out and get a piece that can help them. They’re going to be one of the top teams in the East.”

As Kidd alluded to with the departure of LeBron from the Heat and Lance Stephenson from the Pacers the East is wide open.

Pierce just might provide the Hall of Fame veteran leadership for the Wizards to make it to the ECF if not all the way to the NBA Finals.

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