Pierce fined for menacing gesture

[ranger001]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGAPpfrf4fk

Why would Pierce throw up a "blood sweat and tears" sign though as he claimed?

Consider the facts, Horford fakes him to the ground, puts up a jumpshot then as Pierce is on the ground on his hands and knees he yells trash in his face.

Its more likely that Pierce got mad and threw up a sign meaning to him something like "I'm looking for you from now on". I'm sure he did not intend to kill Horford literally, he just meant he didnt like getting disrespected and that he would be looking for revenge.

Does it deserve a fine? The NBA had to send a message, whether he meant it to be a gang sign or not they dont want a whole bunch of people throwing up gang signs as long as it can be interpreted as something else.

[RoyHobbs]

-= original quote snipped =-



Redrum's opinion > your opinion.

Get off Paul Pierce. Seriously.

Eh... all that proves (or at least suggests) is that Pierce isn't gang-affiliated. Was anybody claiming that he was?

Just because somebody isn't in a gang doesn't mean they can't throw a gang sign as a means of intimidation. All redrum did is confirm that the gesture could have been a gang sign.

I have no idea what Pierce's intent was; it's silly to me to argue it was or it wasn't a sign. The only legit answer to me is "It could have been, or it could have been a lot of other things. Only Pierce knows for sure."

I do think the $25,000 fine was ridiculous, though.

[TheSheriff]

Pierce is from Inglewood. In Inglewood that gesture is the Blood's sign. Pierce knows what it means. The Hawks know what it means (Josh Childress is from LA). Throwing it was in inappropriate. But really Pierce make $14,000,000 before endorsements. He was fined $25,000. That is 0.2% of his annual salary. That is the equivalent of the average American being fined less than $100, not a big deal.

[grantlongforpresident]

has pierce given us any indication that he has anything to do with gangs?

no. His charity says the opposite. His behavior since college says the opposite. He even says the opposite.

If Isiah Rider gave that sign then maybe i'd be more suspicious. Long story short, there is really no evidence that he meant to flash a gang symbol. I can't believe this is even an incident.

[Ian Dmperato]

[quote="RoyHobbs"][/quote]

If he's not gang-affiliated, wouldn't that make it a tad less likely that it's a gang hand sign? Wouldn't that give more evidence that it probably just means "blood, sweat, and tears" as reported by CSN, Ainge, and Pierce himself? I just think people take this waaay too far, and it's obvious that the sign is a team thing. He does it before every game. Get off him. Christ.

[campybatman]

Its more likely that Pierce got mad and threw up a sign meaning to him something like "I'm looking for you from now on". I'm sure he did not intend to kill Horford literally, he just meant he didnt like getting disrespected and that he would be looking for revenge.

Interesting comments made by Jeff Van Gundy.

Who can forget the ball polishing move he made after a Josh Smith block in Game 3? And then there was his much-talked about taunting of Paul Pierce in the final seconds of that win, the chatter that resulted in Pierce's "menacing gesture" and the $25,000 fine that came with it. "He's seemingly doing more Joakim Noah-type antics which I'm frankly a little disappointed in," said ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy, who will call tonight's game. "He's such a good player, I just don't think he needs that. Emotion is great. You'll never go over the edge. But he has to walk that fine line between emotional control and being emotionally drunk. "I followed him in college. And I know [Florida coach Billy Donovan], so I know it's a startling change of demeanor for him. So if it's come on quickly like a flu, I hope he gets rid of it quickly. Because he's too good for that stuff." Atlanta Journal-Constitution / May 1