Paul Pierce Providing Blueprint for Graceful NBA Aging — bleacherreport.com

Forget the 10 All-Star nods, the 2007-08 NBA Finals MVP and the championship ring. What Paul Pierce is doing now may be his most remarkable achievement yet. He's aging gracefully—completing the nearly impossible transition from superstar to sage with ease. He's leading the Washington Wizards to a level they couldn't possibly have reached without him. Former coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy has offered up a truism borrowed from Bill Walsh dozens of times over the years. His steadfast belief in a nutshell: The hardest player to coach is the aging star in decline.

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