The possibility was always there that Paul Pierce would spurn the Washington Wizards for the Los Angeles Clippers due to his former relationship with Doc Rivers, but I also thought Pierce would eventually opt to stay in the weaker Eastern Conference.

I was dead wrong about that, and now the Clippers have a team no one will want to face come playoff time. As for the Wizards, it seems there was something to Pierce’s past words about John Wall and Bradley Beal needing to step up their commitment level. In case you missed those comments, then you might see a bit of foreshadowing in them now. Pierce told ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan earlier in the season:

“I talk to them a lot about mental preparation and consistency. I keep telling Wall and Beal, ‘You’ve got to make up your mind. Do you want to be good, or do you want to be great? Because if you want to be great, you gotta do it every single night, not just when you feel like it.’ Both of those guys have the potential to be great. I love them. But sometimes I’m not sure they realize what it takes.”

Because Wall and Beal didn’t heed Pierce’s words, they will have to get things done in the playoffs by themselves next season. Maybe it was more Randy Wittman‘s lack of coaching acumen than the backcourt’s commitment level which caused Pierce to leave, but regardless of the reason, Washington now has a giant hole at the SF position with no discernible/intelligent backup plan in place. They might try to target Rodney Stuckey, but that move will not be enough to keep them in Eastern Conference contention.

There is no doubt this development has dealt a serious blow to Washington’s championship hopes, and they must pray it doesn’t derail Kevin Durant‘s desire to join the Wizards in 2016. I can see Ray Allen coming out of retirement now and completing the Boston Celtics‘ reunion tour in Los Angeles.

Dave Daniels is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter: @AllDave_AllDay, like him on Facebook here or add him to your network on Google.