Pierce likes new look

Paul Pierce walked onto the court for media day wearing a No. 34 Washington Wizards jersey, complete with a red sweatband on his forehead and a red wristband pulled almost all the way up to his left elbow. Not long ago, seeing Pierce in a Wizards uniform was pretty much unthinkable. “Four years ago, nobody was really talking about Washington. Now they’ve changed the culture here. They’ve got some new, exciting players here. Those things really play a big part when you’re trying to draw free agents to a city and to a team,” said Pierce, who turns 37 next month and concedes he “probably won’t be the No. 1 guy” on a team that includes the young-and-rising backcourt of Bradley Beal and John Wall. But the 10-time All-Star and 2008 NBA Finals MVP brings another level of leadership and competitiveness to the team. – AP