Don't like that someone named Isaiah Thomas plays for us
Has this franchise ever had so many players in one year?
Has this franchise ever had so many players in one year?
Isaiah Thomas traded to the Celtics
- Thread starter Corsi
- Start date
bakahump said:
Well, he's already the Pizza Guy, so maybe he can be our Microwave Pizza.
Vinnie Johnson was a pretty different player, though. Starting with the fact that he was more of a two guard (and about a full 1/2 foot taller than Thomas).
The obvious comp is Nate Robinson, but Thomas is quite a bit better than Nate. Optimistically, I guess Damon Stoudamire?
I don't think Bradley or Smart are going to keep IT on the bench. He'll be starting and be the focal point very soon.
the1andonly3003 said:
Impossible to blame IT for what was one of the most ridiculous ejections you'll ever see. A few rungs below the all-time great Duncan ejection, but it's up there.
Yeah, it was a joke. LeBron and Wade do that stuff every game (or worse) and never get called.
Thomas with Bradley and Smart at the semi-3 already looked pretty good.
Thomas with Bradley and Smart at the semi-3 already looked pretty good.
Isaiah seemed to have some chemistry with Bradley, too. Certainly he brings some skills to the table that were missing from this team before.
I didn't see the game, and I'm a big Isaiah Thomas fan (I think he's good enough to start on a very good team), but I'm curious, would anyone who did watch say he was to blame for Lin's performance last night?
He was tossed before Lin did most of his damage. But if you're point is Thomas is bad at defense, point well taken. He is a defensive liability.bowiac said:
Also, Boston has absolutely no rim protection at the moment, anybody can drive the paint at any time and get what they need. Lin is actually good at that and he got hot to boot.
bowiac said:
I was at the game, and nope. He was only guarded by Thomas for a couple of baskets and no assists.
If pretty good equates to losing to a depleted Lakers team then man I don't wanna know bad.ifmanis5 said:
Yes, because clearly that was the problem with the team, and clearly those three are all as good as they're ever going to be.HomeRunBaker said:
HomeRunBaker said:
Now this is the kind of analysis I come to the board for! Did you watch the game? Do you disagree that they didn't look good, in their FIRST GAME together? Is there any hope for improvement?
No, none of that?
Bradley- 20 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals
Smart- 11 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Thomas- 21 points (in 25 mins), 5 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals.
Were there some negatives? Sure, Smart's FG% wasn't pretty and Thomas had 4 turnovers, but I'm not sure these guys are the problem or the reason they lost last night. But keep bringing the heat like you always do, HRB.
Those stats are beyond useless. The team is terrible outside those 3, and it was an OT game vs the league's worst defense.
Bradley in particular was bad those 20 pts came on 20 shots.
On the whole I think it is a decent 3 guard rotation that will take time to jell. And it hopefully means less Turner as the season winds down.
Bradley in particular was bad those 20 pts came on 20 shots.
On the whole I think it is a decent 3 guard rotation that will take time to jell. And it hopefully means less Turner as the season winds down.
Given that the Celtics lost their best big for the rest of the season, a loss to the Lakers is not exactly a bad thing for this team. Unless you really think being swept as the 8th seed in the playoffs should be the goal for this season.
Cellar-Door said:
That's exactly the point I was trying to make.
I know single game stats are meaningless. As is trying to judge if a Bradley/Smart/Thomas backcourt will work out long term.
I was just replying to HRB's typical throw-away post where he seemed to think there was no way they could improve simply because they lost to the Lakers.
Watching Thomas last night reminded me a lot of early Nate Archibald - a small quick shoot-first PG. And both are lefties. After Tiny was traded to the Celts, he changed into a pass first PG and helped lead the Celts to a championship. That transition is what I hope for with Thomas. Otherise, he's just another undersized high scoring shooting guard, and these guys (Iverson, Marbury, early Archibald etc) usually don't win championships.
Those guys don't win championships as the best players on their team, but I don't see any reason they can't when they're surrounded by talent elsewhere.RoDaddy said:
Put another way, the reason Archibald won a title with the Celtics had less to do with changing into a pass first PG, and more to do with Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale. I think we'd all be pretty happy if Thomas turned out to be as good as Iverson.
Last night, when Isaiah first came into the game, the Suns played very aggressively against him, trying to trap him on pick and rolls. And he burned them - hitting the open man with ease and winding up with a 6-assist half. Then they backed off and he hit a couple of threes.
After watching him for 2 games I'll say that he has increased the entertainment value of the Celtics by 200%. He's exactly what you have to be in order to succeed as a short guard -- a really good scorer and a high energy guy. This acquisition is the turning point for the franchise, the dividing line between the period when Danny was actively selling off talent in exchange for draft picks and the period when he will be building up the talent by cashing those picks in (or actually drafting new talent). After 1.5 years of a brutal nose-dive, the team is now gaining altitude. It will be really interesting to see how high Danny can take it with all the assets that he has accumulated.
Devizier said:
Hibbert has a player option for next season, which means he'll be a FA.
The point is to be ready when players become available for whatever reason. Guys force their way out of town, teams ship players out when they decide they can't afford them long-term, and the Celtics will be able to beat the offers of most other teams. The only thing they're missing in a potential big time trade package is a real blue chip prospect, which often isn't necessary anyway.
Less than a week from seeing Thomas, Dragic and Brandon Knight traded and people are asking how the picks can turn into players?
The Suns coaches and players always called him "IT".
FWIW, behind the scenes last night, everyone from Suns was very welcoming to him and he hung out for spell after the game with his former teammates. Contrary to the reports of him being not well liked, I never noticed anything of sort in the 5 months he was here in PHX.
FWIW, behind the scenes last night, everyone from Suns was very welcoming to him and he hung out for spell after the game with his former teammates. Contrary to the reports of him being not well liked, I never noticed anything of sort in the 5 months he was here in PHX.
dylanmarsh said:
It's easiest just to assume that any information presented by the media is incomplete or incorrect. There are whispers or whatever, but it's kind of important to know if they came from Dragic or how badly the context was misconstrued. It also feels pretty reasonable to immediately disregard anything coming out of Sacramento. No leadership or stability and the best player is one of the most difficult personalities in the league.
I don't think it's clear yet how good Dragic is to be honest. He was great last year, but hasn't kept it up this year. Now that could be the impact of Isaiah Thomas or something, but given the biggest dropoff point for him for him has been shooting, it could just as easily have just been a lucky run last year. He has no track record before of being a 41% three point shooter before last year.Blacken said:
For what it's worth, RPM (and most other plus/minus metrics) say he grades out worse than Thomas.
It's still only been four games but Thomas on a cheap deal available for a late first round pick is one of the strangest trades I've ever seen. The guy is a really good player.
He is a pretty dynamic player. I knew Cs fans who hadn't seen much of him would love the guy. And I bet he is happy playing for the Cs too rather than being part of the three headed attack in Phoenix or lost in the basketball wilderness that is Sacto. He is now free to be THE man in Boston. He is the type of player who appears to want that role.Devizier said:
Bringing IT off the bench may be an interesting 6tth man strategy (ala Mchale).Montana Fan said:
Especially since as an energy guy, having him fresh when the other team's starters are getting winded might be quite effective-- the 4th quarter of the last few games seems to suggest that.
Just for illustrative purposes, over his last three games (excluding his ejection-shortened debut), 61.8 percent of Thomas’ points have come in the second half, and 42.6 percent have come in the fourth quarter. And that’s not to mention the fact that over those three contests, Thomas has posted an absurd plus-62 plus/minus rating.
Boston has a late game option for the first time in a long time. http://nesn.com/2015/02/in-isaiah-thomas-celtics-finally-have-found-much-needed-closer/
He's been to the ft line 35 times in four games. Good stuff. This was a great pickup for a fairly mediocre asset. The best I was hoping for from that pick was either stashing an upside Euro or trading up in the draft a few slots. This deadline seems to have been the perfect storm for this kind of pickup, with Phoenix's hand forced and needing to clear some money for Knight's contract.
I can't wait to see what Reggie Jackson signs for this summer.
I can't wait to see what Reggie Jackson signs for this summer.
Koufax said:
He was the second youngest player in the draft. This was never going to be anything but a glorified red-shirt year.
He was deadly in the second half against the Hornets last night. He would get a screen at the three point line, and his change of pace allowed him to get to the hoop at ease. He was then able to create contact and get to the line or finish with a layup. I don't think Charlotte has a good defense at the rim, so I don't think he'll have the same ease finishing against other teams, but it was still an impressive performance. I think he combines well with Bradley in the backcourt too. Bradley is a better defensive player and can match up against the other team's best guard, and IT takes over the ball handling, leaving Bradley as more of a 2-guard on offense, a role that minimizes some of his weaknesses.
I haven't been watching a ton of the Cs lately, but in his short time here, IT appears to be the best offensive creator on the team since Paul Pierce was traded.
I haven't been watching a ton of the Cs lately, but in his short time here, IT appears to be the best offensive creator on the team since Paul Pierce was traded.
BigSoxFan said:
For what it's worth, Thomas is by far the superior player, at least statistically. It's not even close.
The only argument for Jackson, potentially, is that he is 2 years younger and (perhaps) can player better defense given his more traditional size.
I wouldn't swap Thomas for Jackson right now, regardless of contracts.
