IT to Denver

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,054
Hingham, MA
I’m not sure where the “vitriol” comment comes from. No one here dislikes the guy or wishes ill will upon him. Watching him was awesome. But watching Toine was awesome too, he was here longer, and like someone else said he is basically a footnote in Celts history.
 

Bosox1528

New Member
Dec 22, 2017
178
Here's my thoughts on Isaiah:

I feel bad for anyone with a significant injury, so I wish him the best with that because injuries suck. It also is a bummer for him that his injury came right before his payday, but his "small" contract that he got before is also more than enough for he and his family to be set for life. So IT should be alright.

I also think Isaiah's big mouth is something that hurts team chemistry and his own future. I understand that NBA players need to have confidence, but he goes way beyond that into extreme cockiness, and also says it all to the media. He needs to put a lid on his mouth if he doesn't want to cost his team chemistry and himself money. I don't hate Isaiah, and I wish him well in his return from his injury, but I also don't see his time here as all that special, just a good player for the Celtics who was here for a short amount of time. I will treat him like any other player. If he stays on the Lakers, I will root against him all the time. If he goes somewhere else, I will be indifferent to him unless his play affects the Celtics.
 

slamminsammya

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
9,152
San Francisco
Regarding vitriol: homerunbaker called IT duplicitous, said we as fans were duped by him, and that his love for Boston was a facade. Its pretty aggressive.
 

gingerbreadmann

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 11, 2008
750
Perhaps "bitterness" would have been a better choice? It just mystifies me that anyone could view this situation as literally anything other than sad, and it comes across to me (even indifference) as a needlessly negative response.
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
Regarding vitriol: homerunbaker called IT duplicitous, said we as fans were duped by him, and that his love for Boston was a facade. Its pretty aggressive.
I said it? I only repeated the words out of Isaiah's mouth. "I'm a max guy. I'm signing for the max." He didn't leave much room for interpretation.

To be clear I don't feel that he wasn't genuine on his feelings about Boston......I also don't feel he would even have factored this into any decision had he allowed Ainge to even get to the point of beginning negotiations. His own words ended any opportunity for it to get that far.
 

Big John

New Member
Dec 9, 2016
2,086
IT put his game where his mouth was. I wish him well, and would not mind seeing him back in Boston on an MLE-type deal in a 6th man role. It's pretty clear that the Brinks truck isn't in his future.
 

PC Drunken Friar

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 12, 2003
14,539
South Boston
What exactly did IT accomplish as a Celtic that is deserving of praise? He's kinda like Antoine Walker, really.
I hadn't watched more than 5 non-playoff games since the other Big 3 left. Because of IT, I've probably watched at least parts of 80% of their games the last year and a half.
 

slamminsammya

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
9,152
San Francisco
I said it? I only repeated the words out of Isaiah's mouth. "I'm a max guy. I'm signing for the max." He didn't leave much room for interpretation.

To be clear I don't feel that he wasn't genuine on his feelings about Boston......I also don't feel he would even have factored this into any decision had he allowed Ainge to even get to the point of beginning negotiations. His own words ended any opportunity for it to get that far.
Right. IT was traded because he said he wanted to get paid. Mate Im not buying any of what you're selling in this thread.

And saying IT was no more than Antoine Walker is somehow insulting both to IT and to Antoine Walker.
 

joe dokes

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
30,233
Keith Foulke was a champion who gave everything he had and destroyed his body to deliver the first title in 86 years. IT... played hard for 2.5 years and was openly talking about how the team had to break the bank to re-sign him? This is comparing apples and orangutans.
I think its more like comparing big juicy apples you pick yourself in October, and shrink-wrapped apples you find at a gas station/convenience store. Not exactly the same in every sense, but same enough to satisfy the requirement of keeping the doctor away.
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,991
Newton
What exactly did IT accomplish as a Celtic that is deserving of praise?
I get why in a town like Boston and on a team like the Celtics you'd be saying this. Titles are awesome. But they aren't why I watch sports. I don't cheer for a team or a player based on whether they win a title -- and (judging on the basis of how highly regarded the Impossible Dream Sox team of 1967 remains) I think that goes for most sports fans in Boston. I cheer for them because they leave me no other choice.

IT left me no choice. Yes, he was talented. Yes, he played with a chip on his shoulder. But beyond that, the dude was one of the most exciting players who's ever played sports in this town. He made people like my daughter love basketball that otherwise might not have loved basketball. He made people like @PC Drunken Friar love basketball a little more. In a town that's had Bob Cousy, that 60s run, Larry Bird, Pierce/KG, that's pretty fucking deserving of praise IMO. The dude was must-see TV, pretty much every night -- and it wasn't like he was the only game in town.

I've said it elsewhere but if the guy can get somewhat healthy again, I would love for him to come off the Celtics bench. It won't be the same, obviously. But no one would welcome him with open arms quite the way Celtics fans would. Other than @bosox79 that is.
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
Right. IT was traded because he said he wanted to get paid. Mate Im not buying any of what you're selling in this thread.

And saying IT was no more than Antoine Walker is somehow insulting both to IT and to Antoine Walker.
You don't have to buy it but I've been consistent in my opinion here for a couple years that Isaiah was moving on via FA or via trade since he made his salary expectations known. Ainge's cryptic responses whenever it was brought up certainly never changed my opinion.

If you wish to believe that a 5-8 guard about to turn 30 was going to hold Ainge hostage that is your prerogative. I never found this to be a corner Ainge would ever paint himself into. He's too good for that.

How is grouping Isaiah and Antoine into the same range of historical significance to the Celtics franchise Insulting to either much less both? I even included that Isaiah was more than simply a footnote (as was Antoine). How quickly those exciting Obie years are forgotten.
 
Last edited:

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
44,475
Melrose, MA
IT carried the team into the playoffs two years in a row, and his monster year in 2016-2017 (29 ppg) got the Celtics a division title and home court advantage in the East (without which, they never get by Washington). He bled his career out on the floor.

As far as I am concerned, that earned him as many Brinks comments as he wants. Just because he wants to get paid never meant that that Celtics would pay him. Nothing but love for Tiny II.
Absolutely, and well said. I really don't get the vitriol.

Nor do have even the slightest issue with what Ainge did. Looking back, the Irving trade was clearly the right move, Ainge made it, and for IT... that is just sports and life.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,054
Hingham, MA
Again, where is the vitriol? I think many of us who are "anti" IT are actually more just indifferent toward him.

Vitriol is a good term for how a lot of us feel about Ray Allen. Not IT.
 

Reverend

for king and country
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 20, 2007
64,026
I don't know how much vitriol there has been. I think there's some weird vibes, though, in that people can feel sorta bad for IT, but not want to stop high fiving everyone in reaching distance over the moves Ainge has made.

The fact that the Fultz-Tatum thing happened the same off-season makes brings it all into even higher relief. I think in the process, there's some thoughtlessness about what IT brought, and that sucks, but I think they can be separated.

I personally don't like thinking about IT even though I didn't watch him play last year because I don't want to dwell on the disappointment he must be feeling. :(
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
I don't see how comparing him to Antoine Walker is insulting. If you were to list all the players in order based on their contribution to the Celtics, that's where he'd rank. Right around Antoine Walker. All star Antoine Walker. The same Antoine Walker who gave us some great memories in the playoffs as well.

I just don't think they are all that praise worthy.
 

Reverend

for king and country
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jan 20, 2007
64,026
I don't see how comparing him to Antoine Walker is insulting. If you were to list all the players in order based on their contribution to the Celtics, that's where he'd rank. Right around Antoine Walker. All star Antoine Walker. The same Antoine Walker who gave us some great memories in the playoffs as well.

I just don't think they are all that praise worthy.
As far as I'm concerned, Walker gets an assist for bringing in KG. He's a Celtic.
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
As far as I'm concerned, Walker gets an assist for bringing in KG. He's a Celtic.
To be fair, Isaiah was big in the recruitment of Hayward and Horford. These two have a lot of similarities despite being completely different style players on the floor. They each gave us some of the greatest moments by non-banner hanging players from non-Champiosnhip Celtics teams.
 

slamminsammya

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
9,152
San Francisco
I don't see how comparing him to Antoine Walker is insulting. If you were to list all the players in order based on their contribution to the Celtics, that's where he'd rank. Right around Antoine Walker. All star Antoine Walker. The same Antoine Walker who gave us some great memories in the playoffs as well.

I just don't think they are all that praise worthy.
It isn't insulting at all in itself. The reason I said it is remarkable is that in the context of your posts you have managed to make it insulting to both of them. See bolded.

Whatever. I am over it. I threw a hissy fit over the Kyrie trade which I was 110% wrong about.
 

Caspir

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
6,886
Yeah this is a perfect summary of my feelings. There's always going to be a special place for those who raise banners, but if we can't appreciate other special seasons then that kinda sucks.
Especially since there was a 2 decade gap between titles and the one prior to '08 was in the fucking 80's. Unless you're like 50+, you have no leeway to say, "We only care about banners," because you would sound like a dumb ass. Celtic fans are really weird when it comes to championships. The franchise is defined by the 1960's teams that ran roughshod over the league before it really had a chance to blow up. Without them, who is busting out "Count the ringzzzz," on anyone? It's Yankee fans talking about the 1920's and pretending that has any bearing on today. A lot of people watching hoops today weren't even alive to see those, and nobody under the age of 40 knows the Celtics as "the team" when it comes to championships.

Shitting on Isaiah is the most Boston thing ever.

We've probably done this before, but who is the greatest Celtic to never win a title with Boston. Ed Macauley? Reggie? IT? 'Toine? Jiri Welsch?
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
There are a lot of people on SoSH who make fun of Colts fans for celebrating playoff wins and division titles yet are willing to bestow praise on IT4.
 

TripleOT

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 4, 2007
7,758
IT and Toine are similar in that they competed like crazy on flawed teams, and helped a downtrodden team get to a competitive level. Then they both set the table for future success, with Walker acceding top dog role to Paul Pierce (something NBA all stars don't do often or easily), and Thomas recruiting max FAs two summers in a row. The future success happened without them, of course.

Ainge shipped them both out of town, getting a great return for IT, and garbage for Walker. He didn't say it about Thomas, but i feel Ainge thought IT also had too much of a grip on the team. Ainge didn't think he could win a title with a worst defender in the league midget as a top dog, so he rightly moved on. Ainge always comes up a winner, and managed to get a top PG heading into his prime as his new alpha and closer.

Walker, flaws and all, found a spot in Miami to help win a title as a supporting cast member. I've always maintained that a team couldn't win a title with tiny Thomas as a main contributor. I don't think he's going to see a big payday this summer, so the plan might be to sign short term with a contender/
 

Caspir

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
6,886
There are a lot of people on SoSH who make fun of Colts fans for celebrating playoff wins and division titles yet are willing to bestow praise on IT4.
I missed the "Won two playoff series with IT" banner they raised. Got a pic? Also, should Red Sox fans be embarrassed about celebrating Ted Williams, and every single player between 1919 and 2003, or does your shitty example only work for the Colts?
 

Kliq

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 31, 2013
22,667
FWIW, I said it was embarrassing that certain posters would update this thread with sarcasm or glee about IT's struggles this year, as if that was something to celebrate. Like most people here; I think IT led Boston to one of the most entertaining seasons in franchise history, even if he didn't make the NBA Finals. I hope that he gets healthy and is a 20 ppg scorer once again; I don't think his struggles are something that former "fans" should be appreciating.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,837
FWIW, I said it was embarrassing that certain posters would update this thread with sarcasm or glee about IT's struggles this year, as if that was something to celebrate.
We're all friends here. What posters?
 

lexrageorge

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2007
18,095
There are a lot of people on SoSH who make fun of Colts fans for celebrating playoff wins and division titles yet are willing to bestow praise on IT4.
Noone here has suggested they retire IT4's number. So, yeah, people will continue to make fun of the Colts while also cherishing the memory of a couple of fun seasons and a deep playoff run that IT brought us.

Most NBA fans don't have this whole entitled championship or bust mentality. As it is one league there's only about 2 or 3, at most 4, teams that have a shot at winning the enchilada, and the identity of those teams is known before the season even starts.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,111
Santa Monica
Ed Hillel, HRB, Benhogan, Sumner, just read the thread.
Huh? no glee here, I liked/loved ITs time here. Jeeeesh

BUT I'm certainly not going to sit here and cry about how unfair life has been to Isiah on SoSH. He's a professional athlete that has been paid millions, adored by many and gets to play hoops for a living. He's living in the 1% of 1% of 1%.

IT made the "Brinks truck" comment, which I thought was hilarious when he made it (as did Danny). Clearly, the Brinks truck isn't coming (a MAX Deal from the Celtics, hip or no hip, was never coming since his defense is horrendous), that's all I referenced. If he gets a huge deal, fantastic, in fact, I'd love to be wrong and have some team pay him huge. BUT If he gets $10MM for 1yr, make good contract, I'm not shedding any tears. IT and his family will be just fine.
 
Last edited:

BostonWolverine

New Member
Dec 6, 2017
109
Ann Arbor, MI
While agree that watching him talk makes him less likeable, he was a major reason we were able to keep our rebuild so short. Without both his play and willingness to recruit we may have not been able to convince horford and/or hayward to join. Add to that the fact that he was willing to play for boston after his family's tragedy and I think it's hard to be anything but thankful to him.

I do however think he was traded for more reasons then him asking for a ton of money. He's a flawed player who's previous season had inflated his perceived value far above his actual value. Ainge being the savvy business man that he is had to take advantage of that.

I hope he recovers and makes a comeback in the NBA but I have a feeling that this may be all she wrote... He should have just taken that tribute even though he wasn't playing.
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
11,403
around the way
This thread is disappointing. Fucking guy emerged here as a top offensive player and carried this team in crunch time for a couple of years. He helped recruit legit free agents. He's part of this rebuild even after his departure.

You can love the trade, and I certainly do now (although a quick search would reveal my reservation at the time about the Brk pick), and still feel bad for the guy. If you don't feel bad for the guy, I don't understand you at all.
 

Montana Fan

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 18, 2000
8,879
Twin Bridges, Mt.
Had his hip not been injured, I think it’s pretty likely he would have received a 70 million or so offer this offseason. If he performed anywhere near where he was the last 2 seasons someone would have paid him. YMMV but those kind of dollars are transported in a Brinks truck in my neighborhood.
 

Ed Hillel

Wants to be startin somethin
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2007
43,558
Here
Ed Hillel, HRB, Benhogan, Sumner, just read the thread.
Feel free to cite to actual posts to support your point rather than say “read the thread.”

Like Hogan, I take no joy in his struggles, but I’m quite happy Danny traded him away and got rid of the distraction he would have been, all while obtaining a perennial All Star. I would say there are less people “happy” about his troubles than people who wanted to extend him a while back because of the emotional connection they had developed over the measured approach Danny took. IT has also been a malcontent everywhere but Boston and caused drama in Cleveland within a couple weeks, which is quite relevant when considering a massive contract extension.
 
Last edited:

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,991
Newton
I am on record as a huge IT fan while he was in Boston and I actually can’t think of a single poster who wanted him signed for the max. Were there any?
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 24, 2002
48,204
If IT were 100% healthy, he would have received a large payday if not a max contract. The guy was an elite offensive player prior to this season. He was getting some form of Brinks truck whether we agreed with it or not. This is the way the NBA works. He will not get that now and it flat out sucks.

Its worth noting that he has earned about $29mm over seven seasons in the NBA. However, the delta between what he was set to earn and his top salary of ~$6mm was pretty significant and would have put him in a different stratosphere in terms of earnings. Nobody should shed tears for him but its a bitter pill for him to swallow regardless.

I don't think anyone here is arguing that Thomas did anything more than play his ass off for the Celtics at a high level offensively, embrace the franchise and try to help make them better while in green. It is true, he didn't win a championship and people can use that to disregard him as JAG. Some of us simply think the guy should get respect for what he did in his short time here - in my mind, at least, he was a large part of the Celtics becoming relevant to the NBA again. And at his best, he was fun as hell to watch play basketball. At the very least, its tough to see how his demise makes some people feel good or vindicated.

In the end, Ainge clearly made the right call (and just to be clear, I was horribly wrong about Kyrie's ability to up his game and fit within Stevens system - and others here were not so credit to those people) and I think HRB/others are right that the C's weren't going to pay him, healthy or not. That doesn't mean that Thomas' problems should be celebrated. As others have noted, its not a zero sum game.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,111
Santa Monica
If IT were 100% healthy, he would have received a large payday if not a max contract. The guy was an elite offensive player prior to this season. He was getting some form of Brinks truck whether we agreed with it or not. This is the way the NBA works. He will not get that now and it flat out sucks.

Its worth noting that he has earned about $29mm over seven seasons in the NBA. However, the delta between what he was set to earn and his top salary of ~$6mm was pretty significant and would have put him in a different stratosphere in terms of earnings. Nobody should shed tears for him but its a bitter pill for him to swallow regardless.

I don't think anyone here is arguing that Thomas did anything more than play his ass off for the Celtics at a high level offensively, embrace the franchise and try to help make them better while in green. It is true, he didn't win a championship and people can use that to disregard him as JAG. Some of us simply think the guy should get respect for what he did in his short time here - in my mind, at least, he was a large part of the Celtics becoming relevant to the NBA again. And at his best, he was fun as hell to watch play basketball. At the very least, its tough to see how his demise makes some people feel good or vindicated.

In the end, Ainge clearly made the right call (and just to be clear, I was horribly wrong about Kyrie's ability to up his game and fit within Stevens system - and others here were not so credit to those people) and I think HRB/others are right that the C's weren't going to pay him, healthy or not. That doesn't mean that Thomas' problems should be celebrated. As others have noted, its not a zero sum game.
+1. well said.

I honestly look forward to IT's video tribute next season, he deserves it.
 

RetractableRoof

tolerates intolerance
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 1, 2003
3,836
Quincy, MA
It's weird to me that IT has become such a polarizing figure. If one even critiques him you are painted as being a hater. Declarations about 'true/real celtics fans wouldn't say/think x". I don't get it. He's a height challenged player that based on his enormous heart/personal drive gets the best performance he can squeeze out of his body - including to his possible physical detriment. But he also has an outsized ego (which may be true of all athletes with his drive - no sleight there). I think the disconnect for me is that it's hard to sell the underdog story when paired with the huge ego. I'm willing to buy the underdog story, but (as written by others) that usually is accompanied by a little humility. Others may not be bothered by it, but it resonates in a negative way with me.

I think my biggest issue with the IT fanatics is that a pragmatic view of his skills and abilities is seen as belittling him or his accomplishments. I'm not sure why he needs to have his tale related in exaggerated terms. He didn't leap tall buildings, or the like. He didn't single handedly take the Cs to the conference playoffs - he had a lot of help including all those that covered for him on defense or drew out their man so he had room to be amazing attacking the basket. He didn't single handedly bring Horford or Hayworth to the Cs. Like it or not, the Cs are fortunate to have had some other players with accomplishments suitable to provide context for his performance here. I feel like the resistance is to those creating a legendary narrative for his time here, it wasn't the IT4 Globetrotter show it was the Celtics - no matter what time he thought the 4th quarter was.

As said by others, he is a player that had a magical 2 years of his 2.5 here, and in that time he put on some great performances. Not good, great. But for me, in total, even when healthy he was not and is not a game changer or centerpiece for a franchise. A team could not be built around him to win it all. And he seemed by my eyes to carry himself like he was a 1 or 1A star and unfortunately people like to see stars with egos fail. I personally wish him success in every endeavor of his life (except against Boston), but I do wish he would carry himself with more humility. Maybe not Mookie Betts quiet but certainly not Reggie Jackson loud.

Edit: To be fair, many people (including myself) often need time to adjust to responsibilities or expectations and the fact that he may have misspoken a few times or acted with a bit too much ego for my taste doesn't mean he won't get there and figure out a way to be the star that he wants to be. I want to be clear that I'm not writing him off based on a small snippet of his professional life.
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
11,403
around the way
So much of that could be said about Drew Bledsoe IMO
Certainly. But there few obvious and significant differences. First, Drew was the #1 pick and didn't need to turn into anything. Everyone knew that he was good. Second, Drew was paid quite well from day one and maximized his earnings early in his career. And third, Drew contributed to a championship while he was still here.

I hate to see anyone have a career ending injury when they're on top, but I think that it's an extra bummer of a thing when he was a hamster dick away from a big payday.
 

Jimbodandy

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2006
11,403
around the way
And there's way too much of this "IT should have kept his mouth shit" talk for my liking. He never caused team chemistry problems here or put his coaches or teammates on the spot. It doesn't look good.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 24, 2002
48,204
And there's way too much of this "IT should have kept his mouth shit" talk for my liking. He never caused team chemistry problems here or put his coaches or teammates on the spot. It doesn't look good.
Indeed.

And I think his "drama" in Cleveland was bit overplayed. The guy was on the court for them for 15 games and while his inability to defend was glaring, he wasn't the only problem with that squad. I know he was highly visible during his time there and I get that his comments rubbed some the wrong way. But he was not the only or main reason that the pre-trade-deadline Cavs struggled so much.
 

RetractableRoof

tolerates intolerance
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 1, 2003
3,836
Quincy, MA
And there's way too much of this "IT should have kept his mouth shit" talk for my liking. He never caused team chemistry problems here or put his coaches or teammates on the spot. It doesn't look good.
Actually there were times here where he said things that made Stevens look bad. They weren't stop the presses things, but there were things. I'm not saying he was a malcontent in any way here. But he wasn't a saint either.

I prefer stars with a quiet confidence rather than a bravado. Personality wise I prefer Bergeron to Marchand, I prefer Troy Brown to Randy Moss, I prefer the Chief to Garnett, and I prefer Betts to Pedroia. I don't see why that projects badly or "doesn't look good.
 

Imbricus

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 26, 2017
4,810
I think you can be a huge IT fan and still agree that he did himself no favors with the "Brinks truck" talk. I guess it was understandable because he was carrying the team and has a spunky personality. Ainge laughed off the comment, but I think that inside he made the calculation that the Celts just weren't going to be able to afford this guy for the kind of role that would best suit him for the team, so IT became expendable (Ainge probably made the calculation long before, but the "Brinks truck" and "max" comments cinched things).

It might have been a smarter move for IT to keep the comments about "Yeah, I'm gonna get paid!" to himself, in terms of negotiating strategy. Once you announce you're a "max guy," you kind of paint the team (and yourself) into a corner: either they're ready to make you a max guy or you're gone. I've been reading HRB's comments and been pretty much agreeing with them. I don't find them disrespectful to IT. It's analysis, clean of sentiment.

I'm probably guilty of making a few quips upthread about IT, but at the end of the day, I feel pretty bad for the guy, because the hip problem could be a real career killer and he did leave his heart on the parquet floor for us. Plus, he was a terrific ambassador for the team, as has been noted. He really did bleed green, and I totally understand how wounded he must have felt about the trade to Cleveland.
 

dhellers

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2005
4,203
Silver Spring, Maryland
This thread is disappointing. Fucking guy emerged here as a top offensive player and carried this team in crunch time for a couple of years. He helped recruit legit free agents. He's part of this rebuild even after his departure.

You can love the trade, and I certainly do now (although a quick search would reveal my reservation at the time about the Brk pick), and still feel bad for the guy. If you don't feel bad for the guy, I don't understand you at all.
Amen. Of course its a relative-feeling-bad, he still is a rich man!

I don't see this discussed explicitly upthead, but I am mulling the following ....

Did IT deeply damage his long term prospects by playing through injuries?
If he shuts it down when he first seriously aggravated his leg injury (I recollect in March), rather then in the post season, does he improve his long term health and improve his future earnings potential?
At the cost of a great dampening of the Celts 2017 season prospects -- given the weakness of the Celt's offense w/o IT on the floor?
And if that is the case, does he have a grudge against Ainge for "using him up and throwing him out"?

My considered answer assumes that he is a non-naive professional basketball player. Someone who must have agents and other advisors reminding him daily that the NBA is first and foremost a business. Maybe not a vicious business based on negative sum games (I will refrain from political analogies), but one where entities (teams, players) are obligated to place prime consideration on their long term prospects.

In that world the IT-crew made a gamble. If he can stay effective throughout 2017, and lead the celts to a deep run (say, a 6 or 7 game competitive series in the ECF), then IT can be sold as a near-max player. As said above, making the kind of money usually transported in Brinks trucks. If he shuts it down, the questions about him will be unavoidable -- can a small guy who sacrifices his body every day stay healthy when it matters the most? And this kind of unavoidable question might severely limit his market: both with careful front offices, and slightly desperate front offices who don't want to piss off a fan base by making myopic offers.

In that environment, its not crazy for IT to play through it. Maybe the prospect of pulling it off (staying healthy and going deep) is enough to lead him to ignore common sense and go for the glory. Perhaps if the Celts were more saintly, Ainge would of encouraged IT to carefully consider his strategies -- and maybe he did? -- but at the end of the day it is IT's responsibility.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
Noone here has suggested they retire IT4's number. So, yeah, people will continue to make fun of the Colts while also cherishing the memory of a couple of fun seasons and a deep playoff run that IT brought us.

Most NBA fans don't have this whole entitled championship or bust mentality. As it is one league there's only about 2 or 3, at most 4, teams that have a shot at winning the enchilada, and the identity of those teams is known before the season even starts.
Every sport minus maybe hockey (I don't follow) has the entitled championship or bust mentality.

Edit: Especially the NBA. You're whole entire worth in the NBA is centered around how many rings you have. KG was a career loser until he got out of Minnesota. DeMarcus Cousins is a bum.
 
Last edited:

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
I missed the "Won two playoff series with IT" banner they raised. Got a pic? Also, should Red Sox fans be embarrassed about celebrating Ted Williams, and every single player between 1919 and 2003, or does your shitty example only work for the Colts?
Oh, so the banner is what makes it different? Sorry but if you celebrate IT4, there is nothing wrong with the Colts celebrating either. If you think there is, it just makes you a hypocrite. Be consistent on your shitty examples.


edit: And yes, if you think the Colts should be embarrassed, you should also be embarrassed for celebrating Ted Williams. Stop being a f'n fan boy and be consistent.

Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with celebrating either and that IT4 is closer the the Colts example than the Ted Williams one. Ted Williams is a HOFer. IT4 has spend most of his career coming off the bench. Ted Williams was a redsox lifer. IT4 was here for 2 seasons. But yeah, much better example than mine.
 
Last edited: