Comments on: Isiah Thomas wasn’t the obvious Dream Team choice Pistons fans consider him

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:24:05 +0000

I’m not really ‘defensive’ about anything, since I didn’t write the post. I don’t have anything to defend. I’m just responding to things I disagree with in comments, which is the exact same thing that you are doing by expressing your dissenting view.

I think Thomas should’ve made the team. I don’t think by ’91 that it was a ‘joke’ that he was left off. And I also think that Thomas is fully to blame for some of the behind the scenes politics that helped keep him off. I don’t think those things were good reasons to keep him off, but I also don’t feel all that sorry for him since Thomas has had a tendency to torch bridges in a lot of different places throughout his playing and executive careers. I’m a huge fan of his, but he’s a complex individual and his own actions have hurt him.

By: Robert Michael

Robert Michael — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:09:36 +0000

Wow. Just wow. I rarely ever comment (anymore) on blogs or message boards, but this post is so incredibly off base that i had to chime in. At the time the Dream Team was selected Zeke was just coming down from one of the most incredible runs in NBA History. If not for a little bit of bad luck and a couple of bad calls he might have had 4 rings instead of two, but regardless his performance over the preceding 7 years was HALL OF FAME clinching and by far the most dominant of any little man to play. At the time of the selection, Isiah had a winning record against Michael, head to head. Look it up. It’s a joke that he was left off the team. To say that he wasn’t dominant when the Pistons were winning the titles means you weren’t watching. This Isiah bashing I have come to expect from the johnny come lately crowd, but not from Piston fans, who you might think actually watched the tapes, even if they were too young at the time. I still break out the VCR tapes on occasion, and Zeke was simply electrifying for the last half of the 80′s and right up until 92. He was a lock for the team based on his performance. He was left off because Jordan and Bird hated him. Everyone knows that. Also, Patrick, your defensive attitude is off putting because your position is such foolishness. Jeez, man.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 02:06:24 +0000

Isiah should have been on that team plain and simple. The “calculations” here based on All-NBA selections don’t take into account ONE major, and neglect another major thing. An NBA Finals MVP should count for something.

But the ALl-NBA teams are selected through votes by coaches and media staff… and the fact is Isiah has always been a little to himself with the media… he has been misrepresented on several occasions. And if you look at his All-NBA selections they all happen before he allegedly supported Dennis Rodman’s statement about Larry Bird. Thomas says he was being sarcastic, when he agreed with Rodman.
The recording is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBrc11rTjsQ

After this controversy the media never forgave Isiah. And it’s no coincidence that Isiah was excluded from media voted awards. They wanted to root for their white-darling. And I’m not taking anything away from Bird. But Isiah is very sincere in this interview. This had a lot to do with the All-NBA selections he didn’t get after this. Though he deserved them. He won back-to-back titles after 87 for goodness sake!

By: Max

Max — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:08:58 +0000

Can’t agree that Isiah was much better than Moses and most rank him ahead of Isiah. That said, I don’t think Dan or Patrick’s argument (can’t remember which one of them made it) holds any water because Moses had little left to contribute at that point and unlike Bird, was not an all time great passer and chemistry producer. Also, while Isiah was still arguably better than any point guard in the league and starting the all star game yearly, Moses was far behind Ewing and Robinson at that point in his career.

By: Ari Shwedel

Ari Shwedel — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:58:25 +0000

Your argument that Isiah was not an elite player by the time the Pistons won championships is absurd. Zeke shredded Portland’s perimeter defense in the 1990 Finals - that’s how the Pistons easily won their second championship. And he’s a much better all-time player than Moses Malone – it’s hilarious that you believe otherwise.

Anyway, in retrospect being left off the “dream” team was ultimately Isiah’s greatest victory – he’s the only guy ever to get in Jordan’s head. Jordan couldn’t handle losing to Isiah – not the Pistons, not Joe Dumars, not (future teammate) Dennis Rodman, Isiah Thomas was the man he feared – and that tells you all you need to know about Isiah’s place in the game.

By: Max

Max — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 00:20:31 +0000

Also, and this hypothetical, but if Drexler thinks that Isiah was more deserving than say half the players on the team, it doesn’t really put him in the position of having to decide which player should have been cut. Such would be my position btw and I think Isiah should by right have been amongst the first six called.
Pippen admits that he didn’t feel like he deserved to be on the team when he was asked.

By: Max

Max — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 00:13:29 +0000

BTW: Drexler also said that some of the other players hated Isiah because he had been kicking their buts and it was a shame that he got left off just for doing his job. Drexler isn’t being a nice guy, as far as I can tell, but one of integrity who feels the responsibility to offer his true opinion. It is the opposite of political correctness because the most non controversial thing for Drexler to say while preserving his honor would be to act like Barkley and limit his comments to asserting that he had no problem with Isiah being on the team. Instead, he his actively labeling the entire affair as something he feels was wrong and not crediting but rather condemning the other side of the debate.

By: Max

Max — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:35:02 +0000

Not sure who these quotes contradict but it’s not me. Bird, Johnson and Jordan all said it during the hyped montages on NBC after they joined whether it was false hype or not.

By: Max

Max — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:32:47 +0000

Drexler has given many interviews of late and I have heard his actually quotes in the full context of his interviews. His tone is one that says Isiah overwhelmingly deserved inclusion and of stern disapproval that players had the power to keep Isiah off the team for reasons that Drexler said weren’t good enough. He listed Isiah’s accomplishments and said he was one of the greatest beyond doubt and deserved the opportunity to play. His comments aren’t wishy washy and they aren’t non-controversial and political correct. He is taking a stand on the issue and he is consistently making the same points while changing his tone when the subject comes up.
As far as the word “travesty” going too far; I would have a difficult time naming 10 better NBA related topics of all time to apply the word. The word can mean a mockery or false or absurd representation of something and Isiah being left off the team was patently absurd to me. You disagree? Fine but I guess I just have a lot more respect for Thomas’ game then you do and think he was simply on a hire tier than at least a few of the players selected. When the comparison isn’t close, picking the lesser player is absurd. That is a travesty. When it was done for scheming political reasons, it is also a travesty of justice.

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:05:09 +0000

And further, what makes you think Drexler is not just being politically correct here?

For example, who does Drexler think Thomas should have replaced on that team? Would Clyde give his spot up to Isiah? Has he ever said Isiah should’ve made it and Stockton shouldn’t have? Same with Barkley in the comments he made that were supportive of Thomas. It’s easy to say, “This guy should’ve made it,” and then don’t name a single person he should’ve replaced. They get credited with taking a stand without really taking a stand. But that’s a pretty important part of this conversation, isn’t it? If you take Thomas, who are you leaving home? Drexler was a notoriously nice and non-confrontational person, and he’s continued that reputation into his post-playing career. So until he says, “Isiah should’ve been on the team and Stockton should’ve stayed home,” I’m interpreting his comments on Isiah as being purposely vague so that he doesn’t say something controversial. He doesn’t have anything disrespectful to say about Isiah, but he also didn’t necessarily want him to replace any of the guys he played with in ’92 either.