Comments on: Clyde Drexler perfectly explains why Isiah Thomas’ Dream Team snub still resonates

By: edwin

edwin — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:31:28 +0000

to be honest its not even about WHO was needed or not . ITS NOT LKE THEY WERENT GNNA WIN IF 1 player was removed! even without jordan they would have creamed everyone! Its about who deserves the honor to be on this team and Thomas with his legacy and achievements certainly deserved it.

By: phatdaddy4

phatdaddy4 — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 00:26:40 +0000

As a life long Pistons fan i’ve never liked Jordan or the Bulls. Everyone knows he was the Reason why Isiah was left off the team. How can pound for pound the greatest point guard of all times be left off that team. Yes I said pound for pound the greatest point guard of all times. He lead his team to 3 straight finals and won 2 of them and didn’t have another player on his team who was namedone of the 50 greatest players of the NBA on his team. Every guard, not point guard, but guard on the Dream Team roster had one (except Drexler). The fact that Isiah didn’t make that team was a joke. For that reason alone I never watched the original dream team and I refuse to watch that crap they’re putting on about the dream team. As for Chuck Daley (RIP), with all due respect, how do you not go to bat for the one guy who made your career. You went to 3 finals and won 2 because of him, without Isiah back then the Pistons probably wouldn’t even make the playoffs let alone get to a finals. I read some of the book that Magic had and all he sounds like to me is a sellout. If you had issues with Isiah why wouldn’t you meet with him to find out what’s going on. Magic just wants to be in the good graces of everyone. He sucked up the Jordan and tried to make it seem as if they’re best friends, but after the dream team you never really heard of their so called friendship. You sold your best friend out for a guy who never really gave a damn about you.

By: MikeC

MikeC — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 19:08:17 +0000

Based on merit, Isaiah Thomas should have been on the Dream Team. Isaiah should have been the 3rd guard on the team behind Magic and Michael. Selection process started in 1991. Isaiah had two NBA titles and was an NBA finals MVP. A lot of people talk about how Isaiah should have been selected and not Stockton. Stockton as good as he was, had zero rings. But I would take it a step further and say Isaiah should have been selected ahead of Drexler as well. Clyde had zero rings was coming off two losses in the finals once to the Pistons in 1990 and then again to the Bulls in 1992. Isaiah had the same number of rings as Michael Jordan did at the time 2.

Drexler another shooting guard was not needed because you had Pippen on the team who could handle the ball and at 6-7 could play point forward like he did for the Bulls.

It was an incredible injustice for Isaiah to be left off the team. We need to remember that Isaiah led the Pistons that beat Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan in their prime. Isaiah should take it as a complement. For three years in a row, the Pistons kicked the crap out of the Jordan led Bulls. Swept the Lakers in the finals and pretty much retired the Celtics.

20 years later with the documentary of the Dream Team out and people are still bad mouthing Isaiah!
This is how good Isaiah was. He was only 6-1 and he was deadly and he was hated for it.

By: P. R.

P. R. — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 20:04:40 +0000

That should be “if” Jordan was a dick; my mistake!

By: P. R.

P. R. — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 20:03:43 +0000

The back and forth discussions here have been quite entertaining to read, especially as an outsider who just happened to come across this from Google, but I feel very, very compelled to add this…anyone who downgrades a player’s status because they’re a “jerk” or a miserable person does not have an opinion that I would consider taking seriously. And you can call me wrong or think that I’m an idiot for believing that as much as you’d like. That’s fine. But basketball players, movie stars, musicians, entertainers in general are famous and are in the spotlight for being really, really good at their chosen profession. They are not famous because they’re required to be upstanding citizens. It amazes me that after all these years of athletes and other celebs pulling dickish moves time after time, the general public still expects them to be “role models.” Who cares of Jordan was a dick? And I’m not denying he was; hell, I grew up in Chicago. I could tell you which bars he went to to pick up college chicks….while he was still married. But what does that have to do with his basketball skills? Who cares how “classy” Clyde Drexler is? I loved Clyde, but I didn’t watch him play ball and think, “you know, man, I love watching Clyde play. What a classy gent.” No, I loved watching him stuff the damn ball down someone’s throat. I cannot believe that in 2012, people are still arguing the merits of athletes based on whether or not they’re “good people.” Sheesh.

By: Roy

Roy — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 04:41:33 +0000

Sorry, I don’t have my reading glasses on so I know I jumbled up some words.

By: Roy

Roy — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 04:39:32 +0000

Guys, you’re all intelligent and knowledgable about the game. Pat, you should try to be a little more respectful and less defensive about the basis of your views. Not that the others on this chat don’t need to be but you are a bit more adversarial it seems. Like I said, all of you have strong hoops IQ and appear educated. As for who was better between Zeke and Stockton using the eye test, I wouldhave to give Zeke the edge due to his offensive prowess. I do agree with Pat that Stockton was a better defender but I also thought he was dirty. In terms of Bird and Mullenoffends reliable shooters, I would agree with Mullen but not Bird. Bird was great in his prime but not in 92. Pipped was the best all around player in the league for the years leading up to the dream team in my opinion. Zeke deserved to be on the team from atalent stand point but perhaps not from a chemistry perspective.

By: Max

Max — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 06:56:17 +0000

They chose the easy way out because blackmailing Jordan with his reputation and public image at stake was never in the cards if there was ever going to be anything resembling a “Dream Team”. Are you kidding me? Do you actually think such an option was ever even discussed? Does anyone remember Jordan’s gobbledegook, watch me as I toss you the softball, interviews with Ahmad “Jordan Only Talks to Me” Rashad? Jordan was coddled by the NBA itself.

By: Max

Max — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 02:29:53 +0000

I am not acting like it was like picking Prince over LeBron and now you are exaggerating with hyperbole. I would say Isiah is to Stockton as Olajuwon is to Ewing and you should know I rate Ewing higher than most. Ewing was great but Olajuwon was clearly better and proved it. Ewing went to the finals twice, Olajuwon carried his team to two rings. Ewing was more mechanical and tougher and Olajuwon was much much more dynamic. That’s about the right distance for me. I would have went with point guards but I can’t name another point guard other than Isiah who carried his team to multiple titles other than Walt Frazier. In those terms, Isiah is to Stockton as Frazier is to Lenny Wilkins.
The 35 points fact is relevant because it points at Stockton’s flaw. He had too little ego to shoot as enough as he should have and was too good a shooter to shoot so rarely. Isiah never would have gone down because he didn’t take enough shots.

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 02:08:18 +0000

Come on, ‘just about?’ You are the king of sweeping generalizations! I hope i’m the most defensive commentator in the history of humanity or something. The Scottie Pippen of defensive commentators, if you will.

Why should I care about Stockton scoring 35 points in a game as some sort of measure of how good he was in comparison to Thomas? Thomas was clearly, clearly a superior scorer, finisher, etc.. Stockton was superior running a halfcourt offense, though not by much, and a superior 3-point shooter. He was also superior defensively. They’re very, very different players, which makes a straight lineup comparison of the two pretty hard. I’ve said throughout Isiah was better. I just object to the constant branding of Stockton as overrated. Honestly, you’re letting your bias dictate. If he had this same conversation among Utah Jazz fans, they’d think you were insane for picking Isiah over Stockton. That’s just how sports debates go sometimes. Putting Stockton on the Dream Team over Isiah was a snub, but at the time, it was a relatively minor one. You’re making this seem like the equivalent of Tayshaun Prince made the Dream Team over Lebron James or something. It wasn’t nearly that dramatic a snub. Isiah deserved to make it. I was crushed as a fan when he didn’t. But Isiah also has to own some of the reasons he didn’t. There were reasons Jordan and, to a lesser extent, Bird hated him. There were reasons Johnson eventually turned on him. There were reasons his own coach and GM who he won titles for didn’t publicly go to bat for him. Not all of those things are Isiah’s fault, but some are, and I have no problem saying he has to own his role in all of that non-basketball stuff.

As far as my interactions with other commenters, yeah, I get defensive, but not with everyone. You’re particularly grating and there are one or two others who are particularly good at making me rage, but I’ve had perfectly friendly back and forths with people I disagree with here. Even on this very thread … I don’t agree with some of the points Kamal raised, we disagreed back and forth, and I don’t think anything bad of him or the points he raised. That’s honestly how most of the dialogue goes here, though admittedly, things rapidly deteriorate when you get to making ridiculous pronouncements. In fact, you can see things veer off the tracks pretty clearly here. Your comments start off a little more subtle, my responses start off civil enough, then you get crazy, then I start making fun of you. It’s a bad habit, but probably not one I’m going to work much on.