It is often hard to properly measure how much a player did for a specific organization during his time with the team. Statistics can only tell so much of the story and tales from the locker room are often not fully disclosed. For every player that racks up crazy numbers, there’s a guy like Kendrick Perkins at the end of the bench doing just as much behind-the-scenes as his teammate on the court.
It’s rare to see a player hit both sides of the spectrum and by all accounts, Isaiah Thomas did that in his time with the Boston Celtics. He registered a career year with Boston as he went to the NBA All-Star game and also recorded one of the most efficient seasons for a guard in NBA history. He also played for the team shortly after the passing of his sister and always received kind words from teammates.
But when business came around, it was time to cut bait while his stock was high. The Celtics traded Thomas in a deal for Kyrie Irving and many fans were perplexed by what was going on with Boston. But now that the dust is settled, many are intrigued by how the Celtics might pay tribute to IT. Thomas says he probably won’t talk to Ainge ever again but that could be a sentiment felt on the opposite side.
Team general manager Danny Ainge originally took the high road after Thomas’ spoke out about him but that quickly fizzled. Ainge says the Celtics don’t owe Thomas anything despite his many accomplishments and sacrifices for the squad.
Ainge said the following on WEEI’s Dale & Holley with Keefe on Tuesday,
“I can’t be sure,” Ainge said when asked exactly what Thomas was referencing in that Sports Illustrated interview as being ‘not right’ on Ainge’s part. “I just know that Isaiah gave us all he had. He was a Celtic. He was all in with us and we were all in with him.
“He had an amazing platform and he went from a guy that bounced around a little bit from Sacramento to Phoenix and came to Boston, found a home, and played unbelievable basketball last year. Going forward all point guards that play great in a Celtic uniform will be compared to Isaiah Thomas and how they compare to him.
“But I don’t know what we owe him,” Ainge continued. “We gave him an opportunity, we gave him everything he had while he was here, and he gave us everything he had.”
