IT asks Celtics NOT to play video tribute on 2/11

[mmmmm]

No.  The reason for playing the prior game was because it was a home game.   When a player comes back and plays after a long rehab, there is always risk of something happening, in particular bad muscle cramps.   Med staff always prefers them to start back at home.

"Bad muscle cramps" are a problem on the road?! Oh noes!

Are you trivializing that?   Why send the player out on a plane trip, test the waters only to have a problem and then have to fly him home?   Better to test the waters at home to eliminate the travel.   Schedule obviously doesn't always give the staff a choice.  But when it does, I'd bet they always favor using a home game as the first game back.

I understand why you'd like to start at home, but let's not pretend that muscle cramps are the issue here. Thomas traveled to Boston with the team anyway.

But didn't play.   And muscle cramps are only one of several risks when you go from a long rehab to suddenly doing extreme activity necessary to play at the NBA level.   I'm really not getting your point here.  Did you have one, other than the opportunity for snark?

[wayupnorth]

Am I the only one who is actually disappointed a little in Pierce with all this too?

I mean, I never thought he'd be that sensitive over having some 2-3 minute tribute video for Isaiah that night.

Seemed to me that once Pierce made those comments, that's what made Isaiah sort of cave in with his tweet today.

Obviously it's Pierce's night on Feb. 11, but would a 2-3 minute Isaiah tribute video have really splashed water on Pierce's night, especially if that video was played during a TV timeout or something??

Idk man... this whole thing is confusing.

Yeah. I never imagined that he was so insecure.

I guess IT did the “right thing”, but I can’t believe that it came to this.

It has zero to do with being insecure. He deserves that night SOLELY based on a full body of work and a career long commitment to this team and this organization.  It shouldn't have even been up for debate or for IT to do the 'right thing." If it's anyone's fault it got to this its the front office for even considering it on Paul's day. Paul has every right to feel how he feels.

It seems odd that in a team game, Pierce refuses to allow other Celtics players to be shown on the Jumbotron. Weirder still, he thinks he’s bigger than Danny Ainge and the organization.

Just because he’s a legend doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have a fragile ego and a petty streak.


I thought he had outgrown that, but Paul always had a bit of a diva streak.

Never thought I would see this level of disrespect for Paul on there boards.

Saddens me.

How about you talk that trash about that guy who couldn't be happy having his moment the first time he came back?

None of this is on Paul.

Literally all of this would have been avoided by IT not being picky about his video (which is absolutely unprecedented).

I honestly think a lot differently of you seeing this sort of tabloid hot take.

[cman88]

the Isaiah Thomas trade has clouded some peoples opinions...

Somehow it is selfish for Paul pierce, who won a ring in boston and played for the team for 15 years to want a night all to himself when his number is being retired into the rafters.

Yet, it was not selfish for Isaiah Thomas, a player who played 2 1/2 years in boston to demand that his 3 minute tribute video (something the team doesnt even have to do...and its starting to get ridiculous when we give one to Olynyk...) demands that his tribute be put the same night as pierces because he wants to wait to play until he can show the Celtics they made the wrong decision...

[mmmmm]

Some of this trashing of Paul Pierce and looking at IT as the messiah is kinda pathetic. If you can only see Pierce as being selfish, and IT as the “victim”...you’re probably being obtuse at this point. Pierce was being petty (I don’t fully blame him), but he should have never been in the position to even have to speak on “his day”. The Celtics made this into a spectacle and the media ran with it.

Eh, there are several folks on this blog who were lightning quick to cast Isaiah as some sort of villain and Pierce as some sort of 'victim' so that silliness works both ways.

As I said in a front-page comment, people want to make villains out of this but there really are no villains here among the main characters.  Just an unfortunate schedule.

Recap:   The Celtics tell Thomas that they want to do a video tribute.  But as the date got near, it became apparent to Thomas that he wouldn't be able to play in that game.  So what Isaiah asked for was not unreasonable: "Can we hold off until I’m actually playing in a game?"

By itself, that’s not at all unreasonable. And Danny was being totally reasonable to accommodate it.

It only became a problem because (a) the schedule, which has the next logical day for the tribute being the same day as Pierce’ number ceremony and (b) because Pierce doesn’t want to share the stage.

If the vagaries of the schedule were any different, if Pierce’s number ceremony were, say, 3 days later on the 14th against the Clippers (which would have been nice because Doc Rivers would be there), then there would be no controversy here. Or two days earlier against the Pacers (maybe Larry could be in the house) on the 9th, then again, their would have been no controversy.

But the Pierce ceremony date was scheduled months ago and so was the NBA game schedule and neither is changing.  So Thomas has done the right thing and politely begged out of having a video tribute on that night.

No villains here.   Just an unfortunate schedule.

And a bunch of fans projecting thoughts and intentions onto strangers in order to support their narratives.

[Roy H.]

the Isaiah Thomas trade has clouded some peoples opinions...

Somehow it is selfish for Paul pierce, who won a ring in boston and played for the team for 15 years to want a night all to himself when his number is being retired into the rafters.

Yet, it was not selfish for Isaiah Thomas, a player who played 2 1/2 years in boston to demand that his 3 minute tribute video (something the team doesnt even have to do...and its starting to get ridiculous when we give one to Olynyk...) demands that his tribute be put the same night as pierces because he wants to wait to play until he can show the Celtics they made the wrong decision...

Honest question, do you know the difference between a demand and a request?

That’s the key difference in my mind. IT made a private request. The team could have said no, but they didn’t. Then, Pierce took things public in the national media, later demanding that the Celtics not show IT highlists, and sharing Danny’s private conversations publicly.

Pierce was a great player. That doesn’t make him a flawless paragon of virtue, and it doesn’t make him automatically correct here.

[wayupnorth]

Some of this trashing of Paul Pierce and looking at IT as the messiah is kinda pathetic. If you can only see Pierce as being selfish, and IT as the “victim”...you’re probably being obtuse at this point. Pierce was being petty (I don’t fully blame him), but he should have never been in the position to even have to speak on “his day”. The Celtics made this into a spectacle and the media ran with it.

Eh, there are several folks on this blog who were lightning quick to cast Isaiah as some sort of villain and Pierce as some sort of 'victim' so that silliness works both ways.

As I said in a front-page comment, people want to make villains out of this but there really are no villains here among the main characters.  Just an unfortunate schedule.

Recap:   The Celtics tell Thomas that they want to do a video tribute.  But as the date got near, it became apparent to Thomas that he wouldn't be able to play in that game.  So what Isaiah asked for was not unreasonable: "Can we hold off until I’m actually playing in a game?"

By itself, that’s not at all unreasonable. And Danny was being totally reasonable to accommodate it.

It only became a problem because (a) the schedule, which has the next logical day for the tribute being the same day as Pierce’ number ceremony and (b) because Pierce doesn’t want to share the stage.

If the vagaries of the schedule were any different, if Pierce’s number ceremony were, say, 3 days later on the 14th against the Clippers (which would have been nice because Doc Rivers would be there), then there would be no controversy here. Or two days earlier against the Pacers (maybe Larry could be in the house) on the 9th, then again, their would have been no controversy.

But the Pierce ceremony date was scheduled months ago and so was the NBA game schedule and neither is changing.  So Thomas has done the right thing and politely begged out of having a video tribute on that night.

No villains here.   Just an unfortunate schedule.

And a bunch of fans projecting thoughts and intentions onto strangers in order to support their narratives.

Personally I find that super unreasonable.

The only reason Danny obliged is guilt, and wanting to smooth things over with IT.

I have literally never heard, in an sport, of a player dictating when his tribute video or moment is.

That is ludicrous.

Why didn't KG do that when he first went back to Minny, even though he wasn't playing, and was far more integral to that franchise than IT to ours?

Because it is foolish.

This doesn't mean I think IT is a villain at all, but what part of that is reasonable?

To prove it is reasonable, please show me one instance of that happening before, ever.

[mmmmm]

the Isaiah Thomas trade has clouded some peoples opinions...

Somehow it is selfish for Paul pierce, who won a ring in boston and played for the team for 15 years to want a night all to himself when his number is being retired into the rafters.

Yet, it was not selfish for Isaiah Thomas, a player who played 2 1/2 years in boston to demand that his 3 minute tribute video (something the team doesnt even have to do...and its starting to get ridiculous when we give one to Olynyk...) demands that his tribute be put the same night as pierces because he wants to wait to play until he can show the Celtics they made the wrong decision...

Where on earth did Thomas ever "demand" anything in all of this?  You are just making up your own fantasy narrative here.

Thomas has made just two requests in all of this:  (1) He politely requested the video not be done on a night when he wasn't playing and (2) he again politely requested the video not be done on a night that was to be dedicated to Pierce.

That's it.  Jeeezus.   What the heck is the guy supposed to do?

[wayupnorth]

the Isaiah Thomas trade has clouded some peoples opinions...

Somehow it is selfish for Paul pierce, who won a ring in boston and played for the team for 15 years to want a night all to himself when his number is being retired into the rafters.

Yet, it was not selfish for Isaiah Thomas, a player who played 2 1/2 years in boston to demand that his 3 minute tribute video (something the team doesnt even have to do...and its starting to get ridiculous when we give one to Olynyk...) demands that his tribute be put the same night as pierces because he wants to wait to play until he can show the Celtics they made the wrong decision...

Honest question, do you know the difference between a demand and a request?

That’s the key difference in my mind. IT made a private request. The team could have said no, but they didn’t. Then, Pierce took things public in the national media, later demanding that the Celtics not show IT highlists, and sharing Danny’s private conversations publicly.

Pierce was a great player. That doesn’t make him a flawless paragon of virtue, and it doesn’t make him automatically correct here.

You have taken the position before that IT has only talked about the C's when asked by media, and was just answering a question.

This all started when Pierce was asked about it on The Jump.

He didn't just come out and say it, he was asked.

Why not give Pierce the benefit of the doubt like you gave IT.

[sed522002]

Some of this trashing of Paul Pierce and looking at IT as the messiah is kinda pathetic. If you can only see Pierce as being selfish, and IT as the “victim”...you’re probably being obtuse at this point. Pierce was being petty (I don’t fully blame him), but he should have never been in the position to even have to speak on “his day”. The Celtics made this into a spectacle and the media ran with it.

Show one post claiming IT is the messiah, please.

Save that weak response for yourself. You know it was a figurative comment, but whatever fanboy away  Based on your other comments, you can’t have an objective opinion about IT, so it’s a waste of time.

[Roy H.]

the Isaiah Thomas trade has clouded some peoples opinions...

Somehow it is selfish for Paul pierce, who won a ring in boston and played for the team for 15 years to want a night all to himself when his number is being retired into the rafters.

Yet, it was not selfish for Isaiah Thomas, a player who played 2 1/2 years in boston to demand that his 3 minute tribute video (something the team doesnt even have to do...and its starting to get ridiculous when we give one to Olynyk...) demands that his tribute be put the same night as pierces because he wants to wait to play until he can show the Celtics they made the wrong decision...

Honest question, do you know the difference between a demand and a request?

That’s the key difference in my mind. IT made a private request. The team could have said no, but they didn’t. Then, Pierce took things public in the national media, later demanding that the Celtics not show IT highlists, and sharing Danny’s private conversations publicly.

Pierce was a great player. That doesn’t make him a flawless paragon of virtue, and it doesn’t make him automatically correct here.

You have taken the position before that IT has only talked about the C's when asked by media, and was just answering a question.

This all started when Pierce was asked about it on The Jump.

He didn't just come out and say it, he was asked.

Why not give Pierce the benefit of the doubt like you gave IT.

I'd love to see where I said that about IT.

Regardless, Pierce is a member of the media.  He's put this story out there, in the media.  He shared Danny's private conversation with him, in the media.

Paul is acting like a diva.

[mmmmm]

Some of this trashing of Paul Pierce and looking at IT as the messiah is kinda pathetic. If you can only see Pierce as being selfish, and IT as the “victim”...you’re probably being obtuse at this point. Pierce was being petty (I don’t fully blame him), but he should have never been in the position to even have to speak on “his day”. The Celtics made this into a spectacle and the media ran with it.

Eh, there are several folks on this blog who were lightning quick to cast Isaiah as some sort of villain and Pierce as some sort of 'victim' so that silliness works both ways.

As I said in a front-page comment, people want to make villains out of this but there really are no villains here among the main characters.  Just an unfortunate schedule.

Recap:   The Celtics tell Thomas that they want to do a video tribute.  But as the date got near, it became apparent to Thomas that he wouldn't be able to play in that game.  So what Isaiah asked for was not unreasonable: "Can we hold off until I’m actually playing in a game?"

By itself, that’s not at all unreasonable. And Danny was being totally reasonable to accommodate it.

It only became a problem because (a) the schedule, which has the next logical day for the tribute being the same day as Pierce’ number ceremony and (b) because Pierce doesn’t want to share the stage.

If the vagaries of the schedule were any different, if Pierce’s number ceremony were, say, 3 days later on the 14th against the Clippers (which would have been nice because Doc Rivers would be there), then there would be no controversy here. Or two days earlier against the Pacers (maybe Larry could be in the house) on the 9th, then again, their would have been no controversy.

But the Pierce ceremony date was scheduled months ago and so was the NBA game schedule and neither is changing.  So Thomas has done the right thing and politely begged out of having a video tribute on that night.

No villains here.   Just an unfortunate schedule.

And a bunch of fans projecting thoughts and intentions onto strangers in order to support their narratives.

Personally I find throat super unreasonable.

The only reason Dsanny obliged is guilt, and wanting to smooth things over with IT.

I have literally never heard, in an sport, of a player dictating when his tribute video or moment is.

That is ludicrous.

Why didn't KG do that when he first went back to Minny?

Because it is foolish.

This doesn't mean I think IT is a villain at all, but what part of that is reasonable?

To prove it is reasonable, please show me one instance of that happening before, ever.

What the?  This take of your makes no sense to me.   It doesn't have to have happened before to be reasonable.  That's a totally made up threshold on your part.    I don't have to go digging through the probably hundreds of cases of former player video tributes that have happened over the decades looking for one to make you happy.  Sorry.   In real life events get rescheduled out of common courtesy all the time.

As I pointed out very clearly.  If the Pierce ceremony had been scheduled for _any_ other date, no one on the planet would have thought that Thomas' request to delay the video presentation as unreasonable at all.

Further, you use the word "dictating".  Considering that all the guy did was politely _request_ a change, your wording is pretty heavily skewed with your own biases.   Thomas didn't "dictate" anything.  He asked politely to defer.  And then when he realized the new date was a problem for some folks he again, politely asked to defer.

[wayupnorth]

the Isaiah Thomas trade has clouded some peoples opinions...

Somehow it is selfish for Paul pierce, who won a ring in boston and played for the team for 15 years to want a night all to himself when his number is being retired into the rafters.

Yet, it was not selfish for Isaiah Thomas, a player who played 2 1/2 years in boston to demand that his 3 minute tribute video (something the team doesnt even have to do...and its starting to get ridiculous when we give one to Olynyk...) demands that his tribute be put the same night as pierces because he wants to wait to play until he can show the Celtics they made the wrong decision...

Honest question, do you know the difference between a demand and a request?

That’s the key difference in my mind. IT made a private request. The team could have said no, but they didn’t. Then, Pierce took things public in the national media, later demanding that the Celtics not show IT highlists, and sharing Danny’s private conversations publicly.

Pierce was a great player. That doesn’t make him a flawless paragon of virtue, and it doesn’t make him automatically correct here.

You have taken the position before that IT has only talked about the C's when asked by media, and was just answering a question.

This all started when Pierce was asked about it on The Jump.

He didn't just come out and say it, he was asked.

Why not give Pierce the benefit of the doubt like you gave IT.

I'd love to see where I said that about IT.

Regardless, Pierce is a member of the media.  He's put this story out there, in the media.  He shared Danny's private conversation with him, in the media.

Paul is acting like a diva.

Completely disagree.

When have you ever seen a player ask for a video to be moved to a game when they play?

Why didn't KG ask the Wolves to hold out when he wasn't playing?

It is an extremely unreasonable request.

[Roy H.]

Ainge said Tuesday night that Thomas intended all along to bow out of the video tribute once he learned of Pierce's reservations. He also said when he and Thomas' agent, Aaron Goodwin, first discussed an alternate date for a Thomas tribute, which was originally scheduled for Jan. 3, neither of them realized the next time the Cavaliers came to town would be the night that Pierce was being honored. ...

"I wanted to make it clear that it was never my intention or Isaiah's intention to take away from the special day for Paul Pierce," Ainge told ESPN. "And no one was ever comparing I.T. to Paul Pierce. We all owe Paul a lot. Everyone in the organization."

Ainge said the team planned to play the Thomas tribute during the pregame introductions.

"It was only going to be during that segment," Ainge explained. "During the rest of the game, it was going to be all Paul Pierce."

[wayupnorth]

Some of this trashing of Paul Pierce and looking at IT as the messiah is kinda pathetic. If you can only see Pierce as being selfish, and IT as the “victim”...you’re probably being obtuse at this point. Pierce was being petty (I don’t fully blame him), but he should have never been in the position to even have to speak on “his day”. The Celtics made this into a spectacle and the media ran with it.

Eh, there are several folks on this blog who were lightning quick to cast Isaiah as some sort of villain and Pierce as some sort of 'victim' so that silliness works both ways.

As I said in a front-page comment, people want to make villains out of this but there really are no villains here among the main characters.  Just an unfortunate schedule.

Recap:   The Celtics tell Thomas that they want to do a video tribute.  But as the date got near, it became apparent to Thomas that he wouldn't be able to play in that game.  So what Isaiah asked for was not unreasonable: "Can we hold off until I’m actually playing in a game?"

By itself, that’s not at all unreasonable. And Danny was being totally reasonable to accommodate it.

It only became a problem because (a) the schedule, which has the next logical day for the tribute being the same day as Pierce’ number ceremony and (b) because Pierce doesn’t want to share the stage.

If the vagaries of the schedule were any different, if Pierce’s number ceremony were, say, 3 days later on the 14th against the Clippers (which would have been nice because Doc Rivers would be there), then there would be no controversy here. Or two days earlier against the Pacers (maybe Larry could be in the house) on the 9th, then again, their would have been no controversy.

But the Pierce ceremony date was scheduled months ago and so was the NBA game schedule and neither is changing.  So Thomas has done the right thing and politely begged out of having a video tribute on that night.

No villains here.   Just an unfortunate schedule.

And a bunch of fans projecting thoughts and intentions onto strangers in order to support their narratives.

Personally I find throat super unreasonable.

The only reason Dsanny obliged is guilt, and wanting to smooth things over with IT.

I have literally never heard, in an sport, of a player dictating when his tribute video or moment is.

That is ludicrous.

Why didn't KG do that when he first went back to Minny?

Because it is foolish.

This doesn't mean I think IT is a villain at all, but what part of that is reasonable?

To prove it is reasonable, please show me one instance of that happening before, ever.

What the?  This take of your makes no sense to me.   It doesn't have to have happened before to be reasonable.  That's a totally made up threshold on your part.    I don't have to go digging through the probably hundreds of cases of former player video tributes that have happened over the decades looking for one to make you happy.  Sorry.   In real life events get rescheduled out of common courtesy all the time.

As I pointed out very clearly.  If the Pierce ceremony had been scheduled for _any_ other date, no one on the planet would have thought that Thomas' request to delay the video presentation as unreasonable at all.

Further, you use the word "dictating".  Considering that all the guy did was politely _request_ a change, your wording is pretty heavily skewed with your own biases.   Thomas didn't "dictate" anything.  He asked politely to defer.  And then when he realized the new date was a problem for some folks he again, politely asked to defer.

His response wasn't exactly polite. The use of the word "apparently" in it clearly proves that.

If it was a reasonable thing to do, at least one player would have done it before.

It simply is ludicrous to even ask about it, let alone ask it to be moved.

If a player as monumental to a team as KG was to Minny, didn't need to ask to have his moment take place when he was playing, it is super unreasonable for a far lesser player to ask for it.

[sed522002]

Now, I just want for Pierce to not mention this again..lol. I don’t care if they ask him on the show, he needs to just say that it’s “been handled” and leave it at that. Don’t share what anyone else feels about the situation...just leave it be. With everything going on in the NBA, THIS should be a non-conversation.