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

[mmmmm]

It was 2.5 seasons though.  He doesn't deserve a video tribute.  Neither did Crowder, Bradley, or Olynyk.  This video tribute nonsense has reached comical levels.

I have no problem with the (minute long) video tribute. He had a season of historic proportions, and single-handedly steered the team around. It's not like we're inducting him in the team's hall of fame, or anything. But his constant yapping and desire to control the process leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

You're being honored by the franchise that gave the NBA Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and multiple other all-time greats. Show a little humility.

Is he _really_ "constantly yapping" about this, though?  He's basically responded to questions and said kind of the minimum required.   Fans and people with hilariously strong opinions about the 'character' of each of these guys are the ones doing all the yapping.

[Ilikesports17]

Rondo also fired a shot at IT implying that he doesn't deserve the video tribute:

Ouch. But true.

Love how it’s WE.!!

After he quit on the team, skipped games and stopped playing defense he doesn’t have a lot of room to critique others. 

IT loved playing here and gave his heart and soul to this team. That’s what we’d be celebrating. 

If anybody didn’t deserve a tribute video, it’s Rondo, based upon the way that he dogged it on his way out of town.

In terms of Celtics legacies Rondo > IT

[mmmmm]

It was 2.5 seasons though.  He doesn't deserve a video tribute.  Neither did Crowder, Bradley, or Olynyk.  This video tribute nonsense has reached comical levels.

What do you think the minimum threshold should be to earn a video tribute?

I don't think there is a minimum per se.  For example, if KG came here won a title in year 1, got hurt in year 2, and never played again for the C's, I would think a video would have made sense in that situation.  Thomas played 2.5 seasons and was 2-3 in playoff series, wasn't a MVP, etc.  He had some nice seasons and the ECF appearance last year was nice, but I just don't see his tenure as something that should be honored in any real way.  Crowder, Bradley, and Olynyk were all here longer than IT, but they are all much worse players and aren't worthy of a special honor because they just weren't good enough. 

When you honor everyone, you honor no one.  Video tributes should be an honor, you shouldn't just hand them out like candy on Halloween.

I agree.

I would convey this message somehow to IT if I were Danny.

Dear IT, I'm sorry that I traded you and hurt your feelings. You put it out there on the line and you feel like you weren't compensated by the Celtics like you wanted to be. At some point (I know its hard) you are going to have to realize that there are better players than you. Lebron (the big guy on your team) is better than you. Anthony Davis is better than you. Kyrie Irving is better than you. I acquired you by trading Marcus Thornton and a pick that became Skal Labissiere. I traded you and pieces for Kyrie frickin Irving. This clearly hurt your feelings, as it would many of us. What you fail to see is that I made a huge profit on these two trades. That is my job.

It's not about you. It's about team. It's about championships. That is what we celebrate here in Boston. I hope that you understand this sooner than later. I want the rest of your career to go well, and I hope you sign with a winner. Thank you for your time here. Last year's playoff run was fun to watch. We appreciate you and would love to celebrate you with a video at another time (maybe this year in the playoffs- how cool would that be). That is going to have to work for you. You can ask me again to show/not show a quick video, but I really don't care. You were part of our past, and we'd like to remember you fondly. Let's move on to the next chapter with mutual respect and composure. IT the player deserves to be remembered like this.

-Danny (aka the best GM in the league)

I'm sorry, but this is just getting silly.   First off, it is the _Celtics_ (i.e., Danny) who first told Thomas they were going to do a video tribute.  Thomas didn't _ask_ for it.  So it's misrepresenting the dynamic to suggest it is something he should/should not ask for.    Second of all, no, it is NOT "all about championships".  That cat has LOOOONG been out of the bag because the Cs have done many video tributes for former Celtic players who haven't sniffed a championship.  Third, Danny's comments several weeks ago made it clear he honestly did not see the big deal with celebrating both on the same night.  So your little pretend letter reads as pure fan fiction that has nothing to do with what you should ever expect Danny Ainge to feel or to write.

You can blame Thomas for not thinking ahead about a reschedule interfering with Pierce's tribute but by the same token you have to also blame Danny for the same.   

Ultimately, this all ended up putting Thomas in a bad spot when all he was trying to do was accommodate his family because, jesus, the reality is that it is a lot to ask to have normal folks shuttle back and forth between the west coast and Boston in the middle of the week just for a little 2 minute video at a game when Thomas wouldn't even be playing.   It's just dumb misfortune that the NBA schedule (a) had the first CLE game just a week or so too early for Thomas to be back playing yet and (b) the second CLE game happened to fall on the Pierce retirement night.

If not for that schedule, none of this is an issue.

But i guess it's just more fodder for people to feel good and righteous about themselves.

[kozlodoev]

It was 2.5 seasons though.  He doesn't deserve a video tribute.  Neither did Crowder, Bradley, or Olynyk.  This video tribute nonsense has reached comical levels.

I have no problem with the (minute long) video tribute. He had a season of historic proportions, and single-handedly steered the team around. It's not like we're inducting him in the team's hall of fame, or anything. But his constant yapping and desire to control the process leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth.

You're being honored by the franchise that gave the NBA Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and multiple other all-time greats. Show a little humility.

Is he _really_ "constantly yapping" about this, though?  He's basically responded to questions and said kind of the minimum required.   Fans and people with hilariously strong opinions about the 'character' of each of these guys are the ones doing all the yapping.

The constant yapping was more about airing his grievances about his time with the Celtics all the time. He doesn't have to talk about that even if they ask him questions. And then there's the tribute. I think the idea that he wants his family to be there when they show that one-minute video on the jumbotron is hilarious. Garnett stepped on the court in street clothes to be acknowledged in MN. He should have done the same, and the team should have shown the tribute the first time he was in the building. That's not a musical wish radio show.

[Ilikesports17]

It was 2.5 seasons though.  He doesn't deserve a video tribute.  Neither did Crowder, Bradley, or Olynyk.  This video tribute nonsense has reached comical levels.

What do you think the minimum threshold should be to earn a video tribute?

I don't think there is a minimum per se.  For example, if KG came here won a title in year 1, got hurt in year 2, and never played again for the C's, I would think a video would have made sense in that situation.  Thomas played 2.5 seasons and was 2-3 in playoff series, wasn't a MVP, etc.  He had some nice seasons and the ECF appearance last year was nice, but I just don't see his tenure as something that should be honored in any real way.  Crowder, Bradley, and Olynyk were all here longer than IT, but they are all much worse players and aren't worthy of a special honor because they just weren't good enough. 

When you honor everyone, you honor no one.  Video tributes should be an honor, you shouldn't just hand them out like candy on Halloween.

I agree.

I would convey this message somehow to IT if I were Danny.

Dear IT, I'm sorry that I traded you and hurt your feelings. You put it out there on the line and you feel like you weren't compensated by the Celtics like you wanted to be. At some point (I know its hard) you are going to have to realize that there are better players than you. Lebron (the big guy on your team) is better than you. Anthony Davis is better than you. Kyrie Irving is better than you. I acquired you by trading Marcus Thornton and a pick that became Skal Labissiere. I traded you and pieces for Kyrie frickin Irving. This clearly hurt your feelings, as it would many of us. What you fail to see is that I made a huge profit on these two trades. That is my job.

It's not about you. It's about team. It's about championships. That is what we celebrate here in Boston. I hope that you understand this sooner than later. I want the rest of your career to go well, and I hope you sign with a winner. Thank you for your time here. Last year's playoff run was fun to watch. We appreciate you and would love to celebrate you with a video at another time (maybe this year in the playoffs- how cool would that be). That is going to have to work for you. You can ask me again to show/not show a quick video, but I really don't care. You were part of our past, and we'd like to remember you fondly. Let's move on to the next chapter with mutual respect and composure. IT the player deserves to be remembered like this.

-Danny (aka the best GM in the league)

I'm sorry, but this is just getting silly.   First off, it is the _Celtics_ (i.e., Danny) who first told Thomas they were going to do a video tribute.  Thomas didn't _ask_ for it.  So it's misrepresenting the dynamic to suggest it is something he should/should not ask for.    Second of all, no, it is NOT "all about championships".  That cat has LOOOONG been out of the bag because the Cs have done many video tributes for former Celtic players who haven't sniffed a championship.  Third, Danny's comments several weeks ago made it clear he honestly did not see the big deal with celebrating both on the same night.  So your little pretend letter reads as pure fan fiction that has nothing to do with what you should ever expect Danny Ainge to feel or to write.

You can blame Thomas for not thinking ahead about a reschedule interfering with Pierce's tribute but by the same token you have to also blame Danny for the same.   

Ultimately, this all ended up putting Thomas in a bad spot when all he was trying to do was accommodate his family because, jesus, the reality is that it is a lot to ask to have normal folks shuttle back and forth between the west coast and Boston in the middle of the week just for a little 2 minute video at a game when Thomas wouldn't even be playing.   It's just dumb misfortune that the NBA schedule (a) had the first CLE game just a week or so too early for Thomas to be back playing yet and (b) the second CLE game happened to fall on the Pierce retirement night.

If not for that schedule, none of this is an issue.

But i guess it's just more fodder for people to feel good and righteous about themselves.

I have a hard time labeling ITs family as "regular folk". He makes 8 mil a year and knew this would be his return date for months.

[mmmmm]

It was 2.5 seasons though.  He doesn't deserve a video tribute.  Neither did Crowder, Bradley, or Olynyk.  This video tribute nonsense has reached comical levels.

What do you think the minimum threshold should be to earn a video tribute?

I don't think there is a minimum per se.  For example, if KG came here won a title in year 1, got hurt in year 2, and never played again for the C's, I would think a video would have made sense in that situation.  Thomas played 2.5 seasons and was 2-3 in playoff series, wasn't a MVP, etc.  He had some nice seasons and the ECF appearance last year was nice, but I just don't see his tenure as something that should be honored in any real way.  Crowder, Bradley, and Olynyk were all here longer than IT, but they are all much worse players and aren't worthy of a special honor because they just weren't good enough. 

When you honor everyone, you honor no one.  Video tributes should be an honor, you shouldn't just hand them out like candy on Halloween.

I agree.

I would convey this message somehow to IT if I were Danny.

Dear IT, I'm sorry that I traded you and hurt your feelings. You put it out there on the line and you feel like you weren't compensated by the Celtics like you wanted to be. At some point (I know its hard) you are going to have to realize that there are better players than you. Lebron (the big guy on your team) is better than you. Anthony Davis is better than you. Kyrie Irving is better than you. I acquired you by trading Marcus Thornton and a pick that became Skal Labissiere. I traded you and pieces for Kyrie frickin Irving. This clearly hurt your feelings, as it would many of us. What you fail to see is that I made a huge profit on these two trades. That is my job.

It's not about you. It's about team. It's about championships. That is what we celebrate here in Boston. I hope that you understand this sooner than later. I want the rest of your career to go well, and I hope you sign with a winner. Thank you for your time here. Last year's playoff run was fun to watch. We appreciate you and would love to celebrate you with a video at another time (maybe this year in the playoffs- how cool would that be). That is going to have to work for you. You can ask me again to show/not show a quick video, but I really don't care. You were part of our past, and we'd like to remember you fondly. Let's move on to the next chapter with mutual respect and composure. IT the player deserves to be remembered like this.

-Danny (aka the best GM in the league)

I'm sorry, but this is just getting silly.   First off, it is the _Celtics_ (i.e., Danny) who first told Thomas they were going to do a video tribute.  Thomas didn't _ask_ for it.  So it's misrepresenting the dynamic to suggest it is something he should/should not ask for.    Second of all, no, it is NOT "all about championships".  That cat has LOOOONG been out of the bag because the Cs have done many video tributes for former Celtic players who haven't sniffed a championship.  Third, Danny's comments several weeks ago made it clear he honestly did not see the big deal with celebrating both on the same night.  So your little pretend letter reads as pure fan fiction that has nothing to do with what you should ever expect Danny Ainge to feel or to write.

You can blame Thomas for not thinking ahead about a reschedule interfering with Pierce's tribute but by the same token you have to also blame Danny for the same.   

Ultimately, this all ended up putting Thomas in a bad spot when all he was trying to do was accommodate his family because, jesus, the reality is that it is a lot to ask to have normal folks shuttle back and forth between the west coast and Boston in the middle of the week just for a little 2 minute video at a game when Thomas wouldn't even be playing.   It's just dumb misfortune that the NBA schedule (a) had the first CLE game just a week or so too early for Thomas to be back playing yet and (b) the second CLE game happened to fall on the Pierce retirement night.

If not for that schedule, none of this is an issue.

But i guess it's just more fodder for people to feel good and righteous about themselves.

I have a hard time labeling ITs family as "regular folk". He makes 8 mil a year and knew this would be his return date for months.

Thomas makes 6.26M, not 8M.  He's never had one of the giant contracts and he's fresh off an injury that has threatened to make that never happen.   He's still not guaranteed to ever get a big pay day.

And while that 6.26M may sound like a lot to you, it can be spread pretty thin quickly when you think of a pro athlete as a small business.  And however much money he might make, the rest of his family are indeed normal people with real 9-to-5 jobs and schools they have to attend and pets that need to be cared for and so on.   It's a simple physical fact that flying back and forth across the country takes time and is a big logistical endeavor, especially for people and their families who don't do that a lot.

Why is it so hard to realize that pro athletes are human beings?

That he knew which day would be the Cavs first game in Boston for months doesn't mean much.  He could not have been certain whether he'd be allowed to play or not by then.

[Roy H.]

Rondo also fired a shot at IT implying that he doesn't deserve the video tribute:

Ouch. But true.

Love how it’s WE.!!

After he quit on the team, skipped games and stopped playing defense he doesn’t have a lot of room to critique others. 

IT loved playing here and gave his heart and soul to this team. That’s what we’d be celebrating. 

If anybody didn’t deserve a tribute video, it’s Rondo, based upon the way that he dogged it on his way out of town.

In terms of Celtics legacies Rondo > IT

Sure. He was drafted here and played more seasons here. He was somewhere between the 4th and 6th best player on a title team, a goal IT never achieved.

That said, if you swap IT and Rondo, the 2008 squad would have still won, while there’s little chance that last year’s team makes the ECF.  Plus, IT never dogged it, unlike what we saw at the end of Rondo’s career. It soured things.

[Roy H.]

It was 2.5 seasons though.  He doesn't deserve a video tribute.  Neither did Crowder, Bradley, or Olynyk.  This video tribute nonsense has reached comical levels.

What do you think the minimum threshold should be to earn a video tribute?

I don't think there is a minimum per se.  For example, if KG came here won a title in year 1, got hurt in year 2, and never played again for the C's, I would think a video would have made sense in that situation.  Thomas played 2.5 seasons and was 2-3 in playoff series, wasn't a MVP, etc.  He had some nice seasons and the ECF appearance last year was nice, but I just don't see his tenure as something that should be honored in any real way.  Crowder, Bradley, and Olynyk were all here longer than IT, but they are all much worse players and aren't worthy of a special honor because they just weren't good enough. 

When you honor everyone, you honor no one.  Video tributes should be an honor, you shouldn't just hand them out like candy on Halloween.

I agree.

I would convey this message somehow to IT if I were Danny.

Dear IT, I'm sorry that I traded you and hurt your feelings. You put it out there on the line and you feel like you weren't compensated by the Celtics like you wanted to be. At some point (I know its hard) you are going to have to realize that there are better players than you. Lebron (the big guy on your team) is better than you. Anthony Davis is better than you. Kyrie Irving is better than you. I acquired you by trading Marcus Thornton and a pick that became Skal Labissiere. I traded you and pieces for Kyrie frickin Irving. This clearly hurt your feelings, as it would many of us. What you fail to see is that I made a huge profit on these two trades. That is my job.

It's not about you. It's about team. It's about championships. That is what we celebrate here in Boston. I hope that you understand this sooner than later. I want the rest of your career to go well, and I hope you sign with a winner. Thank you for your time here. Last year's playoff run was fun to watch. We appreciate you and would love to celebrate you with a video at another time (maybe this year in the playoffs- how cool would that be). That is going to have to work for you. You can ask me again to show/not show a quick video, but I really don't care. You were part of our past, and we'd like to remember you fondly. Let's move on to the next chapter with mutual respect and composure. IT the player deserves to be remembered like this.

-Danny (aka the best GM in the league)

I'm sorry, but this is just getting silly.   First off, it is the _Celtics_ (i.e., Danny) who first told Thomas they were going to do a video tribute.  Thomas didn't _ask_ for it.  So it's misrepresenting the dynamic to suggest it is something he should/should not ask for.    Second of all, no, it is NOT "all about championships".  That cat has LOOOONG been out of the bag because the Cs have done many video tributes for former Celtic players who haven't sniffed a championship.  Third, Danny's comments several weeks ago made it clear he honestly did not see the big deal with celebrating both on the same night.  So your little pretend letter reads as pure fan fiction that has nothing to do with what you should ever expect Danny Ainge to feel or to write.

You can blame Thomas for not thinking ahead about a reschedule interfering with Pierce's tribute but by the same token you have to also blame Danny for the same.   

Ultimately, this all ended up putting Thomas in a bad spot when all he was trying to do was accommodate his family because, jesus, the reality is that it is a lot to ask to have normal folks shuttle back and forth between the west coast and Boston in the middle of the week just for a little 2 minute video at a game when Thomas wouldn't even be playing.   It's just dumb misfortune that the NBA schedule (a) had the first CLE game just a week or so too early for Thomas to be back playing yet and (b) the second CLE game happened to fall on the Pierce retirement night.

If not for that schedule, none of this is an issue.

But i guess it's just more fodder for people to feel good and righteous about themselves.

I have a hard time labeling ITs family as "regular folk". He makes 8 mil a year and knew this would be his return date for months.

I’d say they’re pretty regular. Chyna was driving a 1998 Camry when she died.  His family isn’t rich just because he is.

[green_bballers13]

It was 2.5 seasons though.  He doesn't deserve a video tribute.  Neither did Crowder, Bradley, or Olynyk.  This video tribute nonsense has reached comical levels.

What do you think the minimum threshold should be to earn a video tribute?

I don't think there is a minimum per se.  For example, if KG came here won a title in year 1, got hurt in year 2, and never played again for the C's, I would think a video would have made sense in that situation.  Thomas played 2.5 seasons and was 2-3 in playoff series, wasn't a MVP, etc.  He had some nice seasons and the ECF appearance last year was nice, but I just don't see his tenure as something that should be honored in any real way.  Crowder, Bradley, and Olynyk were all here longer than IT, but they are all much worse players and aren't worthy of a special honor because they just weren't good enough. 

When you honor everyone, you honor no one.  Video tributes should be an honor, you shouldn't just hand them out like candy on Halloween.

I agree.

I would convey this message somehow to IT if I were Danny.

Dear IT, I'm sorry that I traded you and hurt your feelings. You put it out there on the line and you feel like you weren't compensated by the Celtics like you wanted to be. At some point (I know its hard) you are going to have to realize that there are better players than you. Lebron (the big guy on your team) is better than you. Anthony Davis is better than you. Kyrie Irving is better than you. I acquired you by trading Marcus Thornton and a pick that became Skal Labissiere. I traded you and pieces for Kyrie frickin Irving. This clearly hurt your feelings, as it would many of us. What you fail to see is that I made a huge profit on these two trades. That is my job.

It's not about you. It's about team. It's about championships. That is what we celebrate here in Boston. I hope that you understand this sooner than later. I want the rest of your career to go well, and I hope you sign with a winner. Thank you for your time here. Last year's playoff run was fun to watch. We appreciate you and would love to celebrate you with a video at another time (maybe this year in the playoffs- how cool would that be). That is going to have to work for you. You can ask me again to show/not show a quick video, but I really don't care. You were part of our past, and we'd like to remember you fondly. Let's move on to the next chapter with mutual respect and composure. IT the player deserves to be remembered like this.

-Danny (aka the best GM in the league)

I'm sorry, but this is just getting silly.   First off, it is the _Celtics_ (i.e., Danny) who first told Thomas they were going to do a video tribute.  Thomas didn't _ask_ for it.  So it's misrepresenting the dynamic to suggest it is something he should/should not ask for.    Second of all, no, it is NOT "all about championships".  That cat has LOOOONG been out of the bag because the Cs have done many video tributes for former Celtic players who haven't sniffed a championship.  Third, Danny's comments several weeks ago made it clear he honestly did not see the big deal with celebrating both on the same night.  So your little pretend letter reads as pure fan fiction that has nothing to do with what you should ever expect Danny Ainge to feel or to write.

You can blame Thomas for not thinking ahead about a reschedule interfering with Pierce's tribute but by the same token you have to also blame Danny for the same.   

Ultimately, this all ended up putting Thomas in a bad spot when all he was trying to do was accommodate his family because, jesus, the reality is that it is a lot to ask to have normal folks shuttle back and forth between the west coast and Boston in the middle of the week just for a little 2 minute video at a game when Thomas wouldn't even be playing.   It's just dumb misfortune that the NBA schedule (a) had the first CLE game just a week or so too early for Thomas to be back playing yet and (b) the second CLE game happened to fall on the Pierce retirement night.

If not for that schedule, none of this is an issue.

But i guess it's just more fodder for people to feel good and righteous about themselves.

I have a hard time labeling ITs family as "regular folk". He makes 8 mil a year and knew this would be his return date for months.

Thomas makes 6.26M, not 8M.  He's never had one of the giant contracts and he's fresh off an injury that has threatened to make that never happen.   He's still not guaranteed to ever get a big pay day.

And while that 6.26M may sound like a lot to you, it can be spread pretty thin quickly when you think of a pro athlete as a small business.  And however much money he might make, the rest of his family are indeed normal people with real 9-to-5 jobs and schools they have to attend and pets that need to be cared for and so on.   It's a simple physical fact that flying back and forth across the country takes time and is a big logistical endeavor, especially for people and their families who don't do that a lot.

Why is it so hard to realize that pro athletes are human beings?

That he knew which day would be the Cavs first game in Boston for months doesn't mean much.  He could not have been certain whether he'd be allowed to play or not by then.

You're grasping at straws. IT doesn't have a large nuclear family (just checked). Let's say it costs $800 for a round trip ticket. Another $300 for a hotel room (let's give him 3 rooms). Let's assume that no one is going to pay for themselves. I don't see why that 2 minute video should cost IT more than $5k. He just got fined $20k and nobody started a charity to help him make ends meet.

I do agree that this is an opportunity for fans to pile on. While Roy was turned off by Rondo's last days in Boston, I was turned off by IT's outspoken comments. It is ok to be turned off by things that people say/do.

I do think that this was more of a logistical issue than anything, and all parties are to blame. I think my comments came from the context that CLE has been brutal since IT has returned. I'm not inferring any causality, but it doesn't look good for a player that is struggling to concern himself with these trivial matters. I would think that IT should be focused on the future and not the past, esp if he is going to help pay for his family to make future trips to NBA championships.

[RJ87]

In terms of Celtics legacies Rondo > IT

Sure. He was drafted here and played more seasons here. He was somewhere between the 4th and 6th best player on a title team, a goal IT never achieved.

That said, if you swap IT and Rondo, the 2008 squad would have still won, while there’s little chance that last year’s team makes the ECF.  Plus, IT never dogged it, unlike what we saw at the end of Rondo’s career. It soured things.

I completely disagree with that. At his peak, Rondo was an All-NBA caliber defender. In the Finals, he was disruptive on the defensive end. The 2008 squad was stellar on the defensive end, that takes a hit with IT in Rondo's place, no matter how much you disliked his ending here. Not taking away from anything IT did last year but you put IT on the 2008 squad, he's Eddie House.

[green_bballers13]

In terms of Celtics legacies Rondo > IT

Sure. He was drafted here and played more seasons here. He was somewhere between the 4th and 6th best player on a title team, a goal IT never achieved.

That said, if you swap IT and Rondo, the 2008 squad would have still won, while there’s little chance that last year’s team makes the ECF.  Plus, IT never dogged it, unlike what we saw at the end of Rondo’s career. It soured things.

I completely disagree with that. At his peak, Rondo was an All-NBA caliber defender. In the Finals, he was disruptive on the defensive end. The 2008 squad was stellar on the defensive end, that takes a hit with IT in Rondo's place, no matter how much you disliked his ending here. Not taking away from anything IT did last year but you put IT on the 2008 squad, he's Eddie House.

I think that is hyperbole. IT was a better playmaker in SAC and PHO than Eddie ever was. IT only got better when he came to BOS.

I loved Rondo and loved IT. We don't need to crap on these guys once they leave. Both players are not part of the Celtics' bright future, which is OK.

[Moranis]

In terms of Celtics legacies Rondo > IT

Sure. He was drafted here and played more seasons here. He was somewhere between the 4th and 6th best player on a title team, a goal IT never achieved.

That said, if you swap IT and Rondo, the 2008 squad would have still won, while there’s little chance that last year’s team makes the ECF.  Plus, IT never dogged it, unlike what we saw at the end of Rondo’s career. It soured things.

I completely disagree with that. At his peak, Rondo was an All-NBA caliber defender. In the Finals, he was disruptive on the defensive end. The 2008 squad was stellar on the defensive end, that takes a hit with IT in Rondo's place, no matter how much you disliked his ending here. Not taking away from anything IT did last year but you put IT on the 2008 squad, he's Eddie House.

Rondo was in his 2nd year in 2008.  Against the Lakers in the finals he averaged 9.3 p, 6.7 a, 3.8 r, 1.5 s, 0.5 b and shot 37.7% from two and 59.3% from the line (he was 0-3 from three).  His main defensive assignment was Derek Fisher.  Let's not pretend Rondo was some vital cog to that title team because he just wasn't.  You could make reasonable arguments that both James Posey and Kendrick Perkins were more valuable to that team than Rondo was (in addition to the Big 3).  Sure as the seasons went on Rondo's value and importance increased, but the title year, he was clearly a role player.

[mmmmm]

You're grasping at straws. IT doesn't have a large nuclear family (just checked). Let's say it costs $800 for a round trip ticket. Another $300 for a hotel room (let's give him 3 rooms). Let's assume that no one is going to pay for themselves. I don't see why that 2 minute video should cost IT more than $5k. He just got fined $20k and nobody started a charity to help him make ends meet.

I'm not grasping at anything.  This isn't about just his nuclear family.  He has extended family and friends.  And it isn't about the cost.  As I said, "however much he might make", asking folks to fly mid week for such a short-lived event all the way across the country and back is a huge logistical deal for folks.  It doesn't matter how much the tickets and hotel cost or who is paying for it.   I fly solo back and forth across the country at times for work and it's a huge pain in the butt and only do it when I know I'm going to be on the other side for meaningful time before turning around.

I do agree that this is an opportunity for fans to pile on. While Roy was turned off by Rondo's last days in Boston, I was turned off by IT's outspoken comments. It is ok to be turned off by things that people say/do.

I do think that this was more of a logistical issue than anything, and all parties are to blame. I think my comments came from the context that CLE has been brutal since IT has returned. I'm not inferring any causality, but it doesn't look good for a player that is struggling to concern himself with these trivial matters. I would think that IT should be focused on the future and not the past, esp if he is going to help pay for his family to make future trips to NBA championships.

Your context is not well informed.  CLE has been brutal for long before IT returned.   They are in the midst of a 3-9 slump.  That's 11 games.  Thomas has only played in 5 (and not even full-time minutes in those) games.   Cleveland's defensive problems have almost nothing to do with Thomas as they've been there all season and are directly assignable to several different Cavs players.   As a team they are the worst in the NBA at defending P&R rollers and ISO plays.  And they have several notable offenders (none of them named Thomas) who are getting lit up on those plays and have been all season.   Some of that is because players like Korver, Smith, etc., are simply old & slow and not good at defending those play types.   Some of that though, is probably on Lue since when so many different individuals are getting lit up by the same two play types that it has your whole team running away with first place as worst in defending them, it's almost certainly partly systematic and you have to adjust scheme to try to take those situations away.

Certainly, Thomas is not likely to 'fix' their defensive problems.  But at least so far, in his small sample size, his own defensive metrics show he is nowhere near their worst defensive problem.   He's one of the few CLE players with a negative DFG% differential (negative is good).   And on the play type that he's required to defend the most, P&R ball-handlers, he's ranking out as above league average so far (59.6% percentile).  That accounts for half the plays he defends.

[wayupnorth]

Pierce is being classless

He doesnt wants "claps" being wasted

And to bad mouth IT4 ... Cmon Paul

lol no.

So KG, Billups, Tony, Rondo, and others are all classless?

Literally none of this happens if IT doesn't say anything and let's his video happen when it should have.

Pierce has done nothing wrong or classless.

[Roy H.]

Pierce is being classless

He doesnt wants "claps" being wasted

And to bad mouth IT4 ... Cmon Paul

lol no.

So KG, Billups, Tony, Rondo, and others are all classless?

Literally none of this happens if IT doesn't say anything and let's his video happen when it should have.

Pierce has done nothing wrong or classless.

As an aside, you think KG, Tony, Rondo are classy guys? Loyal, perhaps, but classy? Based upon what?