A friend and long-term Knicks fan contacted me the other day with some negative thoughts regarding the below tweet. For context, he has generally disliked IT and rooted for CLE (particularly Kyrie) in the Finals since LBJ went back to CLE.
My friend couldn't believe that after all IT had done for Boston, Ainge couldn't even wish him well after his trade to LA. While I'm not surprised by the quote, it's again an example of really poor form from someone that is otherwise great at his job. Bigger than IT, unfortunately, Ainge's behavior could eventually hurt his practice:
"You see how organizations treat players. Isaiah Thomas... Isaiah took his team to the Eastern Conference finals, and they traded him... It makes you wonder: Does this organization really have my back?"
But, these are the challenges that make IT tick. He has been second to none in his ability to channel disrespect into productivity, and I suspect this will also fuel his fire. He looked overall very good in his first game with the LAL. And now, on to the next one...