KilgoreTrout
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What is BS? That I said Thomas would flop here? I did; I've been highly skeptical of his game for quite some time, as was much of the Boston media while he was a Celtic. I actually watched the Celtics, my man.. I realized he was a system player bolstered by Brad Stevens.
Stevens used Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Terry Rozier all in various combinations and lineups to form a fairly good defensive system designed to compensate for as well as to somewhat hide Thomas' defensive flaws. Combined with Jae Crowder, Boston had a very competent defensive system that could withstand the massive defensive liability created by having Isaiah Thomas on the floor. Moreover, Smart, Horford and Rozier were all were two-way facilitators, and Bradley was a competent ball-handler able to create his own shot. In addition, these players were generating ~15.3 APG over considerable minutes; which brings up yet another point: Thomas played only half of his minutes (51%) at the actual point guard position, or carrying point guard duties. For 49% of his possessions, Thomas had either Smart or Rozier running the point with him slotted in at the off-guard and for the bulk of his minutes at the point, Al Horford was on the floor with him creating for others.
Again, Thomas thrived in Stevens' system, and what we're seeing now is a player that Boston effectively designed it's entire offense and defense around, having been removed from that, and placed into the role of a traditional point guard on teams like the Cavs (when LeBron isn't handling the ball) or the Lakers... These are teams not specifically designed to cater to Thomas' strengths while covering for his weaknesses -- and we should have known that prior to the trade, because we lacked the personnel to make such a transition in the first place. Bringing over Jae Crowder, without Smart, without Horford, without Rozier, and frankly, without Brad Stevens, doesn't work.
The Celtics knew what Thomas brought to the table; and that was efficient enough scoring. Almost everything else was a negative, from his personality, to his lack of defense, and his not being an exceptionally gifted floor general or point guard. Thomas' lack of size coupled with his inability to defend any position in the NBA, means that you are absolutely forced to use him as a one-dimensional scorer and part-time facilitator. When he's hitting his three point shot, and drawing fouls, his offensive ability can, at times, compensate for everything else -- especially when your defense is otherwise clicking and you're not worried about the opposing guards attacking Thomas. But when any of those things aren't going as planned, Thomas becomes a liability.
All of this being said leads us to the actual reality of the situation: the Celtics traded Thomas, and Crowder (who was a great fit there, and cheap) and their coveted Brooklyn pick, for Kyrie Irving coming up on free agency after next season. So unless you believe Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens (who surely had some input here) are just insane; then they clearly valued Kyrie Irving, who is frankly a similar player to Thomas, far more highly. Which means they themselves saw through the veneer of padded stats and free throws that wouldn't come in crunch-time in the playoffs; and they knew they had a team already built to compensate for a poor defender at the point. For the Celtics, getting Irving was a coup; as they got out from under Thomas' impending free agency while securing what, for the most part, is a player that at present, represents Thomas' realistic ceiling - while not having entered his prime.
And we haven't even begun to discuss Thomas' injuries... From knocking his teeth out, to breaking his hip; there is some argument that he's just not durable enough, perhaps due to his size, to play in the NBA -- and FWIW, 99% of people aren't.
So for the Celtics, Kyrie would likely be a perfect fit, as he was less injured than Thomas, and an overall better player in almost every respect over the course of their careers; and that's why they made the trade. For us, Thomas was not remotely a good fit; and I think everyone in the league now realizes that except Isaiah Thomas and his small collection of fans.
* mic drop *