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.