Taking IT for granted

[Bostoncelticsforlife7]

I'm not talking about everyone, but a lot of people on here (including me) are taking IT for granted. We are hesitant on paying him 25 mil+ when his contract ends because he stands 5'9. But when you look at the way he has impacted games, especially against Memphis and OKC, you cannot deny that he has any less of an impact than guys like Beal, Horford, Conley, and many more players in the future that will earn more than 25 mil. I know Fultz, Smith Jr., and Ball are VERY intriguing, but some of us are already disguarding Isaiah as the point guard of the future even though he has done more than enough to earn that title. There are teams out there cough*magic*cough that would trade everything for him, because at the end of the day, 5'9 or not, he IS a top 6 point guard in this league and he needs to be treated like one.

[hpantazo]

I fully agree. Watching him this season, it is clear he is legit , and we should be thankful to have him. He's a top tier PG, a legit go to player, and an all-star. He does a lot of the things Pierce used to do for us.

[slightly biased bias fan]

I've never been hesitant about how good he is and how hard he works, my only query is giving him a long term deal when his pace goes, given his reliance on it, it will make it hard for him to do the same things especially because of his height.

[KG Living Legend]

Isaiah is awesome. The goal for Ainge should be to make the Celtics much better in the next couple of years.

 So we can pay Thomas big bucks for three years, but not have to be reliant on him for all the offense.

[alewilliam789]

I say we still trade him lol. Was saying all of this when you guys were saying trade IT so I'm glad you guys are catching up

[jambr380]

I say we still trade him lol. Was saying all of this when you guys were saying trade IT so I'm glad you guys are catching up

I wouldn't mind trading him, as long as it is for somebody else putting up 27+ points a game. Unfortunately there are only 5 other players doing that so I guess we can keep him for now.

As for losing his speed/quickness as he gets older, this is a legitimate concern. He has only recently begun taking his eating habits seriously and he looks to be in top notch shape. Players seem to have better longevity nowadays and I am confident he will at least find a way to be effective into at least his early 30s.

I agree with the OP, though - we should appreciate what we have in IT now rather than worrying about how much we have to pay him in 2018. We will very likely be over the cap already at that point so it will really be up to ownership how much they want to spend.

[hpantazo]

I've never been hesitant about how good he is and how hard he works, my only query is giving him a long term deal when his pace goes, given his reliance on it, it will make it hard for him to do the same things especially because of his height.

Deals are not too long term anymore though. At most it would be a 4 year deal, and I'm confident he will still have it for at least 3 of those 4 years. Then Ainge could pull another Pierce-KG or Rondo like deal with him before year 4 if needed.

[Diggles]

6TH  Man of the Year!   

Trade Zeller for Knight....(12 million will be a steal for him)

Claim Bogut after Dallas buys him out and Draft another Stud like Brown....

Wait for the right trade....

[mctyson]

He is playing phenomenal right now, but they need to shoot better around him.

[Rosco917]

Same ole...he's a great scorer, it's unfortunate he's judged on a team where hardly anyone else can consistently score the ball. It's difficult to say, "he makes nobody better," when frankly he has no targets that can be relied on. Every games it's the same thing, there's IT doing his thing, and then the search is on for who's gonna help him.

On defense the game much of the time is over his head. Players he's defending have a clear view of the court and paint to see the open man. He doesn't contest shots, because he can't. At times these deficiencies lead to better and more shots from the opposing team. Directly and indirectly.

Has he proven everyone wrong that didn't choose him in his draft year...absolutly. Will he be taken advantage of in a playoff games, of course he will be. Can he offset his lack of size, by being the great scorer he is...that's the question that has yet to be answered.

Does he have value on the team...yes!

[GRADYCOLNON]

responding towards his next contract value

Isaiah is gonna be 29 years old at the beginning of his new contract that will likely be 5 years at 30 million per season.  That would be fine for any superstar that the team expects to remain top flight for beyond five years.  Unfortunately, most people don't think that Isaiah's brilliant offensive play is going to last.  Although his game is driven by his skill to make the most miraculous shots, this athleticism drives his ability to extend beyond the outstretched arms of opponent's front-court, averaging more than a foot taller; Isaiah will begin to struggle to have the same offensive potency.  History does not support the success for smaller stature starts.  Archibald, Bogues, Murphy are the previous models for Thomas and none of those players continued to be stars after their 31st birthday.  There is a lot of concern that Isaiah will experience similar declines as he ages.

The Celtics and every fan loves Isaiah and his contributions to the team over that last 2 1/2 years.  Isaiah has been the difference maker that is bringing us close to the conversation as a title contender.  But the front office has to make moves for the future to transform the team into a perennial contender.  They must take a new Isaiah contract under consideration that he might not live up to the terms because of his ability declines.  If that occurs it will seriously limit and postpone any title contention. 

And I think this is why a lot of fans are taking Isaiah for granted.  The perceiving that he will end up screwing over the team because he wants his money isn't what is best for the fans, so they are trying to find ways to diminish his value so they can justify not paying him the money or paying him less.