"Playing in Boston has changed my career."

[Emmette Bryant]

http://www.theplayerstribune.com/isaiah-thomas-celtics-boston-letter/

[Chris22]

TP, great article!

[hwangjini_1]

thanks for the article, and a tp for you.

i had seen it before, but it was fun to read it again. IT is made for boston. the key going forward for him will be to put the team ahead of himself. for example, if CBS wants him off the bench in a year or two, IT will need to graciously accept that since it better for the team.

if he can do that, he will become a celtic legend. i hope he stays in boston for many, many years.

plus, he is a "dawg", a UW husky. 

[BE-Celtic]

Nice read. Fun to learn how Brad and Danny saw someting in the Little Guy, and how excited they were getting him.

[detour]

TP, I hadn't read it so thanks for sharing it. It is really hard to be a Celtics fan and not have great love & respect towards IT.

[LarBrd33]

I'm still convinced that article was ghost written by Danny Ainge in an effort to convince free agents like HOrford and Durant to come to Boston over the summer.

[CelticGuardian]

I read this a while ago... Yeah IT is the bleeping man and we have to retain this guy by any means. He's become one of the most elite scorers in the game. IT should be the 6th man on a dynasty team for us.

[Jvalin]

IT should be the 6th man on a dynasty team for us.

The thing is he is gonna ask for the max. Don't see us paying him max/near max money to use him as a 6th man.

[Phantom255x]

IT should be the 6th man on a dynasty team for us.

The thing is he is gonna ask for the max. Don't see us paying him max/near max money to use him as a 6th man.

Maybe not, but Ainge seems to LOVE IT, and why not?

Championship teams need premium scorers, and IT is just that.

Also that's the market these days. IT is obviously going to get a max from any team out there.

You can trade IT or let him walk.. but are you sure this team has another premium scorer right now? I don't think so unless Smart, Brown and Rozier all start putting up 20+ PPG each night.

[footey]

Kind of insulting to refer to IT as future 6th man given his play this year. Really? He is today very arguably a top 10-15 player in the league.

[manl_lui]

I’ll admit, it took us a while to find the silver linings in getting swept. We still lost four straight, and that’s tough to stomach. But when we were walking off the court at the Garden after Game 4, something happened that I had never seen before, anywhere.

The Boston fans got on their feet and started chanting, “Let’s go, Celtics!

They gave their team, who had just been swept, a standing ovation.

one of my favorite parts of the article

[trickybilly]

Kind of insulting to refer to IT as future 6th man given his play this year. Really? He is today very arguably a top 10-15 player in the league.

He turns 28 early next month. Career Prime for next 5 years.

Also, it surprises me that Brad Stevens said "we will fit around you". Seems like the antithesis of his approach. Probably ghost written, it would be nice to know for sure though..

[Jvalin]

IT should be the 6th man on a dynasty team for us.

The thing is he is gonna ask for the max. Don't see us paying him max/near max money to use him as a 6th man.

Maybe not, but Ainge seems to LOVE IT, and why not?

Championship teams need premium scorers, and IT is just that.

Also that's the market these days. IT is obviously going to get a max from any team out there.

You can trade IT or let him walk.. but are you sure this team has another premium scorer right now? I don't think so unless Smart, Brown and Rozier all start putting up 20+ PPG each night.

If I am not mistaken his max deal is gonna start at 31.5 million (7-year veteran at the end of his current deal, 30% of the cap). While I definitely agree that we don't have another premium scorer, I would be very hesitant to offer IT that kind of money.

So yeah, I would pick a PG prospect in the upcoming draft (Ball?) and then I would try to move IT in a trade for a premium wing scorer or a highly rated young prospect. But that's just me. Danny and BS both love IT. Perhaps Danny wants to keep him in Boston no matter the cost.

[trickybilly]

IT should be the 6th man on a dynasty team for us.

The thing is he is gonna ask for the max. Don't see us paying him max/near max money to use him as a 6th man.

Maybe not, but Ainge seems to LOVE IT, and why not?

Championship teams need premium scorers, and IT is just that.

Also that's the market these days. IT is obviously going to get a max from any team out there.

You can trade IT or let him walk.. but are you sure this team has another premium scorer right now? I don't think so unless Smart, Brown and Rozier all start putting up 20+ PPG each night.

If I am not mistaken his max deal is gonna start at 31.5 million (7-year veteran at the end of his current deal, 30% of the cap). While I definitely agree that we don't have another premium scorer, I would be very hesitant to offer IT that kind of money.

So yeah, I would pick a PG prospect in the upcoming draft (Ball?) and then I would try to move IT in a trade for a premium wing scorer or a highly rated young prospect. But that's just me. Danny and BS both love IT. Perhaps Danny wants to keep him in Boston no matter the cost.

Hopefully saltlover chimes in about this, but 31 million (if that is indeed the max) is going to be WAY less than 30% of the cap. Whatever happens though, Avery Bradley is max or near max as well though.

But this is the great thing about Horford's max - the cap for 18-19 could be like 125-130. Maybe even something stupid around 135-140. Then you have Al for less than 25% of the cap.

Not sure Avery, IT, Horford as our "big three" gets a ring.

[Jvalin]

Hopefully saltlover chimes in about this, but 31 million (if that is indeed the max) is going to be WAY less than 30% of the cap. Whatever happens though, Avery Bradley is max or near max as well though.

But this is the great thing about Horford's max - the cap for 18-19 could be like 125-130. Maybe even something stupid around 135-140. Then you have Al for less than 25% of the cap.

Not sure Avery, IT, Horford as our "big three" gets a ring.

I'm not sure this ''big three'' gets a ring either.

Hopefully Bradley is gonna resign for less than the max. Of course that may be wishful thinking on my part.