The Perfect IT trade

[mmmmm]

I think there is a massive misunderstanding about IT. He is NOT the 3rd best scorer in the league, he was the 3rd leading scorer in a season.

He is clutch, he is explosive, he easily changes pace, but it is not a given that PG, for example, could not match his production (with better rebounding and defense, of course)

Other than, you know, him having done it. Or gotten within 5 points per game of doing it.

What? 5 points? That is a lot when you are comparing scorers. Thomas basically matched George's best scoring season last year ('15-'16). I love George and would gladly do a straight up trade for him with IT, but Thomas is the overall better scorer.

I actually think PG13 is the better scorer.  George and Thomas can both score 20+, but George can do it on less shots, which makes him the better scorer.  Also, PG13 is a plus defender, and IT is a double minus defender.

No.  This is not true.  Thomas' true scoring efficiency (which is the way to measure points scored versus actual scoring attempts (so it takes into account both 3PT shots and drawn trips to the FT line)) is higher than George's both for his career (58.5% vs 55.6%) and this last season (62.5% vs 58.6%).

Thomas' scoring efficiency combined with his heavy usage, heavy share of play making and extremely low turnover rate were historic.   No other player in the entire basketball-reference.com database ever has posted a TS% above 60%, a USG% above 30%, an AST% above 30% and a TOV% below 11%.

[Future Celtics Owner]

I think there is a massive misunderstanding about IT. He is NOT the 3rd best scorer in the league, he was the 3rd leading scorer in a season.

He is clutch, he is explosive, he easily changes pace, but it is not a given that PG, for example, could not match his production (with better rebounding and defense, of course)

Wait, if Paul George could match ITs production, then why didnt he.

Thomas was more efficient than George(by a lot) on a much greater volume than George.

Thomas is a top 5 scorer in the NBA. No doubt. I think KD is better. I think Harden and Curry might also be. Kyrie is a better ISO scorer, but I think Thomas is the better all around scorer. Lebron could also probably score better than Thomas. I think hes better than Westbrook but I understand the argument against it.

I dont think any one else can really lay a legit claim that they are a better scorer than Thomas.

Isaiah is a top 5 regular season scorer.

Thomas scored the 5th most total points in the 2017 NBA playoffs going into tonight.  This despite missing more than half of the ECF.

Durant will probably pass him in the next game or two, though. 

Strong chance IT hangs on for sixth place when the Finals are done.

Realistically, IT was the only player on this team that could create his own offense. He was surrounded with great role players that were excellent at spreading the floor and playing D.

[Dino Pitino]

Thomas scored the 5th most total points in the 2017 NBA playoffs going into tonight.

Oh my god. Who cares about total points, lol.

[Dino Pitino]

1.   Russell Westbrook • OKC   37.4
2.   LeBron James • CLE   32.0
3.   Stephen Curry • GSW   28.8
4.   James Harden • HOU   28.5
5.   Paul George • IND   28.0
6.   Damian Lillard • POR   27.8
7.   Kawhi Leonard • SAS   27.7
8.   John Wall • WAS   27.2
9.   Kevin Durant • GSW   26.9
10.   Chris Paul • LAC   25.3

Isaiah wasn't even a top 5 playoff scorer among point guards.

[Ilikesports17]

1.   Russell Westbrook • OKC   37.4
2.   LeBron James • CLE   32.0
3.   Stephen Curry • GSW   28.8
4.   James Harden • HOU   28.5
5.   Paul George • IND   28.0
6.   Damian Lillard • POR   27.8
7.   Kawhi Leonard • SAS   27.7
8.   John Wall • WAS   27.2
9.   Kevin Durant • GSW   26.9
10.   Chris Paul • LAC   25.3

Isaiah wasn't even a top 5 playoff scorer among point guards.

The current leader in playoffs games played is your Boston Celtics with 18 games.

Isaiah dealt with, in order: the death of his sister, oral surgery, injury that may require surgery

Sample size is too small and context matters.

I mean, do you believe that Dennis Schroeder is a better scorer than Isaiah Thomas?

of course not.

[Dino Pitino]

1.   Russell Westbrook • OKC   37.4
2.   LeBron James • CLE   32.0
3.   Stephen Curry • GSW   28.8
4.   James Harden • HOU   28.5
5.   Paul George • IND   28.0
6.   Damian Lillard • POR   27.8
7.   Kawhi Leonard • SAS   27.7
8.   John Wall • WAS   27.2
9.   Kevin Durant • GSW   26.9
10.   Chris Paul • LAC   25.3

Isaiah wasn't even a top 5 playoff scorer among point guards.

The current leader in playoffs games played is your Boston Celtics with 18 games.

Isaiah dealt with, in order: the death of his sister, oral surgery, injury that may require surgery

What was he dealing with versus Atlanta the year before or Cleveland two years ago?

Sample size is too small and context matters.

Isaiah is what's too small, and the context is that when defenses ramp up in the playoffs he gets shut down.

I mean, do you believe that Dennis Schroeder is a better scorer than Isaiah Thomas?

of course not.

The evidence suggests that Schroder is not susceptible to getting shut down in the playoffs like Isaiah is. Schroder may well be a better playoff scorer. The samples are small, but that's the playoffs, you don't get a chance to have big samples come playoff time, you have to put up or get shut up in the games you have.

[Ilikesports17]

1.   Russell Westbrook • OKC   37.4
2.   LeBron James • CLE   32.0
3.   Stephen Curry • GSW   28.8
4.   James Harden • HOU   28.5
5.   Paul George • IND   28.0
6.   Damian Lillard • POR   27.8
7.   Kawhi Leonard • SAS   27.7
8.   John Wall • WAS   27.2
9.   Kevin Durant • GSW   26.9
10.   Chris Paul • LAC   25.3

Isaiah wasn't even a top 5 playoff scorer among point guards.

The current leader in playoffs games played is your Boston Celtics with 18 games.

Isaiah dealt with, in order: the death of his sister, oral surgery, injury that may require surgery

What was he dealing with versus Atlanta the year before or Cleveland two years ago?

Sample size is too small and context matters.

Isaiah is what's too small, and the context is that when defenses ramp up in the playoffs he gets shut down.

I mean, do you believe that Dennis Schroeder is a better scorer than Isaiah Thomas?

of course not.

The evidence suggests that Schroder is not susceptible to getting shut down in the playoffs like Isaiah is. Schroder may well be a better playoff scorer. The samples are small, but that's the playoffs, you don't get a chance to have big samples come playoff time, you have to put up or get shut up in the games you have.

Thomas is a much better player than he was 2 years ago, when there wasnt even an offence installed for him because the team didnt have time to really practice after the trade.

Last year Thomas underperformed, but he was 10th in playoff scoring anyway.
 
If you believe that Schroeder is a better scorer than Thomas, then thats a fine opinion I suppose.

Overreacting to small sample sizes is dumb. I mean there are a ton of people out there who really convinced themselves Kyrie Irving was better than Steph Curry due to last years finals. If you wanna be one of those people with IT, feel free.

also, the bolded suggests youve got no idea what you are talking about.

yes, sample sizes are small which means the numbers wont be reliable. That's all it means. It doesnt mean "put up or shut up" it means that there are gonna be a lot of statistical anomalies ESPECIALLY if you refuse to look at context.

Do you not believe that oral surgery, the death of his sister, teams building their entire game plans around forcing other players to beat them, and reinjuring an already injured hip didnt have a substantial negative affect on IT's ability to score the basketball?

[SHAQATTACK]

lebron?

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

lebron?

curry............chicken curry!

[hodgy03038]

Some of the best trades are trades you don't make.

[More Banners]

The perfect IT trade would be a S & T where he gets bank in a good situation and we get a big who can rebound and (I hope) shoot.

[tarheelsxxiii]

Marcus Thornton and CLE ('16) for IT.

[Beat LA]

Don't think a team will give up a top 10 pick with him injured. I'm guess Bucks deal is possible though.

Thon Maker and pick 17 for Thomas.

If we are going youth movement I pull that trigger. Plus IT on Bucks would be the only must watch team in the east besides Cavs.

While I would do that trade in a heartbeat, there's no way the Bucks are trading Maker, imo.  Sigh.  Brb inventing time machine .

[Beat LA]

Serious question for the vocal pro-trade IT camp:  Do you believe Ainge will make the right decision on this matter?

Any one?  I'm happy to eat crow when I'm wrong.  If we agree that Ainge knows far better than we do, then both sides should be open to a crow filet as the situation shakes out.

I mean, I certainly hope so, as we all do, of course, but it depends entirely on what kind of offers he's getting for the guy, because while I don't see him being moved, Ainge views all of these players as "assets," as opposed to, you know, people, and he'll trade anyone for the right price, whatever that is, in his mind. #NoLoyalty

[Beat LA]

Marcus Thornton and CLE ('16) for IT.

TP for the laugh .