New Ringer article on Loyalty and IT trade

[celticsclay]

Curious for thoughts....

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2017/12/20/16798118/2017-year-review-death-loyalty-sports-isaiah-thomas

[liam]

Curious for thoughts....

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2017/12/20/16798118/2017-year-review-death-loyalty-sports-isaiah-thomas

This seems like a rehash of something that's already been hashed to death.

[libermaniac]

I can't really tell the point of that article.

[celticsclay]

I can't really tell the point of that article.

I think that the IT trade was the last time they viewed people ever making the argument about there being loyalty in sports and nobody will say that anymore when a player switches teams.

[libermaniac]

I can't really tell the point of that article.

I think that the IT trade was the last time they viewed people ever making the argument about there being loyalty in sports and nobody will say that anymore when a player switches teams.

Teams have been trading players since professional sports began, and players have been switching teams since free agency began.  Dumb, pointless article, to bring up some facts about how IT felt and how Noel felt.  Should have had a more interesting angle, IMO.

[SHAQATTACK]

I can't really tell the point of that article.

me too.....they don't take a side ,  just give cases for Players dumping franchises and Franchises doing the same .   

I like their one point though......NBA is first a business , not a charity  , and parties on either side should know going in loyalties,  only go so far . 

I liked the comment thta it be hooves both players and franchises ( FO, coaches , players , fans ) to be mature .  Take your LUCK or LUMPs suck it up and move on

[Roy H.]

I think the article’s premise is wrong.

“Loyalty” in sports has always been one-sided. Fans are always going to blame a player for leaving more than a team trading or releasing a player.  IT is the best example of that. Rather than the majority of fans lamenting the loss of a guy who bled green, many have turned on him.  It’s cool to prefer Kyrie, but IT’s flaws have been exaggerated and some folks are foaming at the mouth attacking IT.

[Big333223]

I can't really tell the point of that article.

I get that feeling a little too often reading stuff on The Ringer.

This feels like the preamble to a larger piece about sports trading and free agency and loyalty and then it just ends. There's nothing new in the piece at all.

I think the article’s premise is wrong.

“Loyalty” in sports has always been one-sided. Fans are always going to blame a player for leaving more than a team trading or releasing a player.  IT is the best example of that. Rather than the majority of fans lamenting the loss of a guy who bled green, many have turned on him.  It’s cool to prefer Kyrie, but IT’s flaws have been exaggerated and some folks are foaming at the mouth attacking IT.

That would've been an interesting thing to read about.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I think the article’s premise is wrong.

“Loyalty” in sports has always been one-sided. Fans are always going to blame a player for leaving more than a team trading or releasing a player.  IT is the best example of that. Rather than the majority of fans lamenting the loss of a guy who bled green, many have turned on him.  It’s cool to prefer Kyrie, but IT’s flaws have been exaggerated and some folks are foaming at the mouth attacking IT.

Or some people are moving on! Most people love IT4 for what he gave the Celtics and then there are the few who said the same when IT4 was a Celtics who are just more bold because he isn't here and they can talk about him without the slew of people jumping down their throat. IT4 is going to do what is best for him and that's going to include trying to win a lot and beat us, that makes him my enemy even though I still like him and don't wish anything bad for him as a person. I bet you would be hard pressed to find people who always liked IT4 saying anything different than that except for the ones more wary about his injury. Just because people don't want to see IT4 score 70 on us (mocking our players d and CBS' ability to coach) doesn't mean people don't like him! Just like I don't think you like him more just because you want that. I didn't like the cavs before he got there, he is a cavs, I don't want them to win! I hope he does well against everyone except us but I also hope it is a waste because I don't want him to help them in any way! Now if they get to GSW in the finals then that would be different, up until then, anything he does to help them, hurts us and I'll never want that and you can see that anyway you want!

[Celtics4ever]

If IT can't play well when he comes back or he gets injured again all this talk is moot.  I think we should reserve judgement until then.

[mctyson]

I still don't understand the "loyalty" aspect of the IT trade.  The Celtics originally traded FOR him.  Also, it is not like IT gave up millions of dollars for a hometown discount and then got traded. 

Why did the Celtics owe him anymore than they already gave him, which was an opportunity to become a star in the league?

[Roy H.]

I still don't understand the "loyalty" aspect of the IT trade.  The Celtics originally traded FOR him.  Also, it is not like IT gave up millions of dollars for a hometown discount and then got traded. 

Why did the Celtics owe him anymore than they already gave him, which was an opportunity to become a star in the league?

They didn't, so long as you also agree that it’s not disloyal for a player to walk away after fulfilling his contract. 

[CelticsBR]

I still don't understand the "loyalty" aspect of the IT trade.  The Celtics originally traded FOR him.  Also, it is not like IT gave up millions of dollars for a hometown discount and then got traded. 

Why did the Celtics owe him anymore than they already gave him, which was an opportunity to become a star in the league?

THIS!

Let's not pretend he is a Pierce, Bird, Kobe, Dirk, MJ, Ginobili or Duncan

[Tr1boy]

The loyalty part of this all was

1. IT4 sacrificed his mental state (loss of sister) and physical health (clearly unfit to play, but played anyways) for the organization and fans

2. In the past 2 offseasons he worked hard to recruit FAs.  Helping to land Horford and Hayward.  Were they going to come anyways?  maybe...but both Horford and Hayward have said IT4 was one of the reasons why they joined the team


BUT  Ainge didn't care , made a shrewd business move and still traded him....  It was a cold calculated business move.  But on a personal level IT4 had the Organization back .. and thought the feeling was mutual

[jpotter33]

Admittedly, I was never IT’s biggest fan. I appreciate everything he did here, but I thought he was overrated by a lot of fans and was never going to be a championship-caliber point guard given his diminutive size.

But IT owes just as much to Danny and Brad as they owed him. They are the ones to give him an actual shot at starting and stardom, and without them he’d still be toiling away putting up empty numbers in Phoenix.

And I wonder how “loyal” IT would’ve been when Danny balked on maxing him out this summer; he would’ve been LA bound before you could even say “Brinks truck.”