IT: "Celtics medical staff misled me on hip injury"

[jambr380]

Hey you gotta feel for the guy,  the team and GM which he bled for lied to him about his injury to get him to play - subsequently costing him millions of dollars on his next contract - and then traded him away once it was clear to everyone his injury was worse than indicated by the team.

Okay IT - sorry you are so upset.

"Bled for?" Pah-lease. IT knew that if he sat out the entire playoffs with his injury that it would affect his next contract - which he has more than been alluding to for years now. He was in Boston for 2 1/2 years - I loved him while he was here, but he was no PP or Bird.

Danny and Brad put him in an excellent opportunity to succeed and make tens of millions more than he otherwise would have playing in PHX or as a 6th man on a very good team. 5'8" PGs don't often get the reins to a franchise and, while he certainly proved himself worthy, I highly doubt he would have been given that opportunity somewhere else.

Players get injured...sometimes at inopportune times. IT had to weigh out the benefits of pushing through his injury - surely he wanted to play and I am sure he took the most 'optimistic' view possible of his injury.

Players also get traded and going to Cleveland where he will only need to be 'good' for half of a season and showcase himself on the biggest stage is hardly NBA purgatory. If IT doesn't come back strong, then it's a bummer for him, but this isn't a disease that went untreated and he is still a VERY rich man.

[KGs Knee]

Kind of bummed to see IT just won't let this go.

I understand he feels spurned, but just let it go. It's not like he was traded to the Suns or Kings. Just go out and let your play do the talking. Prove Ainge wrong by showing that you are still as good as you think you are.

[jpotter33]

Hey you gotta feel for the guy,  the team and GM which he bled for lied to him about his injury to get him to play - subsequently costing him millions of dollars on his next contract - and then traded him away once it was clear to everyone his injury was worse than indicated by the team.

Okay IT - sorry you are so upset.

"Bled for?" Pah-lease. IT knew that if he sat out the entire playoffs with his injury that it would affect his next contract - which he has more than been alluding to for years now. He was in Boston for 2 1/2 years - I loved him while he was here, but he was no PP or Bird.

Danny and Brad put his in an excellent opportunity to succeed and make tens of millions more than he otherwise would have playing in PHX or as a 6th man on a very good team. 5'8" PGs don't often get the reins to a franchise and, while he certainly proved himself worthy, I highly doubt he would have been given that opportunity somewhere else.

Players get injured...sometimes at inopportune times. IT had to weigh out the benefits of pushing through his injury - surely he wanted to play and I am sure he took the most 'optimistic' view possible of his injury.

Players also get traded and going to Cleveland where he will only need to be 'good' for half of a season and showcase himself on the biggest stage is hardly NBA purgatory. If IT doesn't come back strong, then it's a bummer for him, but this isn't a disease that went untreated and he is still a VERY rich man.

TP.

[Rosco917]

I've never seen a professional athlete respond to a trade like this before in my life. Two other teams traded him away and we heard nothing.

He can't get past the thought that, he ALMOST had it all.

Frankly, I'm not interested in hearing his version of the truth. I'm sure there are two sides to the truth in this case. Two longtime Celtic team physicians were flat-out fired over this, I'm sure the truth lies somewhere in between. 

[Vermont Green]

I don't understand any of this.  He says in the article that if he had sat out the playoffs, he would be playing already this season.  But that implies that a player would elect to sit out the playoffs so that he can play more games the following season in Nov. and Dec.  (Keep in mind that if he was not traded, these would be Celtics games).  There is no evidence that playing made the injury worse.  It just delayed when recovery started.

In terms of the medical staff, there is a difference between getting the recovery time for an injury wrong and not being truthful about the injury.  I can believe that the staff thought it would be say 4 months but ended up being 6 months or whatever but that is not being untruthful.  And they did finally shut him down in the playoffs after he aggravated it.  It may be true that they botched it to some degree but I highly doubt that he was intentionally misled.

[kozlodoev]

I see Thomas is working very hard on wearing off all the goodwill that he accumulated in Boston.

[bknova]

I see Thomas is working very hard on wearing off all the goodwill that he accumulated in Boston.

Seriously, you were here for 2 years.  Not hearing anything of the sort from Pierce, Garnett, Rondo, or Bradley.  Even Perk wasn't this jilted. Dude needs to man up.

[hpantazo]

I think IT is just doing what he needs to do to dispel thoughts around the league that his hip will slow him down long term and/or become a recurring issue. He is going into free agency in a few months, previously he was expecting a max deal, now he will lose millions. He can at least try to keep that money loss to a minimum amount of damage

[bknova]

I think IT is just doing what he needs to do to dispel thoughts around the league that his hip will slow him down long term and/or become a recurring issue. He is going into free agency in a few months, previously he was expecting a max deal, now he will lose millions. He can at least try to keep that money loss to a minimum amount of damage

He can do that by coming back at playing at a high level.  He doesn't need to keep pointing fingers at the Celtics trading him.  He sounds like a whiny brat, or more apropos, a jilted lover.  Its getting ridiculous.  The guy has had 1 great season in his entire career.... Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett got traded....he ain't close to either of those guys.  Grow up.

[hpantazo]

I think IT is just doing what he needs to do to dispel thoughts around the league that his hip will slow him down long term and/or become a recurring issue. He is going into free agency in a few months, previously he was expecting a max deal, now he will lose millions. He can at least try to keep that money loss to a minimum amount of damage

He can do that by coming back at playing at a high level.  He doesn't need to keep pointing fingers at the Celtics trading him.  He sounds like a whiny brat, or more apropos, a jilted lover.  Its getting ridiculous.  The guy has had 1 great season in his entire career.... Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett got traded....he ain't close to either of those guys.  Grow up.

He almost had a max deal after having a season of a lifetime, better than anyone including himself could have ever imagined. Then his hip gave way and in reality it sounds like there is some structural issue there that will bother him forever. I feel bad for him in that regard.

He must also know that he will never look nearly as good on the Cavs the rest of this season as he did last year under Stevens. He’s gotta be scrambling to put some excuses in place ahead of time because his free agency is coming fast.

I really believe what hurts him far more than the Celtics trading him is that he lost his one chance at a max contract. He will never get one.

[nickagneta]

I think IT is just doing what he needs to do to dispel thoughts around the league that his hip will slow him down long term and/or become a recurring issue. He is going into free agency in a few months, previously he was expecting a max deal, now he will lose millions. He can at least try to keep that money loss to a minimum amount of damage

He can do that by coming back at playing at a high level.  He doesn't need to keep pointing fingers at the Celtics trading him.  He sounds like a whiny brat, or more apropos, a jilted lover.  Its getting ridiculous.  The guy has had 1 great season in his entire career.... Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett got traded....he ain't close to either of those guys.  Grow up.

He almost had a max deal after having a season of a lifetime, better than anyone including himself could have ever imagined. Then his hip gave way and in reality it sounds like there is some structural issue there that will bother him forever. I feel bad for him in that regard.

He must also know that he will never look nearly as good on the Cavs the rest of this season as he did last year under Stevens. He’s gotta be scrambling to put some excuses in place ahead of time because his free agency is coming fast.

He might be making excuses but who is he really fooling if he doesn't come out and ball like crazy? Really, only himself.

[hpantazo]

I think IT is just doing what he needs to do to dispel thoughts around the league that his hip will slow him down long term and/or become a recurring issue. He is going into free agency in a few months, previously he was expecting a max deal, now he will lose millions. He can at least try to keep that money loss to a minimum amount of damage

He can do that by coming back at playing at a high level.  He doesn't need to keep pointing fingers at the Celtics trading him.  He sounds like a whiny brat, or more apropos, a jilted lover.  Its getting ridiculous.  The guy has had 1 great season in his entire career.... Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett got traded....he ain't close to either of those guys.  Grow up.

He almost had a max deal after having a season of a lifetime, better than anyone including himself could have ever imagined. Then his hip gave way and in reality it sounds like there is some structural issue there that will bother him forever. I feel bad for him in that regard.

He must also know that he will never look nearly as good on the Cavs the rest of this season as he did last year under Stevens. He’s gotta be scrambling to put some excuses in place ahead of time because his free agency is coming fast.

He might be making excuses but who is he really fooling if he doesn't come out and ball like crazy? Really, only himself.

I agree , it’s going to be a tough summer for him.

[bknova]

I think IT is just doing what he needs to do to dispel thoughts around the league that his hip will slow him down long term and/or become a recurring issue. He is going into free agency in a few months, previously he was expecting a max deal, now he will lose millions. He can at least try to keep that money loss to a minimum amount of damage

He can do that by coming back at playing at a high level.  He doesn't need to keep pointing fingers at the Celtics trading him.  He sounds like a whiny brat, or more apropos, a jilted lover.  Its getting ridiculous.  The guy has had 1 great season in his entire career.... Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett got traded....he ain't close to either of those guys.  Grow up.

He almost had a max deal after having a season of a lifetime, better than anyone including himself could have ever imagined. Then his hip gave way and in reality it sounds like there is some structural issue there that will bother him forever. I feel bad for him in that regard.

He must also know that he will never look nearly as good on the Cavs the rest of this season as he did last year under Stevens. He’s gotta be scrambling to put some excuses in place ahead of time because his free agency is coming fast.

I really believe what hurts him far more than the Celtics trading him is that he lost his one chance at a max contract. He will never get one.

The truth is, Danny was never gonna give him that contract.  Historically, guys his size are one hip check away from never being the same player (See Iverson, Allen. Stoudemire, Damon).  Okay, so he got dealt to a championship contender, where he's no longer going to be double and triple teamed. He gets to play with Lebron and Kevin Love, if he can't manifest that into proving that he still has game, then maybe he is just damaged goods.

I've never seen a player act like such a jilted lover.  Really.  He needs to just stop talking about the Celtics and focus on the Cavs, you know, cause they sign his paycheck, and all.

[Vermont Green]

He must also know that he will never look nearly as good on the Cavs the rest of this season as he did last year under Stevens. He’s gotta be scrambling to put some excuses in place ahead of time because his free agency is coming fast.

I actually doubt that he or anyone else "knows" this.  Haven't we all learned the fallacy in doubting what Isaiah can do?  I am expecting him to play at an all star level for the Cavs and hit big shots for them.  That may not get him a max contract but I for one am done underestimating what he can do.

[Ed Hollison]

There's some major runaway homerism on this thread. I personally feel he absolutely has a right to feel hurt and betrayed. We conveniently forget what he did to turn around this franchise. It's really hard to imagine we land back-to-back stud free agents without IT's help. And regardless of whether or not the Celtics organization actually misled him about his hip -- let that play out in the proper channels -- the reality is that he played hurt, not just in the playoffs but during the regular season.

What Ainge did was absolutely cold blooded, so much so that Ainge must have known it would probably ruin his personal relationship with IT. And yet he did it, and it was probably the right move. Just don't be surprised that IT is emotionally hurt by the whole ordeal. He has every right to be as a human being.