The old adage in sports is that nice guys finish last. But every now and then, the assholes get what they deserve. Today's example: Isiah Thomas.
In 1991, Thomas and his Detroit Pistons teammates snubbed the Chicago Bulls by walking off the court before the clock expired (see video at about the 3:30 mark) in the last game of an Eastern Conference Finals sweep.
In 1999, Thomas purchased the Continental Basketball Association for $10 million. In 2000, when he agreed to coach the Indiana Pacers, the NBA insisted that he divest his interests in the CBA. After Thomas put the league in a blind trust, it went bankrupt (go to the bottom of this story for the details).
Earlier this year, Thomas was found guilty of "verbally abusing and sexually harassing" Anucha Browne Sanders over a two-year period.
So while I agree that he was among the greatest players in NBA history, and it's nice that he led Indiana University to a national championship in 1981, I'm no fan of Isiah Thomas. Thus, I admit that I delight in the embarassments and struggles of the New York Knicks. Given how badly Thomas has performed since arriving in 2003 as coach and president of basketball operations, it's difficult to identify a low point in his tenure. But earlier tonight, he may have found it, as he coached his Knicks to a 104-59 defeat against the Boston Celtics. 104-59?!?!?!?!
There's a long way to go before the karma evens out with Thomas. But what goes around comes around, Isiah. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
2 comments:
I'm so glad you included this in your comment. I thought everyone had forgotten:
In 1991, Thomas and his Detroit Pistons teammates snubbed the Chicago Bulls by walking off the court before the clock expired in the last game of an Eastern Conference Finals sweep.
How did Isiah ever get his squeaky image to begin with? This business with the MSG employee is deplorable. For some reason, I seem to have been inundated with images and narratives that have presented Isiah as different than other sexist jocks. How is this NOT a termination-worthy offense? Coaches get fired for thousands of idiotic reasons (see Marty Schottenheimer), but not for costing the team a boatload of money for making crass comments to the women at work? On top of it, the Knicks are stinking up the building in historic ways? I may have lost all sense of perspective, but I have no idea how this isn't the NBA's story of the year.
And I thought I was just being petty. :)
It is unconscionable that Thomas got away with such a minimal penalty. I sincerely hope he and the Knicks organization continue to fail in spectacular and painful ways. What a disaster.
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