lefty
04-04-2011, 12:31 PM
Foxsports.com's Bill Reiter wrote an in-depth piece on Pistons legend Isiah Thomas (http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/Isiah-Thomas-living-life-in-exile-shunned-by-NBA-032911), who's post-playing basketball career has been a roller coaster ride that has him coaching at Florida International.
What jumped off the computer screen from the story was his response when Thomas was asked to compare himself with Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson -- fellow basketball royalty which seems to be universally held in higher regard.
“I have no problem saying this at all,” he says. “They're all 6-(feet)-9 and Jordan was 6-6 and a half. If they were all 6-1, it wouldn't even be a question. They wouldn't even f---ing rate. If they were all my size, s---, they wouldn't even be talked about.
“I beat the s--- out of them when they were that big. If we were all the same size, f---.” He stops to laugh good-naturedly. “Make them 6-1 and let's go on the court.”
That zinger aside, the story examined why Thomas has seemingly been exiled from the NBA, where he became a household name. Thomas denies being the mastermind of the the fabled "freeze-out" against Jordan in the 1985 All-Star Game. He also denies Johnson's charge of spreading rumors about the ex-Spartan's sexuality.
“I don't know what that was about,” Isiah starts off. “From my family and my friends and all of us who really knew the relationship that Earvin and I had, I can't tell you the number of people that called me and asked me what that was really about.
“He chose to believe something that his agent, Lon Rosen, told him — which is totally just a bulls--- lie,” Isiah goes on, angry. “Just a flat-out lie.”
Here's how Thomas defended some of this misses and mishaps as the New York Knicks general manager: “When you look at my basketball career, s--- from 12 years old to 45, I was pretty damn good,” he says. “Now, New York, hey, I wasn't good. In a lot of ways. But I don't think it's as bad as it's been made out to be. It's not great, but it's definitely not as bad as it's been made out to be. And a lot of it's been grossly overstated and grossly misrepresented.”
But Thomas doesn't want anyone feeling sorry for him.
“I don't want to be a sympathetic figure,” he says. “My mom said that. When we were poor, people gave us food. We struggled, but she said you don't accept people's sympathy.
“‘Accept kindness, not sympathy,’” he says, quoting her. “‘Sympathy makes you weak.’”
“I can't be that sympathetic figure.”
What jumped off the computer screen from the story was his response when Thomas was asked to compare himself with Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson -- fellow basketball royalty which seems to be universally held in higher regard.
“I have no problem saying this at all,” he says. “They're all 6-(feet)-9 and Jordan was 6-6 and a half. If they were all 6-1, it wouldn't even be a question. They wouldn't even f---ing rate. If they were all my size, s---, they wouldn't even be talked about.
“I beat the s--- out of them when they were that big. If we were all the same size, f---.” He stops to laugh good-naturedly. “Make them 6-1 and let's go on the court.”
That zinger aside, the story examined why Thomas has seemingly been exiled from the NBA, where he became a household name. Thomas denies being the mastermind of the the fabled "freeze-out" against Jordan in the 1985 All-Star Game. He also denies Johnson's charge of spreading rumors about the ex-Spartan's sexuality.
“I don't know what that was about,” Isiah starts off. “From my family and my friends and all of us who really knew the relationship that Earvin and I had, I can't tell you the number of people that called me and asked me what that was really about.
“He chose to believe something that his agent, Lon Rosen, told him — which is totally just a bulls--- lie,” Isiah goes on, angry. “Just a flat-out lie.”
Here's how Thomas defended some of this misses and mishaps as the New York Knicks general manager: “When you look at my basketball career, s--- from 12 years old to 45, I was pretty damn good,” he says. “Now, New York, hey, I wasn't good. In a lot of ways. But I don't think it's as bad as it's been made out to be. It's not great, but it's definitely not as bad as it's been made out to be. And a lot of it's been grossly overstated and grossly misrepresented.”
But Thomas doesn't want anyone feeling sorry for him.
“I don't want to be a sympathetic figure,” he says. “My mom said that. When we were poor, people gave us food. We struggled, but she said you don't accept people's sympathy.
“‘Accept kindness, not sympathy,’” he says, quoting her. “‘Sympathy makes you weak.’”
“I can't be that sympathetic figure.”