pacers4ever
09-01-2003, 07:43 PM
HoopsHype.com Columns
Isiah no prophet
by Dean Serravalle / August 28, 2003
Without question, Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas are proven winners with more in common than most retired NBA superstars. Both are Hall of Fame basketball legends. Both defeated steep odds set against their physical limitations to achieve basketball fame and glory. Each is familiar with what it takes to win an NBA championship, resurrecting teams from mediocrity to respected dynasty status.
Each has found some measure of success after playing basketball. Larry Bird was responsible for guiding the Indiana Pacers to their best three-year record in the NBA, culminating in a 2000 NBA Finals appearance. Thomas found credible refuge in the creation of the Toronto Raptors before his tenure as coach of the Indiana Pacers, managing to improve the youth and talent of a squad left ironically by his predecessor, Larry Bird. Their basketball histories are entwined in so many ways that it came as no surprise to most experts that their relationship would find entanglement before clarity, or as Bird phrased it "a lack of communication."
But is there something more behind this sudden decision? It is no shocker that Larry Bird is enamored by idle coaching candidate Rick Carlisle, recently estranged from the Detroit Pistons and a one-time assistant under
Larry Bird. Aside from having proven himself as a credible NBA coach, and also having been dismissed because of a supposed better option, Rick Carlisle seems poised to offer his newfound independent coaching experiences
to a former relationship that was once fruitful.
Many experts have speculated that Larry Bird has been waiting for such an opportunity all along. On a coaching scale, Rick Carlisle, unlike Isiah Thomas, is more schematic in his approach while he is known to make clear certain roles on a team -- a formula Larry Bird values. However, Isiah Thomas hails from a similar "Bad Boys" tradition, where he was asked by then coach Chuck Daly to sacrifice his statistics for the betterment of the team. Isiah understood well the roles of Rick Mahorn, Bill Laimbeer and John Salley, so on this ground, there seems to be no difference in opinion between Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas as to the proper recipe for an NBA championship.
Which brings to mind the acquisition and development of young talent. Larry Bird has argued that Isiah did little to nurture the "entire" youth movement, neglecting players like Jonathan Bender. This accusation seems rather unfounded when you consider the impressive rebuilding work Thomas has accomplished in so short a time. No one can question Isiah Thomas' eye for talent.
As for style of play, Thomas followed a vision rooted in his belief of tough, hard nosed defense, most exemplified in young players like Ron Artest and Jermaine O'Neal, which, ironically, is a philosophy Larry Bird seemed to
follow as a player himself on a nightly basis for the Boston Celtics.
When compared, their so called "creative differences" are not so different. So why would Larry Bird fire Isiah Thomas without giving him at least the last year of his contract to prove his worth in gold? Could it possibly be
because of ego, or the desire to get "one up" on a former enemy?
Possibly not, but consider this. It is well documented that when Larry Bird handed the reins over to Isiah Thomas as coach of the Indiana Pacers that he walked from the podium with neither a smile nor an affirmative nod of
approval. Although respectful of each other's past accomplishments, Larry Bird rarely depicts Isiah Thomas as a worthy rival who made him better as a player, a designation he often assigns to Magic Johnson. As for Isiah
Thomas, he was a member of a team that bitterly scratched and clawed its way to the top, in the process stepping on the Boston Celtics and sending them on a downward spiral ever since.
There are many reasons why Isiah Thomas is no longer the coach of the Indiana Pacers. Those given thus far are rather cliché and predictable. To imply that the Indiana Pacers were not going in the right direction under Isiah's leadership would be an understatement, and to suggest that personal grudges are determining factors in the decision of one NBA icon to fire another might be ludicrous. But never underestimate the power of ego in the NBA as a determining force in the competition for further greatness.
Isiah no prophet
by Dean Serravalle / August 28, 2003
Without question, Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas are proven winners with more in common than most retired NBA superstars. Both are Hall of Fame basketball legends. Both defeated steep odds set against their physical limitations to achieve basketball fame and glory. Each is familiar with what it takes to win an NBA championship, resurrecting teams from mediocrity to respected dynasty status.
Each has found some measure of success after playing basketball. Larry Bird was responsible for guiding the Indiana Pacers to their best three-year record in the NBA, culminating in a 2000 NBA Finals appearance. Thomas found credible refuge in the creation of the Toronto Raptors before his tenure as coach of the Indiana Pacers, managing to improve the youth and talent of a squad left ironically by his predecessor, Larry Bird. Their basketball histories are entwined in so many ways that it came as no surprise to most experts that their relationship would find entanglement before clarity, or as Bird phrased it "a lack of communication."
But is there something more behind this sudden decision? It is no shocker that Larry Bird is enamored by idle coaching candidate Rick Carlisle, recently estranged from the Detroit Pistons and a one-time assistant under
Larry Bird. Aside from having proven himself as a credible NBA coach, and also having been dismissed because of a supposed better option, Rick Carlisle seems poised to offer his newfound independent coaching experiences
to a former relationship that was once fruitful.
Many experts have speculated that Larry Bird has been waiting for such an opportunity all along. On a coaching scale, Rick Carlisle, unlike Isiah Thomas, is more schematic in his approach while he is known to make clear certain roles on a team -- a formula Larry Bird values. However, Isiah Thomas hails from a similar "Bad Boys" tradition, where he was asked by then coach Chuck Daly to sacrifice his statistics for the betterment of the team. Isiah understood well the roles of Rick Mahorn, Bill Laimbeer and John Salley, so on this ground, there seems to be no difference in opinion between Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas as to the proper recipe for an NBA championship.
Which brings to mind the acquisition and development of young talent. Larry Bird has argued that Isiah did little to nurture the "entire" youth movement, neglecting players like Jonathan Bender. This accusation seems rather unfounded when you consider the impressive rebuilding work Thomas has accomplished in so short a time. No one can question Isiah Thomas' eye for talent.
As for style of play, Thomas followed a vision rooted in his belief of tough, hard nosed defense, most exemplified in young players like Ron Artest and Jermaine O'Neal, which, ironically, is a philosophy Larry Bird seemed to
follow as a player himself on a nightly basis for the Boston Celtics.
When compared, their so called "creative differences" are not so different. So why would Larry Bird fire Isiah Thomas without giving him at least the last year of his contract to prove his worth in gold? Could it possibly be
because of ego, or the desire to get "one up" on a former enemy?
Possibly not, but consider this. It is well documented that when Larry Bird handed the reins over to Isiah Thomas as coach of the Indiana Pacers that he walked from the podium with neither a smile nor an affirmative nod of
approval. Although respectful of each other's past accomplishments, Larry Bird rarely depicts Isiah Thomas as a worthy rival who made him better as a player, a designation he often assigns to Magic Johnson. As for Isiah
Thomas, he was a member of a team that bitterly scratched and clawed its way to the top, in the process stepping on the Boston Celtics and sending them on a downward spiral ever since.
There are many reasons why Isiah Thomas is no longer the coach of the Indiana Pacers. Those given thus far are rather cliché and predictable. To imply that the Indiana Pacers were not going in the right direction under Isiah's leadership would be an understatement, and to suggest that personal grudges are determining factors in the decision of one NBA icon to fire another might be ludicrous. But never underestimate the power of ego in the NBA as a determining force in the competition for further greatness.