These are select quotes...the entire article is here:
http://www.insidehoops.com/isiah-con...e-022405.shtml
Isiah Thomas: Well, when you look at the expiring contracts that we will have this summer, we still have close to $30 million in expiring contracts to go out and play with this summer. When you look at, the way I looked at Vin Baker and Moochie Norris contracts, we have two years of those contracts, we take on an additional year with Maurice Taylor, but we get the benefit of, in my opinion, the better player for these two years. Also, if you look at what's happening with expiring contracts, that's really how some teams are acquiring talent if you're not under the cap. With Maurice Taylor's third year, it becomes an expiring contract, which becomes a huge asset to us. Malik Rose - when I look at Nazr Mohammed, I don't think I ever would have had the opportunity to trade Nazr Mohammed for two first round draft picks. I like the player that I'm getting back in Malik rose. He's a very tough player. He's a savvy champion who has played on two championship teams. Very high character. I think we're getting a very solid piece. I look at having players such as he and Kurt Thomas on the same team. It gives us the type of mentality defensively that we're looking for. Malik is a high energy guy, and I think our fans are going to enjoy seeing him play. In terms of the salary that he possesses,
I think in our league, a guy such as Malik, who is making about five, six million dollars a year, he's worthy of that contract. The two or three additional years that he has, I'm very comfortable with paying those numbers. Those are not $12, $13, $14 million a year numbers. And if you look at what we would have had to pay Nazr Mohammed, in that third or fourth year, you would have had to replace him probably at a higher number. As I said before, the way we're going to build this team, you got to get younger, you got to get more athletic. Today we got a little younger, but we also got better in terms of our future, in terms of adding draft picks. Over the next two years, you got four first round draft picks, which is something that we didn't have a couple of months ago.
Question: Final evaluation of Nazr Mohammed, he was a good player, but limited in what he could do and become, correct?
Isiah Thomas: When I look at what a true center is, and Nazr did a great job for us at the center position, but we still needed to get better at that position. And we still do have to get better. However, when I look at the way a lot of teams are playing with power forwards as opposed to having true centers, most of the East is playing that way now. A lot of teams in the West are playing that way. Until you find someone who's really a true center, who can really dominate the paint the way Shaq does, you're better off having just good, solid basketball players. And today we upgraded our teams in terms of talent.
I really hope Isiah is as stupid as everyone thinks he is...but I don't think he is. He was a hard nosed player who gave maximum effort and he knows what it takes to win.
And this guy is good at drafting.
He didn't create the Knicks disaster...he got them back into the playoffs after two miserable years and having to work around quite possibly the worst contract in NBA history.
And he knew Charlie Ward sucked.
Mohammed is not going to be anything different than Rasho.
Blah,blah,blah. Zeke is an idiot.
By the way...the Spurs paid the trade kicker...the entire trade kicker.
yeah that Tim Thomas trade is fantastic.
Gee what do you think hes gonna say.
Folks, this IS a bad trade, I agree, but, Im an idiot.
Of course hes gonna spin it that its good.
Damn.
Always good to get the opinion of the guy that thinks Tony Parker sucks...
I thought it was reported that they paid a percentage of it.By the way...the Spurs paid the trade kicker...the entire trade kicker.
Isiah did a lot of house cleaning in Indy as well. But Walsh had a hand in most of that situation also. It will be interesting to see what he does. I'm sure he'll want to coach the Knicks next season.
Putting words in my mouth again? I never said Parker sucks.
Um...if you look real closely you will see Isiah is saying Mohammed sucks, that's not usually the way you spin a trade..you usually make it sound like you had to give up Michael Jordan but feel the team will be better.
Isiah is saying Mohammed isn't a good enough Center to play for his 23-32 Eastern Conference team.
He's right...what's going to happen now? Are the Knicks going to start sucking?
Why didn't Pop know that Charlie Ward sucked? Was he dazzled by the Heisman Trophy?
What is Pop looking for? If most teams are moving away from true centers and giving that role to expert forwards, why is Pop looking for a true center?
This whole thing will baffle me for some time to come...
Of course he's going to say that Muhammed sucks. He just traded him for an alright player with a huge contract. Dude is a dumbass. Plain and simple.
Seriously. I am surprised that this guy still makes more money than I do.
I may be incompetent, but I certainly wouldn't:
1.) Bankrupt the CBA.
2.) Destroy the Raptors.
3.) Be in the process of destroying the Pacers before Larry came back.
How is this idiot still employed?
What did you expect Isiah to say? "Um, I know all the NY fans are pissed at me and saying worse things than they said about Layden on the radio shows today, and they're right"?
He said everything I expected him to say.
If Isiah is so right, then why did he grab Mo Taylor? He didn't have to take that trade back.
And then there's this gem:
I guess he's speaking from the perspective of already being so far into lux tax territory he doesn't give a damn. For the Spurs, Rose's deal down the road could be a 13-14 million (or more) contract if they had to pay the lux tax b/c of it.The two or three additional years that he has, I'm very comfortable with paying those numbers. Those are not $12, $13, $14 million a year numbers.
Isiah is speaking like I'd expect the GM of a ty capped out team in the biggest media market in the US with 6 straight years of bad basketball being played to say.
Setting aside the Spurs' great prowess at drafting and signing free agents . . .
What is the last good trade the Spurs made?
I wouldn't count Salmon for Speedy or Curly(sp?) for Sean. Those were as much draft moves as trades.
The only trades I can recall under the current regime are Charles Smith, Steve Smith, Charlie Ward (I think). In other words, a bunch of veterans who turned out to be walking wounded.
The Spurs seem to be a step ahead of their compe ors on draft day and a step behind when it comes to horse trading with those same folks.
That's why I'm worried about Nazr's groin pull. That tends to be a chronic problem until you take about six months off.
Well, let's just list the players Zeke has acquired:
Moochie Norris
John Amaechi
Stephon Marbury
Anfernee Hardaway
Cezary Trybanski
Tim Thomas
Nazr Mohammed
Jamal Crawford
Jerome Williams
Trevor Ariza
Vin Baker
Jamison Brewer
Bruno Sundov
Mengke Bateer
Tracy Murray
Malik Rose
A mixed bag.
I find that hard to believe. You have been pretty critical of Parker...you'd have more crediblity if you showed up to give him props when he does play well.
But don't sweat it...I am just talking ...the truth is it's hard for me to not like a guy that calls himself IceColdBrewski.
I dunno cqsallie...but I have noticed your posts on this board and I have been pretty impressed with them. Keep it upWhy didn't Pop know that Charlie Ward sucked? Was he dazzled by the Heisman Trophy?
What is Pop looking for? If most teams are moving away from true centers and giving that role to expert forwards, why is Pop looking for a true center?
This whole thing will baffle me for some time to come...
The Raptors never recovered from the days this clown ran the organization. I wonder what great things they would have to say about him.
How would you rate his ownership of the CBA?
I'm guessing that the old CBA execs wouldn't rate it too high.
If you want to put faith in isiah, knock yourself out. Here's what Sports Guy had to say about it all...
Go ahead and put that faith in Isiah. I mean he ed up Toronto, Indy, the CBA, I guess he's bound to get it right sooner or later.1. When Isiah called the Spurs and said, "We'll give you Nazr Mohammed, you give us Malik Rose and a crap No. 1, and we don't care about the $20 million difference in salaries," do you think Gregg Popovich said, "Lemme call you right back," then pretended he was deliberating about it for 30 secondsw before speed-dialing Isiah back? Was there laughter in the Spurs offices? High-fiving? Was Popovich the guy who called Isiah under the "Maybe Isiah will be dumb enough to give us a center" premise? How did this go down?
2. Am I crazy or do the Knicks have a 10-man rotation made up of 3 shooting guards, 5 power forwards and 2 small forwards?
3. Could Isiah make a trade that surprised you anymore at this point? For instance, if you read that he traded Stephon Marbury to the Lakers for Brian Grant, Tierre Brown, a lottery-protected first-rounder and the rights to Magic Johnson's next comeback, would you even bat an eyelash? Me neither.
Hmm...the CBA was going under anyway, how do you think one man was able to buy it so easily?
He kinda screwed up the Raptors but I don't think you realize that Isiah has a good eye for talent in the draft...the Spurs don't have much on him on making great draft picks.
As for the Pacers...he wasn't the GM, Walsh was...but I'll agree that he sucked as coach...most great players do suck as coaches in all sports.
Everyone blames Isiah for the Knicks bad financial situation...but he's not the one that created that situation...Layden was...and the Knicks royally sucked to begin with when he became the GM.
Russ nailed it earlier...Isiah can't stand clock punchers, he is improving that team.
You look at what they got now...
They got a back court with a ton of potential in Marbury and Crawford...they got a steal in the second round with Ariza...and they got a bust ass hustle player in Malik(Malik hustles 10 times harder than Thomas IMO)...
IF they are in the lottery this year they do get their number one pick...plus they get a late rounder of the kind we used to draft Parker and Beno.
He needs a Center....he's saying he needed a Center even with Mohammed on that team.
I don't think he's doing as badly with the Knicks situation as people are making it out to be...of course the NY Media is going to brutalize him...he's not winning. And pretty much all the other media takes their cue from the NY Media.
But if you look real closely, the New York Media isn't bashing Malik the player.
This trade isn't as one sided as everyone thinks...we gave up two #1 picks, plus paid the trade kicker, and a player we have won championships with as the main back up big...
For a Center...This guy is going to turn out to be your typical stiff NBA Center...like every team in the NBA has...he will never be Malik Rose or be able to alter a game like Malik could(for better or for worse).
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
