Isaiah Thomas' father comments on his son being traded

While Isaiah Thomas has thus far remained mute regarding the trade sending him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving in a midsummer blockbuster deal, his father, James Thomas, spoke with Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe and he definitely understands the brutal, sometimes ruthless, business side of the NBA.

Coming off a near-MVP caliber season and a 2nd team All-NBA nod with the Boston Celtics it seemed that Isaiah was eager to build off of a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals with some more help after the C's added another All-Star to the team in Gordon Hayward. Thomas played a major role in recruiting both Hayward and Al Horford last offseason, so it's obviously a shock that he won't even play one game alongside the former of the two.

Instead he's been shipped off to a conference rival, the same one that sent the C's packing a step short of the NBA Finals, for a player who plays the exact same position he does and in a very similar fashion I might add. Whether it's because of his size, his ailing hip, age, impending contract situation or just that Danny Ainge and the Celtics brass believe Irving is, or has the potential to be, that much better (which is obviously what they do think) it doesn't really matter - because the organization which he gave everything he had on the court decided they'd be better off with someone else in his place, and that's gotta hurt bad.

My guess is that we haven't heard a peep from Thomas in part because he's taking some time to collect both his thoughts and emotions. But in the meantime, his father James opened up and had nothing but good things to say about the Celtics organization:

“They were good times in Boston,” he said. “They were good to us. They gave my son a chance to play in the NBA. It’s nothing against them. I only have good things to say. I can’t cut them. Hey, every starter that was there this year is gone except one. Maybe they did what was best for Boston, or at least they think they did.”

While my best guess says that Isaiah will likely echo that with something similar, this will without a doubt be more fuel on the fire that motivates him and I'd be shocked if he doesn't at least note that he does feel slighted in some ways by the C's and being part of their future. I'm certainly not looking forward to his revenge tour the first time he laces his sneakers up against the Celtics this season.

But despite the raw emotion that comes with a deal like this, it's not like Isaiah finds himself in some awful situation. He'll be playing alongside the best basketball player in the world today and with a team looking to advance to it's fourth consecutive NBA Finals:

“At the end of the day, what can you say?” James Thomas said. “You’re playing with LeBron. I mean, how many players get to play with the best guy on the planet? And a guy that says you’re good, too, and that people can’t stop you, either.”

James also noted that Isaiah will persevere regardless of where he plays. He always pushes on, just as we saw as he pressed on this past postseason despite the tragic loss of his sister Chyna on the eve of the Celtics first playoff games:

“Isaiah has managed to overcome every obstacle you put in front of him,” James Thomas said. “He knows how to maintain, man. He just holds his composure and just plays on. At the end of the day, it’s basketball. It’s still a dream.”

That's some great perspective from a guy who's been through quite a bit recently losing a daughter just a few months back. You can clearly see where Isaiah gets his values from.


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