What is Isiah’s legacy?
The last time I went to a Knicks game, the now-standard “Fire Isiah!” chants started in the FIRST QUARTER. This happened during a stretch in which the Knicks scored 12 points in the game’s first 12 minutes, and although they eventually came back to beat the Raptors that night, the fact that Isiah Thomas was hearing the venom from the home fans before his players (well, except Eddy Curry) had even broken a sweat was just another bit of negativity surrounding the Knicks’ coach/president.
It got me to thinking: What is Isiah Thomas’ enduring legacy? How will he ultimately be remembered? How is he thought of today?
There is definitely a segment of society — mostly casual fans, a lot of them in New York — who know Isiah more as an unsuccessful NBA coach and front-office executive than they do as one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. There are a lot of people out there who either don’t immediately remember (or know almost nothing about) the things Isiah did on the court: an NCAA championship at Indiana, two NBA titles with the Pistons, a Hall of Fame career in which he averaged 19.2 points, 9.3 assists and 1.9 steals in 13 pro seasons while serving as one of sports’ great stories of perseverance and succeeding against all odds.
And with every passing year, as we’re taken farther and farther away from Zeke’s playing days, it becomes even more likely that the name Isiah Thomas will largely conjure images of sorry Knicks teams and The Doo-Doo Face than it will conjure images like this:
February 27th, 2008 at 11:16 am
jay says:
to be honest i respect him as a player but what i remember him as a dude that froze jordan out in all star games and led the pistons off the floor when they were swept by the bulls in 01…classless move from a classless individual…yeah it is harsh but facts are facts!
February 27th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Jim says:
I think the clip actually highlights a big part of his problem. He’s amazing, and you have to love that heart, skill, and success. But hearing him talk about himself in glowing terms, calling himself a magician…
He is so smug, it is why people hated him then, and a big part of why people hate him now, and that so many people are glad to see him fail. Also, he’s two-faced like no other: playing smiley-Joe but clearly, like Jay says, being classless on and off the court.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Brown says:
I remember watching him play when I was younger. He was a great player, and one of the best PGs of all-time. The sad fact is that today’s society has more of a “what have you done for me lately?” attitude, and unless Zeke can pull a miracle out his ass and turn the Knicks around, he’ll be remembered for his complete ineptitude in running a franchise. The fact that he’s both coach and GM of a team makes him look even worse. He should be aware of the team’s character issues, but all he does is add to the problem by bringing in players like Marbury, Curry, Randolph, etc.
He’s so far entrenched in his own mess, it’s going to take someone else to clean it up, plain and simple. And after his tenure with the Knicks is over, I can’t see anyone willing to hire him to run a franchise ever again, and that’s likely to be his legacy.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
myrie says:
Michael Jordan froze Isiah Thomas out of a very derserving sopt on the original 1992 Dream Team; that is 1000x worse than any meaningless ASG freeze out.
In any event, Isiah will be remembered as a guy who is just plain ole ‘bad at his job’. Sad. When Isiah walks by you or you see him leave anywhere, you’ll turn to your ppl and say, “there goes a guy who is horribly bad at his job”.
No more, no less. New (last) legacy.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
control says:
I hope he stays in New York until he dies…he is making it easy to really hate on one team. The GM sucks, the coach sucks, the owner sucks, and every single one of the players is a bonehead (except David Lee). All he needs to do is pickup Sjack and Crazy Ron to have the biggest group of disfunctional idiots in the history of any sport in one place.
February 27th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
BlazeMcHerbs says:
“What is Isiah Thomas’ enduring legacy?”
Damn, if only i knew, cuz i flushed it down the toilet this morning, oh well…
February 27th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Dave says:
I’m clearly in the minority here, but my first thought of Isiah is still that of a brilliant point guard. There’s one play that he made on a fast break where you bounced the ball on the floor just past the top of the key as a pass to Rodman who caught it and dunked. It was an absolutely amazing play, and encapsulated Isiah’s ability to make the extraordinary play look easy.
February 27th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Vertman says:
Whenever his name comes up now I think back to what an amazing player he was, AND, how shitty he’s done after his career was done. I just don’t understand how a former outstanding player can make such bad moves, etc.
February 27th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
K-Dizzle says:
Totally agree with posts 1-8.
One of the best all-time point guards and winners, Huge heart as a player, the original A.I.
AND
the WORST GM in the history of the league. Actually did a good job as a coach in Indy but been down hill since Bird gave his ass the boot, and I know MJ drafted Kwame Brown, but Zeke has been destroyin the Knicks since he arrived. All the other shit teams in the l at least have a future. Knicks won’t be relavant for at least 3-5 years
February 27th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Reed Ewing Frazier says:
control-Why is the white dude the only one not a bonehead(One Love to D. Lee though)have some nuts and just say all the n-words on the team are boneheads! jay- How the hell did Zeke freeze out Jordan that is the dumbest comment on here Masta(Yessa BOSS)Stern runs the NBA if he wanted Jordan to play he would have played! Real basketball fans will remember him as a HOF player, good talent scout, ok coach(IND)bad coach(NY)bad GM(NY,CBA). As for casual fans they suck so cares what they think but a lot of comments on here are just plain haterism he sucks at his job just lot of you guys suck on commenting on dimemag if you feel offended then I’m talking to you KNICKS UP!! ALL THE REST DOWN!!
February 27th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
doc says:
Zeke is a baller.If people in New York Shut the fuck up and stop booing the man maybe they can win some games.
February 27th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
K-Dizzle says:
R.E.F. -
Actually, playa, it’s common knowledge that Mike said he wasn’t gonna play for the dream team if Zeke was on the squad and that’s why christian laettner got a spot
control – how are malik rose , crawford and ronaldo balkman boneheads?
February 27th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
K-Dizzle says:
sorry, didn’t finish
- cuz zeke “tried” to freeze mike outta the all-star game. When you runnin the point and players all hatin on the new kid outta carolina who’s stealin their shine, it’s easy.
February 27th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
control says:
Reed Ewing, don’t start that race card bullshit. David Lee is a solid player, if he were black I’d be saying the same shit, so shut the fuck up. Also, is not James Dolan, who I grouped into the total utterfailure of the Knicks not white? You are doing more to spread racism than I am, you see colour everywhere, I don’t even notice it…so just shut the fuck up.
KDiz, I’ll give ya Malik and Ronaldo (though I can’t stand how much overhype Ronaldo gets…I guess that comes from being the ONLY good thing to happen to a team for a few years). Crawford is a terrible team player, the guy can get a few points but he makes his team a whole shitload worse when he is playing. That makes him a bonehead (or according to Reed, him being black makes him a bonehead).