11/05/24
March 02, 2002
NBA Coach of the Month.: When Bird retired as the coach of the Pacers, I was enamored at the idea of having Isaiah as the new coach. I knew very little of Rick Carlisle, except the kudos that Bird was giving him. Now, I still like Zeke, but I'm beginning to wonder what Carlisle would have done with the Pacers. He seems to be coaching a pretty mediocre team with great success. With all the talk about pro players needing to respect their coaches, how has "low-profile" Carlisle gotten his team to respond?
posted by jacknose to basketball at 01:46 PM - 3 comments
C'mon, srboisvert, you're just jumping on the "Zeke's a freak" bandwagon (and the fodder that his critics like to dish out). I don't buy that he is evil incarnate. Sure, he can be a ruthless businessman at times, but so are the people who accuse him of such things. Zeke has been ostracized ever since Jordan shunned him. (Zeke is one of the few players who refused to slobber over Jordan; and I speak as Jordan fan.) His absence from the original Dream Team was tragic. Only a few players have been so fierce that they have willed their teams to championships at every level. I also don't think you should discount the fact that the Raptors have been one of the few recent expansion teams that have remained competitive and marketable. It certainly isn't all Thomas' doing, but how can you claim that he had no part in it? He got them to a good start and provided quality players for future trades. Zeke is no saint, but he's also no villian. He's just insanely competitve and driven. The same qualities that a certain bald guy is continually praised for. Zeke has not gotten his due respect. (BTW, Wilkens, no thanks. I like him and all, but his warranty is about to expire.)
posted by jacknose at 04:21 PM on March 02, 2002
Srboisvert, I couldn't agree more.
posted by pastepotpete at 09:02 PM on March 02, 2002
Zeke is a freak. As a huge Raptor fan I have followed his post NBA career fairly closely and I can't say that I have ever found anything redeeming about his conduct. When the going gets tough you will see his vapid smile and then his backside as he hightails it out of there. He bankrupted the CBA, ripped-off people he worked with left-right-and center and could have been a motivational speaker for Enron. He couldn't find a way to work with Jalen Rose. Left a big mess in Toronto and is still trying to take credit for the Raptors improvement. He can't even figure out a starting lineup for the Pacers. The only thing you can count on with Isaiah is that he will see himself in any semi-talented PG that comes along and then in a fit of self-love he will make them the focal point of the team regardless of whether they have the tools (see ..Damon Stoudomire and Tinsley). That said, I would be more than willing to do a straight up trade of Lenny Wilkens for Zeke. Ten straight losses and counting by the Raptors. What channel is the figure skating?