Cleveland Cavaliers star point guard Isaiah Thomas finally addressed the video tribute saga by announcing he will not have it on the same night as Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce's jersey retirement ceremony. Thomas reportedly told Boston's head of basketball operations Danny Ainge that he had no intention of spoiling Pierce's night after “The Truth” admitted that he did not want share tributes with the former Celtics stalwart.
However, it seems even Pierce took the initiative of telling Ainge himself, according to ESPN's Jackie MacMullan and Chris Forsberg:
“Danny and I talked about it for 40 minutes,” Pierce explained to ESPN early Tuesday afternoon. “He told me, ‘This is what we have planned,' and at the end of the conversation, he said, ‘If you don't want us to do Isaiah, we won't.' So I told him, ‘I really don't.' So that was it.
“That's how we left it.”
Pierce took it a step further by saying that the Celtics had felt guilty for trading Thomas prior to the 2017-18 NBA season.
“(Thomas) had a shot to be honored,” Pierce said. “You came to Boston. Whether you are playing or not, you should have had your tribute then. I just don't see how, if someone is having a jersey retirement, they're going to be running other tributes for other players.
“Danny tried to sell me on it, but I told him, ‘He had a shot, Danny, and he punked you on it. He pretty much dictated everything.' They let it happen because they felt sorry how (the trade to Cleveland) went down. It's guilt. That's what it is.”
While Pierce's words may seem a bit straightforward, there is no doubt that the Celtics organization may feel a bit of guilt after parting ways with Thomas in surprising fashion. The two-time All-star had endured injuries and the death of his sister to lead the Celtics to the Eastern Conference championship.
As a result, they have seemingly continued to appease Thomas' every request regarding his tribute video. Needless to say, it is a relief to see all sides finally come to a conclusion.
Follow Us
Subscribe