Despite endearing himself to the blue collar town of Boston due to his eye-catching stature and carving out a path to prominence after being drafted with the last pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, Isaiah Thomas might not have had the same luck within the Celtics locker room.
According to Chris Broussard of Fox Sports 1 as transcribed by Ricky Doyle of NESN, the 5-foot-9 blur's chip-on-his-shoulder attitude did wonders for fans, but rubbed some of his teammates the wrong way, describing him as a “headstrong guy” with a “huge ego.”
“I will tell you this, I spoke to several executives, or texted with several executives (Tuesday night), and a lot of them were saying that a lot of the players in Boston really weren’t that fond of Isaiah,” Broussard said on FS1’s Undisputed, chiming in on the blockbuster trade with hosts Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless. “We know he had those problems in Sacramento and in Phoenix. I didn’t know he was having those issues — before (talking with) these executives in Boston.”
While Thomas' “Napoleon complex” could have caused some commotion in the locker room, his prime time performances and acumen for taking the big shot at crucial times made him one of the most spectacular stars in the league. Now, he has a chance to put his clutch factor on display alongside LeBron James.
Thomas owned his desire to make the Celtics his team, but if he is still hellbent on that notion, it won't be long until him and the King butt heads in Cleveland, resulting in the Cavs having traded one headache for another.