Because sometimes, a four-year, $27-million doesn't show the appropriate appreciation.
Joining his new team in kelly green on Sunday, the newest Boston Celtics point guard, Isaiah Thomas, sounded excited to have a fresh start. This, just a few months after he was given another fresh start with the Phoenix Suns.
After spending three years with the Sacramento Kings, where they hesitated to make him their point guard of the future, Thomas left the River City feeling disrespected. On his way out, former teammate DeMarcus Cousins made it sound as if Thomas was an issue for the team, over-dribbling and stalling the offense.
In Phoenix, he was to be a part of a three-headed point guard attack, one that wasn't as successful as the team had hoped and ultimately led to both Goran Dragic and Thomas being shipped out. Thomas signing was said to have rubbed Dragic the wrong way, and his ball-dominant ways led to far fewer touches for Dragic, potentially expediting his exit.
Thomas was sent to the Celtics for a protected 2016 first-round pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Marcus Thornton, landing him with his third team in a calendar year. With that price tag attached, the Celtics appear to value Thomas a good deal.
"I'm just happy to be somewhere that they appreciate me," Thomas said, "and hopefully I can make the city fall in love for me."
Seemingly aware that the optics suggest he's been a tough fit in his previous stops, Thomas was clear that he doesn't see any potential issues in Boston.
"I fit in with anybody," he said. "You have a basketball and a hoop, I'll fit in."
Unlike in his last two stops, Thomas won't be sharing the floor and the ball with anyone more talented offensively than himself. There's no Cousins to feed in the post and no Dragic to defer pick-and-roll duties too, and he seems a better fit alongside rookie point guard Marcus Smart than he was alongside Dragic or Eric Bledsoe.
If it doesn't work out, Thomas may no longer be able to play the under-rated or under-appreciated card. He's left two teams in short order in part due to a perceived lack of fit, and he'll need to mesh well here to maintain a strong reputation.
That reputation is based on his singular ability to score in a hurry. In 46 games with Phoenix, Thomas was averaging 15.2 points in 25.7 minutes, and he's averaged 15.3 points in 28.5 minutes for his career with above-average offensive efficiency. With the Celtics in the bottom-10 in team offense and knocking on the door of a playoff spot, that will be welcome, at least for now.
