Terry Foster on Isiah Thomas

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · March-03-14, 02:41 AM

Terry Foster has an article speculating about an Isiah Thomas return to the Pistons. He isn't predicting or endorsing it, merely he speculates about the possibility of his return in a management or coaching capacity. I think I can say without a doubt in my own mind that that would turn me from someone who slightly follows the Pistons into someone who ignores them entirely.

I grew up a Pistons fan, and I loved Isiah Thomas [[and the other players, too, including Adrian Dantley, he of the sexiest legs in the NBA). I have nothing but fond 80s memories of the team and Isiah [[including his Detroit Edison commercials, "Be careful, Isiah!").

But I lived in NY when he was an exec and then coach with the Knicks. His blunders in both capacities are the stuff of legend there. What's worse than his poor performance was the attitude he maintained both on the court and for the fans. He was dismissive of his team's poor performance, blamed other people for his own failures, and was a rude force of nature in general. It didn't help he worked for the worst owners in sports, the Dolans, and was reportedly hired and kept on because of his friendship with Jim Dolan. He may have played for Chuck Daly, but he didn't learn from him. And that is too bad. Let me tell you, Knicks fans HAAAAAAAAAAATE him like perhaps only Claude Lemieux is hated here.

I don't much suspect that a volatile person such as Isiah Thomas, who has had little post-playing success would ever be a serious candidate to help run the Pistons [[and if he was, boy would Tom Gores lose my respect!). But I hope that if Dumars retires they hire someone with proven management skills. And if they hire a coach, someone who has proven he can win! That is not Isiah.

Note: his three decent but unspectacular seasons in Indianapolis, when he inherited a good team, does not indicate head coaching skills. His failures at FIU and with the Knicks, where he had power beyond the sidelines, is more accurate, in my opinion.

Just read TF's article and needed to get this off my chest.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...iah-Thomas-not

**gnome** · March-03-14, 06:40 AM

Agreed. Mr. Thomas has worn out his welcome.

bill Laimbeer is another story.

**NickCharles** · March-03-14, 07:50 AM

Also, there is this...

I am reminded of Sparky Anderson expressing his fears about Alan Trammell managing the Tigers.
Anyone who takes on the job of managing a sports team is, sooner or later, going to catch hell: the booing from the crowd, the sometimes heavy-handedly negative criticism from the media, etc. No one is immune; it is an absolute truth, a fact, guaranteed.
When a guy has been a true sports hero in a city-- no matter what else he may have gotten himself into, elsewhere-- it's a damned shame, for that guy's local legacy to include such an unpleasant footnote.

**401don** · March-03-14, 08:01 AM

While Thomas has proven he's not management material, both in business and sports circles, I do think he's a good judge of young talent. He took a lot of flak in Toronto for choosing both Damon Stoudemire and Tracy McGrady, both terrific picks. He might make a great scout but would never be satisfied in the role.

**Hypestyles** · March-03-14, 08:53 AM

What was involved with Thomas’ tenure in Toronto? Didn’t he leave rather abruptly? How long was he there? Was he ever a part-owner at any point or was he simply hired on in a front-office role?

His Chicago [[childhood)history seems to be only rarely referenced—has he ever expressed interest in the Bulls operations?

**Cincinnati_Kid** · March-03-14, 09:28 AM

So it's been told many times, if he hadn't had a big falling out with the late Bill Davidson, he would have been the Piston's GM instead of Joe D. Don't know what exactly happened but, Davidson always said he looked at Isiah like a son at one point. What ever it was, it must have been pretty bad. At this point though, I don't see how Isiah could help this sad sack team. Gores doesn't seem to know what he's doing either. My fear is they lose Drummond when he's eligible to become a free agent, unless they turn it around quickly which seems unlikely at this point. 8 coaches in 14 years says it all.

**gnome** · March-03-14, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by NickCharles

Also, there is this...

I am reminded of Sparky Anderson expressing his fears about Alan Trammell managing the Tigers.
Anyone who takes on the job of managing a sports team is, sooner or later, going to catch hell: the booing from the crowd, the sometimes heavy-handedly negative criticism from the media, etc. No one is immune; it is an absolute truth, a fact, guaranteed.
When a guy has been a true sports hero in a city-- no matter what else he may have gotten himself into, elsewhere-- it's a damned shame, for that guy's local legacy to include such an unpleasant footnote.

I know of no other professional athlete who has heard more boos than Bill Laimbeer. True, those boos might not have come from Piston fans, but Mr. Floppy's ability to operate inside a volatile atmosphere, has been proven.

**Smirnoff** · March-03-14, 01:17 PM

Lost ALL respect when; kissed Magic Johnson, sexual harassment, drug overdose, .....

**softailrider** · March-03-14, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

So it's been told many times, if he hadn't had a big falling out with the late Bill Davidson, he would have been the Piston's GM instead of Joe D. Don't know what exactly happened but, Davidson always said he looked at Isiah like a son at one point. What ever it was, it must have been pretty bad. At this point though, I don't see how Isiah could help this sad sack team. Gores doesn't seem to know what he's doing either. My fear is they lose Drummond when he's eligible to become a free agent, unless they turn it around quickly which seems unlikely at this point. 8 coaches in 14 years says it all.

I think I remember something about he thought that Davidson was going to give him part ownership in the team or something like that. He retired and Davidson didn't give him shit.

**Thruster315** · March-03-14, 11:10 PM

Isiah Thomas coaching the Pistons? Just even the thought of him being a coach speaks volumes of how piss poor Tom Gores is running this team.

He's already given every sexy basketball person a nod to helping and yet none of them can help. He's contacted Phil Jackson; not coaching here but he got an opinion. He's contacted Magic Johnson for a wink and a smile; no help whatsoever to the team. Quit with the star f*cks already and get a real basketball man in there to run the show. Joe Dumars- God love him for what he's done as a player and a GM, but he's worn out his welcome. He's been a train wreck the last few years with outlandish contracts [[Charlie V & Ben Gordon), bad draft picks [[he'll be forever saddled with the Darko Dilemma), and been hand cuffed with the change in team ownership.

The coach's seat never even gets warm with anyone even remotely qualified to coach. The firing of Mo Cheeks was a Gores call and Joe Dumars couldn't even show his face with that firing. Joe's been effectively been neutered with a meddling owner now. There's no plan as to how to grow this team. The young talent that's here isn't being properly coached or developed. Sadly they might bolt first chance they get which is sad to say because there genuinely seems to be some decent youngsters here.

But to drag Isiah Thomas here? That man is a total utter debacle as basketball management. He had a falling out in Toronto and was broomed. He single handedly killed the Continental Basketball Association which would've been a nice developmental league for the NBA. He bombed horribly as the Pacers coach. He was so horrible in the NY Knicks camp that even after he got let go as their coach and became a consultant, he was banned from having contact with their own players. And if memory serves me correctly, didn't he also have some sexual harassment lawsuit around that time in New York as well?? Even coaching at Florida International University he never won more than 11 games a season. He's THAT horrible.

I'm not taking anything away from his playing days as he had grit and played tough as hell for us, but as a coach, GM or anything dealing with management Isiah is as toxic and bad as it can get. The sheer notion that Tom Gores might want him back in any capacity with the team just shows his disconnect with the game itself and more importantly, the fans who know a stinker when one blows their way.

**Thruster315** · March-03-14, 11:21 PM

Out of the major four sports in Detroit, if there's a lousier owner than Tom Gores I can't find them.

Mike Ilitch and his holdings hire good knowledgeable people to run their teams. He shares in their victories and trusts his employees. The Wings are a true dynasty. They won in the non-salary cap days and are still a force in this league. He spends freely with the Tigers for a coveted shot at winning the World Series. He puts forth a damn good [[albeit more expensive) product out there and gives us Detroiters something to be proud of.

William Clay Ford, for as many non-competitive years as the Lions have been, he doesn't meddle and gives everything materialistically that he can to the team. He's gotten them a state-of-the-art stadium and practice facility. He spends up to the last nickel in the allowed salary cap. And more importantly he's no Daniel Snyder or Jerry Jones.

Bill Davidson, God rest his soul- genuinely cared for the Pistons. He was court side and people busted ass for the man. Bill was a leader and compassionate owner. Hell, he was even proud as can be when his Shock took the WNBA titles.

Tom Gores on the other hand?? I dunno. I have no idea why he bought this team and is really grasping at straws to figure out how to win in this league.

**401don** · March-04-14, 11:31 AM

I really don't get the criticism of Gores. Was he supposed to fire Dumars the minute he became the owner? He's had the franchise for a couple of years and in the NBA there are no instant cures. You can't just throw money at the problem. Just look at the Knicks. And they're in a city that can actually attract free agents. It's now time for Dumars to go and I'm sure Gores knows it.
The Tigers probably had the worst record in baseball from 94-05 thanks to Ilitch astute hiring of Randy Smith and you can't seriously be saying anything good about the Lions.

**Thruster315** · March-04-14, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

I really don't get the criticism of Gores. Was he supposed to fire Dumars the minute he became the owner? He's had the franchise for a couple of years and in the NBA there are no instant cures. You can't just throw money at the problem. Just look at the Knicks. And they're in a city that can actually attract free agents. It's now time for Dumars to go and I'm sure Gores knows it.
The Tigers probably had the worst record in baseball from 94-05 thanks to Ilitch astute hiring of Randy Smith and you can't seriously be saying anything good about the Lions.

The criticism of Gores comes in the fact that he knows absolutely nothing about running an NBA franchise. I'm sure he's savvy in his other businesses but the way he's running this team now is horrific.

Prior to buying this team, he should've surrounded himself with knowledgeable NBA people and become informed about the day-to-day running of a professional basketball team. He should've asked them for advice, studied successful franchises, inquired about some leading candidates for managerial positions, and then bought the team. And once the keys were handed to him, he should've had a plan in place to implement whether it was to hire certain people in particular places or to fire others. He needed to be surrounded by smarter basketball people in order to succeed.

I equate buying the Pistons to being no different than buying a home. You check the price- make sure it's fair. You have a home inspector come out and look at the dents & dings. Have a plan on where you'd like the furniture, the color of the walls, etc. and upon ownership, if you don't like the color of the carpeting- toss it out!

It has nothing to do with throwing money at this team to improving it. Joe didn't come with the team and upon closer inspection based upon Joe's recent accomplishments- he should've been broomed on Day One of the Gores regime if he was smart about it. Start with a clean slate or at least a slate you feel comfortable with.

Or let's assume Joe convinced Tom Gores he was the right guy then. Obviously he's not now so what's he waiting for? How is the thought of bringing in a management disaster in Isiah Thomas even relevant to improving this team?

Want to compare Illitch to Gores? Ilitch had the stones to fire Randy Smith. Why can't Tom do the same with Joe D?

GUSHI · March-04-14, 09:48 PM

If we get Zeck, atleast he cant miss up the Pistons they all ready missed up.

**KJ5** · March-05-14, 01:52 AM

Let's not forget when he threw his daughter under the bus by trying to pin his overdose on her. The paramedics themselves called b.s. on that one. Oh, Isiah!

**Thruster315** · March-05-14, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by KJ5

Let's not forget when he threw his daughter under the bus by trying to pin his overdose on her. The paramedics themselves called b.s. on that one. Oh, Isiah!

It's moments like these that makes me shudder at the thought of even having Isiah near the front office of this team. I wouldn't have that man run a pick up game.

And for Gores to even consider Isiah for a GM position speaks volumes to me as to his lack of knowledge on the person or how the fans feel. I know that as a Pistons fan we all loved what Isiah did as a player. Many good memories there and accolades to him for those days.

But off the court? No way and no thanks.

**401don** · March-05-14, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by Thruster315

It's moments like these that makes me shudder at the thought of even having Isiah near the front office of this team. I wouldn't have that man run a pick up game.

And for Gores to even consider Isiah for a GM position speaks volumes to me as to his lack of knowledge on the person or how the fans feel. I know that as a Pistons fan we all loved what Isiah did as a player. Many good memories there and accolades to him for those days.

But off the court? No way and no thanks.

Where did you get that Gores was considering Isiah? This was some idiot NY writer who never spoke to Gores starting a rumor and then the Detroit media jumps all over it. Gotta love journalism these days.

**Thruster315** · March-05-14, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

Where did you get that Gores was considering Isiah? This was some idiot NY writer who never spoke to Gores starting a rumor and then the Detroit media jumps all over it. Gotta love journalism these days.

Rumor mill or not, it still behooves the Pistons not to even think about hiring Isiah in any capacity.

And now Drew Sharp has also jumped onto that bandwagon:
http://www.freep.com/article/2014030...s-Isiah-Thomas

**Thruster315** · March-05-14, 11:59 AM

And quite honestly as a team owner, what has Tom Gores really done to improve the product on the Palace floor since taking over ownership from the Davidsons?

I'm not saying Gores inherited a gold medal and had it bronzed, but I remember even when the Ilitches bought the Dead Wings, they snatched up Jimmy Devallano from the Stanley Cup NY Islanders to build the team and gave away cars at every home game to generate some kind of interest amongst the fan base.

Right now the most exciting thing happening at the Pistons games are the other teams' all stars and the half time show. I can live with the idea that this team is in a rebuild mode but with the coaching carousel happening there, I'm not sure they have a concerted direction for this team.

**Hypestyles** · March-06-14, 09:28 AM

so who are the 'pro basketball gurus' who would want to come to Detroit? Who's the basketball equivalent of Bill Belichick?

**sirrealone** · March-06-14, 11:32 AM

Rick Carlisle came here in 2001 as a first time coach. He won 100 regular season games in two seasons and won three playoff series in that span.

Point being, the successful GM or coach that's potentially waiting in the wings might not be a seasoned veteran, it could be that it's someone ready to take their shot. Obviously, there's an element of risk there, but everybody with success had to get their first chance at it at some point.

The Pistons had three very successful head coaching hires in a row with Carlisle, Brown, and Saunders. Ever since then it's been one disaster after another. I give Dumars all the credit in the world on the great hires he made but he's lost his touch. I gave him a pass after Davidson died because it was painfully evident that Mrs. Davidson would not spend a nickel more than she had to, which led to him not getting the coach he wanted to hire and also getting turned down on some free agent signings and trades. I think Dumars lost his spark during this time. He seems now to just be going through the motions, and sad to say, his Midas touch seemed to die along with Bill Davidson.

I think Gores is a mess of an owner and I was never a fan of him buying the team. I don't think they'll be successful as long as he's owner, but if he can turn around and sell the Pistons/Palace for a handsome profit, then the day might not be long before he's not in charge anymore. Unfortunately, the Pistons could be so bad by that time, it could be very possible that the next owner would relocate the team as the Pistons could be a dead brand by then.

**Hypestyles** · March-06-14, 05:04 PM

So does Mr. Ilitch have secret plans to try and buy the team again someday?

**JohnnyFreddy** · March-07-14, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by gnome

I know of no other professional athlete who has heard more boos than Bill Laimbeer. True, those boos might not have come from Piston fans, but Mr. Floppy's ability to operate inside a volatile atmosphere, has been proven.

.....guess what....Bill led the WNBA Detroit SHOCK to 'TWO' Championships, and one more trip to the Finals as well [[they nearly won that but for falling slightly short in final game). When he took over coaching the team they were last place in the league, and coached that great team all the way to the top baby.....so don't tell me he can't do it with the Pistons, because he could. If it weren't for the Davidson empire/legacy to come completely unraveled after his death, and the team [[Shock) sold to Oaklahoma City.....they would've won more Championships here as well.....and that's while the other three Professional Detroit Sports Teams couldn't buy a Championship. But the Women never got their proper due in this town, basically getting shunned by anybody/everybody on local media. THAT'S WHY you don't know about Bill Laimbeer. He's ALWAYS wanted to coach in the NBA, and was an assistant coach with the Timberwolves for a while. Someone should ask Joe Dumars about him. I think he would be a much better fit than Isaah Thomas. My opinion.