The Value Of A Point Guard

With the Celtics rumored to be open to moving Rajon Rondo, there has been some speculation as to why they would be willing to move such an up and coming star, especially when the Big Three are on their last ride. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are both in the final year of their contracts, and will not be returning unless they accept a lot less than they are currently making. Paul Pierce is a free agent in a couple of seasons, and exactly how much will he have left by that point? All signs point to Rondo being the guy that the Celtics try to build their future around.

But what value does a superstar point guard actually have? Over the past thirty years, only Isaiah Thomas and Magic Johnson have won championships while falling under the superstar classification. More often than not, the point guard is nothing more than a veteran presence who knows how to distribute the basketball, can hit the occasional shot, and can sink free throws. The point guard does not really need to be a scoring threat – just someone that knows how to play the game fundamentally well.

The point guard position, at least over the past thirty years, has thusly been grotesquely overvalued. Look at players like Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, and Chris Paul, or even John Stockton. What exactly have they won, aside from individual accolades? Meanwhile, such luminaries as a past his prime Jason Kidd, Derek Fisher, and Ron Harper have all won championships.

In fact, Tony Parker is the third best point guard to win over the last thirty years. However, he fits the concept of what winning teams need the point guard to do in terms of his passing ability, ability to hit free throws, and knowledge of the game. A ‘name’ point guard tries to take over. A solid point guard that plays the position correctly moves the ball to the best options, and puts the team in position to win. Rarely does a superstar point guard have the awareness to do just that; but when they do, you get an Isaiah Thomas or a Magic Johnson.

Trading Rajon Rondo to bring in another scoring option makes sense. Meanwhile, the Celtics will be able to replace him with a smart, court savvy veteran who will do what the superstar point guards cannot do – help a team win a championship.

Isiah Thomas Returns - Part Five?

Imagine for a moment that you own a business. In the past, this business had been rather successful, ranking near the top in it's respective field. However, the business has fallen upon hard times recently, and needs help to achieve it's former level of greatness. As such, you are looking for someone to lead the business back.

Amongst your candidates, there are people that have been successful in the type of business that you own, there is someone that has learned the position by working his way through the ranks, and then there is someone that destroyed the last four companies he has been a part of over the last ten years. Obviously, that last person is not someone you would seriously consider, right?

Unless, apparently, you happen to be the Detroit Pistons. Their present head coaching search is down to four people - Mike Woodson, Kelvin Sampson, Bill Laimbeer, and......Isiah Thomas. Yes, that Isiah Thomas. The same Isiah Thomas that managed to bankrupt the Continental Basketball Association two years after purchasing it. The Isiah Thomas that took a talented Pacers team that had just come off an NBA Finals appearance, yet was unable to get them past the first round. The same Isiah Thomas that ran the New York Knicks into the ground, both in the front office and as a coach - yet was almost brought back last year as an advisor. And yes, the same Isiah Thomas that is presently attempting to coach in college basketball without anything resembling success.

All of this does not take into account the various scandals that have marked his career either. From his attempts to freeze out Michael Jordan during the All-Star game, to his being sued for sexual harassment while with the Knicks, to his being hospitalized for an overdose of Lunesta (and trying to cover it up by claiming his daughter was the one getting the medical attention), to the Knicks having illegal workouts with draft prospects while he was in the front office, Thomas is toxic. Stay away at all costs.

We here at Mr. Dave's Sports Blog are aware that making fun of Isiah Thomas is roughly akin to beating up Helen Keller - too easy. Yet, despite his long list of failures, Thomas continually returns in the ranks of basketball. Either he has pictures of someone in the NBA that allow him to continue getting employment, or he is David Stern's version of the retarded kid that works at McDonald's washing dishes for $3.00 per hour. Nice to know that the NBA's favorite charity involves watching Thomas pretend to be a competent basketball coach/executive/towel boy while not having the capabilities to manage my cat.

So, Detroit, bring Isiah Thomas back as your coach at your own peril. Just expect failure at an epic level.