The Dream Team: Get Over It, Isiah!

One could make an argument that Isiah Thomas should have been on the Dream Team over John Stockton, but why would you?  During the 1991-92 season, Isiah averaged 18 points and 7 assists while Stockton averaged 15 points and 13 assists.  Isiah may have been deserving of being on the Dream Team but that wasn't the criteria for being on that team.  It was marketability.  The architects of the Dream Team knew that sending the best of the NBA would win gold but the money that could be made off of the Dream Team was the driving force.  The hottest player in the NBA was Michael Jordan, who was coming off his second straight NBA championship.  During the Tournament of the Americas, six games were played and Stockton played in only 2 of them.  Would Isiah been okay with that?  The competitor that he was tells me no.  Stockton had no issue with it.  During the Olympics, 8 games were played and Stockton played in only 4 of them.  Once again, Isiah wouldn't have stood for that.  We all now know that Jordan would not have played if Isiah was apart of it but it wasn't just Jordan who objected.  We all should have seen the documentary on the Dream Team by now and all those who didn't want Isiah there admitted as much.  From a business standpoint, it was a no-brainer.  It sucks for Isiah but money talks and BS walks.  It wasn't just Jordan and it never was but Jordan was the easy "scapegoat" given the recent history between the two at the time.  Piston fans can cry all they want but who in this world is ever rewarded with something after they have burned so many bridges and rubbed one too many people, with influence, the wrong way?  The answer is no one and it always will be.   Articles like the one Peter Vecsey wrote for the New York Post yesterday makes me sick.  Full of finger pointing and sour grapes.  Who the hell is Vecsey to try and throw anyone under the bus in favor of Isiah Thomas?  If you don't believe me here's the link: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/nets/dream_team_not_worth_glorifying_6WVVJS8tn3tmCFDaYxUMjJ 

If Isiah was so great and so loved, why is it that for a time, he couldn't go back to his hometown of Chicago?  Maybe Isiah wasn't the angel some thought he was and no one was going to allow Jordan and Magic to not be apart of the Dream Team.  This was the beginning of the "It Sucks to be Isiah Thomas" era.

Comparing Stockton and Isiah isn't a hard thing to do.  Since both play the PG position at roughly the same time, which one would you take?  Now before I answer, I must admit that I am a Bulls fan.  I have been since I was about 10 years old.  I watched as the Pistons eliminated the Bulls from 1988-90.  I watched the "Bad Boys" beat up on Jordan, Pippen and the Bulls on their way to 3 straight NBA Finals appearances, winning 2.  Outside of Joe Dumars, I hated the Pistons, like most people did.  How else do you think they got the Bad Boys nickname.  One thing about all of that is I have always respected them.  They were a good team and they won championships.  Something Stockton and the Jazz were never able to do.  I have always been a fan of basketball and will continue to be.  Now that I've got that out of the way, we can begin.

Take away Isiah's two rings, what are the real differences between the two?  The answer is nothing except for "star power" and that's a stretch.  Stockton came into the league in 1985 4 years after Isiah did.  Isiah averaged at least 20 points and 10 assists from 1984-87, his best statistical years.  Isiah finished with a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio over a 13 year career.  Isiah was an all-star every year from 1982-93 except for the 1991 mid-season game.  He finished his career averaging 19 points and 9 assists.  For a little guy, Isiah was a great player but was never a great PG.  He led the league in assists twice (1984 & 1985) and finished 7th overall.  One could argue that injuries ended Isiah's career, which in some ways it did but his standing as a PG was declining even in his championship years.  No doubt his HOF induction in 2000 was deserved.

Stockton wasn't the scorer that Isiah was and he didn't need to be considering he played with Karl Malone.  Stockton was a prototypical PG with a "pass first" mentality.  He led the league in assists from 1988 through 1996, eventually becoming the all-time assists leader.  Stockton also is the all-time leader in steals and has a 5:1 assist to turnover ration for his career.  Stockton would become a 10-time all-star and MVP of the All-Star game in 1993.  There have been 6 seasons where the most assists ever in a season happened and Stockton was the guy 5 of those times (Isiah was the other).  Stockton holds the record for most seasons, games, and consecutive games played for one team.  He was inducted into the HOF in 2009.

D!