Got rid of every player on the Kings roster. Except Isaiah Thomas.
Got Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, and Ray Allen in exchange.
IT’S A NEW BEGINNING, SONICS FANS!
*Disclaimer: Please understand that this trade would never happen. Ever. The moral of the story is that the NBA is coming back to Seattle, the Sonics are alive again, and playing with ESPN’s Trade Machine is once again relevant to us. Enjoy it, Sonics fans. We’re back.
Lisa Simpson.
That’s who I felt like when I warned you about Isaiah Thomas.
I warned you on Facebook (“Does IT really need to return to UW next year? What does he gain by doing that?”), I warned you on Twitter (“What does IT gain by coming back? Already a proven scorer and won’t get the chance to flash the PG skills next year w/ Gaddy/Wroten.”), and I warned you in Episode XIX of the podcast most of you don’t listen to (beginning at the 33:45 mark, in case you’re interested).
Think of Isaiah as the ever-shrinking O-Zone layer. Think of me as Lisa. And consider yourselves to be the good people of Springfield.
If we’re not careful, the O-Zone layer will disappear! I told you. I tried to warn you. But none of you listened. And now, sadly, the O-Zone layer is gone.
Continue reading Thanks For Making Me Look Like A Prophet, Isaiah
No further words are necessary.
*Note: Original link was broken and cut off the podcast three-quarters of the way through. The link has since been updated and is now fully working.
You may be wondering why we’ve entitled this episode XII.5. Well, interestingly enough, Karate Emergency Episode XII was lost in production, a result of the radio station we record from being torn down before our very eyes (seriously). Because it would not be accurate to give this episode the title of XII or XIII, we split the difference and got all weird on you. Enjoy that.
Topics this week include the usual grumpiness, Jay Cutler versus Twitter, Husky Basketball (including the RTR movement) and the Pac-10 Player of the Year race, a good deal of random tangents on random subjects, and the news to close the show. We also drop the second installment of our Twitter follower shout-out, so tune in to see if you happen to be this week’s lucky winner!
A few weeks ago, I wrote this article on Isaiah Thomas, likening him to one Stacy Patton, a fictional NBA player from the movie Eddie with a bad reputation.
Since that article was published, much has been made of the comparison between Thomas and Patton.
For one, Isaiah, himself, has responded to the name-calling. The article has been the subject of radio discussion, for another. And as a whole, it has created a whirlwind of discussion and controversy on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
But to Isaiah’s credit, he has done everything humanly possible to shed the ill-fated nickname from his persona. And in nine games since that article first appeared in print, Isaiah has returned to the good graces of myself, and all other Husky fans alike.
With all due respect to the Marquette Golden Eagles, I truly believe the Washington Huskies will pull the upset and win their first round NCAA Tournament matchup on Thursday. You can call it blind allegiance if you must, but if I were a betting man I’d still side with the Dawgs. It just makes sense. Here’s why:
A bunch of swingmen vs. Matthew Bryan-Amaning
Had you told me a month ago that Matthew Bryan-Amaning would be our biggest X-factor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, I would have cringed. These days, however, he might very well be our greatest weapon.
The 6’9″ power forward from Britain will be counted on to shoulder much of the load inside against Marquette’s diminutive front line. Though the Golden Eagles’ forwards are all at least two inches shorter than MBA, they play bigger than their stature and are more active than some of the big bodies the Huskies faced in Pac-10 play.
Don’t laugh.
Stranger things have happened.
Carl Lewis once sang the national anthem.
John Daly had his stomach stapled.
Shakespeare in Love won an Oscar for Best Picture.
So to think that the Washington men’s basketball couldn’t run off nine straight victories and win an NCAA title is not entirely implausible. Just semi-unlikely. But why focus on the negative?
There are hundreds of reasons why the Dawgs can’t win the NCAA Tournament. The odds, the competition, Joe Lunardi, East Coast bias. That’s only four. You can think up dozens more, I’m sure.
But I’d rather tell you why they can. Because it’s Monday. And you need something positive in your life today.
Continue reading Huskies Nine Games From National Championship
That was insane.
Can we pen our contract with ESPN now? Seems like when they come to town, we blow the roof off the arena.
You could pick almost any moment in the game and call it your favorite.
Maybe it was pregame, when Quincy Pondexter was honored on Senior Night.
Maybe it was late in the first half, when Isaiah Thomas knocked down three straight three-pointers. (Inspired, Isaiah?)
Maybe it was early in the second half, when Pondexter threw down a breakaway circus jam.
Maybe it was in the closing minutes, when the Sherrer Explosion went off.
Could be any of those moments, or many more.
For me, it was when Coach Bob Knight mentioned that UCLA’s Reeves Nelson looked like Apollo Creed. That was fantastic.
Go Dawgs!
Isaiah Thomas is Stacy Patton.
Stacy Patton, for those of you who don’t know, is a character played by the late Malik Sealy in the movie Eddie.
In the film, Patton is a ballhog who plays for the New York Knicks, has a ridiculous contract, and gets his ass benched by Eddie, the team’s coach played by Whoopi Goldberg. Upon being removed from the lineup, the Knicks go on a winning streak thanks to the team ball that results from Patton’s benching.
Isaiah isn’t kinda, sorta, a little bit like Stacy Patton. Isaiah IS Stacy Patton. So much so, that I refuse to refer to him by any other name besides Stacy Patton from here on out. For the rest of this article, Isaiah Thomas will only be acknowledged by the name “Stacy Patton.” Here goes.
Stacy got sat down tonight for what would equate to the entire fourth quarter of play, and the Huskies went on a fantastic run. Overcame a double-digit deficit and nearly won a ballgame that they should have lost going away. This team, in its current structure, plays better when Stacy Patton is out of the lineup.
A few weeks ago we compared the Huskies’ Isaiah Thomas to Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino from MTV’s Jersey Shore.
Citing The Situation’s need for attention in a charming-yet-cocky sort of way, we alluded to Thomas’s me-first attitude on the court that, while at times selfish, was exactly what this otherwise-scoring-deficient ballclub needed.
Fast forward a few games and everything has changed.
Instead of being the aggressive volume scorer he was just weeks ago, Thomas has turned into a ballhog and a buzzkill. He’s gone from being the focal point of this team’s offense to the black hole. Instead of creating opportunities, Thomas has heisted them from his teammates, putting up goose eggs in the process.
Yesterday, Thomas’s stretch of mediocrity came to a head with a thirty-percent shooting performance that resulted in a total of seven points.
While Thomas’s final line was bad (7 pts, 6 rebs, 1 ast, 4 TO, 3 PF, 3-10 FG, 1-4 FT, 0-4 3-pt), a stretch of two minutes to close out the first half was even worse.
Gotta love being on the cover of SI, but somebody get IT locked in a padded room for the rest of the year. Transport him to games in a plastic bubble. I fear for what the cover jinx might do to him.
Godspeed, Isaiah. Godspeed.
Updated: Isaiah Thomas now claims he was just “screwing around” on Facebook when rumors began to circulate that he would declare for the 2009 NBA Draft.
Three things: 1) I think I speak for all Husky fans when I say I’m glad he was just joking, 2) If he wanted attention so badly why couldn’t he just take one of those in-the-mirror cellphone snapshots of his abs and post it to his profile and, 3) Facebook is a powerful tool.
That is all. Enjoy your day.
According to a “status update” on his personal Facebook profile, University of Washington freshman guard Isaiah Thomas will declare for the 2009 NBA Draft.
Just before 10:00 AM this morning, the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year posted his status to read, “Isaiah Thomas Is Entering the 2009 NBA Draft.”
While nothing can yet be confirmed, Thomas’ decision to declare for the ’09 Draft would be, let’s face it, a bad one. He is not projected as a first-round pick, and would be lucky to be selected at all. A first-round selection guarantees a contract for the drafted player, while a second-round selection comes with no guarantees.
Continue reading Updated: Attention whore Thomas now claims he was just “screwing around”
The Pac-10 Men’s Basketball awards were announced today, and the Huskies came away big winners. Forward Jon Brockman and guard Justin Dentmon were named to the All-Pac-10 First Team, while Dentmon also took home the Most Improved Player Award; guard Isaiah Thomas was named Freshman of the Year, and was also named to the All-Pac-1o Second Team; and head coach Lorenzo Romar garnered Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors.
It’s been easy to overlook everything that’s gone on over the course of today, what with Griffey’s return and all. But there are a number of other stories Seattle fans need to know about before the day is done, so let’s get to it.
Hawks franchise Hill. Free agent linebacker Leroy Hill will more than likely be returning to Seattle next season, as the Seahawks designated him their franchise player for the offseason, ensuring any outside suitors would have to pay a king’s ransom in order to sign him to a deal. By placing the franchise tag on Hill, the Hawks have the option to work out a longterm deal with the pass-rush specialist, or simply pay him an average of the top five salaries of players at his position for one year.
I.T. on ESPN. Washington’s Isaiah Thomas is currently being featured in an article on ESPN.com, which can be found HERE. The Huskies starting point guard was also interviewed in a television segment for the show “First Take,” and the video is posted at the above link as well. Nice to see I.T. get some national love after going relatively unnoticed over the past four months.
Continue reading Notes: Hill franchised, I.T. love, and more
