Isiah Thomas will coach Florida International this season.
Rich C. Lewis/Icon SMI |
New Florida International University coach Isiah Thomas joined the show to discuss his new job. Here are some of the highlights of his interview with Dan:
-- Thomas said he wasn't thinking about Florida International until they called him. He just wanted to get back into the game. "I didn’t care if it was at FIU or if it was with the Chicago Bulls, I just love the gym. And again, basketball is basketball," Thomas said.
-- Thomas had interesting comments on what happened in New York. "I tried as hard as any human being could possibly try to win in New York," Thomas said. "I gave it everything that I could give, and I didn’t succeed. I, like many others, have failed there. There’s a long list of us that hasn’t been able to deliver the championship that New York wants. From Pat Riley to Larry Brown to Lenny Wilkins, Jeff Van Gundy, Don Nelson. We all came in here and tried to give it as much as we could humanly, possibly give and we all failed.
"As things start to unravel, it all went downhill. I wish we could have saved it, I wish we could have done things better in terms of bringing the championship here, but we weren’t able to do it."
-- Dan asked Isiah how he explains his reported hospitilization for overdosing on sleeping pills to recruits and their families. Thomas said he wasn't trying to kill himself and there was confusion that day because both he and his daughter had gone to the hospital. At the end of the day, he was protecting his family, and that's why it took so long for him explain what happened.
"You and I have known each other for a long time, and I appreciate you bringing it, so it could have clarity, so people wont be confused about it anymore. Now, did I have a hard time here in New York? Yeah. Did I have some down moments? Yeah. I’m human. Everything that I’ve been through, everything that has been written and said, a lot of people knew it wasn’t true. However, you have to deal with it. While you have tough skin, you have sensitive skin too."
-- Thomas had a very interesting take on Dennis Rodman. He said Rodman acted like that because rebounders never got paid, and he wanted to draw attention to himself.
-- Dan asked Thomas about the greatest player in NBA history. Thomas said there are two names who belong in that discussion -- Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"Before Jordan, it was Kareem carrying our league. Some how, he’s gotten misplaced in history. When people talk about basketball, they don’t talk about him any more. When I hear people talk about the great Lakers team, they don’t talk about Kareem. But you know and I know, that in that era, it was Kareem."
-- Thomas had glowing words about his former coach Chuck Daly, who passed away over the weekend. He said Daly truly formed that great Pistons teams. Before Daly, "Rodman wasn’t Rodman, Laimbeer wasn’t Laimbeer."
-- Isiah said that the NBA used to be a lot rougher. "Then the Chicago team came along; we were moving toward a more kinder, gentler NBA, so to speak," Thomas said. But Thomas said that was a good thing for the league, because Michael Jordan was able to take everyone to the next level.
"[Jordan] got protection, but he deserved to be protected, because where he took the game to globally," Thomas said. "None of us would have ever been able to do that. |
Isiah Thomas speaks candidly about his demise in New York
Rich C. Lewis/Icon SMI
New Florida International University coach Isiah Thomas joined the show to discuss his new job. Here are some of the highlights of his interview with Dan:
-- Thomas said he wasn't thinking about Florida International until they called him. He just wanted to get back into the game. "I didn’t care if it was at FIU or if it was with the Chicago Bulls, I just love the gym. And again, basketball is basketball," Thomas said.
-- Thomas had interesting comments on what happened in New York. "I tried as hard as any human being could possibly try to win in New York," Thomas said. "I gave it everything that I could give, and I didn’t succeed. I, like many others, have failed there. There’s a long list of us that hasn’t been able to deliver the championship that New York wants. From Pat Riley to Larry Brown to Lenny Wilkins, Jeff Van Gundy, Don Nelson. We all came in here and tried to give it as much as we could humanly, possibly give and we all failed.
"As things start to unravel, it all went downhill. I wish we could have saved it, I wish we could have done things better in terms of bringing the championship here, but we weren’t able to do it."
-- Dan asked Isiah how he explains his reported hospitilization for overdosing on sleeping pills to recruits and their families. Thomas said he wasn't trying to kill himself and there was confusion that day because both he and his daughter had gone to the hospital. At the end of the day, he was protecting his family, and that's why it took so long for him explain what happened.
"You and I have known each other for a long time, and I appreciate you bringing it, so it could have clarity, so people wont be confused about it anymore. Now, did I have a hard time here in New York? Yeah. Did I have some down moments? Yeah. I’m human. Everything that I’ve been through, everything that has been written and said, a lot of people knew it wasn’t true. However, you have to deal with it. While you have tough skin, you have sensitive skin too."
-- Thomas had a very interesting take on Dennis Rodman. He said Rodman acted like that because rebounders never got paid, and he wanted to draw attention to himself.
-- Dan asked Thomas about the greatest player in NBA history. Thomas said there are two names who belong in that discussion -- Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
"Before Jordan, it was Kareem carrying our league. Some how, he’s gotten misplaced in history. When people talk about basketball, they don’t talk about him any more. When I hear people talk about the great Lakers team, they don’t talk about Kareem. But you know and I know, that in that era, it was Kareem."
-- Thomas had glowing words about his former coach Chuck Daly, who passed away over the weekend. He said Daly truly formed that great Pistons teams. Before Daly, "Rodman wasn’t Rodman, Laimbeer wasn’t Laimbeer."
-- Isiah said that the NBA used to be a lot rougher. "Then the Chicago team came along; we were moving toward a more kinder, gentler NBA, so to speak," Thomas said. But Thomas said that was a good thing for the league, because Michael Jordan was able to take everyone to the next level.
"[Jordan] got protection, but he deserved to be protected, because where he took the game to globally," Thomas said. "None of us would have ever been able to do that.