Welcome to Denver Isaiah Thomas!

[torotoe]

Love the move. He’s got a chance to be the best guard on the team. It would take a return to pre-hip IT, and I’m not optimistic, but there is a slight chance IMO. If he can get a little bit of his mojo back, I think he’s a great 6th man and bench pg in one. Lyles and plumlee are going to work well with IT in pick and roll situations. The nuggets bench should have good spacing.

Ofc, I’m only talking offense. Defense is going to be a sight to see.

[NuggetsWY]

Love the move. He’s got a chance to be the best guard on the team. It would take a return to pre-hip IT, and I’m not optimistic, but there is a slight chance IMO. If he can get a little bit of his mojo back, I think he’s a great 6th man and bench pg in one. Lyles and plumlee are going to work well with IT in pick and roll situations. The nuggets bench should have good spacing.

Ofc, I’m only talking offense. Defense is going to be a sight to see.

Will you be using a magnifying glass to see the defense?

[THE J0KER]

Long Isaiah Thomas ESPN article/interview with Woj.

A conversation with Isaiah Thomas

For those who are interesting only about Nuggets part here is a "short" version:

Spoiler:

...

For those who think this summer has been a disaster, Thomas considers it merely a disappointment. In the end, he had one true offer -- the Denver Nuggets -- a fact that he flatly calls "disrespectful."

...

Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly needed a backup point guard and a bench scoring presence with Will Barton moving into a starter's role. He raised the idea of signing Thomas with Michael Malone. Connelly's coach needed no selling on Thomas. Malone not only coached Thomas with the Sacramento Kings in 2013-14, but he also gave him his first starting job in the NBA. When the organization was apprehensive of Thomas as a starter, Malone eventually executed the idea.

Connelly made the obligatory background calls -- to the Celtics, the Lakers, the Cavaliers, to ex-teammates of Thomas -- and nothing he heard overrode his own coach's endorsement. Yes, Thomas can have a booming voice and influence, but how else does the 60th pick in the NBA draft, a mite, make it? That's a lot of the reason Connelly thinks Thomas will fit fine into Denver.

Eventually, Malone made a call to Thomas, and it started this way, the coach says: "I want you know that Jamal Murray is our starting point guard now, and in the future, and if you're looking to go somewhere to fight for starting minutes, that's not going to happen here."

Thomas wanted a chance to play and restore his market value, and that's easier to do contributing to a good team as opposed to racking up empty stats on a loser. So Thomas flew to Las Vegas Summer League two weeks ago and met Connelly, general manager Arturas Karnisovas, assistant GM Calvin Booth and Malone in a suite at the Cosmopolitan. Thomas and Malone didn't need the meeting, but Thomas and Connelly did.

"I wanted to talk to him eye to eye," Thomas said. "I wanted him to feel my passion for playing."

Thomas felt burned by Boston and Cleveland. He instructed Connelly that he didn't know him, and thus, he didn't trust him. Connelly told Thomas he understood and, well, reminded Thomas, too: "I don't trust you, either."

From there, the conversation was terrific: Connelly needs a bench scorer with Barton moving into the starting lineup, and a one-year, minimum deal frees the Nuggets of financial risk on the hip. There's little to lose. For those wondering about Thomas' big persona -- about how he'll impact a locker room of young, talented and earnest players -- Malone wants Thomas to bring more than his playoff credentials into the Nuggets.

"We have a quiet locker room," Malone says. "It won't be bad for us to have his voice and personality in there. I want Isaiah to be Isaiah."

Before finalizing the agreement with Denver, Thomas had reached out to Boston GM Danny Ainge. They talked for 15 to 20 minutes, Thomas says, and he told Ainge: "If the opportunity is there, I would just like to let you know that I'd love to come back."

Ainge says his mind was open to the idea, but the Celtics needed to work through Marcus Smart's restricted-free-agency discussions before they could consider making an offer to Thomas. Ainge was willing to continue the conversation, but Thomas accepted the Nuggets' offer before Boston had reached its new deal with Smart.

"S---, I'd have gone back," Thomas says. "I don't hold grudges."

But Thomas is thrilled to play for Malone again and loves watching the Nuggets play ball. He can tell how much they enjoy each other, and he wants to be a part of pushing them out of ninth place and into the Western Conference playoffs. They're close, and he knows it. "They need me, and I need them," Thomas says. "My hip is not normal. I understand that. But that doesn't mean that I can't play at a high level. That's what I have to fight and show people again. And I'm willing to do that. I am willing.

"Listen, this isn't some story about me blaming everyone else. It isn't that. I'm fine with where I'm at. I'm all about being positive and controlling what I can control."

...

"Nothing that I did in the past can be used to get [a new contract]. Everybody else can, but me? I can't. That's been my story. It's never been, "Oh, let's pay him off what he's done.' That's just what it is. That's the reality. I can't control that. But I can control taking advantage of an opportunity and showing that I can still play at a high level."

Isaiah Thomas is 29 years old, fighting his body and reality and perception and an NBA daring to dismiss him as damaged. In the end, this wasn't the free-agency summer he imagined for himself, but he did find a job in Denver, an opportunity to restore some standing. And he promises no more "what-ifs" over a cold drink on a summer's day.

"Only what's next."

Let's hope his justified anger and bitterness about everything which happens to him in past 15 months IT will handle to use as extra-motivation, not on self-destructive way.

[skywalker33]

Was a bit put off when IT and TC exchanged “I don’t trust you” but then took it as honestly leveling the field. Was also surprised IT reached out to Ainge, I realize it’s a business and all but I thought Ainge was very disrespectful from what I read. Either way I feel IT is gonna become an asset for this team, just hope he remains professional during his time in Denver

[NuggetsWY]

I don't mind if Thomas has a chip on his shoulder and I totally get that he might still PT from the young players (and don't like it). But it seems clear that if he isn't healthy and/or doesn't produce - he's not costing much.

[skywalker33]

I wouldn't mind seeing IT get about 15/6 off the bench and someone needing a PG, trading him for a 1st to start for their Eastern Conference playoff run. Meanwhile Morris has gained enough confidence to put up similar numbers off the bench....hey, it could happen

[Richard Miller]

Was a bit put off when IT and TC exchanged “I don’t trust you” but then took it as honestly leveling the field.

No bull, I like it. Unless his injury is career ending (hopefully not), he will be a steal. On a side note, I'd pay to have a video of Jokic and IT interacting, they couldn't be more different.

[THE J0KER]

Was a bit put off when IT and TC exchanged “I don’t trust you” but then took it as honestly leveling the field.

No bull, I like it. Unless his injury is career ending (hopefully not), he will be a steal. On a side note, I'd pay to have a video of Jokic and IT interacting, they couldn't be more different.

I'm more excited to see how IT will interact with Mason Plumlee. Our biggest problem is these 15 minutes when Jokic is on the bench. Plumlee worked well with Lillard, which is a good sign about his cooperation with Thomas. IT worked well with Horford which is a good sign about IT-Jokic cooperation, but as I already say, the crucial Thomas impact on Denver will be our stats when Jokic is on the bench, where we have problems with scoring and passing both.

A worst case scenario is if Malone finds a way to use IT "against" point-center Jokic or to hamper Murray. But I'm personally very optimistic.

[THE J0KER]

Here is a good article about Isaiah Thomas:
FORBES: Can Isaiah Thomas Help Pull The Nuggets' Bench Out Of The Dregs?

Author ignore most popular questions about how IT will fit with Jokic or Murray but focused on the most important thing about Thomas in Denver: what his impact will be on Nuggets bench production.

...Last season, the Denver Nuggets starters finished with a net rating of +3.4... A major problem for Denver, however, came in the form of the massive drop-off from starter to bench production. The Nuggets bench was a lowly 24th at -4.3. This resulted in the Nuggets having the third worst starter-bench discrepancy in the league...

[NuggetsWY]

Here is a good article about Isaiah Thomas:
FORBES: Can Isaiah Thomas Help Pull The Nuggets' Bench Out Of The Dregs?

Author ignore most popular questions about how IT will fit with Jokic or Murray but focused on the most important thing about Thomas in Denver: what his impact will be on Nuggets bench production.

...Last season, the Denver Nuggets starters finished with a net rating of +3.4... A major problem for Denver, however, came in the form of the massive drop-off from starter to bench production. The Nuggets bench was a lowly 24th at -4.3. This resulted in the Nuggets having the third worst starter-bench discrepancy in the league...

I know I'm not the biggest fan of adding Thomas but I do believe he will be a good bench player and I also believe he will fit will with Jokic. Murray's game can adapt to most players and Harris fits no matter what the style of play.

Thomas loves to have the ball in his hands and he can generate offense for himself and for others. If he plays with Jokic, he'd probably be willing to pass and cut or spot up. But he could also cut past Jokic with the ball and the defense will have a hard choice on which to cover/favor. He's a smart player and if his health is fine, he's going to be a great bench player that will probably get 25+ mpg and then leave at the end of the year looking for a big payout - and that's not disrespectful to the Nuggets.

[DaFan334]

One thing that the Cavs did not utilize last year but the Celtics did quite a bit the year before, was IT's ability to shoot coming off screens without the ball in his hands. With Jokic passing to him, this could lead to a lot of open shots for Thomas.

[THE J0KER]

Isaiah has one unnecessary and wrong trash-talk statement about Cleveland.

Read on Twitter

I'm not sure if this is a sign that he feels super-confident once again, or he is just bitter.

[skywalker33]

Isaiah has one unnecessary and wrong trash-talk statement about Cleveland.

Read on Twitter

I'm not sure if this is a sign that he feels super-confident once again, or he is just bitter.

Well to be fair, CLE didn’t really express a lot of faith in him, I can see a bit of justifiable bitterness

[NuggetsWY]

Isaiah has one unnecessary and wrong trash-talk statement about Cleveland.

I'm not sure if this is a sign that he feels super-confident once again, or he is just bitter.

Well to be fair, CLE didn’t really express a lot of faith in him, I can see a bit of justifiable bitterness

Yeah, I don't know that it's anything but Thomas being Thomas. He's always spoken his mind and no doubt he will continue to do so. He'll get the face of even the biggest name superstar (although not so much with them since mostly they're pretty motivated). He'll be good for the Nuggets in that respect IMO. Plus, the reports should love him.

Let's hope Malone gives him "enough" playing time or he'll speak his mind there too!

[skywalker33]

Let's hope Malone gives him "enough" playing time or he'll speak his mind there too!

Can’t see that being a problem

[THE J0KER]

Interesting choice of jersey number for Thomas this season in Denver.

[NuggetsWY]

A quick and not very thorough search shows he wore:

High School #11
College #2

Kings #22
Suns #3
Celtics #4
Cavaliers #3
Lakers #7 then #3

[THE J0KER]

Read on Twitter

I was really excited when we sign Isaiah this summer, knowing how big problem for Nuggets was weak backup backcourt options for Denver was in the near past, so we used aging veterans Nelson and Devin Harris as our 3rd guard option. But I obviously have no idea how good and useful will be Monte Morris and Milik Beasley already since this season, so IT is now not Denver missing piece in our backcourt rotation but an extra bonus.

Thomas biggest role I see in his on-court leadership when Jokic is on the bench, and I guess Mason Plumlee years in Portland playing together with PG Damian Lillard should be very useful for him to adapt his game fast on IT presence, which is important because Plumlee is another guy which should play every single minute when Jokic is on the bench.

If IT shows flashes of TOP50 player and regularly playing like TOP100, maybe Denver should optional "three-guards" rotation using as basic/starting ones, with Morris as starting PG, Murray SG, and Harris SF?!

PG: Morris(25) Murray(10) Thomas(13)
SG: Murray(23) Harris(15) Thomas(5) Beasley(5)
SF: Harris(15) Beasley(20) Barton(13)
PF: Millsap(30) Plumlee(5) Juancho or Lyles (13)
C: Jokic(35) Plumlee(13)

If everyone is healthy and Thomas playing very well, the only way to give Thomas 20+ minutes if Beasley and Morris stay 50%40%90% super-efficient players is to shot down Barton.

[GimmeDat]

IT's looking pretty good out there. I think my only reaction when I saw that he was signing with you guys is the almost offensive redundency factor given how many weapons you guys have on that end, coupled by his defensive issues that take a good defensive group to cover up.