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Damn it Danny Ainge, roll the dice on Isaiah Thomas


Let me first say that I doubt this will happen. The Celtics giving Isaiah Thomas another shot is ... well, a long shot. Brad Stevens doesn't favor guards in the 6-feet-and-under category. They can be a major liability on defensive switches.

So why bring him back? Because this still-young guy is damn exciting. A lot of Boston fans would love him back in TD Garden, and I am one of them. I accept the fact that he can be a mis-match nightmare, but on offense he uses his speed and lack of size to drive opponents absolutely nuts.

Professional basketball is still a game. It is entertainment. This little guy supplies that - along with intensity and guts. When an offensive spark is needed off the bench, call his number. Put him on a second unit that will run the opposition into exhaustion - or "guerrilla warfare" as the late Tommy Heinsohn called it.

I realize the Celtics roster is already crammed, but IT can be squeezed in there somehow. Coming off the bench to pick up the pace and get his teammates running with him is the goal. IT can score in bunches. He has proved that. And he is a more-than-able facilitator. He certainly remains more-beloved in Boston than the guy he was traded for;

Hey, what was one of the main weaknesses displayed by the Celtics last season? Bench scoring - that's what! Defensive liability? Yes, but put him with Marcus Smart and (don't cringe) Semi Ojeleye. IT's dodging, stutter-step offense will more than make up for a few mis-macthes he gets caught in. And frankly, Danny giving Isaiah a legitimate shot is just a feel-good story. We need that.. 

NOTE: My personal interest in making this plea concerns my daughter, Lisa, and grand daughter, Courtney, encountering Isaiah in an elevator at a medical facility the day after his 53-point explosion versus the Wizards. "Dad, he looked exhausted" is what Lisa told me. That game incidentally  took place on the birthday of IT's late sister, Chyna. Courtney and Chyna were born a day apart, and both have left the earth. 




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