Isiah Thomas Quotations

It was important to me to believe, because if I don't believe, how can I expect them to believe?

We've always said this is a rebuilding phase that we're in, and we keep trying to acquire assets to help us in that process. In doing that, we also want to secure and help our present.

When I came here, the first thing that was told to me was that we had players nobody wanted, couldn't trade any of the contracts. As we stand here today. . . . we have draft picks, we have players people want and the contracts that we have in place are pretty reasonable contracts for the talent level we have.

She did not even work for me. I will not allow her or anybody, man or woman, to use me as a pawn for their financial gain.

My job is to make sure in all the chaos you can still see the flowers, you can still see the good things happening.

No one is happy with our record but I can tell you we're going to get better. That's what everybody is working toward. That's what we all want.

One word is passion. They are passionate about their team. We win we're great, lose and we're the worst. But you can't overreact to the fans.

I wouldn't. Wouldn't part with any of them.

I am loyal to winning and I am not loyal to any singular individual. I'm going to do what I need to do to make our team better.

I can't say that I've met a more classy individual in the N.B.A.,

If Allan wants to come back and was able to gain the form that we all know he's capable of reaching, then it's an added bonus.

If it fills a need, if it fills a rebuilding situation. And my goal is to fill and rebuild and I am not going to be shortsighted.

He treated all of us all like sons, and his kindness, it was important to us when we were growing up as young men.

He was the father to all of us. He was the father of basketball in Chicago. He treated all of us like sons. His warmth, his kindness, was important to us when we were growing up as young men.

He never really was diagnosed with what everyone said he had, what Hank Gathers had. No doctors said he had that. Everyone said, 'If he has that, then this could happen.' All of a sudden they quit saying 'if' and said he had it.

He's a great player and yes that is a concern, but I think anyone who trades for him or gets somebody... they understand exactly what they're getting.

He was like the Pope. He was just a beautiful, beautiful, wonderful man. ... We just loved 'Coach.' He's meant so much to all of us, even the people who didn't play for him.

He was like the pope - a beautiful, beautiful man.

He checked out fine. They found it was more or less him being tired and him not eating.

I would say that right now we're pretty satisfied with where we are. I don't think we will be actively out shopping and trying to make a deal or anything like that.

John is doing the best job that he possibly can do with the situation that he was dealt with. I have great respect for him and I wish him and the Bulls' organization nothing but success.

I think the league was just. I understand it's his wife, and we all have the natural instincts to protect our family. However, as professional athletes, we've always been held to a higher standard.

I thought that would make the best backcourt in the NBA. We never got a chance to do that.

I think it was a case of nerves at the beginning of the game. We can not take anything away from Heartland, I told the girls before the game, do not expect them to come and just show up, they came out and played.

Jerome was a big asset in our rebuilding program, and he was great with our young players. But this was a tremendous opportunity to save more than $21 million.

Larry and I talk every day. We both knew that this would be a hard job but we're both working to make it better.

Our goal is to win a championship. Thats the only goal.

Our prayers and thoughts are with him. We will do everything that we're supposed to do and beyond.

Out of respect for his privacy and what he and his family are dealing with, we won't comment on any of his personal issues or things that are happening.

Other than David Robinson I don't know if I've met a classier individual in the NBA.

That challenge of working through it, keeping guys motivated, keeping the group together, overcoming obstacles, all of that; I really got into it.

Where we sit now, I don't think we have the luxury of the 20 teams before us. I think we are going after the best players we can get on the board.

We're all kind of at a loss where the breakdown came. I know we have a great coach. I know we have good players. It's just a matter of those things meshing.

We needed Larry Brown. Me more so than anyone. I wanted Larry to do a great job for us and I thought he would and I thought he could.

We never had the perfect game but we had some perfect moments.

We never got a chance to do that.

You have no idea how it hurt. It finally was coming together. That night (against All Saints) -- it was amazing. They heard everything I said.

We where nervous in the first quarter. But I knew they were going to pull it out.

The only thing I could say to myself is 'wow. I don't think there's another NBA player who would have done that.

When you have players that have been injured for some time, you have to find a way to move on and make the roster better. If Allan was to come back and regain his form, then it's an added bonus.

But now that they've done things this way, I hope they hold Rick Carlisle up to the same high standards they had for me.

There is not a player on this roster now, who doesn't understand or believe that if he is not performing, I don't have problems getting rid of them.

We should be extremely careful not to give him something that he doesn't have and not to keep putting him in a light of a patient or someone who is sick, because doctors have cleared him and checked him out and said that he doesn't have a condition. We need to be extremely sensitive to him and not keep saying that he has this because clearly he doesn't.

Even though we're rebuilding, we did expect to be a little better.

Believe me, if there is something there, the people we have examining him -- they will find it.

I've spoken with Jerome and he understands our position; he is being extremely professional about it. We've also had some conversation about Jerome staying on in the organization, doing some scouting for us, working in the community alongside John Starks and also possibly doing some work for MSG.

Right now we have a lack of scoring or a void at the small forward position. Coach (Larry Brown) has stressed to me this is a person he's had that he's coached before and he can help us right now. We can secure our present and secure our future as well.

Somebody was looking after him. I know it was his dad.

Any of you who have covered me know the answer to both of those questions is absolutely no.

Allan exhausted every single possibility trying to get back.

This is a trade that we all feel makes us a better basketball team for both now and in the future. In Steve, we add an All-Star caliber player to our team without giving up core assets that are key to our future.

This is not the place for the weak-minded guy, regardless of your talent.

As Mr. Dolan keeps reminding us, it's his money and he's comfortable with what we're doing and how we're proceeding and how we're trying to put our team together. We do have assets, our talent level is better and we have a great coach. I'm pretty positive about our future, extremely positive about our future.

It's a dirty-work job. (Brown) is the perfect dirty-work guy.

Its something that I have been blessed with in terms of playing the game and being able to understand the game. Not being able to exercise that gift while I was out of the game, I really found a void in myself and a hole in my soul. I said the biggest problem that I have had in that time was that I woke up and I didnt go to the gym. I have been successful in a lot of other areas but not having the ability to exercise the greatest gift that I have, which is basketball, you know I have missed it.

It's huge if he's able to go from Day One.

I've heard from everybody but him. That surprises us, and it hurts a little, too. When he was in trouble, I was always there for them. I called him to encourage him. I gave interviews defending him and supporting him. I'm very disappointed in him. Maybe I ought to call him and cuss him out. I thought for sure he'd be there for me like I've always been there for him.

No team has really had to rebuild from this altitude in terms of where we started. So it's a very unconventional way of getting young players and draft picks in a very short period of time. This will actually help us tremendously.

Not often can you say with certainty that you've added one of the best to your organization in any position.

I'm trying to go out and get the players he wants me to go out and get. This is a player he wanted.

I'm rooting for him. I hope he can come back and perform at the level he's accustomed to.

I'll continue to try and get the players he wants. This is a player he wanted.

If there's any player that should feel safe and secure right now about his heart, it's Eddy. He's probably been tested and seen more doctors about his heart than any player in the NBA.

If you want consistency, then you perform. This is a performance job. You get paid to perform. Your money is guaranteed, but your minutes are not.

I think Allan is looking forward to playing. He believes one day he'll get back to his original form and we want to give him every opportunity to do that. He's ready to do a little on-court work, but this will be on Allan's timetable.

I think Allan is looking forward to playing, ... He believes one day he'll get back to his original form and we want to give him every opportunity to do that. He's ready to do a little on-court work, but this will be on Allan's timetable.

He's really working hard. He believes one day that he'll get back to his original form, and we want to give him every opportunity to do that.

I don't think that we will be actively out shopping, trying to make a deal or anything like that. I think it's pretty safe to say we're happy and comfortable with where we are, but if there's an opportunity to improve our team, I definitely will look at it. Coach and I will talk about it and if it makes sense, we'll do it.

I don't think there's another player who would have done that. We've all been blessed to have known him as a player, and we're all extremely fortunate to know him as a man.

He's meant so much to all of us, even the people who didn't play for him. But the people who lived in Chicago, who walked the communities, looked for food or looked for a warm place to say, he was always there for you.

I do envision championship basketball and when you talk about championship basketball, you talk about a good defensive team, you talk about a good offensive team and you talk about a team that really has its act together once they step on the floor. Our goal is to dominate the east and we must continue to dominate the east so that we can have another return to the NBA Finals. And I think mentally we have to become a tougher basketball team. I think mental toughness is going to be the thing that makes us champions.

To answer that question honestly, I'd have to lie to you.

Basketball is not played simply with X's and O's. It's played with both trust and confidence.