But the content of the tweets aimed at Thomas read like this –\u00a0“a complete fraud” who “knew when cameras were on & how to fake being a good\/guy teammate,” and “as bad a teammate as anyone”.<\/span><\/p>\nThat’s rough. \u00a0Actually, it’s more than rough.\u00a0\u00a0That information is counter to everything I know to be true about Thomas in the three years that I covered him.<\/p>\n
Here is a quick rundown of what people in the Kings locker room\u00a0had to say about the dynamic Phoenix Suns Point guard:<\/span><\/p>\n\nRudy Gay on Thomas: “No, he stuck to himself. \u00a0It was a little different last year. \u00a0He was playing for something, but he was a professional. \u00a0He’s always been a professional as long as I’ve played with him. \u00a0All I can speak on is half a season last year and he wasn’t a bad teammate.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nJason Thompson on Thomas: “I think Isaiah was an emotional, fiery guy. \u00a0He was the last pick in the draft so he had something to prove. \u00a0He became a fan a favorite. \u00a0He had a lot of energy, but I don’t see that at all. \u00a0I don’t think he was a bad teammate at all. \u00a0He stayed to himself at times, but at the end of the day, we all have to take care of out ourselves and our families for long term.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nThompson on Thomas as a teammate: “I know when I was with him, (he was a) good dude. \u00a0I don’t have too many people I don’t get along with and he was one that I got along with and could relate to on certain things.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nCarl Landry on Thomas: “During the stint that I was here with him, he came to play every night and it showed on the court. \u00a0He has a job to do and every time he was on the court, he did his job. \u00a0You guys seen it, he’s a fan favorite still around here. \u00a0It’s all about taking care of business on the court and that is what he did.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nLandry on whether Thomas was a good teammate: “Definitely, he was kind of quiet, stayed to himself, but at times was a leader and that’s what this team needed at that time.”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nRay McCallum: \u201cHe was a great teammate for me. \u00a0<\/i>I learned a lot from him. \u00a0He kind of took me under his wing. \u00a0Last year was his third year and he told me everything that he had learned to this point, especially when he was hurt and I got the opportunity to play. \u00a0He was always there in my ear constantly trying to encourage me and make sure I was doing the right thing.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nMcCallum on Thomas as a teammate: “I thought he was a good teammate. \u00a0Yeah, it would be a shock to me to hear that. \u00a0He\u2019s about the right things. \u00a0He wanted to help this team win. \u00a0For me, he was a good leader to learn from.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nDevin Blankenship, former director of media relations for the Sacramento Kings on Thomas: “I was lucky enough to work on a near daily basis with IT in and around the locker room his first two seasons in the NBA and I consider him one of the most genuine players I\u2019ve ever encountered. \u00a0When any staff had a request for him, his only response was always, \u2018when do you need me and where? \u00a0He was respectful to fans, players, staff and coaches, and Sacramento was lucky to have him during his time here, not only as a player, but as a citizen. \u00a0I never saw anything to remotely hint otherwise, both at home and on the road.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThere were plenty more off-the-record discussions about Thomas and the prevailing image portrayed was of a solid teammate and community advocate. \u00a0One person said, “you have a guy who grew up outside of Seattle and he was at city council meetings in Sacramento trying to keep the team in town.”<\/p>\n
Another NBA source said, “Thomas was not the vocal leader many imagine, but one that relishes the NBA grind and focuses intensely on his craft. \u00a0Rumors of discord created or exacerbated by his hand are widely exaggerated.”<\/p>\n
Again, no player is perfect, nor should they be. \u00a0But I began covering this team the season before Isaiah Thomas was drafted. \u00a0I watched every game he played in a Kings uniform and be it in practice or the locker room, \u00a0I saw an honest, hard working competitor in an untenable situation. \u00a0He always stuck around to field questions from the media and I had many off-the-record conversations with him.<\/p>\n
I have yet to find a person with a negative view of the fiery guard, but clearly there is at least one out there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Isaiah Thomas called out as “a complete fraud” and “as bad a teammate as anyone”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[610259261],"tags":[610259419,522941,610259429,4957930,1419906,610259428,76563],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Is former King Isaiah Thomas a bad guy? - The Sports Daily<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n