King Isaiah Makes Right Choice

Lost in all the talk about soccer and hockey last week was the NBA Draft. I would love to pretend like I cared that much, but the reality was that it was a really weak draft. A guy who played only 300 minutes last year went first; a record number of international players followed; and my team moved up 3 spots to 24 to draft the leading scorer out of the Big East conference. The biggest news to me though was the 60th pick in the draft - none other than UW's own Isaiah Thomas.

For those doing the math at home, there are only 60 picks in the draft. While it is certainly an honor to be drafted at all, one has to imagine that this was a huge disappointment for IT. When he decided to come out, some were projecting him as a late first/early second rounder. Seeing him drop is initially shocking, but it really shouldn't be. Isaiah is a great player, but he is only 5'6 and not as explosive as his predecessor Nate Robinson.

I was firmly in the stay in school camp upon first hearing his decision. I mean, all the pieces were in place for a special senior season. If he was only to average 15 points per game, he would have left UW as it's all-time leading scorer. In addition, he would have been the premier player in the Pac-12 conference. On top of that, UW had the potential to be a top-20 team again. His stock could have been at an all-time high come draft time.

Being drafted so low should have been the evidence I needed to back up my theory, but instead, I think it has had the opposite effect. I think maybe, just maybe he made the right decision. Let's break it down a little more.

1. Staying in school another year would not have changed his height. Regardless of whether it is 2011 or 2012, he is still going to be 5'6. Physically he has nothing to gain.
2. What would happen if he was to blow out his knee while playing for the Huskies? Not only would his dreams go down the drain, but he would be losing a lot of money.
3. What if the Huskies backcourt logjam negatively impacted Thomas' production? What if Romar is unable to work the proper rotation and the Huskies flame out of the NCAA tournament in the first round? Then what?
   
4. The most important reason - he was drafted 60th in an extremely weak draft. What if Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones, Terrence Jones and John Henson had come out? If he waited until the 2012 draft, there is a good chance he wouldn't be as lucky.
   

After some thought, I think the picture is remarkably clear. Thomas cares about the Huskies; being the all-time leading scorer probably would have fulfilled a lifelong dream. Unfortunately in doing so, it probably would hurt his professional career. While a second round draft pick is not guaranteed anything, he does get to take a shot at making the Kings in a year with subpar rookie competition. I think most of us romanticize staying in school - somehow, it is supposed to be pure and just. We want all players to be like Jake Locker and Andrew Luck and pass up millions to stay in school. For someone like Thomas though, it just doesn't make sense. He realized that this might be the best opportunity for him to make the league so he jumped at it. I think he may have in fact made the right decision (of course that is assuming that there is a 2011-2012 NBA season, otherwise Thomas will have to enter the league with more talent AND he won't have the UW scoring record to fall back on)