Veteran guard Isaiah Thomas has committed to playing for Team USA in the upcoming AmeriCup qualifying tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Team USA has technically already qualified for the 2022 AmeriCup tournament with a strong showing in previous qualifiers in 2020, but will still take part in next month’s event. The U.S. squad – coached by Joe Prunty, a longtime NBA assistant for the Suns, Bucks, Nets, and others – will face The Bahamas on February 19 and Mexico on 20.
Since undergoing a procedure last year to address a nagging hip issue, Thomas has talked repeatedly about wanting to return to the NBA, and said earlier this month that he has had discussions with multiple teams. He last played for the Wizards to start the 2019/20 season, but was traded to the Clippers at last February’s deadline and was subsequently waived.
Thomas, who will turn 32 in February, was still productive on offense in D.C. last season, averaging 12.2 PPG and 3.7 APG with a .413 3PT% in 40 games (23.1 MPG). However, the Wizards had a 120.2 defensive rating during his minutes, and he ranked 500th out of 503 players in defensive real plus-minus prior to the NBA’s hiatus.
As Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter), playing in a couple games for Team USA next month should present Thomas with a good opportunity to show that he’s healthy and effective.
If only there was an advanced metric for “heart”
yep exactly…I automatically go to how he was treated by Boston his last days there every time I see or hear his name
I always think of how Thomas said Boston “better bring out the Brinks truck” if they wanted to keep him before he got hurt.
It’s a business.
Yeah me too, I think wow Boston dodged a bullet. Imagine if they gave him a huge contract then he couldn’t play anymore, whew.
He was treated fine in Boston. He was never going to get the max contract he thought he was going to get. He was physically unable to play defense. It was a great run and a great story, it was unfortunate that he got hurt, but that wasn’t Boston’s fault.
What heart? IT would not be a backup, would not try to fit in, ran plays enthusiastically only if his number was involved in specially designed plays, and would not get hip surgery until nobody cared anymore. He needed to be with mediocrities so he could stand out pulling upsets. Management with bigger goals wanted him out.
I wish him well, and not sure about qualifiers taking place.
I have checked with Olympic planning committee sources in Japan, and several japanese journalists, and politicians of local communities there. All are saying the olympics are off.
Why are mayors of Japan saying the Olympics are cancelled, and USA basketball is saying its all a go?
I’m confused here…
Its for Americup not Olympics
Lol maybe that got lost in translation
Unless you’re referring to a specific article or something published that is saying it’s definitively canceled, the “official” word is that it’s not. So that’s the same message USA basketball is going to represent.
Can you cite any of these sources you reference or link an article?
Will you just stop with calling me a liar please! Stop bombing me with negativity as well. Disagreement is great, but I don’t bomb your comments, and at an angle call me a liar. A little common respect please.
As for my sources? Any mayor in Japan that speaks english, or any friends you know that speak the language that can guide you. If I thought you’re really requesting guidance, my response here would be far more detailed, less pointed, and terse. Thanks again for calling me a fool, always enjoyable.
Literally no one called you a fool.
Just said the article is not about the olympics. The qualifiers are for Americup
Folks don’t ask someone to cite sources unless that’s where they are going in my experience.
I didn’t claim I read this from a media source, so I am not sure why you are offended by my reply to the last poster who called me full of it rudely yesterday as well.
Today is a new day, but I would have been more sensitive with my wording given the history. If I am completely off target. I don’t believe I am though.
I apologize for the defense of myself towards another commenter that offended you also. Sincerely.
Dunker has been hard to deal with since he has been named a top 3 commenter.
I’ll admit I let the success get to my head, trying to chill a little
Not sure why you’re getting so defensive. You claimed you were confused because your sources in Japan said the olympics were canceled, but usa basketball did not. I asked for a source, because that sounded confusing to me as well. You told me to go speak with Japanese politicians…
Now what if I said, yeah, I just talked to the sanitation secretary of Kyoto and he told me the Olympics are on and they’re gonna be sweet? Who is right? If you were able to cite a source then the people reading would know the real story, instead of getting bogged down in misinformation.
Make sense?
Holy moly!!! This conversation took a strange turn quick! There’s no crying in basketball commentary!
Can’t we all just say this… good luck I.T. You’re a fun player to watch and I hope you can find a place to play. That’s it.