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Isiah screwed up Pacers '02 draft

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The consensus in the Pacers' draft war room in late June 2002 was to take Tayshaun Prince, the long-armed Kentucky star who was expected to be available when the Pacers were making the 14th pick. Prince was the unanimous choice - until the team's top basketball executive, Donnie Walsh, announced that he was allowing his head coach, Isiah Thomas, to take control of the draft. Weeks earlier, Thomas had settled on Oregon guard Fred Jones after watching him in the pre-draft camp in Chicago. When it came time to make the pick, Walsh stunned his subordinates when he said, "I'll let the coach make the decision." Wrong move, as it turned out.

New York Daily News

Tayshaun Prince, AP Tayshaun Prince, AP
March 23, 2008  08:45 AM ET

heck of a ball player,but i just cannoy understand why thomas continually gets top end positions.what really baffles me is the fact that he is still associated with the knicks.dolan,you made a mistake,try to amend it and move on.you owe nothing to this guy.thomas just keeps digging and digging ,and all that happens is the hole gets bigger.

March 23, 2008  09:20 AM ET

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...awesome story...Fred Jones over Tayshaun Prince??? nice move Zeke

March 23, 2008  09:30 AM ET

Isiah Thomas is the antichrist of basketball. He kills everything in his path. CBA, Pacers, and now the Knicks.

March 23, 2008  09:36 AM ET

Thomas has already screwed up so much, I can't believe it. Why is this guy still coach and GM in NY? He is totally ruining his name, in ten years from now he won't be remembered as a hof pg but as the worst coach/gm ever.

March 23, 2008  10:29 AM ET

The guy has screwed up everything he's put his hands on since his playing days. Yet, ownership continues to hire him. They deserve what they get.

March 23, 2008  10:34 AM ET

Everyone forgets his days as the President of that bush basketball league that folded. He was involved in litigation in that one too.

March 23, 2008  10:34 AM ET

.Tayshaun is a really solid nba player.....but he isn't a franchise caliber player, like LeBron....he's a role player who fell in with a team that has a GREAT other starting 4 behind him-

I HATE defending Isaih....but the boss/GM is the one who should be blamed........WALSH blew that one.
Which is why I have no idea why anyone would want him running the knicks

March 23, 2008  10:37 AM ET

& now Fred plays for the Knicks

March 23, 2008  11:35 AM ET

Wait a second here.....Isiah made a mistake? Thats unpossible

March 23, 2008  11:36 AM ET

Read this whole story. It's more a criticism of Walsh, than Isiah. Walsh made bigger screw-ups than this one.

March 23, 2008  11:40 AM ET

funny thing is that Zeke is usually a pretty good drafter, and thats why he gets high positions, hes just horrible in free agency and trades

March 23, 2008  12:26 PM ET

My poor Pacers :(

March 23, 2008  01:44 PM ET

In his own mind he is always right.

Please Mr. Dolan - Give the city back its team.

March 23, 2008  01:58 PM ET

The ironic thing is that Tayshaun Prince kept the Pacers out of the NBA Finals in 2004.

March 23, 2008  02:38 PM ET

why bring this up now?! no matter how isiah sucks dont kick a man when his down..

March 23, 2008  03:57 PM ET

The ironic thing is that Tayshaun Prince kept the Pacers out of the NBA Finals in 2004.
IrishR#1 | 03/23/08, 01:58 PM

exactly what I was thinking whle I was reading this: The infamous block of REggie Miller's layup. I remember it all too well....

March 23, 2008  03:58 PM ET

You can no longer blame Isiah. If you give a gun to a **** and he shoots someone you don't blame the ****.

March 23, 2008  06:02 PM ET

Well, at least here's something wrong with the Pacers that happened before the Brawl....

March 23, 2008  06:17 PM ET

as a big fan of Tayshaun Prince...I am glad he didn't go to the pacers. he went to the right team and has a ring to show for it. One of the most underrated basketball players of all time.

 
March 23, 2008  06:38 PM ET

Why exactly is Donnie Walsh in such demand??? I know he's no Isiah when it comes to nuking a franchise...but I would put him in the same class as Rick Pitino, Larry Brown and Elgin Baylor for ability to run a franchise into the ground. I actually hope he goes to the knicks so Larry legend can rebuild the pacers and him and his favorite son Isiah can really torpedo the Knicks

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