Despite my inclination to ignore your comments since you’re a New Yorker, you gave a very thought provoking response. It sheds light on an important point; none of us really know anything about the people we see on television. What we see comes through a heavily biased filter. All of the well-documented negatives on Isiah…if they were all based in the truth, I would not want my children or my players to emulate them. There aren’t many people in the national spotlight who I would use as role models; their lives have been dissected so much that the negatives are there for the world to see, along with the positives. Beyond Isiah’s technique, there are some things I definitely would want my kids to emulate:

1. Due to my leftist tendencies…The guy who as the head of the player’s union instituted a profit sharing model and a retirement plan that took money out of the top-tier players’ pockets (including his own) and distributed it more evenly to insure a better outcome for lower-tier players : little kid lesson: it’s important to share, even if its unpopular.

2. He scored 27 points in the 4th quarter of game 6 of the finals on a severely sprained ankle, blurred vision, an ingrown toenail and a receding hairline (the toenail and the hairline were not really factors; I just added them in for the sake of exaggeration) : little kid lesson: never give up (not quitting the Knicks – same lesson).

3. Suffered a concussion and required 40+ stitches after taking an elbow to the head from Karl Malone and came back to play in the same game. : little kid lesson: never give up; be tough; stand your ground. His leadership with the pistons and ability to rally the troops was a huge factor in winning the only 2 titles in the Jordan, Bird, Magic era that didn’t go to Jordan, Bird, or Magic.

4. I met him twice as a kid (which probably explains my bias) – the first time he was giving autographs; the second was at a hospital; he made an unannounced visit in the kids cancer ward at Swedish hospital, where I was volunteering.

I could go on, but I wont – anybody that wants to hate him can find more than enough material to back their claim – and my opinion obviously isn’t going to be swayed. Moreover, my original point was not that Isiah Thomas character is beyond reproach, or that he should be your child’s next role model. It was an observation of the public reaction to a statement – “I do make a distinction”. I find the reaction to that statement to be at best self serving and at worst, ignorant. As I said, its easier to demonize him than to engage in any sort of self-reflection when it comes to race.

I have been coaching sports on many levels for many years. There is nothing more important to me as a coach than character development. I want to see kids, young men and young women develop good core values that they can build on for the rest of their lives. Although it’s no grand secret, a good value system has to be constantly reinforced so that it shows up in the right places and has carry over off the court to offer us guidance in our daily decision making. In the final analysis, we are all judged by our character and decision making first and foremost. A tough lesson learned by Isiah and a shiny example to remind the rest of us. Even hall of famers are judged by their value system. It doesn’t erase their records, just puts them in perspective.

Whether or not Isiah is a racist is not really for me to say and probably not for you to say either. I frankly don’t feel well enough informed to judge that, do you? I know that there are many of us, myself included, who would not want to be judged entirely on a few words spoken here and there. But look closely at some of the many other behavior attributes. That, I suggest, will tell you what you need to know. You can’t, or perhaps better said, one shouldn’t judge the character of a person on superficial considerations such as suits, smiles and records, whether you lean towards liking that person or not. Judge us on our values. Judge us on our character. I am not suggesting one way or other as to how you should feel about Isiah as a racist or otherwise. But, as a litmus test, consider whether or not you would use Isiah Thomas as a role model of behavior for your own child. As a coach and a parent I wouldn’t hesitate to have a player emulate Isiah’s technique, but nothing more.