Robb: Paul George Is Most Excited To See Celtics Guard Isaiah Thomas At All-Star Weekend
By Brian Robb, CBS Boston
BOSTON -- Isaiah Thomas will make his second appearance in the NBA All-Star game this weekend in New Orleans, but the hype surrounding the 5-foot-9 point guard is a little different from his first trip in 2016.
The 28-year-old is in the midst of a historic season, flirting with a franchise record for most points per game. He also currently ranks second overall in the league with 29.8 ppg behind Russell Westbrook and posting one of the best fourth quarter scoring average in at least 20 years. All in all, he's been one of the most exciting offensive players in the league this season.
That kind of play is earning him plenty of respect around the league this weekend, include a notable comment from fellow All-Star forward Paul George
Why do George's comments matter ? The Celtics have reportedly had their eyes on the Pacers wing this season as they search for a star to pair with Thomas to build a contender in the Eastern Conference. George is under contract with Indiana through the end of the 2017-18 season, but his team has been middling around the .500 mark all season, and is currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak.
Pacers GM Larry Bird will have the ability to offer George a $200 million extension this summer, but George has made it clear that money won't be the only factor in choosing his next deal.
"As I told Larry, I always want to play on a winning team. I always want to be part of a team that has a chance to win it [all]. That's important," George told ESPN Radio. "Say what you want; I want to compete for something. It's frustrating just playing the game for stats or for numbers or to showcase yourself. Man, I want a chance to play for a chance to win a championship."
With no true franchise building blocks outside of young center Myles Turner and George in place, a contending team might be a tough thing for the Pacers to achieve in the next year and a half before a new contract must be signed. There's no doubt a team like Boston is much better situated to make a run at a title in the next few years with Indiana, so a nod to Isaiah like George made on Saturday could be interpreted as a sign he would love to play with the Celtics guard down the line.
Last year Thomas admitted he was doing some successful recruiting by talking to Al Horford during All-Star weekend and there's no doubt he'll be aiming to do more on that front this weekend as well. He won't be able to convince George to come to Boston until the summer of 2018, but perhaps the Pacers might be more prone to deal their star for some of the C's young players and assets in the coming months if they think George is likely to bolt anyway.
It's a situation to keep an eye on as Danny Ainge decides the best way to proceed towards building a contender once again.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
