Isiah Thomas Claims Michael Jordan Traded His Good Friend Because He Needed More ?Protection? From The Bad Boys Pistons

The NBA has had many players and many teams over the years that stood apart from others. Multiple trophies, outstanding seasons, brilliant records, and individual brilliance. But none of the teams were as feared in the NBA as ?The Bad Boys Pistons?. Isiah Thomas, along with Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, John Salley, and Joe Dumars, were the protagonists of the Detroit Pistons who earned the reputation of being the most feared side.

Many disliked the way they played, but they won back-to-back championships with their too physical playing style. The Pistons dominated the late 80s and no other team was like them. Winning the NBA championships, 1989 and 1990, they proved that they were feared for more reasons than just being physical.

Isiah Thomas talks about Pistons effect on Michael Jordan?s Bulls

Recently on the ?Point Forward? podcast with Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner, Thomas talked about the time of the late 80s.

?So we in Chicago and Chicago has just traded Oakley because he wasn’t physical enough. They traded [Charles] Oakley for [Bill] Cartwright. Jordan needed more protection, so they brought Cartwright in and you know he had this, you know, they said he swung his arms.?

READ MORE: Isiah vs MJ is never ending!

Isiah talked about the incident that followed when they played in Chicago. He told how Cartwright targeted him because he was small. According to Thomas, Cartwright took shots at him, and this was their plan. He said that it was interesting how nobody went towards the big guys of the Pistons. Isiah mentioned how he had grown up on the west side of Chicago and standing up to the big guys was no big deal to him.

Detroit Pistons were ‘Too Physical’

Isiah also talked about how they were termed the dangerous side, but according to the Pistons, it was just a mental level thing.

“We came in wanting you to think about fighting and wanting you to think about being physical. Now that you are thinking that way, we gonna play basketball. And every time you get a little hit you ready to fight. But think about it right, how many fights did you see Dennis Rodman have?”

“But we had the reputation of fighting and throwing, but we was hitting back. Lambeer finally stood up and hit Robert Parish back. The narrative and the way they describe all fights is so you what you seeing is not what they telling they not telling you that dude hit him and he is hitting him back,” he continued.

Even if Isiah defends his team, it was no secret that Pistons were indeed too physical many times. They were often involved in dangerous tackles and incidents which made a lot of people hate their success.

ALSO READ: Isiah hits another salty remark at Michael Jordan.

The rivalry between the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, Isiah Thomas, and Michael Jordan, is world-renowned. Everyone who knows basketball knows the intensity, the passion, and the aggression that was involved in the rivalry is on another level. Both men still don’t look eye-to-eye and it doesn’t seem like the bad blood between the two is going to go away.?