Let us imagine a man. This man is 28, in great shape, very athletic. He got married recently and is paid supremely well (albeit about 1/4th of what those as good as he is typically make, but still very well) to do a job that millions would kill to do. Just this year, people have begun to recognize him at least by reputation as one of the best in his profession, and he not only is very popular within his organization, but has made roots and connections within the city at large around him. He seemingly is finally hitting his sweet spot, up until the untimely death of his sister (which, by the way, doesn't stop him from coming into work the next day) and shortly after a serious injury. He now must deal with these problems, yet is still just as beloved, just as revered and despite all of this, still performed among the best within his profession. The company is asking him to go out and recruit other people who are also very talented to "help him", which he does without hesitation. He ends up landing one, to the benefit of both himself, and the organization at large, and now he is looking forward to going into work, and continuing to try and be the best, continuing to produce moments like this:

Now imagine you're this man, and you walk into work to be told you've been shipped off to work in a significantly less unappealing city, with worse co-workers, a lesser chance of being able to get a raise, and basically only for one year before you are likely to have to relocate if you want a preferable situation. And even worse, your bosses are leaking rumors that you were a bad coworker, rumors that are quickly shot down mind you, but they are out there nonetheless. There are people burning your jerseys even:

This is the new life of ex-Celtic cult hero and current Cleveland Cavalier Isaiah Thomas, as on Wednesday he was officially traded from the Boston Celtics to the Cavs in a trade that sent shockwaves throughout the league, partially due to the notoriously patient Danny Ainge making a trade that signals "go for it," but even more so about the Celtics willingness to trade a player that was as beloved as Thomas was, along with other valuable assets, for a player who has been labeled selfish, and certainly a bit eccentric.

Let's try to avoid focusing on Kyrie Irving and his flat earth for a second though, and focus on IT. So many people criticized Kevin Durant for choosing his own destiny, for choosing a better situation when anybody in any other profession would do the same, yet it is instances like this that show he was totally justified in doing so. They burned his jersey too:

The NBA, and other professional sports leagues, are obviously cast in a more public light than those in other professions, and that should be expected. What Isaiah Thomas has had to go through here is well beyond what any employee should have to deal with, especially considering everything is made public. Of course, the reason the trade was just finalized on Wednesday was because the Cleveland Cavaliers, owned by controversial owner Dan Gilbert, he of the famous infamous letter to LeBron James, despite getting a massive haul for a player who wanted to leave, got greedy and wanted more. The reasoning behind their claim was Thomas's aforementioned hip issue was worse than they were told, despite numerous reports to the contrary. While it is totally reasonable that one set of doctors may look at a health situation different than another set of doctors, the fact that all it took to complete the trade was a measly 2nd round pick, signals to me that they knew the Celtics were in a bad situation and tried to get more out of them. While there is something to be said for "this is a business" and "being in a strong point within negotiations," Thomas had to come out and say "I am not damaged goods" earlier this week. Again, this comes after a season where he was a dark horse MVP candidate, taking a team in a major market to the third round of the playoffs. It isn't a stretch at all to say that both teams are being unfair to Isaiah:

Anyways, I just wanted to say that I wish that Isaiah Thomas kicks ass this season. Not because he's one of my favorite players, not because I'm a Cleveland fan or a Boston hater, and not particularly because I'm a big fan of revenge stories (although I'll admit I do). I wish him well because if any average man had gotten injured on the job, transferred to a worse city with worse co-workers, ripped to the public by his former and current bosses, and not making his earning potential, you'd be rooting for him too.