Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Any person who has watched this year’s NBA Finals has had to be amazed by the play of Cleveland Cavaliers backup Matthew Dellavedova. The guard’s gritty efforts in all three games so far have been a breath of fresh air to a league that has its share of prima donnas. Witnessing the Aussie exemplify such heroics has made me wonder if the Miami Dolphins have a player that can equal the passion of the player known as Delly.
It was very frustrating trying to think of a Miami player that has demonstrated such a combination of desire and talent. On a team that has underachieved as much as the Dolphins have the past couple of seasons, it would be easy to say nobody was gutty enough to be compared to the current Cavalier. Then I thought back to one of the Dolphins’ most incredible wins from the past couple of campaigns. In Week 15 of 2013, Miami slowed down the charging New England Patriots, putting off the Pats’ celebration of another AFC East title. That upset was secured when Tom Brady was intercepted in the end zone just when it looked as if the future Hall of Famer was about to break the Dolphins’ hearts once again. The man who blew up Brady’s comeback bid was safety Michael Thomas.
Thomas was not even on the Dolphins’ roster until the week before that win over New England. In fact, he was barely on anyone’s roster. After going undrafted, the free agent found himself buried deep on the depth chart of the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers cut Thomas before the Dolphins signed him and he wasn’t really wanted by anybody else. The only reason he found his way onto the Dolphins’ squad was due to Miami’s secondary being decimated by injuries. When he was forced into the game he made the biggest play of his life. Sounds like a certain someone who wears wine and gold basketball shorts.
Like Dellavedova, Miami’s unsung safety went to college in California. Delly went to St. Mary’s and Thomas went to Stanford. As mentioned, both players were undrafted and both absolutely earned their way on the court/field. Dellavedova’s work all season, and especially in the finals in relief of Kyrie Irving, has cemented his spot in the Cavs’ rotation for years to come. Thomas displayed his worth to Miami once he was stricken with an injury in the middle of last season. The former collegiate Cardinal was a force on special teams in 2014 and when he went down that unit looked shaky. The Dolphins smartly did not allow Thomas to cash in during free agency this offseason when they quickly re-signed him. He will be expected to strengthen the special teams group again and provide solid relief at both safety spots. Thomas may even have to start the season as the free safety position if Louis Delmas is not completely healed from a knee injury. Sound familiar Delly?
Both competitors are hovering around 25 years old. Both are considered undersized for their respective sport. Both make fans smile when they make up for their lack of exceptional skill with the heart of a champion. It can be argued that the return of Thomas is so important because of his ability to succeed both in the secondary and on special teams. He also has a leadership quality that the Miami club lacks. If the Dolphins could come up with a few clones of Thomas then they would become a team that rivals would have to respect just like the Golden State Warriors are respecting the Cavs right now. Of course, if Miami could come up with a player that resembles LeBron too, then the team could start printing playoff tickets.
