Posts tagged IsiahThomas at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

James Dolan spent something like $180 million on the Isiah Thomas abomination. The Knicks spent more money on payroll this season than any other team ... and still ended up among the six worst squads in the league. So it's good to see some of Dolan's hard-earned dollars going to a worthy cause. From the New York Post, via SbB.

Anucha Browne Sanders isn't letting the $11 million she won in her sexual harassment case against Isiah Thomas burn a hole in her pocket. At last week's Arthur Ashe SportsBall, a fund-raiser for urban youth programs, Sanders "was bidding on everything in the silent auction," according to a witness. "She had her name down under every item," said the onlooker, including "an Oprah Winfrey experience, a Roger Federer tennis racket and a Barack Obama basketball.

Oprah experience, or Jerome James? Federer memorabilia, or Jared Jeffries? Tough call. Hell, Anucha could buy $500,000 of Hot Pockets and still spend more wisely than Isiah did. And we're talking Hot Pockets.

The New York Post today came out with news that recently removed Knicks head coach, Isiah Thomas will hold only a part-time, limited position with the organization. The article also suggests that Thomas will be without an office.

That's right. In the span of a year, Thomas has gone from a muti-year, multi-million dollar extension, to the guy from Office Space that wants his red stapler back. Only you actually felt sorry for that guy.

Yeah, see, Isiah, we have some new people coming in, his name is possibly Mark Jackson, and if you could just go ahead and move down to Storage Room B? That would be great, thanks.

It is rather amazing to see someone who less than a month ago was honored on the Detroit All-Time team, go from superstar player to head coach of one of the most storied franchises in all of sports, to not actually having a filing cabinet in which to keep any extra popcorn he may have. This is America, folks. The rise is fast and the fall is faster.

The Isiah Thomas era came to an end last week, but as you may recall, it wasn't because he was fired. Nope, apparently Isiah has some pretty strong dirt on team chairman James Dolan, as he somehow was allowed to stay with the team (in some capacity that we are uncertain of) under terms of his "reassignment."

One thing we are certain about concerning Isiah's new role is that it won't involve talking to members of the team he used to coach ... at all. Thomas has officially been barred by the organization from having any contact with what used to be his players. The reasons for this are obvious: if Thomas kept in touch with the Knicks players -- every last one of whom he was responsible for acquiring -- he may, intentionally or not, undermine what the new head coach is trying to do in terms of turning things around.

Now, while Donnie Walsh may be technically doing the right thing by trying to put a ban like this in place, the reality is, with Thomas still lurking behind the scenes, no one can be certain that he isn't speaking with any of his former players. The only way to completely revamp the Knicks and distance the team from the Isiah era is to remove him from having anything to do with the team in any capacity whatsoever. Which is something that at this point, it appears that Dolan is simply unwilling to do.

(Here's one blogger's attempt on boiling down the Jeff Van Gundy situation for you.) Yesterday during ABC's epic Suns-Spurs battle, the Knicks' coaching vacancy -- for which color analyst #1 Mark Jackson is a top candidate -- came up on the air. JVG (color analyst #2) was asked about his interest by play-by-play man (and Knicks broadcaster) Mike Breen. JVG called himself a "superdelegate" and insisted Jackson, his partner who was sitting less than five feet away at the time, was the right candidate for the job and should be hired.

So is JVG interested or not? During Friday's press call on Isiah Thomas's reassignment, new boss Donnie Walsh mentioned he'd be interested in finding out JVG's interest level in returning to Madison Square Garden. JVG's weekend interview with the New York Post's Marc Berman provides a hint of an answer in discussing unresolved tension between himself and Knicks owner James Dolan over JVG's previous hasty exit.

"I made a decision that was right for me and what I thought was right for the Knicks at the time. If that overshadows my service to the Knicks in his mind, I'd be disappointed."

I'm not clear as to why Van Gundy would be concerned with Dolan's feelings on the subject were Van Gundy not interested in spending that earned "service to the Knicks" in order to get back into the franchise. JVG doesn't strike me as someone who needs to feel loved by everyone he's crossed paths with.

Jackson remains a prohibitive favorite -- Phil Jackson would have to abandon the Lakers or M. Jackson would have to seriously blow his meetings with Walsh, I think, to derail Mark's path to the bench. That's not going to happen, so the rest of this might as well be idle chatter. But it bears remembering that JVG holds a bit of interest in this job, and possibly others.

I stumbled across this BetUS "Prop Talk" column (no need for you to inquire how I do my stumbling, thank you) a few days ago, and obviously it's not fresh or anything, but it seems pretty appropriate at this stage in Isiah Thomas' career. See, Zeke was a -2000 favorite to be the first coach fired this season.

Donnie Walsh has been hired to replace Isiah Thomas as the Knicks president of basketball operations. It is widely assumed that Walsh will also relieve Thomas of his coaching duties after the regular season ends on Apr. 16.

Wanna bet? Thomas is a –2000 sports betting favorite to be the next NBA coach who either gets fired or resigns. The field is priced at +800. However likely it may be that Thomas' four years and change in the Big Apple are about to end on a sour note, he's not the only one with his head on the block.

I actually tried to find the odds themselves, and was unable to for whatever reason. I wish I had, because had I bet on anything, it would have been "field". There were plenty of people -- Jim Boylan and Larry Krystkowiak come to mind -- that were eligible to be canned before Zeke, especially considering that Donnie Walsh probably wasn't interested in finding an interim coach to manage the circus for just a few games.

But more than anything, I think what's funny about this particular gambling line is that it is pretty metaphorical for Isiah's entire tenure in New York. -2000 is one of the highest money lines I've ever seen. Think about it. 1:20 odds is beyond anything Tiger Woods or the 2008 Patriots ever sniffed. Yet ... he still beat them!

And that's what Isiah has been doing in New York for years. Sexual harassment lawsuits, horrible free agent signings, 30% winning percentages, embarrassing trades -- none of them could get Isiah booted immediately. Finally, James Dolan caved and brought in Donnie Walsh, who canned Thomas, but when we all think back on Zeke's career in New York, yes, we'll be amazed at how awful a job he did. But I think in the end, we'll be more amazed at how long he actually kept the job.

Isiah Thomas' reign of terror on the Knicks' sideline is finally over, according to Mark Berman of the New York Post. Berman cites a team source who said Thomas will be informed during a 5pm conference call tonight that he's being relieved of his head coaching duties and reassigned elsewhere in the organization.

So who's going to replace Thomas? As I noted earlier today, Mark Jackson looks like the favorite, especially considering this little nugget from Berman:

Walsh indicated his interest in Jackson before Wednesday's season finale in Indianapolis, saying he knew he would always make a good coach. Walsh tried to interview Jackson for the Pacers last year, but Larry Bird was opposed.

That said, expect Walsh to take his time with the coaching search, especially if he's thinking of giving Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau, widely credited for orchestrating Boston's defensive renaissance this year, a chance to interview. Stay tuned, I have a feeling we'll have more to say about this situation all weekend.

In addition to calling nationally televised games alongside Mike Breen on ABC and ESPN, analyst Mark Jackson also works alongside Marv Albert covering the Nets for the YES Network.

At least, he used to work for YES: as those dedicated (and tortured) Nets fans who tuned into Wednesday's meaningless season finale heard first-hand, Jackson revealed that he wouldn't be returning next year. From Neil Best at Newsday (via Sports Media Watch):

During the telecast, Albert called Jackson's announcement, which he initially made in the third quarter, "startling." As the duo signed off, Jackson said, "Thank you, people, for letting me in your home."

Naturally, this fueled speculation that Jackson is headed to the Knicks. But he told YES executives after the game that he simply had tired of the time apart from his family, which is based in Los Angeles.

First of all, disregard his official explanation: yes, he may miss his family, but I have a hunch he won't have trouble convincing them to move out to the Big Apple if he gets his dream job. Jackson is from New York, born and raised in Brooklyn before playing college ball at St. John's and getting drafted by the Knicks. And oh yeah, he's pretty familiar with Donnie Walsh, too, playing five and a half years with the Pacers.

I'm not saying Walsh has already contacted Jackson for the deal, but it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to think that Jackson is making it very apparent that he's interested and available for the job. As a local guy who's maintained a media presence across the river in New Jersey, hiring Jackson wouldn't be a bad public relations move for a franchise struggling to connect with it's base, either.

Not like this will come as a surprise to anyone, but it's being reported that Isiah Thomas is expected to be relieved of his head coaching duties following the Knicks final game of the season. New team President Donnie Walsh has hinted that a decision will be made quickly, though he'll probably let everyone digest all that free food on Wednesday night before dropping the axe on Thursday.

What's funny is, with the season in ruins and his job clearly coming to an end, Isiah decided to run the longest practice he's had in weeks during Walsh's first visit to one of the team's sessions. A little late, don't you think? Apparently though, it was the team's best practice of the season:

The Knicks are regarded as one of the worst-conditioned and least prepared teams in the league. But yesterday, in what may have been their final practice of the season, the Knicks apparently gave it their all.

"I wasn't expecting this kind of effort this morning, but it was good."

Asked if Walsh being there may have had something to do with their effort, Thomas said: "No, I don't think so."

Isiah remains clueless if he thinks that somehow, after seven months, he finally, magically, was able to get through to his team during their final practice together. Of course Walsh's presence was the reason for the extra effort. Look, Isiah was not only the one that coached the team to their position in the Draft Lottery, but he was also the man responsible for virtually all of the personnel decisions. His removal as coach is a no-brainer; the team excluding him from having anything to do with basketball operations in the future seems just as likely.

The Pistons honored their All-Time team last night, and as you can see, this is one place where the love for Isiah Thomas will never die. (Unless he's hired as head coach someday, but let's hope that never happens). As the Bad Boys were introduced, Isiah easily got the loudest cheer from the crowd.

So could those championship Bad Boys teams beat today's incarnation of the Pistons? Rasheed Wallace thinks not:

Isiah addressed the crowd before the game and joked that he didn't know who would win between the old school Bad Boys and today's Pistons. Rasheed, though, was less bashful. "I think we could have got them. It would be a hell of a game. I'll tell you that. I'm not sure who would win – of course I'm going to say us – but damn, it would be a hell of a game. A hell of a game."

It depends on the rules. If it's the 89-90 season and you can play Bad Boys-style basket-brawl (not a bad thing mind you, I was a fan), then I give the nod to the old-timers. If it's today's kindler, gentler NBA (well, mostly) then I think the current Pistons would get it done.

Conspicuously absent from the ceremony was Dennis Rodman, and Isiah didn't let it go unnoticed when he addressed the crowd:

"Worm," he said, "wherever you are, you've got to come home."

Via With Leather, the New York Post reports Knicks owner James Dolan will open up his wallet to thank his poor, abused fans by making all food and drink at Madison Square Garden free during the team's home finale. Good idea, and hey! the game's already a sell-out ...

... against the Boston Celtics. Which means the stands will filled with Boston Celtics fans. Boston leads the league in road attendance this season, with 98.5% capacity in visiting arenas when Kevin Garnett brings his boys. Just an example: Sacramento will sell out three games this season: Two (including tonight's match) against the Lakers and the December 26 game against Boston. Boston sold out freaking Sacramento before the season started (I couldn't get box-office tix in October); I think they may have purchased some tickets in NYC.

I don't mean to crap on an otherwise nice gesture, but ... this stuff isn't difficult to figure out. If you want to thank Knicks fans, you should make sure they are in the arena when you open up the nacho bar.

As annoying as the constant "LeBron's leaving for NYC in 2010!!!11" discussions are, this one piques my interest: Newsday's Ken Berger wonders on his blog if the specter of LBJ will figure in Donnie Walsh's coaching hire decision this summer (assuming Isiah Thomas gets canned).

One thing I will not like is a coaching candidate that Walsh will no doubt be hearing from if he hasn't already: Memphis coach John Calipari. ... Calipari has a close working relationship with hoops maven Williams "Wes" Wesley, who has close ties to LeBron James. No doubt Coach Cal will try to play the LeBron card if and when he decides to go after the Knicks' coaching job. Wesley works closely with James' agent, Leon Rose.

To be clear, Berger doesn't approve of a Calipari hire though he does think LeBron could end up in a Knicks shirt. So in his reasoning, hiring Calipari isn't necessary: LBJ will consider the Knicks anyway.

Circumstantial evidence, though, does place Calipari in pole position for the gig, especially his well-reported relationship with Walsh's BFF Larry Brown. The LeBron issue might just constitute some frosting.

Via Deadspin, Portfolio magazine tallied up some estimates of just how much cash Isiah Thomas has lit on fire during his 4-year tenure in New York City. The total is staggering: $187 million, which includes a whopping $137 million in luxury taxes.

As noted in the comments to the Portfolio item, this might be a conservative estimate. The Knicks aren't getting under the tax next season, so there's at least one more season of paying double for Jerome James and Jared Jeffries. And a jury of his peers pinned the blame for the hostile workplace Madison Square Garden had become on Zeke -- and that blame came along with a $12 million bill for James Dolan.

You'd have to go back to Ted Stepien in Cleveland to find a franchise so destroyed by one man (and Stepien might not even beat Thomas).

New Knickerbockers chieftain Donnie Walsh has already made his first move in his quest to rehabilitate the completely wasted franchise. Neil Best of Newsday's Watchdog blog reports.

[T]he new, happier tone was set even before the news conference began with a time-tested way to butter up journalists: sandwiches and cookies!

Welcome home, Donnie.

This sort of minor detail might seem insignificant ... and it is, to the Knicks. But Walsh wants to rebuild the severed relationship with his town's press, and PR involves everything: the cleanliness of the bathrooms, the spread at a news conference, the friendliness of the doorman, the ease of access, the warmness of a handshake. If you put on a good enough show, you can stand up there and tell reporters you plan on kicking their dog and urinating in their chrysanthemum -- they'll still be sympathetic. (Well, maybe not.)

Besides, food and sex are the clearest paths to a man's heart. I'm glad Walsh chose the former. (And it's working! Lupica is happy. The Daily News is gushing. Newsday is gushing. The Sun is gushing. Peter F'ing Vescey is gushing!)

Today is officially the day that the New York Knicks can begin the long process of turning the disaster created by Isiah Thomas into a legitimate team, as Donnie Walsh was introduced as team President. Earlier today Will pretty much nailed the big question, which is will Isiah stay on as head coach? At least initially, Walsh is saying he's undecided, and is trying to go into this thing without any preconceived notions.

So to clarify, Isiah's atrocious roster decisions mean that the Knicks have zero cap flexibility for the next three years. That alone might be reason enough to replace him as coach, although I can't think of a better punishment than to force him to coach this lottery team for two or three more seasons, and then replace him once the team finally starts to turn the corner with some new players.

The New York Daily News is reporting that as of a few minutes ago, the Knicks and Donnie Walsh have finally shored up the agreement that will bring Walsh to the Big Apple and make him president of the New York Knicks. I will now refrain from a joke about the Titanic.

Walsh will be introduced at the Garden at 1 p.m., although Garden officials late Tuesday night refused to announce his hiring in alerting the media to its major news conference.

Walsh, 67, a product of the Bronx, reached a handshake agreement on a three-year $15 million deal on March 24, but was in negotiations the past eight days to firm up the details.

The biggest issue will be Isiah Thomas, but of course. Thomas' reign of error has turned the Knicks into the laughingstock of the league yet he's been able to avoid the chopping block for seemingly forever now. Obviously he will be relieved of any front office duties with Walsh in place, but will he still be allowed to coach?

Word on the street is "yes", at least temporarily. It would seem logical that Walsh would prefer to let him finish out the season. First of all, Walsh can take the collective pulse (assuming one exists) of the players on his roster and find out if they do in fact like Thomas. And before you scoff, remember that James Dolan still wants to retain his services.

Personally, I wouldn't bank on Isiah being employed at Madison Square Garden next year, but then again, he and Walsh have worked together to achieve some degree of success in the past, and you have to figure with as long as Dolan has already been snowed, either he just loves the guy or Isiah has enough dirt to keep himself employed.