Mr.Bottomtooth
01-12-2008, 10:09 AM
Source: James Dolan leaning toward firing Isiah Thomas before season's end
BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Saturday, January 12th 2008, 4:00 AM
... and according to a source is growing tired of Isiah Thomas.
After all the losing Isiah Thomas has done - both on and off the court - the Knicks' president and head coach appears to be finally losing the support of his strongest ally as well.
Garden chairman James Dolan recently told confidants that he knows a coaching change must be made and that he is preparing to do just that, according to a source close to Dolan. No timetable was given, but the source indicated that Dolan is leaning toward making a change before the end of the season.
Dolan's change of heart comes 10 months after he rewarded Thomas with a contract extension believed to be worth $24 million. Also, two months ago a Garden official leaked a story to three newspapers that Thomas still had the support of ownership.
However, that public show of support came days before the Garden reached an out-of-court settlement with former executive Anucha Browne Sanders, who had filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Thomas, Dolan and the Garden.
Also, the Knicks have performed miserably on the court, which is a reflection of Thomas, who as the team president is responsible for acquiring every player on the roster. With Dolan looking on from his baseline seat at the Garden Friday night, the last-place Knicks lost to the Toronto Raptors, 99-90, to drop their record to 9-26.
It is not clear whether Dolan would allow Thomas to continue in his role as the team's highest-ranking decision-maker once he is removed from the bench. Such a scenario would seem unlikely, but Thomas' survival skills should never be underestimated. He has outlasted three coaches since coming to New York, including a pair of Hall of Famers, Lenny Wilkens and Larry Brown. Neither Wilkens nor Brown coached more than 82 games, the equivalent of a full NBA regular season. Meanwhile, Thomas is 42-75 as Knicks coach.
It also is not known who will be hired to replace Thomas. In all likelihood, assistant coach Herb Williams will be hired on an interim basis and the team will begin a coaching search.
There is no shortage of candidates either for Thomas' front office job or his coaching job. Jerry West and Jerry Colangelo would be considered the top two candidates to become team president. Coincidentally, Colangelo's son, Bryan, who is the GM of the Toronto Raptors, spoke briefly to Garden president Steve Mills before Friday night's game.
The same source claims that "people are coming out of the woodwork to try and get Dolan's attention." The source said that group includes everyone from former Knicks - both recent and from decades ago - as well as current GMs.
"The same is true of guys who are trying to get the coaching job," the source said.
Dolan has been uncharacteristically mum on Thomas' future since announcing the extension last March. Thomas, however, has been outspoken in his belief that he is the right man for the job.
In many of his interviews with reporters, Thomas seems to be talking directly to Dolan. For example, Thomas said last week that the Knicks will win a championship with him running the team. He also has said repeatedly that he has no intention of resigning.
But last night, Thomas sounded like a coach who knows that his time is running short. Thomas compared himself to the construction worker who lays the foundation to a house for someone else to live in.
"When you move into your house, the guy who poured the concrete never really gets a chance to live in that beautiful house that he built," Thomas said. "Our job right now is to make sure that we lay the concrete and that we lay it correctly."
BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Saturday, January 12th 2008, 4:00 AM
... and according to a source is growing tired of Isiah Thomas.
After all the losing Isiah Thomas has done - both on and off the court - the Knicks' president and head coach appears to be finally losing the support of his strongest ally as well.
Garden chairman James Dolan recently told confidants that he knows a coaching change must be made and that he is preparing to do just that, according to a source close to Dolan. No timetable was given, but the source indicated that Dolan is leaning toward making a change before the end of the season.
Dolan's change of heart comes 10 months after he rewarded Thomas with a contract extension believed to be worth $24 million. Also, two months ago a Garden official leaked a story to three newspapers that Thomas still had the support of ownership.
However, that public show of support came days before the Garden reached an out-of-court settlement with former executive Anucha Browne Sanders, who had filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Thomas, Dolan and the Garden.
Also, the Knicks have performed miserably on the court, which is a reflection of Thomas, who as the team president is responsible for acquiring every player on the roster. With Dolan looking on from his baseline seat at the Garden Friday night, the last-place Knicks lost to the Toronto Raptors, 99-90, to drop their record to 9-26.
It is not clear whether Dolan would allow Thomas to continue in his role as the team's highest-ranking decision-maker once he is removed from the bench. Such a scenario would seem unlikely, but Thomas' survival skills should never be underestimated. He has outlasted three coaches since coming to New York, including a pair of Hall of Famers, Lenny Wilkens and Larry Brown. Neither Wilkens nor Brown coached more than 82 games, the equivalent of a full NBA regular season. Meanwhile, Thomas is 42-75 as Knicks coach.
It also is not known who will be hired to replace Thomas. In all likelihood, assistant coach Herb Williams will be hired on an interim basis and the team will begin a coaching search.
There is no shortage of candidates either for Thomas' front office job or his coaching job. Jerry West and Jerry Colangelo would be considered the top two candidates to become team president. Coincidentally, Colangelo's son, Bryan, who is the GM of the Toronto Raptors, spoke briefly to Garden president Steve Mills before Friday night's game.
The same source claims that "people are coming out of the woodwork to try and get Dolan's attention." The source said that group includes everyone from former Knicks - both recent and from decades ago - as well as current GMs.
"The same is true of guys who are trying to get the coaching job," the source said.
Dolan has been uncharacteristically mum on Thomas' future since announcing the extension last March. Thomas, however, has been outspoken in his belief that he is the right man for the job.
In many of his interviews with reporters, Thomas seems to be talking directly to Dolan. For example, Thomas said last week that the Knicks will win a championship with him running the team. He also has said repeatedly that he has no intention of resigning.
But last night, Thomas sounded like a coach who knows that his time is running short. Thomas compared himself to the construction worker who lays the foundation to a house for someone else to live in.
"When you move into your house, the guy who poured the concrete never really gets a chance to live in that beautiful house that he built," Thomas said. "Our job right now is to make sure that we lay the concrete and that we lay it correctly."