http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2011/09/13/2011-09-13_knicks_amare_stuodemire_works_out_at_fiu_where_former_knicks_president_isiah_tho.html?print=1&page=all

Isiah played a role in the Knicks signing Amar'e two summer's ago and he played a role in the Melo trade. He's now working behind the scenes to help the Knicks land Chris Paul.

I'm not sure that Mike D'Antoni is thrilled that Amar'e is working out with Isiah but by now D'Antoni has already come to grips with Isiah's role with the team. Donnie Walsh is no longer around while one of Isiah's guys, Glen Grunwald, is running the front office. Another one of Isiah's guys, Mike Woodson, was recently named assistant coach.

And now Isiah is working out one of the Knicks star players, the same star player who claimed he had little contact with Isiah prior to signing with the Knicks. The truth, however, is that Isiah did reach out to Amar'e because when D'Antoni left Phoenix he and Amar'e didn't leave on good terms.

Isiah helped to smooth things over, as did $100 million contract. Of course, the contract was the deciding factor. But at least now we can put to bed this spin that Isiah doesn't have any influence with the Knicks. He helped with Amar'e. He helped with Melo and he'll help with CP3.

If you're a Knicks fan, is that such a bad thing.

I like Amare and I like Melo. That isn't the question. It is "How" we got them and at what cost.

jrodmc wrote:

Markji wrote:From the article

Isiah helped to smooth things over, as did $100 million contract. Of course, the contract was the deciding factor. But at least now we can put to bed this spin that Isiah doesn't have any influence with the Knicks. He helped with Amar'e. He helped with Melo and he'll help with CP3.

If you're a Knicks fan, is that such a bad thing.

YES.

I cannot seriously fathom how anyone could put IT, Knicks and the thought "not bad" in a sentence after what was endured here for years.

Oh wait, yes I can; if you're a writer for a toilet paper like the DailyNews: IT = easy back page headlines.

somebody will post this on RealGM and it will turn into a 1,207,653 page thread. Inciting pandemonium drives is good for web traffic and ad revenues

Nalod wrote:

eViL wrote:while i can see how the mere mention of Isiah could drive sell papers and boost hits, i think that, ultimately, his presence is so toxic it could lead to a massive drop in fan interest; especially if the team fails to meet expectations. of course, if they have a great season, then all that is rendered moot.

Players don't care if Isiah tried to pin a drug overdose on his daughter to protect his image, or he got nailed on sexual harrassment, or he cheated on his wife while engaged and had a boy he refuses to acknowledge, or he screwed over the owners of the CBA, or he sucks at trading.....They care about the money he can provide.

And here I was thinking players (and the fans) wanted to win. Does anyone, given the man's past non-player history, really think we're getting a sniff at a chip with this idiot in the building?

IT is a text-book, prototypical plague. And plagues don't care about winning.

Nalod wrote:

jrodmc wrote:

Nalod wrote:

eViL wrote:while i can see how the mere mention of Isiah could drive sell papers and boost hits, i think that, ultimately, his presence is so toxic it could lead to a massive drop in fan interest; especially if the team fails to meet expectations. of course, if they have a great season, then all that is rendered moot.

Players don't care if Isiah tried to pin a drug overdose on his daughter to protect his image, or he got nailed on sexual harrassment, or he cheated on his wife while engaged and had a boy he refuses to acknowledge, or he screwed over the owners of the CBA, or he sucks at trading.....They care about the money he can provide.

And here I was thinking players (and the fans) wanted to win. Does anyone, given the man's past non-player history, really think we're getting a sniff at a chip with this idiot in the building?

IT is a text-book, prototypical plague. And plagues don't care about winning.

Fans want to win. Or, see "Winning"!

I always thought the 1990's knicks were built not to "win" but for "winning".

Why?

We never took the risk or the patience to build thru yoot or thru a draft. Ewing held a gun to the teams head and they feared losing its biggest star attraction. Its and old story now.

No, you don't win with Gallo as your centerpiece either, but Im not going there either.

Bottom line is we overpay for a sure fire "Draw" player. Melo will sell tickets.

So what do you call drafting Ewing, Kenny Walker, Gerald Wilkins, Mark Jackson, or Rod Strickland?

http://twitter.com/#!/Chris_Broussard/status/114034650694950912

@Chris_Broussard Chris Broussard
Isiah Thomas has not been involved in Amare's workouts at FIU. Amare, & the other NBA players at FIU, work with their own personal trainers.

sidsanders wrote:

martin wrote:pretty much what I thought was going on, guys just using the facilities:

http://twitter.com/#!/Chris_Broussard/status/114034650694950912

@Chris_Broussard Chris Broussard
Isiah Thomas has not been involved in Amare's workouts at FIU. Amare, & the other NBA players at FIU, work with their own personal trainers.

wouldnt mr stern and the ncaa have said something if it looked like a pro player might be interfacing with college players and a college coach "working" for a pro team...

prob not. College coaches go to pro practices all the time.

martin wrote:pretty much what I thought was going on, guys just using the facilities:

http://twitter.com/#!/Chris_Broussard/status/114034650694950912

@Chris_Broussard Chris Broussard
Isiah Thomas has not been involved in Amare's workouts at FIU. Amare, & the other NBA players at FIU, work with their own personal trainers.

CrushAlot wrote:

holfresh wrote:

Nalod wrote:

jrodmc wrote:

Nalod wrote:

eViL wrote:while i can see how the mere mention of Isiah could drive sell papers and boost hits, i think that, ultimately, his presence is so toxic it could lead to a massive drop in fan interest; especially if the team fails to meet expectations. of course, if they have a great season, then all that is rendered moot.

Players don't care if Isiah tried to pin a drug overdose on his daughter to protect his image, or he got nailed on sexual harrassment, or he cheated on his wife while engaged and had a boy he refuses to acknowledge, or he screwed over the owners of the CBA, or he sucks at trading.....They care about the money he can provide.

And here I was thinking players (and the fans) wanted to win. Does anyone, given the man's past non-player history, really think we're getting a sniff at a chip with this idiot in the building?

IT is a text-book, prototypical plague. And plagues don't care about winning.

Fans want to win. Or, see "Winning"!

I always thought the 1990's knicks were built not to "win" but for "winning".

Why?

We never took the risk or the patience to build thru yoot or thru a draft. Ewing held a gun to the teams head and they feared losing its biggest star attraction. Its and old story now.

No, you don't win with Gallo as your centerpiece either, but Im not going there either.

Bottom line is we overpay for a sure fire "Draw" player. Melo will sell tickets.

So what do you call drafting Ewing, Kenny Walker, Gerald Wilkins, Mark Jackson, or Rod Strickland?

The Knicks also drafted Anthony, Ward, Monty, Hubert and others during that run. Remember the team was making the playoffs and picking late in the draft. I do remember that Grunfeld said that he felt draft picks were assets and would use them in trades but I don't remember anything close to the ridding of picks that Isiah and later Walsh/Dolan participated in.

we traded Jax and Strickland for.......

What do I call drafting Ward, money, Hubert and others? Scrubs!

What do I call the end result? Underachieving!

Sorry, Knicks used low pedigree Mase and Starks and got a lot out of them to get close, but not enough there to get 'er done.