should be an interesting interview.

Posted by TMS:

should be an interesting interview.

Isiah Thomas - I really like our team, if it weren't for injuries, we might have won the Championship, Stephon Marbury is a winner, *smile* I love popcorn!

i'd tune in for the full show to be safe

Thanks for the heads up TMS.

Whoever gets to listen to the show please post a recap, thanks.

To listen to it from your computer, go to http://www.1050espnradio.com/

so far, he says he's concentrating on surrounding Marbury w/more talent...it doesn't sound like he's going to trade him.

"we have 6 picks over the next 2 years"

"our future is bright"

"we were hit w/injuries...we would have been a better team if players were healthy"

"Mo Taylor & Malik Rose are talented players"

"where we were trying to get to, Nazr wasn't going to be the answer for us."

"I think we've cleaned things up pretty well thus far...we have expiring contracts (TT & Penny), we have draft picks, we have the MLE, we'll continue to get younger, better & more athletic...we still have the option of trading picks for a better player, but I prefer keeping the picks & adding to what we already have"

"we've spoken to Phil Jackson...Herb's been very professional through the whole process...we will continue to have discussions w/Phil Jackson...Phil still considering whether or not he wants to come back & coach...Lakers & Knicks seem to be his first choice"

personally, it sounds like Isiah's drinking a little too much of his own Kool-Aid here to be honest...our future is bright? we're capped out til 2008, our head coach doesn't play young players, we have no C, & we play no D.

i've been very fair in giving IT a benefit of the doubt, but i would have liked to hear him be a bit fairer in his commentary over the Knicks' state of affairs.

[Edited by - TMS on 05/05/2005 13:26:58]

a little more detailed recap courtesy of another board:

What has been the issue with Stephon Marbury?

He's been the victim of a little bad luck in the league. He's had to deal with key injuries on his teams. When we moved to get Stephon, we envisioned a backcourt of Marbury and Houston but we never saw it.

Four years before we got here we had to deal with Scott Layden. You come here, you make some moves, and ultimately what happens - you guys go to the playoffs. This year you guys don't make the playoffs. How much patience do you expect this city to have?

Our fanbase really understands, you can look at the attendance and see that. There are some changes being made, it took us a long time to get here and it'll take us a long time to get out. We're making strides and we have a young core and picks coming up. If we hadn't had the injuries, we would have had a much better year. Every team has to deal with injuries, but I like our roster today more than I did at the start of last year. The additions of Mo and Malik have made us a deeper team.

You let go of your one legit center, Nazr Mohammed. He wasn't great, but he's looking pretty good alongside Tim Duncan.

Yeah he looks good along Tim Duncan, he is a good player. What we're trying to get at is that Nazr was not gonna be the answer for us. Had we had Tim Duncan, yeah Nazr would be part of the answer. The option I had for getting two picks and a Malik Rose, it only helped make our future brighter.

We've heard numerous talks about Larry Brown, Phil Jackson, etc. What's the coaching situation like? I don't believe Herb will be back. Are you guys going after Phil, is he the #1 candidate?

We have spoken to Phil and Herb has been very professional by allowing us to go and talk to some of the brightest minds in the game. Herb only wants the best for the Knicks. Phil's situation is that we will continue to have discussions - he's trying to decide if he's going to come back and coach, or if he wants to coach the Lakers or Knicks. There aren't many times you get to hire a person who has won 9 championships in this league.

Do you think it's the Lakers first or you guys?

I think Phil really is trying to decide if he wants to come back and coach. He's got two good options - New York or LA. Emotional ties on both ends.

Phil decides to go to LA - Larry retires - where does that leave Isiah Thomas and the Knicks?

Well before Phil came into the picture, our future was bright and it still is bright. The only reason why coaches are attracted to oru situation is because they see the future ahead of us and the players/picks we're bringing in. This is gonna be a good job for a long time. We've cleaned it up pretty good thus far.

You talked about the contracts coming off next season, tell us about how you plan on using these contracts to help clean things up.

We have expriing contracts - Penny and Tim Thomas, and we'll have the option to either re-sign them or put ourselves in a better position cap wise. We have the option to add 2 or 3 players via the draft, and then the MLE. We'll get younger and more athletic and better. We'll also have the option of using those contracts, if we want to, to trade and get better players. Right now, I like the options we have of keeping those guys and adding to what we have.

and bla bla bla, what do the Knicks have that any other team doesn't? The Knicks wont look bright at all until they reveal even a ghost of an image. Right now, the Knicks have none. Isiah was very general and pretty much said the same stuff he says in any interview, just like Layden. In fact, notice how he's slowly starting to say the same stuff as Layden. Again, he shouldn't be fired yet, but I'm not liking things right now.

This is starting to sound a lot like the 2004 election and Isiah is George W. Bush. Now I am a republican, but I agree the candidate was more then suspect. I also think thats the case here. He was not honest in his assesment of the team. Sure he has draft pics, coming from teams who win so they will be higher picks - odds of getting talent, not so good. But I agree - u never know.

He has a coach who doesnt play young players so what are these picks really worth? He has just traded away the frontcourts only legit big man for draft pics that might not even get played.

The future is ok. Its not bright. I like the picks, I am sad Nazr is gone. It should have been KT or Sweetney. We need a new coach, we need a big man, we need to possibly trade Marbury (although I like him and want to see him win). Having Penny and TT expire at the same time doesnt help unless he picks up an impact player for them. If the plan is to free up cap space he hasnt done a great job yet.