http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Isiah-Thomas-new-gig-creates-a-massive-conflict?urn=ncaab-260844

Isiah Thomas' new gig could create a conflict of interest

By Jeff Eisenberg

As baffling as James Dolan's decision was to rehire the man who ran his franchise into the ground a few short years ago, that isn't the only surprising aspect of Isiah Thomas joining the New York Knicks as a part-time consultant.

Equally puzzling is that the NCAA is allowing Thomas to continue coaching at Florida International while simultaneously working for an NBA franchise.

At a time when Boise State coaches can't even offer condolences to the family of a deceased recruit without facing NCAA punishment, the organization apparently sees no competitive advantage in a coach receiving a paycheck from an NBA team. The NCAA says it won't step in to prevent Thomas from working for the Knicks even though the franchise admitted in a press release on Friday that one of Thomas' duties will be "player recruitment."

Under this unique arrangement, Thomas would be in position to promise potential top recruits that he'll recommend them to the Knicks if they agree to play for him at FIU. Furthermore, he'll have the chance to advise FIU players whether or not to leave school early, a potential violation of NBA rules that forbid league personnel from having contact with players who haven't formally entered the draft.

Granted FIU didn't exactly have a wealth of NBA-caliber talent on its roster during Thomas' 7-25 debut season, but that hasn't stopped the second-year coach from recruiting potential future pros. Four-star power forward Dominique Ferguson is one of FIU's incoming freshmen next season, while the Golden Panthers were among the finalists for Rakeem Christmas before the five-star center chose Syracuse on Friday.

FIU athletic director Pete Garcia said Friday that Thomas first approached him with the idea of taking the Knicks consulting gig a few weeks ago. Although Garcia acknowledged that the arrangement was "unprecedented," he insisted that neither he nor the NCAA had any concerns about a potential conflict of interest.

"The Knicks recognize Isiah is a commodity," Garcia said. "If the Knicks want Isiah as a consultant, we're good with that. If President Obama wants Isiah as a consultant, we're good with that."

Garcia added that he doesn't expect Thomas to spend any less time on his FIU duties because he's "very organized" and "a workaholic."

NCAA spokeswoman Jennifer Royer e-mailed the following statement on Friday when asked whether her organization had any concerns about Thomas' arrangement.

"According to an official interpretation on June 6, 2001, NCAA member institutions are provided the discretion to establish their own policies regarding employment and income arrangements between their athletics department staff members and professional sports organizations. An NCAA coach must, however, still comply with NCAA bylaws as they relate to the recruitment of prospects and the scouting of opponents."

What the NCAA may be doing by taking that stance is opening another loophole for coaches to exploit. If Thomas' consulting role with the Knicks helps FIU secure an extra recruit or two, how long will it take Bruce Pearl to ask for a similar role with the Memphis Grizzlies or Billy Donovan to hire a Miami Heat scout as his director of basketball operations?

Amazingly enough, the NBA may end up being the organization that forces Thomas to choose between FIU and the Knicks. Since the hire could violate league rules that forbid college coaches from having jobs with NBA teams, spokesman Tim Frank told the Associated Press that the league is looking into it.

"We are reviewing the agreement, in consultation with the Knicks, for compliance with league rules," he

Only James Dolan could have made that happen.

Congrats to him. At least he made BasketballJones happy.

misterearl wrote:Its about finding the best talent and last time I checked there are a more than a few of Isiah's discoveries still making contributions in the league.

Yeah, unfortunately, it's the Chinese league.

Childs2Dudley wrote:Looks like it's time for the Isiah Thomas Myspace to return:

http://www.myspace.com/gayestkidalive

Disregard the link name.

Microsoft Office 95.

NYKBocker wrote:

Childs2Dudley wrote:Looks like it's time for the Isiah Thomas Myspace to return:

http://www.myspace.com/gayestkidalive

Disregard the link name.

Microsoft Office 95.

Classic.

ATrain wrote:

TheGame wrote:These news reporters are real drama queens. I mean, really what in the world is Isiah going to do with FIU recruits that is going to upset the balance of power in the NCAA. It is freaking FIU. The only NBA players FIU has sent to the NBA over the past decade are Raja Bell and Carlos Arroyo. These reporters are trying to make a story over nothing. Thomas has been consulting with the Knicks for the past 2 years.

That being said, Dolan was an idiot to make this announcement. He should have just kept Thomas in the background and made the occasional comment of how Thomas has been helpful and left it at that until the Knicks made the playoffs or did something else to build up enough goodwill for the fans to not revolt at the mere mention of Thomas.

You aren't seeing the whole picture. No matter what school it is or how many players it has sent to the league in the past decade, It now has a big name head coach who now holds a postion working for an NBA team. You cannot tell me that does not help them 100x more in recruiting.

I see the big picture and I understand the argument. But it is FIU. Who cares?

It is going to be a moot point because Thomas is already putting out statements that if the NBA or NCAA say he cannot take the Knicks job, he will quit FIU.

Childs2Dudley wrote:

That's beautiful.

Childs2Dudley wrote:

funny how the plan for this summer was EXACTLY the opposite of that.. huh..