What if Isiah is right?



By Mark Steinberg

Oct. 24, 2005



Last night I woke up in a cold sweat. Confused, disheveled, unsure of even whom the bed I was in belonged to. Is this some low grade Tucker Max story? No, this is much worse. So very much worse. I woke up and suddenly thought ... what if Isiah Thomas is right?



What if after all of that tinkering and mad scientist-like maneuvering, Isiah actually has a plan? Is it possible? Could he really be making moves that are designed to help and not hurt the team? The answer is ... yeah, maybe.



Think about it. Two years ago the Knicks were in total disarray. Fourteen billion over the cap with little but CBA talent to show for it. Once he had put together the most expensive sub-.500 squad ever, Isiah made the only logical move he could. He convinced the most out-of-touch coach in modern sports to leave his Sharper Image massage chair for a return to the hardwood. Lenny Wilkins guiding a dysfunctional, untalented, group of ball hogs. It just HAD to work. Yet for some reason, it didn’t.



So, Isiah tore up the playbook and started again. It took some time and some Tracey Gold-like growing pains, but soon he had developed a plan. Piece by piece he would acquire what he needed to be competitive again and along the way he would sneakily jettison his dead weight, all the while keeping us and Spike Lee in the dark.



The 2003-04 Knicks roster boasted a chronic alcoholic, an insomniac and a Cerazy Trybanski (whatever the heck that is). This year’s team is beginning to look like an actual pro squad.



But, after tricking us into thinking he’s a disaster, this summer, through trades, signings and the draft, Isiah has built a team that will compete for a playoff spot.



That’s right. A PLAYOFF SPOT!



How has he done it? The Knick-tacular journey began on draft day. First, with the eighth pick, Isiah snatched up Arizona center Channing Frye. So far the 6-foot-11 big man has done very little -- except score 19 points and grab eight boards in less than 20 minutes against the defending champion Spurs, while looking George Clooney cool doing it. Twenty-two picks later, the Knicks nabbed another big man in David Lee, who just might be a double-double threat in a couple of years.



Then, thanks to a difficult exit from the 2005 playoffs, the Suns decided they needed more bulk and defense (duh), and were eager to acquire some -- maybe even overpay for it. Enter Isiah again. The Knicks traded Kurt Thomas and Dijon “Don’t call me mustard, Chris Berman” Thompson for swingman Quentin Richardson and Suns draft pick Nate Robinson.



It may still be preseason and a little early to make judgements, but Nate Robinson is the most exciting player you may ever see. Why? Cause he’s me and you. At 5-9 and 180 pounds, he’s got the speed, the hops and the badass moves to rival nearly every guard in the league. Better still, he’s averaging close to five boards a game despite being the same size as Emilio Estevez.



These three on the floor with the silky three-point shooting of Q-Rich would be enough to make any fan happy. Not Isiah. Thomas then went out and signed the human buffet, Jerome James to a five-year deal. Has James ever done anything to warrant a contract quite like that? Probably not, but the Celtics are paying the same green to Brian Scalabrine and I’m fairly sure James can out-play and out-eat him any day of the week.



And then came Eddy. Just a few weeks ago, when the Bulls were telling the world that Eddy Curry couldn’t play for them without taking a DNA test, Isiah stepped up and swung a deal. Drop the swab, Doc -- no test here. Not only did he acquire the young pivot and lock him into a long term deal (that will be insured), but he got rid of the defense allergic Tim Thomas. Curry, if healthy, is a huge upgrade at center, the best since Ewing. With the right coach behind him, he could become a monster.



Did someone say coach? Isiah’s biggest coup of the year was landing Larry Brown as his new coach. Sure, it cost more than the GDP of Uruguay to get him, but who cares? Larry is one of the few coaches in the game who means extra wins to his new team right off the bat. Few can motivate and get the most out of their players like Brown. He single-handedly returned Rasheed Wallace to top five status as a power forward and turned Chauncey Billups, every other team’s garbage, into an MVP guard.



Now the question becomes, what can Brown do for New York’s talented backcourt? Stephon Marbury already thinks he’s the best point in the game, but with a little guidance and tough love from Larry, maybe he can be. Jamal Crawford has had flashes of brilliance and if he can be led in the right direction, more 50 point nights may follow. These two already act like the best backcourt in the league, but the truth is, they really could be a dynamic (I won’t type duo ... I won’t type duo) pair.



A lineup of Curry, Richardson, Rose, Marbury and Crawford, backed up by Frye, James and Robinson is definitely not in the East’s elite, but it can be as good (or better) than the third tier of Philly, Chicago and Washington.



Now, Isiah has not only built himself a young team for the future, but he’s managed to trim his payroll in the process. He ignored the “Allan Houston” part of the Allan Houston rule, and jettisoned forward Jerome Williams and his $20 mil because Thomas likely knew of the trouble awaiting Houston. Now, Houston has retired and his contract will come off the books in twelve months, along with those of Penny Hardaway and Antonio Davis, combining for nearly $48 million.



In fact, the only iffy moves Thomas has made recently are the signing of James

-- he still may turn out to be the second coming of Oliver Miller without the sweet passes -- and the addition of Antonio Davis in the Curry trade, not so much because of Antonio but because Kendra Davis is the East’s version of Jackie Christie.



The 2005-06 Knicks have turned a corner and are headed to the postseason again. And it’s all thanks to Isiah. As hard as it is to believe, he just may have had a plan all along. Rob Babcock ... ball’s in your court

We going to the ship

Gotta love the automatic bad word checker... don't you think so Rob Bab**** ?

The cool aid is contagious.

Funny, you can't say Babc-ock, Babpe-nis, but BabDick, BabTool, BabJohnson, and BabOneEyeWillie is ok.

Good article. Hardcore can send him flowers!

Only think left is to win games!

Be patient!