Knicks in Rebuild Mode: Dirty, but Necessary
by Tom Kertes

GREENBURGH, NY, February 21, 2006 -- Isiah Thomas minced no words. “New York has never been through rebuilding before,” he said. “New York has never seen it. It can be an ugly process, it can be dirty, it can be bloody and, yes, sometimes it’s even embarrassing. But this is what it looks like. This is where we are. It’s necessary, what we are doing. Rebuilding is what we are committed to. It’s what we have to do to improve our team for the long term.”

Forty-eight hours before the NBA trading deadline, the Knicks President, Basketball Operations left no doubt about his proactive stance toward making a swap. “Over the past few days I’ve probably talked to, hmm, maybe 28 teams,” he said, excepting the “team across the river.” “But you never know. I could walk back to my office right now and someone could be on the phone saying ‘you’ve got a deal’. Or it’s possible that zero will happen.”

Thomas is only interested in a deal “that’s exactly what I want. If we can’t get that, then we won’t do anything.” He is “not in a panic mode.” He is “not willing to compromise our future but, at the same time, we must improve our present.” He doesn’t want to but would be willing to include the Knicks prized rookies in a trade “if you’re talking about Kobe Bryant or if someone offers one of the top 4-5 players in the league.”

“The fact that so many people are talking about them and want them in trades, lets me know we should probably keep those guys,” smiled Thomas.

Adding payroll, while a concern, appears to be merely a secondary one. “I think we have one of the greatest owners in sports,” said Thomas. “He is committed to making sure that he gives us the resources to use at our discretion to try to better our team. He is also committed to rebuilding. He constantly reminds me, every day, that the plan we have in place...well, he’s seen it work on the Rangers side. He tells me not to give up on the plan. He is totally consistent in making sure that we stick to it.”

“It’s a two part deal, really” added Thomas. “If we take a player that has salary we’ll not only make sure he’s very good player who can help you today -- but that he will be around for a couple of years, too.”

“This season has been a disappointment in terms of where we are today,” said Thomas. “We have a great coach and I think we have good players. But, for whatever reason, it hasn’t come together. I still think that at some point in time, when you have people of this caliber, it’s got to get on the same page. If it doesn’t, then you must tinker with it further.”

“Still, in terms of where we are this year and where we were last season, I think we’re still in a better place even though the record isn’t as good,” said Thomas. “Again, I’m talking about the coach that we have and the young talent that we have. If it turns out that we have the wrong combination of players chemistry-wise -- we all think we should be doing better -- if it turns out that this is not the right mix, then it’s my job to fix that.”

“It’s a process -- and the process is not easy and it’s not going to be always attractive,” added Thomas. “Still, I can pull out a lot of positive things that are happening right now with our team, things that will not necessarily show up in terms of wins and losses. In the midst of all the chaos, we’ve still got to see the beauty, the flowers. And there are good things happening right here, right now. What we are teaching our young guys this year is how to practice hard every day, how to act professional every day, you are developing a work ethic, you’re building a culture. They are learning what Coach wants and what he doesn’t want. And those are the things that translate into wins down the road.”

“My number one wish right now would be that the players and the coaches could find that happy medium,” said Thomas. “They haven’t quite meshed yet. But when we are talking about chemistry and everything else…well, that may be a problem. If it is a problem of chemistry and personality, that really falls on my desk. I’ll make sure to do something about that if I can.”

“If the players can’t get along with the coach, then the players have to go. We’re not getting rid of the coach. We are riding with the coach. If the players can’t adapt, then I’ve got to get some other players who can.”

“If the make-up and the chemistry is not what I hoped it would be, then it’s my job to fix it.”

The team, meanwhile, appeared re-energized by the All-Star break (and the win over the Raptors immediately preceding it) at practice, not to mention by little Nate Robinson’s dunk-adelic victory in Saturday’s Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest. ”He was awesome,” Channing Frye shook his head in honest awe. “Nate was ridiculous,” added Stephon Marbury. But what would be REALLY ridiculously awesome is “if we could translate this into some victories,” smiled the surprisingly subdued Robinson. “We’ve got to bring that energy tomorrow. The only way we beat Miami and Shaq is if we play harder than they do.”

To that end, even Marbury -- out for the last eight games with a shoulder injury and “no longer in pain but still sore” -- will play. “I love playing basketball and I hate being on the sidelines," he said. "Look, it feels a little bit better than the first time I came back. Will I be able to do the things I need to on the floor to help us? That, I don’t know. That’s what we’ll have to find out.”

excepting the “team across the river.”

yeah, probably cuz he knows Thorn would hose him.

I love it. He's our snake. Good for him.

He left out the part where everyone broke out laughing at Isiah's funny "rebuilding" joke.