Thomas Sets a New Goal for the Knicks: The Playoffs

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/07/sports/basketball/07knicks.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

By HOWARD BECK
Published: July 7, 2006
LAS VEGAS, July 6 — A whistle dangled at the end of a blue lanyard near Isiah Thomas's rib cage, where a stylish silk tie normally rested. The pressed Italian suit was gone, too, replaced by a black warmup shirt and shorts, each adorned with a Knicks logo.

Beads of sweat dotted Thomas's forehead — a fitting look for someone with an invisible guillotine hanging over his head — but the sweat came with a smile. Thomas may be working under a one-year ultimatum, but he seemed perfectly happy to be in charge of his own fate.

After five days of coaching the Knicks' summer-league team here, Thomas was upbeat Thursday in his first interview as head coach.

"It feels good to kind of get back on the bike and start riding," said Thomas, who had not coached since 2003, with Indiana. "I'm pretty enthusiastic myself. I love basketball and I really am in love with the game. It's a great game. I don't make it any more than it really is."

The task for now is simple: Prepare the Knicks' two recent draft picks (Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins) and prod last season's three rookies (Channing Frye, Nate Robinson and David Lee). The hard part will come in the fall, when Thomas will have to establish a lineup and a rotation and turn the Knicks into something they had no hope of becoming last season — a playoff team.

Thomas carefully avoided making any comparisons between himself and Larry Brown, who was fired last month after one season as head coach. Thomas also refused to offer any definition for "significant progress" — the standard that James L. Dolan, the Madison Square Garden chairman, said was necessary to save Thomas's job.

But in a departure from last summer, when team officials uniformly declined to state a goal, Thomas said he was firmly focused on a playoff berth next season.

"My goal is to get to the playoffs. As a coach, I want to be coaching a playoff team," said Thomas, whose Pacers teams made the playoffs in each of his three seasons. "That will be our thought from Day One, and that's what we'll push them towards. Come April, we want to be still lacing them up."

Curiously, Thomas and Brown never listed the playoffs as a goal before last season. In retrospect, their caution was well founded. The Knicks lost their first five games and never got close to .500. In a season when 40 victories was enough to make the postseason, the Knicks finished with 23.

Competition for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference could be tough. Several other lottery teams — notably, Orlando, Toronto and Charlotte — are showing progress, while Chicago and Milwaukee (last year's seventh- and eighth-seeded teams) have strengthened their lineups.

The Knicks, meanwhile, may head into next season with a nearly identical roster. They have been bystanders so far in the N.B.A.'s free-agent period.

"Everyone has gotten better, and we have to develop and get better from within," said Thomas, who is also the team president. "We have our eyes on a couple of situations, but we're not chasing anything. I'm pretty comfortable with what we have."

Although Thomas spoke in generalities Thursday, a few changes are already evident. He has been drilling defense all week, whereas Brown — regarded as a defensive coach — rarely made it an emphasis in practices last season.

Brown also never settled on a lineup (he used 42) or a rotation, which was one of the biggest gripes of the players and management. Thomas said he intended to limit the rotation to 9 or 10 players.

Thomas has been quiet about the starting lineup, but privately, he has indicated that Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis will form the starting backcourt. Francis became deflated last season when Brown — who advocated trading for him — refused to start him alongside Marbury.

Knicks players have stayed silent on the coaching change, in part because team officials instructed them not to comment. That order was recently lifted, and last season's rookies became the first players to publicly critique Brown's methods.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Frye called last season "a giant circus," and Robinson said that Brown "was trying to take my joy." Frye, the Knicks' most promising prospect, lauded Thomas for providing "positive reinforcement."

Thomas said he wanted his players "to fall in love with the game again." Asked if that was missing last season, Thomas avoided a direct comparison.

"I think that's missing a lot in the N.B.A., all over our league," he said. "There are players that have forgotten what the game is really all about, that wonderful feeling at 8 in the morning of going down to the gym to play with your pals.

"I want to give that back to our players."


[Edited by - crzymdups on 07-07-2006 01:25 AM]

Posted by Howard Beck of the New York Times:

Although Thomas spoke in generalities Thursday, a few changes are already evident. He has been drilling defense all week, whereas Brown — regarded as a defensive coach — rarely made it an emphasis in practices last season.

Can the Brown supporters please explain why he wouldn't drill defense in practice? Or is Howard Beck from the New York Times "spinning" for Cablevision?

Posted by islesfan:

So reporters were allowed to watch the Knicks closed practices all last season? So how is he coming up with that observation? Oh yeah, Isiah told him.

Well I guess the bar has been set. Isiah obviously thinks that this team is good enough to make the playoffs. So make the playoffs or get the Phuck out.

betcha he gets closer to the playoffs than Brown. and I'm sure that he made the observation purely from speaking with Isiah today, despite following the team all of last season. Isiah's interview is on msg for download. he went out of his way not to mention Brown.

Wow. If this is true Brown is beyond ridiculous. He preached defense but rarely worked on it in practice? Then it makes you wonder what the hell was going on in practice.

[Edited by - BigC on 07-07-2006 05:13 AM]

This goes right along with what Nate was saying about how he would say one thing then change it the next day. I can see LB in practice, " don't worry about practicing defense, hell, Iverson didn't practice defense and look what i did for his career. Then the next day after we lose the game, LB states, these guys play no defense, they don't even try !!! Nate then says, but coach, you said it will all work out !!

I still don't think a backcourt of Marburt and Francis will ever work, between the 2 of them you don't have a PG or a SG and to me thats a problem.

Posted by Andrew:

I dont understand how a big thing like not running defensive drills didn't get mentioned at all during last season. Seems strange.

haha...yea your right. Im sure Larry Brown harped on defense.

if you go thrugh the archives you'll find quotes about how the previous coach didn't drill D and thats an immediate change with the new coach for last summer and the 1 before.

Steve and Steph together...Isiah is senile

Posted by OasisBU:

Starting off on the right foot and winning some games will totally change the outlook of this team along with Isiah as coach. I think there are some good things ahead for the Knicks.

the schedule makers will determine just how much of a stay Isiah has.