(CONTINUED FROM ABOVE)

Thomas didn’t give up much talent when he acquired the center from Chicago last preseason. But he included the Knicks’ first-round draft choice, which turned out to be the No. 2 pick overall. Fans let him have it for that one — those familiar "Fire Isiah!" cries started some 15 minutes before the draft at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in June.

He also gave the Bulls the right to swap picks this season, which means if the Knicks end up in the lottery again, they might not even have a shot at Ohio State center Greg Oden, the presumed No. 1 pick if he comes out.

Those reasons are driving Curry to want to have a big second season in New York after his mediocre one under Brown.

"You definitely look at all of that and you want to go out and play hard for him because you realize that he didn’t have to make those moves," Curry said. "He did that because he believes in you and you want to show that he made the right moves."

But he may have already made too many of the wrong ones. His mismatched roster, heavy on point guards and small forwards but lacking much interior toughness, was frequently overwhelmed last season. New York trailed by double digits at some point in 56 of its 82 games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Thomas took in most of the home debacles standing in the walkway between the court and the tunnel to the locker rooms. He couldn’t have liked what he saw and definitely not what he heard, which frequently included booing of the team or jeering of him.

But it was impossible to tell what Thomas felt. Whether he was worn down from the beatings or just following Madison Square Garden’s strict media policies — Brown was fired in part for violating them — he didn’t talk publicly for the final two months of the regular season.

Perhaps he was trying to avoid a public back-and-forth with Brown, who was often critical of the players Thomas gave him and who the Knicks feel was trying to undermine Thomas. Or part of his silence could have been ordered after a sexual harassment suit was brought against him by former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders in January, a matter that is still ongoing.

If any of that is bothering Thomas now, he hasn’t shown it much. He’s always possessed a bright smile and easy laugh, and both have been more apparent early on than they were last season. And he has shrugged off the pressure of Dolan’s ultimatum, saying it’s nothing compared to a tough childhood in Chicago.

"I’ve lived with daily pressure all my life," he said recently. "Growing up the way I grew up, it was life or death pressure every time you walked outside your door. My job is to make our players comfortable in operating under pressure. Because pressure comes with what you do."

It doesn’t hurt that the Knicks have played well in preseason, posting a winning exhibition record. New York won all its home games, pleasing the Garden crowds with the more up-tempo offense that Thomas installed.

But there was optimism at this time last season, too, and it was mostly gone by Thanksgiving. The Knicks have another tough schedule in the season’s first month, and a bad start will undoubtedly be followed by questions about how long Dolan will wait to make his move.

"When you’re down, people kick you in this league," Thomas said. "No one’s offering you a hand, everyone wants to keep you down."

Now it’s time for Thomas to get up. Either that, or it’ll be time to get him out.


[Edited by - rvhoss on 10-29-2006 7:46 PM]

How about who cares about what anyone thinks of Isiah Thomas.

I'm a Knicks fan not a Isiah Thomas fan. The real question should be.

"Will the Knicks ever be good under Isiah Thomas?"

I think that IT will get this team to .500 and the team will make the playoffs. That is a bold prediction given last year, but the talent is here. The team just needs to bring defensive intensity and play smarter on offense. At the very least, it will be fun to watch what happens.