Isiah Has Fight, But His Team Doesn't

There is going to have to come a time when Isiah Thomas has to stop fighting his player’s battles for them. When your 6-foot head coach is acting and sounding like the biggest bully on the block it reflects poorly on the guys in the locker room. Enforcers are supposed to look like Charles Oakley and Bill Laimbeer, not a baby-faced coach with a clipboard in his hand.

I was sitting a few feet from the scene that played out during the Knicks loss to the San Antonio Spurs on last night. It looked somewhat contrived on Thomas’ part but it could have turned potentially dangerous.

First of all, Thomas clearly crossed the line if Bruce Bowen’s allegation that Thomas told his players “break his neck” turns out to be true. And it doesn’t help Thomas’ case that the day before the ugly incident in San Antonio, Thomas told reporters that if a player ever attempted to undercut him he would “murder him.”

Of course, Thomas admitted that he only challenged Bowen to protect his players and rally his flat teams. On Monday, Steve Francis sprained his left ankle when he landed on Bowen’s foot after taking a jump shot. The Knicks asked the league to review the film because Thomas felt that Bowen’s actions are illegal.

In the first quarter of last night’s loss to San Antonio, Thomas felt that Bowen’s invaded Jamal Crawford’s space when Crawford went up for a jumper. Thomas immediately screamed at Bowen and was later trading insults with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

Also, the Knicks looked like a team that was ready to board the charter plane home until Thomas ignited a fire under them. From that standpoint, Thomas’ desperate attempt to inspire his club worked.

But the larger issue is that the team with the highest payroll in the league lacks the on-court leadership to take matters into their own hands. In the past few weeks, Thomas has gone out of his way stick up for Eddy Curry by suggesting that the refs need to protect the 7-foot, 290-pound center from overzealous defenders.

And yet, Curry is the only center who can make Yao Ming look nimble. Curry needs to want greatness as much as his coach wants it for him.

Now, Thomas is fighting a battle that neither Francis nor Crawford is willing to fight. On the Bowen plays in question, a foul was never called. And neither Francis nor Crawford took exception to the plays.

And perhaps, that is what is so frustrating to Thomas, who as a player was as fierce a competitor as you’ll ever find. He has the scars on his face to prove it. One of Thomas’ greatest flaws as a talent evaluator is that he sometimes chooses style over substance. Who is the Dennis Rodman of the Knicks? The Laimbeer? The Joe Dumars? Thomas’ teams in Detroit were hard-playing, intimidating guys.

The Knicks are not that type of team. Just look at the way they defend. Nothing wrong with having a tough guy for a coach. Scott Skiles, Jerry Sloan and Gregg Popovich would fight you for your lunch money. But their respective teams also have that personality. The Knicks smile like Thomas but they won’t fight like him.

Damn right.

We need big game back!

Posted by djsunyc:

style over substance.

bingo