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djsunyc
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Isiah Thomas has respect of Knicks players
BY ALAN HAHN
"On the baseline!"
Isiah Thomas had the whistle in his mouth and that glare in his eye in this particular morning practice during training camp this month at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. The look of discontent that he wore on the steps of a Brooklyn courthouse earlier that week was gone. With the new season just weeks away and his neck back in the public guillotine, Thomas had a message for his players.
He instructed assistant coach Brendan Suhr to tell the story of Wally Pipp, a worn-out tale in baseball circles but an unfamiliar fable to most of the Knicks' players. Thomas had printed copies of the story and put it in each of his players' lockers that morning, but Suhr's speech made sure they all paid close attention: Pipp was a very good player with the Yankees, but the first baseman sat out one game and a kid named Lou Gehrig took his place. Pipp never got his starting job back.
"If you decide to take the day off," Thomas said, "Lou Gehrig will be waiting in the wings. Doesn't matter who you are."
It was a warning that no one took lightly. How could they? Here was a man who a year ago had a win-or-else edict hanging over his head and somehow earned a contract extension with a 33-win season. Here was a man who had just emerged from a publicly embarrassing sexual harassment trial that he lost, and yet he still was firmly in place as the leader of the franchise.
So don't think for a second that benching an unproductive $20-million point guard in favor of a third-year player suddenly would put any real heat on him; Thomas has been in the crucible since he took the job in December 2003.
People have made a big deal about the $11.6-million suit won by Anucha Browne Sanders, but if Garden chairman James Dolan isn't upset about the $18.6 million still left on resounding mid-level-exception bust Jerome James' contract, the former can't possibly be much of an issue. (Of course, they can appeal the damages paid to Browne Sanders. If only they could do the same with James.)
The Garden crowd can boo Thomas during pregame introductions and the media can take their random shots, but where he has gained respect and trust is the only place that matters: in the locker room. Outside perceptions just don't penetrate the walls.
"You can read what you want and you can see what you want on TV," David Lee said, "but all I know is my relationship with him, and it's been nothing but positive thus far."
The Knicks are loaded with foot soldiers who are loyal to Thomas for his willingness to give them a chance in New York. He made Stephon Marbury's childhood dream of playing for the Knicks come true. He put the faith of two unprotected lottery draft picks into a longterm project named Eddy Curry. He wiped the slate clean for trouble magnet Zach Randolph. He took a risk on Quentin Richardson's chronic back issues and absorbed a firestorm of criticism for drafting Renaldo Balkman.
"Beside the fact that he brought every single one of us here," Curry said, "he treats us like equals."
Ask any Knick and you'll get the same answer, which suggests Thomas is an equal-opportunity disciplinarian (early last season he benched Marbury, the highest-paid player on the team). That kind of message has even more juice to it when the coach is also the team president. There's no one to complain to, even if they would.
To the public, which means through the media, Thomas is extremely protective of his players. Even James, who showed up at training camp unable to play for a second straight season, was spared any unnecessary humiliation despite the fact that within the team, his inability to stay healthy has become somewhat of a punch line.
And then there was the Allan Houston comeback. The former Knicks star parachuted into camp with no roster spots open. Thomas remained respectful of Houston, but the underlying issue was evident. There was no place on the roster for a 36-year-old player attempting a comeback after a two-year retirement. Yet Houston wanted to come and Thomas, aware of Houston's relationship with Dolan, had no choice but to oblige. But as he did so, he made sure to announce that veteran journeyman Fred Jones, for whom Thomas had plans, wasn't going anywhere.
And now, as the offseason issues fade in the distance and a new season draws near, along with the usual optimism, Thomas is growing uncharacteristically sullen in his media addresses. It invokes theories that he knows something we don't, that another dark cloud is on the horizon, that there is more trouble ahead for this troubled franchise. Or is it that he's no longer interested in talking with the same people who regularly criticize and second-guess him?
During practice Thomas still is loud and lively, barking commands and comments as usual. It is here that he is in his element, in the protective cocoon he has created. "Beside the fact that he brought every single one of us here," Curry said, "he treats us like equals."that's the biggest hurdle he has to overcome to become a better coach. can't treat players like equals, you have to be above them, especially when dealing with younger players. |
10/28/2007 8:14 PM
That's probably why it didn't hit me right away. Thanks!