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Uptown
Posts: 31379
Alba Posts: 3
Joined: 4/1/2008
Member: #1883
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Was reading this article and thought it has some really good tidbits in here. More smoke that Isiah will be Fired at seasons end.
NEW ORLEANS - It's no secret that Isiah Thomas loves to spend. He has accumulated more than his share of bloated contracts that have the Knicks mired in a salary-cap mess that could take years to rectify.
So the day before Friday night's 118-110 loss to the Hornets, Thomas did what he does best: He opened his wallet in New Orleans.
"I went out and I definitely made a contribution to the economy, tried to spend as much money as I possibly could here," the coach said after the Knicks' shootaround at New Orleans Arena Friday morning.
Sounds like his tenure as the Knicks' president, doesn't it? Now Thomas' days as coach appear to be numbered, too. New president Donnie Walsh may have come to New York intending to give Thomas every chance to remain with the organization, but he now realizes that he underestimated the vitriol directed toward the team's deposed president, according to a person with knowledge of his thinking.
This will never be more obvious than Sunday at the Garden, when Thomas is sure to face vicious treatment from the fans.
Walsh has returned to Indiana and wasn't planning to attend a game until Wednesday against Charlotte. Thus, on Sunday against the Magic, he won't get to hear Thomas subjected to what one person close to the situation predicted would be the "nah-nah-nah-nah, hey-hey-hey, good-bye" treatment.
As ugly as it could get for Thomas in the arena, it is more ominous behind the scenes. Virtually anyone who ever has watched a basketball practice is sending word of his interest in a job with the Knicks to Walsh.
A person familiar with Walsh's thinking said he is open to hiring two subordinates in the front office. One would be experienced with scouting and personnel; the other would be savvy about negotiating contracts and making trades. Among the people Walsh is believed to be considering are former 76ers general manager Billy King, Nuggets GM Mark Warkentien, YES and ABC/ESPN announcer Mark Jackson, who played for the Knicks and Pacers, and former Bobcats president Bernie Bickerstaff.
Walsh holds Bickerstaff in extremely high regard and believes he hasn't gotten enough credit for his rebuilding acumen in Charlotte, Washington and Denver. Walsh regards Warkentien as a risk-taker whose out-of-the-box thinking would be an asset. King has run successful drafts and gotten difficult deals done. Having an experienced person in one role would enable Walsh to groom Jackson, who has no coaching or front-office experience, in the other.
As for the coach, experienced options include current Knicks assistant Herb Williams, Pistons assistant Terry Porter and former Bulls coach Scott Skiles. But Walsh has a record of hiring inexperienced head coaches, so Jackson could be a consideration on the bench, too.
Walsh also realizes that the Knicks need to get serious about international scouting, an area they have badly neglected. Walsh is believed to be leaning toward adding a third person for that role, and Pistons director of international scouting Tony Ronzone would be among the leading candidates.
Ronzone brought the so-called "moneyball" approach based on statistical and video analysis to international scouting. USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo hired him last year to head up advance scouting for Team USA. Whatever Ronzone is earning in Detroit, James Dolan would easily beat it if Walsh asked him to do that.
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4/5/2008 11:11 AM