Can Isiah fix the Knicks?
By Chad Ford

Somewhere Scott Layden is wandering the streets of New York. I picture him sitting on a curb in an alleyway just off Times Square. His coat is frayed, the fingers of his gloves are worn away, that tattered FDNY hat still is perched upon his head.

He's alone. He was always alone. He's mumbling to himself, still caught up in delusions of grandeur about players and deals gone wrong.

Shandon Anderson is an All-Star. ... Chris Bosh for Kurt Thomas sounds like a fair deal to me. ... Dikembe Mutombo is the most athletic 87-year-old I've ever seen. ... You think Kobe would play in New York for free? ... Clarence Weatherspoon is the best 6-foot-4 power forward in the league. ... How about a former Heisman trophy winner for an All-Star center?


Layden's problems in New York have been well documented. Before taking the job with the Knicks he was the Jazz's wunderkind, a brilliant strategist with an eye for mining diamonds in the rough. In New York, he was a reclusive, stoic leader who shunned the spotlight and became obsessed with paying those same diamonds in the rough (many with ties to Utah -- Anderson, Howard Eisley, Keith Van Horn, Michael Doleac) millions more than they were worth. New York became the place where all bad contracts went to die. It was only a matter of time before Layden went out to pasture with them.

Layden was fired as the president of the Knicks on Friday, replaced by the only executive in the league that possibly has a more tarnished rep -- Isiah Thomas.

That has to hurt.

"He would have been the last human being on earth that I thought would've gotten that job," one league executive told Insider. "That's the premiere GM job in the NBA, the team is a mess, and the Knicks need someone with experience to get them through this. Isiah Thomas isn't that guy."

Pacers president Donnie Walsh, who hired Thomas to coach the Pacers three years ago, disagrees.


"I think he'll do fine," Walsh told Insider. "He's a bright guy. That he coached for three years will help him with that job. It helps him fill in some of the blanks. It takes more than skills and playing ability to make a team. There are other intangibles there to be successful. It will help him down the road."

Can Thomas handle the intense media scrutiny that he'll come under in New York?

"He's made for it," Walsh said. "He's a very articulate, bright guy. He was unbelievable with the press. He'll just try to make sure they're not critical of them."

Even if that is the case, you have to wonder, can Thomas turn the Knicks around? The team has the second-highest payroll in the NBA, a ton of bad contracts, an aging roster, few young players to build around, and an embattled coach. How can Thomas, or anyone for that matter, fix the Knicks' problems?

Here at Insider, we're always willing to help. Layden would never take our advice. What about Isiah? After talking things over with a few league executives, Insider breaks down five things Thomas needs to do to fix the Knicks.



1. Fire Don Chaney, just don't hire Isiah. Layden loved Chaney to the point that he refused to let him go, even when management started pushing. The Knicks need a high-profile, respected head coach to steer the ship. Doc Rivers, Doug Collins and George Karl are all available, though each has indicated he'd prefer to wait until next summer to take a head coaching job. For the time being, a Knicks assistant may have to do. Whatever, the case, there is one rule that can't be broken -- Isiah must resist the urge to hire himself. He's still bitter about his firing in Indiana and probably feels like he has more to prove as a coach. Handling GM and coaching duties are almost impossible -- it even wore down Pat Riley, eventually. There is too much to do in the Knicks' front office. Thomas can't be an effective GM and coach at the same time. The Knicks need more help in the front office than they do on the bench. Let someone else lighten the load.

2. Trade Kurt Thomas and Charlie Ward. Those two have been on the trading block for years, but Layden could never find the perfect deal to pull the trigger. "Scott was always trying to hit a home run with every trade," one GM told Insider. "You can't always do that. You've got to be willing to take risks, stick your neck out a little bit. Isiah needs to shake things up. Take a few risks. As long as he doesn't put himself in a worse cap situation, I'd do it." What can the Knicks get for Thomas and Ward? A combo of Ward and Thomas for say Kwame Brown and Christian Laettner would give the Wizards some much-needed toughness and cap flexibility now and give the Knicks a young talent in Brown to start building around.

3. Dump Antonio McDyess. The team is 3-8 since McDyess returned -- clearly he isn't a savior. He is getting healthier and more effective, but Isiah Thomas has to realize that the Knicks can't afford to pay McDyess this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. McDyess is too fragile and too old to build around. If he's going to be gone this summer anyway, why not try to shake things up now? The Sonics need low-post scoring, and they need cap room. If the Knicks were willing to take a few big contracts -- like Vitaly Potapenko and Jerome James -- off their hands, would the Sonics be willing to include Ronald Murray?

4. Shop Allan Houston. If we've learned one thing over the past few years it's that no one, no matter how large the contract, is untradeable. Layden paid Houston twice the market rate to re-up in New York. While Houston is earning his money at the moment, when he's 36 and earning $20 million a year, his contract is going to kill the team. The Knicks would have to take back some less-talented players with serious cap problems in order to move Houston, but as long as the deals are shorter, it'd be worth the short-term hit.

5. Pull a page from Donnie Walsh's handbook. Layden's inability to communicate with the media often made him the butt of their criticism. Everyone is going to be skeptical of Thomas' ability to turn things around in New York. If he's going to survive, he'll have to make some friends. Walsh is revered by most writers because he always returns calls and does what he can to help with stories. If Thomas is going to survive a few lean years in New York, he's going to have to choose his friends wisely. He doesn't want the media calling for his head six months into this job. The Knicks are a three- to four-year rebuilding project.

True Hardcore....I have faith in Zeke too and I think things will start to turn around. It is going to take some time though, but with fresh blood who seem to be interested in fixing things rather then delaying the inevitable - I can wait a little for a better product. I am excited to find out where this team is going now.

He's alone. He was always alone. He's mumbling to himself, still caught up in delusions of grandeur about players and deals gone wrong.

Shandon Anderson is an All-Star. ... Chris Bosh for Kurt Thomas sounds like a fair deal to me. ... Dikembe Mutombo is the most athletic 87-year-old I've ever seen. ... You think Kobe would play in New York for free? ... Clarence Weatherspoon is the best 6-foot-4 power forward in the league. ... How about a former Heisman trophy winner for an All-Star center?

ROFL.

I agree abot not resigning McDyess. He is way to brittle to bild around him. We need to clear some cap space fast. Their salary is at $88.9 million this year, double of the cap limit!