After rehashing Thomases handling of Chaney's dismissal-he presented a fair and unbiased appraisal of Thomas and Wilkins

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Nevertheless, the Knicks need Thomas. New York needs him, too. This franchise wasn't just down and out under Scott Layden, but a fate far worse in New York -- reduced to irrelevance. In his first 24 days on the job, Thomas has changed everything.


Around the Garden on Wednesday night, there was far too much clumping together of Wilkens and Chaney together. Both soft-spoken and low-key, people made an illogical leap to compare them as coaches. Wilkens is a Hall of Fame coach; Chaney a mediocre coach on his best day. This is an upgrade on Chaney and Fratello, whatever the Fratello supporters want to believe on the Knicks' need for his defensive-minded basketball.


Never mind the end for Wilkens with the Raptors a year ago. Once Vince Carter couldn't stay on the floor, there isn't a coach in the sport who could've survived there. Toronto didn't just beat the Knicks in a decisive Game 5 at the Garden in 2001, but Wilkens was a Carter roll on the rim away from reaching the Eastern Conference finals.


However long Wilkens stays on the job, he's just there until the Knicks president makes more moves, gets more talent and more athleticism. After that, it will be Thomas on the bench. For now, he stays out of harm's way, watching over these Knicks from midcourt on the 33rd Street side of the Garden.


Thomas wore his turtleneck for the firing of Don Chaney, a fitting fashion statement honoring another New York power broker, George Steinbrenner. Whoever owns this franchise, whoever coaches them, the message is unmistakable now: They belong to Isiah Thomas.

Adrian Wojnarowski is a columnist for The Bergen Record and a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at ESPNWOJ8@aol.com.