Isiah Thomas is still James Dolan's most trusted NBA expert

Dolan dispatched Thomas, the Knicks' former team president, to Akron on Wednesday to make one last pitch to LeBron James. Radio personality Stephen A. Smith reported news of Thomas' meeting earlier today.

The News has learned that Dolan handpicked Thomas over Mike D'Antoni to make the final plea to James, a decision which only fuels speculation that Thomas may eventually return to work for the organization in some capacity.

Thomas was demoted two years ago and just months after the Garden reached an out of court settlement with a former executive who had accused Thomas of sexual harassment. The Garden was found liable in the lawsuit.

Thomas worked for the club as a consultant for one season but not before being rushed to the hospital in September 2008 for what was called an accidental overdose of prescription medication. Last summer, Thomas accepted the head coaching job at Florida International University in Miami.

At Amar'e Stoudemire's press conference today, Knicks president Donnie Walsh stunned some in the audience by thanking Thomas for his help during the recruitment of Stoudemire. A Knicks official claims that Dolan instructed Walsh to thank Thomas during his brief speech.