i agree BRIGGS...it serves the Knicks no good to take these matters public like this...it only decreases these guys' trade values even more...if you want to get rid of them, it doesn't help by letting everyone know just how badly you want to get rid of them.

To me all that is being done is the same thing that was being done with Sprewell after he missed that practice and skipped the meeting after the season. They banished him from the team as well. That didn't hender us from trading Spree. Lots of organizations take extreme measures with players who skip manditory events with the team. But at the end of the day the actual players and organization leaders don't speak to the media about most of the time. NOT ALL OF THE TIME. But in some cases, like this one, these stories leak (e.i. Anderson asked not to report right away) and the the media does their best to fill in all the blanks. That's all that is.

As far as trade attempts for Kurt to not be leaked...that's impossible. Unless the teams that we're speaking to are down with the program people will talk. It's as simple as that. Reporters have clever ways of getting those "one western conference GM says that".

also think about the players association. what has shanden done so wrong that isiah is lambasting him and telling him not to come to work? because he hurt his little fellings by not saying hi or going to the exit interview? isiah is way off base here. andersen has been a model citizen and a warrior in terms of not getting hurt never causing problems etc... pay him off reasonable deal and get it over with before we start camp. keeping him at this point doesnt make sense.

The only Players' Association that has any power is in MLB. The NBA Players' Association is toothless.

Can someone explain to me how this has gone public? It's in the newspapers, but has IT said anything himself? It was a "Source" and IT even said he's not buying out Anderson.

Posted by Allanfan20:

Can someone explain to me how this has gone public? It's in the newspapers, but has IT said anything himself? It was a "Source" and IT even said he's not buying out Anderson.

Commenting on the possibility of a buyout is a public comment, in contrast to saying "no comment." Isiah has previously said there are times that he will have to lie to the media to further the team's interests (for which I'm not knocking him). He didn't do that.

[Edited by - Rich on 10/02/2004 02:51:11]

its not classy to do what he did publicly

and just to confirm, in his history in the basketball business, Isiah is not exactly known as a classy guy to begin with, b/c of the whole CBA thing, and how he handled Don Chaney, ect, ect...

I don't even look at that though. I just want to see the Knicks win again.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/story/237793p-204098c.html

Isiah lets his guard down on Shandon

BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Shandon Anderson reported for work yesterday and will remain with the Knicks - and in limbo - for as long as it takes Isiah Thomas to trade or cut him.

The latter is the more realistic option, even though Anderson is scheduled to make $24 million over the final three years of his contract, including $7.3 million this season.

Thomas, the Knicks' president, confirmed yesterday that Anderson's days in New York are numbered. Thomas said on Thursday that he will not offer Anderson a buyout.

However, a person familiar with the club's thinking said the Knicks have had internal discussions about reaching a settlement with Anderson, who has almost no chance of playing for the Knicks.

"I've tried to trade him and I will continue to try and trade him," Thomas told reporters yesterday at the Knicks' training facility in Greenburgh. "If I would have been lucky it would have (already) happened.

"He doesn't feel we're a good fit for him. It's a new organization. Either you're going to get on board with the way we're doing things or you can go someplace else where people are doing the things the way you like it."

After first advising Anderson not to report - a move that could have led to an ugly fight between the Knicks and the NBA players' union - Thomas changed his position after speaking with Anderson's agent, Dan Fegan. Anderson took his physical yesterday and is scheduled to accompany the team to Charleston, S.C., on Monday.

"The rules are the rules," Thomas said. "And we have to follow the rules."

Thomas and Anderson have been at odds almost from the moment Thomas replaced Scott Layden last December. Thomas has made it clear he has no use for Anderson as a player or a person.

According to a source, Thomas became infuriated with Anderson last season when the veteran swingman refused to acknowledge him in a hallway outside the Knicks' locker room. Anderson also fell out of favor with coach Lenny Wilkens and decided not to attend his exit interview with Thomas and Wilkens last April.

Anderson then left a telephone message for Thomas, apologizing for his actions. The two have not spoken in five months.

Thomas hinted that Anderson had acted unprofessionally on several other occasions.

However, many former coaches and teammates regard Anderson as a true professional who always plays hard and point to his consecutive games streak to support their argument.

Anderson played in 543 straight games - the longest such streak in the league at the time - until Wilkens elected not to play Anderson in a game in Atlanta, Anderson's hometown.

Originally published on October 2, 2004