The New York Knicks took the first step toward restoring its image by firing Isiah Thomas as its coach on April 18. While die-hard fans like myself knew this outcome was inevitable, such a move was also long overdue.
Thomas was originally hired by the team to serve as its president in 2003, and he assumed coaching duties three years later. After a tenure marked by an endless series of bad decisions, he's been reduced to taking an advisory role for new president Donnie Walsh. From making bad trades (Eddy Curry, Stephon Marbury, Zach Randolph -- the list goes on) to hastily dismissing coaches (Larry Brown only lasted one season, yet received an $18.5 million buyout), Thomas turned what was once an elite franchise into a cruel joke.
The players looked lost on the court, and they showed little to no effort against the opposition. Subpar teams like the Indiana Pacers picked up four easy wins against them this past season, and rejuvenated clubs like the Boston Celtics made the Knicks seem like a bunch of scrubs. Being embarrassed by the competition within the Eastern Conference was a sign of things to come as they faced powerhouse teams in the Western Conference, like the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. As the losses piled up, so did the excuses ... but the blame goes beyond Thomas and the 12-man roster he assembled.
Thomas' incompetent leadership was financed by James Dolan, a clueless owner whose only skill is handing out huge contracts for little work. (Say what you will about George Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees -- at least he pays top dollar for solid players ... and he won't settle for anything less than a championship.) But the Knicks' on-court troubles paled in comparison to being on the wrong end of a sexual harassment claim filed by former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders. In 2007, a jury awarded her $11.6 million in punitive damages after she revealed sordid details about the workplace culture she endured at Madison Square Garden.
As far as I'm concerned, Walsh is being too kind by keeping Thomas on the payroll after the five seasons of carnage he created. If he's serious about rebuilding the team, he needs to start from scratch. Hire a coach who can implement a winning strategy, waive underachieving players, and use draft picks wisely. Following this blueprint will bring the team back to respectability ... and maybe even the playoffs, where they can once again contend for a Larry O'Brien trophy.
