| The New York Irony Authored by Matthew Gordon - December 26, 2007 - 1:55 pm
When Isiah Thomas was hired by the New York Knicks a little over four years ago, I was willing to see what he could do. The franchise was struggling, out of the playoffs and quickly developing a losing culture; the departure of famed coach Jeff Van Gundy in 2001 seemed to have removed the luster from the Big Apple. Thomas couldn't make things any worse, right?
At the start, Thomas was adequate and even a little bold. The Marbury trade, while a classic example of a general manager giving up too much for a talented player, injected life into a point guard position that hadn't seen it in a while. The removal of costly yet boring veterans like Howard Eisley, Shandon Anderson and Clarence Weatherspoon purged the team of most of Scott Layden's abominable contracts. Antonio McDyess, whose health mired his stay in New York yet whose contract proved valuable in that Marbury trade, was unanimously best left to part with the team. Thomas was hired in December; by February, he had a team featuring Marbury, Allan Houston and Kurt Thomas, and with a legitimate shot at the playoffs.
What followed next was over-tinkering to be polite and idiocy to speak otherwise. Keith Van Horn, who was an effective scorer, turned into the mind-bogglingly lazy Tim Thomas. Dikembe Mutombo, one of the few players on the team who could play defense and who never took bad shots, turned into Jamal Crawford, whose defense and shot selection are about as good as the Canadian national team. Expiring contracts and draft picks, a great recipe for either an influx of youth and cap relief or the acquisition of a true star player, turned into Eddy Curry. The contract situation somehow became worse than it was under Layden and the losses snowballed.
Even after letting Houston's enormous contract come off the cap, the Knicks have over $88 million tied up in salary for this season and none of their biggest contracts expire this coming summer. Marbury, whose talent has taken a back seat to rants about the combined value of both assists and dimes, is owed a whopping $42 million over the next two years. Talented but selfish power forward Zach Randolph isn't even halfway through a six-year, $86 million contract and the aforementioned Curry isn't yet halfway through a similarly massive six-year, $56 million pact. Mid-level exception signings like Jerome James and Jared Jeffries, each awarded an average sum of $6 million per year, have become utter disasters, with Jeffries unable to average double-figure points in a Knick uniform and James being nailed to the injured list. (Here's a hint: Jerome James isn't injured. He'd need to undergo some physical exertion for that to happen.)
Among experts, pundits and fans, there are very few who still defend Isiah Thomas. His questionable finances and alleged off-court antics have put one of basketball's marquee franchises in a tough situation. Looking at his tenure might reveal some wisdom though: that is, that the Knicks have never been quite so putrid that there's no light at the end of the tunnel. As a basketball fan, I can't believe that. Where the irony comes in is that to extricate themselves from this mess, the Knicks might have to do what they did last time: fire the incompetent management official, get rid of the overpaid malcontents and search for a player who can restore some credibility to the operation.
Zeke's Fate
Let him go. Don't worry about the extension or about the snafu associated with giving a legend the boot, just do it. Far from digging his own grave, Isiah Thomas has actually called in expert stonemasons from around the globe to build him a personalized mausoleum. All James Dolan has to do is sign off on a pink slip and Thomas can go wherever retired basketball people go. At this point, if I were the Knicks, I wouldn't really care.
The most obvious benefit of this is that the new general manager, whoever it may be, won't have that burden of having to admit to being wrong. Many general managers are wary of trading away their big-name acquisitions for fear of it showing the public that they can't commit to a game plan or that their decision-making couldn't have been trusted in the first place. Getting a new guy erases all of that though. A new general manager could literally trade anyone and not have to worry about the backlash of past mistakes. A simple “that was Isiah's fault” will suffice.
Since Thomas is also coach, removing him means that he'll have to be replaced on the sidelines as well. I don't think there's a coach out there who can bring this group of misfits to the playoffs; Larry Brown's controlled defensive style led to frequent clashes and spotty rotations, while Thomas's supposedly more laid-back approach has coincided with a Thomas-Quentin Richardson shouting match. The only solution I can see is to bring in a relatively young coach who isn't hardened by years of playoff experience behind the bench but has the potential to one day be that way.
While I won't go around suggesting coaches for NBA franchises, the logical coach for an interim and maybe permanent head coach would have to be Herb Williams. Despite being an interim head coach for the team twice already and a current assistant, his reputation hasn't fallen like Thomas's has; he knows the players and the organization, so he wouldn't need as much time to adjust as an outsider; and he's a living reminder of better times, having been to the NBA Finals with the very team he would be coaching.
Picking Out Sour Apples
A lot of Isiah Thomas's signings and trade acquisitions haven't worked out, to say the least. There are worries over playing time, with players being benched in the hope that someone else might provide a spark. There are also situations that have become virtually irreconcilable and should probably be brought to a close.
Stephon Marbury is making a fortune yet is only doing so for this year and next, making his contract one of the shortest on the team. He's clearly disenchanted with his hometown squad and the city that has embraced him would likely be willing to see him go. While it's unfortunate to have to cut such a gifted player loose no matter how poorly his last couple of years have been, there's no real chance that the Knicks could get any shorter contracts or draft picks for him. A buyout and a well-wishing Christmas card would be wise for both Marbury, who's needed more on a contender where he can take a back seat, and for the Knicks, who should be looking at getting bad attitudes out of the locker room.
Malik Rose, a veteran leader who would have been a nice addition to a more disciplined team, has demanded out. As with Marbury, it's unlikely that a contending team would offer expiring contracts or first-round picks for a player who's been seeing such spotty minutes and appears to be on the downside of his career. Set him free, give him a Christmas card and let him be merry back in San Antonio or wherever else he could sign.
I'd like to say something nice about Jerome James's play but I just can't. Marbury, when at his best, can pass and score with the best of them; Rose's toughness is a great ingredient to have around young players looking to learn as well as older players looking to succeed. All James has at this point is a contract that only has two more years after this one. Like Marbury and Rose, James wouldn't be on the cap as long as many others, so there's no risk of paying him not to play when the team has cap space, if it ever does. Give James a ticket out of town and a card for his troubles but for his own sake, skimp on the chocolates.
Back to the Trade Market
Suggesting any names at this point would be ludicrous, as no one outside of the league's elite really know who's going where. Just wait in the weeds though, and look for the type of player who could make fans believe in the team again. Try to find one who complements David Lee or who can be a stabilizing force.
Above all, look for a player who can play defense. The best two Knicks teams that ever were had Willis Reed and Patrick Ewing, anchors in the paint who could swat shots and make opponents scared. It doesn't have to be a centre, although that would be nice; getting a modern-day Walt Frazier or John Starks would be fine too. (Okay, maybe not quite that impressive but the point remains.) Just make sure it's someone who's an impact player, is still young and around whom the city can rally. Also make sure the trade or signing or whatever it may be doesn't eliminate options for giving that guy some help. The Marbury trade, smart as it was in terms of upgrading talent on a team that needed it, was an emphatic demonstration of a lack of understanding of opportunity cost.
The Moral of the Story
When Scott Layden overstayed his welcome, the Knicks took the right course of action. They brought in an outside person to manage the team and who wasn't afraid to dump bad contracts and bring in talented players. Now that Isiah Thomas has worn out everything from his welcome to his office chair, do the same. Just try to avoid that little downward spiral this time, okay? It'd be the best Christmas present a Knick fan, or a basketball fan in general, could have. |
