FanHouse James Dolan

Isiah Thomas once cornered me in a hallway and issued a warning, mob-boss-like. "If you squeeze me again, you'll be sorry," he said. I'm not certain what warranted the threat -- and it's nice to know I haven't awakened to a horse's head in my bed -- but it was a classic snapshot of what King Isiah was like when he ruled the world, when he was a two-time NBA champion, when he was the best little man who ever played the game.

Now, years later, he is humbled, deleting the mountains of scandalous cache in his personal hard drive and rebooting himself amid the smallest of templates. He is escaping New York, where his dreadful tenure as boss and coach of the Knicks was exacerbated by a sexual-harassment case against him, and attempting to salvage his career and life at Florida International University, where a basketball team that hasn't had a winning season in 10 years played to average crowds of 693 fans last season.

From time to time, our NBA FanHouse email threads turn into fascinating debates. With news of negotiations between the New York Knicks and Stephon Marbury hitting the wire, FanHouse's Matt Moore and Nate Jones pondered whether the Knicks have handled the situation properly. Here are their thoughts:

Nate Jones: So supposedly Donnie Walsh didn't know that Mike D'Antoni was going to sit Stephon Marbury on opening night.

Matt Moore: I don't know how much I believe that. I mean, Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni have been at the hip. I think it's pretty odd that D'Antoni would bench the $20 million guy against his boss' intentions.

NJ: Don't you think Walsh would have waived him before the season and avoided all of this if he knew this was how it was going to go down? D'Antoni does whatever the hell he wants to do. The guy is known for being as stubborn as they come.

MM: I think D'Antoni is a professional who has the respect of managers and coaches in the league, and who's been known to work well with management that wasn't forced upon him, like, oh, say, Kerr.

Before training camp started, Knicks President Donnie Walsh stated that Stephon Marbury would have an opportunity to earn playing time on the Knicks. Marbury came to camp in great shape and played very well in the pre-season. Yet when the season started, Stephon didn't get any burn. When questioned about this decision, Knicks Coach Mike D'Antoni stated that he didn't want to play Marbury inconsistent minutes, and that he would rather not play Steph at all than give him spot playing time. Stephon eventually requested to be put on the inactive list, which caused even more media scrutiny over the issue.

As Brett Edwards mentioned earlier, Marbury, Walsh and D'Antoni all met today to resolve Stephon's status with the team. As a result of the meeting, the Knicks have decided that they won't trade or waive Marbury and will just keep him on the inactive list the entire year. Walsh and D'Antoni both believe that the issue is closed, but I think they are being slightly naive about this.

The Isiah Thomas era came to an end last week, but as you may recall, it wasn't because he was fired. Nope, apparently Isiah has some pretty strong dirt on team chairman James Dolan, as he somehow was allowed to stay with the team (in some capacity that we are uncertain of) under terms of his "reassignment."

One thing we are certain about concerning Isiah's new role is that it won't involve talking to members of the team he used to coach ... at all. Thomas has officially been barred by the organization from having any contact with what used to be his players. The reasons for this are obvious: if Thomas kept in touch with the Knicks players -- every last one of whom he was responsible for acquiring -- he may, intentionally or not, undermine what the new head coach is trying to do in terms of turning things around.

Now, while Donnie Walsh may be technically doing the right thing by trying to put a ban like this in place, the reality is, with Thomas still lurking behind the scenes, no one can be certain that he isn't speaking with any of his former players. The only way to completely revamp the Knicks and distance the team from the Isiah era is to remove him from having anything to do with the team in any capacity whatsoever. Which is something that at this point, it appears that Dolan is simply unwilling to do.

I stumbled across this BetUS "Prop Talk" column (no need for you to inquire how I do my stumbling, thank you) a few days ago, and obviously it's not fresh or anything, but it seems pretty appropriate at this stage in Isiah Thomas' career. See, Zeke was a -2000 favorite to be the first coach fired this season.

Donnie Walsh has been hired to replace Isiah Thomas as the Knicks president of basketball operations. It is widely assumed that Walsh will also relieve Thomas of his coaching duties after the regular season ends on Apr. 16.

Wanna bet? Thomas is a –2000 sports betting favorite to be the next NBA coach who either gets fired or resigns. The field is priced at +800. However likely it may be that Thomas' four years and change in the Big Apple are about to end on a sour note, he's not the only one with his head on the block.

I actually tried to find the odds themselves, and was unable to for whatever reason. I wish I had, because had I bet on anything, it would have been "field". There were plenty of people -- Jim Boylan and Larry Krystkowiak come to mind -- that were eligible to be canned before Zeke, especially considering that Donnie Walsh probably wasn't interested in finding an interim coach to manage the circus for just a few games.

But more than anything, I think what's funny about this particular gambling line is that it is pretty metaphorical for Isiah's entire tenure in New York. -2000 is one of the highest money lines I've ever seen. Think about it. 1:20 odds is beyond anything Tiger Woods or the 2008 Patriots ever sniffed. Yet ... he still beat them!

And that's what Isiah has been doing in New York for years. Sexual harassment lawsuits, horrible free agent signings, 30% winning percentages, embarrassing trades -- none of them could get Isiah booted immediately. Finally, James Dolan caved and brought in Donnie Walsh, who canned Thomas, but when we all think back on Zeke's career in New York, yes, we'll be amazed at how awful a job he did. But I think in the end, we'll be more amazed at how long he actually kept the job.

The Knicks aren't just a bad team, they're a paranoid team. Players aren't allowed to talk to reporters without a media relations flak around to monitor the conversation, and reporters are often tailed by security officials as they go about the arena doing their job. Apparently, though, that's all about to change.

One of Donnie Walsh's stipulations for accepting his new job with the Knicks was having complete control of the media policy, to which Dolan surprisingly agreed. From Frank Isola of the New York Daily News:

"Donnie will have complete control over all basketball operations," said Dolan, who gave Thomas a contract extension in March of 2007. "He will report directly to me. He will have autonomy to decide how best to run this basketball team, and as some of you will be happy to know, he will also have the autonomy to establish the policy related to the media."

When a member of the media responded with a mock cheer, Dolan shot back, "Be careful of what you ask for."

Don't expect the culture to change overnight -- beat reporters covering the team have been jaded for far too long to suddenly arrive at the Garden bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and excited to do their job. Plus, players will probably be nervous to speak freely after being muzzled for the past several seasons. But still, it's a huge step in the right direction, even if it means the Knicks are merely falling into step with the rest of the league.

The Pacers held a press conference on Monday to announce that Donnie Walsh was leaving the team's front office at the end of the season. Walsh maintained that he was unsure what his future would hold, but ESPN begs to differ. The Worldwide Leader cites an unnamed source who says Walsh is "expected to sign a three-year, $15 million contract with New York at the end of the season to oversee their basketball operations division." How does Isiah Thomas fit into the new power structure? Sadly, the source does not know.

But just who is this source and can we take him seriously? Alan Hahn of Newsday was unable to confirm or deny the rumor with his own contacts but was still able to shed some light on the matter:

I was able to find out some details of ESPN's story. Usually the network credits a scoop to one of its reporters (i.e.: ESPN's Chris Sheridan is reporting . . .) but on this one a reporter is conspicuously not credited. I was informed that the reason for this is because the report came from an executive-level figure at ESPN, not someone at the reporter level.

If you're James Dolan and you want to help the people of New York forgive you for continuing to provide Isiah Thomas with employment, why not give them the power? Just set up a voting system for all season ticket holders, hire someone desperate for a job in an NBA front office and have them present options to the "board". Okay, that probably wouldn't work.

But that doesn't mean Knicks fans aren't willing to take matters into their own hands when it comes to improving the team. Via SBB, comes the website "NYC for LeBron", a site dedicated to raising money -- from fans! -- to bring LeBron James to the Big Apple, under the premise that the Collective Bargaining Agreement would not outlaw fans wooing a particular player to a particular city.

Article II, Section II (iii) (c) of the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) basically states that No Team can pay above a certain salary amount (cap number) to acquire a player. However we the people are not confined to Article II, Section II (iii) (c) of the CBA. So as New Yorkers we have to put matters in our own hands. Please register so that we can invite you to rallies and special events and raise funds to buy LeBron a New York gift basket (his own suite at Yankee Stadium, additional salary, Gloria James courtside seats, Ferrari, etc.) if he opts out of his contract in July 1, 2010 and comes to New York. Does LeBron need the money? No, but we need LeBron! Join the campaign!

I guess it's a safer bet then giving that guy on the phone my Visa number in order to receive my free $10,000.00 shopping spree (the card numbers, apparently, have to matchup) but still ... that's a lot of cheddar to raise if you're going to pay for a suite at Yankee Stadium and a freaking Ferrari. One might also wonder how you tack on an "etc." after that list too, by the way; or perhaps, why fans would need to pay for LeBron's mom to get courtside seats (my guess is they're free).

It's still an interesting marketing and legal quagmire though, particularly if David Stern gets a whiff of LeBron getting free gifts. On the other hand, it might all be moot when Jay-Z whips out his checkbook and matches the entire city to get James in a Nets uniform.

Not surprisingly, Isiah Thomas became a little testy when asked about rumors that Knicks owner James Dolan was courting current Pacers exec Donnie Walsh to replace Zeke in the front office. Reading between the lines, though, it seems safe to assume that he's not so much angry at the media as Dolan for remaining quiet. From Marc Berman's New York Post blog:

"Did you talk to Jim? Did you talk to Donnie?,'' Thomas said with an edge. "When you get a comment from those two guys, then I'll feel free to comment and speak freely. Until Donnie says something or Jim says something about a story that's been reported about those two gentlemen, you should ask those two gentlemen.''

Dolan put Thomas in a very awkward situation today as the club has remained mum on the reports the Knicks have talked to Walsh and will again later this week. Thomas walked away from the media throng after 4:04 – spending more time with a Knicks P.R. official plotting what to say.

Don't expect Dolan to speak up anytime soon -- he hasn't made any public comments since giving Thomas his ill-fated extension last season, and besides, as my colleague the W.B. reported earlier today, there's apparently growing competition for Walsh's services with the Bucks now officially sporting a headless front office.

Knicks owner James Dolan is clearly one of the most stubborn owners in the NBA or else he would've given Isiah Thomas the boot from the team's sideline and front office a long time ago. But even he has his limits, apparently. From Frank Isola of the New York Daily News:

Garden chairman James Dolan recently told confidants that he knows a coaching change must be made and that he is preparing to do just that, according to a source close to Dolan. No timetable was given, but the source indicated that Dolan is leaning toward making a change before the end of the season.

Getting rid of Thomas is a bit more complicated than most NBA coaching changes since it'd almost certainly include removing him from his role as team president, as well. But hey, it has to happen sooner or later, right? And Isola claims there will be no shortage of people trying to fill Isiah's vacant front-office spot.

The same source claims that "people are coming out of the woodwork to try and get Dolan's attention." The source said that group includes everyone from former Knicks - both recent and from decades ago - as well as current GMs.

"The same is true of guys who are trying to get the coaching job," the source said.

From the sounds of things, it seems like Isiah knows his days driving the league's marquee franchise deep into the ground "guiding" the Knicks are numbered.