News / Sports
Knicks Give Isiah Thomas the Boot
At a meeting held at Madison Square Garden between Knicks ownership and coach Isiah Thomas was interrupted several times by fans chanting, "Fire Isiah". The chants were fueled by several things, mainly Thomas' conviction for sexual harassment, the fact that he didn't punish Stephon Marbury for abandoning the team and the failure of overpaid teammates that Thomas himself is responsible for recruiting.
Thomas has been the Knicks' coach for 2 seasons. He will remain with the organization and will report directly to Donnie Walsh, who is the new president . Thomas was team president about 2 weeks ago. Walsh took over at the beginning of April and his first big decision was to change coaches. The Knicks haven't won a playoff game since Thomas began.
Donnie Walsh is the 4th president in 7 years. During the 4 years and change of the Isiah Thomas era, the team lost more than 60% of their games which is a ratio that got worse after Thomas became head coach in 2006. During that time, the Knicks have amassed the largest payroll at more than $160 million and the 3rd worst record in the NBA. Never has so much money been spent for so little in the world of sports. Some people are even calling the Knicks the worst team in the history of professional sports.
Donnie Walsh believes that a new coach is necessary to change the direction of the team. The Knicks finished 23-59, matching the franchise record for losses in their 7th consecutive losing season. “I can't tell you really where we failed,” says Walsh. “The bottom line is we haven't won, and the team didn't look like it was motivated to try to win.” Walsh wants to have a new coach in place by the draft in June. He said he hasn't spoken to any possible candidates for either a coach or general manager job yet.
The season began with some promise after adding Zach Randolph. The Knicks were pegged for about 35 victories and a shot at the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Instead, they bottomed out. As of this week, they sat 35 games below .500, hurtling toward the draft lottery for the 4th straight season. They ranked last among 30 teams in assists and averaged the fewest blocked shots in history.
Thomas is 187-223 as an NBA coach, leading the Indiana Pacers to the playoffs in 3 seasons in a row from 2000-2003. Larry Bird fired him after becoming team president. Thomas’ time with the Knicks has been extremely embarrassing for the team.
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