Knicks owner James Dolan put all the pressure on GM/head coach Isiah Thomas going into next season:
“This is his team,” Dolan said. “He made this bed. There is nobody better than him to make this thing go forward but he has to do that. And he has one year, one season to do that. At this time next year Isiah will be with us if we can all sit here and say this team has made significant progress toward its goal of eventually becoming an NBA championship team. If we can’t say that, then Isiah will not be here.”
Larry Brown has $40 remaining on his contract – that type of money will create some drama. Dolan accused Larry Brown of sabotaging his own career:
According to Dolan, Brown informed the Knicks’ front office last week that the roster needed a major overhaul. Brown startled the organization in Thursday’s meeting by suggesting that Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis and Jerome James and three other players should be cut. The Knicks contend that releasing the six players mentioned by Brown would have cost the club $180 million, leading Dolan to surmise that Brown was angling to be fired.
“Larry never intended to coach this team beyond this season,” Dolan said.
Brown responded:
“It makes me sick to my stomach that anyone would think it wasn’t my intent to see it through,” Brown said. “It was my goal to help rebuild the team for the long run. I bought a house here. I enrolled my kids in school. Why would I want to leave with 23 wins on my record and go out that way after a 34-year career?”
The Knicks and their fans need all of this mudslinging to stop. They need their management to get down to the business of building a better franchise. Isiah Thomas has created a team that no one thinks can play together. If he gets anything out of them at all, it will be a surprise. It looks like Thomas’ moves are wearing on his owner as well, so this should be a very interesting season in New York.
