It’s been a while since Isiah Thomas’ name was in the news, but I sure wish we didn’t have to hear him involved with something, you know, actually serious. Reports say the NBA Hall of Famer (and Knicks architect of fail) Isiah Thomas accidently overdosed on sleeping pills and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. But in true Isiah fashion, this incident is already looking like a cluster.

Former Knicks coach Isiah Thomas was taken to the hospital early this morning because he overdosed on sleeping pills at his Westchester home, authorities said.

When reached on his cell phone today, Thomas, 47, denied those claims and inexplicably insisted that it was his 17-year-old daughter Lauren who was the one having an issue but it “wasn’t an overdose.”

Well, this is interesting. The Associated Press didn’t name names, but said that a 47-year-old man at Isiah’s residence was taken to the hospital. Oh look, Isiah Thomas happens to be 47 himself. I’m willing to put two and two together and assume that Thomas is the 47-year-old man in question, not his 17-year-old DAUGHTER. 

When talking about this version of the New York Knicks in a historical context, I usually ignore comparisons with other teams. No, the Knicks aren’t comparable to the Clippers or some other woeful sports franchise. They’re in their own category; a category that also contains the Titanic, Hindenburg, and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. In short, they’re a disaster. Luckily for us, the disaster seems to compound every time the Knicks take the court.

The Knicks lost to the Dallas Mavericks last night at Madison Square Garden, which comes as a surprise to nobody. But the fun doesn’t stop there! In the midst of another 20 point deficit (their 8th in 20 games), Isiah had it out with some courtside season ticket holders. The bastard had the nerve to blame the Knicks’ woes on the lack of a home court advantage!

Thomas apparently had heard enough. Late in the game, he could be seen debating some fans sitting near the court. One of those fans, Mara Altschuler, was so enraged by the discussion that she sought out reporters after the final buzzer.

“He said it’s the fans’ fault because they don’t have a good sixth man,” said Altschuler, who has season tickets near midcourt. Her family has had the seats for more than 40 years, since the old Garden, she said.

This is what I love about the Knicks. On the day they paid former employee Anucha Browne Sanders over $11 million in settlement of Isiah’s sexual harassment, they find themselves caught up in yet another public relations nightmare. For the sake of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises, Isiah should be fired…immediately. But for us? Well, we wouldn’t mind if the asshole stuck around for another year or two.

Since we started this thing up on October 1st, I’ve definitely had to eat some popcorn crow over certain things. Nobody has proved me wrong more than Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks. I didn’t have one good thing about Isiah and his cast of misfits before the season started. But I’ve been proved wrong, as the Knicks have stayed in playoff contention most of the season, earning Thomas an extension. And now, he’s even made a great personnel decision: signing Randolph Morris.

“It’s another guy we can add to our young core,” Thomas said. “We’re very happy to have him. It’s another big and it’s almost like another pick in this year’s draft — just a little early.”

Morris’ story isn’t typical of most college stars. After a stellar freshman season at Kentucky, Morris declared for the NBA Draft and went undrafted. However, he hadn’t hired an agent, which allowed him to return to Kentucky and continue playing. By going undrafted, Morris was unable to enter another NBA Draft. That’s when Isiah and the Knicks swooped in, signing him for two years at a paltry $1.6 million.

Morris’ salary generally falls in the range of the 26th overall pick in the NBA Draft. Essentially, the Knicks got a first round talent without using a first round pick. I’m not sure where he’ll fit in a crowded frontcourt that includes David Lee, Eddy Curry, and Channing Frye, he’s definitely an upgrade over Jerome James. To put it as simply as possible, James is trash. It’s too bad Isiah paid him $30 million.

If Isiah and the Knicks could have made these types of decisions a few years ago, they wouldn’t be recovering from turmoil like they are now. Nevertheless, progress is progress. Signing an inside presence like Morris, who had some great seasons at Kentucky, is a sign that things might be looking up for the Knicks.

The three ring circus that is the New York Knicks got better on Monday when the Knicks gave coach, general manager, and resident moron Isiah Thomas a multi-year extension to stay with the team.

Before I hammer on the Knicks, I should commend the job that Thomas has done this season with the Knicks, who currently sit in the 8th seed in the East and poised to make the playoffs for the first time in three years. He’s gotten great play out of sixth man David Lee and he has transformed Eddie Curry into one of the dominant centers in the East, an improvement from his days in Chicago when Curry looked lost and confused at times. He’s also gotten great play out of young players Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford and the fact that Steve Francis is being kept off the floor due to injury may be helping this team more than it’s hurting.

All that being said, Thomas’ attempted sabotage of this team in the past few years can’t be overlooked. The Knicks have a lot of money wrapped up in Francis and Stephon Marbury, two guys who play the same position and style of selfish basketball. He’s made a great deal of bad acquisitions for players such as Jerome James and Malik Rose. He ran Larry Brown out of town after giving Brown a ridiculous $50 million contract. Let’s not forget the brawl between the Knicks and the Nuggets this year as well, when Melo sucker punched Mardy Collins and a melee ensued.

Give Thomas credit for the job he has done with the Knicks this season. The Knicks are looking at a potential postseason berth for the first time in a while. At the same time, the Knicks may be overreacting here. They’re still the punchline of the NBA.

I really have to take back what I said about Isiah Thomas’ job as head coach of the New York Knicks. Before the season, he was given one year by owner Mike Dolan to turn the team aronud. If he didn’t, he’d be fired. 50 games into the season, the Knicks are 22-28 and they’re just one win shy of equalling last season’s win total under the despised Larry Brown.

One of Thomas’ worst moves as GM of the Knicks was thought to be the acquisition of Curry. His health was in question and his performances hadn’t lived up to his talent. This year, he’s changed everything, averaging about 20 points and 7 rebounds a game. And now, he’s backing up Isiah. Curry has stated that if Thomas is fired at the end of the year, he’ll ask to be traded.

This should back up the preseason claims that Isiah was a great player’s coach. He showed this in Indiana and he’s now showing it with the Knicks. I didn’t think this season could be anything but a disaster for the Knicks and yet, Isiah has this team just 2.5 games out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Aside from that whole “come in the paint and we’ll rough you up” incident versus the Nuggets, Thomas has done an admirable job. He’s gotten career years out of Curry and the relatively unknown David Lee (11 points, 11 rebounds). If the Knicks do indeed fire Thomas, they’ll be losing their best player in the process. Finally, this team might be on their way back to respectability. It’d be foolish to fire the guy that could bring them back. What’s ironic is this is the same guy that played a huge role in plunging the Knicks into the NBA’s laughingstock.

Over the next month until opening night on October 31, I?ll be previewing one NBA team a day. Starting in the Eastern Conference, I?ll be starting with my lowest ranked team and continuing to the best, then switching conferences. Enjoy.

What NOT to do with an Idiot: Give Him More Power!

The Knicks are a mess. We all know it. They have an estimated payroll of $140,595,134, over $55 million more than the 2nd highest payroll of the Philadelphia 76ers. They had 23 wins last season. Do the math: the Knicks paid $6.1 million per win. They have paid Allan Houston, who retired in 2004, $40 million in the last two seasons despite having the option to waive him without paying the remainder of his salary, now known as the “Allan Houston Rule”. And now, Isiah Thomas, the man responsible for this mess, is taking over as head coach. Uh oh.

Overview

Last year’s hiring of Hall of Famer Larry Brown turned out to be a disaster. Brown and Thomas frequently cold-shouldered each other and Brown had tons of clashes with Stephon Marbury, his “star” player. It’s tough to find anyone that likes Starbury these days, not even this little kid who got a first look at Marbury’s new discount basketball shoes. And then there’s the abundance of struggling players on the Knicks. Like Malik Rose. Isiah has one more year to prove he can turn these guys around. It should be an interesting season. Read the rest of this entry »