Knicks Pulling Bush League Move On Zeke

Posted by Jeff Sack under NBA Off The Court Issues

I hated Isiah Thomas as a player. Actually, let me amend that, I despised him , I loathed him, I wished him everything bad short of bodily harm. Zeke played for the Detroit Pistons in the 1980’s before I got into the business. In those days I was just a fan of the NBA in general, and growing up in Boston, of course a Celtics fanatic. There were other teams that were the “enemy” but I respected the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers. There was no respect from me at all towards the “Bad Boys” from Detroit, just venom. I respected three players on the team, Joe Dumars, Vinnie “Microwave” Johnson, and for the short time that he was with them Adrian Dantley. They were class acts, the rest of the team in my opinion were thugs, and punks. You had a pre-tattooed, pre-pierced, pre-multi hair colored Dennis Rodman, John Salley, but the two I held most in contempt were Isiah, and Bill Laimbeer. (I have had the chance to interview Laimbeer in the last few years a few times. He actually is a very cool, funny guy!) Thomas most of all because he was the ring leader, and he always had that smug attitude on the court.

We leap ahead in time. Isiah after retiring from his playing days had an unsuccessful stint as Director of Basketball Operations for the Toronto Raptors. After he was fired from that position, he purchased and became Commissioner of the CBA. Isiah destroyed the basketball minor league, and it folded. Zeke’s next stop was the Indiana Pacers, where he became head coach in 2000. He actually did a good job getting them to the Playoffs in all three years he was there. During the 2000-2001 NBA Campaign, I am now Sports Director for Metro Networks in Cleveland. The Pacers a very good team, were getting royally spanked by the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Gund Arena, with me in the Press Box. As the game progresses, and I see it is going to turn into a blowout for the Cavaliers, a devious thought popped into my head. Although my nightly assignment was to cover Cleveland in the post game, while our other reporter covered the visitors, I asked the other reporter if he would mind switching for the night. I could not wait to see Zeke squirm in the post game press conference. I prepared a bunch of questions, that were diplomatic but pointed, I could not wait for the game to end! When it did I ran to the visitors locker I wanted to be the first reporter there so I would be closest to Thomas, which I was. NBA rules state that a post game press conference must start within 10 minutes after the final buzzer, Zeke was with us in less than five. Many NBA coaches give an opening statement to the collected media before taking questions, Isiah is in that group. He told us that his team played like garbage, and he was mostly to blame because he called the plays. I was totally disarmed! How could I give this man grief, when he had already taken the blame? After a couple of questions, I was actually feeling sympathetic. By the time we were through, Zeke had done something he failed to do in his Hall of Fame playing career, he earned my respect!

After three good years at the helm, Isiah was the victim of an administrative change with the Pacers. Indiana hired Larry Bird as Team President, and under the auspices of a new broom sweeps clean Larry fired Thomas, and replaced him with Rick Carlisle. On December 22, 2003 Zeke was named Team President of the New York Knicks. After forcing Lenny Wilkens to resign as head coach, and then a fiasco of a year with Larry Brown as the bench boss, Isiah assumed the reins before the 2006-2007 campaign. As you are well aware, the Knicks hired Donnie Walsh as new Team President on April 2. Last week Isiah was relieved of his coaching duties.

The New York Knicks had every right, and were justified to take Thomas out of both positions, he set the team back light years with his moves during his tenure. But the Knicks did not fire Zeke, no he is still employed by the team. He has no defined duties, nobody reports to him, he reports to Walsh. He is barred from contact with the players, but he can talk with his old pal Team Owner James Dolan. Isiah is being punished, and I have a theory as to why, it all comes down to money, namely 18 million dollars.

Last March as Isiah’s contract was up for renewal, Dolan re-signed Thomas to an extension, he is now owed contractually 18 million dollars. Now I don’t have any inside information, this is all conjecture on my part, but I have a very strong suspicion the following conversation took place last week:

Donnie Walsh: Isiah, as you probably have figured out by now, we are not going to retain you as coach. We decided we are going to go in a different direction. Now Isiah, we want to buy you out of the balance of your contract, what’s it going to cost us?

Isiah Thomas: 18 million dollars Donnie.

DW: No, Zeke you don’t understand. We will let you go, you can coach for another team, become an analyst on TV what ever you want. You’ll have total freedom! Now how much do you want?

IT: No, Donnie you don’t understand! Jimmy Dolan signed me to a contract last March and you folks owe me 18 million dollars. That’s what is owed to me, that’s what I expect, and I won’t settle for one cent less!

DW: (First turns pale, then beet red.) Alright Zeke you want to play hardball? Here we go! You still work for the N.Y. Knicks, you will have no defined duties. No one will report to you, you will report to me! And you are barred from talking to the players slugger! How you like them apples?

Now again, this is guess work on my part, but it feels all too true! No one put a gun to James Dolan’s head last year and forced him to sign that contract! Every action has ramifications, the Knicks owe Zeke the money, pure and simple! And now they are waiting for Isiah to blink! They can remain stubborn, they are going to have to pay him the money one way or the other. They are just hoping that Isiah, finally gets fed up sitting on the sidelines, and negotiates a buy out. It’s a bush league move! It is time for closure, for all parties in this situation. Pay Thomas what he is owed and let all sides move on!

Updates, Fresh From the Oven, Straight to Your Inbox