End Of An Error

On April 18th, Knicks fans throughout the country (if there are any left) finally had reason to rejoice. The day of reckoning had finally arrived. The Isiah Thomas error, erm… era, had come to end. New team president Donnie Walsh announced that Isiah’s tenure as head coach of the organization was over. This barely two weeks after he had replaced Isiah as team president. Excellent! Isiah Thomas is no longer a member of the Knicks organization!

What’s that you say? He’s still with the team in some capacity? Surely you jest! It was announced that Thomas would remain with the team in an as yet determined capacity. All that is known is that he will report directly to Donnie Walsh. Oh, right, we know one other thing too. ESPN reported yesterday that Isiah Thomas is barred from having any contact at all with any player on the team.

Does anything about this seem odd to you? Who was the last head coach, in any sport, fired for cause to remain with the team in any capacity? I’m not talking about a Billy Martin here, who was fired and rehired more times than we can remember. It makes absolutely no sense. There are only two possible scenarios. Fellow Official Scorer Josh feels that this makes perfect pragmatic sense from a business perspective. You put Isiah in any important meeting you have, and this exchange becomes commonplace:

Donnie Walsh: Isiah, we have two options; ABC or XYZ, what do you think would be the better move?
Isiah Thomas: ABC.
Donnie Walsh: Excellent, XYZ it is, lets take lunch. Chinese or Deli?
Isiah Thomas: Chinese.
Donnie Walsh: Carnegie Deli then.

I agree that this would be an intelligent way to run the organization, but it seemed unlikely to me. I stand by my original theory; in fact I think this seals it. Three weeks ago, I presented the theory that Isiah Thomas has some sort of blackmail material on team owner James Dolan. Doesn’t this just prove that theory? Tell me you aren’t one hundred percent sure that this conversation happened behind closed doors somewhere:

James Dolan: Listen, Isiah, I can’t keep you on as head coach, we’ll go bankrupt.
Isiah Thomas: I understand, but if you fire me outright, you know what happens…
James Dolan: Yea, I know, I’ll find something less high profile for you within the organization.

Think about it. Have you ever been fired for gross incompetence? Did you then get another job within the company? Have you ever fired someone for gross incompetence? Did you then give them a different job within the company? NO! I really want to know what this blackmail material is, don’t you?

Letter To Donnie Walsh

Donnie Walsh
President of Basketball Operations, New York Knicks
Madison Square Garden

Two Pennsylvania Plaza

New York, NY, 10121-0091

cc: James Dolan

Dear Mr. Walsh:

Congratulations on being named as the President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks! Here at The Official Scorers we could not be happier for you. You have said that the first thing you will do is evaluate every key member of the organization, from coaches down to players. You will (hopefully) come to the inevitable conclusion that current head coach (and your predecessor as team President) Isiah Thomas needs to be given a one-way bus ticket out of town. Therefore we thought it would be helpful if we provided you a comprehensive list of qualified replacement candidates who make sense from both a business as well as a basketball perspective. We have listed both pros and cons of each candidate for easy reference.

Mark Jackson:

The Daily News is reporting that Jackson is the leading candidate among fans to take over the Knicks Head Coaching job. You have said that you are willing to embrace the Knicks history in your search for new personnel. Jackson has no coaching experience, and the last thing the Knicks need right now is another neophyte coach hired based on nepotism. I know that you have a tendency to do just that however, as you gave both Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas their first head coaching jobs in Indiana. The former first round draft pick who played five seasons in two stints with the Knicks would be an odd choice for the top job, but he would probably make a good assistant coach, opening the door for future consideration

Cons:
No coaching experience

Pros:
Knows New York, the Knicks and the Garden
The Fans love him

Patrick Ewing:

Despite reportedly endorsing Mark Jackson for the top spot, Ewing may be the more intelligent choice. While he also lacks head coaching experience, Ewing has at least been an assistant coach with three different teams (Washington (2003-04), Houston (2004-06) and currently Orlando). If Mark Jackson is a fan favorite than Ewing would have to be a fan deity. If nothing else, this move would put butts in seats, at least until the novelty wears off. Ewing’s stock has never been higher after being elected to the Hall of Fame this week. This would also provide Ewing an opportunity to change people’s perception of him as a choker.

Cons:
No head coaching experience

Pros:
Knows New York, the Knicks and the Garden
The Fans love him
Experience as an assistant coach
His stock has never been higher
He would sell tickets



Scott Skiles:

The former head coach of both the Suns and the Bulls is currently unemployed and would be a good fit for this Knicks team. For starters, he’s one of the few logical candidates who actually has legitimate NBA coaching experience. On the downside, he never played in New York, or coached in New York and may not be ready for the pressure cooker that is Madison Square Garden. He is a defense oriented coach, and that would be a good fit for the Knicks.

Cons:
Doesn’t know New York
Isn’t loved by fans
May be seen as a “safe” choice
Won’t do anything to sell tickets

Pros:
Has legitimate coaching experience
Values defense

John Calipari:

Calipari just came within one Mario Chalmers miracle three-pointer of winning his first NCAA national title. His stock has never been higher. He’s an excellent player’s coach. And who better to run the 2008 draft for the Knicks than a man who intimately knows all the talented players entering the draft? He even has NBA coaching experience, having coached the Nets in the late nineties for two and a half seasons. Its hard to know for sure if he can make the transition from elite college coach to elite NBA coach, but he would certainly sell some tickets and would be a popular choice among fans and pundits alike.

Cons:
College coaches sometimes have a hard time coaching in the NBA
His record with the Nets was an unspectacular 72-112 with one playoff appearance
Might not be ready for New York pressure

Pros:
His stock has never been higher
He has intimate knowledge of the 2008, and much of the 2009 draft classes
His intensity would be welcome in New York
He would sell tickets

Spike Lee:

You would be hard pressed to find someone who knows the Knicks better than Lee. He attends every single Knicks home game. He’s been to more Knicks games at the Garden in the last three and a half years than Stephon Marbury has! Of course his deep love of the Knicks could be a weakness, and you never know when he is going to get a technical for taunting an opposing player. But he is going to be on the floor for every home game anyway, may as well put him to use.

Cons:
He’s Spike Lee

Pros:
He’s Spike Lee

Krusty the Clown:

A dark horse candidate to be sure, but he would still be an upgrade over the current coach. He would definitely sell tickets, and would gain popularity for thinking outside of the box. He would probably be able to handle the New York pressure, though most likely by drinking.

Cons:
He’s a fictional, cartoon, alcoholic clown

Pros:
You probably won't see a discernable difference in team performance