Greenburgh, N.Y. – Two weeks ago tomorrow, Isiah Thomas was asked what he as the Knicks’ president would do about the coach. The team he assembled was 7-17, having lost eight of 11 games, and was fresh off its fifth 20-point loss of the season.
“That’s a better question in a couple of weeks and not today,” Thomas said on Dec. 18. “But in a couple of weeks, it would be a fair question.”
Why in a couple of weeks?
“Because I said so,” Thomas said. “We’ll see if we can come out of this. If we can’t come out of this, then those are fair questions.”
After practice at the MSG Training Center today, I reminded Thomas that tomorrow is the two-week mark since he made those comments and asked him to update us on his situation.
“We’ll keep moving in this direction,” he said.
“But you said two weeks ago that it would be a fair question in two weeks,” I replied.
“It’s fair,” Thomas said. “We’ll keep moving in this direction.”
“What direction is that?” asked the Post’s uber-backup, Dan Martin, who deserves props for posing the question of the day.
“Me as the coach,” Thomas said.
Isiah gave no updated timetable on evaluating his performance, so apparently that’s it. The Knicks must have “come out of this” in the past two weeks, having lost four of five games in that span to fall to 8-21 entering Wednesday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings.
News? You want some news to ring in the New Year? Stephon Marbury practiced and is “possible” for Wednesday night. Under team orders, Marbury won’t speak to the media until after the first game he plays after returning from an extended bereavement leave.
Jamal Crawford did some shooting and ball handling with a protective glove on his bruised right hand and declared himself “definite” for Sacramento.
At the end of his last media briefing of 2007, Thomas was asked if Jerome James had passed his physical yet as he apparently attempts to return to action.
“Jerome on New Year’s Eve,” Thomas said with a smile. “That’s a bad question.”
With that, Thomas walked into the trainer’s room. Happy New Year!
Comments (2)
If we can suit Isiah up at the point guard position, I am sure the Knicks would be winning or at least holding its own.
must be a tough gig to cover the Knicks with all of dolan's bullsh*t policies always getting in the way. thank frank isola and marc berman for those policies being implemented, by the way.