Being Thanksgiving, I was inspired to write about Turkeys. As, I am about to sit down and eat dinner with my family and friends (who are running late and that's why I haven't eaten yet) I thought about two people who shouldn't have much to be thankful for today and a whole fanbase of people who have a lot to be mad about today.
The Turkeys, ladies and gentleman, are Isiah Thomas and James Dolan. Although I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, I am NOT a Knick fan. I honestly never cared for them. My Dad loved Magic Johnson and the Lakers and taught his Son to become a good Laker fan (Thanks Dad, and happy Thanksgiving to you). However, as much as a Laker fan I was (and am) I always admired the hard nose style of Isiah Thomas. The Bad Boys would punch you in the mouth, and then beat you by 20 and that to me was great basketball. Unfortunately, the great Isiah Thomas never materialized as much as of a General Manager or Coach. As Coach and G.M. of the Knicks he has brought in Stephon Marbury, and Eddy Curry to proclaim them the leaders of the team and the pieces to be built around. Until, one day he decides he has failed and benched them both. Now he wants to build around recently acquired Zach Randolph, a move that has alienated Marbury and Curry, and can possibly fracture an already divisive team. On paper this is a talented squad but unfortunately a man that has been surrounded by great coaches in Bob Knight and Chuck Daly seems incapable of making them not only play winning basketball, but he's incapable of making them play decent basketball.
James Dolan (of J.D. and The Sure Shot fame) is just a joke as an owner. The man clearly knows nothing about the game, and apparently fancies himself to be the Mark Cuban of the East. The difference is that Cuban knows that he needs to be a personality and face of the team to the public, but behind clothes doors and the prying eyes, he allows his coaches to put together the squad. Dolan wants to be the face and the decision maker, but when you are surrounded by yes men who bow to you, there is no one confident enough to tell him that the Emperor has on no clothes.
Yes, this team is nude, naked, and devoid of anything resembling a basketball team. As a self professed Knick hater I should be glad, but I'm not. I may not like the Knicks but they represent New York and it's sad to see the team representing my hometown reduced to nothing more than a sad soap opera and a cruel joke.
Jessica White
Michelle Damon
Hall of Fame ballot: Holdovers
Hall of Fame ballot: Newcomers
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New York Sports News??????
Broncos4Ever: is…
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Great Blog. Isiah is full of himself and it gets worse with age.
Dallas Clark- SB in…
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Yeah, NY Sports News. Got a problem with that?
J. HOVA: THE RETURN
Brooklyn, NY
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Would Chuck Daly have allowed a player who walked out on the team play in a game when that player decided to return, much less allow that player back on the team? Isiah has no integrity or credibility, and Marbury has to be the absolute worst teammate in the history of the NBA.
Jeff Boswell
Burlington , NC
Total Comments (42)
Agree with you on all points. If you walked out on Chuck or Bob, you would not be able to walk back in. You leave, you stay gone.
J. HOVA: THE RETURN
Brooklyn, NY
Total Comments (14271)
Top 10 reasons to dislike Isaah Thomas
1. After retiring Thomas became part owner and Executive Vice President for the expansion Toronto Raptors in 1994. In 1998, he left the organization after a dispute with new management which resulted from accusations that he gave NCAA basketball players tickets and other merchandise and inappropriate conduct with team staff.
2. After leaving the Raptors, Thomas became a television commentator for NBC. Thomas' clumsy monotone delivery eventually led NBC to add Bill Walton as a secondary commentator to compensate for Isiah's deficiencies. He was later fired
3. From 1998 to 2000 Thomas became the owner of the CBA. After his purchase, the league was forced into bankruptcy and folded. Many CBA managers blamed Thomas for the league's failure, citing mismanagement and out-of-control spending on his part.
4. From 2000 to 2003, Thomas coached the Indiana Pacers In his first two seasons with the Pacers, the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The perception existed that the Pacers' unfulfilled potential stemmed from Isiah Thomas' inexperience as a coach. In the off-season, Larry Bird returned to the Pacers as President of Basketball Operations, and his first act was to fire Thomas
5. On December 22, 2003, the New York Knicks hired Thomas to be president of basketball operations. He immediately changed the face of the franchise by trading for a number of high-priced stars. Despite a very high payroll, the team performed poorly, finishing last in the Atlantic Division in 2005. To address this, Thomas made even more trades, sometimes cutting or trading away players he had paid a high price for in trades. At the end of the 2005-06 season, the Knicks had the highest payroll in the NBA, yet owned the second-worst record, and traded away several future draft picks,
6. On December 16, 2006, his team became embroiled in a vicious brawl with the Denver Nuggets, which Thomas was alleged to instigate by ordering his players to commit a hard foul in the paint. He received no fine nor suspension; NBA Commissioner David Stern was quoted as "relying only on 'definitive information' when handing out punishments"
7. On March 12, 2007, the New York Knicks re-signed Thomas to an undisclosed "multi year" contract 9 months after Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan forewarned Thomas that the Knicks needed to show "evident progress" or he'd be out of a job. After Thomas was granted the extension, the Knicks abruptly fell from playoff contention with a dismal finish to the season.
8. On April 3, 2007 Thomas was fined for insulting the officials and saying that Stephon Marbury doesn't get the same respect as any other player in the NBA.
9. On January 24, 2006, Thomas and Madison Square Garden were sued for sexual harassment and retaliation by Anucha Browne Sanders. The matter came to trial in September of 2007 and Thomas was determined to have made demeaning statements to Sanders, as well as making sexual advances and repeatedly telling her that he was in love with her. Madison Square Garden was ordered to pay Browne Sanders $11.6 million, one of the largest sexual harassment judgments in history.
10. The guy is a self-proclaimed official spokesperson for National Popcorn Poppin' Month, and is a partner in a New York-based gourmet-popcorn chain
He's a freaking nut job !
Zags4final4
Lost Somewhere In, WA
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Those are all great reasons, Zags.
All great reasons.
J. HOVA: THE RETURN
Brooklyn, NY
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i don't want to think about james dolan sans clothing
thehemogoblin: back…
The University Of, OR
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Neither do I, but the Children's story popped into my head I was typing this.
J. HOVA: THE RETURN
Brooklyn, NY
Total Comments (14271)
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