From Associated Press:
NEW YORK - Isiah Thomas has one year to turn around the Knicks — something Larry Brown couldn't do. And if Thomas doesn't, he'll be gone, too.
"I'm saying this right with Isiah here. This is his team," Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan said Monday. "He made this bed. There's nobody better than him to make this thing go forward.
"But he has to do that and he has one year, one season to do that," he said. "At this time next year Isiah will be with us if we can all sit here and say that this team has made significant progress towards its goal of eventually becoming an NBA championship team. If we can't say that, then Isiah will not be here."
The remarks by Dolan were his first since firing Brown last Thursday and replacing him with Thomas, the team president and general manager.
He acknowledged that the team "made a mistake" hiring Brown.
Thomas assembled the roster that went 23-59 to tie the franchise record for losses in a season. And though Dolan said the Knicks are still rebuilding, he wants to see results next season
Knicks give Thomas 1 year to improve team
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Isiah Thomas speaks. From Associated Press:
GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Isiah Thomas has already been warned that he's out of a job if the New York Knicks don't improve next season.
Still, he sounds ready to take the floor with basically the same group that won 23 games under Larry Brown.
"I'm not here waiting for Santa Claus to come save us," Thomas said Thursday. "I was told early on we didn't have any money and there was no Santa Claus. And I'm not looking for this great player to come save the day for us.
"The guys that we have, we'll make them better and we have a job to do. Nobody's coming to save us."
Thomas added the coaching reins to his role as team president last week when Brown was fired. The Knicks said Brown wanted to get rid of nearly half the roster, but Thomas spoke as if he can win with those players.
"I do like our players," he said. "And my job is to get their confidence back and I think they can play at a higher level than what a lot of them performed at last year."
The Knicks' salary cap woes would make it difficult for Thomas to make many good moves, anyway. But he didn't sound as if he necessarily needs to seek them, saying he would be less aggressive this summer than in past years.
"I'm very comfortable with our roster. I'm comfortable with the things that we have," Thomas said. "I'll continue to look to get better. If I can get a better player I'll definitely try to get a better player, but if we have to go into the season right now with what we have and the way we look, I'm comfortable with that."
Thomas spoke after introducing the players he chose Wednesday night with the Knicks' two first-round draft picks. Forward Renaldo Balkman from South Carolina was taken 20th, and Temple guard Mardy Collins went 29th.
Thomas praised Balkman's energy on the floor, but even Balkman sounded surprised to have heard his name so early on draft night.
"I never thought in a million years I'd be here right now," Balkman said.
Neither did many other experts. Balkman, who averaged 9.6 points last season, didn't even appear in the draft media guide. But Thomas has an answer for those who question the pick.
"Call [Florida coach] Billy Donovan, who won the national championship last year," Thomas said, "and ask him if he's surprised that we would take a guy like Balkman. Because his team beat them twice."
The 6-foot-6 Collins should benefit the Knicks because of his ability to defend on the perimeter, one of the team's many weaknesses last season.
"He said some of the smaller guards had a little trouble guarding bigger guards," Collins said. "With my height I'm able to guard some bigger guards. That's what he said he wanted to build the team around, defense."
Collins said he was aware of the pressure Thomas was under to win next season. Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan said on Monday that Thomas would be gone from his roles within the organization if the Knicks didn't show "evident progress" next season.
But Thomas said that wouldn't prevent him from playing his young players. The Knicks now have five players on the roster who were first-round picks in the last two years.
"I'm doing everything that I can to better our Knicks team and the Knicks organization," Thomas said. "I'm not very shortsighted about what's happening, even though this pressure or whatever is out there. I'm comfortable in operating in the environment that I'm in. I take comfort in pressure and we'll operate underneath of it and do what we need to do."
GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Isiah Thomas has already been warned that he's out of a job if the New York Knicks don't improve next season.
Still, he sounds ready to take the floor with basically the same group that won 23 games under Larry Brown.
"I'm not here waiting for Santa Claus to come save us," Thomas said Thursday. "I was told early on we didn't have any money and there was no Santa Claus. And I'm not looking for this great player to come save the day for us.
"The guys that we have, we'll make them better and we have a job to do. Nobody's coming to save us."
Thomas added the coaching reins to his role as team president last week when Brown was fired. The Knicks said Brown wanted to get rid of nearly half the roster, but Thomas spoke as if he can win with those players.
"I do like our players," he said. "And my job is to get their confidence back and I think they can play at a higher level than what a lot of them performed at last year."
The Knicks' salary cap woes would make it difficult for Thomas to make many good moves, anyway. But he didn't sound as if he necessarily needs to seek them, saying he would be less aggressive this summer than in past years.
"I'm very comfortable with our roster. I'm comfortable with the things that we have," Thomas said. "I'll continue to look to get better. If I can get a better player I'll definitely try to get a better player, but if we have to go into the season right now with what we have and the way we look, I'm comfortable with that."
Thomas spoke after introducing the players he chose Wednesday night with the Knicks' two first-round draft picks. Forward Renaldo Balkman from South Carolina was taken 20th, and Temple guard Mardy Collins went 29th.
Thomas praised Balkman's energy on the floor, but even Balkman sounded surprised to have heard his name so early on draft night.
"I never thought in a million years I'd be here right now," Balkman said.
Neither did many other experts. Balkman, who averaged 9.6 points last season, didn't even appear in the draft media guide. But Thomas has an answer for those who question the pick.
"Call [Florida coach] Billy Donovan, who won the national championship last year," Thomas said, "and ask him if he's surprised that we would take a guy like Balkman. Because his team beat them twice."
The 6-foot-6 Collins should benefit the Knicks because of his ability to defend on the perimeter, one of the team's many weaknesses last season.
"He said some of the smaller guards had a little trouble guarding bigger guards," Collins said. "With my height I'm able to guard some bigger guards. That's what he said he wanted to build the team around, defense."
Collins said he was aware of the pressure Thomas was under to win next season. Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan said on Monday that Thomas would be gone from his roles within the organization if the Knicks didn't show "evident progress" next season.
But Thomas said that wouldn't prevent him from playing his young players. The Knicks now have five players on the roster who were first-round picks in the last two years.
"I'm doing everything that I can to better our Knicks team and the Knicks organization," Thomas said. "I'm not very shortsighted about what's happening, even though this pressure or whatever is out there. I'm comfortable in operating in the environment that I'm in. I take comfort in pressure and we'll operate underneath of it and do what we need to do."
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Jay
Isiah is in way over his head. We're talking about Larry Brown here. He turned the Pistons into one of the dominating forces in the NBA. He's of the top 3 (imo) coaches in the league. To put this on him is a load of crap. The Knicks didn't give him the tools necessary to make a great team and now they're sending in Isiah to "fix the problem Larry Brown left behind." Isiah isn't fit to hold Larry Brown's jock and he's gonna be looking for a new job.
Nothing gay about fighting. How bout you to to your nearest gym, roll around with thier top fighter and then come back here and talk about how gay it was. Dont know if you know this or not big guy but the more you have on the more your opponent has to work with in a fight.
WHITE TRASH METAL SLUMMER
Why Immortal technique?
Perhaps its because I am afraid and he gives me courage.
Why Immortal technique?
Perhaps its because I am afraid and he gives me courage.
