Background: On June 22, the New York Knicks fired coach Larry Brown and Thomas replaced him. Knicks owner James Dolan is giving the former NBA star one year to turn around the franchise or be fired. Thomas, who was named president and general manager Dec. 22, 2003, has played a major role in putting together the current $100 million-plus roster. The Hall of Famer coached the Indiana Pacers to a 131-115 record from 2000-03, but they never advanced out of the first round. When asked if Thomas is under extreme pressure, Knicks guard Stephon Marbury said: “For me, I don’t look at it like that. We’re going to go out and play the way we play. Now we got somebody that can put us in a situation where we can go out and play the way we need to play to win games for us.”
What’s up: Thomas and the Knicks make their lone visit to Denver on Wednesday. While the Knicks were a half-court team under Brown, they are an up-tempo squad under Thomas. New York has several talented players in Marbury, guards Steve Francis and Jamal Crawford, swingman Quentin Richardson, forward Channing Frye and center Eddy Curry. The Knicks haven’t been to the playoffs since 2004. Somehow, Thomas needs to get his Knicks to display the same competitive nature he had as a Detroit Piston in order to succeed. “His approach to the game? The same way he played is the same way he coaches,” Marbury said.
Spears’ take: In a deep Eastern Conference, it will definitely be hard for Thomas to get this team in the playoffs. But it’s not out of the realm of possibility with the talent he has. An up-tempo offense definitely benefits this team. The problem is the Knicks are loaded with guys who want to shoot first and pass second. Dolan should have kept his feelings about Thomas’ potential future with the Knicks to himself. It put immense and unfair public pressure on Thomas that will be hard to overcome in the world’s largest media market.
