Post by Diamond Girl on Jul 22, 2005 13:12:53 GMT -5
Thomas up front about Knicks' need to rebuild
By FRANK ISOLA
New York Daily News
MINNEAPOLIS - When Isiah Thomas recently addressed season-ticket subscribers about the current state of the Knicks and his vision for the future, he became so passionate he inadvertently uttered a few profanities. Those raw emotional displays are not uncommon for the man who is quick to remind anyone that his West Side of Chicago upbringing can flare up now and again.
But on that afternoon, perhaps most shocking of all was that Thomas laced his speech with a seven-letter verb that is allegedly the dirtiest word in the New York sports fan's dictionary.
Rebuild.
Yes, the president of the Knicks talked openly about rebuilding. And no, lightning didn't strike him. The roof at Madison Square Garden didn't collapse and no one canceled his ticket plan. In fact, people applauded.
"Everyone says if you try to rebuild in New York it will be a death sentence," Thomas would say later. "Everyone says that except the fans, the ones who pay and come to Madison Square Garden."
Thomas is entering his second full season as the Knicks' top executive and is sounding more realistic than ever about what it will take for the organization to end its 32-year championship drought.
Last season, Thomas was criticized for changing directions more often than a New York City cab driver. Opposing general managers often ask reporters, "Do the Knicks even have a plan?" Even Thomas admits he was forced to change his plan due to circumstances beyond his control.
"When I first got the job our strategy was to have a healthy Allan Houston playing, and once he came off the books we would start rebuilding," Thomas said. "Then Allan got hurt and right in the middle of our plan we had to adjust. We've been tearing it down and piecing it back together."
Thomas is committed to assembling a roster of young, athletic players with reasonable contracts. He believes he then can use some of those assets to acquire a franchise-caliber player.
One of the 50 greatest players of all time, Thomas knows you need stars to win in the NBA and the Knicks haven't had a legitimate superstar since Patrick Ewing's knees gave out.
With Ewing in his prime, former Knicks executives Dave Checketts and Ernie Grunfeld twice rebuilt the team on the fly. Nine years ago, the Knicks managed to get under the salary cap and used that money to sign two free agents, Houston and Chris Childs. They also acquired Larry Johnson in a trade. Three years later, they traded aging veterans Charles Oakley and John Starks and added Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby.
With their payroll for the 2005-06 season projected to be $125 million, the Knicks are $75 million over the league's salary cap. Although Thomas wants to cut the payroll - Penny Hardaway and Tim Thomas are in the last year of their contracts and Houston is done next summer - he still is not convinced that waiting three years to get below the cap is the right path for his team.
"Being under the cap doesn't guarantee you anything," Thomas said. "There have been teams that get under the cap but can't sign anyone."
The top free agents usually re-sign with their current clubs because they can receive more lucrative deals. Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen all re-signed with their respective teams over the past 13 months.
Instead, Thomas is using the Miami Heat blueprint, which transformed a loser into a title contender. Under Pat Riley, the Heat drafted Caron Butler and Dwyane Wade in consecutive years in the lottery. They took a chance on free agent Lamar Odom and also found Udonis Haslem, who was undrafted in 2002, playing in Europe. Wade became an instant star while the Heat developed Haslem into a starting power forward.
With Butler and Odom showing promise, the Heat traded that pair with Brian Grant last summer to the Lakers for Shaquille O'Neal. The Houston Rockets used a similar strategy to acquire Tracy McGrady from Orlando in a sign-and-trade.
The Knicks haven't had enough assets the past three years to seriously contend for O'Neal, McGrady or Vince Carter, whom Thomas pursued for six months before Toronto dealt him to New Jersey.
Thomas would not discuss specific players, but he admitted that his best chance of acquiring elite ones is by first upgrading the roster. "Normally, the best players move around in trades," he said. "But you have to have good assets to trade for good players."
Thomas had three first-round picks in last month's draft and will have two more in 2006. Slowly, the roster is getting younger with the addition of rookies Channing Frye, Nate Robinson and David Lee. Thomas also swapped 32-year-old Kurt Thomas for 25-year-old Quentin Richardson.
Last week, Thomas got Seattle free agent center Jerome James, 29, to agree to a five-year, $29 million contract that will become official on Friday. That signing doesn't exactly bolster Thomas' plan of getting younger and more athletic. But the Knicks needed an experienced pivot player and are confident they can develop James into a better all-around player.
With 16 players under contract for next season, including six power forwards, Thomas will have to make several more moves.
He has ruled out trading Stephon Marbury, but either Marbury or Jamal Crawford likely will be moved because of Robinson and Richardson. A general manager said he recently asked Thomas about Marbury but was told that the Knicks weren't trading their best player. That is, until Thomas can find an even better player.
By FRANK ISOLA
New York Daily News
MINNEAPOLIS - When Isiah Thomas recently addressed season-ticket subscribers about the current state of the Knicks and his vision for the future, he became so passionate he inadvertently uttered a few profanities. Those raw emotional displays are not uncommon for the man who is quick to remind anyone that his West Side of Chicago upbringing can flare up now and again.
But on that afternoon, perhaps most shocking of all was that Thomas laced his speech with a seven-letter verb that is allegedly the dirtiest word in the New York sports fan's dictionary.
Rebuild.
Yes, the president of the Knicks talked openly about rebuilding. And no, lightning didn't strike him. The roof at Madison Square Garden didn't collapse and no one canceled his ticket plan. In fact, people applauded.
"Everyone says if you try to rebuild in New York it will be a death sentence," Thomas would say later. "Everyone says that except the fans, the ones who pay and come to Madison Square Garden."
Thomas is entering his second full season as the Knicks' top executive and is sounding more realistic than ever about what it will take for the organization to end its 32-year championship drought.
Last season, Thomas was criticized for changing directions more often than a New York City cab driver. Opposing general managers often ask reporters, "Do the Knicks even have a plan?" Even Thomas admits he was forced to change his plan due to circumstances beyond his control.
"When I first got the job our strategy was to have a healthy Allan Houston playing, and once he came off the books we would start rebuilding," Thomas said. "Then Allan got hurt and right in the middle of our plan we had to adjust. We've been tearing it down and piecing it back together."
Thomas is committed to assembling a roster of young, athletic players with reasonable contracts. He believes he then can use some of those assets to acquire a franchise-caliber player.
One of the 50 greatest players of all time, Thomas knows you need stars to win in the NBA and the Knicks haven't had a legitimate superstar since Patrick Ewing's knees gave out.
With Ewing in his prime, former Knicks executives Dave Checketts and Ernie Grunfeld twice rebuilt the team on the fly. Nine years ago, the Knicks managed to get under the salary cap and used that money to sign two free agents, Houston and Chris Childs. They also acquired Larry Johnson in a trade. Three years later, they traded aging veterans Charles Oakley and John Starks and added Latrell Sprewell and Marcus Camby.
With their payroll for the 2005-06 season projected to be $125 million, the Knicks are $75 million over the league's salary cap. Although Thomas wants to cut the payroll - Penny Hardaway and Tim Thomas are in the last year of their contracts and Houston is done next summer - he still is not convinced that waiting three years to get below the cap is the right path for his team.
"Being under the cap doesn't guarantee you anything," Thomas said. "There have been teams that get under the cap but can't sign anyone."
The top free agents usually re-sign with their current clubs because they can receive more lucrative deals. Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen all re-signed with their respective teams over the past 13 months.
Instead, Thomas is using the Miami Heat blueprint, which transformed a loser into a title contender. Under Pat Riley, the Heat drafted Caron Butler and Dwyane Wade in consecutive years in the lottery. They took a chance on free agent Lamar Odom and also found Udonis Haslem, who was undrafted in 2002, playing in Europe. Wade became an instant star while the Heat developed Haslem into a starting power forward.
With Butler and Odom showing promise, the Heat traded that pair with Brian Grant last summer to the Lakers for Shaquille O'Neal. The Houston Rockets used a similar strategy to acquire Tracy McGrady from Orlando in a sign-and-trade.
The Knicks haven't had enough assets the past three years to seriously contend for O'Neal, McGrady or Vince Carter, whom Thomas pursued for six months before Toronto dealt him to New Jersey.
Thomas would not discuss specific players, but he admitted that his best chance of acquiring elite ones is by first upgrading the roster. "Normally, the best players move around in trades," he said. "But you have to have good assets to trade for good players."
Thomas had three first-round picks in last month's draft and will have two more in 2006. Slowly, the roster is getting younger with the addition of rookies Channing Frye, Nate Robinson and David Lee. Thomas also swapped 32-year-old Kurt Thomas for 25-year-old Quentin Richardson.
Last week, Thomas got Seattle free agent center Jerome James, 29, to agree to a five-year, $29 million contract that will become official on Friday. That signing doesn't exactly bolster Thomas' plan of getting younger and more athletic. But the Knicks needed an experienced pivot player and are confident they can develop James into a better all-around player.
With 16 players under contract for next season, including six power forwards, Thomas will have to make several more moves.
He has ruled out trading Stephon Marbury, but either Marbury or Jamal Crawford likely will be moved because of Robinson and Richardson. A general manager said he recently asked Thomas about Marbury but was told that the Knicks weren't trading their best player. That is, until Thomas can find an even better player.
