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"NEW YORK—According to several sources in the coaching and management levels of the New York Knicks basketball team, Knicks President Isiah Thomas has "no coherent plan or strategy of any kind" to remove the Knicks from the long series of defeats they have suffered since Thomas began his tenure in late 2003. Enlarge ImageIsiah Thomas "People are reluctant to use the word 'quagmire' around here, but let's face it: The Knicks are suffering defeat after defeat at the hands of intractable opponents who keep coming back with renewed resolve," said Larry Brown, who is recovering from injuries received as a direct result of struggling to coach the Knicks. "Perhaps the worst part is the diminishing support we're getting at home. And yet, the president is staying the course… I don't know how long he thinks this can go on." Brown, who contends that Thomas did not give him "the tools and support to complete the mission," is expecting to be fired as Knicks head coach before the week is out. When Thomas assumed the presidency of one of the most storied franchises in sports, he did so with flair, trading for and signing some of the top stars in the business. However, coming off a 23-59 season in which he was repeatedly criticized by many of his own top people, it is becoming apparent that the president has no intention of changing the way he conducts operations. "We are engaged in a battle with people who hate our team and our way of playing basketball," Thomas said in an interview Tuesday. "We cannot afford to second-guess ourselves. You are either with the New York Knicks or you are against them." While Thomas' hard-nosed style still enjoys its share of supporters among the old guard, polls of Knicks fans show his approval rating has dipped below 30 percent, the lowest ever recorded for a sitting NBA president. Meanwhile, morale on the front lines, once a point of pride, continues to deteriorate. "Face it—calls for our president to step down for the good of all are going to start any minute," said Stephon Marbury, a one-time supporter of Thomas' aggressive policies whose enthusiasm has waned as the Knicks became even more bogged down. "We're suffering losses here that are just unacceptable. Guys are talking about not re-enlisting for another campaign, and believe me, this is not a team that can afford to lose any more experienced personnel." "We need guys here who can show strong defense, who can take the shot, and most of all, who believe in the mission," Steve Francis said. "What we're seeing are guys who just want to go home." Some critics are even calling for Thomas to pull all of his people out of harm's way in the NBA and into a league where they can be safe. "Two years and millions of dollars down the drain, God knows how many lives wasted, and for what?" said a Knicks executive who asked not to be named. "Some of the best strategic and organizational minds in the business are telling him to get out of there, and yet he insists on staying the course. I can't imagine this sort of irresponsible—no, suicidal—leadership being tolerated anywhere else.""

5/26/2006 2:38:47 PM

good article...in my mind it is thomas, not brown who should be forced out

5/26/2006 2:44:17 PM

i see what you did there

5/26/2006 2:44:38 PM

^^ also in the minds of every sane, rational sports fan on hte planet...

5/26/2006 2:47:54 PM

^actually there have been lots of people saying that brown is an overrated coach and didn't deserve the job in the first place, but i don't think anyone is sticking by thomas at this point, except maybe bill laimbeer or dennis rodman

5/26/2006 2:54:15 PM

well brown definitely didnt go out of his way to fix anything

it is really a lesser of two evils thing, and brown is def far lesser of the two


btw, that is from the Onion

5/26/2006 2:56:57 PM

somehow i have a feeling beardawg aint gonna like this, so...

ibtbd

5/26/2006 3:11:47 PM

you really should source that....sounds like thebrushback.com, but i can't find it on their archives....

ahh, it's theonion.com

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/48676

[Edited on May 26, 2006 at 3:18 PM. Reason : onion]

5/26/2006 3:17:36 PM

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"btw, that is from the Onion"

plus, it is better if peeps think it is real at first

5/26/2006 3:21:21 PM

Quote :

"You are either with the New York Knicks beardawg or you are against them."

[Edited on May 26, 2006 at 3:23 PM. Reason : more like]

5/26/2006 3:22:25 PM

does it matter that it's from the onion?
it's the same point... Isiah Thomas has wrecked the Knicks

5/26/2006 3:37:26 PM

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"plus, it is better if peeps think it is real at first "

yeah i know . . . but still, copyrights and such

5/26/2006 3:48:21 PM

5/26/2006 4:39:17 PM

did you guys seriously not pick up on this being from the onion (or some other parody)?

its a knock on the knicks with commentary on W Bush. I mean damn.

[Edited on May 26, 2006 at 5:03 PM. Reason : or a knock on Bush with commentary on the Knicks, either or.]

5/26/2006 5:02:42 PM

Did any of you think Isaih would make a good coach or make a good front office guy? Because he was a great PG, and he has lots of money? That doesn't make a good coach/GM. Larry Brown is still crooked as a question mark, but he is not at all the main figure to blame in this fiasco.

5/26/2006 5:09:10 PM

this is clearly an extended metaphor. but i agree it is true, thomas has ruined the knicks. its almost laughable. in fact, it is laughable.

5/26/2006 5:22:40 PM

It might be a joke, but it's also true. Isiah Thomas is fucking retarded.

5/26/2006 6:50:49 PM

what's even funnier is how this is supposed to be a parody..... but it's 100% accurate

5/27/2006 7:20:58 PM