# Isiah Thomas is the most professional GM I have ever witnessed.



## Rashidi (Oct 2, 2003)

I can only hope that the players and executives around the league have not noticed this by now.

How long did Lenny Wilkens last coaching tenure last again? And what was he fired for?

He may be the most winningest coach in history, but he's done so out of longevity than anything else. Doesn't he also have the most losses? Well, who better to lead an overhyped mediocre team like the Knicks than an overhyped mediocre coach?

How do you fire a coach at 5:10, 2 hours before game time? Chaney was already at the arena with his wife.

What a classy guy.


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## bballin (Jun 3, 2003)

as a biased celtics fan, i can say that i've always thought Thomas was the very definition of "class"


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Maybe Isiah hired a coach that he could manipulate?

Reports said that Isiah was personally working players out, which is something that very few league GM's would ever consider (since you hire a coach and trainers to do that, you're not supposed to undermine your staff by interjecting yourself).

Now Isiah hires one of the least active, most disinterested coaches he could find.

Or maybe Isiah wants Lenny to do an unimpressive job, so he can step-in as coach down the road to _save the team_.

I don't know how the players are going to respond to Lenny, if at all. Lenny did pretty well in Toronto for his first two seasons, but he couldn't inspire his team much and quickly grew complacent. By the time Lenny was fired this summer, it was at the point where he was "asleep at the wheel" in Toronto.

I hope, for the sake of the league and the new division next year, that Isiah and Lenny can make the Knicks into a legit playoff contender. But hope in one hand and **** in the other and see which one gets filled-up first.


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## FloridaSportsFan (Dec 15, 2003)

I never thought I would say this but Thomas is the right fit for the knicks


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## rynobot (Oct 10, 2002)

It is a "puppet regime" in New York. I guess Thomas is going to be sitting right behind Wilkens on the bench so he can whisper to him who to subsutate for the games. Or he will place a microchip inside Lenny's head and use a remote control to walk him around.


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## Knicks Junkie (Aug 21, 2003)

Mike Fratello > Lenny Wilkens 

When I first read that Mike Fratello was going to take over for Don Chaney, I was overjoyed. He has 100 more wins than losses and he just knows how to get the job done. 

If his players are giving 100%, then he will give them the credit they deserve. However, if he suspects underachieving, then he will work them until they play the right way. Talentwise, the teams he coached in Atlanta and Cleveland were not anything special. However, he got the most out of his players. 

His defensive ideology is perfect for a team that has been giving up too many easy baskets as of late. Sure, the playing style he implements is boring, but it also translates into wins. Plus, we don't need a playing style to make our team exciting. The acquisition of Marbury is exhilerating enough. We need a winner as a head coach, and Mike Fratello is just that (he sounds strangely reminiscent of a former Knicks coach who is currently working in Houston).


BUT MIKE FRATELLO WAS NEVER OFFERED A CONTRACT.  
BETTER YET, LENNY WILKENS GETS THE EFFIN' JOB :uhoh: 


Come on. It is funny how everyone remembers that Lenny Wilkens has the most coaching wins of all-time. It is funny because he also has the most coaching losses of all-time. His most recent coaching stint was unsatisfactory. He just lost his team in Toronto. He may have been a good coach a hundred years ago, but he is definitely over the hill. I hope I am wrong, but he is not the man for the job. He is basically a clone of Don Chaney.

Speaking of Don Chaney, even though he may have not been right for New York in the first place, he has all my regards in the world. He gave his blood and guts to this franchise, and it is truly sad to see how we treated him this past week. This is the first time in a long time that we have had a decent team, and I don't think he got enough time to work with the pieces. His firing was inevitable, but I wish him the best of luck in the future.


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## NYKBaller (Oct 29, 2003)

I think it was a good move, hall of fame coach for this knick team....


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## Rashidi (Oct 2, 2003)

He's a hall of fame coach because he's coached the most games, not because he's been a terribly effective coach. He's a mediocre coach. Kinda like Don whats his name.


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## Tom (Jul 15, 2002)

isaah really puts forth the effort, but he is no larry bird and never will be. I'm not ripping him, but i don't think he is right for New York. Maybe, Pete Myers as coach...or atleast groom him. you can't have Lenny as coach unless you have someone in mind to take his place....is there a coach on the bench i'm missing?


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## Rashidi (Oct 2, 2003)

Herb Williams is doing pretty good so far.


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## Rashidi (Oct 2, 2003)

But in all seriousness, it's obviously Isiah himself. When his hands are finally 100% tied up by all the added salaries and traded draft picks, there won't be any point to him being GM. That's when he'll assume coaching duties.


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## rynobot (Oct 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Rashidi</b>!
> But in all seriousness, it's obviously Isiah himself. When his hands are finally 100% tied up by all the added salaries and traded draft picks, there won't be any point to him being GM. That's when he'll assume coaching duties.


The sooner Thomas is fired as GM the sooner the Knicks will have a chance at competeing for a championship. The moves he made so far are not enough. Stephon Marbury is not going to be able to carry this team on his back. Patrick Ewing is not walking through that door, Pat Riley is not walking through that door, Bill Bradley is not walking thorugh that door. The only chance the Knicks had at being a winning team sometime in the next five years was through the draft and Thomas threw it away for an all-star caliber player but in no way is Stephon a superstar.


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## A.W.#8 (Sep 8, 2003)

As somebody who watched almost every game that Lenny coached for the Raptors, i think that this guy is completely over-rated. He looks so uninterested in what's happening. He picks his favourites, and just buries guys on the bench (i.e. corliss Williamson). In no way did he prove to me that he's a great tactician or a great motivator. If anything he sucked the confidence out of players. 

I bet if I coached in 500,000 games I could win over a thousand of them too.


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## GONYK (Aug 14, 2002)

Even though Lenny seemed diinterested and what not in Toronto, I think Isiah wil keep him active. Only for the simple fact that Isiah really runs this team, and Wilkens is in all likelihood a puppet. Just my take.


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## son of oakley (Dec 24, 2003)

Let me preface my comments by saying I'd have preferred Fratello.

I think the reasons Isiah went with Wilkens, in increasing significance, are:

A) Wilkens is a Brooklyn native. Isaih's trying to reinstill NYers pride in the club and bringing in home town boys is a catchy gimmick.

B) While Wilkens probably isn't a great motivator, Isiah feels with the gentlemanly comportment of most of this teams players they will feel simpatico with Wilkens' style and demeanor. His smooth composure didn't prevent him from being a fierce competitor and he may like that as a model for his "quiet" players.

3) Marbury is now officially the franchise player (rather than de facto). Wilkens was a hall of fame point guard known for his court smarts. He wants Wilkens to mentor Marbury. Isiah knows he can't rightly be doing it over the coaches shoulder so he picked a coach he thinks can do the next best job. In effect he may be putting the franchise player above the team. But to be fair I think he thinks it's the best all round choice that will benefit the player and the team.

I agree to the extent he'll be better than Chaney. He may not take us to the mountain top, but he'll get us to the next level from here.


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