Isiah Thomas takes a lot of heat for the moves that he makes and the things that he says. The New York media makes him out to be a bumbling George Bush-like fool; the guy who's in charge but has no idea what he's doing. Everyone from sports columnists, to ESPN anchors, to NBA execs thinks he's insane. Isiah Thomas is not insane -- he is another "i" word; an individual.The self-proclaimed "ghetto child" knows how to win, and he does it his way. In a world filled with copycats (professional sports and professional businesses alike), Isiah is not afraid to step out on his own. Forget about the talk about him trying to make a team like the Phoenix Suns, it's clear the only way to do that is to get Steve Nash. Isiah, in a very short time, has built a solid NBA team with a solid future.
Isiah the GM
Much talk is made about Zeke being a bad GM for the contracts he takes on and the "questionable" picks he makes in drafts. ESPN even contradicts their own statements about him. A year ago, one person flat out said that Isiah only looks to get the best player in a deal, rather than looking at the larger picture. This year, Kiki Vandewege (former NBA player and general manager) went on record to say "What you want to do in any deal is get the best player." While not specifically talking about Isiah, it is clear that there is no one right way to succeed.
Isiah has been criticized for being a "reminder." When he speaks to reporters, he'll subtly let them know the good things that he's done, whether they're relevant or not. As cocky as it might be, it would be very helpful for reporters to actually listen to him. During last night's press conference after a Knicks win over Miami, Isiah reminded us all of the trade he made for Malik Rose a couple of years ago. To refresh your memory, here's the trade: New York gave up Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer to get Malik Rose and 2 San Antonio first-round picks. Those picks? David Lee (team's leading rebounder at 11 rpg/future all-star/The Freshmaker) and Mardy Collins (the man who singlehandedly put the Nuggets season in a pepetual downfall). If any NBA GM tried to trade for David Lee (11 ppg/11 rpg/2 apg/60% from the field/80% from the line) this season, you can bet it would take a lot more than Nazr Mohammed (6.4 ppg/5 rpg/.2 apg/55% from the field/58% from the line). His numbers are practically double that of Mohammeds. I can't leave out the fact that Isiah had the eye to actually pick David Lee when no one was talking about him being a first-rounder.
Malik Rose, on the other hand, has played only sporadically this year. But games like last night show you why Isiah pulled the trigger. He came in and provided solid defense on a guy that completely towers over him. That guy was Shaq. In fact, Rose's prescence might be even more beneficial when he's not playing. He has been a complete professional and has even helped Isiah coach the young players. Did you really think David Lee got this amazing practicing by himself?
Isiah the Coach
Much has been made about the Knicks improvement this year, but most people are still on the fence about actually how good they really are. They seem to beat the teams they shouldn't and lose the the teams they should beat. But what you have to do to see how far Isiah has taken this team as a coach is compare them to the Knicks of yesteryear.
First up, the 2002-2003 New York Knickerbockers. This marks the year before Isiah was hired as general manager. This team featured Howard Eisley (9 ppg/5 apg) at starting point guard. Our starting power forwards you ask? The all-time great tag-team of Clarence Weatherspoon and Othella Harrington. Wow folks... If it weren't for Scott Layden, they wouldn't have even been playing in the NBA at this point. Allan Houston had one of the best seasons of his career (22.5 ppg), but still only averaged less than 3 assists per game; terrible for a guy who had the ball in his hands that much. The team as a whole averaged 96 points per game and got literally no bench play (32.3 ppg) whatsoever. This years bench averages 40 points per game if you don't include Jamal Crawford (18 ppg/didn't start the entire first half) or Channing Frye (12 ppg/hasn't started the entire second half).
Next up, last years team. We all know the infamous number of wins this team had, but you have to ask why. Not only did Larry Brown start players based on if the team is playing in their hometown (Channing, Nate, Qyntel Woods to name a few), but he didn't even know which players on his team were good. David Lee could've been averaging close to what he is now if he actually played. Every minute he was out on the floor last year, he was the difference maker. Eddy Curry is obviously the biggest difference this year. Scott Skiles couldn't make him better. Larry Brown couldn't work his magic either. The guy who finally got Eddy Curry to become the dominant NBA player he should be was Isiah Thomas. Basketball is as much mental as it is physical. Isiah understands how to care for his players, and finally was able to instill some (a lot, actually) confidence into E-City. His low post moves are incomparable to anyone in the East. He dominated Shaq offensively and has schooled Dwight Howard a number of times. So is Larry Brown really the best basketball coach ever? Or has Isiah never recieved the credit he deserved? You be the judge, folks.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
