While the Knicks showed some all too rare tenacity in bouncing back from a blowout loss in Philly with last night’s home win over Toronto (43 points from Jamal Crawford, 26 points and 15 rebounds from Zach Randolph), all New Yorkers if not members of the human race should be concerned by the Isiah Thomas’ remarks before the game. From the New York Times’ Howard Beck :
œWe want to keep moving in the right direction, and we definitely don™t want to take a step back, Thomas said in explaining his failure to make a deal. œAs painful as this has been and as painful as it is, including for myself, the most important thing is that we don™t do anything that™s going to damage us three, four years down the road.
Thomas said the Knicks had œgood young players and œgood talent. Other general managers say the Knicks have just three players whom other teams find attractive ” Crawford, David Lee and Nate Robinson. Those are the three players Thomas is most opposed to trading.
œI think the most important thing is that we didn™t take a step back, Thomas said. œWe didn™t try to save the day with that one savior bad contract that goes on for a lifetime.
Someone really needs to ask James Dolan, “what have you done with the real Isiah?” Trying to mollify an enraged fan base with “that one savior bad contract that goes on for a lifetime” is as much a hallmark of Thomas’ legacy as running the CBA into the ground or a romantic evening watching “Love & Basketball” on DVD. However, quizzing the Cablevision heir remains a considerable challenge, as Newsday’s Anthony Reiber explains.
It’s unknown if the Knicks’ 17th win of the season in their 55th game made Dolan happy. He brushed past three reporters who attempted to interview him in the tunnel outside the Raptors’ locker room as he left the arena.
“No,” he said when asked if he would talk.
“Please don’t do that,” said a Garden spokesman who practically flung himself in the reporters’ paths, hands outstretched to prevent any contact with Dolan. Green-jacketed Garden security officers then stepped in to shield Dolan from any more attempts to ask questions.