While Kevin at ClipperBlog submits that Isiah Thomas’ recent attacks on Greg Anthony are straight out of “the Joe Morgan/Former Fuckwit Athlete School of Logic,” the Knicks’ prez/coach tells the Post’s Marc Berman that he takes his inspiration from another sporting legend.

“At the end of [last] season, a lot of our players didn’t want to be part of us,” Thomas revealed last night before the Knicks lost for the first time this preseason, 113-89 to the Celtics at Mohegan Sun. “I don’t think I ever saw players leave New York fast enough.”

One of the most important meetings came in Washington, D.C. with disgruntled Steve Francis.

“I didn’t realize what his state of mind really was,” Thomas said. “He really wanted no part of us at that time and was just kind of out in limbo.

“I left from there after those couple of days feeling much better. I think he felt better about his place in our organization and I thought from that point on he committed himself to working out and getting himself back in shape and playing the way that he’s capable of playing. I didn’t realize how important that meeting was until I actually left.”

Several players needed Thomas’ pick-me-ups.

“It was a healing process that needed to take place, the introduction of a new coach, and what I expected of them,” Thomas said.

After what the Knicks went through last season, Thomas is not going to downplay his 3-1 preseason record – last night’s blowout loss being the only bummer so far in this Era of Good Feeling.

Yes, they’re only exhibition games. But Thomas is trying to break a bad Knick habit called losing.

“I say it to our players every day, from Vince Lombardi,” Thomas said. “Winning is not a sometimes thing. It’s an all-the-time thing. Don’t do something right once in a while. Do it all the time. Winning is a habit. So is losing.”

Stirring stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree, and in the event the Knicks continue to stumble when they begin playing games that count in the standings, Isiah might want to consider ordering some some motivational tools from this firm.

Gilbert Arenas has entered the blog wars, and by the usual pro athlete standards, he’s got a bit more to offer than say, David Wright. (link courtesy True Hoop)

Since I was small my dad and I have always been friends. He was never really hard on me. He never really pushed me to basketball. It was like, œDad, can I play? And he straight told me, œYou suck. You™re not good enough for this team! You can sit over there and be my assistant coach. So I used to get teased all the day, and when he leave I used to go practice by myself.

We just end up arguing about the dumbest things in the world. Like, after a game, and he thought I played bad, oh, I have to hear it. I™m gonna hear it. The first name he brings up every time: Dwyane Wade. œWell, did you see what Dwyane Wade did tonight? Dwyane Wade has four dunks, three reverse lay-ups, if you was talented like him ¦ and I™m like œMan! And I™ll be like, œDad, are you going to come to any of the games? He™s like, œNo. You guys are playing the Bobcats and the Grizzlies. I™m gonna come when Dwyane Wade comes to town or Kobe. He just wants to see those players. He™ll look at the schedule and be like, œOh yeah, we got four good games. I got Dwyane Wade, I got Kobe, LeBron, A.I. coming to town ¦ I™m coming. Any other week, he never wants to come.