December 22, 2003 may go down in history as the day that the New York Knicks' death-defying plunge to the bottom of the NBA began. For it was on that day that the Knicks organization fired President Scott Layden and replaced him with Isiah Thomas.
Thomas quickly fired then-coach Don Cheney, replacing him with Lenny Wilkens. Thomas followed that up with major player trades, including one that brought in Stephon "Starbury" Marbury to New York.
The Knicks' season had started off horribly with a 15-24 start, but after these major changes, it appeared they were on their way to the top, finishing with a record of 39-43 and even receiving a playoff spot.
Little did the fans know that their team had reached its maximum height. Thomas, heading the highest payroll in basketball, spent money recklessly over the next few seasons, bringing in players like Jamal Crawford and Jerome James. He also brought in in coach Larry Brown for nearly $50 million after the Knicks posted a 33-49 record in the 2004-2005 season.
Things continued to tumble down into the pit of despair from there, as the $50 million dollar coach finished the season with a team that had only managed to win 23 games, ten less than the season before.
Thomas bought out Brown's contract, then declared himself as the team's new coach.
The 2006-2007 season was much better than that of the year before, with a 33-49 record, but the team failed to make the playoffs again.
The 2007-2008 season has been the worst yet for the Knicks, as they continue to topple, but Isiah Thomas doesn't seem to believe that it is his fault.
Isiah is still coaching the team, but his personnel decisions are what have limited to his depth-lacking Knicks to this trainwreck that they have become.
And to cap it all off, Thomas, as well as other members of the Knicks' organization, were sued on sexual harassment charges. The jury found them liable, embarrassing the organization even more than their ridiculous on-court play.
As the team continues to fall, fans continue to question when Isiah will be removed and this team will return to glory.
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6 months ago
Thomas did a good job the first few weeks on the job. The Knicks were playing good when Van Horn and Marbury were finaklly clicking, something they didnt do in NJ, but Thomas has to trade Van Horn for Tim Thomas...to me THAT was the beginning of the downfall. There was no need to break up the chemistry the Knicks built up early that season but that trade did it. The rest is history.
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