Doubting Thomas
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/970/1/Doubting-Thomas/Doubting-Thomas.html
Doug Wilson
Doug Wilson is a current student at The Ohio State University studying
communications. After graduation he hopes to find a job in the
sports field in anyway possible. He is a die-hard Cleveland Browns,
Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavalier and of course Ohio State
Buckeye fan. His favorite things to do incude playing flag football and
basketball on eight foot tall basketball hoops. His favorite athlete of
all time is Sandy Alomar Jr.
communications. After graduation he hopes to find a job in the
sports field in anyway possible. He is a die-hard Cleveland Browns,
Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavalier and of course Ohio State
Buckeye fan. His favorite things to do incude playing flag football and
basketball on eight foot tall basketball hoops. His favorite athlete of
all time is Sandy Alomar Jr.
By Doug Wilson
Published on 03/11/2008
For years now, New York fans have wondered what the hell Isiah Thomas has been thinking when compliling the Knicks' roster. At long last, Atomic Sports columnist Doug Wilson thinks he has it figured out.
For years now, New York fans have wondered what the hell Isiah Thomas has been thinking when compliling the Knicks' roster. At long last, Atomic Sports columnist Doug Wilson thinks he has it figured out.
Doubting Thomas
The New York Knicks are a basketball team in complete shambles. They have one of the highest payrolls in the league as well as one of the worst records. That can all be attributed to the man in charge: Isiah Thomas.
Thomas was hired as president and general manager of the Knicks midway through the 2003-04 season, and since then, New York has yet to finish the season with a record better than .500. For the past two seasons, Thomas has also coached the Knicks, and the results have not been any better. In his first season as coach, 2006-07, the Knicks finished with a record of 33-49 and failed to reach the playoffs. The 2007-08 season has been just as bad with the Knicks occupying last place in the Atlantic Division for almost the entire year.
As a player, Thomas was one of the game’s absolute best. He won a National Championship at Indiana in 1981 and followed that up with back-to-back NBA Championships with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and ‘90. He is considered one of the best point guards ever to play basketball.
It has been a completely different story on the sidelines and in the front office. The Isiah era in New York has been filled with terrible trades, questionable free agent signings and mediocre drafting. To say the Knicks have struggled under his reign is an understatement.
So why has he failed so horribly in New York? I believe the answer is simple. Isiah Thomas runs the Knicks organization as if he is playing a video game. I know it sounds weird but it makes more sense than you might think. If you look at the Knicks roster on NBA 2K8 they have four players rated with an 80 or higher. By comparison the Los Angeles Lakers only had two players rated 80 or higher before the Pau Gasol trade.
Players like Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry are highly rated players in most video games but are also players that have never been on successful teams in real life. Zach Randolph is rated better than Antawn Jamison, but I bet most GMs would rather have Jamison on their team.
Another important factor to take into account is how players fit together with each other on the court. The Knicks’ roster is filled with guards who can score but who exactly is running the offense? Marbury has basically been banished by the Knicks, leaving tiny Nate Robinson running the point. He is not exactly a pass-first point guard either, averaging only three assists per game on the year. This might work in the video game world but not in the NBA.
Other examples are Curry and Randolph. Both players might be good low-post scorers but their skills basically cancel each other out and neither is capable of playing solid defense. If you look at a championship team like the San Antonio Spurs, their players complement each other well, and they all fit into a particular role. The Knicks are basically just a bunch of individual players doing their own thing.
Lastly, one of the most important factors to take into account when building a team is chemistry. In video games there is no such thing. All of the players in the game are simply computer generated and do not have egos or personalities. They cannot fight with the coach or struggle to mesh with other teammates. They also cannot get into off-the-court problems or start brawls with the Denver Nuggets. Someone with a questionable character like Randolph would never fit on a team like the Spurs. It is no coincidence that San Antonio is also the perfect example for a team that is made up of high character guys with no off-the-court problems.
Now, obviously Thomas does not use NBA 2K8 as his guideline for building the New York Knicks. At least we hope he doesn’t. But whatever his strategy is, it simply is not working. The Knicks are one of the worst teams in the NBA with no real hope for the future. It has gotten so bad that opposing players are getting standing ovations and hearing MVP chants. No one ever thought something like that could happen in New York.
In my opinion, there is only one person to blame and that person is Isiah Thomas. He is the person in charge not only in the front office but also on the court. If one of the NBA’s marquee franchises is going to be saved James Dolan needs to make a change sooner rather than later. For the time being Knicks fan better just hope and pray that all the talk of LeBron James playing in New York someday comes true.
Thomas was hired as president and general manager of the Knicks midway through the 2003-04 season, and since then, New York has yet to finish the season with a record better than .500. For the past two seasons, Thomas has also coached the Knicks, and the results have not been any better. In his first season as coach, 2006-07, the Knicks finished with a record of 33-49 and failed to reach the playoffs. The 2007-08 season has been just as bad with the Knicks occupying last place in the Atlantic Division for almost the entire year.
As a player, Thomas was one of the game’s absolute best. He won a National Championship at Indiana in 1981 and followed that up with back-to-back NBA Championships with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and ‘90. He is considered one of the best point guards ever to play basketball.
It has been a completely different story on the sidelines and in the front office. The Isiah era in New York has been filled with terrible trades, questionable free agent signings and mediocre drafting. To say the Knicks have struggled under his reign is an understatement.
So why has he failed so horribly in New York? I believe the answer is simple. Isiah Thomas runs the Knicks organization as if he is playing a video game. I know it sounds weird but it makes more sense than you might think. If you look at the Knicks roster on NBA 2K8 they have four players rated with an 80 or higher. By comparison the Los Angeles Lakers only had two players rated 80 or higher before the Pau Gasol trade.
Players like Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry are highly rated players in most video games but are also players that have never been on successful teams in real life. Zach Randolph is rated better than Antawn Jamison, but I bet most GMs would rather have Jamison on their team.
Another important factor to take into account is how players fit together with each other on the court. The Knicks’ roster is filled with guards who can score but who exactly is running the offense? Marbury has basically been banished by the Knicks, leaving tiny Nate Robinson running the point. He is not exactly a pass-first point guard either, averaging only three assists per game on the year. This might work in the video game world but not in the NBA.
Other examples are Curry and Randolph. Both players might be good low-post scorers but their skills basically cancel each other out and neither is capable of playing solid defense. If you look at a championship team like the San Antonio Spurs, their players complement each other well, and they all fit into a particular role. The Knicks are basically just a bunch of individual players doing their own thing.
Lastly, one of the most important factors to take into account when building a team is chemistry. In video games there is no such thing. All of the players in the game are simply computer generated and do not have egos or personalities. They cannot fight with the coach or struggle to mesh with other teammates. They also cannot get into off-the-court problems or start brawls with the Denver Nuggets. Someone with a questionable character like Randolph would never fit on a team like the Spurs. It is no coincidence that San Antonio is also the perfect example for a team that is made up of high character guys with no off-the-court problems.
Now, obviously Thomas does not use NBA 2K8 as his guideline for building the New York Knicks. At least we hope he doesn’t. But whatever his strategy is, it simply is not working. The Knicks are one of the worst teams in the NBA with no real hope for the future. It has gotten so bad that opposing players are getting standing ovations and hearing MVP chants. No one ever thought something like that could happen in New York.
In my opinion, there is only one person to blame and that person is Isiah Thomas. He is the person in charge not only in the front office but also on the court. If one of the NBA’s marquee franchises is going to be saved James Dolan needs to make a change sooner rather than later. For the time being Knicks fan better just hope and pray that all the talk of LeBron James playing in New York someday comes true.