AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – James Dolan did not give Isiah Thomas the pink slip late Tuesday night that the bloodthirsty Garden chanted for. Instead he gave him a soothing hug. Ugh!
But how long will it be for Dolan to show some guts and send Thomas packing? It is the biggest question in New York sports.
“I think everybody within the organization and close to myself and close to our players – after the tattooing we got (Tuesday) night – its safe to say that everyone is kind of rubbing us and telling us its going to be OK,” Thomas said of his 15-minute postgame meeting with Dolan following their 108-82 drubbing to Golden State. “(Tuesday) night is over. Thank God.”
It appears Thomas’ players have quit on him, he seems to be quitting on them and Dolan has quit giving fans assurances that things will get better than their nauseating state.
It is awfully uncharacteristic Thomas uncharacteristically is taking the fall for the team’s dreadful record, as if asking to be fired if he can’t turn it around.
Thomas has never admitted to being wrong before, even after the CBA collapsed under his watch. But for the last two days, he’s begging to be blamed – a far cry from his usual spin job.
“It’s not about the players right now,” Thomas said last night. “It’s about me. This is where coaching comes in. This where I got to make sure I give my team enough confidence and courage to compete and execute a game plan. When you’re in a hole like this, it’s not about the players, it’s about the coach. It’s up to me to pull us out of this.”
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Thomas said he was “thankful” Stephon Marbury decided to be with the team last night, skipping his Aunt Helen’s funeral in New York. Thomas said Marbury had permission to go to the funeral and miss the game. Marbury scored eight in the Knicks’ 98-86 loss in Detoit.