Liberty forward Swin Cash, vice president of the WNBA’s union, admitted at Sunday’s first day of practice the players have had “questions’’ and “concerns’’ over the Isiah Thomas hiring. She believes a meeting with James Dolan cleared a lot up, but still is taking a wait-and-see approach.
Dolan, who owns the Garden, and Thomas, the new Liberty president and part-owner, met with the players Saturday for a clearing-the-air session in the wake of Thomas’ controversial hiring two weeks ago.
Cash said the players appreciated the meeting’s frankness in tackling Thomas being linked to a 2007 sexual harassment trial in which the Garden was found liable for a “hostile work environment’’ and paid former Knicks marketing director Anucha Browne Sanders $11.6 million in damages.
“We don’t know how it’s going to play out,’’ Cash said. “We’re like everybody else, walking this thing day to day. That’s my only concern, how we’re going to face this and move forward.’’
Thomas’ hiring caused a furor on two fronts: his being implicated in the sexual harassment suit and his presence as a future threat to Knicks president Phil Jackson, noticeably silent on the matter since the announcement and obviously none too thrilled at speculation Thomas is after his job.
“This isn’t a situation we were asked to be in,’’ Cash said. “We’re in it now. We’re dealing with it and then you move forward. … Of course you have questions at the beginning.’’
The WNBA still must approve Thomas’ ownership bid, and the union said it’s “monitoring’’ the situation.
Thomas watched the first day of practice from a viewing area, never stepping foot on the court at the Tarrytown facility, where the Knicks were scheduled to work out draft prospect Willie Cauley-Stein. Thomas wore a black sweatsuit with a Liberty logo on his lapel but said he’s not allowed to talk to the press until Thursday’s Media Day.
“I’m the VP of the Players Association, having to look at things with a fine-tooth comb,’’ said Cash, a WNBA veteran who also does TV work. “A lot of these players were in high school and don’t understand the magnitude of the things that happened. I can truly say I don’t think there’s one player on the floor right now [who] would say they condone domestic violence or sexual harassment. As an employee, you want to hear answers and figure out how you want to be in your work environment. They’ve handled it with a lot of maturity. My major concern was how it affects us day to day as one of the leaders.”
Not exactly a ringing endorsement. The Thomas addition likely will boost sagging attendance, promote the WNBA and, Dolan hopes, improve a team that has suffered through two straight non-playoff seasons. This is why Dolan made the move despite knowing he would be ripped publicly.
“It was appreciated they came to us without having to ask,’’ Cash said of the Dolan and Thomas meeting. “The union is going to have conversations. They’ve been in contact with management. I don’t know the league’s position. Our job is to handle our environment. I felt they were open and honest. They really addressed all the issues and not just being politically correct. They laid all of it out for us. We had opportunity to ask questions and engage with them.”
Behind the scenes, Thomas consulted with the Liberty for four months. Liberty veteran Essence Carson has met with Thomas multiple times.
“My personal experience with Isiah has been nothing but professional, I have no complaints. I can’t speak for everyone,’’ Carson said. “I expect it to remain the same. I expect it that way for players 1 to 15 and the Liberty [front] office.’’
“Being here with this company [for seven years], I trust MSG have made the appropriate steps and appropriate hiring of Isiah. As women, we demand respect of each other, and we’re sure everyone welcome to the Liberty family will uphold that standard.”
Cash believes the Hall-of-Fame Piston can help on the basketball side.
“In basketball things, he’s won championships,’’ Cash said. “You can’t take someone’s basketball IQ and their winning experience away from him. If there’s things he can add and talk to players about, I’m sure he will. It’s not like he’ll be here day to day, but maybe. We’re not necessarily sure.”