Isiah found guilty in harassment case

[Jack.Kerr]

Isiah found guilty in harassment case
Posted: Tuesday October 2, 2007 11:19AM;
Updated: Tuesday October 2, 2007 11:30AM


NEW YORK (AP) -- A jury ruled Tuesday that New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas sexually harassed a top team executive, subjecting the married mother of three to unwanted advances and a barrage of verbal insults.

The jury also found that Madison Square Garden committed harassment against the woman, and ruled that MSG should have to pay her punitive damages. The same jury will now begin deciding the amount of damages.

The harassment verdict was widely expected after the jury sent a note to the judge Monday indicating that it believed Thomas and the other defendants, Madison Square Garden and MSG Chairman James Dolan, sexually harassed plaintiff Anucha Browne Sanders.

[Flacolaco]

I get verbally assaulted around here all the time, and do you think I'm going to see a dime from any of that?

[Dirkadirkastan]

The website d-m.com is guilty of verbal harassment, just as MSG is guilty of sexual harassment(?).

[EricaLubarsky]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

I get verbally assaulted around here all the time, and do you think I'm going to see a dime from any of that?

you old coot, I'm calling the Sunset Squad to take you back to the Near Death Star

[sike]

zeke is a dog and a punk.

[Flacolaco]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

you old coot, I'm calling the Sunset Squad to take you back to the Near Death Star

lol...funny futurama reference = +rep

[Darth Ape]

is that a pubic hair in your coke?

[Evilmav2]

"Excuse me Anucha, do you ever watch the movies of a man named 'Long Dong Silver'?

[Jack.Kerr]

DAD DOLAN READIES MSG AX

October 8, 2007 -- CABLEVISION patriarch Charles Dolan is so "livid" and "embarrassed" over last week's multimillion-dollar sex-harassment victory against Madison Square Garden, which is run by his unpolished son Jim, he's planning a major shakeup of the tarnished "World's Most Famous Arena," sources say.

A high-ranking MSG source said things are so tense since fired Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders won her case that father and son Dolans ended up in an ear-splitting screaming match. Daddy Charles is now mulling management changes from top to bottom, the insider said.

Not only is the elder Dolan, whose company owns the Garden as well as the Knicks and the Rangers, personally upset about the humiliating black eye his empire has been dealt - he also has both the NBA and NHL breathing down his neck to clean things up fast, another insider tells The Post's Patrick Gallahue.

During testimony in her federal civil suit, Sanders, the Knicks' former vice president of marketing, claimed Isiah Thomas called her "bitch" and "ho" and then made sexual advances towards her. Testimony got even sleazier when Knicks star Stephon Marbury told how he bedded an intern in the back of his SUV after a night at a strip club.

In the end, Sanders won a jury verdict award of $11.6 million.

Asked about an impending shake-up, Garden spokesman Barry Watkins said, "I would direct you to our statement from the other day that says we plan to appeal this decision."

The NHL declined to comment and a spokesman for the NBA did not return calls.

But the Garden is now forced to go from one high-profile legal battle to another. Former Rangers cheerleader Courtney Prince will soon take on MSG with her own similarly salacious claims of rampant sexual harassment.

Prince, once captain of the Ranger City Skaters, filed suit against the Garden and James Dolan in 2004, claiming she was bombarded with tasteless sexual remarks and said one executive tried to force his tongue down her throat.

[Jack.Kerr]

Eddy Curry faces long season to shoulder

BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, October 10th 2007, 4:00 AM


Eddy Curry's sore right shoulder could keep him out of the lineup for opening night, and it appears even more likely that the injury will hamper him throughout the season.

Knicks team orthopedist Dr.Answorth Allen examined Curry yesterday in New York and confirmed that he had suffered a labral tear to his shooting arm during a practice drill on Saturday. In a statement, the Knicks said that surgery is not needed and that Curry will work on strengthening his shoulder with treatment and physical therapy.

However, the Knicks would not give a timetable for Curry's return, saying only that their starting center will be reevaluated next week. The Knicks open the 2007-08 season on Nov.2 in Cleveland, and Curry feels he will be ready to go in a couple of weeks.

Curry's injury is not uncommon among professional athletes. A recognized trait among players with labral tears is that they eventually need surgery to repair the damage. The Lakers' Lamar Odom had surgery in May for a similar injury while Houston center Yao Ming continues to play with a shoulder tear.

Perhaps the most notable recent shoulder surgery patient is Miami's Dwyane Wade, who had a procedure over the summer and will not be available for the start of the regular season. Wade sustained a labral tear when he dislocated his shoulder; Curry's labral tear (cartilage) was caused by a subluxation.

Dr. Timothy Reish, a renowned shoulder specialist working in Manhattan, said that a subluxation could cause as much damage to the labrum as a dislocation. Rehabilitation can strengthen the shoulder area, but Curry, much like Yao, runs the risk of aggravating the injury because of daily activity on the basketball court. Any time Curry reaches for a rebound and locks arms with an opposing player, he could damage his shoulder even more. If surgery is required, he would be sidelined at least three months.

If Curry were to be out for an extended period, his absence would not be as devastating to the Knicks as it would have been last season. The arrival of Zach Randolph gives the Knicks their best low-post scorer since the days of Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson. In Monday's exhibition win over Philadelphia, Randolph hit his first six shots and made seven of 10 overall.

Isiah Thomas replaced Curry with David Lee, a high energy player who gives the Knicks more balance when he's on the floor.

"They would be better off with Lee starting and bringing either Eddy or Zach off the bench because they are both scorers," said one NBA coach. "It's a tough call for Isiah but it's probably the right call because Lee is a player. He's good. They need him out there."

LOST IN SPACE: An early candidate to be buried on the Knicks' bench could be Jared Jeffries, their big free agent signing from two summers ago. Jeffries played just seven minutes Monday night against the Sixers.

[u2sarajevo]

Originally Posted by EricaLubarsky

you old coot, I'm calling the Sunset Squad to take you back to the Near Death Star

shhhhh.... he thinks he's in Florida.

[Jack.Kerr]

Recent developments:

1) David Stern says that clearly the Knicks aren't a model of intelligent management.

2) Thomas and Dolan aren't talking anymore.

3) Thomas has hired an outside PR firm to provide pro-Zeke spin.

4) Word leaks out that Thomas wanted to settle the Browne-Sanders case.

5) Dolan is reportedly furious that this information has gotten out.

6) Marubury gets benched twice in the Knicks' opening loss to Cleveland, the second time for the last 8 minutes of the game after failing to defend 4 3-point goals by Daniel Gibson.

Even with Jerome James, Jared Jeffries, Larry Brown, Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury should go down as Thomas' biggest failure, and basically his signature type move--desperate, short-sighted, short-term moves in the hopes of creating enough distraction to play for time. Time should be starting to run out for Thomas.

[Jack.Kerr]

Isiah to self: "What is this noose doing around my neck, and why is it tightening?"

After Dispute, Marbury Is Absent From the Knicks
By HOWARD BECK
Published: November 14, 2007

PHOENIX, Nov. 13 – Stephon Marbury left the Knicks on Tuesday morning following an apparent dispute with Coach Isiah Thomas, leaving the guard’s future with the team unclear.

In five games this season, Stephon Marbury averaged 15.2 points and 6.8 assists for the Knicks.

Marbury was not at the Knicks’ morning shoot-around and was not expected to return for Tuesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns. Thomas did not say whether Marbury would rejoin the team during this week’s four-game road trip, only that he ”is welcome back, and want him as a member of this team.”

Marbury traveled with the team from New York to Phoenix on Monday, but he left Phoenix early Tuesday morning, possibly to return to New York. He also has a home in the Los Angeles area, where the Knicks play Wednesday night. The Knicks would not say where Marbury had gone, but Thomas at one point said, ”We look forward to seeing him tomorrow.”

Thomas declined to say whether Marbury left of his own volition or whether he was asked to leave. Thomas called it ”an in-house matter,” a phrase he invoked 12 times in a seven-minute interview after the team’s shoot-around. The coach also repeatedly stressed that Marbury is welcome to return, though in what role he would not say.

Tension between Marbury, once considered the face of the franchise, and Thomas – who acquired Marbury in a 2004 trade – seems to stem from Marbury’s contributions to the Knicks’ poor start (2-3). He has been indifferent on defense and erratic on offense, most notably in the final minutes of Sunday’s 75-72 loss to the Miami Heat.

Marbury is averaging 15.2 points and 6.8 assists in five games this season, while shooting 40 percent from the field. However, those are not the things that most concern Thomas.

”We need leadership from that position at the point guard, and we also need defense,” Thomas said. ”And those are two things that he’s definitely capable of doing. And when he returns, that’s what I expect out of him. I expect him to lead from that position and I expect him to defend from that position. Those are the only two things that I require from that position.”

Leadership and defense have never been considered Marbury’s strengths during his career as a scoring point guard. His mercurial personality has often pushed away teammates and coaches.

Thomas, who has considered himself a mentor and confidant to Marbury, said he wants him on his team, but he stopped short of committing to Marbury as the starting point guard.

”If he does the things that I want him to do, yes,” Thomas said. When asked if Marbury’s absence was related to a change in role, Thomas was evasive: ”Again, that’s an in-house matter that we’ll try to keep in-house.”

Mardy Collins, a first-round draft pick in 2006, was expected to start at point guard against the Suns, with Nate Robinson serving as his backup.

[alby]

Marbury and the Knicks never meshed, the self acclaimed best point guard in the NBA should join a winning team so people can see how talented this guy really is.

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by alby

Marbury and the Knicks never meshed, the self acclaimed best point guard in the NBA should join a winning team so people can see how talented this guy really is.

I think people have a pretty good idea now--bad deciison maker, slowing up noticeably, unreliable effort. Seriously, I'm starting to suspect that he is learning disabled.

The bigger question would be what team would take him and his god-awful salary. I can't think of a team that's a contender that would be willing to take the risk. If New York released him outright, would a team like Boston or Cleveland even take a chance? Miami? LA?

It's true that he never meshed with anything in New York besides that whore of an intern that he banged in the back of his pickup. But it also has to be pointed out that he didn't mesh with KG in Minnesota, didn't Mash with Van Horn or Martin in NJ, didn't mesh with Stoudemire and Marion in Phoenix. He's never meshed with anyone on a basketball court.

The league would be better off without him.

[Jack.Kerr]

Marbury Goes AWOL

Stephon Marbury has gone AWOL. The Knicks controversial point guard was conspicuously absent from this morning's team practice, putting his Knicks' tenure in jeopardy and throwing the team's season into chaos.

On the day the Daily News reported that the club had decided to reduce Marbury's role and may be discussing severing ties with the Brooklyn-bred hoops star, head coach Isiah Thomas informed the media at this morning's shootaround that second-year guard Mardy Collins will replace Marbury in the starting lineup tonight against the Suns.

Thomas also said that everyone on the team is on notice and hinted that center Eddy Curry may be benched against Phoenix tonight.

Curry attended the shootaround, unlike Marbury, whose whereabouts as of this afternoon were unknown. Marbury made the trip out west with the team on Monday. Tonight's game is the first of a four-game road trip out west.

According to a team source, Marbury became upset after learning he would not start in Phoenix, at which point he threatened not to suit up for the game.

"Any type of penalty or suspension will be in-house and we'll try to keep it within the confines of our team. This is an in-house matter with our team and we'll keep it and leave it at that," Thomas told reporters today. "We hope to see (Marbury) tonight at the game. However, if he's not, make no mistake about it, we want him as a member of our basketball team."

Thomas was unsure if Marbury was still in the Phoenix area. There is a possibility that Marbury returned home to New York. All any of the Knick players would say was that Marbury was not on the team bus when the team departed for their morning practice at the U.S. Airways Center.

[alby]

if he gets bought out, and we have a chance to sign someone 10 cents to the dollar, there shouldn't be any hesitation.

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by alby

if he gets bought out, and we have a chance to sign someone 10 cents to the dollar, there shouldn't be any hesitation.

I don't think Cuban or Avery let him anywhere near the Mavericks.

[Jack.Kerr]

Stephon Marbury threatens to dish info about Isiah Thomas

By FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Wednesday, November 14th 2007, 4:00 AM

The rift between Isiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury has exploded as the guard bolts the Knicks for home and threatens to reveal 'stuff' on his coach.

PHOENIX - Stephon Marbury was 30,000 feet in the air on Monday when he learned that his run with the Knicks was about to crash and burn.

The controversial point guard went AWOL yesterday, casting his future with the club in doubt and placing the Knicks in a state of chaos after only five games. The Daily News has learned that Marbury made his decision to return to home to New York once he was informed on the charter plane Monday afternoon that he would not be starting against the Phoenix Suns.

According to a person close to the team, Marbury's air rage began when Eddy Curry, following a conversation with Isiah Thomas, told Marbury that he and Marbury were being pulled from the starting lineup against the Suns.

Upon hearing that he would back up second-year guard Mardy Collins, Marbury marched toward the front of the plane to meet with Thomas. Five minutes later, an enraged Marbury told his teammates that if he wasn't starting he wouldn't suit up for the game. But it was something else Marbury said that stunned his teammates in the back of the luxury plane.

"Isiah has to start me," Marbury fumed, according to the source. "I've got so much (stuff) on Isiah and he knows it. He thinks he can (get) me. But I'll (get) him first. You have no idea what I know."

It is unclear if Marbury made the same threat directly to Thomas, whose first big move as team president was trading for Marbury. But clearly, the Marbury-Thomas war is officially underway and it promises to get uglier. Early yesterday, Marbury and a friend boarded a plane and returned to New York. Marbury, 30, could conceivably fly to Los Angeles today and rejoin the Knicks for tonight's game against the Clippers. Marbury faces a fine and suspension for every game he misses.

"It seems like he and I kinda go through this every November," Thomas said. "And then a couple of weeks go by and we kinda kiss and make up and we get back to the business of trying to win basketball games. Hopefully, in the next couple of days this will be resolved."

Marbury didn't show up for yesterday's morning shootaround on the same day The News reported that Thomas and Garden chairman James Dolan had been in discussions about reducing Marbury's role with the idea of eventually severing ties with the former All-Star.

Two media outlets reported that Marbury sent them text messages to say he had Thomas' permission to leave the team. The Knicks would not comment on the reports.

Marbury is scheduled to earn $42million through next season, so a trade seems out of the question. A buyout is a possibility since Dolan has given lucrative severance packages to Scott Layden, Don Chaney, Lenny Wilkens, Larry Brown, Shandon Anderson, Maurice Taylor and Jerome Williams. Thomas denied that the Knicks are looking to either trade or release Marbury.

"That is an in-house matter and we will continue to keep it in-house," Thomas said. "Make no mistake about it - we do want him as a member of this basketball team. He is welcomed back."

For years, Thomas has been Marbury's strongest advocate, always siding with him whenever Marbury feuded with teammates or coaches. But their relationship was strained this summer after Marbury acted in a bizarre manner during several television interviews. Also, Marbury's testimony during the Anucha Browne Sanders sexual harassment trial reflected poorly on Thomas, who was eventually found liable in the case.

The trial revealed what those around the team already knew - that it was Marbury's show and whatever antics he pulled, he always had Thomas' blessing. But Marbury's testimony and Dolan's testimony damaged Thomas' case and now Thomas is the one whose public image has taken a beating.

Thomas is under the microscope more than ever, and his decision to remove Marbury from the starting lineup looks like an act of desperation as well as a case of trying to use Marbury as a scapegoat.

Marbury is still a better starting point guard than either Collins or Nate Robinson. Thomas said Marbury can regain his starting job as long as he does the "things I want him to do."

"We need leadership from that position and we also need defense, and those are two things that he is definitely capable of doing," Thomas said. "When he returns that's what I expect from him. I expect him to lead from that position and I expect him to defend from that position. Those are the only two things I require from that position."

[DevinHarriswillstart]

Thomas is such a piece of crap and so is Marbury. Thomas even admitted that his happens "every november"....wow. It is loooooong over-do for some damage control and it starts with firing Thomas.

[dirt_dobber]

some reports are that punches were thrown on the plane.

Isiah and Marbury deserve one another

[alby]

imagine if someone tried to punch Avery--

he would do the exact same thing Isiah did, bench the disrespecting fool.

After that, Cuban, would then fire or trade the guy as soon as he could.
Thus, the onus has to fall on the owner and in this case, its Dolan's fault. Not Isiah's IMO.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by alby

imagine if someone tried to punch Avery

I think they'd only get one hit in on the Little General...

[Stranger]

It's such an embarrassment for the league to have all this stuff going on with one of their highest-profile franchises.

[dude1394]

Heard he was fined 190K. He claims that Isiah said he could leave, isiah won't say either way (probably smarting over that last lawsuit). Man that's a TON o' dollars. Maybe just a paycheck now that I think about it.

[Jack.Kerr]

Stephon Marbury still king of Knicks court

BY FRANK ISOLA
Friday, November 16th 2007, 4:00 AM

"She thinks she runs the Knicks. She don't run ---. This is my team."
- Stephon Marbury on former Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders

SACRAMENTO - And the truth shall set them free-falling.

Stephon Marbury was right on the money years ago when he allegedly told a Madison Square Garden employee exactly how the power structure works with the Knicks. James Dolan may be boss and Isiah Thomas team president/coach. But Marbury is king. And it's good to be the king.

After going AWOL for 24 hours, Marbury played 34 minutes in Wednesday night's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Sure, he momentarily lost his starting job, but that decision by Thomas was window dressing. If the embattled coach really wanted to send a message to his controversial point guard, Thomas would have benched Marbury for most if not the entire game.

Instead, Thomas all but condoned Marbury's actions and by doing so he alienated some of his most loyal supporters inside the Knicks' divided locker room. Yahoo! Sports reported that Thomas asked Jamal Crawford to poll the players on whether Marbury should play, and that even though they voted unanimously to bench Marbury, Thomas overruled the decision, which furthered angered the players.

Afterward, the tension in the locker room was palpable. There hasn't been this much grumbling among Knick players since Don Nelson made Anthony Mason, and not Patrick Ewing, the focal point of the offense 12 years ago.(Note to Mavs' fans)

"My goal is to try to win a basketball game," Thomas said Wednesday night after the Knicks fell to 2-5. "I've played with people I don't like. I've won with people I don't like. We're a professional basketball team, and my job is to try and win the basketball game. However I feel about a person doesn't matter. We're trying to win. Whatever happened in the past is in the past and we move forward."

The team that takes the floor tonight against the Kings is in a state of chaos, and Thomas' job security has been weakened. And now his credibility with the players has been severely damaged.

Think about it: if Thomas' decisions are solely based on winning, how can he explain the move to bench Marbury in favor of Mardy Collins in the first place? On Monday, when Marbury found out about the impending switch during the charter flight to Phoenix, he became enraged and booked a plane ride back to New York the next morning.

Marbury may have lost a step defensively but he is still a better option than Collins. Crawford has been just as bad defensively while Eddy Curry is the Knicks' biggest disappointment through seven games.

But Marbury was singled out, adding validity to the report that Dolan, the Garden chairman, was behind the move. Dolan marched into Thomas' office following Sunday's loss to Miami and met with him for 20minutes. About 15 hours later, Thomas was at war with Marbury, who has never been one to back down from a public fight.

He then threw a wrench into Dolan's plan by going AWOL and turning the episode into yet another media-relations disaster for the Knicks, who now own the world record in that category.

Marbury even violated Dolan's sacred media policy when he sent a text message to two news outlets to explain his side. For a moment, Marbury was Latrell Sprewell without cornrows. And we all know what became of Sprewell, a star who was embraced by Knicks fans and who once played in a playoff game with a broken foot. But when Sprewell violated Dolan's absurd media policy, his days in New York were over.

Marbury is now being betrayed by his former bootlickers who live their lives in fear of Dolan turning on them.

But Marbury may have a surprise weapon. The Daily News reported that Marbury, upon learning that he was being benched, told teammates on Monday that if Thomas followed through with the move he would go public with dirt that he has on his coach.

Marbury said on Wednesday that it is not in his character to make such threats. But he may have something incriminating on his coach. Thomas blinked first. The players wanted Marbury to sit, only to see Thomas play him for 34 minutes while chalking it up as coaching to win.

But the Knicks still lost and Thomas is losing control. His job could be the next thing he loses. But then, maybe Thomas has got dirt on Dolan.

[Jack.Kerr]

Stephon Marbury rejoins Knicks following one-game absence

By FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Thursday, November 15th 2007, 4:00 AM

LOS ANGELES - A smiling Stephon Marbury sauntered into the Knicks' locker room last night without a care in the world or a starting job for that matter.

The AWOL point guard rejoined the Knicks here yesterday after abruptly leaving the team and returning to New York on Tuesday because he was upset that Isiah Thomas was benching him.

"This is not my battle to fight," Marbury said on the floor at Staples Center following a 20-minute pregame workout. "I'm here to play basketball. I'm just going to concentrate on that. I'm going to leave it internal like Isiah said. And I would respect if everyone could respect that."

If Thomas' goal was to publicly humiliate Marbury, the plan worked, at least for now. Why Thomas waited just five games into the season to pick a Larry Brown-like fight with Marbury remains unclear. Marbury - who played 34 minutes off the bench last night, scoring 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting - hasn't been at the top of his game, but other than Zach Randolph, the other starters have all struggled. And yet, Thomas hasn't been as publicly critical of Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson or Eddy Curry.

There is a feeling among some people associated with the team that Marbury is being used as a scapegoat for Thomas' troubles both on the court and in the court of law. Marbury is an easy target following a summer that included several bizarre television appearances as well as his salacious testimony during the Anucha Browne Sanders sexual harassment trial.

Marbury, however, wasn't on trial. Thomas was found liable in the case, and the jury awarded approximately $12 million in damages to Browne Sanders.

There is evidence that Marbury feels he is being unfairly singled out. The Daily News reported yesterday that Marbury became enraged on the team's charter plane on Monday after learning of Thomas' decision to bench him. Marbury, according to a source, told his teammates that Thomas would be foolish to use him as a backup.

"Isiah has to start me," Marbury fumed, according to the source. "I've got so much (stuff) on Isiah and he knows it. He thinks he can (get) me. But I'll (get) him first. You have no idea what I know."

Another published report claims that Marbury and Thomas were involved in an altercation on the plane. The Knicks denied the reports of a fight between their head coach and star point guard. In fact, Thomas referred to his feud with Marbury as a "cold war."

After last night's loss to the Clippers, Thomas - when asked about Marbury - said: "I've played with people I don't like, I've won with people I don't like. We're a professional basketball team. My job is to try and win the basketball game.

"However I feel about a person, that doesn't matter. We're tying to win. Whatever happened in the past is in the past."

Marbury had financial reasons for wanting to return as quickly as possible. According to one report, the 30-year-old veteran was fined more than $182,000 for missing the loss to Phoenix, which would seem to contradict Marbury's claim that he was given permission to return to New York. With Marbury scheduled to make $20.1 million this season, he was docked 1/110th of his salary.

Thomas would neither confirm nor deny Marbury's penalty while sticking to his new favorite catch-phrase, "we're going to keep that in-house." There is a possibility that the fine was handed down because Marbury violated James Dolan's infamous media policy. Marbury text-messaged two media outlets to say he was granted permission to leave.

Thomas chose not to clarify whether Marbury left on his own accord or was told to leave. Marbury did tell reporters that he planned to apologize to his teammates for missing the loss in Phoenix.

"I plan to tell them that this has to do with Isiah and myself," Marbury said.

Last night, Thomas announced that Marbury would play and that he would be backing up Fred Jones. It was Marbury's first non-start in a Knicks uniform since his first game with the franchise in January, 2004. In the end, Thomas got want he wanted - Marbury accepting a reduced role.

"I'm satisfied that he believes he is capable of leading this team," Thomas said. "He's capable of playing great defense and those are the two things I demand from that position.

"Sometimes there are tough lessons that need to be learned and tough things that we need to do. Those things were done to me as a player, and for every player that has earned and worn a championship ring there is a heavy price to pay."

[Jack.Kerr]

THOMAS TENURE NEEDS TO CLOSE

By PETER VECSEY

November 16, 2007 -- FOR over a month now, in fact, within days after James Dolan and Isiah Thomas got posterized in a court of law by Anucha Browne-Sanders, Charles Dolan, the brains that created Cablevision, began showing up at Madison Square Garden twice a week for meetings that lasted four or five hours at a time.

“Before then I'd never seen the old man, not once," said a veteran Garden employee.

No, not the security guard James Dolan recently threatened to fire for failing to open the car gate quickly enough.

And, no, not the security guard James Dolan verbally bullied because a delivery truck had parked too close to his parking spot.

In any event, the father's commanding presence was an incontrovertible sign the son, at long last, was being held accountable in some manner for years of wretched management and unseemly executive-on-down behavior that's polluted the organization's atmosphere and compelled even many hardcore fans to turn away in disgust.

In conversations with the father and the son, one can only hope and pray David Stern warned, unless sanity and decorum is restored overnight, some form of eminent domain would be declared; how much longer can he tolerate this fungus among us?

If only the NBA commissioner wielded the power to take over temporary control of the Knicks; first move, reinstate former Garden president Bob Gutowski as their caretaker; then fire Isiah Thomas as president and coach.

Even with James Dolan still in charge, I was fairly convinced Thomas' termination was going to happen Wednesday night following the Knicks' loss to the Clippers in LA - their fifth in seven games -or yesterday.

I continue to believe it could occur before tonight's game with the Kings in Sacramento (a halfway suitable replacement must be unearthed), and I'm not the only one.

The same source who tipped me off the Knicks had decided to buy out Larry Brown called to say Thomas had informed him Dolan was coming out west (a team official branded it inaccurate) to see him and sensed he was in severe job jeopardy.

Then again, that just might be wishful thinking. A couple Knick players and at least one staff member get the distinct impression Thomas wants to be fired and is going to extremes (I offer for evidence the bizarrely stained, even for Isiah, Stephon Marbury misadventure) to give Dolan no other choice.

Since Thomas' reputation is unredeemable and the players appear unreachable the gameplan - regardless whether it's conscious or subconscious - may very well be to get emotional relief, distance himself and his family from pervasive ridicule, take the severance and burrow deep.

If true, as usual Thomas is so inept he can't even get himself fired. Nothing he does - coaching appointments, trades, free agent signings, buyouts in the hundreds of millions of dollars - works. Even drafting Renaldo Balkman so high backfired when it turned out he had game.

Nothing, not even the Browne-Sanders verdict, provoked James Dolan to do what was right and get rid of the persons (guaranteed Steve Mills is a lost Anucha appeal away from being evicted as Garden COO) responsible for making such a stink and not cleaning it up.

Optimist that I am, I believe Dolan is on the verge of fumigating the premises. What everyone wants to know is why he supports losers so long? Obviously, it's his compulsive repulsiveness; he gets attached to someone or something or an affliction and he holds on tight no matter how much it messes up his life, his business or his pleasure.

If Dolan can endure so much suffering, his attitude is probably, why should family, employees and patrons have a problem with it.

The other question we want answered is, if Thomas doesn't get bounced for making a fool out of the Knicks and himself for allegedly authorizing Steph Infection to miss the Suns game (Garden interns' skirts were at half-mast) and then playing him his normal 34 minutes against the Clippers, what must he do to get fired?

1. Refer to Mrs. Dolan as a “nappy-headed ho.";
2. Grope any number of Rockettes ... twice;
3. Refinance the Garden with an adjustable rate mortgage;
4. Retire Latrell Sprewell's number;
5. Add OJ Simpson, gun drawn, as an assistant coach;
6. Take in Osama bin Laden as a border;
7. Run any future lineup changes through Tim Donaghy first;
8. Become a pitchman for DirecTV;
9. Use company letterhead to write Next Town Brown a letter of reference;
10. Testify alongside Marbury for Anucha at the appeal.

[Jack.Kerr]

Knick losses mount in television ratings, too

Friday, November 16th 2007, 4:00 AM

James Dolan and his father, Charles (Man From Monopoly) Dolan, have been trying to take Cablevision private. They should put similar effort into taking the Knicks into hiding.

The next inevitable embarrassment to their alleged NBA franchise is lurking somewhere around the corner. While it won't bother these two outstanding pillars of the business community, it will rub what's left of the Knicks' shrinking fan base the wrong way.

Still, Guitar Jimmy and his pops won't have to rent out some faraway sewer for the Knicks to play in. Fans are already in the process of depositing the Knickerbockers into the NBA's version of the Witness Protection Program.

The Knicks' ratings on the MSGulag Network are plummeting. They already are down 27%, from a 1.53 (through the first seven games) in 2006-07 to a 1.14 at the same point this season.

This is unusual for two reasons:

Early in the season, even with an overpaid team as poorly constructed as Isiah Thomas' Knicks, there are optimistic/gullible fans, along with some columnists and radio gasbags, who actually believe the team will make the playoffs. It's reasonable to believe the Knicks would attract this loyal legion of Pollyannas to the tube.

Plus, even in the early going, the Knicks as a TV product had another huge thing going for them - controversy. The team's recent ratings history shows when a soap opera oozes out of Dolan's dysfunctional NBA property, TV ratings rise.

When Stephon Marbury went AWOL in Phoenix, it looked like he was finally going to earn the money Dolan wasted on him. If the past proves anything, diehard Knicks fans - and other casual observers crucial toward juicing TV ratings - would tune in Tuesday to 1) See Thomas squirm in front of the media and 2) See how the team responded without Marbury.

Then, on Wednesday, the table was set for more controversy and an even better rating. What would Marbury do upon his return? How would Thomas react? Would there be any fireworks in L.A. before, during, or after the Knicks-Clippers tilt?

The game recorded a .93, a rating only an NHL team could love. The night before in Phoenix, Marbury's desert escape left viewers high and dry. Knicks-Suns did a 1.06 rating. For Dolan & Co., this is a horrible sign. It's also terribly bad for Madison Square Garden's business.

Return to the 2005-06 season, the chaotic Larry Brown year, when all the Knicks had to sell was controversy, which included: Dolan paying all that dough to land Brown, who immediately started to whine; the static surrounding Eddy Curry's "bad heart"; Brown and Marbury getting into it early in the season (with Thomas stirring the pot "behind the scenes"); Brown's ever changing lineups; Thomas/Dolan being sued for sexual harassment by Anucha Browne Sanders; Antonio Davis going into the seats to "protect" his wife and Nate Robinson "winning" the All-Star Slam Dunk contest.

It all helped keep ratings relatively healthy well into that disastrous season. Through 55 games that year, the Knicks on MSG were averaging a 1.31 rating, up 7% from the 1.22 average rating the Knicks recorded at the same point the previous season.

Now, a Knicks controversy that played out on the front and back pages and produced a constant stream of talk-show yammering did not move the ratings needle. Knicks turmoil has become so commonplace it is perceived as business as usual.

The anemic ratings can also be linked to the lasting images produced during the Browne Sanders trial. The three faces of the franchise - Dolan, Thomas and Marbury - already were not likeable. Now, they are despicable as well.

As he spoke out of both sides of his mouth about Marbury this week, Thomas again anointed himself as the consummate phoney. Dolan is a clueless bully. Marbury, already a blight on the franchise, provided further reason to ignore his enablers so skilled at making excuses for him. He is a selfish, self-absorbed, malcontent.

With this cast of characters, why would any rational person invest an evening watching the Knicks play?

Reality must be setting in on advertisers who choose to continue having their products associated with a franchise whose two top executives were found liable for sexual harassment. These companies also must be proud that their products are attached to a team whose star player recently threatened his coach.

Lovely. Just another sleazy Knicks controversy. Unfortunately, it's not doing anything for the ratings. The only way out is winning. That won't happen. This is a mess.

Not ready for prime time.

[Jack.Kerr]

1) Dolan Sr. has started showing up at Madison Garden twice a week for 4-5 hour meetings.

2) Dolan Jr. has MSG security tailing players and staff to see who's talking to Frank Isola

3) Some thought that Dolan Jr. is behind the move to reduce Marbury's profile, and ultimately get him off the team

4) Some thought that Isiah is trying to get fired so he doesn't lose all of his contract

5) Some thought that Dolan intends to attempt to nullify Isiah's contract 'for cause' once the sexual harassment appeal fails

6) Knicks' television ratings down

7) What does Marbury know on Isiah?

8) What does Thomas know on Dolan?

9) What does Dolan know on Stern?

[nowhereman]

According to Reggie Miller on PTI regarding the Knicks, America is built on great success and comeback stories. And thus we should root for Isiah, because if he turns it around in New York and they start winning, it would be a great success story.

Reggie Miller is an idiot.

[alby]

i just watched it.. what an entertaining segment from the best show on television

[alby]

19/4
28/6

for starbury in the last two games

edit* i really don't want the guy unless he comes extremely cheap (francis in houston), especially with the emergence of devin dash harris

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by alby

19/4
28/6

for starbury in the last two games

edit* i really don't want the guy unless he's extremele cheap (franchise in houston), especially with the emergence of devin dash harris

RE starbury's numbers---you should also note that the player that Thomas has kind of tried to designate as the franchise cornerstone, Eddy Curry, had something like 8 points in the last game. When Marbury's numbers come at the expense of the player they're trying to build the franchise around, something tells me they're not getting what they want out of the point guard long-term.

Marbury has had a few streaks of games over the last couple of years where he put up numbers. Knicks would win a couple of games, then just as suddenly, his production would dry up and they'd go into a tailspin.

You're correct not to want Marbury, particularly given Harris' play. Not worth the risk.

[Jack.Kerr]

Thomas Settles Harassment Case

Article Tools Sponsored By
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 10, 2007
Filed at 6:20 p.m. ET


NEW YORK (AP) -- Madison Square Garden and New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas have settled the sexual harassment case brought by a former team executive who had been awarded $11.6 million in punitive damages by a jury, both sides announced Monday.

The deal came as compensatory damages were about to be added and as the executive, Anucha Browne Sanders, was preparing to return to U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where her description several weeks ago of her ordeal with the Knicks exposed the club's tawdry side, from its dysfunctional clubhouse to its star player's sexual exploits with a Knicks intern.

"I am extremely pleased that we have reached a settlement," Browne Sanders said in a statement.

MSG said: "We don't feel any less strongly than we did throughout the entire episode. The outcome was a travesty of justice, and we vehemently disagree with the jury's decision, however, at the strong request of (the NBA commissioner) and in the interest of focusing on basketball, we can all agree that it is time for us to move on and put this issue behind us."

Thomas added: "As I have said before, I am completely innocent. This decision doesn't change that. However, this is the best course for Madison Square Garden, and I fully support it."

The terms of the settlement were not immediately disclosed.

[dude1394]

Is that harrassment of a basketball team?

[mary]

How the eff is this man still employed?

[Jack.Kerr]

Originally Posted by mary

How the eff is this man still employed?

Good question. This doesn't answer it though.

Thomas apparently had heard enough. Late in the game, he could be seen debating some fans sitting near the court. One of those fans, Mara Altschuler, was so enraged by the discussion that she sought out reporters after the final buzzer.

“He said it’s the fans’ fault because they don’t have a good sixth man,” said Altschuler, who has season tickets near midcourt. Her family has had the seats for more than 40 years, since the old Garden, she said.

Thomas was evasive when asked about the argument.

“I was just trying to make sure that we kept the team together and we stayed focused on what we were doing, in trying to win a basketball game,” he said. “Our fans are great. They support us and they show up and we’re glad they’re here.”

Asked again if he had argued with the fans, Thomas gave an almost identical response. A team spokesman cut off his postgame interview after only five questions.

[Jack.Kerr]

So Dolan is having Madison Square Garden security personnel eject fans who yell at Isiah, or hold up signs suggesting that he be fired. Two thoughts come to mind:

1) What if EVERYONE in the arena brought a sign?

2) What if NO ONE showed up?

Just a matter of time, folks. I mean, they had MIKE FREAKIN' DUNLEAVY doin' a Jordan on 'em. Think about it.

Pacers 119, Knicks 92
Thomas’s Criticism Caps Knicks’ Ugly Night



Do you know this fan? A fan at Madison Square Garden expressed his displeasure with Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas and was escorted from the arena. The New York Times would like to talk to this fan. E-Mail the Sports Editor at sports@nytimes.com.

Article Tools Sponsored By
By HOWARD BECK
Published: December 18, 2007

Isiah Thomas seemingly has a built-in mute button that self-activates every time he feels the impulse to blast his players. The device either went dead or shorted out Monday night after Thomas again watched his team collapse.

The Indiana Pacers decked the Knicks, 119-92, at Madison Square Garden. Then, Thomas, who recently said his team needed more love, not tongue-lashings, threw the mightiest blow.

He questioned the Knicks’ heart, their grit and their pride and, by implication, every other macho trait that professional athletes hold dear. In the process, Thomas also distanced himself from his players.

“There are a lot of things that can be said about me and teams that I’ve coached and the way I played, but I’ve never been accused of not having heart or competing,” Thomas said. “And tonight was very discouraging to me because we didn’t collectively play with heart and compete like I know I do.”

This was a difficult point to argue after the Pacers (13-12) outscored the Knicks by 55-28 over the final 17 minutes 51 seconds. The score was tied at 64-64 midway through the third quarter when the Knicks (7-17) inexplicably collapsed.

“We don’t have the grit to sustain a run,” Thomas said during a six-minute postgame news conference devoted entirely to these themes. “A team makes a run at us and collectively we just cave. We just give in.”

Thomas later concluded, “I can give you a lot of things, but I can’t give you pride and heart.” He said he looked forward to the day when the questions would be about what he did wrong strategically, and not “about heart and courage.”

It was a scathing indictment of a roster that Thomas, as team president, assembled himself. He declined to say whether personnel changes were needed, but left open the possibility of a lineup shuffle.

“Clearly, we have to do some things different,” he said. “So yeah, everything’s up in the air.”

Eddy Curry, whose 16 points were nearly offset by foul trouble and 7 turnovers, politely disagreed with his coach’s assessment.

“I don’t think we’re lacking heart in any kind of way,” Curry said. “I think every single guy on this team has heart.”

He added, “We’re going to bounce back, and we’ll start winning some games here.”

It will have to start with some appearance of defense. The Pacers shot 58.3 percent Monday and became the fifth team to beat the Knicks by 20 or more points. The rangy forward Mike Dunleavy scored a career-high 36 points to lead the resurgent Pacers, who also got 22 points from Jermaine O’Neal.

Stephon Marbury — a little thinner and still coping with the death of his father — returned to the Knicks after a four-game absence. He played off the bench, logged 30 minutes and finished with 16 points. Zach Randolph led the Knicks with 28 points, with only 6 in the second half, and 9 rebounds.

The Knicks trailed by 12 in the first half, pulled even at 64-64 in the third quarter, then fell behind by 12 again before the period was over. Dunleavy scored 14 straight points as Indiana took the lead for good. He either scored or assisted on the Pacers’ last 18 points of the period.

By then, the boos and the “Fire Isiah” chants were at full throttle. It did not help the crowd’s mood when the Knicks City Dancers were prevented from doing their routine between the final two quarters. Officials had to hold up the intermission while reviewing replays of a foul at the third-quarter buzzer. By the time it was all sorted out, there was no time for the dancers.

There was already a strange air to the evening. Before the game, a number of Pacers were buzzing about a report that Curry had guaranteed a Knicks victory. The only problem was that it was not true. It was not entirely clear where the report came from or how it got circulated, although it was possibly the result of a reporter’s sarcastic joke at the Knicks’ morning shootaround.

Curry possesses no such braggadocio, but the Pacers believed it. “It was mentioned,” Dunleavy said. “It kind of perks you up a little bit.”

O’Neal, who played for Thomas earlier in his career and remains fiercely loyal to him, said Thomas was not to blame and should not be fired.

“It’s up to the players,” O’Neal said. “Whoever comes in or whatever the situation is, they’re still going to have the same problem. They have a lot of talent over there, guys who can do things individually. But as we know, talent doesn’t always win games. It takes a team to win games in this league. It’s sad to see the fans think it’s Isiah’s fault.”

REBOUNDS

Spike Lee spent the worst part of the Knicks’ season away from the Garden and safely out of broadcast range. Lee, a season-ticket holder, recently returned from Italy, where he spent five months working on “Miracle at St. Anna,” a World War II drama. That is not to say, however, that he was immune from the Knicks’ misery. He checked scores regularly on his Blackberry. “Oh, that Boston game hurt me,” Lee said with a chuckle, referring to the Knicks’ 45-point loss. “They’ll be all right,” he said. “You look at the standings in the Atlantic Division, only two teams are over .500. We’ve got three-quarters of a season left.”

[Jack.Kerr]

2nd Thought:

Eddy Curry is playing like a 6-11, 285 lb. Mark Aguirre (who happens to be the assistant coach assigned to his development).

A soft, no-heart, no-guts, quitter, who CAN score in bunches from the low post, except in crunch time. No defense, no rebounding, no passing.

The Knicks put one of the biggest pussies in the history of the NBA in charge of Curry's development, and wonder why he's playing like a pussy.

"Patrick Ewing to the orange and blue courtesy phone, please."