Dolan told Knicks president he won't rehire Thomas

phantom9000

Benchwarmer
As Donnie Walsh moves closer to his second marriage with James Dolan, the Knicks president does so with assurance from the club's owner that he has given up on the idea of hiring back Isiah Thomas in any capacity, The Post has learned.
Walsh, who is close to finalizing a new deal with the Knicks, is confident he no longer needs to be threatened by the dark cloud of Thomas, according to two people familiar with the situation. Walsh is expected to be granted permission to hire his successor as a central part of a new agreement that should be formally announced shortly. A two-year contract extension has been discussed. The sources told The Post Dolan has remained friendly with Thomas but no longer trusts him to the point of giving him another basketball job. Last August, Dolan hired Thomas as a part-time consultant amid a vicious public backlash, but the NBA blocked the move, citing a conflict of interest because he was a college head coach at Florida International University.Walsh was devastated that Dolan made the move without his blessing.The sources said in recent months -- since the Carmelo Anthony blockbuster -- Dolan has been convinced by his Garden lieutenants that giving Thomas another crack in the future would be unwise. It is unclear what the exact breaking point was.
Dolan clearly was unnerved by reports Thomas had helped orchestrate the Anthony trade. Dolan was concerned Thomas has lobbied for his candidacy secretly to members of the media.
In fact, Dolan's lieutenants became increasingly uncomfortable with Thomas speaking on the Knicks in a public forum. Thomas once failed to deny he was advising Dolan on Anthony negotiations in a Miami radio interview.
That Thomas, who has been plotting a return for three years, would one day become Walsh's successor seemed afait accompli last August. After commissioner David Stern prevented Thomas from taking the Knicks' consulting position, Dolan released an adoring statement.
"Although I'm disappointed that Isiah will not be working with the Knicks as a consultant, I continue to believe in his basketball knowledge, including his ability to judge talent," the statement read. "He's a good friend of mine and of the organization, and I will continue to solicit his views. He will always have strong ties to me and the Knicks.''
Nevertheless, at the Anthony press conference in February, Dolan's tone changed regarding Thomas despite acknowledging their friendship. Dolan upstaged the proceedings to hammer the point Thomas was completely a non-factor in the deal.
I will also say this very directly," Dolan said at the time. "While Isiah Thomas is a friend of mine, a very good friend of mine, he was not at all involved in this process. He wasn't advising me or telling me what to do in any way. And any report implied is simply untrue and fiction in somebody's mind.'' In the past, Dolan always had tried to make Thomas look good, having thanked him at the Amar'e Stoudemire press conference last July for helping the recruitment.
Meanwhile, Walsh and Dolan seem back on the same page with the owner sympathetic to Walsh's concerns that he had lost complete control of basketball operations."They're getting to a good place," the source said.
There have been minor issues that are being worked out as Walsh grew concerned about too many advertisers and sponsors riding the team plane and being in the locker room, causing a distraction. Even coach Mike D'Antoni grew weary of the distractions.
Walsh also wants in his new agreement assurance marketing executives won't be permitted to speak to player agents to arrange guest appearances without his approval.
Amar'e Stoudemire appeared on Letterman twice and George Lopez once. Anthony was on Letterman, and they both made a cameo on Sesame Street without Walsh's knowledge.
Yesterday, Anthony and his wife La La Vazquez appeared on The View, but Walsh is unbothered by offseason activities.
Those appear minor issues to be finalized. The big one is this: The Thomas Cloud has lifted.
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/isiah_free_GC1c8OXAWrEsIrllpXWIaO/0
finally dolan has learned
 

MSGhobo247

Rotation player
Walsh =

Godfather_PK_3-RR-Xsm.jpg
 

finestrg

Rotation player
Good for Donnie, man. He needed these assurances, esp. the big one concerning Isiah. I don't blame him on any of these points. Not one bit...The man is flat out very good at what he does and I feel 100% confident in allowing him an opportunity to finish the job he started here. As a Knick fan, I'd be damn proud to have him back...Hopefully he'll have full autonomy on what goes on here from now on or damn close to it..Dolan just doesn't have a damn clue---it's unbelieveable to me just how big an ass-clown this guy really is. Mind-boggling...Dude's a 'titty with no nipple' as a good friend of mine would say..LOL! He should just but the F out of everything basketball related and let this guy run the ship.
 

Toby Kimbal

Benchwarmer
total confidence in Donnie, 17th pick, maybe jerome Jordan, mid cap selection. It's great to have a halfway pick in the draft. Donnie is in charge:)
 

DaTPRiNCE

The Knicks are Back
biggest smile on my face after reading this, bigger then the one i had when STAT signed loll. seriously this is great news, means Isiah is staying away for good and we'll be alright our future is brighter then it was a month ago. Way brighter
 

KingCharles34

All Star
Donnie G bent dolan over and pounded him with a broomstick (no vaseline) until Dolan resigned him and agreed not to rehire Igayuh :lol:
 

knicksin60

Starter
I guess James Jimmy Dolan has never watched a non Knicks playoff game in his life because if he did he would personally fly Donnie Walsh back to Indianapolis International Airport and take a second trip down to Florida in order to convince Isiah Thomas that his purpose with the Knicks is not complete.

Who else would have predicted that Zach Randolph would become the best power forward in the league and carry a group of average players deep into the playoffs? Or that Jamal Crawford would be the greatest Sixth Man of the Year award winner since Kevin McHale? Or that Stephon Marbury would inspire people from a culture in which the only thing he knew about was the food that he probably bought from them while growing up? These were players that Isiah acquired who Walsh didn't give an opportunity to because he saw no potential in them.Isiah recognizes players that have championship potential while Walsh recognizes players who are conference finals material.
 
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Weissenberg

Grid or Riot
Thomas had brought us into a deep shit of $74M above the 2005-06 salary cap, this guy doesn't recognize players with chip potential, if you randomly signed a huge bunch of guys for some big bucks there has to be a few among them that maybe would become valuable players about a couple of years... He'd been kind of lucky beggar but he probably had never recognized potential he had had.
 
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