May 14, 2006 -- HOOP DU JOUR AMONG the "celebrities" who ambled over to Lincoln Center to watch David Blaine immerse himself in a water bubble was Isiah Thomas. If anybody can appreciate someone who stands around the West Side doing nothing, it's the Knicks president.
Then again, should information from a high-level team source prove precise, I'll be forced to wolf those words.
According to that Knicks hearing aide, Thomas suddenly has a plan; who cares if it's borrowed from his bosses? From what I'm told, Cablevision boss James Dolan and Garden President Steve Mills are endorsing the buyout of Larry Brown's remaining $44 million, four-year obligation, and strongly urging Thomas to take over as head coach, a position he held for three years with the Pacers.
That's one way, I guess, of holding Thomas accountable. Since replacing Scott Layden 21/2 seasons ago, he's assembled and re-assembled the roster.
Presumably, he thinks his chosen ones can play more than a lick.
Presumably, he still likes most, contrary to Brown, who loathes most, none more than Stephon Marbury, Isiah's poisonous pet who recoils on orders. That's why Stephon didn't make his season-ending speech to the media, as threatened; his cult figure commanded him to holster his fangs.
Presumably, Thomas will be able to extract more energy, caring and loyalty from his recruits than a drill instructor who habitually rags them in public. Marbury won't exactly be the only player celebrating, should Brown be bounced.
The way I hear it, Thomas is positive the Knicks will improve appreciably with him in charge. He's confident a tweak here, a tweak there, and his talent pool's win total will soar from 23 to close to break even.
For months, the piqued, the turned off and the tuned out have advocated the deportation of Mills, Thomas, Brown and Marbury, altogether aware it would never remotely happen in its entirety during this off-season or, considering their bloated contracts, in seasons to come.
Convincing Dolan to extinguish himself is a more practical prospect. You can't as much as tempt him to sell his family cable company and all its accoutrements; it's not like people haven't made the effort.
"The only way to get the Knicks out of Dolan's clutches," groans the above-mentioned insider, someone who's been there, tried that, "is to pry it from his cold hands." At the very least (at best, in other words), the popular rumination by those lost in a daydream is that even Dolan, Mills and Thomas must recognize that Brown and Marbury cannot return for another venomous go-around.
One pollutant or the other - hopefully both - must be eradicated before next season's projected mediocre presentation is too far gone to resuscitate.
Unless Brown's health issues - and advantageous insurance clauses - compel him to split, that would have seemed to leave Marbury as the odd man out. Judging by quotes from Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, it's not unreasonable to visualize a trade to re-acquire Kevin Garnett's former kindergarten playmate.
That was the common-held belief. Yet, we figured wrong.
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Presumably, that means more than the firing/expiring of Joe Favorito, so far the sorry season's lone casualty . . . though I often suspected the veteran Madison Square Garden publicity man was responsible for a lot of the Knicks' problems.
My next 10 thoughts, exhumed from the cracks in my cranium re: Thomas coaching the Knicks:
1. I like it. Why ask your overpaid, underperforming figurines to tune out two different overpaid, underperforming figureheads when you can eliminate the middle man and pass the savings on to no one.
2. What size gurney does Thomas take?
3. Let's see if I get this: Thomas, an abject failure in one job - president of basketball operations - is given additional duties. Who's running Camp Cablevision? Howard Dean?
4. Did Anucha Browne Sanders sign off on this?
5. How long will it take Thomas and Marbury to fall out of love?
6. Is this the Knicks' way of offering to serve St. John's probation?
7. What happens to Next Town Brown? Has someone considered his feelings? I mean, the guy's been about nothing but stability for three decades. This might very well be a shock to his system.
8. Where are poll numbers worse - 2 Pennsylvania Plaza or 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
9. I smell a Maloof.
10. Someone tell Next Town, if he makes this racial, there's a job opening at Power 105.1.
