Team president running Knicks into the ground

The Hot Corner

I must be honest — I don’t enjoy present-day professional basketball. Maybe it’s the stereotypical image of the players, or maybe it’s because no one has stepped up to become the Michael Jordan or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of this generation. In all likelihood, however, it’s because I believe that team president Isaiah Thomas is running the New York Knicks into the ground.

What can I say? I’m a New Yorker — if my team is in trouble, I automatically take a negative view of the entire league. You should have seen me during football season. As the New York Giants were stumbling towards a 4-12 campaign, I could be heard sarcastically hissing obscenities and phrases such as “Awesome, Tiki Barber fumbled again!” Needless to say, it wasn’t pretty.

I am concerned with the current state of the NBA because I believe that my negative opinion of the Knicks will soon become a personal hatred of professional basketball. I wish it wouldn’t happen, but I’m sure it will.

You see, I’m skeptical about Thomas’ plans for New York. As a player with the Detroit Pistons, he was known as a fiery, competitive player with a mean streak and a quick temper. In his most recent professional position as coach of the Indiana Pacers he was known as exactly the same.

Thomas tends to make enemies and wear out his welcome very quickly. After being fired by Indiana general manager Larry Bird, Thomas landed the most high-profile NBA job in the most high-profile city in America with a team struggling to get back to prominence.

New York hasn’t had a legitimate playoff contender since former center Patrick Ewing was released four years ago. The 2001-’02 season was a disaster, and coach Jeff Van Gundy resigned from his position only 19 games into the campaign. Interim coach Don Chaney took over for Van Gundy and led the Knicks to their first losing record in 10 years.

The Knicks finished with a 37-45 record in 2002-’03 and were on their way to another lost season this year when President Scott Layden was fired from his position.

Enter Thomas, who made trades and moves, picking and choosing players like a kid in a candy store. First, he fired Chaney and replaced him with Lenny Wilkins, the man who has won more NBA games than anyone in the league’s history. As a fan, I respect the move; sometimes you just need a solid coach to get things started.

Unfortunately, Thomas went overboard.

The blockbuster move of the NBA season was a trade between New York and the Phoenix Suns. It was a deal that brought beleaguered, but talented point guard Stephan Marbury to the Knicks. This is a homecoming for the New York native and Stephan’s strong play, complemented by several other deals by Thomas, now has the Knicks in playoff contention.

So why am I so skeptical? If anything, I should be breaking out my retro John Starks jersey and planning a ticker tape parade.

First off, I’ve never been a big Thomas fan. Second — and most importantly — I believe his trades are getting the Knicks to the playoffs this year at the expense of their future well-being.

Don’t worry fans — the Knicks won’t fold, but I’ve taken a look down the road into their future and I don’t like what I see.

Marbury and shooting guard Allan Houston are combining to make too much money. When I say too much money, I mean that, in two or three years, the Knicks will be forced to make a tough decision: Will they keep their two All-Star-caliber players, or will they re-sign the talented role players that surround them?

The Knicks can’t have both. They already boast the highest payroll in the NBA and, unlike the New York Yankees, they don’t have the benefit of playing in a salary cap-free environment found in Major League Baseball.

As a result, either Marbury or Houston will have to leave town or New York will lose the solid play of forward Kurt Thomas, or another player of similar caliber.

When this happens, I can see the Knicks hitting low tide again. Isaiah Thomas will bolt to another team and leave a mess for someone else to clean up. The Knicks will be in salary cap trouble for much of the near future, and I will be left with a four-month, sports gap to fill every year because of my personal NBA boycott.

All I want to do is sit on my couch, wear my Starks jersey and watch my Knicks.

Instead, Isaiah Thomas has me wondering when football season starts.

James Irwin is a sophomore SMAD major who wishes that Patrick Ewing would return to the Knicks and take over as team president.