Sam Smith

The question often asked around the NBA in recent weeks was why the Knicks extended the contract of Isiah Thomas. When the question really should have been why it took them so long?

I don't have a good answer for this — which is not good when you are a columnist — but I can never understand why so many belittle and condemn Thomas so often. What’s he ever done?

I know he was a worthy Hall of Fame championship player, and I know he made plenty of enemies among his opponents with a cut throat style of play that bordered on illegal, though the NBA appeared to embrace it the way they marketed the Bad Boys of the late 1980's. But that's the players. Why are so many fans and media so upset? And it's not like the players really are. Thomas served as president of the players' association in the 1990's. He successfully fought off various attempts by the agents of the richest players to put more money in the salary cap equation, as Thomas wanted it funneled to increased retirement money for lesser players. It's why some of the stars didn't side with Thomas, most pro athletes being good Republicans.

You hear all about how the Pistons didn't elevate him as they appeared ready to do, but haven't done badly with Joe Dumars. You hear about how he lost jobs in Toronto as general manager and Indiana as coach and then a failed business deal in trying to run the CBA. That's right, coaches and general managers never are fired around pro sports.

But Thomas has proven to be a good judge of talent, at least talent coming out of college. With Toronto, he drafted Marcus Camby and Damon Stoudemire, who both have had good careers, and even if Thomas may not have gotten the most out of the Pacers, their record improved every season he coached there, and they never were under .500. Even Larry Brown can't say that.

Oh, right, paying off Larry Brown after one season.

OK, raise your hand. Who said it was a mistake to hire one of the best coaches in the history of the game, already a Hall of Famer and coming off consecutive NBA Finals appearances with the Detroit Pistons?

So the Knicks should have fired Thomas?

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OK, just who should replace him, say, first, as coach? Names like Paul Silas and Rick Adelman come up. Lenny Wilkens? Rudy Tomjanovich, Jim O'Brien, Terry Porter, Dave Cowens, Johnny Davis? Competent, sure. Would they be better?

The Knicks have improved, though how could they not after that virtual mutiny under Brown? The players seem to respond to Thomas. He's gotten a lot out of Eddy Curry, most agree. He's got Stephon Marbury under control. They compete. They win some close games. They also lose plenty as they're a lousy free throw shooting team. OK, the defense isn't very good, but who ever said Curry would defend. Not his former coach Scott Skiles, who when asked what Curry could do to rebound better replied: "Jump."

But oh that payroll, more than $100 million this season.

Hey, if his boss doesn't care, why should anyone else?

Sure, Thomas paid off  a bunch of guys like Jalen Rose and Mo Taylor not to play, though it's becoming something of a practice in the NBA these days. The Pistons seem to figure a way to get the best of them as Chris Webber could be the difference this season in winning the Eastern Conference.

A general manager's job is to identify and acquire talent in building a team. Perhaps the trades for Rose and Steve Francis and signing of a free agent like Jerome James were mistakes. Like Jerry West, generally regarded as the best of the general managers, doesn’t make them. Heck, his team is in last place in Memphis and he didn't even acquire their best player, Pau Gasol. So what's he doing there? Geoff Petrie has been much celebrated, though you wouldn't want his roster in Sacramento. Kevin McHale, Billy King, Larry Bird, Elgin Baylor, Chris Mullin. Who's doing so much better?

Actually, Thomas has done pretty well with the draft, especially not having high draft picks.

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He was much ridiculed last June for drafting Renaldo Balkman, though he's become a good hustling role player in the rotation. Thomas made a nice pick with Channing Frye at No. 8 in 2005. Frye's been way more productive than picks ahead like Marvin Williams at No. 2 and Martell Webster at No. 6. None of the next several picks are even in regular rotations. Thomas also got David Lee with the last pick in the first round of that draft and he's been a revelation as a hustle player and rebounder and would be top 10 if that draft were done again, probably even higher.

That's three solid rotation players in two drafts and that's not even including wacky Nate Robinson, who he got in a draft-day trade that year.

Better yet, look at what was there when Thomas was hired to replace Scott Layden, who rarely would even speak to any of the media members in New York.

From the team Thomas inherited in 2003 with Michael Sweetney the No. 1 draft pick, there is just one player who is even a regular in a rotation with any NBA team today. The top scorers, Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell, are retired. The only others who even are in the NBA are Othella Harrington and Michael Doleac.

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Perhaps you could point to an error Thomas made in not taking that miserable roster and giving up, getting into a few lotteries with the poorest record in the league and getting top players. Maybe Dwight Howard if they got lucky in the lottery in 2004, or some of the young prospects the Bulls got in that lottery.

It's easy to say to dump a season or two, but it's still the entertainment business and New York has the highest per game gross in the NBA. It's difficult to ask customers to pay for a few years while you hope to get lucky in the draft. And it's a long season to go through in the media center of the U.S.

So Thomas tried to build on the fly and hire the best coach anyone could think of.

It didn't work.

It wasn't a mistake to hire Brown. It was to listen to him with personnel, like acquiring Francis. Everyone who's hired Brown knows you listen to him complain about the players he has and then rave about the ones he wants, and then you do nothing. Because Brown changes his mind just as quickly. Thomas tried to accommodate him. Sounds good, but not with Larry Brown.

But Thomas now has some nice young pieces in place. The Knicks can talk about making the playoffs, and if they weren't so beaten up with major injuries to Jamal Crawford, Lee, Quentin Richardson and Jared Jeffries, they probably would. He got a low post center in Curry whom people think could be something. It hardly looks like championship material, but there's some hope and competitiveness there.

So why wouldn't you bring back Thomas?

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