Isiah Thomas has been given a multi-year extension as the NY Knicks coach.

Last I checked the NY Knickerbockers were 29-34 (8th place in the dreadful Eastern Conference) with the players that he hand-picked and the highest payroll in the league. On top of this Isiah the GM is coming off last year’s Larry Brown fiasco where he hired the former veteran coach last season for $10 million per year only to see the team have a miserable 23-59.

Isiah was one of the best players in NBA history and has an impressive resume: 12-time all-star, two-time NBA champion, fourth in NBA history in assists and ninth in league history in steals. Isiah is nonetheless UNDERRATED as a player and makes my all-time underrated team (more on that in another piece). But alas, we are talking about him as a GM and a coach.

After retirement, Isiah became part owner and Executive Vice President of the expansion Toronto Raptors from 1994 to 1998. Over his 4-year tenure with the team, he had impressive drafts, defined by selecting the undersized Damon Stoudamire, the high-schooler Tracy McGrady and Marcus Camby. Thomas then moved on to coach the Indiana Pacers from 2000-2003. He inherited a team that Larry Bird coached to the NBA finals (ultimately losing the LA Lakers). Isiah led the team to 41-41, 42-40, 48-34 reords and three consecutive first round playoff losses – far from stellar performance.

He was then lured to NY in December 2003 to become the Knicks’ general manager. His major coaching move was to lure Larry Brown, coming off an NBA finals win and consequent loss as the Detroit Pistons coach, back to NY in 2005. Brown proved to be a horrible fit, leading the team to a 23-win season and was promptly fired by Isiah. As far as managing the roster, Isiah fared only slightly better. His big moves were to trade for Stephon Marbury (and his huge contract) from the Phoenix Suns and Eddy Curry from the Chicago Bulls (Knicks gave up two unprotected first round picks to get Curry). The jury is still out on this move as Curry is developing and the draft picks have not all played out yet. Bad moves as the Knicks GM include: acquiring Jalen Rose (though he did get a first round pick), signing Jerome James and the Steve Francis for Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza trade. The Knicks still have the highest payroll and are stuck with cap-killing salaries for at least two seasons.

There are some good things happening in NY, however. Isiah the coach has improved the team’s chemistry and attitude, and maybe most importantly, turned Eddy Curry into a formidable offensive force. Curry has raised his productivity from 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season to 19.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season. Once again, Isiah the GM has proven to be a solid talent scout executing several impressive draft choices, including David Lee, Channing Frye and Renaldo Balkman.

Given his spotty record, I ask the question: Why did Isiah get a job extension as both GM AND coach…and why now with six weeks left in the season? I would look at Thomas’ track record and conclude that he is a decent coach, a good talent scout and a poor deal-maker who should not hold both the coach and GM roles.

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