HoopsHype.com Columns

Zeke's the right move
by Jason McIntyre / December 23, 2003

New York is a city driven by star power, and the Knicks have been running on empty since trading Latrell Sprewell last summer.

Coach Don Chaney? Not enough sizzle. Certainly no Pat Riley.

Antonio McDyess? Injured too often.

Allan Houston? Too quiet.

Don’t even waste your time – nobody in the organization had the pizazz nor glamour remotely close to what this city requires, the type seen in the past from the likes of Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, or Willis Reed.

Hence Monday’s selection of Hall of Fame guard Isiah Thomas as the new president of basketball operations. The ballhandling wizard, who as a player won a National Championship at Indiana, and two NBA titles with the Pistons, will be the new face of the organization.

He replaces the inept Scott Layden, who made myriad of mistakes with the club – including four draft night debacles – inexplicably stockpiling the roster with a gaggle of power forwards, but little else. In the East, where anyone can make the playoffs, the Knicks are 10-18.

Besides what he accomplished as a player, Thomas also falls line with a new breed of general managers in the NBA – players who are not long removed from the league, and have a keen eye for talent to go with a shrewd business sense.

Other than the gold standard of general managers, Jerry West (who has Memphis inexorably playoff-bound), look at some of the up-and-coming teams in the league, and see who’s pulling the trigger: Jim Paxson in Cleveland, Kiki Vandeweghe in Denver, Joe Dumars in Detroit, and Danny Ainge in Boston. They’re young, brash, and not afraid to orchestrate a blockbuster and put their mark on the franchise.

It wasn’t so long ago that Kevin McHale in Minneapolis, John Gabriel in Orlando, and likable Donnie Walsh in Indiana were touted as the next great GMs behind West; now, the clever youngsters are having their day.

Where did Layden go wrong?

Here are his brilliant draft picks in New York:

- 2000: 1st round, Donnell Harvey, Florida, 22nd overall (the beginning of the power forward push)

- 2000: 2nd round, Lavor Postell, St. John’s, 39th overall (why with Sprewell and Houston there?)

- 2001: 2nd round, Michael Wright, Arizona, 39th overall (another PF that didn’t pan out)

- 2001: 2nd round, Eric Chenowith, Kansas, 43rd overall (another center who never was a factor with the team)

- 2002: 1st round, Frank Williams, Illinois, 25th overall (jury’s still out, but he doesn’t look like a star)

- 2002: 2nd round, Milos Vujanic, Yugoslavia, 36th overall (not in the United States yet)

- 2003: 1st round, Mike Sweetney, Georgetown, 9th overall (yet another PF; on the injured list)


If you’re scoring at home, that’s 0-for-6, and we’ll give him a pass on Williams.

There have been two big trades under Layden’s watch, and both have blown up in his face. First, he sent injury-prone Marcus Camby and a lottery pick (Nene) to the Nuggets for Antonio McDyess and the pick that turned out to be Williams. A year and a half later and the Nuggets are 17-11; the Knicks are eight games under .500.

This summer, Layden shipped fan favorite Latrell Sprewell to Minnesota in a three-way deal that netted the Knicks Keith Van Horn (yes, another power forward). Minnesota, which already had more talent than the Knicks, is 17-9, and will be a contender in the West. The Knicks … yeah, you know, currently the 10th seed in the East.

So 0-for-7 in the draft, and 0-for-2 in big deals. Not good.

Factor in giving large contracts to the likes of Howard Eisley, Michael Doleac, and Clarence Weatherspoon – all essentially bench players in any other city – and you have the sad state of the Knicks, an $89 million mess.

Thomas made decisions in Toronto for a little over three years, and here are his draft picks (albeit higher ones): Damon Stoudamire (Rookie of the Year), Marcus Camby, and Tracy McGrady. A perfect 3-for-3.

So he’s a proven winner, charismatic, and despite how the Knicks have performed, there clearly is some talent to work with.

Can Thomas work wonders with the salary cap noose Layden tied around the neck of the franchise?

Definitely. Things can only go up from here.

Jason McIntyre is a a freelance journalist in New York City and a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com

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