When introduced today at his first press conference as new head coach of the men’s basketball team at Florida International University, Isiah Thomas was called “Isiah Thompson” by the school’s president, Modesto A. Maidique. Maybe Maidique wanted to hire “Isiah Thompson”, whoever “Thompson” is, because the hiring of Isiah Thomas leaves me rubbing my face.
And, it should leave every Division I assistant coach, as well as Division II and Division III coach downright angry.
The failings of Thomas as a coach and executive since starring on the court as a Detroit Piston have been well documented. However, look at it in writing:
• As part owner and executive vice president of the newly formed Toronto Raptors in 1994, Thomas watches over a team that goes 21-61, 30-52 and 16-66 in its first three seasons (the team started playing in the 1995-96 season). OK, it is an expansion team, so maybe he gets a free pass, because, at the same time, the Vancouver Grizzlies are posting marks of 15-67, 14-68 and 19-63. Although a 14-game regression for the Raptors from Season 2 to Season 3 is perplexing.
• Thomas buys the Continental Basketball Association in 1998 for $5 million. Two years later, the league, which had been in business in one form or another since 1946, is bankrupt and folds.
• Thomas is hired as head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 2000. The previous season under head coach Larry Bird, the Pacers reached the NBA Finals losing in six games to the Lakers. Thomas takes that NBA Finals team and turns in three consecutive first-round exits from the playoffs while posting regular-season records of 41-41, 42-40 and 48-34. Rick Carlisle is hired for the 2003-04 season and the Pacers finish 61-21 while reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.
• The Knicks hire Thomas in December 2003 as president of basketball operations. By 2005, the Knicks feature the league’s highest payroll and second worst record. He takes over coaching duties in New York after the franchise fires Larry Brown in 2006. Thomas presides over a squad that goes 33-49 in 2006-07 and 23-59 in 2007-08. His career coaching record in the NBA is 187-223.
• Of course, Thomas’s problems with the Knicks go deeper than simply destroying their salary cap and coaching losing teams. He is the centerpiece of an $11.6 million settlement in a sexual-harassment lawsuit filed by Anucha Browne Sanders.
• And, just six months ago, there is the bizarre possible suicide attempt that takes place at Thomas’s home. Initially, Thomas says it is his 17-year-old daughter who is rushed to the hospital but it’s later reported that Thomas had overdosed on prescription sleeping pills.
Hey, I’m all for second chances but Thomas has burned through more of them than any one person deserves. Are you telling me he is the best person for this job? I’m not buying it.
Sure, I understand it’s the right of Florida International to hire whoever they want as a head coach. I just hoped to see a Division I men’s coaching job, of which there are only 347 in the country, go to an individual who has fought his way through the assistant ranks while putting in the time and dedication to make a program thrive…rather than to someone who has a “name” and the ability to grab a few headlines (for the wrong reasons).
