At the start of the season, the New York Knicks were supposed to be an open and shut case.

The Isiah Thomas reign had hit an all time low in 2006, and most fully expected this current season would be his last. To call the Knicks of last season a disappointment would have been the understatement of the century.

They were an overpaid, over hyped punch line to a joke everyone else in the league was laughing at. For a team that had employed the likes of Scott Layden, another well known punch line, that was not something easy to do.

Finally when the Knicks started off poorly at home and ended up in a brawl with the Denver Nuggets after an embarrassing defeat in front of the Garden faithful, the vultures began to circle. Some wondered whether Thomas would make it to the New Year, let alone the end of the season.
Oh how things have changed in a little over a month and a half.

The Knicks are still not a playoff team in anything but the division they play in. They are a sub .500 squad, the symbol of inconsistency in the NBA. They can look like chumps, getting outscored 40-12 in the first quarter by the Miami Heat without Dwayne Wade and Shaq. Then less than a week later, they can slam the Heat with both Wade and Shaq by 20 points.

John outlined this inconsistency somewhat in his latest post, but said that Thomas and Marbury need to go. However, while you can still certainly make an argument for that, there now is a legitimate case for Thomas continuing on. And John actually helps make that case, saluting some Isiah guys including two who were blasted upon arrival, Eddie Curry and Quentin Richardson.

Don’t laugh. Let’s look at this Knicks roster as currently constituted, now that all of these guys are Thomas’.

How about Channing Frye and David Lee being on the team? While Frye has been up and down this season, Knick fans are generally happy with that selection given he has all the tools to have a bright future. Lee, meanwhile has become a fan favorite with his hard work and hustle on the boards. He is an early contender for sixth man of the year with a Rodman-esque presence on the boards (averaging 10.8 RPG). He doesn’t have much of an offensive game, but is huge for the Knickerbockers. With Eddie Curry’s poor prowess on the glass, Lee has helped the Knicks make up the difference.

And let’s talk for a moment about Mr. Curry. I was one of the people who laughed when that trade went down, and figured it was another reason for Isiah to be canned. As it turns out though, Curry appears to be out of the woods with his heart condition (appears because one can never be 100% sure) and has blossomed into a very good offensive big man. He’s averaging 19.3 points a game and seven boards. He still has the ability to be a 20/10 guy but even if he doesn’t reach that point, there’s a better chance he’s going to be contribute to the Knicks than Tyrus Thomas, Michael Sweetney and yes, even Greg Oden. (How many can’t miss prospects have missed over the years?)

Zeke swapped Kurt Thomas for Quentin Richardson while replacing Thomas with Lee. Which combo would the Knicks rather have? Jamal Crawford isn’t a great player, but on the other hand, neither are any of the players the Knicks gave up for him. It’s not about getting under the cap with the Knicks; so don’t bring that into the equation. Not to mention Crawford’s contract isn’t a cap breaker.

Is Isiah a good G.M.? Probably not. Is he average? That is certainly possible. One thing is certain, even if he is canned at the end of the season, he has left the Knicks in a better position than Scott Layden ever did. Layden turned the Knicks into the league’s dumping ground for bad contracts. Shandon Anderson, Howard Eisley, Glen Rice; nothing but other people’s trash that Layden took on while receiving little in return.

Say what you want about Thomas; the worst contract he took on was Stephon Marbury’s. The off guard is overpaid, but he is still a solid contributor who makes the Knicks better. That’s more that can be said about the Layden acquisitions. Oh and that Layden could not draft to save his life. Don’t use the excuse about where the Knicks picked, he’s the guy who traded Nene (the number seven pick) and Marcus Camby for Antonio McDyess. Channing Frye is a better player than Michael Sweetney. David Lee was taken at the end of the first round.

And Isiah the coach also isn’t bad either. For all the accolades Larry Brown gets, the Knicks were a disgrace to the NBA last year. The blame was dropped at the feet of Thomas, but 2007 has shown that it was largely misplaced. This year the Knicks are 19-27. Last season the Knicks were 23-59! That means for Isiah to equal Brown, the Knicks would have to go 4 – 32 the rest of the way.

Folks, that’s how bad Brown was as a coach last year. Knick fans should be outraged that he actually got compensation for that joke of a job. Pick an average Joe off the street and they’d have a difficult time equaling that disaster.

You can rip the players who the general manager Thomas brought in, but then Thomas the coach is an all time great because he’s going to take largely the same roster to 10- 14 more wins this year. Or Brown is a really bad coach who should be arrested for larceny.

The truth is somewhere in the middle. Thomas is a better coach for the Knicks than Brown was because Isiah had a plan in mind. He wanted to play an up tempo, shoot first, light defensive scheme. Brown doesn’t do that. Rather than adapt, Brown stuck to his guns, trying to ride Marbury out of town. (Enter Steve Francis) He didn’t play the rookies because Brown never does (see how he nearly destroyed Darko Milicic’s career before it even began) and the Knicks were caught in limbo. They had players who didn’t fit the system and never would, while the coach wouldn’t play the guys who he could mold to make it work.

I have no inside information, but I cannot see how Thomas can be blamed for this. I do not believe he signed off on Brown; that was James Dolan wanting the name. That is likely the reason why Isiah got this last one last chance to clean it up. Dolan realized he brought the wrong guy in, and decided to let Isiah give it a shot. What did he have to lose after last season?
Isiah isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Jared Jeffries was a terrible signing, beaten only by Jerome James a year before. But there are plenty worse.

Bill Simmons loves to rip Isiah whenever he gets the chance, but Thomas would be a step up from Danny Ainge. If you want to see a GM take bad contracts, look no further than Wally Sczerbiak, who is making more than Eddie Curry. He’s also making more than Jamal Crawford or Quentin Richardson. Or how about Theo Ratliff, who is also making more than any of those three guys? Let us not also forget the fact Ainge traded the seventh pick in this last year’s draft for a 5’10 (maybe) point guard with no jump shot. Brilliant!

I don’t write this to say Isiah Thomas is a legendary general manager. I certainly would not want him running the Nets over Rod Thorn. However, Thomas is simply not the butcher New York wants to make him out to be. He had a vision, and believe it or not, it can be exciting and entertaining to watch.

Are the Knicks going to be world champions soon? Are they going to be ever under Isiah? That is certainly up for debate. The Knicks, judging by the fact their best young player on that Layden constructed team was Frank Williams or Sweetney, there’s actually probably little argument they have a brighter future.

I’m not even saying that Thomas should stay. All that is being said here is that for all the bad Zeke did with the Knicks in his tenure, he’s done about as much good. Unlike what many thought to start the year, firing Thomas and replacing him with anyone could actually make this franchise worse.

And to borrow what I said in response to John’s original post; that is an upset on its own.