Knicks to announce hiring of Donnie Walsh

[dez]

New York Knicks set to announce hiring of Walsh on Wednesday

NEW YORK (AP)—Shortly before news of Donnie Walsh's hiring broke, Isiah Thomas was asked if he would have any regrets if his tenure as Knicks coach was ending.

"No, I look back and I look at what we started with and where we're going and I think we have a very bright future," Thomas said Tuesday night.

It will look much brighter Wednesday, when the Knicks turn their basketball operations over to Walsh.

The Knicks will announce the hiring of Walsh as their new president at a news conference, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the move has not been made official yet. The press conference is at 1 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.

Walsh, the longtime Indiana Pacers executive, will replace Thomas, who is also the Knicks' coach.Thomas' future remains unclear. He has repeatedly said he expects to be with the Knicks next season, but that likely will be up to Walsh—who hired Thomas to coach the Pacers in 2000.

The Knicks fell to 20-54 with a 119-115 overtime loss at Milwaukee on Tuesday. They continue their five-game road trip at Memphis on Wednesday.

The 67-year-old Walsh recently announced he was leaving the Pacers after 24 years with the organization. He joined the Pacers' front office as general manager in 1986, became team president in 1988 and CEO in 2003. He helped the franchise rise from NBA laughingstock to title contender.

Indiana reached the Eastern Conference finals six times and won the Central Division four times during Walsh's stay as an executive. The Pacers reached the NBA finals in 2000, when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, and had the league's best record in 2004.

"I've often, when I needed some basketball advice, he's on a short list of people that I pick up the phone and call around the league for just basketball matters," NBA commissioner David Stern said last week. "And he works and works and works."

He'll have plenty of work to do in New York, where the Knicks are finishing their seventh straight losing season and won't be easily fixed, because they have a number of players whose high salaries make them difficult to trade.

The Knicks haven't won a playoff game since Thomas arrived as president in December 2003 and could be headed for the first 60-loss season in franchise history. Still, Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan has remained loyal to Thomas, though he has not spoken to the media since rewarding him with a multiyear contract extension last March.

Now Dolan and the Knicks turn to a native New Yorker who has long been one of the NBA's most respected executives. The Pacers made the playoffs in 16 of the past 18 years, though the past three seasons have been littered with losing, personnel changes and off-the-court problems that have damaged the reputation of the franchise.

Walsh had taken a lesser role by then following the Pacers' hiring of Larry Bird as their president in 2003. When he announced he would leave the team after the season, Walsh said he wouldn't reveal any plans about his future until after the season.

Reports had already surfaced that Dolan had preliminary talks with Walsh. Negotiations moved quickly, with the Knicks apparently not even interviewing anyone else for the job.

I personally love the fact that Isiah is out as president, and its even better we have Donnie Walsh in as President. Im curious to see what moves we make this off-season, im guessing we're gonna start moving out big parts and i dont have a problem with it.

Hopefully he can help restore the Knicks as an Eastern Conference contender....

 

[DJT]

I think this is a really good move to. Can't wait to see what he does.

 

[dez]

I want to see Walsh come in and totally revamp the team....

• I want Thomas out as coach, the second the seasons over. (But keep him as a talent evaluator)
• I want Dolan to sit his fat ass back and just deal with the financial part of the team. (he does have big pockets)
• He needs to re-hire Jeff Van Gundy

If two of these three things happens....I will be satified.

 

[jarrod2323]

until they get rid of one of the fatties (Curry or Randolph), NY won't do squat due to cap problems..

just my opinion

 

[dez]

until they get rid of one of the fatties (Curry or Randolph), NY won't do squat due to cap problems..

just my opinion

I dont disagree with you there, I dont care if both of em go, as long as we get equal talent back in return.

 

[AirForceFlash_3]

This is very good to see. Isiah sucks at everything except the draft, and he has problems with taking players WAY higher then he should, but aside from that, good talent evaluator when it comes to the draft. Walsh is actually smart and should do a fine job of tearing this team apart and making them good again. All they need to do now is fire Isiah as coach ASAP.

 

[DJT]

On ESPN they have said that Isiah is most likely gone. I hope so, his system just won't work in New York.

 

[dez]

Sources told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that Walsh is expected to retain Thomas for the time being. Thomas signed a long-term contract extension 13 months ago, and it is possible that Dolan will want to keep him aboard in some capacity.

Hopefully as a talent evaluator.....?

 

[RipCity32]

Why not just try Isiah as just the coach? Rather both GM and coach.
I heard that's what might happen.

 

[Grandy28]

It's not like Thomas is a bad coach. At least he didn't do a bad job in Indiana. He is just a <Censored>ty ass GM. Doesn't think about balance, just scorers.

 

[dez]

It's not like Thomas is a bad coach. At least he didn't do a bad job in Indiana. He is just a <Censored>ty ass GM. Doesn't think about balance, just scorers.

He is a bad coach, look at how his players respond to him, they dont show him any respect....basically from the Marbury incident.

if you take a team survey, where they unanimously vote to keep him off, then that should be the decision. Granted a few of the players we have arent model NBA players but its his fault they're there.