Isiah Thomas has been named President of the New York Liberty
Source: Chris Broussard, ESPNSources: Isiah Thomas has been named President of the New York Liberty of the WNBA. Thomas will also have part ownership of the team.
For reasons that I think should be apparent, I've never spent a lot of time considering how unqualified one could be for a job as the President of a WNBA Team. But you'd be hard pressed to find someone who's worse than Isiah Thomas. Like, on one hand, you've just a really, really terrible general manager. On the other hand? Someone who's been involved in some pretty damming sexual harassment suits.
Let's take a stroll down memory lane. First, the transaction lowlights of his tenure as general manager:
January 5 2004
Traded guards Howard Eisley and Charlie Ward, forwards Antonio McDyess and Maciej Lampe, the draft rights to guard Milos Vujanic, a 2004 first-round draft, a conditional first round pick and cash to the Phoenix Suns for guards Stephon Marbury and Anfernee Hardaway and center Cezary Trybanski; waived forward John Amaechi.
In case you were wondering those picks ended up being the 16th pick in the 2004 draft (Kirk Snyder) and the 9th pick in the 2010 draft (Gordon Hayward). Here's a detailed retrospective of the trade.
March 12 2004
Signed forward Vin Baker.
October 4 2005
Re-signed guard Jermaine Jackson and traded him along with forwards Tim Thomas and Mike Sweetney, a 2006 first-round pick, second-round picks in 2007 and 2009 and a conditional right to swap 2007 first-round picks to the Chicago Bulls for center Eddy Curry and forward Antonio Davis;
The 2006 first round pick would turn out to be the #2 pick in the draft (Lamarcus Alrridge), the 2007 first round swap resulted in the Bulls swapping the 23rd pick for the 9th pick (Joakim Noah). If you google 'Eddy Curry knicks contract' here's what surfaces:
February 22 2006
Traded guard Anfernee Hardaway and forward Trevor Ariza to the Orlando Magic for guard Steve Francis.
February 3 2006
Traded forward Antonio Davis and cash to the Toronto Raptors for guard Jalen Rose and a first-round pick.
As a reminder, a declining Francis would make just south of 50 million dollars over the next three years. Jalen Rose? 15.7 mil that season, 16.9 the next.
The thing is, if ONLY terrible basketball decision making was the issue here. Because, uh, there's this:
Knicks coach Isiah Thomas was a foulmouthed bully who went on tirades at a moment's notice, a Manhattan Federal Court jury was told yesterday in a day of raw testimony filled with obscenities and sexual slurs.
Fired Knicks exec Anucha Browne Sanders said Thomas repeatedly called her a "bitch" and "ho" in private conversations, but then suddenly declared he loved her after they played a game of basketball.
Dressed in a baby-blue suit jacket and dark slacks, and wearing simple pearl earrings, Browne Sanders said Thomas bristled at her efforts to get players to turn out for corporate events scheduled long before he took over the team in December 2003.
"Bitch, I don't give a f--k about the sponsors ..." Browne Sanders testified Thomas told her. "I don't give a f--k about ticket sales."
She also said Thomas rebuffed her March 2004 request that he sign renewal-request letters sent out to past season ticket holders with a pointed shot at loyal Knick fans.
"Bitch, I don't give a f--k about these white people," Browne Sanders said Thomas told her.
In conclusion, hahahahahhahaahhahaahhahahahahhahahahahahahahahhahahahaahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahhah
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