From Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com:
NEW YORK — Isiah Thomas is actively seeking work again, and he spoke several weeks ago with Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in a meeting arranged by current coach/general manager Mike Dunleavy, ESPN.com learned Wednesday.
Several NBA sources confirmed the February meeting between the former president and general manager of the New York Knicks, adding that there were follow-up discussions between Thomas and other high-ranking club officials — but also stressing that no job has been offered.
Sterling is said to be considering adding another executive to the Los Angeles front office to alleviate some of Dunleavy’s responsibilities in his dual role as coach and general manager. Former Lakers and Grizzlies general manager Jerry West was linked to a possible Clippers front office job before he publicly disavowed any interest.
The discussions between Thomas and the Clippers were described by one source as informal yet substantive. Thomas remains under contract to the Knicks for the remainder of this season and two more, but he has the franchise’s permission to seek employment elsewhere. He was fired as Knicks coach and general manager last spring and was replaced by Donnie Walsh in the front office and Mike D’Antoni on the bench.
One source with knowledge of Thomas’ thinking said it now appears he has shifted his focus to pursuing a head coaching position at the college level. The same source said Thomas’ name was discussed at the highest levels of the Grizzlies organization when Memphis fired Marc Iavaroni earlier this season.
Thomas’ stint running the Knicks was as unsuccessful as it was uncomfortable. He hired and then fired Lenny Wilkins and Larry Brown, was a defendant in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former marketing executive that MSG lost and was the object of taunts, protects and chants from disgruntled fans throughout 2007-08.
He has still not commented publicly on the circumstances surrounding an overdose of sleeping pills that hospitalized him last October, but he has not been keeping a low profile. He was spotted two weeks ago scouting the Pac-10 tournament and told The Associated Press: “I’ve still been very active, seeing a lot of games and doing a lot of scouting and looking forward to helping Donnie with the draft.”
20 Responses
Great title, Kevin. Sums up the piece entirely. I’ve always actively resisted any notion of the “Clippers Curse”, but flirting with Isiah Thomas has to be the WORST news I’ve ever gotten as a fan. How can we even be entertaining the notion after what we witnessed in New York? How?!?!
Posted on March 25th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
LOL…at this point, we might as well bring down the franchise completely. Bring on Isiah and let’s burn the Staples Center down to the ground. I think with Isiah running the show, with Dunleavy as coach for life, with Zach, Baron, and Ricky Davis already on the team, we need to get our hands on Artest and coax Spree, Ruben Patterson, and Roy Tarpley out of retirement.
With this incredible dysfunctional lineup we can have fights in the stands and among the players every night. We can have drunken brawls and drive by shootouts at the Conga Room after the game and maybe even a couple of homicides in the locker room. Awesome stuff. Welcome to the Clippers, Isiah! You belong here.
My theory is that Sterling has given up on winning and is now trying to be the first NBA team in history to finish the season 0-82. He secretly must be jealous of all the attention that the Detroit Lions got last year for finishing 0-16. Adding Isiah to our combustible franchise will get us to that elusive 0-82 record.
Eric Gordon might need to seriously contemplate retirement or suicide if Isiah comes on board. Poor kid.
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 12:26 am
I’m doing my best to hang in and hope for the future.
While I’m not renewing,I still want to remain a Clips fan and will go to some games next year and watch most of the others.
BUT….. if they hire Isiah to do anything on any level…that’s it. Done.
I’d like to make an analogy here, but none will do it justice.
Just look at the recent past insanity with the Knicks and what more is there to say?
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 12:26 am
Anyone else enter the clippers tickets contest on Clippers.com official website last week for 4 courtside seats? I was called as a “winner” but came to find out after talking to the rep for 2 minutes that it was all a scam to get me to go visit some waterpark time share resort in Escondido! All I had to do to get my “Free tickets” was drive to Escondido, tour the resort, and book a 7 day stay through their travel agent.
My question, what kind of organization is this! I don’t expect to be scammed in a contest run by an official NBA team. Clippers.com should not be giving my information to time-share swindlers. I may write a letter to the league office. Did anyone else have this experience?
Shawn H. Reply:
March 26th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
The same organization that once produced a TV infomerical about 10-12 years ago, trying to sell season tickets at the old Sports Arena. By the way, the Knicks did the same thing last season…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUKey_FxNfU
Anywho…this would be so typical of our Clippers bringing in another jackass like Isiah Thomas into the organization. Is Sterling and Roeser decide to hire Isiah, those three bastards deserve each other. We’ll be a bigger laughingstock of a franchise than we already are. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I much rather keep Dunleavy around than hiring Zeke…if push comes to shove. Isiah can draft, but he’s miserable in everything else.
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 8:36 am
This whole situation is laughable.
Whoever the GM is… I hope he is watching this year’s Nike Hoop Summit. Top US high school seniors vs the Top high school seniors from the rest of the world. Guys like Baron Davis, Tony Parker and Andrea Bargnani played in it before they got drafted.
Yahoo Sports is doing a live webcast of the game on April 11th. Hopefully I will be watching the next great Clipper.
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Eric Gordon #4,
I didn’t have that experience but they have those people at kiosks all over staples center. free tickets, courtside whatever, what a scam. I found your post hilarious. Does it really surprise anybody that Sterling does business this way?
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Worst part is, it looks like Isiah turned the Clippers down.
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Isiah’s too good for the Clippers?
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 10:25 am
There was an old article about Sterling having a draft party years ago. He had a hoop at the location and offered as a prize $10,000 to anyone who could make ten foul shots in a row. A former college player in attendance did it. Sterling didn’t pay. The guy had to sue.
The only thing surprising ever with this organization is that they ever have a decent team at all.
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 11:59 am
I did some research. it turns out the Escondido time share resort and water park was built by prison labor using funds donated to Donald T. Sterling’s foundation to help the homeless.
EricGordonsAnkleBrace Reply:
March 27th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Way to go! The first thing any homeless person needs is a waterpark.
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
In case there has ever been any doubt about the mental incapacity of Donald Sterling this ought to seal the deal. If he hires Isiah in any capacity the Clippers are done, fried, over. That Sterling even had a meeting with Isiah, much less set up by Dunleavy is dumb, stupid and disgraceful. Since his time as a player Isiah has shown himself incompetent as he tries to match the continuing success of his rival Magic Johnson. Sterling likes to hire unhireable people so that they are indebted to him and will cover up for him and of course will take much less money then all the other teams are paying for the job. Sadly, see Elgin Baylor. Thomas fits the criteria. Sterling is obviously an expert on certain, but not all real estate matters. Although he refers to himself as a developer, which in real estate normally means he assembled the land package and built the building, it seems the only building Sterling ever built in his long career is the brand new Clipper training facility, which was based on the architectural plans of the Portland Blazers facility which was built over ten years ago. So it’s already out of date. Other then his facility at real estate Sterling is a moron when it comes to basketball and the show business aspect of building and promoting a team. It is impossible that in his over 25 years of owning the Clippers the only league award they ever won was for the Cheerleaders.
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
I’d hire zeke as a personnel exec for the draft. He’s a top five talent evaluator as far as that goes. Lee, Nate, chandler all have bright futures. All drafted by zeke.
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
when i read that article i died a little inside.
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
eric gordon’s ankle brace… you jinxed us!
EricGordonsNewZekeGM Reply:
March 26th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Sorry, hey how bad could it be?!
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
We may compare this team to the Isaiah Thomas Knicks, but that doesnt mean we want to become them!
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Not only do we want to become the Isiah Knicks, we aspire to surpass them in dysfunctionality and ineptitude. We will make those Knicks squads look like the Auerbach Celtics. Bring on Zeke and let’s watch the train wreck.
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Has this response ever been more appropriate?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Posted on March 26th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
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