Wait a minute, did hell freeze over? Because mercurial Knicks owner James Dolan may be ending his idea to rehire Isiah Thomas! According to the Post, a source claims that Donnie Walsh is close to re-signing with the team, "with assurance from [Dolan] that he has given up on the idea of hiring back Isiah Thomas in any capacity.... Walsh...is confident he no longer needs to be threatened by the dark cloud of Thomas, according to two people familiar with the situation."
Plus, Wash would get permission to hire his successor, and we can't imagine that Walsh would want Thomas, who may still be a friend to Dolan but has been an embarrassment to the team (three words: Anucha Browne Sanders; two more words: Stephon Marbury). The Post's Marc Berman reports, "The sources said in recent months -- since the Carmelo Anthony blockbuster -- Dolan has been convinced by his Garden lieutenants that giving Thomas another crack in the future would be unwise. It is unclear what the exact breaking point was Dolan clearly was unnerved by reports Thomas had helped orchestrate the Anthony trade. Dolan was concerned Thomas has lobbied for his candidacy secretly to members of the media."
Walsh has also asked that marketing executives can't talk to players' agents to plan guest appearances during the season—apparently Walsh wants the team to win and not be distracted.
