Chris Mullin outburst evokes memories of the old St. John's vs Georgetown rivalry at Madison Square Garden

It was — almost refreshingly — like the halcyon days of the Big East all over again when St. John's met Georgetown at Madison Square Garden Wednesday night especially when the Redmen's — I mean Red Storm's — head coach Chris Mullin had to be held back from going after the Hoyas bench in the second half of the opening game of this season's Big East Tournament.

Mullin stormed over to confront Georgetown coach John Thompson III after rough play between players under the basket escalated and probably rekindled the rough house style of play he remembers during the classic battles between the two teams back in the 80's.

With 8:35 left, and the eighth-seeded Johnnies holding a 59-55 lead in the hard fought game, a melee nearly broke out. After Amar Alibegovic fouled L.J. Peak hard on a drive, Peak got up, and got in Alibegovic’s face. Bradley Hayes followed by pushing Alibegovic. That was quickly broken up. But moments later, a fired up Mullin exchanged words with Peak then JT3 before being held back by his players. Alibegovic was assessed a flagrant one foul, and Mullin and Georgetown assistant coach Patrick Ewing Jr. were both given technical fouls.

Chris Mullin Making College Basketball Great Again! pic.twitter.com/k9CScjsqy1

— Busted Coverage (@bustedcoverage) March 9, 2017

Mullin's players responded by hanging on, 74-73, to give their second year coach his first postseason victory and the program it’s first Big East Tournament win since 2011. St. John’s will meet No. 1 Villanova in the quarterfinals Thursday at noon.

After the game, the two coaches shook hands like nothing happened but the names — Mullin, Thompson, Ewing — stirred up visions of Big East glory days past and might signal the resurgence of a new St. John's vs Georgetown era.

All we need is a little Carnesecca.

Shamorie Ponds leads St. John’s to 76-73 win over No. 13 Butler in Big East opener

Shamorie Ponds scored 26 points, including four free throws in the final 9.1 seconds, as St. John’s upset No. 13 Butler 76-73 in the Big East opener for both teams at Carnesecca Arena Thursday night.

“I was just confident. I was confident going to the foul line and saying, ‘I’m going to make these two free throws,’” the Brooklyn-bred freshman said after the victory.

The Red Storm (7-7, 1-0), coming off last week’s overpowering 33-point win at Syracuse, came back from a ten point deficit with the Bulldogs (11-2, 0-1) before taking the lead at 72-71 on a free throw by Malik Ellison with 14.1 seconds left.

St. John’s kept the ball on the second miss and Ponds was fouled. He made two free throws before Tyler Lewis of Butler countered with the same at 6.7 seconds left. Ponds added two more with 6.2 seconds to go. Kelan Martin of Butler let a shot go from half-court at the buzzer that hit the rim before giving the young Red Storm team its first Big East victory of the season.

Tie game!!!! Malik Ellison with the steal and score to knot it at 69! pic.twitter.com/DknCw8SWqF

— St. John's BBall (@StJohnsBBall) December 30, 2016

“He’s a really phenomenal player, but he also has that (calm and cool) personality,” Johnnies coach Chris Mullin said of Ponds. “That is his demeanor on and off the court.”

Bashir Ahmed added 19 points for the Red Storm.

Tyler Wideman had 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the Bulldogs, and Martin scored 13.

The win ended Butler’s four-game winning streak over the Red Storm and stopped a streak of losses in St. John’s last four conference openers.

St. John's embarrasses Syracuse with 93-60 rout at the Carrier Dome

St. John's handed Syracuse its worst loss in the 36-year history of the Carrier Dome, after the Red Storm overpowered the Orangemen (excuuuse me, the Orange) 93-60 on the famed court.

Wednesday night's 33-point win marked the second largest victory by St. John's over Syracuse and was the first time that a Jim Boeheim-coached team has lost five non-conference games in the regular season.

Syracuse fans even booed their beloved Orange off the court before it was all over after Boeheim waved the white flag and emptied his bench with almost three minutes to go.

Three St. John’s players scored in double figures, the Red Storm scored 32 points on 19 Syracuse turnovers and outscored the Orange 36-12 from beyond the arc in overwhelming their former Big East rivals. But not before the game turned into lob city for the Storm.

It was lob city in the Carrier Dome tonight! Full highlights on the St. John's Red Storm YouTube page! #SJUBB #WeAreNewYorksTeam pic.twitter.com/R4sOJEFMDi

— St. John's BBall (@StJohnsBBall) December 22, 2016

“I didn’t get them ready to do what they needed to do. We just didn’t execute on defense or offense. St. John’s did. That was the game,” Boeheim said. “This is on me, not the players.”

Syracuse’s previous worst loss at the Dome was by 24 points against Seton Hall in 1998.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak and was the third straight for St. John’s (6-7) over Syracuse (7-5) in three years.

St. John’s coach Chris Mullin was at a loss to explain his team’s dominating performance.

“I really can’t explain it, especially with the game we’re coming off (a 92-76 loss against Penn State). We’ve been up and down. The one thing about our team is that we’re young, we’re inexperienced,” said Mullin. “When you get effort and energy and share the ball, and do the right things, at some point things will work.”

The game was tied at 14 with 12:17 to go in the first half. From that point on, the Red Storm outscored Syracuse 79-46 — 54-31 in the second half. Syracuse climbed to within six early in the second half on six straight points from Dajuan Coleman, but St. John’s answered with six and ran away after that.

Shamorie Ponds led St. John’s with 21 points. Bashir Ahmed added 20 points and Malik Ellison 16.

Ellison scored eight straight points on two 3-pointers and put-back to tie the game at 12. The game was tied at 14 when the Red Storm went on a 19-4 run to take a 33-18 lead. The Red Storm hit four consecutive 3-pointers in a span of 1:36 during the run. St. John’s held a 39-29 halftime lead.

St. John’s snaps 16-game losing streak with 80-65 win over DePaul

It's been 31 years since Chris Mullin participated in Big East victory and finally, now as the St. John's coach, the former Johnnies star is back in the win column.

Mullin won 44 Big East regular-season games as a player at St. John’s, but it took 14 Big East games to get his first conference win as a coach.

The Red Storm snapped a school-record 16-game losing streak (including a 0-13 start in the Big East) with a 80-65 victory over DePaul Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena on Bill Wennington Bobblehead Night — in honor of Mullin’s former teammate on that wondrous 1985 Final Four team.

Federico Mussini scored all 17 of his points in the second half for the Johnnies (8-19, 1-13) in their first victory of 2016 and their first since beating former Big East rival Syracuse, 84-72, at the Garden on Dec. 13.

“It’s somewhat of a relief and somewhat justified,” Mullin said. “They got a win and they had played well enough to win. They just haven’t broken through. You can only do so much. They have to break through themselves.”

The Red Storm were in front by nine at the end of the first half, but didn't seem to know how to handle a lead. They let the Blue Demons (8-17, 2-11) open the second half on an 8-0 run to jump ahead, 32-31.

The Johnnies got the lead right back on a rebound basket by Felix Balamou and they never gave it back. Mussini had half the points in a 14-2 run that gave St. John’s a 54-37 lead with 9:12 to play. The Red Storm stretched it to 20 with six minutes left.

DePaul got as close as 74-65 in the frenetic final few minutes.

“From a basketball point it was brutal,” Mullin said of the streak. “But they can’t take this to the next game. They have to perform. They’ll feel better about themselves but the preparation and approach won’t vary.”

And maybe a Walter Berry Bobblehead Night wouldn't hurt either.

St. John's rallies back from 16 down to beat 'out-hearted' Rutgers

It's totally illogical how St. John's could shoot 32.3 percent from the field and make only 13 of 24 foul shots yet come from 16 points down in the second half to pull out a 61-59 win over Rutgers in front of a roaring crowd of 4,540 Thursday night at Carnesecca Arena.

But frustrated Scarlet Knights coach Eddie Jordan had an answer.

"I told my team they 'out-hearted' us," Jordan said. "I've never used that term in my coaching career, but I'm using it tonight."

And Jordan had good reason to fume. It took a big effort for St. John's (3-0) to overcome a 45-29 lead by Rutgers (2-1). The Red Storm didn't score its first point of the second half until 16:20 remained and didn't make its first field goal of the half until Felix Balamou hit a layup at the 13:53 mark.

That Balamou was playing at all was a plus for the Red Storm after he missed the first two games of the season because of an NCAA eligibility issue. He came off the bench to score eight points, grab 11 rebounds, dish out seven assists and commit only one turnover. Red Storm coach Chris Mullin put the ball in his hands for long stretches in the second half, and it solved the St. John's turnover problem.

"He had seven assists and one turnover, and that's huge at any level," Mullin said. " . . . Thanks to [interim athletic director and general counsel] Joe Oliva, we found out he was eligible at 4:30 this afternoon."

After the Red Storm took a 60-59 lead, Mussini forced a Rutgers turnover that led to Christian Jones' foul shot for a 61-59 lead with 6.5 seconds left. Rutgers' Corey Sanders tried to drive to the basket but was shut off and kicked to Daniels, who hit a three-pointer — but it went through after the buzzer.

"At one point, we couldn't make a shot, but we hung in and stayed positive and gave ourselves a shot," Mullin said. "We were fortunate to win in the end."

That's heart.

St. John's opens Chris Mullin era with 32-point loss to Division II school

Chris Mullin knew his first year at St. John's was going to be rough, but the new head coach might be calling his mentor and former coach Lou Carnesecca out of retirement after how bad it started Wednesday night in Queens.

Mullin opened his Red Storm coaching career with with an embarrassing 90-58 exhibition loss to Division II St. Thomas Aquinas.

That's right. A Big East team lost to tiny St. Thomas Aquinas by 32 points.

But the former St. John's and NBA star took the loss in stride.

"You have to give the other team a lot of credit," Mullin said of the exhibition match. "They played hard, they played together and aggressive. This will be a tremendous teaching tool. A lot of our guys have not played in a college basketball game, and we tried to emulate that in practice and the scrimmage, but it's different. We have to learn from this."

St. Thomas Aquinas shot 61.8 percent in the first half and led 50-34 at the break. The Spartans finished at 48 percent and had only 14 turnovers. The Red Storm shot 36.7 percent and had 27 turnovers against the Spartans full-court press.

Justin Reyes had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Spartans, and Chaz Walter added 18 points.

Federico Mussini led St. John's with 16 points. 

St. John's will face Sonoma State on Saturday in another exhibition game, then open the regular season Nov. 13 against Wagner.

While St. Thomas goes on to face those real powerhouses on their schedule: St. Anselm, Felician and Daemen.

Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond to reunite on St. John’s coaching bench

St. John’s will be reuniting two of the three members of the infamous Run TMC trio from the 1990s Warriors teams on its coaching staff and, if Red Storm basketball is only two-thirds as exciting as that legendary group, St. John's fans are in for a treat.

Chris Mullin had already become the Red Storm’s new head coach, returning to his alma mater following time spent in the NBA as a Hall of Fame player and also as a team executive. Now Mullin has hired former Golden State Warriors teammate Mitch Richmond — himself a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame —  to serve the program as a special assistant, the school announced Tuesday afternoon.

All that’s missing from the popular Run TMC Warriors teams of the early 90s now is Tim Hardaway. In 1990-91, Richmond, Mullin and Hardaway averaged a combined 72.5 points, the second-best output by three players on one team in the league’s history.

“I am really excited to begin this new chapter of my basketball career at St. John’s University,” Richmond said in a statement. “Throughout my life, I have had the opportunity to learn from great coaches who were mentors on and off the court. I look forward to passing along this knowledge and putting in the work to help elevate this program. Mully and I were always coaches on the floor, so I am thrilled to join him for this new venture.”

And there won’t be a better shooting coaching staff in the country. Richmond, has spent time as a scout with the Warriors, will be Mullin’s special assistant, a role similar to the one Gene Keady held on former coach Steve Lavin’s staff.

“Mitch is committed to helping us build this program and develop an environment for sustained success at St. John’s,” Mullin said. “He has tremendous basketball insight, a vision for the game and a passion to share his knowledge. Obviously, his experience in different roles throughout his career as a player, scout and mentor will have an impact in many areas.”

St. John’s also is expected to announce the hiring of its third assistant coach, Greg St. Jean — the son of former Warriors coach Garry St. Jean — which would complete a comprehensive staff that already includes experienced assistant coaches and top-notch recruiters Barry “Slice” Rohrssen and Matt Abdelmassih.

Since last spring, St. John’s has almost completely turned over its roster, bringing in nine new players. Now it's coaching staff will have all new faces too.

So charge up that old boom box, dust off those Bell Biv Devoe cassettes and lace up those Adidas, its fast break time in Queens.

Chris Mullin lands top NYC recruit Shamorie Ponds for St. John's: Report

In what can only be called laying a solid cornerstone for the future of St. John’s basketball, Chris Mullin landed one of New York City’s top players Tuesday when Shamorie Ponds, a 6-1 guard from Thomas Jefferson High in Brooklyn, verbally committed to the Red Storm program.

“It felt like a perfect fit,” Ponds said at a press conference. “It is close to home. I’m St. John’s No. 1 recruit for the class of 2016 and they are putting the ball in my hands.”

In landing Ponds, Mullin, the first-year coach, already has done what his predecessor, Steve Lavin, had a hard time doing — keep the city’s top talent in the city.

"It was a long process," Ponds said at Tuesday's presser. "I'm attending the University of St. John's."

And nobody seemed happier than Matt Abdelmassih — the Johnnies new assistant coach and recruiter.

Just jumped up and down as people looked at me weird at my hotel in Prague. Great day for St John's & NYC #sjubb

— Matt Abdelmassih (@mabde33) September 29, 2015

The smooth-shooting Ponds is a four-star recruit and is rated as a top 50 recruit nationally by recruiting services Rivals and Scout. Ponds made an official visit to the school last month.

Ponds picked the Red Storm over Providence and Creighton, and becoming the first top local player to join Mullin’s program.

“I guess I can set an example,” he said. “This is basically a dream come true. I always wanted to stay home, play in front of my family.”

Arizona recently expressed interest and Ponds had offers from the likes of Minnesota, Miami, South Carolina, Seton Hall and Oklahoma as well. But his hometown school won out.

“They love me here,” Ponds said. “There’s no arena like Madison Square Garden. [Mullin] said, ‘If you put on a show there, you can write your own ticket.’”

Ponds, a southpaw with a sweet 3-point stroke, is the highest-rated local player to pick St. John’s since Maurice Harkless committed to play there under former coach Steve Lavin in August 2011. 

Ponds led Jefferson to the city finals two years ago and the semifinals last year, when he averaged 25 points per game, 8.6 rebounds.

Steve Lavin, St. John’s ‘mutually agree’ to part ways: Report

Steve Lavin will no longer be the men's basketball coach at St. John's, the school announced Friday, after the two sides mutually parted ways.

The news comes days after reports said Lavin was in talks over a contract extension and one week after the Red Storm were bounced from the NCAA tournament in the first round. Those extension talks didn't last long, as reports later stated his job was in jeopardy.

“Coach Lavin returned high expectations to our men’s basketball program and represented St. John’s in a positive way,” St. John's athletic director Chris Monasch said in a statement. “We appreciate his commitment to the program and to our student-athletes over the past five years. Our student-athletes represented the University well, especially our five-member senior class who excelled on the court, inside the classroom and within the community.”

Lavin did a lot of good at St. John's. He raised the profile of the basketball program, won 20 games 3 times and most will say he left the program in better shape now than when he got here. After all, he took the program to the 2011 NCAA Tournament for the first time after a nine-year drought but critics point out it was a roster filled mostly with previous coach Norm Roberts' recruits. And in postseason play, Lavin’s teams did not fare well. They were 1-5 in the Big East Tournament, 1-2 in the NIT and 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament.  

While Lavin went 21-12 during the 2014-15 season, and compiled a decent 81-55 record over five years, he never seemed to get the team over the hump.

And the disappointing 12 point loss to San Diego State in Charlotte last week — due largely because of the suspension of Chris Obekpa — was probably the last hinge to his fate despite all of the talk about the contract extension.

Granted, Lavin coached only four games in 2011-12 after bravely battling prostate cancer surgery, but there was always the academically ineligible recruits, untimely player suspensions and relatively low profile for a team in the nation's biggest media market that kept his job in question.

“In life change is inevitable, so I take the long view. I'm grateful for my time teaching at St. John’s University,” Lavin said in a statement. “I will take with me the lasting friendships forged during my tenure as Head Coach. I'm proud of our results both on and off the court — in particular our memorable runs to the NCAA tournament in 2011 and 2015. Most importantly, I take pride in our performance in the classroom having graduated our student athletes who will represent the institution in a first class manner."

Lavin is a decent man of principles and a well-liked coach but, with his senior-laden team all but gone, it seemed the time was right for the Red Storm to begin all over again.

And something tells me you'll be hearing the names Mullin and Hurley around Carneseca Arena a lot in the next few weeks. And maybe Mark Jackson.

Chris Mullin, Danny Hurley among favorites to be new St. John's coach, sources tell @SNYtv http://t.co/BoYje1MLiO
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 27, 2015

Warriors owner booed mercilessly at Chris Mullin ceremony

On a night when Chris Mullin's former-Golden State Warriors #17 jersey was to be lifted to the rafters of Oracle Arena, the real story ended up being the boos that rained down on the team's owner Joe Lacob during the ceremony.

In an unbelievable five minutes during the ceremony, fans at arena drowned out Lacob's introduction of the ex-Warriors great during "Chris Mullin Night."

Lacob looked visibly shaken before he was rescued by Mullin and another former Warriors great, Rick Barry.



Things had already seemed tense way before the owner had a chance to proceed with the unveiling of Mullin's jersey for retirement.

Fans were probably venting their frustration at the team's recent trade of fan favorite Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks  and the probability at looking at another lottery pick instead of the playoffs.

While the booing quieted after Lacob's introduction, the owner said, "Now that we got that out of the way..."

Little did he know what was yet to come.

Lacob was only able to nervously add, "Tonight is about two things, embracing history and respect," before the hostile crowd turned on him full blast.

Mullin walked over and hugged the visibly shaken Lacob before imploring the crowd to calm down.

"As the greatest fans in the NBA," he reasoned, "Change in inevitable."

After the boos and catcalls kept interrupting Lacob's speech, Warriors Hall of Famer Rick Barry stepped up and scolded the fans.

"Show a little bit of class," an angry Barry barked into the microphone.  "This is crazy... seriously."

"He's going to change this franchise," he continued.

Lacob was finally able to continue his speech and told Mullin, "Chris, this night is about you."

Mullin and his family were given an Hawaiian vacation by the team, but  the guest of honor seemed more concerned about Lacob's humiliation.

It was too bad the fans had to ruin a special night for the Hall of Famer Mullin who gave the Bay area so many good memories.

Thankfully, at the end,  things subsided and the ceremony ended in cheers.

Two Former-St. John's Athletes Shine This Weekend; While Another Sees The Light

St. John's University had three former sports stars in the news this weekend-- all with different and compelling stories.  Same school, same weekend and three different paths. 

Keegan Bradley capped off the weekend by coming back from a three-stroke deficit to tie the leader, with three regulation holes to play, to win the PGA Championship in grand fashion after a three-hole playoff.  The rookie made a remarkable recovery, after triple-bogeying the 15th hole, to defeat Jason Dufner.  The St. John's grad ('08) was the first golfer to win a major in his first appearance in one since 1913.

The weekend kicked off with the induction of St. John's basketball legend, Chris Mullin, into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday night.  The left-handed Brooklyn gym rat was rewarded for an outstanding college, professional and Olympic basketball career.

In between, there was another sad chapter added to the life of former Red Storm basketball star Jayson Williams.  The 43 year-old Williams is preparing to move from a prison in New Jersey to Rikers Island some time next week.  The former New Jersey Net is expecting to be transferred next Friday after doing 18 months for aggravated assault, then he's to start serving a one-year sentence for a DWI in New York.

One St. John's star begins what looks like a promising career while another achieves the ultimate recognition for a career well spent.  The third can only look back and wonder "what if?"

There is Bradley's bright future, Mullin's exclamation point on his brilliant career and Williams dimmed hopes and broken dreams.

The lanky and enthusiastic Bradley (nephew of LPGA Hall of Famer, Pat Bradley) provided one of the most exciting finishes in a golf tournament in recent years by not wilting under pressure.  His clutch 35-foot  putt to birdie on the the par-three 17 was a shot for the ages.  The 25 year-old charged back with birdies on 16 and 17 and tied the fading Dufner, who bogeyed those same holes, on 18 before winning the playoff by one stroke to take home the Wanamaker Trophy.

The two golfers had to play the 16, 17 and 18th holes again in the playoff-- the same holes Bradley just conquered and Dufner flopped.

Mullin, the left-handed gym rat from Brooklyn got a standing ovation as he took the stage and stood next to his mentor and former-St. John's coach Louie Carnesecca.  The two old friends will always have the Final Four run in 1985 to keep them connected.

Mullin's career spanned four seasons at St. John's and he is still the school's career scoring leader. He was the Big East Player of the Year three times and won the Naismith Award in 1985 for being the best college player in the nation.

After being the number seven draft choice of the Golden State Warriors and, after overcoming his own demons with alcohol and home-sickness, Mullin went on to star with the Warriors and Indiana Pacers.

Mullin was a medalist on two Olympic teams and was part of the original "Dream Team' in the 1992 games.

Mullin took his knowledge and brush-cut from the court to the studio and is now an analyst for ESPN after working in various front-office positions with the Warriors from 2002-09.

The New York native would probably say, other than not winning a championship,  never suiting up for the hometown Knicks was his only regret.

While Bradley's and Mullin's fortunes are looking, and have been shining, bright; it now seems Williams is finally seeing the light.

The former Red Storm center's life has been riddled with legal and personal issues.  It began in 1988, at a St. John's game against Providence, when the hot-headed Williams got into a tussle with an opposing player and then grabbed a fan in the stands.  He was suspended for leaving the bench.

For three years the brutish Williams led St. John's to the NCAA tournament and was selected as the 21st pick in the 1990 draft.  After spending most of his time on a bench with the Philadelphia 76ers, Williams was sent to the Nets, where he languished until a breakout All-Pro season in 1997-98.

An serious leg injury essentially put an end to the forward's blossoming career after the first year of a six-year, $90 million deal.

Arrests for fights and reports of violence culminated with the shooting death of his limo driver inside  his New Jersey mansion in 2002.  After years of legal haggling, Williams was sentenced to 5 years for aggravated assault (18 months with good behavior).  He will now start serving out the drunk driving charge after hitting a tree in Manhattan's lower-east-side last year not long after a suicide attempt where he was tasered by cops in a hotel room.

The jailed Williams, 43, is reportedly attending AA meeting six days a week and teaches bible study while serving his time.

Williams life after college is a sordid collection of foolish behavior compared with the achievements of the other alums tied in with this weekend's St. John's trinity.

Life is a rugged path to walk.  For Bradley, Mullin and Williams,  it looks like there is now a promising future, a storied past and, hopefully, true redemption.

Mark Jackson On Long List To Replace Walsh As Knicks GM

Mark Jackson, the former NBA point guard and current analyst for ESPN and ABC, is having his name bandied about once again for the position of general manager of an NBA franchise.  This time, New York's favorite son, Jackson was on the list of GM candidates to assume control of the New York Knicks for departing team President and GM Donnie Walsh.  According to reports, Walsh submitted Jackson's name to owner James Dolan a month and a half ago.

Since 2007, Jackson's name pops up every time there is an opening in an NBA front office or head coaching position and he has still yet to take one of the jobs.  The New York-bred Jackson would be a lot more welcome at Madison Square Garden than Knicks boomerang Isiah Thomas.  Thomas' shadow is always lurking behind Dolan.

Jackson's name has already been tossed around this year for GM positions with the Minnesota Timberwolves and he is considered a finalist for the Golden State Warriors head-coaching job.

The former Knicks guard had been mentioned as a candidate for the Memphis Grizzlies GM post in 2007 and the Atlanta Hawks last season and has yet to leave the broadcast booth.

The question that is louder than an NCAA women's softball game is why is Jackson in such high demand?

There is no question about Jackson's NBA pedigree.  He was the 18th pick coming out of St. John's and was Rookie-of-the-Year with the Knicks in 1987.  In his 17-year career, Jackson acquired the third highest career assists total and was known as a tremendous leader on the floor.  He even led the sickly Los Angeles Clippers to the playoffs...twice! 

The 46 year-old Jackson has the court savvy and intellect only an all-time NBA player could gather and has become one of the finest analysts on television--in any sport.  The problem, naysayers always bring up, is Jackson's lack any front office or coaching experience whatsoever.

Isiah Thomas Is Hazardous To Knicks

By Tony Mangia

Name two hazardous materials which appeared in the New York air last week and disrupted the Knicks week.  If you said asbestos you are correct but if you added Isiah Thomas you are a true blue Knickerbocker fan.

After last week's asbestos scare at Madison Square Garden postponed Tuesday night game against Orlando, Thomas, currently the head basketball coach at Florida International University, did a one-hour, commercial-free phone interview with  Michael Kay on ESPN radio.  Zeke professed his desire to become a part of the Knicks organization--once again. Knicks insiders took it as an attempt by Thomas to promote himself in an attempt to take over team president Donnie Walsh's job when he retires.

Walsh is recovering from spinal-cord surgery and is in the option year of his contract.  The contract can be renewed by owner James Dolan in March.  When asked about leaving, Walsh responded hastily," When I hear the word retirement, it's a choice I make!"

Walsh had been planning for the future though. He had been trying to hire former St. John's All- American Chris Mullin for the past two years in preparation for a successor after he left.  Dolan would not approve the hiring because he felt there were already a couple of candidates in waiting--Glen Grunfeld and John Gabriel.

Mullin, meanwhile, didn't wait around and last week took a job as an NBA in-studio commentator at ESPN where he can now complement his former teammate, Mark Jackson.  Jackson, with his real-as-a-schoolyard-foul game calling, is regarded as one of the best basketball analysts on TV while Mullin, with his gym-rat perspective and Canarsie accent, will be a nice bookend for his fellow New Yorker.

This brings everything back to Thomas, like he has a knack of doing.  The ex-Piston says he would be content in the role of a Knicks consultant.  He was hired in that position by the Knicks in August but was forced down after NBA bylaws forbid college coaches to hold an NBA job at the same time. How long has Zeke been in the league?  Doesn't Thomas have a clue about rules and conflict-of-interest regulations? 

It remains to be seen if the Knicks had anything to do with Thomas' radio conversation.  Three months ago, it was reported that Thomas was prevented by the Knicks from doing an interview on another ESPN radio show.  Kay said the Knicks brass prohibited the first interview.  Probably to keep his mouth shut and stirring up an already boiling pot. 

Why the sudden change of mind now?  If Thomas freelanced this interview on his own, does that mean he is pushing his return?  If he did, he has balls.  The Knicks are improving early in the season and the interview took place during Walsh's rehab and only one day after his Florida International team held its media day in Florida.  As one suspicious Knick executive put it, "Great timing, wasn't it?"

Thomas' self-promoting and hidden agendas are nothing new in New York or anywhere for that matter.  He said he still has visions of helping the Knicks win a title.  "I want to be on the float and I want to get my ring," the former NBA great said.

Walsh is now cleaning up a mess at the Garden, not the asbestos but Thomas'.  Walsh's predecessor left the team in shambles and still shows no shame.  Credibility?  Don't make me laugh.  Thomas and MSG were found guilty of harassing in a federal court.  It cost the Knicks $11 million.  He still calls Anucha Brown Sanders a liar and he has "forgiven" her. 

Thomas has amped himself into believing he is the key to the Knicks landing Carmelo Anthony. He bragged that he would have landed LeBron James if he remained team president. If he isn't campaigning for Walsh's job he must be waiting for him to keel over.  He claims he thinks about taking over for Walsh, "every single day of the week."

The delusional Thomas defends his track record (average 28 Knicks wins a season) with comments like, " I'll put my draft evaluation record up against any one's" and "I think if you take away that trial (Anucha Brown Sanders), I'm still there, we make the playoffs a couple of times and I don't know if Miami has LeBron or Wade."

Walsh took the high road after he found out about Thomas' remarks. His office has not released an official response, but Walsh said, "I'm not looking down the line.  I have nothing to say about comments made by Isiah."

If Thomas is planning a coup, Walsh better have a backup plan.  Mullin, Walsh's personal choice as heir is gone and it looks like Dolan is still ga-ga over Thomas.   The owner's favorite son must have cast some kind of spell that makes him look like a reincarnation of Red Auerbach.   Or maybe he has incriminating photos of his ex-boss? Whatever reason Thomas continues to be on retainer is not good for the Knicks.


There's no rationale why Dolan loves his Isiah.  It's like some Judd Apatow bromance.  The confused straight man partners with a twisted interloper to make illogical decisions, wreck everything in sight and not get the girl.  It is a tired routine.


Thomas says he wants to recruit James in 2014 when the Miami Heat player can opt out of his contract.  "I think when he comes to New York and he wins it (a title) in New York, I think he's the greatest player ever," spouted Thomas.  It looks like Dolan and his conniving cohort have been inhaling more than asbestos.