Knicks Hire Mike D'Antoni as Head Coach
You could almost feel the foul mood lifting over New York on Saturday when the Knicks announced that they had hired former Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni.
The big dark cloud known as the Isiah Thomas Era is over. New team president Donnie Walsh, who had much success as the head of the Indiana Pacers, made his first move in the job (replacing Thomas) when he named D'Antoni as coach (replacing, um, Thomas).
D'Antoni accepted a deal rumored to be about $24 million for four years. The Chicago Bulls had also been trying to hire D'Antoni, who led the Suns to two Western Conference finals.
As for Isiah Thomas, it's said that he's still on the payroll in some unnamed position. The Knicks owe him a lot of money on his contract, so I guess they're going to try to put him to use somehow. (If you're at the Garden and see a gentlemen with a boyish smile selling popcorn, it could well be Isiah.)
