Isiah offers an assist on LeBron
LeBron James is a free agent and will announce his decision of which team he'll play for next on Thursday at 9 p.m. in an ESPN one-hour special called "The Decision." Credit: AP
When you're desperate, you try anything. So when the Knicks were getting frustrated with the lack of feedback from LeBron James and his people about his decision -- Basically: are ya comin or not? -- Isiah Thomas offered to help.
The former Knicks president and coach has a connection with some of LeBron's inner-circle and made an attempt to reach out to see what information he could get. Thomas wasn't going to talk to LeBron or LeBron's business partner, Maverick Carter, but another member of the group. So he went to Cleveland on Wednesday to make a last-ditch effort for the Knicks.
"He took a shot," a person with knowledge of the situation said. "Isiah was an in."
It did not result in anything definitive, so the Knicks went into today's press conference to introduce Amar'e Stoudemire talking as if landing LeBron was still a possibility, but deep-down reality was starting to set in.
Walsh said during his meeting with LeBron last Thursday he "didn't get any sense" from the player if he had any interest in coming to New York, or not. Walsh said he didn't plan to watch James' TV special. Mike D'Antoni won't, either, because he'll be on a cross-country flight to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League.
Thomas was replaced by Walsh as team president in April 2008 and then was replaced as coach by D'Antoni the next month. He stayed in the organization for one season before he left to coach at FIU. But he has remained in touch with the team and was included by Walsh at today's press conference among a list of people he wanted to thank for their effort in landing Stoudemire.
