Anti-Christ of the week ending 6-30-06 is:

Isiah Thomas

President and GM of the New York Knicks. The Knicks 2006 NBA Draft sums it all up. Along with still paying ex-coaches, ex-players (when does Frederick Weiss come off the books), ex-executives, being way over the cap to the point of luxury tax, and having overpaid players that no other team wants (“Starbury”) with no relief for years to come. The one player most NBA teams want (Channing Frye) is not on the trading block.

Here is how I would rescue the Knicks:

(1): Admit that we will have some bad years down the road and keep executives (fire Isiah and buy him out cheaply and strike a deal to buy out Larry Brown) and key personnel the same. Hire a quality NBA assistant coach who would work cheap. Don’t go the college route, it usually never works.

(2): Keep the current players and let the contracts run out and send the players on their way to their next NBA team.

(3): Trade your first round draft choices (guaranteed money) for low-paying againg veterans below the NBA veterans classification (cheaper than first round picks) who will become free agents the following year and/or second-round draft picks for the next few years (non-guaranteed money) and then draft some foreign player and then tell them that the team decides not to sign them and they are free to go play basketball elsewhere.

(4): Calculate the year when this will clear you with cap room to spend and then go after quality free agents that will not break your bank and the year before the light at the end of the tunnel is seen, trade for a first round pick with a guaranteed playoff team to where you get a end-of-the first round pick (spend less money)

(5): Hire a real NBA executive that knows how to run a basketball team and not a Fortune 500 corporation.

My suggestions would probably not work in the real NBA world but it’s a ‘college try’.

It’s time to bite the bullet now!!!!