The NBA has formally begun its investigation into the alleged improper pre-draft workouts conducted by the New York Knicks.
One possible upshot of this: Isiah Thomas could be suspended — in practice banned — from the Knicks. Oh, there would be dancing in the streets the likes of which has not been seen since Mick Jagger and David Bowie got together and butchered Dancing in the Streets.
Yahoo broke the workout story and Adrian Wojnarowski from there follows up the details.(Knicks owner James) Dolan has come to understand the severity of the NBA’s investigation into the Knicks after Yahoo! Sports reported apparent illegal draft workouts under Thomas’ regime, sources say. And Dolan’s been livid over it. Rodney Heard, the Knicks scout at the center of the investigation, was Thomas’ guy all the way, and Heard is still involved with Thomas’ Florida International University program.
The NBA has enlisted an outside law firm to probe the circumstances of the workouts... Several teams want severe sanctions for the Knicks, because these charges dig to the heart of competitive balance and fairness. Beyond monetary fines and forfeiture of future draft picks for Donnie Walsh’s regime, league sources say any uncovering of Thomas’ possible complicity in potential violations could result in a suspension to be tacked onto his future return to the NBA.
As Woj points out, the seemingly delusional comments of Thomas last week about his time in New York were an effort to recast those years with an audience of one man — Dolan. But it appears that the one person who has been in Thomas’ corner, the man who kept him on after an $11.5 million sexual harassment settlement, who almost brought him back this past summer, that man is done with him. Dolan may wash his hands of Thomas as a person in the Knicks front office.
That might well be the end of Isiah Thomas in the NBA.