In recent weeks, the Knicks have found themselves back in the headlines for not the best reason. Owner James Dolan named former Knicks coach and GM Isiah Thomas president and — pending WNBA Board of Governors approval — part-owner of the New York Liberty.
This is problematic for a few reasons. First, Thomas was generally recognized as a terrible GM when he was with the Knicks, and it’s laughable that Dolan wants to continue working with him. But, much more importantly, Thomas in 2007 was forced to pay $11.6 million to a Knicks employee that he was found by a jury to have sexually harassed.
In light of Thomas’ past, it’s not a great look for Dolan to be bringing him back in any capacity, let alone putting him in charge of a WNBA team, but that’s exactly what he’s doing. As for how that’s going to go over with the players, Liberty veteran Swin Cash says Dolan and Thomas have addressed it with the team. Via ESPN.com’s Ian Begley:Swin Cash said James Dolan and Isiah Thomas met with the Liberty players and had an “open” conversation to address sexual harrassment case.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 17, 2015
Liberty’s Swin Cash: “This is a situation that we weren’t asked to be in. We’re in it now, we’re dealing with it and then you move forward.”
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 17, 2015
That had to be an uncomfortable meeting. The Liberty players are obviously not happy about the situation, nor should they be. Thomas’ part-ownership of the Liberty is still pending WNBA approval, and it will be fascinating to see how it unfolds over the coming weeks and months.