So the team drops like a rock (15 games) then makes small incremental advances from the newly lowered level over 3 seasons, and we are supposed to be impressed? I think Walsh fired Isiah because he wasn’t performing to expectations, and he had someone who could do better (and he was right). Besides they crashed at the end of his last season (started 23-8).
Isiah also had his normal personality clashes while in Indiana, and was not widely considered a good coach entering his final season.
Quote from ESPN at that time (Frank Hughes):
“Even ranked 23rd, Thomas might be given too much respect. Word out of Indy is he does not work hard, he does not communicate with his players and he does not seem to care a great deal about much other than the substantial paycheck he is cashing. He better take this group of young talent somewhere this season or he is gonzo.”

Isiah was a great player, although he was somewhat overrated during the championship years, being that he was the worst defender and rebounder on a team that won by defense and rebounding.
His post-playing career has been unsuccessful, even with all the ‘buts’ used like band-aids:
but the CBA was failing before he invested
but the team was young
but Larry Brown forced him to make that bad trade
but Lenny Wilkins was old and about to retire anyway
but they really are all out to get him
but the fans yelled at him, just when his team was about to play defense
but he can’t be sexist because of his race
but 33 wins is really an improvement
but it’s the team’s fault
but it’s the fans fault
but he made good draft picks that led to the bad record
but Darrell Walker will coach for below minimum wage
but he only has had 4 years to improve the team, and he just decided this morning that they need to rebuild
but he told them to play defense. once, in pre-season.
etc etc etc

Isiah loses and treats people very poorly. I would settle for someone who only improves one of those, at this point.

There are three positives in the career of Isiah Thomas:

1) didn’t do a bad job coaching Indiana.

2) made some nice draft choices.

3) was an all time great point guard with two championships.

The only one of these that ultimately matters at all is #3. He could do whatever he wanted with the Raptors, the Pacers, the Patroons, Thrillers, and Fury– he’d always have #3.

But, unfortunately for him, the New York Knicks is a franchise that isn’t going to roll over and die lightly. His legacy is clouded by the job he’s done in NY, and will continue to be until he is gone, and it all blows over.

Then, and only then, will his Wikipedia entry accurately reflect his successes in the game of basketball.

Until then he’ll be the guy who “has been largely unsuccessful with the Knicks roster and fanbase so far”.

And that is truly glossing it over.

Brian,
Isiah?s 1st Pacer team was very talented, including the addition of 22 year old O?Neal. To me they look more talented than the previous year. Still, this team was outscored by their opponents. Now, in order for a claim of a great job by Isiah, they would have to be expected to be about 25 games or so worse than the previous season. I just don?t see that drop off in talent that you see.
Can you spin this convincingly into a mediocre job? Maybe if you argue that Brown, Bird, and Carlisle are super coaches. But it is a big stretch to call this a good coaching job, IMHO.

The team had some good, young talent, no doubt.

And said young talent did what most young, talented teams do – struggle at first then get better as time goes on.

Which is what they did.

If the team got WORSE during Isiah’s run, then fine, rip the guy – but they didn’t. They improved each season and then Bird was put in charge, and he sure was not going to keep Isiah, especially as Bird specifically asked for Carlisle to replace him as coach.

The 2001 team just lost 3/5th of their starting rotation and replaced them with young players. Then, during his three-year run, the young players developed (especially O’Neal) and got better and better (how can you dismiss a coach’s record when the dude IMPROVES the wins each year) and when Carlisle got there, they were ready to make a run.

Like PeteRoc mentioned, the key was that they got upset in the first round in Isiah’s last year. That was all Larry Bird needed to get rid of Isiah, who he clearly did not want to keep (and I’m not even blaming Bird for that – just noting that he was not firing Isiah because Isiah did a bad job in Indiana, he was firing him because he did not want Isiah as his coach period).