Are you kidding me?

G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times
The draft picks Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins,
with team president and coach Isiah Thomas, should
help beef up the Knicks' defense.

What's the Deal? Thomas Is in No Rush to Trade

By HOWARD BECK
Published: June 30, 2006

G

REENBURGH, N.Y., June 29 — Isiah Thomas the coach surveys the roster assembled by Isiah Thomas the president and likes what he sees — so much so that the Knicks might be unusually quiet this summer.

The Knicks won just 23 games last season, and their two draft picks — forward Renaldo Balkman and guard Mardy Collins — are not expected to make a major impact. Yet Thomas, the man with two job titles and a one-year ultimatum, said he was satisfied with his team.

"If we have to open the season today, I'm pretty comfortable with what we have," Thomas said Thursday, after the Knicks introduced their two rookies.

It was a curious assessment, or maybe just a spectacular smoke screen. For months, N.B.A. executives have speculated that the Knicks were collecting chips — big-name players, expiring contracts and prospects — to make a blockbuster trade. The names of Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Allen Iverson and Al Harrington have been floated as potential targets.

"And my job still is to check into those names that have been floated about," Thomas said. But, he added later: "I'm not here waiting for Santa Claus to come save us. I was told early on, we didn't have any money and there was no Santa Claus. And I'm not looking for this great player to come save the day for us. The guys that we have, we'll make them better and we got a job to do. Nobody's coming to save us."

The wrong man got fired.

I would say more, but you can only curse for so long before people get bored.

Dolan and Thomas deserve each other.