Below is a transcript of Walsh’s conference call with the media…
Donnie Walsh: Ladies and gentleman, following a lot of discussion and
thought, I made the decision that Isiah [Thomas] will no longer coach
the team. I value Isiah and his knowledge of the game, and he will
remain with the organization re****ting directly to me. He will not
have an official title, but he will provide meaningful input to me. I
believe a new coach will help the direction of the franchise, and also
think that Isiah remaining a part of the franchise is good for the
organization. We will begin a coaching search immediately.
Question: When you talk about Isiah re****ting directly to you, does
that mean he will be working in New York, or are you still trying
figuring out what exact role that will be for you?
Walsh: No, I mean that he will not have any direct re****ts to him. The
relation****p will be with me. As you know, I have said all along I
that value Isiah’s knowledge of the game and I will value his opinion.
I will use him as a resource. As far as the entire organization, they
will be re****ting to me, and Isiah will be re****ting to me. There will
be no one re****ting to Isiah.
Question: What was the most compelling reason for removing Isiah from
the bench?
Walsh: If you look at it, we’ve lost for four years, and Isiah has
been the coach the last two years. I just think that a new voice, a
new coach is necessary to change the direction of the team. And that
was the major reason why we made this change.
Question: What do you think are the qualities of a coach for this
team?
Walsh: I think there are a lot of qualities. You are looking for
somebody that can lead men, that can teach the game of basketball,
that has a grasp of what the current game in the league is and the
necessary elements that the team has to have in order to compete at
the playoff level in this league. And that is a changing dynamic
sometimes. So that is what I will be looking for. Somebody that can
look at our team, work with me to see what changes need to be made in
order to become a successful team, and then to put it together and
execute a plan that will get us there. I think that there are good
candidates out there, and I am going to start compiling a list and try
to get in touch with as many as I can to find out who’s the perfect
guy.
Question: Why not make a clean break with Isiah? Was your decision
influenced by Jim Dolan?
Walsh: He absolutely had no input on it. It was entirely my decision.
As I’ve told you guys, I do have a lot of respect for Isiah. I like
him. It was a very difficult decision to make because of that. I’ve
had to do that before, but I just felt that in the interest of the
franchise, which is my priority, this was the best direction to go in.
Question: It sounds like if you wanted to give a title to Isiah, that
he would basically be a personal consultant to you and that’s pretty
much it. Is that an accurate way to classify his position?
Walsh: No, I wouldn’t. I am closer to Isiah than that. I think I have
a lot of respect for his basketball abilities, and this won’t be just
a sometimes kind of thing. I will be in touch with Isiah a lot. I know
that he has good thoughts on the game of basketball, and we will have
a relation****p that has been more intensive than it has been lately.
Question: Where specifically did Isiah fail this season, and what can
you say about Mark Jackson and the qualifications he might have?
Walsh: I can’t really tell you where he failed with the club. I think
we reached a point in the season where our club didn’t compete for a
long time. And then there were some injuries to [Eddy] Curry and
[Stephon] Marbury. And then I thought the team did try to compete, but
the bottom line is we haven’t won, and the team didn’t look like it
was motivated to try to win and be competitive. So those were the
reasons, and that isn’t always the fault of the head coach, but it
certainly has to lie there.
I’ve told you before, I know Mark. I had a lot of respect for him as a
player. He was one of the smartest guys that ever played for us at
Indiana. I watched him at other places and he certainly played that
way. He’s always been a guy I think would make a fine head coach, and
I certainly will interview him. He will be one of the guys on my list,
along with others.
Question: Are there any reservations about a guy like Mark that
doesn’t have Head Coaching experience, especially in New York?
Walsh: Yes, of course. You have to get a special person to do that.
There are certain things that I’ll be looking for when I talk to Mark
that will signal to me whether he really understands what the
challenge will be. As far as the knowledge of the game, and all that,
it doesn’t lie there, its more in the logistics in being a coach.
Being a coach is a job unto itself, and it does always help to have
that kind of experience in knowing how to start a team from day one
and go all the way to the Finals of the NBA. There is always that how
you do that. So there will be certain things that I will be looking
for from Mark when I sit down with him, or anybody that is a first
year type of guy.
Question: Are you concerned that there will be any backlash that Isiah
still is having some input into where this franchise is going?
Walsh: Well I hope not. I feel like some of the bigger events that
happened on the way with Isiah have overshadowed some of the good
things he’s done for the franchise. I think he can help us with this
franchise, and I think that he should get the respect for some of the
things that he’s done here. I know that from my standpoint, I’m glad
to have a guy that I respect his opinion to bounce things off, and to
help me and what I’ve got to do to bring this team back up to the
level it should be.
Question: Will Herb [Williams] get an interview and what will happen
with the rest of the assistants?
Walsh: Obviously we just made this announcement, and if Herb wants an
interview, I know Herb, he also played for us at the Pacers, so I have
a lot of respect for Herb. As far as the other assistant coaches, I’m
going to have to deal with them next week. Obviously if we choose a
new coach, usually they want their own coaching staff, but I will
certainly present this coaching staff to whoever it is that has this
job where they can be part of the mix as far as what he has to choose
from.
Question: Has there ever been a coach, or President, in the NBA who
has had to overcome such a financial burden than Isiah had to?
Walsh: I think he came in as the President into a difficult situation,
and it wasn’t like he had a lot of freedom to trade for anybody. It
was select because of the cap situation. I think it compounded it when
he became the coach, because its very difficult to be the Coach and
General Manager, and I think therein, maybe it was too much for him to
be able to do himself, and I think that caused basically the record
we’ve had for the last four years. Somewhere in there. And that’s why
I’m saying I have respect for Isiah. It was a very difficult job.
Question: Do you think there’s a culture change that needs to happen
here?
Walsh: I’m looking at that. I don’t know that I’ve been here long
enough to make a complete decision on that. Obviously when you’re
losing, there has to be a culture change. Whether that is confined to
just the game of basketball, or involves other things, it remains to
be seen. I suspect that it is basically things that can be correct,
and so I’m going to look into it. But that’s a legitimate question.
Question: In the time you’ve been here, has the job seemed harder than
you thought it would be, about the same as you thought it would be?
What has the couple of weeks here shown you about what lies ahead of
you?
Walsh: Well, I think I said it in my first press conference that this
is going to be a very difficult job, that there’s no easy answer to
this. I kind of outlined it that in three years we have an op****tunity
to get under the cap, which we haven’t had, but in the mean time we’ve
really got to work 24/7 to become competitive as quickly as possible,
hopefully next year and the year after. So in that sense, I kind of
knew that that was the situation. I think being here has confirmed
that, and I think that the decision I made just now with Isiah, I
didn’t know when I came here that I would be confronting that. So I
think in that sense, it’s been harder than I thought.
Question: Isiah tried to build a franchise around Curry and Marbury.
What is your immediately plan as far as addressing the personal
issues?
Walsh: Well I’ve met all the players now, so that was the first step
for me. In the case of the two players you mentioned, they were
injured, and I think we have to make sure that they are in a rehab
program that’s going to put them in a position to recover and rehab
from the injuries they have and come into next year in the best
possible shape that they can. When you’ve got two guys like that who
occupy a big part of your franchise, then it is very, very im****tant
from them to be doing the work to make sure they can play 82 to 100
games. So that will be a priority during this summer. As far as
looking at this team as a whole and seeing what we’re going to do with
it, yes, I think you have to look out there and see what the value of
the players is, and investigate every avenue as far as making it
better.
Question: Did anybody go out of their way to say they want to keep
Isiah here amongst the players?
Walsh: Nobody brought up Isiah’s name at all. As I told you, I didn’t
try to engender that, but I can tell you that they did not bring up
his name at all. They told me kind of where they saw what the failures
of the team were, and they included themselves in it. They didn’t
blame it on the coach or anyone else, so I did get a lot out of that
in the standpoint of the culture of the team and what’s got to be done
in the future, and what’s going to face the new coach. But they did
not bring up Isiah’s name, no.
Question: What’s your opinion of Jeff Van Gundy as a coach?
Walsh: I think Jeff Van Gundy is a fine coach. A very good coach.
Question: Do you have plans to interview him?
Walsh: Well, you just brought his name up, I’ll put him on the list. I
mean, I’m compiling that list right now. As I’ve said before, I
haven’t contacted anyone. I have had a couple of guys reach out to me,
but I told them that until I dealt with the coach I had in place I
wasn’t going to be dealing with them, and so far I haven’t. But I will
be compiling a list, and Jeff is certainly a legitimate guy to be on a
list, that’s for sure.
Question: Does Isiah have the ability to leave for another job if he
wants to?
Walsh: He would follow the same routine that anybody would, and just
ask permission, and it would be granted we usually do with most
employees.
Question: When did you inform him of your decision?
Walsh: Today. The decision was finally made today.
Question: Have you made any specific decisions on Marbury and Curry’s
status on the team next season?
Walsh: I think they are coming back by their contract. They seem to
want to come back, they seem energized to come back, and both of them
have said they will work really hard this summer to come back in good
shape. They are our property, and that is the way I am going to regard
it at this point.
Question: Do you think you can be a real player for a big time free
agent in 2010?
Walsh: That’s my intention, to try to get us into that position. And I
understand that there are decisions that have to be made between now
and then that could impede that, or could help that, and so the only
way I can answer that question right now is to say that that will be
one of the priorities on my mind anytime I look at any potential
trade, signing, etc.
Question: When you mentioned the lack of competitiveness, that is
something that happened months ago, so was there anything you saw in
the last two weeks that really would make you think you needed this
time to make the decision?
Walsh: I didn’t know the situation two months ago. I just saw them
play on television. When I came here, we were playing a lot of the
younger players, and I felt like they were trying. They were trying to
win the game. It just got to the end of games against good teams and
they didn’t have enough to win. But I thought they were trying to win
the game, and there were a couple of players that I was impressed with
because of their competitive. So I did get something out of it. But
from the standpoint of the whole thing, I just think there is a lot of
work to be done with this team, and its not going to be as easy as it
may appear.
Question: In regards to Isiah’s role, do you foresee him scouting,
working at the pre-draft camp, and being there for the workouts when
you have them?
Walsh: Only if I ask him to, and there are chances I would ask him to
do some of those things. I feel there are some things I can ask Isiah
to do that I could have ultimate confidence in his ability to do it,
and then come back to me and say this is what I think we should do.
And I don’t think there is any defined role and that is the nature of
our relation****p, what it will be now. But it will be in a lot of
different areas, and I think he can do that really well.
Question: In terms of the list you are making up, how long will it be
and is there a timetable on making a coach?
Walsh: If I can get the coach I wanted right away, that will be great.
But if it is going to take time, then I will have to give it that
time. But I know this. By getting this today, which is Friday, I hope
that we still have a good selection of people that are available out
there. And there will be. I will get calls. This is a coveted job, and
people will want to coach here, so I am sure we will get calls.
Question: As far as I can recall, there have only been a number of
players who have won champion****ps as coach. Do you strongly feel that
a candidate with no coaching experience is a factor in your decision?
Walsh: Yes, it would, but there are people who can overcome that. And
I would say this. I think if you go back and check, you’ll find out
that the players who are ex-coaches have had a lot of champion****ps. I
think you will see that. Phil Jackson, the list adds up to more than
you think it would. Now, first year guys, Larry Bird got us to the
Finals [in Indiana], and he was a coach with no experience. But it
depends on a lot of factors, the type of team you have, basically how
he is going to organize his staff, there are a lot of questions that
you have to ask. But I do think that ex-players, the right ex-players,
do have a leg up because they know what it takes in this league and if
they have the ability to communicate that and to execute on their
knowledge, then they do have a chance to be good coaches. So if we are
talking about Mark Jackson, I would include him in the list of
candidates.
Question: Do you anticipate making any other changes in the front
office, particularly with Glen Grunwald?
Walsh: No I don’t, not right now. Number one, I like Glen Grunwald. I
dealt with him when he was at Toronto. He has been working here all
year. The next big moment for us is the draft, and the people who have
been here working on the draft are very im****tant to us because they
have been out scouting, and they know more about the draft then
anybody right now. So they are going to be here, and I feel like I
have confidence in Glen as far as heading up that, and I have to see
with the scouts, who I don’t know as well, just kind of once we get
together, what their recommendations are and all that. But, no matter
what, I’m going to be the one making the decisions, so I think that
I’d feel pretty comfortable now definitely with Glen, and from what I
can see, and I know some of the scouts here, I am comfortable with the
guys they have scouting right now, but we have a lot of work to do.
Now we just got the fifth pick in the draft instead of the sixth, so
that was good news today.
Question: Would the history of Jeff Van Gundy impede him from coming
back?
Walsh: I’ve never really talked to anybody about that. You asked me do
I think Jeff Van Gundy is a good coach, and yeah he is. Is he the kind
of guy you should include on the list, and yeah he is. I don’t know
what the past was here, I really don’t, and no one has brought it to
my attention.
Question: Is it possible you would prolong the search for guys in the
playoffs right now? And given that you are looking to rebuild, could
the next few years be a little messy where you get a caretaker coach?
Walsh: In relation to the first question, I think it depends on how
comfortable I am with the people that are available to be interviewed
right now. I understand, it’s a good question because there will be
people that may show interest, but can’t show interest until the
playoffs are over for them. I don’t accept that we’re going to
struggle. I think that we really have to treat it like we want to be
good right away, so I think that whoever I think is the best candidate
has to be the best candidate and you are not hedging your bet by
saying we won’t be that good so we don’t need as good a coach. I think
we have to get the best coach that we can get.
Question: Do you think that this is still a viable place for free
agents to want to come?
Walsh: Yes, I do. But we have to show improvement and be in a position
to show improvement in order to be ultimately attractive. The New York
Knicks and Madison Square Garden are a place people want to be. But,
people also want to be with a team that has a chance to win, so we’ve
got to do what we’ve got to do to get ourselves to that level so we
are more attractive than just a building, a city, and great fans, we
have great fans, and the place to do it if you’re going to do it.
Question: Can you gauge Isiah’s level of disappointment?
Walsh: I think it is a very deflating thing to get fired. I’ve been
through it myself; there’s an empty feeling with it. I’m sure that
there’s there are a lot of emotions that are running through him, and
I think that time has a way of clearing out those emotions and then
you think a little more clearly. I hope when he looks back on it that
he’s not as down as he probably is right now.
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