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Merry Christmas, Knicks fans.

You finally got your wish.

The disastrous reign of Scott Layden is over. Who knows how Isiah Thomas will do? All that matters to most New York fans is that change has come at last, and it can't get any worse.

In his four years running the Knicks, Layden made one bad decision after another. Bad trades (Patrick Ewing), ill-advised signings (Allan Houston), lackluster draft picks (Donnell Harvey). And, yes, he also had his share of bad luck (Antonio McDyess).

Layden isn't a dunce or a bad guy. In Utah, he was widely hailed for adding key pieces such as Jeff Hornacek, Bryon Russell and Shandon Anderson to those Jazz teams that reached the Finals in 1997 and 1998. But in New York, Layden made the dreadful mistake of trying to patch things up on the fly instead of tearing it down and starting over.

Thus, at the behest of then-CEO Dave Checketts, he traded Ewing for three guys with bad contracts instead of letting him walk away (and getting the salary cap relief). He paid $100 million to re-sign Allan Houston, some $25 million more than any other team could offer (making him all but untradeable).

Like a gambler chasing his last bet, he then let it all ride on the McDyess trade. It might have worked, too, had the All-Star forward not reinjured his knee. Meanwhile, Nene -- whom the Knicks sent to Denver as part of the trade -- blossomed into just the sort of young, athletic center New York needed.

Maybe Layden had no choice. Maybe his Knicks bosses instructed him to go after the quick fix. Maybe they didn't think the New York fans would tolerate a three- or four-year rebuilding plan.

Whatever the case, it's no longer Layden's problem. Not that Thomas necessarily will be able to engineer any quick fix of his own. The Knicks are still capped out until 2006, with a bunch of fat contracts that will be difficult to move.

Still, Thomas is an intriguing choice. He has the high profile, charisma and star power to buy time with the impatient New York fans. He also has a solid track record as GM from his days in Toronto, drafting the likes of Damon Stoudamire (seventh overall), Marcus Camby (second) and Tracy McGrady (ninth).

If Thomas can convince his bosses to bite the bullet, he might be able to start the housecleaning relatively soon. As we learned with Juwan Howard, once considered "untradeable" in Washington, bad contracts can be moved. Dikembe Mutombo, Keith Van Horn, Kurt Thomas, Houston and Anderson are all players of some value. The Knicks will have to be creative, but it's not impossible.

As for Don Chaney's future, it doesn't look too bright. Thomas has made no secret of his desire to coach again. While he has a relationship with Chaney, who coached him his final season in Detroit, he is much closer to Knicks assistant Brendan Malone, who worked for him in Toronto. It's possible Thomas eventually could make Malone or someone else the caretaker coach until he's ready to step in.

Then if New York could just get lucky in the lottery, Thomas would have a real team to coach. It worked for Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. No doubt Thomas would love to do the same thing.

Imagine Zeke on the New York bench coaching a big game against his former Pacers team. Spike and Reggie in the Garden. Bird against Isiah.

New York fans at least have something to dream about again.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com.