Isiah's reign in New York was something to talk about

In happier times: Isiah Thomas, flanked by Knicks owner James Dolan (left) and MSG president Steve Mills, is introduced as team president in December 2003. AP Knicks fans call for Isiah Thomas' firing during a gathering outside MSG in December. AP

His was a tenure defined by vitriol rather than victories. On Friday, as a city cheered, the Knicks' Isiah Thomas was relieved of his coaching duties, ending a sordid era in the franchise's history (Donnie Walsh, who replaced Thomas as team president April 2, said Isiah would remain with the organization). Below, the story of Thomas' Knicks tenure, in his own maddening words (and those of a few others):

"We want to change the situation, we want to turn it around, and we know we don't have a very long time to do it. [Knicks owner] Mr. [James] Dolan wants to make the playoffs and I want to win the championship."
-- On his hire as the Knicks' president of basketball operations, Dec. 23, 2003

"We arguably got one of the top 10 players in the NBA."
-- On acquiring point guard Stephon Marbury, Agence France Press, Jan. 6, 2004

"I just think he's a perfect fit. And I think he's a perfect fit for Stephon. I think he will be very good for this team."
-- Announcing the hiring of Lenny Wilkens as coach, New York Daily News, Jan. 15, 2004

"I still have the playing bug, the coaching bug. Last night I had a basketball dream that I was playing in. That doesn't mean I'm going to do it. I'm not coming back to play and I'm not coming back to coach."
-- New York Times, April 28, 2004

"I think the good thing about this marriage is that we're both comfortable with who we are and what we've done in life. We don't feel like we need to prove anything to each other."
-- On hiring Larry Brown as coach, Newsday, July 29, 2005

"We definitely have a presence in the middle now. When I looked at Jerome, the first thing I looked at was his shot-blocking ability, his ability to clog up the middle. He gives you a defensive presence. It was what we lacked last year. We needed size, we needed girth, we needed a space eater. We also needed some intimidation in the middle."
-- On signing free-agent center Jerome James (to a five-year, $30 million contract), New York Post, Aug. 3, 2005

"It's simply because I think he's one of the most talented big men in our league. Guys like him only come along every 15 or 20 years."
-- On the acquisition of center Eddy Curry, Chicago Sun-Times, Oct. 5, 2005

"If Marbury had Larry Brown early in his career, you'd be singing a different tune about him. Coaching makes a big difference. Larry has made a big difference in Marbury's game."
-- New York Daily News, Nov. 17, 2005

"You've got to be a real stud of a guy to handle it here. This is not a place for the weak-minded guy, regardless of your talent. You can have great success playing in other markets but it's almost reverse here. Your talent doesn't matter here, it's about if you can handle the force of the pressure that's coming at you.

"I like that Larry [Brown] and I get the brunt of the criticism. I like that he and I more or less wear the black hat right now. The players need shelter. [Yankees owner George] Steinbrenner is pretty smart because, throughout all the years, he was able to do his thing and the players had shelter."
-- New York Daily News, Dec. 23, 2005

"Almost every call that we took today [at the trade deadline], one of our young guys was mentioned. That's a credit to [Brown]. He's done a great job developing our young players and bringing them along. They've had some great moments and they've had some embarrassing moments. The talk around the league from other coaches and GMs is they value our young guys."
-- New York Daily News, Feb. 23, 2006

"You start listening to some of the qualities [Brown] brought out and the way that he thought they [Marbury and Steve Francis] could play together, and it made a lot of sense for us to do, particularly in terms of upgrading our talent level and where we are today. We're in it for the long haul. It's not going to turn around real fast, but I'm glad he's a partner with me working with it."
-- On the acquisition of Francis, Newsday, Feb. 24, 2006

"I think our players are better [than 23 wins] and I think our coach is better. I don't think that our record is indicative of the type of coach he is or the type of players we have. That being said, we still have 23 wins. Something went wrong and over the summer Larry and I will figure it out and we'll make corrections."
-- New York Daily News, April 21, 2006

"I'm saying this right with Isiah here. This is his team. He made this bed. There's nobody better than him to make this thing go forward.

"But he has to do that and he has one year, one season to do that. At this time next year, Isiah will be with us if we can all sit here and say that this team has made significant progress toward its goal of eventually becoming an NBA championship team. If we can't say that, then Isiah will not be here."
-- Dolan, on naming Thomas as Brown's successor as coach, June 26, 2006

"My first choice was to work it out with Larry Brown. I needed Larry and I gave him 50 million bucks. This is a situation that I'm in and I'll handle it and I'll make it work."
-- Thomas, June 26, 2006

"I just made the point that he should talk about his own team and quit talking about ours."
-- On a heated discussion with Nuggets coach George Karl, one of Brown's best friends, during the Las Vegas summer league, July 7, 2006

"I'm used to being in arenas and I'm used to being in environments where you've got to have thick skin. And while I'm not challenging anyone, I'm definitely not running from them. I'm not asking for a fight. I'm not looking for a fight. But at the same time, if a fight comes, then you've got to fight. I'm used to fighting. I've had to fight all my life. I'm kind of tired of fighting."
-- Before his preseason debut as coach, The Record (Bergen County, NJ), Oct. 13, 2006

"This so-called former Knick, on draft night with millions of people watching, had the audacity to take me to task on a player that I'm pretty sure he had never seen before in his life. ... I'm just glad that all of New York doesn't think like Greg Anthony.

"Greg Anthony should never ever be in a position to question myself on anything about basketball. I do remember the kind of player he was. I'll leave it at that."
-- On ESPN analyst and ex-Knicks point guard Anthony, who criticized New York's selection of small forward Renaldo Balkman in the NBA draft, SI.com, Oct. 18, 2006