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Isiah reaches out Pacers' new coach says he would hire Knight
DETROIT (Ticker) -- Isiah Thomas helped deposed Indiana coach Bob Knight win a national championship in 1981. Now he wants the legendary college coach to help him win an NBA title with the Indiana Pacers. Thomas told WDFN Radio Monday that he would like to hire Knight, who was fired by Indiana University on Sunday after a legendary but turbulent 29-year career at the school. “Well, he's welcome to sit on my bench at any time,” Thomas said during a news conference at his own charity golf tournament. “I would love for him to mentor me the way Tex Winter was for Phil Jackson. The genius that he has to give is strategically unmatched.” When asked if that meant Thomas would formally offer Knight an assistant's job with the Pacers, he said, “I would definitely offer him a job, yes.” Ironically, Thomas had a love-hate relationship with Knight and left Indiana University after his sophomore season to declare for the NBA draft in 1981. The two often clashed and Knight kicked Thomas out of practice more than a few times in an attempt to improve his star guard's work ethic. Thomas went on to enjoy a Hall of Fame career in the NBA, leading the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. He often credited Knight for instilling the discipline he needed to flourish in the NBA. Despite not having any coaching experience, Thomas was hired by the Pacers to replace Larry Bird, who resigned after leading them to the NBA Finals. Thomas had named Brendan Malone as his top assistant. Unfortunately, Knight's triumphs were tainted by a temper that led to his downfall at Indiana. University president Myles Brand called Knight's recent behavior “defiant and hostile,” when he fired him on Sunday. Brand said since his “zero tolerance” policy was instituted in May, Knight has ignored the chain of command within the athletic department, attempted to embarrass the university's Board of Trustees and other officials, refused to attend alumni events and has behaved with an overall lack of cooperation. In a telephone conversation Sunday morning with Knight, Brand gave the three-time national champion coach who once threw a chair onto the court the option to resign. When Knight refused, Brand told him he was being removed as coach. What may have made the decision easier was an incident Thursday at Assembly Hall on the IU campus in Bloomington. A freshman student -- a stepson of former local radio talk-show host Mark Shaw, who had been one of Knight's biggest critics -- alleged that Knight grabbed him by the arm and swore at him, forcing the school to launch a police investigation into the matter. Knight, 59, is still a hero in the heartland to many, and his firing ignited protests on campus. In May, Indiana imposed several sanctions and the “zero-tolerance” policy on Knight after a seven-week investigation uncovered a series of incidents in which the coach exhibited questionable conduct. Brand made it clear that any future incidents would not be tolerated and could be cause for Knight's immediate dismissal. Knight owns a career record of 763-290. He spent his first six years at Army and is 117 wins shy of passing North Carolina's Dean Smith to become college basketball's all-time winningest coach. Knight guided Indiana to national championships in 1976, 1981 and 1987, but the Hoosiers had done little in the postseason in recent years. They have lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament four times in the last six seasons and last reached the Final Four in 1992.
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