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No doubting Thomas Thomas must settle issues before flying with Hawks
Posted: Friday April 28, 2000 08:18 PM
Leading the list of candidates to succeed Lenny Wilkens as coach of the Atlanta Hawks is Sacramento Kings' assistant coach Byron Scott, who's still supposedly on the Indiana Pacers' list of possible replacements for Larry Bird.
But don't rule out future Hall-of-Famer Isiah Thomas just yet. Hawks' President Stan Kasten plays golf in Hilton Head with Thomas during the offseason. But Kasten also added that Thomas coaching in Atlanta is a "moot point right now."
The league won't allow the former Detroit Pistons' star to have an NBA job and retain ownership of the Continental Basketball Association.
What's the conflict?
Well, the league, apparently, doesn't want Isiah in a position to develop his own personal farm system. Thomas said he's presently attempting to handle the matter.
Big-ticket RoseJalen Rose to the Detroit Pistons? Former Michigan teammate Chris Webber says "No way!"
Recently, Webber said that on a trip to the Motor City he had to get over 100 tickets for family and friends. He then added that there's no way Rose would want that burden on his shoulders, which would undoubtedly be the case if Rose left Indiana to sign with the Detroit.
Laughing, Rose said: "That isn't exactly true. Not if they're willing to pay me what I feel I deserve. Plus, if it's really an issue, then I'll simply ask for them to put 100 tickets in my contract, that's all."
None of that may matter if Grant Hill elects to leave.
"I want to win, first," said Rose. "I want to be on a team that's going to win. That's why I'm watching what the Pacers are going to do."
'Embarrassing' turnoutThe Charlotte Hornets won 49 games this season, despite all the tragedies and adversity they faced this season. They even managed to snatch home-court advantage in the first round. Yet, in Game 1 of the playoff series vs. the Sixers, barely 13,000 fans showed up at Charlotte Coliseum. A little more than 11,000 decided to show up for Game 2. One Hornets player actually termed the situation "embarrassing." This from a city praying it doesn't lose all-star guard Eddie Jones this offseason. Stephen A. Smith covers the NBA for the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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