Thomas says it's not time to blow up Knicks and start over
ESPN.com news services
Updated: November 23, 2007, 3:56 PM ET
Isiah Thomas says he doesn't expect to be fired as coach and general manager of the struggling New York Knicks, based on his conversations with his boss, Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan.
"I don't foresee there being any changes this year," Thomas said Friday when asked about his discussions with ownership and his job security, Newsday reported.
"I just don't think this is the time to panic after 11 games in the season," Thomas said, according to the newspaper.
The Knicks are 2-9 and last in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. New York hosts Chicago on Saturday.
Thomas said he understands why Knicks fans, who have been booing the team at home for its lackluster play, are frustrated. But he added that now is "not the time to just blow everything up" and start over, according to Newsday.
"When you get frustrated, the first thing you think of doing is making changes, but this isn't the time to make changes. Believe me, when that time comes, I'll be the first to say it. But this is not the time," Thomas said, according to the report. "I've seen and been through a lot of situations in this NBA. This isn't the time to abandon ship and make changes. We'll get through this."
But according to the report, Thomas declined to go into the details of this latest conversation with Dolan, who has remained silent in the face of widespread speculation about Thomas' future.
"Mr. Dolan and my conversations will always be private," Thomas said, according to Newsday. "We talk regularly and we understand the situation we're in and we understand what we have to do. It's a long season and you just have to keep plugging away and keep battling and keep fighting. That's what we're prepared to do."
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