Isiah Thomas and the Garden Thugs

Isiah Thomas was a thug when playing for the Detroit Pistons. He's been an awful GM, and his coaching hasn't been better. So, on a night when his team sucked, the effort sucked, and the Denver Nuggets were playing on a different level, a flagrant foul turned into a huge brawl.

Expect serious fines and suspensions, though one better investigate to see whether Thomas instigated matters as a way to fire the team up going forward. Either way, it was a disgraceful effort.

If your team doesn't show up to play hard every night, that's not just the players' fault. That lies with the coach. And the GM. Isiah Thomas is both.

Here are some predictions for suspensions. I think that they're probably on the light side, but then again, this is the NBA. Oh, and if the Knicks think that they were being dissed by the Nuggets take a look in the mirror. The team has been dissing its fans for years now. Shameful play, awful decisions, and a team that is hapless, lacks heart, or determination to play out the entire game from start to finish are just the tip of the iceberg.

UPDATE:
I was right to suggest that ESPN's prediction of suspensions was on the light side. The NBA slammed Carmelo Anthony with a 15 game suspension and Denver teammate J.R. Smith and New York's Nate Robinson received 10-game suspensions.

Both franchises were fined $500,000.

"It is our obligation to take the strongest possible steps to avoid such failures in the future and to make a statement to all who follow the game of basketball that we understand our obligations and take them seriously," NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement.

Collins, whose hard foul of Smith was the flashpoint for the fight, was suspended for six games. Knicks forward Jared Jeffries was suspended for four games, and New York's Jerome James and Denver's Nene were hit with one-game penalties for leaving their respective benches during an on-court altercation.

UPDATE:
Others commenting on the brawl and subsequent fines and suspensions handed down by the NBA Brass: The Village Voice wonders what anyone was doing watching the last 2 minutes of a Knick game (heck, why is anyone watching the last 20 minutes of Knick game considering their putrid play).

The G Sides wonders how in the world Thomas avoided being hit with a fine or suspension for being the instigator. Good question.

The News Blog doesn't mince words.

Others blogging: Deadspin , Jossip, Basketbawfull, and Freedom Eden.


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