Isiah Thomas To Florida International

[sue71, esq]

FIU? Really?

Link (http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/9452286/Sources:-Thomas-frontrunner-for-FIU-job?MSNHPHMA)

[JasonEvans]

FIU? Really?

Link (http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/9452286/Sources:-Thomas-frontrunner-for-FIU-job?MSNHPHMA)

Does he need money or something? Has he blown through the hundred million or so he must have earned in his playing and coaching career? Why would he take a middling job like this? This is really embarrassing. I am guessing that he moves his family around every time he takes a new job.

Dude is kinda sad and pathetic at this point.

--Jason "I'd think he could get a better job than this one in the college ranks" Evans

[RelativeWays]

RMK has to be beyond disappointed in Isaiah. He always said it was far more important to him that his kids became good men versus good basketball players and Isaiah, arguably his most well known player during his tenure at IU, has just blown everything over the past3 or so years.

[Cameron]

I loved Isiah as a broadcaster for NBC in the 1990s, when he teamed with Bob Costas and, at times, Magic Johnson.

He never should have left the business. He was damn good.

[sue71, esq]

More (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4065658)

The Clippers? That franchise doesn't have enough problems already? (That blurb is toward the end of the article.)

[jma4life]

His kids are all going to college at this point, based on articles I've read. Shouldn't be that much of an issue to move at this point. And his kids also weren't that big into sports and are by all accounts upstanding citizens so at least in terms of how he raised his kids, he seems to have done fine.

[Edouble]

RMK has to be beyond disappointed in Isaiah. He always said it was far more important to him that his kids became good men versus good basketball players and Isaiah, arguably his most well known player during his tenure at IU, has just blown everything over the past3 or so years.

Well, RMK certainly got fired himself, so maybe the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree.

[MJS4Duke11]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4066948

I wonder if he will got he way of Coach Doh at FAU

[UrinalCake]

Let's see, the guy single-handedly destroyed the CBA and then did the same for the Knicks. Why would a school want him? What recruit is going to want to play for him?

[jma4life]

The guy is still a Hall of Fame ball player and one of the greatest point guards ever. I'd definitely rather play for him than Doh.

[dukelifer]

Let's see, the guy single-handedly destroyed the CBA and then did the same for the Knicks. Why would a school want him? What recruit is going to want to play for him?

When is the first phone call to John Wall going to take place?

[moonpie23]

hope they have a ton of "EMPLOYEE POOR IMPULSE CONTROL" insurance...

[mgtr]

hope they have a ton of "EMPLOYEE POOR IMPULSE CONTROL" insurance...

Well, this certainly hits the nail on the head. I think it is clear where the risk is in this deal.

[miramar]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4066948

I wonder if he will go the way of Coach Doh at FAU

Isaiah has obviously fallen pretty far to take this job, but it does offer the promise of something better down the line. While the press has focused on FIU’s poor record, they have missed an important point: former coach Sergio Rouco recruited some quality players, only to see most of them get injured this year. IIRC, they began the year with three or four starters hurt, so Isaiah will have the opportunity to win some games with some inherited talent, and then move elsewhere.

To get some idea of the kind of players that he will have, you just have to see their former schools or where they signed: Fredy Asprilla (13.7 PPG, originally committed to Miami), J. C. Otero (out most of the year, originally committed to BYU), and Josue Soto (10.4 PPG, transferred from FSU). They also have Michael Dominguez (10.1 PPG), a JC transfer, and Nicola Gacesa (10.0 PPG), a pretty good Serbian player. So basically Isaiah comes in with his starting five intact, and with a few decent reserves, so there’s no reason that he can’t do well in a third-tier league and then take credit for the team’s remarkable turnaround. And then he’ll pull a Doh!, but if he isn’t accused of sexual harassment or if he doesn’t try to commit suicide again, both sides will probably get what they want. After all, this would never have happened if the coach and the school weren’t both desperate.

[blueprofessor]

Read today's article for a Thomas fisking!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ArqWCrn1_LbQbiVXgPfPIXw5nYcB?slug=aw-isiahfiu041409&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Best---Blueprof:)

[huied]

While I definitly don't think too highly of Thomas, I do think this makes sense for them both. Stick with me here...

For FIU, they get a household name. Regardless of his past results, some people will still remember that great player that he was, and will be attracted by that. He'll be able to pull in some good players that wouldn't otherwise look at FIU. And he can coach a little bit, as evidenced by that one season in Indiana.

For him, it allows him a shot at redemption. Most people know him as a crack pot who ruined the Knicks, but if he can even remotely turn around the program at FIU, he'll be a hero. It'll be a great story about a fallen coach giving a program and some unknown players a chance at glory. I'd sure read that story.

I think when it's all said and done, FIU will be a better program post Thomas.

[sagegrouse]

While I definitly don't think too highly of Thomas, I do think this makes sense for them both. Stick with me here...

For FIU, they get a household name. Regardless of his past results, some people will still remember that great player that he was, and will be attracted by that. He'll be able to pull in some good players that wouldn't otherwise look at FIU. And he can coach a little bit, as evidenced by that one season in Indiana.

For him, it allows him a shot at redemption. Most people know him as a crack pot who ruined the Knicks, but if he can even remotely turn around the program at FIU, he'll be a hero.


This falls under the heading of "there is no such thing as bad publicity" for a largely unknown university seeking to build a program in a major city that cares only about pro sports and the U. It strikes me as a good gamble. First of all, it will generate a huge amount of ink about Isiah's goings-on positive and negative. That will sell tickets, as will the curiosity factor. Moreover, isn't Isiah the only real NBA stat coaching in college? That should help with recruitment.

Of course, the other factor that will generate interest and TV coverage is the time-bomb nature of this.... tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.....

My only question is whether the ticks are days, weeks, months, or years before all this blows up.

sagegrouse

[miramar]

Well, I have to admit that Isiah knows how to create positive first impressions. It turns out that he will work the first year free, and that he has even talked to Coach Knight and Coach K about how to build a solid program.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/colleges/fiu/story/1000990.html

Of course the reason that he can work for free is that the Knicks still owe him $12 million, but it's still a good gesture.

[bjornolf]

Um, according to the university president, he's not the new coach. Some guy named Isiah Thompson is. Sorry, never heard of him.

[miramar]

Michelle Kaufman, a Miami Herald reporter who has known him for 20 years, had an interesting article this morning:

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/colleges/story/1001589.html

[weezie]

That's the Isiah we remember in Detroit, the MVP.
I hope he does well.

[TriGuy]

I'm in the I've-got-a-bad-feeling-about-this school of thought. Aside from (or perhaps because of) Thomas' huge ego, he sent a very strong signal by refusing his first year's salary . . . "I don't need your money".

Sounds like this is going to be a hobby instead of a job. I hope I'm wrong - - for the students' sake, that is.

[JasonEvans]

Took me a while to post this, but 2 days ago, when Thomas was announced as the new FIU coach, they interviewed him on SportsCenter. The interview was far more probing and journalistic than I usually expect out of ESPN. They asked him several difficult and thoughtful questions.

The first tough question came when they asked about his suicide attempt. His response was this story about it really being his daughter, which many feel is a lie -- and a disgusting lie because it is a lie about his family.

But, I was really taken with the answer to the sexual harassment question. ESPN posed the question as to how it might affect his recruiting-- what questions he might get asked about it when in a recruits living room. Isiah said he was not worried about recruiting because (get this) many of the kids he would be recruiting are named after him and he is such a big star they will all want to play for him.

Wow, is he ever out of touch. I predict utter disaster in this job.

-Jason "he tarnishes his rep every time I see him... so sad" Evans

[BD80]

... I was really taken with the answer to the sexual harassment question. ESPN posed the question as to how it might affect his recruiting-- what questions he might get asked about it when in a recruits living room. Isiah said he was not worried about recruiting because (get this) many of the kids he would be recruiting are named after him and he is such a big star they will all want to play for him.

Wow, is he ever out of touch. I predict utter disaster in this job.

-Jason "he tarnishes his rep every time I see him... so sad" Evans

The real reason he is so confident about recruiting is that he knows that each recruit's mom will be so attracted to him that she will send her son to FIU so she can be near Coach Isiah when she comes to see her son play.

I think I'm being sarcastic. :confused: ;) :o :eek:

[blueprofessor]

The real reason he is so confident about recruiting is that he knows that each recruit's mom will be so attracted to him that she will send her son to FIU so she can be near Coach Isiah when she comes to see her son play.

I think I'm being sarcastic.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20090504/OPINION03/905040357/Isiah-gets-off-on-the-wrong-foot

Rescinds 3 scholarships and does not personally tell the players.

Best--Blue Prof:)

[JasonEvans]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20090504/OPINION03/905040357/Isiah-gets-off-on-the-wrong-foot

Rescinds 3 scholarships and does not personally tell the players.


Isiah is an idiot. The article says he thought he was not allowed to talk to the kids. But then how could his assistants talk to the kids instead!?!? I think Isiah did not want to be bothered with this so he pawned it off on his underlings. What a loser!

He has shot himself in the foot with several significant high school programs in the state of Florida too. He is a fool. This coaching stint has disaster written all over it.

-Jason "I bet he quits in less than 3 years" Evans

[miramar]

While that is definitely not a classy move by Isiah, that seems to be the norm nowadays. In fact, FIU's best returning player, 6-10 senior Freddy Asprilla, has asked for his release through his AAU coach without speaking to Isiah. Asprilla is a former Miami signee who was the Sun Belt freshman of the year, so I imagine that he is looking to sign with a better team.

The reason that Thomas did not offer a scholarship to the previous coach's recruits is that he has gotten much better players, including Marvin Roberts, a 6-5 JC transfer who averaged 29.6 PPG last year. A coach has the right to pull scholarships at any time, even when they are at the school, but Thomas should have definitely spoken with the players personally.

At any rate, here is some info on Isiah's situtation at FIU:

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/fiusports/2009/04/nations-leading-juco-scorer-signs-with-fiu1-of-4-new-fiu-hoopsters.html

[sagegrouse]

Isiah is an idiot. The article says he thought he was not allowed to talk to the kids. But then how could his assistants talk to the kids instead!?!? I think Isiah did not want to be bothered with this so he pawned it off on his underlings. What a loser!

He has shot himself in the foot with several significant high school programs in the state of Florida too. He is a fool. This coaching stint has disaster written all over it.

-Jason "I bet he quits in less than 3 years" Evans

FIU is trying to become a name program in Miami, a city dominated by three things: (a) pro sports, (b) the U., and (c) all the entertainment and extracurricular activities in the capital, in effect, of Latin America.

First rule is to make noise: attract attention with a "big-name" coach. The more controversial the better. That produces media coverage, TV games, fannies in the seats, and lots of local talk.

The second rule is to get someone who can recruit, which apparently is happening. That way, the excitement of the first year can be translated into some wins in the second and third year.

The third rule is to get somebody really rich, so he can potentially give $10M to FIU sports.

If it all blows up after three years, it is still worth it, because there will be a higher-profile program left behind. I suspect Isiah may succeed, but it is just as likely there will be a percussive event in 12 to 36 months.

sagegrouse

[miramar]

Speaking about FIU's best player, I wrote 6-10 "senior" Freddy Asprilla, but I meant 6-10 "center" since he's a rising sophomore. The guy weighs 280 and is improving rapidly, and the only reason he didn't go to Miami two years ago was that the admissions office wouldn't take a guy who had just gotten to the US from Colombia and needed to improve his English. He went post-grad to a school in western North Carolina before landing at FIU.

If Isiah can keep him he'll have a good team, but if not he'll be at a major school in a year. His AAU coach (who's doing all the talking) is a Nike guy and FIU is an Adidas school, so once again we have handlers.

[Memphis Devil]

According to Gary Parrish former 2008 top 20 prospect Latavious (sp?) Williams is interested in attending FIU. He spent the 08-09 season at a prep school. Memphis was also mentioned as a likely destination.

I guess what I don't understand, and this is a little off the topic, is how a kid can average 29+ ppg in JUCO where I assume the competition is much more competitive than high school and not end up at a bigger D-1 program?
(referring to Marvin Roberts mentioned above)

[miramar]

Lauren Thomas, Isiah's daughter, has signed a letter of intent to play for FIU:

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/1043526.html