Carmelo Anthony trade rumors have done the unthinkable: they have brought Isiah Thomas back from the NBA dead. Yahoo! Sports’ unstoppable Adrian Wojnarowski reports that, yes, the disgraced former general manager of the New York Knicks, Isiah Lord Thomas, is calling the shots in the team’s pursuit of ‘Melo. Thomas has remained a close friend of Knicks franchise owner James Dolan since being fired in 2008 after a series of terrible seasons, the worst cap sheet in the history of the NBA’s salary cap, and a damaging and explosive sexual harassment trial and settlement that cost the franchise more than $10 million.
Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors Throw Knicks’ Power Struggle, Starring Isiah Thomas, Into Spotlight
That friendship has led Thomas to advise Dolan behind the scenes, and has allegedly pushed current Knicks president Donnie Walsh -- the man who cleaned up Isiah's mess -- out of the picture. Here's Woj:Thomas is driving everything through owner James Dolan - the trade for Carmelo Anthony, the departure of Donnie Walsh and perhaps even the eventual hiring of the New York Knicks' next president and general manager, multiple league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
"Isiah is calling the shots for New York," said one front-office executive with knowledge of the Anthony trade talks. "It's a disgrace. Donnie should walk."
Wojnarowski reports that Thomas, through Dolan, pushed for the Knicks to include Raymond Felton and Danilo Gallinari in their trade offer for 'Melo against Walsh's wishes. Woj also reports that Thomas doesn't believe Dolan can re-hire him as president of the team, but that Isiah plans to install a puppet regime in the front office that will listen to his advice, something Walsh has been reluctant to do (for the very obvious reason that Thomas' advice is generally bad).
The Knicks are believed to be in the driver's seat in a 'Melo trade after Anthony remained noncommittal following a meeting with the New Jersey Nets on Saturday.
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