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NBAThomas meetswith ChaneyspeaksKnicksbegins evaluatingBy Chris SheridanAssociated Press • Greenburgh, N. Y.Isiah Thomas sat down Tuesday with Don Chaney to discuss the state of the New York Knicks, with the new team president providing no job security assurances to the coach.We talked about the team, we didn’t talk aboutmy status, Chaney said. “He knows me, he knows where I’m coming from, he knows who I am.It’s not about assurances for me, I don’t needthat.Thomas plunged into evaluation mode during his first full day on the job, talking with assistant general manager Jeff Nix at the edge of the practice court as the Knicks concluded their shootaround,then meeting in an office with assistant coach HerbWilliams.I*Thomas began his day by addressing the team, whose 10-18 record led to Monday’s firing of team president Scott Layden.He kind of challenged us to think about how we can get back on a winning track. One thing he saw about watching us was we had our heads down a lot, said Allan Houston, the team's leading scorer. “He said you’ve got to realize how good this team can really be.”Houston was a teammate of Thomas’ when hewas a rookie with the Detroit Pistons in 1993-94, and Chaney was Thomas’ coach on two occasions -as an assistant with Detroit in 1981-82 whenThomas was a rookie, and again in 1993-94 with the Pistons.Chaney described himself and Thomas as friends who have remained in contact over theyears. But there’s a realistic possibility Chaney could lose his job to Thomas, which Chaney dismissed as fact of life for any NBA coach.I’m not worried. Chaney said. “I have a job to do, and if I allow myself to worry about those kind of things then I’m not going to do the job I'm capable of doing.I’m not hired to worry about the next guy in line. Even as a player, I’ve never looked over my shoulder.’VfThomas said Monday his evaluation process could take two days, two weeks or two months.After playing the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night in Latrell Sprewell’s return to Madison Square Garden, the Knicks will play Memphis, Miami and Orlando on the road before returning to New York for home games against the Heat, Bulls and Nets.Only one of those six games will be against a team with a winning record, so Thomas will have that bodv of work to review by the time the Gardenhosts its next big comeback game - former coach Jeff Van Gundy’s return Jan. 8 when the Knicks play the Houston Rockets.“What he said about evaluating the team, that could wake some people up and get us on the ball. But then again, it depends on how people take it,” Antonio McDyess said. “I don’t think he’s going to sit back and not do anything.’If Thomas tries to shake up the Knicks with a trade, he’ll need to find a team willing to take on one of the long-term contracts given out under Layden
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Terre Haute Tribune Star
Terre Haute, Indiana, US
Wed, Dec 24, 2003
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