NBA Franchise Notes: Isiah Reportedly Barred From Team Contact
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Thomas Reportedly Has Agreed To Not
Have Any Contact With Knicks Players |
A Knicks source said that former coach Isiah Thomas, as part of his agreement with new Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh, "has been barred from having any contact with the team." In N.Y., Frank Isola writes such an agreement is "critical for a new coach as he tries to reestablish a winning culture at [MSG] and distance himself from the Thomas regime." The "fear is that if [Thomas] were allowed to have any contact, including telephone calls, he could either willingly or unwillingly undermine the incoming coach." The agreement does not prohibit Thomas from speaking to MSG Chair James Dolan (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/22).
HEAT CHECK: In Miami, Michael Wallace wrote while Heat President & coach Pat Riley in recent weeks has "sounded as though he were leaning toward stepping down as coach," Riley's "fingerprints are expected to be all over the [Heat's] offseason makeover." Riley last week "talked about being re-energized by the challenge of leading Miami through an offseason makeover." Heat Owner Micky Arison has "maintained that Riley will have the leeway to decide his role, though Riley has repeatedly admitted to making several personnel mistakes as president and bad decisions as coach" this past season. Riley and Arison will meet this week to discuss Riley's future, and Riley said, "The conversation with (Arison) is going to be very important for a lot of reasons. I really want to do what's in the best interest of the Heat" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/21).
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Kings Making Organizational Changes To
Try And Boost Attendance At Arco Arena |
BECOMING KINGS: In Sacramento, Ailene Voisin wrote of the Kings '07-08 season, "It remains unclear who worked up a bigger sweat: the players who attempted to avoid the team's second consecutive lottery appearance, or the organization's lower-profile players who hustled -- functioning under increasing duress -- to sell season tickets?" The Kings finished 27th out of 30 NBA teams in home attendance, and the team in the past few months has undergone "significant organizational changes," including nearly doubling its sales staff, making available multiple season-ticket packages, and arranging "regularly scheduled fan lunches and dinners with season-ticket holders." Kings players and coaches "have been asked to extend themselves to the community." The team noted that players and coaches have made a combined 244 appearances (SACRAMENTO BEE, 4/20).
NOTES: StubHub said that average ticket prices of $42 for 76ers-Pistons games at The Palace of Auburn Hills are the lowest for any of the 16 NBA teams in the first round of the playoffs. Tickets at all levels are selling below face value on StubHub (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 4/22)....Jazz President Randy Rigby said that tickets for Games 3 and 4 of the Rockets-Jazz series, which will be played at EnergySolutions Arena, are sold out. Rigby also noted that the Jazz for Game 3 will distribute 20,000 T-shirts to fans (DESERET NEWS, 4/22)....The Hawks have not yet sold out Games 3 or 4 of their playoff series against the Celtics, the Hawks' first playoff series since '99 (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/22).
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