20 People who turned their backs on the New York Knicks

Isiah Thomas

We saved the best for last! Isiah Thomas was already a Knicks villain before he joined New York’s front office. When all was said and done, he was disliked far more than he was as a Piston. 

Thomas was hired as head of basketball operations in 2003. He tried to shape New York into a contender with big trades, which didn’t work. From trading for Stephon Marbury and his hefty contract to trading Trevor Ariza, one of Thomas’ successful draft picks, his tenure in New York is rememberable, but for all the wrong reasons (subscription required). He even admitted that the Jerome James signing was a mistake.

The Knicks had one of the league’s highest payrolls under Thomas but nothing to show for it. Of course, Dolan deserves part of the blame. The Thomas-Knicks train wreck continued until 2008 when he was finally fired. 

If Thomas planned to step in and set the organization on a far worse path than they were on, he would get an A+!