Have The Knicks No Respect For Their Leader

Isiah Thomas mailed letters to his players in August suggesting that they arrive in New York after Labor Day for informal workouts, which is common for NBA teams. Thomas' plan was to encourage his team to begin building camaraderie while removing the ugly memory of last season as soon as possible.

In theory, it seemed like a great idea. But on the day following the holiday, only four players, including Channing Frye and David Lee, bothered to show up for work, according to a team source. The majority of the Knicks didn't arrive in town until last week.

Thomas, who has a "win now or else" ultimatum hanging over his head, the poor turnout doesn't represent a great start.

"The first thing I need to do is instill confidence back into the players," Thomas said yesterday. "(I have to) make them confident about what they're doing. Make them smile again. Make them like basketball again."

I shouldn't be that hard in theory to improve on the Knicks 23 wins from a year ago.