New York Knicks President Isiah Thomas said Friday night he will not take a wait-and-see approach in his new duties.
In an informal press conference before the Knicks’ game at Memphis, Thomas covered an array of topics, from veterans Clarence Weatherspoon and Antonio McDyess to rookies Michael Sweetney and Maciej Lampe.
“This isn’t charity,” said Thomas, who was fired as the Indiana Pacers’ coach last summer. “This is a business, and it’s a very tough business we’re in and a very public business we’re in. We all get paid a lot of money to do what we need to do. If you can’t do it, we’ve got to find somebody else.
“Right now we need people who can do it.”
Thomas, who took over Monday for the fired Scott Layden, gave no timetable for personnel evaluations but indicated there was little time for patience. He shed little light on Weatherspoon, who was placed on the injured list Wednesday, other than to say, “At this point we are in some discussions with his agent. We will see where those discussions lead.”
One of Thomas’ first moves was to activate Sweetney, the rookie out of Georgetown who was the ninth pick in the draft.
Thomas evaluated Lampe, who has yet to play this season. The 6-foot-11-inch forward is on the injured list with shin splints.
“This is a guy who needs to work his tail off to get to where I think he needs to be,” Thomas said.
Kidd does it all
Jason Kidd had 24 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his league-leading fifth triple-double as the visiting New Jersey Nets held on for an 82-79 win over the Detroit Pistons. Kidd made all six of his free throws in the final 1:13. He shot 7-of-18, including 4-of-5 on three-pointers.
RESULTS, FRIDAY’S SYNOPSIS
Bulls 87 at Cleveland 80
Complete coverage, Pages 1, 4.
Miami 92 at Washington 84
Eddie Jones scored 22 points and Rasual Butler added 10 in the fourth quarter as the Heat got its third straight victory and seventh in the last nine games.
New Jersey 82 at Detroit 79
The Pistons trailed by just seven at halftime despite shooting 30 percent and not taking one free throw. The Nets are 2-20 at the Palace during the regular season since 1991-92.
New York 98 at Memphis 94
The win snapped a seven-game road losing streak for the Knicks, while Memphis dropped its fourth straight and had its six-game home winning streak stopped.
Atlanta 79 at N. Orleans 109
David Wesley scored a season-high 32 points, including five 3-pointers, and the Hornets handed the Hawks their ninth straight road loss.
Orlando 83 at San Antonio 98
The Spurs used a late 15-0 run to break open a tight game and win their 12th straight. Tim Duncan led San Antonio with 27 points and 16 rebounds,
Indiana 96 at Milwaukee 101
Damon Jones scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter to help the Bucks climb above .500 for the first time in more than six weeks.
Boston 104 at Phoenix 102
Ricky Davis hit a 20-foot jumper with 2.8 seconds left and Paul Pierce scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half as the Celtics overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit.
Toronto 94 at Utah 97
Andrei Kirilenko scored 17 points and made several big plays in OT–mostly with his defense against Vince Carter. Raptors scored 5 points in the final 5 seconds of regulation to force OT.
Houston 94 at Denver 95
Rookie Carmelo Anthony scored a career-high 37 points and Voshon Lenard hit three free throws after being fouled behind the arc with 8.3 seconds left to lead the Nuggets.
Minnesota at Portland, late
Timberwolves seek their 7th straight victory. The Timberwolves earned their sixth consecutive road victory Tuesday, tying a franchise record, and have won 11 of 13 away from home.
Sacramento at Golden St., late
The Kings aim for a 16th consecutive triumph over the Warriors. Sacramento has beaten Golden State by an average of victory 16.5 points during the streak.
Philadelphia at L.A. Clippers, late
The Clippers have dropped two of their last three. “We have to learn to truly value every possession and see the consequences when we don’t,” coach Mike Dunleavy said.
