Knicks fire Thomas as coach

By Larry Fine

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Knicks have fired Isiah Thomas as head coach of the NBA team, club president Donnie Walsh announced on Friday.

Thomas, who also served as team president until Walsh was hired on April 2, steered the club to a 23-59 record this season. In two seasons as coach he compiled a 56-108 record.

"We've lost for four years and Isiah has been the coach the last two years and I just think a new voice, a new coach is necessary to change the direction of the team," Walsh told reporters on a teleconference call.

Thomas, a Hall of Fame player with the Detroit Pistons who had also previously coached the Indiana Pacers, added coaching duties to his role as president of the club after Larry Brown was fired following a 23-59 record in the 2005-2006 season.

The Knicks have reached the NBA playoffs just once since Thomas was put in charge of basketball operations in December 2003.

"The bottom line is we haven't won and the team didn't look like it was motivated to try to win and be competitive," Walsh said. "That isn't always the fault of the head coach but it certainly has to lie there."

Thomas has been embroiled in controversy off the court.

Last October, a federal jury in New York decided that Thomas had sexually harassed a female executive of the basketball team and awarded her $11.6 million in damages from team owner Madison Square Garden and its chairman James Dolan.