http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=oneil_dana&id=4367417 I don't know how he'll be as a college coach. As IT himself pointed out, he doesn't need the money. Sure he enjoys it now, but when the tedium and frustration tests him (and it will test every coach), will he stay on? Those other guys might have to fight through it because they need the money and it's their career. Will "love" without "need" be by itself enough? By the way, Isiah may be an ass or an idiot... but he sure knows how to draft guys. Nate Robinson and David Lee with late 1st rounders? Wilson Chandler is another unknown that turned out pretty good. And there's that Isiah 2nd round pick that Houston just picked up as a free agent. I even like Balkman quite a bit. As long as you keep him away from the authority to hand out free agent money he can be quite useful in a front office.
Yup. Say what you want about Zeke's ability to run a team day-to-day, but that's a guy I'd want in my war room.
He may have an eye for talent but running a team is a different ball game. His judgments are most often questionable.
Man if they used him for his talents of scouting young players instead of allow him to make trades/coach, he could've been so useful.
Nobody has questioned his drafting experiences... it's the coaching and stupid decisions along with the off the court mess that he has created that has really struck his rep.
He would be good for college hoops. He can be good at recruiting and there will be no signing ( over paying ) of free agents.
The guy has a perverse Midas touch, always finds somebody to pay him 6M a year despite a track record of failure. I have a feeling that the NBA has not seen the last of Isiah.
His draft record compared to his free agent signings & trades is one huge contradiction. But the latter was much worse than the former was good, which is why he left the Knicks in ruins.
I cannot stand the guy---but he did inherit lots of problems form the Former brain trust at Utah -- ala Dave Checketts That sinking ship had sailed
Yes he's a good talent evaluator, but to give him credit with his drafts is still questionable. A lot of those guys mentioned easily could have been had in the second round or traded down for extra assets. He drafted the guys with talent, but he certainly could have handled obtaining them MUCH better. Balkman wasn't going to be a first rounder, and it still amazes how he got drafted so high. The NBA draft isn't like the NFL draft; you take the best available player and use him to acquire what you really want. Taking Balkman and Robinson so high in the draft was, well, stupid. It exposed his habits and capabilities as GM. Makes having a guy like Morey that much more appreciative.
He signed Jerome James to a full MLE deal. He told Deke to retire the year before and signed Jerome James to a full MLE deal. Did I mention he signed Jerome James to a full MLE deal?
The Knicks were already long dead when he took over. He knows talent and would be a great top scout or a guy in charge of your draft. Unfortunately his ego is too large to be happy being a scout or assistant GM. He loses patience too easily and makes foolish trades. He also destroyed the CBA
The Knicks were on life support when Zeke started. He ended up killing the corpse and cutting it up into pieces. He truly made a bad situation incredibly worse. Agree with you on what he could do in the NBA. Zeke is clearly over his head as a GM but he'd be good as a talent evaluator and consultant who did not make final decisions. He's the kind of guy you cannot put at the top.
