I had a conversation with my seven-year-old daughter, Josie, earlier this week about blame. Specifically, I pointed out to her that when something bad happens, and she undeniably has a hand in it, she tends to blame her sister, Maggie. For example, there was the drawing-on-the-rug incident: both Josie and Maggie scribbled all over their bedroom rug with markers, and both tried to cover it up (literally) afterward. Josie's comment, which she thought would exonerate her, was that "it was Maggie's idea." I explained that just because her sister, who is two years younger, has a sinister idea, Josie need not act on it. I didn't trot out the old "if Maggie told you to jump off the Empire State Building" line, but I was tempted. I wanted her to recognize that she's the decision-maker for her own actions, for good or bad.
What does all this have to do with Isiah Thomas? The New York Post quoted Thomas a couple of days ago as follows: "Thomas essentially blamed this season's disaster on not having stability at the point [guard position]." Interesting, considering Thomas was the general manager who traded for surly, underachieving point guard Stephon Marbury. Remember, the guy who went AWOL from the team and threatened Thomas, and then he came back and Thomas put him back in the lineup despite the fact that the rest of the team unanimously voted against him playing? (They lost that game, by the way.)
Thomas is also the genius who acquired backups Fred Jones, Nate Robinson and Mardy Collins. None of whom, apparently, is the answer for the "instability at the point," now that Marbury is out for the season. But of course none of this is Thomas' fault, just like it wasn't his fault earlier in the season when the players, according to him, weren't playing hard enough. Or the Knicks current 14-33 record -- that couldn't possibly be his fault either.
Is it just me, or does it seem like Isiah keeps drawing on the rug, and Knicks' owner Jim Dolan keeps excusing it as being someone else's idea?
