Some might not know, but Isiah Thomas was heavily linked to a move to the New York Knicks ahead of his final NBA season in 1993. That year, the Detroit Pistons came close to working out a deal that would've sent Zeke to The Big Apple. However, Thomas reportedly vetoed it and opted to stay in the Motor City.
Reflecting on what could've happened, Thomas has expressed a strong belief that his presence could have propelled the Knicks to an NBA championship that season. As per the legendary point guard, he is certain he would have stepped up and made the right decisions in Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals and helped bring the championship back to New York.
"I will say we'd have won it in 1994 [against the Houston Rockets]," Thomas once said via ESPN . "In that seventh game, when [John] Starks was shooting the ball like that [2-for-16], I would have said, 'You're not shooting anymore; get the ball to [Patrick] Ewing.' And if he couldn't throw it down there, I would have."
Zeke's final NBA season
Amidst the trade talks to the Knicks , Thomas didn't really think that the '93-94 season would be his last. However, Zeke faced a series of injuries that year, which ultimately prevented him from playing at his optimum level.
If that trade pushed through, Thomas, indeed would have become a formidable floor general for the Knicks, creating scoring opportunities for his teammates and taking some load off from Patrick Ewing as a co-star. On the other hand, it could've also gone the other way around as Thomas incurred a hyperextended knee, a broken rib, a strained arch, a calf injury, a cut left hand, and a torn Achilles tendon towards the end of the regular season.
Thomas played 58 games that year and averaged a career-low tally of 14.8 points, 6.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Nevertheless, it's safe to say Zeke would've been a good addition to the Knicks back then, but it's hard to tell if he could've been a key contributor in the postseason, considering the amount of injuries he suffered.
Related: "You could just feel it, the lack of respect" - Alonzo Mourning on the tense environment in the gold medal game against France in the 2000 Olympics
Isiah joined New York but not as a player
Ten years after refusing to join the Knicks, Thomas found himself in the same situation, but this time, as an executive. In 2003, the Knicks hired him as president of basketball operations, a position he held for three years until being appointed as the team's head coach in 2006.
Thomas' run as the Knicks coach was, for lack of a better term, underwhelming. He failed to lead the team to the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, but some of his players still view the legendary guard as an impactful leader .
Related: "I am more disappointed today than I was back when I was not selected" -Isiah Thomas on handshake snub as the reason he didn't make the Dream Team
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