Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Misc
Did Isiah Order The Code Red?
By
Peter Trinkle
Published Dec 18, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Peter Trinkle
Published Dec 18, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
It is getting impossible to root for the Knicks anymore. The franchise is completely lost, stuck over the salary cap for the rest of the decade and playing uninspired basketball. Now we learn that the head coach is running the team like a mob boss, ordering his players to take out opponents.
These are the facts we know at this point. George Karl and Isiah Thomas do not get along at all. Karl is a good friend of Larry Brown and he was clearly trying to humiliate the Knicks Saturday by keeping his starters in the game with a huge lead. We know that Isiah didn’t appreciate this and warned Nuggets star, Carmelo Anthony, to stay out of the paint.
The rest is a process of connecting the dots. Isiah was yelling for his players to take out San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen, earlier in the year, screaming, “Break his foot”. (Don’t forget that Bowen plays for Gregg Popovich, Larry Brown’s best friend in the NBA.) Mardy Collins, who played college ball for another coach who ordered “a hit”, John Cheney, committed a flagrant foul against Indiana Friday night when the Pacers were humiliating the Knicks.
So, we have the warning and we have the previous behavior. What we don’t have is whether or not there was a conversation between Thomas and Collins and what happened in it. But, just like the movie, you can bet Isiah wants to tell the world what he did. We just need David Stern and Stu Jackson to channel Daniel Kaffee and we can only watch the Knicks sink lower and lower.
And if you haven't seen the fight, here's the MSG footage:
And for some closer, slow motion action, there's this ESPN News clip. Expect suspensions for the fight to come down later today.
UPDATE: The NBA has announced punishments for Saturday's brawl. Carmelo Anthony got 15 games, J.R. Smith and Nate Robinson 10 games, Mardy Collins 6 games, Jared Jeffries 4 games and Jerome James and Nene 1 game each. Isiah Thomas was not disciplined.
Tagged
basketball
Bruce Bowen
carmelo anthony
college
david
david stern
espn
games
indiana
isiah thomas
Jared Jeffries
Jerome James
knicks
larry brown
Mardy Collins
msg
nate robinson
nba
news
nuggets
pacers
running
salary
san antonio
sports
take-out
the game
The NBA
Peter Trinkle
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE miscellaneous
We visited 8 laundromats to talk about voting and elections. Here's what people had to say.
As we inch closer to Election Day in November, WNYC is turning some laundromats in the New York metro area into hubs of civic dialogue.
By
Jodi Malarbe
and
George Bodarky
Published Jun 23, 2024
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Misc
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Hands in the dirt: Meet some of NYC's community gardeners
By
Enrico Denard
and
George Bodarky
'In the very, very beginning, it was about 3 feet of garbage': How NYC’s first community garden got started
By
George Bodarky
Serving up BBQ ribs and a deep sense of community in the South Bronx since 1954
By
George Bodarky
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .