MILWAUKEE – Donnie Walsh is coming home.
The Knicks will announce the hiring of the esteemed Pacers executive as their new president today at a Garden news conference at 1 p.m., according to a team source.
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The hiring of Walsh, the 67-year-old Bronx-born executive, spells the end of the disastrous four-year Isiah Thomas Era. Thomas will not be at the press conference. With the Knicks playing in Memphis tonight, Thomas will still coach the game and is expected to finish out the season on the bench.
Thomas is expected to be removed from the bench at season’s end, though he could be retained in a front-office capacity and help out with this June’s vital lottery pick that could turn the direction of the franchise. However, Thomas has lost the power he had wielded for four years during a nightmare run. Last week, Thomas became the second-quickest Knicks coach to reach 100 losses.
Walsh, who along with owner James Dolan could join the Knicks tonight in Memphis, also is expected to hire a GM and Billy King has been mentioned prominently as a top candidate. Glen Grunwald currently holds that role.
Walsh was not in Indianapolis yesterday, but was said to be at a speaking engagement out of town, initiating speculation he could be in New York. Walsh had been negotiating with the Knicks for the past week.
Following last night’s overtime 119-115 loss to the Bucks, Thomas, when asked generically about his stint, said he had no regrets and added, “I feel we still have a bright future.”
The Knicks had hoped to make the announcement at season’s end, but speculation about his situation became too severe. But it also makes sense to make the announcement now and put Walsh into the middle of the mess to observe the decay of a 20-54 season.
Walsh, out of Fordham prep and the University of North Carolina, spent 24 years with the Pacers but stepped down nine days ago, saying he had been there too long. It was also believed it had become an awkward situation between Walsh and Larry Bird.
Commissioner David Stern helped encourage Dolan to pursue Walsh and admitted last week he calls him for basketball advice.
Mark Jackson could be considered the top candidate to become the Knicks coach because of his strong ties with Walsh. Scott Skiles and Rick Carlisle are the two most successful unemployed coaches and Knicks assistant Herb Williams, a Dolan and Walsh favorite, could get an interview.
Walsh has a huge task and will be given full control of the operation with Dolan expected to take a step back. Walsh is extremely media friendly while Dolan has had a strict media policy.
His philosophy will likely be to break it down and try to get under the salary cap after the 2010 season when LeBron James becomes a free agent. The only way the Knicks can get under the cap is to trade Zach Randolph and either Jamal Crawford or Eddy Curry.
The Bucks also are in search of a GM and interviewed Suns executive David Griffin Monday. Milwaukee fans are hoping the Knicks-Walsh thing falls through because the rumor here is Walsh, friends with Kohl, would then join the Bucks and reunite with Larry Brown.
In Walsh’s 22 years overseeing the franchise as GM, the Pacers made the playoffs 17 times, with six Eastern final berths and one Finals appearance.
Bucks 119 Knicks 115