The bizarro world of the Knicks raged on yesterday when Isiah Thomas showed up at the team’s flagship radio station but refused to go on for his scheduled interview on the Michael Kay show.
Kay said at the close of the show Thomas backed out at the last moment because the Knicks ordered him not to appear and he wanted to adhere to their media policy.
ESPN Radio 1050 had hyped the interview all day on its website and contacted media outlets. But in another embarrassment, Thomas sat in the studio in negotiations with the station’s general manager, Dave Roberts, ESPN executive Tim McCarthy and Kay, as the trio begged him to fulfill his promise.
The FIU coach lasted five days as a part-time Knicks consultant before the NBA blocked the move and Thomas rescinded his contract on Wednesday.
Barry Watkins, a top aide to Knicks owner James Dolan, said Thomas could have gone on the radio if he wanted.
“He doesn’t work for us,” Watkins said.
A source said, however, Thomas got a call from the Garden while he was at the radio station.
Contacted later, Kay told The Post: “He showed up when he was supposed to show up. He was reluctant to go on the air. We spoke to him behind closed doors. The Garden didn’t want him to go on, they didn’t see why he would do it. They didn’t see anything good coming out of it. From talking to him for those 50 minutes, he seemed to want to tell his side.
“I’m disappointed,” Kay added. “It’s a call he had to make. But I guess he didn’t want to burn any bridges.”
By acceding to the Knicks’ wishes, it demonstrates Thomas feels still part of the Knicks despite Wednesday’s events. Dolan, in Wednesday’s statement, called him a “good friend” and said he would still consult with Thomas, who will have always have “ties to him and the team.”
ESPN Radio is located on the 17th floor of 2 Penn Plaza, four floors from the Knicks’ offices.
“I’m disappointed for our fans looking forward to our exclusive interview and would’ve had the opportunity to have a question-and-answer session with Isiah,” ESPN’s Roberts said.
Embattled Knicks president Donnie Walsh was back at work yesterday, meeting with Amar’e Stoudemire in Westchester. Asked about the Thomas issue in general, Walsh said via e-mail: “There is nothing to say.”
Walsh became livid last week when Dolan decided to hire Thomas as a consultant after the Knicks president told Thomas he didn’t want him working for the team.
Thomas, the ESPN executives and Kay sat in the room for 45 minutes — from 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. — with Kay missing the start of his show.
Kay finally returned to the airwaves to announce Thomas was still in the studio, refusing to go on, but still in negotiations.
That the Knicks moved to stop the appearance indicates how sensitive they’ve become to the negative publicity garnered since Friday’s announcement.