Players from WNBA's Liberty diplomatic about Isiah Thomas hire
Since the New York Liberty - another arm of Madison Square Garden CEO James Dolan's empire - hired Isiah Thomas as its new president two weeks ago, there has been intense interest as to how a basketball team comprised of women would react.
The organization, after all, was forced by a court to pay $11.6 million in 2007 to former Madison Square Garden executive Anucha Browne Sanders, after she was fired for complaining about Thomas' unwanted advances when he was head coach of the New York Knicks.
On Sunday, Thomas oversaw his first practice as Liberty president.
The players were diplomatic about his presence. Forward Swin Cash said Dolan and Thomas had an "open" conversation with the team to address the hiring of the Hall of Fame point guard.
Liberty's Swin Cash: "This is a situation that we weren’t asked to be in. We’re in it now, we’re dealing with it and then you move forward."
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 17, 2015
"I trust Madison Square Garden has made the appropriate steps and made the appropriate moves in the hire of Isiah," guard Essence Carson added.
Thomas - despite failures running the Toronto Raptors, the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association, coaching the Indiana Pacers, and overseeing the Knicks - generally seems to land on his feet.
Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer - a former teammate of Thomas in the Detroit Pistons late 1980s heyday - recently mused that Thomas could help make the Liberty a modern-day WNBA version of the Pistons' "Bad Boys."