Reports came out this weekend suggesting Isiah Thomas was in consideration to become the next general manager of the Pistons. That report appears to be falsely flat. That collective sound is Pistons fans saying "Phew."
Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News reports that the only conversation Pistons owner Tom Gores has had with Thomas is about the "Bad Boys" reunion coming up later this year at the Palace of Auburn Hills for a future Pistons home game. A Pistons representative characterized the reports as absolutely false.
Thomas was the center of vitriol for nearly a decade of Knicks futility as his quick-fix schemes and big-spending acquisitions seemed to backfire time and time again. When New York finally fired Thomas, it took Donnie Walsh several years to fix the problem and put the organization in position to sign major free agents like LeBron James.
New York had to settle for Amar'e Stoudemire and then their eyes got bigger than their stomachs. Donnie Walsh was undercut by James Dolan and his continuing infatuation with listening to Thomas' advice and sold off every young asset he had for Carmelo Anthony.
New York is still digging itself out of that mess and it could get worse if Anthony bolts this summer.
So why would Detroit voluntarily join this? The team is definitely not.
What this does is raise questions about Joe Dumars and his future with the team.
Dumars fired Maurice Cheeks less than one year into his contract. He was hired this summer.
The blame for Detroit's poor season has fallen squarely on Dumars. He had a second run at using cap room and spent it on Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings. The duo has struggled to deliver this young Pistons squad to the Playoffs. And Detroit has gone through coaches six coaches since 2008.
That sure seems like a sign that Dumars is on his way out. And while Thomas, according to Goodwill, seems unwilling to push to replace his good friend and former teammate. The surfacing of this rumor seems to suggest Dumars is nearing the end of his term as Detroit's GM.
