FanNation

As a junior high student and a scrappy point guard on my basketball team, I tried my hardest to emulate a confident and tough point guard named Isiah Thomas.  He was brash, but always backed his words with the play of a leader. He led Indiana to the national championshp and was drafted in the first round by the Detroit Pistons - which quickly became my favorite team.

Isiah - known as "Zeke" by his teammates - came from a tough background in inner city Chicago, which was a far cry from my white bread, rural midwest background, but his style of play made me want to emulate him.

As we all know, Thomas went on to a stellar NBA career - winning two world titles, earning 12 trips to the all-star game, twice named the game's MVP, and making the Hall of Fame.

I was proud of him.

But my pride in a guy who always beat the odds has turned to disgust. A once great player is now a poor coach and leader and, frankly, a disgrace as a person.

Last night, the New York Knicks - the team my once hero now coaches - were crushed by Indiana in a game in which they trailed by as many as 31 points, missed 20 straight shots and generally looked like a team without a leader. (Oh, and they are a team without a leader, by the way.)

So, Thomas used the old "you know, when I played ..." routine to dog his team and challenge them as people, as well as players: "A lot of things have been said about me, teams that I coached. The way I played, I've never been accused of not having heart or competing. And tonight was very discouraging to me because we didn't collectively play with heart, compete like I know I did.''

Well, here's a theory on why that might be, Zeke: Perhaps the settlement of a sexual harassment suit against you, the open fighting with another player and the numerous missteps as general manager, as well a general arrogance about you might have something to do with that.

People don't carry "Fire Isiah" signs about a guy they like and feel proud of. They don't chant the same slogan with six minutes left in a game. Players don't give up on coaches they respect. And people can't respect a guy who forces himself on women and then denies it even after a jury finds him guilty.

But all of these things are true of Thomas.

Maybe I'm being too harsh, but it's time for "Zeke" to go away - for the good of the team, league and even for his own good. All he's done in the past few years is take large chunks of a great legacy and throw them away.