When it comes to horror cinema, the films of the ‘Friday the 13th’, ‘Halloween’ and ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ series are among the most iconic in Hollywood history.
And the theme that is common to these masterpieces of cinematic art is the omnipresence of an unstoppable killing machine who can’t be put down with bullets, fire or any form of stabbing weapon.
This simple formula has resulted in a total of twelve ‘Friday the 13th’, ten ‘Halloween’ and nine ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ films over the past thirty years.
Although this movie genre has gradually lost its luster in recent years, it appears the basketball world has a burning desire to see a revival as they’re responsible for creating and sustaining the life force of an unstoppable killing machine of their own.
According to NYDailyNews.com, in a surreal twist of events, former New York Knicks President of Basketball Operations and head coach Isiah Thomas has rejoined the organization as a team consultant; and for Knick fans who are wishing this is some sort of cruel joke or a bad nightmare they will soon be awakened from, it isn’t.
As for those still living in the world of the oblivious, this latest development is just further confirmation that Thomas has as many lives in basketball as Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers do on the silver screen.
After bankrupting the once defunct Continental Basketball Association (CBA) due to mismanagement and exorbitant spending, Thomas was rewarded by being hired as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 2000, where he guided the team to three consecutive first-round playoff exits.
Three years later, Thomas once again found new life when New York Knicks owner James Dolan named him President of Basketball Operations, which resulted in a team record of 112-216 (.305) and no playoff appearances over the next four seasons, questionable trades (Eddy Curry to the Chicago Bulls for future draft picks, two of which turned out to be lottery picks) and signings (Jerome James) that placed the Knicks in ‘salary cap hell’ and a sexual harassment scandal that cost Madison Square Garden close to $12 million.
But even after singlehandedly turning one of the marquee franchises in the National Basketball Association into a perennial laughingstock, Thomas managed to land yet another job in basketball, this time on the college level, as head coach of Florida International University (FIU) in 2009; and the team finished 7-25 in his first season at the helm.
So while maintaining his head coaching position at FIU, Thomas will serve as a consultant for the New York Knicks, the same team that has spent the last two years cleaning up the huge mess he created.
What’s even more shocking is that Thomas’ part-time position with the Knicks could merely be a prelude to a full-time return as general manager.
In an economy where thousands of adept, qualified individuals are having tremendous difficulty finding employment, it’s truly amazing that Isiah Thomas, who is as inept a basketball executive as they come based on his resume, can continually find work with virtual ease.
This is the inexplicable reality that has become the post-playing career of one Isiah Thomas, the unstoppable killer of basketball leagues and franchises.
Freddy, Michael and Jason would be proud.
Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special video presentation featuring Isiah Thomas.
Isiah Thomas: The Freddy Krueger/Jason Voorhees/Michael Myers of Basketball
