NEW YORK -- In a change of leadership that almost no one at Madison Square Garden saw coming, Scott Layden was fired Monday as president of the New York Knicks and was replaced by Isiah Thomas.
The move comes after New York missed the playoffs the past two seasons with a roster largely assembled by Layden. The Knicks are 10-18 this season, and recent speculation centered on coach Don Chaney possibly losing his job.
Instead, the man forced out was Layden, who joined the Knicks in the summer of 1999 after they were coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals.
"I don't think there's any question that everybody is underperforming. Just look at our record," said James Dolan, the chairman of the team's corporate owner, Cablevision. "This is the thing we could do right now to most help the team. That's the bottom line of it."
Thomas has been out of the NBA since being fired over the summer by the Indiana Pacers, where he was the coach for three seasons. He received a phone call from Dolan and Garden president Steve Mills on Friday, then spent Saturday meeting with them.
He was introduced at a press conference in the same Garden restaurant where Layden made his first public appearance as the Knicks' general manager 41/2 years ago.
PRO BASKETBALL
Karl Malone will miss at least three games because of a sprained knee ligament, a rare injury for the Lakers' star forward. Malone has missed only 11 games in 18-plus NBA seasons.
Former NBA rebounding champion Dennis Rodman signed an $850-a-week contract with the Long Beach Jam of the American Basketball Association, hoping the minor-league exposure will help him get back to the NBA. Rodman, 42, will probably play his first game for the Long Beach, Calif., team Jan. 16 at home against Las Vegas, his agent, Darren Prince, said.
The Sacramento Kings activated Lawrence Funderburke from the injured list, although the forward probably won't play this season. Funderburke is still recovering from a left heel injury, but the Kings activated him to meet the NBA's requirement to maintain an active roster of 12 players.
The Nets signed 7-foot Mikki Moore, two days after New Jersey played the Milwaukee Bucks without a healthy center most of the game. The Nets also waived forward Damone Brown, who appeared in three games.
Karl Malone will miss at least three games because of a sprained knee ligament, a rare injury for the Lakers' star forward. Malone has missed only 11 games in 18-plus NBA seasons.
The Denver Nuggets placed guard Jon Barry on the injured list with a strained neck and activated guard Jeff Trepagnier from the injured list. COLLEGES
Washington softball coach Teresa Wilson was reassigned, the most significant fallout so far from a scandal involving a former team doctor who handed out narcotics to players. Athletic director Barbara Hedges said Wilson won't be retained when her contract ends in June. Hedges said assistant coaches Scott Centala and Steve Daily will lead the team on an interim basis. The license of Dr. William Scheyer was suspended by state health investigators last fall after they determined he improperly prescribed and dispensed large quantities of narcotics, tranquilizers and other prescription drugs to Washington softball players. Citing an unidentified source, The News Tribune of Tacoma reported Sunday that a university investigation revealed Wilson knew Scheyer improperly handed out drugs to her players.
Columbia athletic director John Reeves will retire from his post next year. PRO FOOTBALL
David Baker will remain as commissioner of the Arena Football League for another four years. Baker agreed to an extension of his deal through 2007. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. SOCCER
The U.S. soccer team finalized plans to play an exhibition game against the Netherlands at Amsterdam on Feb. 18. TENNIS
Zina Garrison will replace Billie Jean King as captain of the United States Fed Cup team next season. Garrison, the 1990 Wimbledon runner-up, was appointed for one year by the president of the U.S. Tennis Association. Her hiring was to be announced officially today.
Andy Roddick and Justine Henin-Hardenne were honored as ITF World Champions for 2003. Roddick won his first Grand Slam tournament at the U.S. Open and also reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Henin-Hardenne won the French Open and U.S. Open. The Belgian reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
