<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">With rumors swirling that Isiah Thomas is in danger of being ousted, the embattled Knicks president issued another denial yesterday that sounded vaguely similar to the denial he issued on Wednesday after he was named in a sexual harassment lawsuit by a former employee. In what can best be described as a public relations do-over, Thomas refused to answer questions or shed any new information on his job status. Thomas did, however, show more emotion as he spoke for 60 seconds - without a cheat sheet - and again denied charges brought against him by Anucha Browne Sanders, a former Knicks senior VP who was fired last month. With Garden chairman James Dolan and Garden president Steve Mills both conspicuously absent from the press conference, Thomas told reporters before last night's Knicks-Magic game: "I have a responsibility as president of the New York Knicks, as a public figure but more importantly as a father and a husband, to answer these charges of sexual harassment. "First of all, I never, ever made sexual advances toward Anucha. Nor am I in love with Anucha. Nor did I ever tell her that I was in love with her. Nor did I ever invite her to any off-site premise to have sex with her. "And I hope that when I'm found innocent of these allegations, that you will write it and run it with the same intensity. I look forward to my day in court, where I am proven right and she is proven wrong." On Wednesday, Thomas read a shorter prepared statement and was criticized for not specifically addressing the major allegations brought against him. Five minutes after Thomas walked off the podium yesterday, Dolan came out in support of Thomas. Well, sort of. Dolan, through Garden spokesman Barry Watkins, said he still has faith in Thomas and is happy with the job Thomas has done as a basketball executive. Because of the legal issues, Dolan did not have any comments on the lawsuit. There is growing sentiment within the organization that Mills and Thomas eventually will step down due to the controversy. A former Garden official said yesterday that Dolan is maintaining a low profile while he decides the fate of two of the club's highest-ranking executives. "This isn't going away anytime soon for them," the official said. "Jim knows he has to do something. But Jim is such a contrarian that you never know what he might do. When everyone thought that he was going fire (Don) Chaney, he fired (Scott) Layden instead." Mills hired both Browne Sanders and Thomas and is named in the lawsuit for not responding appropriately after Browne Sanders complained of being sexually harassed by Thomas. Mills, whose family and Browne Sanders' family grew close, denounced her allegations on Wednesday. Thomas is in a tough predicament because of his record as a basketball executive. Even after last night's 97-94 win, the Knicks are only 14-27. They own the league's highest payroll at $120 million and haven't won a playoff game since 2001. "What everybody needs to realize is that when he came into this, he inherited a $100 plus million (payroll)," said Stephon Marbury, who apparently could use a refresher course in Knicks History 101. "He didn't start it. He came into this situation. He's trying to do what he can do to make it work. It was a problem before he got here." Thomas, however, has compounded previous mistakes by trading away expiring contracts and suffocating the salary cap by acquiring Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Penny Hardaway, Jerome James, Quentin Richardson, Maurice Taylor and Malik Rose. "You can see the progress that we've made as far as the coaching change (to Larry Brown), the players we've gotten," Marbury said. "It's just a matter of time. Unfortunately, we're in New York. It's more (about) now. But our (right) now prepares (us for) our future. For a lot of people it's hard for them to understand that, but in time they will see that." If Thomas is replaced, it is likely that Brown will assume the dual title of head coach and president. Brown had that title in Philadelphia while turning a perennial loser into an Eastern Conference champion. </div> http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketba...9p-327934c.html
