Larry Brown has been relieved of his responsibilities as head coach of the New York Knicks it was announced today. Isiah Thomas, who serves as the team's president and general manager, will also assume the role of head coach, effective immediately.

"Larry has had a long and storied career. We hired him last summer with the expectation that he would be with the Knicks for a long time. Sometimes decisions work and sometimes they don't. After careful consideration, despite the best intentions from everyone involved, this current structure did not work for us last season and I did not think it was going to improve next season," MSG Chairman James L. Dolan said. "I have great personal admiration for Larry, but have concluded that it is best for our franchise if we make this change. We understand that fans were not happy with the performance of the team last season and neither were we. We are committed to making major improvements next season towards our goal of producing a winning basketball team."

"No one in our organization is happy with last season and we all accept responsibility for our performance," Thomas said. "This has been a difficult time for the entire organization and our fans. Today begins the 2006-07 season for the Knicks, and I strongly believe we are on the right track to take major steps in our rebuilding process to achieve our goal of being one of the premier teams in the NBA. Larry Brown is a great coach, but for various reasons, bringing him to the Knicks did not turn out the way we had hoped and we wish him the best in the future."

Thomas, who joined the Knicks as president and general manager on Dec. 22, 2003, previously served as a head coach with the Indiana Pacers for three seasons from 2000-01 through 2002-03. Coaching a youthful Pacers team, he compiled a record of 131-115 record, making the playoffs in each of his three seasons.

InsideHoops.com Editor Says: Well, thanks to the local New York media we knew it was going to happen, but it's still shocking that Larry Brown is officially gone. It's ridiculous that Isiah Thomas will now coach this team, but because Brown seemingly did all he could to trash the Knicks last year, if Isiah simply picks a steady rotation and calls basic plays they could win 5-10 more games in 2006-07. But the roster is still a mess, with talented yet flawed, limited players. The team as it's built now could claw their way into the playoffs in future seasons, but should get sent home after the first round each year. Brown was awful last season, but the roster is the real problem.

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