Knicks president of basketball operations Isiah Thomas? status among the all-time elite players in NBA history is etched in stone.  When you?re a hall-of-famer and a two-time NBA champion, as well as one of only four players ( Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson and John Stockton) in league history to amass over 9,000 assists, your credentials speak for themselves.

 But while Thomas has carved himself an impressive resume on the court, he has a ways to go before he can be considered as successful off of it.  

 Since retiring from the NBA in 1994, Thomas has suffered through failed stints as both a front-office executive with the Toronto Raptors and CEO of the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association, while as a head coach, he failed to lead a young, talented Indiana Pacers squad past the first-round of the playoffs.  

 Thomas? latest blunder came this week, when he expressed interest in former Bulls and Lakers coach Phil Jackson as a possible future replacement for current Knicks bench boss Lenny Wilkens.

 ?I have great respect for Phil in terms of who he is and what he?s done and his place in the game,? said Thomas in response to Jackson?s interest in coaching the Knicks if the job were to become available- remarks Jackson made while promoting his new book in New York this week.  ?You know, Phil is out there.  He?s an attractive candidate, but there is no job opening here.?

 While Wilkens, who turned 67 on Thursday, would seem to be entrenched as the Knicks coach for the foreseeable future, the question remains as to why Thomas would even address Jackson?s alleged interest in the team on the eve of the regular season.  

 ?I think we?re all big boys,? Thomas added.  ?We all have a healthy respect for one another.  I have great respect for Lenny and who he is and what he?s done, and his place in the game.?

 Great respect to the point where he appears to have alienated Wilkens, and his entire team for that matter.  Jackson himself may be in no rush to return to the coaching ranks while he promotes his controversial book, but should the Knicks falter out of the gates, his name will only resurface, potentially leaving Wilkens and his players in a rather precarious situation all season long.  A couple of losses early in the season (which is conceivable considering New York plays five of their first ten games on the road, including visits to Minnesota, Indiana, San Antonio, Houston  and Dallas) and players could begin to tune out Wilkens in hopes of landing Jackson.

 Building team chemistry would not seem to be one of Thomas? strong points.  After named head of basketball operations last December, Thomas has pretty much fallen into the same trap all GM?s of New York sports teams- including Thomas? predecessor, the much-maligned Scott Layden- are guilty of, which is to acquire as many high-priced, high-maintenance players as quickly as possible in hopes of winning right away.  

 In the span of a few short weeks upon his hiring, Thomas had already put his stamp on the team by replacing Don Chaney with Wilkens as coach, while bringing in talented head cases Stephon Marbury and Tim Thomas, Penny Hardaway, Vin Baker and Nazr Mohammed in hopes of earning a playoff birth.  At 39-43, Thomas achieved his goal last season despite a first-round drubbing at the hands of the New Jersey Nets, but whether or not the Knicks can become a legit contender this season, or in the near future, remains to be seen.  

 Thomas? prized acquisition this off-season Jamal Crawford, acquired via a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls, is interesting only that he is a shoot-first point guard who needs the ball in his hands, much like Marbury, but who will play ?2? guard for New York.  Can Crawford and Marbury co-exist on the court at the same time despite the fact that their games mirror one another?  And what about when veteran guard Allan Houston returns from a knee injury?  Houston will want minutes, which could result in a crowded backcourt and at the same time a dilemma for Wilkens.  

 Even if Crawford does shine in the Big Apple, which is likely to happen now that he is finally out of Chicago, the Knicks remain a team without a dominating low-post presence (the inconsistent and foul-prone Mohammed has failed to live up to expectations thus far) and are shoddy defensively (New York was outscored by 82 points during a three-game losing streak earlier in the pre-season).  Capped to the max for the next few seasons ($94.3 million in salary alone tied to Marbury, Houston, Hardaway and Tim Thomas this season), Thomas will be hard-pressed- unless he?s able to unload a fat contract or two (unlikely)- to provide the Knicks with the help they?ll need in order to get to the next level.

 Which in the end will probably make all the Jackson talk moot anyway, because if the Knicks aren?t on the cusp of contending for a championship, there is no way the Zen master comes on board.