Isiah Thomas is skeptical.  But still, he's gone out of his way to meet with Kobe Bryant and his agent, to see if there's hope.

The Knicks can only offer their $5 million exception, but there is much talk that Nike would dole out big dollars to Kobe if he plays in New York.  Nobody seems to know if it's fact or fiction, but the idea circulating is that Bryant could get an additional $40 million in endorsement money if he makes the jump to MSG.

When asked about the potential cash supplement to Bryant, Thomas said, "I can't speak for Nike and all those other people.  I hope it happens, but I just don't see how this will happen."

The article also talks about Jamal Crawford and Stephen Jackson.  If the Bulls try to unload too many bad contracts on the Knicks and the Crawford deal comes undone, Thomas could instead pursue Jackson to bolster the backcourt.