With Isiah safely out the door as GM and coach of the Knicks, I thought it would be appropriate to re-evaluate his impressive tenure. An often misunderstood figure, Isiah made some genuinely good moves. He drafted David Lee and traded Kurt Thomas for Q-Rich and Nate Robinson. But why would I go so far as to say he is the NBA’s favorite GM?

The answer is simple, he was the only GM from 2003 to 2008 that was dumb enough to take on huge contracts and team cancers. He treated first round picks like they were candy and handed them out with reckless abandon.

His tenure is so impressive because he did more for the Bulls than John Paxson did (Curry deal), he cleared Phoenix’s cap in 2004 so they could sign Steve Nash that same summer (Marbury trade), gave the Magic breathing room under the cap eventually resulting in the signings of Rashard Lewis and Hedo (Francis trade), and he took a team cancer off Portland’s hands which allowed their youngsters to develop (Randolph trade).

Isn’t it obvious by now? Isiah did such a bad job as the Knicks GM because he was too busy being the Bulls, Suns, Magic, and Trailblazers GM. What a hard worker.

Isiah brought excitement to a dull period of NBA history. You could always count on him to do something only a kid playing NBA Live would ever attempt. This got me thinking, what are some of Isiah’s worst moves as Knicks GM? This list could go on for pages, so I’ll limit it to his top 10 worst moves.

10) Hiring Larry Brown – He obviously wanted nothing to do with three quarters of the roster, demanded a trade for Steve Francis, and gave Isiah a memo that read “trade these players or fire me.” Isiah fired him. With a few years left on his contract.

9) Renaldo Balkman – Wow…seriously? He took this projected mid 2nd rounder in the first above Rajon Rondo and Josh Boone.

8) Signing Jared Jeffries – I think I missed the part of his career where he was productive. He’s signed for 3 more years so they have all the time in the world to reflect on his “potential.”

7) Steve Francis Trade – Francis barely played as a Knick and this is only so low on the list because Brown basically forced it on Thomas. Kinda sad when your coach can force you into a trade.

6) Signing Vin Baker – An overweight alcoholic that’s career was over during the strike. Sign him to the MLE NOW Isiah!

5) Signing Jerome James – He had a good playoff series with the Sonics that one year…and that’s all Isiah had to see to lock him up through 2009.

4) Not Buying Out Allan Houston – In 2005 the “Allan Houston Rule” was put into effect, which would allow teams a one time option to buy out a player and not have it count against their cap. Isiah used this option on Jerome Williams because he thought “Houston should contribute” the next season. He did not play another game for the Knicks, and the Knicks were forced to pay $40 mill over the next two years to him.

3) Trading for Zach Randolph – Who wants a guy who doesn’t play D, cannot play in a front court with another high volume shooter, has legal problems, and is labeled as a team cancer with a massive contract for the next 4 years? Isiah does!

2) Trading for Stephon Marbury – Speaking of crippling contracts, Marbury is set to make $20 mill next season and has been one of the highest paid players in the NBA for years. Nice.

1) Trading for Eddy Curry – Wow. Unprotected draft picks and Tim Thomas for Eddy Curry. Let me try and lay out what’s wrong with this trade:
a) The picks were unprotected…
b) Eddy Curry has heart problems…
c) Eddy Curry has never heard the word “defense” in his life…
d) Eddy Curry has never heard the word “pass” in his life…
e) In his career as the Knicks center, he has been the biggest black hole of all time. When he touches the ball, he shoots it or turns it over. If Curry touches the ball, then that possession is over.
f) He is the founder of the infamous Curry line on Yahoo Sports.
g) When his ex-coach Scott Skiles was asked what Curry needed to do to be a better rebounder, Skiles replied “jump.”
h) As touched on in the last point, he can’t rebound.
i) Eddy Curry is not coachable. That’s pretty obvious by now.
j) He’s overweight. Really really overweight.

I could go on but you get the point.

In conclusion, thanks for all the hilarious moves Isiah. You will always hold a special place in my heart.