nytimes:— Before Wednesday night's overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings, the Knicks tried to wall out the controversy stemming from the sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Isiah Thomas, the team's president. Reporters were informed that neither Coach Larry Brown nor any of his players would answer questions on the matter.
But that wall did not stay up long. At practice Thursday, both Brown and Stephon Marbury commented on the lawsuit and the possible effect it has had on a team that is playing some feeble basketball and is saddled with a 13-27 record one game shy of the season's halfway mark.
The lawsuit involves accusations by Anucha Browne Sanders, a former high-ranking Knicks executive, who contends she was fired after complaining about Thomas's treatment of her.
Thomas left practice before reporters were allowed access. Brown, meanwhile, when asked about the situation, said he stood firmly behind Thomas, whom, he noted, he has known since Thomas was a teenager.
"I just know how much Mr. Dolan cares about him," Brown said in reference to James L. Dolan, the chairman of Madison Square Garden and, by extension, the person who oversees the Knicks. "Hopefully, this thing will play itself out," Brown said, adding that he was confident that Thomas had been truthful in disputing the lawsuit's assertions.
