Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan planned to wait all season before deciding on Thomas’ future with the Knicks. But when New York fought through a few recent injuries to move into playoff position, Dolan concluded he no longer needed to wait.
So he gave Thomas a multi-year contract extension Monday, nine months after he warned the Knicks coach and team president that the team needed to show improvement this season or he’d be out of a job.
The announcement comes with the Knicks having climbed into eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Dolan said he reached his decision sometime in the last 10 days, and Thomas said he was told about it Sunday night. Neither he nor Dolan provided any contract details, other than that Thomas would keep both jobs.
“I feel good that the uncertainty about my professional situation is cleared up,” Thomas said after practice. “But again, the most important thing is that we keep our team moving forward and we stay focused and continue to try to get into the playoffs.”