You have to give Florida International a certain amount of credit. They're pretty much the definition of a minor-league college team, but
they've managed to make a real splash by hiring Isaiah Thomas. That's not to say it's not a risky decision.
Thomas screwed up, a lot, in New York. First there was that little sexual harassment lawsuit. Then there were disastrous personnel decisions, and in the bigger picture, he didn't exactly run a charm school on the side.
Can he pull it off? Probably not. But at least FIU gets some good headlines out of it, which is more than they get from their basketball program.
They fired their previous coach after five losing seasons, and one player says Thomas will help "get us where we're supposed to be."
It's unkind to point this out, but when you're Florida International and you're in the Sun Belt, losing can't be unexpected. Really, even Florida, Miami, and Florida State have had rouble winning in the state, at least until fairly recently.
Sometimes, as Mark Cuban said of a former State player who had a weekend with the Mavericks, someone has to get the doughnuts.
Speaking of Thomas, perhaps his greatest mistake was Stephon Marbury, who seems to be undergoing a great change in Boston.