By Geoff Walter / SNY.tv

Fists of fury flew at the Garden Saturday night and there was no boxing ring in sight. The b-ball brawl was started when Knick player Mardy Collins committed a flagrant foul on the Nuggets' J.R. Smith. Knicks fans have taken their share of abuse, especially in the last two seasons, but people are saying that the team has hit a new low. This, after Garden and team owner James Dolan gave head coach Isiah Thomas a vote of confidence, assuring that Thomas would finish out the season. In light of the fabulous Garden party Saturday night, the question is: should Dolan reconsider giving Isiah a free pass for the rest of the season? Here's your chance to see my take on Dolan's decision and respond with some thoughts of your own.

As much as Dolan blames ex-head coach Larry Brown, a.k.a. "that coach," for the Knicks' troubles, who was it that traded for Stephon Marbury? Who was it that sent the Knicks' payroll into orbit? Who was in charge then? Not "that coach" -- he was in Detroit. Isiah's saving grace is that the entire Atlantic Division has fallen down to the Knicks' level so from a perverse and frightening point of view New York is actually competitive.

"That would essentially mean blowing up this organization in terms of who is working here and bringing in a new philosophy. That's pretty drastic." Dolan also thinks of the Knicks as a developing team. Seven of the 14 players on the Knick roster are under 25, but the rest are all experienced players who Thomas paid top dollar to play in a New York jersey.

This may have been music to James Dolan's ears, but neither Knicks fans nor reporters can see the light. I want to know Isiah's definition of "close." Does it mean five, 10, 15 years? How about closer to thirty, because the last time the Knicks won it all was 1973. Those Knicks had a 57-25 record as Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Earl Monroe and Bill Bradley all wore the uniform, and wore it well during the last golden age of New York basketball. Their coach? Red Holzman, who spent (a now unfathomable) 15 years at the helm.

The endearing thing about the 1994 team made up of Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Charles Smith, Hubert Davis, Anthony Mason and Derek Harper, among others, was that they fought and clawed their way to the Finals. They found a way to win anyway they could -- they didn't have to throw punches, they hit their opponents where it hurt the most: the scoreboard.

The chaos and disorder on the Garden court proves this fact. If Isiah had any control or influence over the team the brawl would never have taken place. Thomas was responsible for bringing many of the current Knicks to New York, so you'd think they would listen to him. Instead, they can barely stand him, eking out a few more wins than last season here and there in the hopes he'll shut up. Stephon Marbury is Exhibit A, as lines of communication were filled with static and Magic Johnson did the talking, not Thomas.

Instead of simply coaching, Thomas admitted to playing the role of puppet-master, with the usual Machiavellian flare, implying that he instigated the Dec. 16 fight when he told Carmelo Anthony at midcourt that he and Marcus Camby "really shouldn't be in the game" with a few seconds left. Control is not the same as manipulation, which is something Isiah Thomas succeeds at extremely well.

So far the Knicks' record this year (9-16) only slightly better than last year's (7-18). When you have records that are that close over two consecutive seasons, "that coach" doesn't appear to be the problem. "That coach" was with the Pistons when New York wanted to trade for Stephon Marbury. And please, don't let the Dec. 13 victory against the Hawks get your hopes up. What that win shows is exactly how sad the entire situation is. There, the Knicks displayed a fleeting glimpse of what they are capable of achieving. For a brief moment the clouds parted over the Garden, light showered down and New York actually had a basketball team. Then the clouds covered up the sun once more -- that's the problem with fleeting moments. Saturday's brawl against Denver proves that Isiah has no influence over the team, much less any control and may be the epitome of Isiah's "legacy" at the Garden.