New York Post

Isiah’s Liberty future up in air

- By MARC BERMAN

If this is it for Isiah Thomas as Liberty president, it wasn’t a bad run at all.

Owner James Dolan announced Tuesday he’s selling the Liberty and Thomas is probably not going to remain when new ownership arrives. Nobody from the Garden will say Thomas is definitely done, but the writing is on the wall.

Thomas, after all, took the job to be back in business with Dolan — perhaps with hopes of being promoted to a Knicks front-off ice job. Those chances are bleak since he and team president Steve Mills don’t get along.

Thomas, the former Knicks president/coach, improved his image by weaving together three straight playoff seasons, but couldn’t deliver Dolan what he wanted most — a first WNBA championsh­ip. Thomas’ three clubs had a combined 66-36 (.647) record — the best three-year span in franchise history.

Sources told The Post Dolan was on the verge of selling the Liberty three years ago before the idea hatched of having Thomas run the women’s team.

Now the Garden — and perhaps New York City — will be without WNBA basketball. The warning signs were there when coach Bill Laimbeer jumped ship for the new Las Vegas franchise last month.

Thomas created more interest in the Liberty — his hiring was considered controvers­ial at f irst because he was part of the Garden’s sexual harassment suit brought on by Anucha Browne-Sanders.

The Liberty’s average attendance this season of 9,889 was fourth in the WNBA but still not a moneymaker for Dolan, who could fill the Garden with other entertainm­ent events. Attendance went up 8 percent across Thomas’ three seasons.

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