National Basketball Association

Walsh's future with Knicks uncertain

Published Feb. 22, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

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Knicks president Donnie Walsh attempted on Tuesday to squash speculation that his predecessor, Isiah Thomas, played a greater role in the blockbuster trade that brought Carmelo Anthony to Madison Square Garden.

Walsh said he did not care if Thomas was talking to his former boss, Knicks owner James Dolan, during the negotiations with Denver.

"I can care less," Walsh said Tuesday. "There are a lot of people talking to him ... I have no idea, only what I read in [the] paper."

Walsh followed with a zinger directed at the Hall of Fame point guard and current coach of Florida International University.

"I'm assuming Isiah's getting ready for the NCAA Tournament. That's what I'm assuming."

Florida International is 9-17 this season, with a 4-10 record in the Sun Belt Conference.

Walsh returned to New York on Tuesday to finalize the trade, which reportedly came to fruition after Dolan made the call to include Russian 7-footer Timofey Mozgov.

The trade will become official once all of the players pass physicals.

With his contract set to expire April 30, the soon-to-be 70-year-old Walsh said he has not thought about his future with the team.

Two sources told The Post on Tuesday that as negotiations for Anthony heated up in Los Angeles with Dolan, Walsh bolted for Indiana to see his family during All-Star Weekend.

One source said Walsh packed up and left because he was irritated and felt it was a waste of time being in New York, since trade negotiations were taking place in Los Angeles without him and with Thomas advising Dolan.

Another league source said Thomas wanted to make the deal more than Walsh did.

Walsh underwent hip replacement surgery in November and since then had been unable to travel on a plane.

A Yahoo Sports report on Sunday, citing league sources, stated that Thomas was acting as the Knicks' top basketball executive in the Anthony talks.

That prompted a rare joint statement to be hustled out by Dolan, Walsh and Coach Mike D'Antoni, claiming that they were on the "same page" and denying any "outside" influence on the team's operations.

But none were in the same place, as Dolan was in Los Angeles for a meeting with Anthony, Walsh was in Indiana and D'Antoni was home in New York.

Dolan and Thomas have remained close friends since Thomas' unsuccessful and highly unpopular four-year run ended with his firing in 2008.

Dolan tried to rehire Thomas as a consultant last year but the NBA overruled him, saying that Thomas could not work for the Knicks and continue to coach college players.

According to reports last summer, Thomas was involved in the Knicks' signing of power forward Amar'e Stoudemire and their failed bid to sign LeBron James.