I’m very, very late on this, but Isiah Thomas has been fired from the Knicks, leaving a void in all sports blogs across the nation. He was a regular punching bag, someone you could always poke fun at during a slow day. Not only did Isiah do a terrible job as a coach, but he managed to somehow do an even worse job as the President. In lue of Isiah, the Knicks now have Zach Randolph and Stephon Marbury at prices no one else would pay for Zach Randolph and Stephon Marbury.

There’s a lot of coaches being thrown around out there, and, surprisingly, Mark Jackson is the one who’s coming up most often. The guy’s never coached, but maybe that’s what they need: Someone who’s fresh, someone who can turn things around, and someone the players will trust. He’s well liked in the New York area, so maybe he’s a good fit. One thing’s for sure: Regardless of who comes in, it’s going to be a long while before we say Knicks and Playoffs again.

As someone who often writes for a blog, I can say with absolute resolution that I will miss Isiah Thomas after this year. The man, after all, has provided us with a sex scandal, a terrible team, and a salary cap that is too astronomical to even try and fix.

He “waxed” on this last season, sounding like a guy who already has one foot out the door.

“What I’ve been asked to do and required to do by the Knicks, I’ve tried to perform to the best of my ability,” Thomas said before the team’s scheduled shootaround. “This is a very disappointing season. I’m not used to being at the bottom. But this is what it’s like on the bottom, and this is how you get treated on the bottom. That’s how it is.”

Not used to being on the bottom? I’m not sure what Isiah remembers, but what I remember of the Knicks over the last three years is, well, to be frank, them at the bottom. And if you’re not used to being on the bottom, and don’t want to be on the bottom, don’t make trades for Stephon Marbury and Zach Randolph. It’s really not that difficult.

Phoenix Suns 96, San Antonio Spurs 79: I wouldn’t look at this game as what would happen should the two meet in the first round (it’s a good possibility they will), only because San Antonio seems to step it up about ten notches once in the playoffs. With that said, the Suns absolutely pummeled. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker combined for 43 points, but the rest of the Spurs team scored only 36. Shaq had 16 points and nine rebounds, hopefully justifying some of the many, many millions that he receives annually. Six Suns players scored in double digits, led by Amare Stoudemire’s 21.

New Orleans Hornets 122, Minnesota T’Wolves 90: After a horrible shooting night two days ago, the Hornets found their cure: Play the T’Wolves. The Hornets shot 56 percent from the field, just under 50 percent from beyond the arch, and were led by seemingly everybody. Chris Paul had 19 points and an average — only what Chris Paul would consider average — 16 assists.

Milwaukee Bucks 93, Toronto Raptors 111: Chris Bosh had 32 points and 11 rebounds, helping Toronto avoid a four-game losing streak. The Raptors are still in seventh place, which sets them up to play Detroit in Round 1 of the playoffs.

Charlotte Bobcats 107, New York Knicks 109: The Knicks have won three straight! Quick, extend Isiah’s contract!

With no football games, it’s hard to gamble, so, thankfully, we can throw our money away on NBA games that can really go either way. But it’s entertaining, right? And, in short, that’s the main reason we gamble. We don’t do it to win or lose — we do it because it takes an otherwise boring chunk of the night and becomes very, very entertaining, even if the entertainment is accompanied with many hours of grief afterwards. Enjoy my picks. I’m the best.

Last Night: 2-1
On the Season: 43-41-1

Tonight’s Games:

Charlotte Bobcats (+11) @ Toronto Raptors: Picking Charlotte doesn’t mean by any stretch of the imagination that I’m picking a winner. But the Raptors have struggled, and 11 points seems a bit high. Raptors win, ‘Cats cover.

Philadelphia 76′ers (+2) @ Atlanta Hawks: I hope the Hawks win. I always do when I make these picks. But they’ve beaten up on bad teams, they’ve won five straight, and when you’re an Atlanta fan, you know five straight is about three too many. The streak ends. Points are nice, but Sixers in an upset.

New York Knicks @ New Orleans Hornets (-15.5): It’s been a while since I’ve seen a spread this high and taken it. But we’ve all seen the Knicks, which should be enough said.

New Jersey Nets (+10) @ Detroit Pistons: Take the points.

Dallas Mavericks (+6) @ LA Lakers: Every time these two teams play, the game is close. Look for another OT thriller. Mavs win.

Indiana has a pretty good college basketball tradition. You got Hoosiers. You got Bob Knight. This year, you had Eric Gordon and a team that was really, really good when they had their sneaky, cheating coach. Without that coach, Indiana is now looking for a new man to run their team: And Isiah Thomas insists they haven’t contacted him.

“No, I have a job,” Thomas said before the Knicks played the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.

“Of all the former players, he’d definitely have the support of mine and others. I hope he’s someone they do name as the coach of Indiana.”

It’s hard for me to imagine Indiana reaching out to Isiah Thomas. For those that haven’t noticed, he’s kind of wrecked the Knicks, has been involved in lawsuits, and is the laughingstock of the NBA. And watching to see if Isiah’s recruiting is as bad as his management, well, it’d be fun for everyone, unless, of course, you’re a Hoosier.

With no football games, it’s hard to gamble, so, thankfully, we can throw our money away on NBA games that can really go either way. But it’s entertaining, right? And, in short, that’s the main reason we gamble. We don’t do it to win or lose — we do it because it takes an otherwise boring chunk of the night and becomes very, very entertaining, even if the entertainment is accompanied with many hours of grief afterwards. Enjoy my picks. I’m the best.

Last Night: 4-2
On the Season: 33-33-1

Detroit Pistons (-1) @ Toronto Raptors: Raps have been struggling. Pistons are good. Take Detroit.

Milwaukee Bucks (+7) @ Atlanta Hawks: I like the Hawks to win, but take the gift seven and the Bucks.

Miami Heat @ New York Knicks (-7): It’s a hard bet to take. I know. Just swallow and do it. Because betting the Heat will be even worse.

Phoenix Suns @ Boston Celtics (-5): Boston just dropped one at home to the Sixers, so I figure they can’t possibly lose two in a row. Lay the five, C’s cover.

Minnesota T’Wolves @ Houston Rockets (-11): Minnesota, on the road, against one of the better teams in the NBA. Rockets cruise.

Charlotte Bobcats @ LA Lakers (-11): See above.

Philadelphia 76′ers 95, Boston Celtics 90: It was a stunning home loss, one I bet on, one I loss on, and I can’t say I’m too happy about the suddenly surging Sixers. Andre Iguodala led all Sixers with 28 points, followed by Andre Miller’s 20 and rookie Thaddeus Young’s 16. The win moved Philadelphia into sixth place in the East, and did nothing to hurt the standing of the first place Celtics.

Phoenix Suns 105, Detroit Pistons 100: Is it bad when you bet so much you don’t know which team you took? I’m at work, and can’t check my Sportsbook account, but I’m thinking I got Phoenix at +3. Let’s hope, anyway. Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 36. Steve Nash had nine assists.

Milwaukee Bucks 73, Miami Heat 78: It’s quite possibly Miami’s last win of the season. Really. The heat had five scorers in double digits — probably also a last — led by Chris Quinn’s 24. When Chris Quinn is your best player, well, then, you’re in trouble.

New Jersey Nets 106, New York Knicks 91: It’s the old adage: Don’t bet on the Knicks. I didn’t. I won. Ironically, with the Nets win, they’re closer to the playoffs, while in Dallas, with their loss, they find themselves falling out of the playoffs. Guess that Jason Kidd trade paid off after all.

Denver Nuggets 120, Memphis Grizzlies 106: The Nuggets have now won three straight, and just for the record, they’ve scored 100 points or more in their last 12 games.

Portland Trail Blazers 94, Seattle Supersonics 97: All five Seattle starters had double digit scoring efforts, and Kevin Durant put in 23 points on a rare good shooting night (9-13). Martell Webster had 23 points for the struggling Trail Blazers.

LA Lakers 123, Golden State Warriors 119: It took overtime, but like I said: Jump on Kobe’s boat when he’s coming off a loss. He had 30 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, leading the Lakers to victory.

With no football games, it’s hard to gamble, so, thankfully, we can throw our money away on NBA games that can really go either way. But it’s entertaining, right? And, in short, that’s the main reason we gamble. We don’t do it to win or lose — we do it because it takes an otherwise boring chunk of the night and becomes very, very entertaining, even if the entertainment is accompanied with many hours of grief afterwards. Enjoy my picks. I’m the best.

On The Season: 25-28-1 Against The Spread

Philadelphia 76′ers @ Boston Celtics (-10): Take this one. Take it all day. Boston wins by a hundred.

New Jersey Nets (+2) @ New York Knicks: Rule of betting basketball: Don’t bet on the Knicks. It’s won me money for the most part, so I’m sticking to it.

Milwaukee Bucks(+1) @ Miami Heat: That rule mentioned above, it’s starting to apply to the Heat. When the two teams play together, it’ll be an interesting coin flip.

Phoenix Suns @ Detroit Pistons(-3): Detroit plays defense. Phoenix is still trying to figure that one out. And though the team is doing much better with Shaq now, I like the Pistons at home.

Denver Nuggets (-7) @ Memphis Grizzlies: Denver’s been on a tear, and AI and ‘Melo are finally starting to click together. Memphis, meanwhile, is heading for the lottery, and wondering where yet another year has gone.

Sacramento Kings @ Houston Rockets (-7): Let’s start another streak, people. This team was easy money, and we need it to get back that way.

Portland Trail Blazers @ Seattle Supersonics (+9): There’s not a team I’ve been more burnt by than the Trail Blazers. They’re a tempting team to pick, but when I ride ‘em I die with ‘em. Seattle’s no stellar team, but I’ll take the eight at home and run with it.

Los Angeles Lakers (-2) @ Golden State: Eh. Probably a toss up. But I like Kobe after losing and struggling the night before.

Without the Rockets playing, it was hard for me to really care about the NBA, but with money riding on certain games, it does get a bit more fun. Here’s the scores from last night.

New York Knicks 98, Indiana Pacers 110: Mike Dunleavy had 36 points, and the Knicks were still the Knicks, doing little to resemble an NBA team that plays both defense and offense in the same night. Zach Randolph, the great addition he’s been, led the Knicks with 26 points.

Cleveland Cavaliers 90, Orlando Magic 104: The Magic won their fifth straight game, and they did it in similar fashion to other games won this year: By pounding three-pointer after three-pointer down your throat. The Magic were 14-32 from beyond the arch, led by Hedo Turkoglu’s 3-6 effort from downtown. BronBron had 30 points, nine rebounds, and six assists for the Cavs.

Atlanta Hawks 105, Wizards 96: The Hawks snapped Washington’s three-game winning streak, and have now put together a little three-game winning streak of their own. Five players scored double-digits for the Hawks, and rookie Al Horford finished with a double/double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 15 boards.

Chicago Bulls 97, New Orleans Hornets 108: Best way to forget an ugly loss is to play the Bulls the next night. Newly acquired Drew Gooden had 23 points for the Bulls, but Chris Paul’s 37 points and 13 assists was a bit much for a Chicago team that isn’t going anywhere.

Los Angeles Clippers 90, Minnesota T’Wolves 99: I bet this game, thinking there was no way the Clips could lose by more than seven to Minnesota (who just isn’t that good) — and, bang, there it is. This is what happens when you throw cash at the Clippers. You had one year to bet them in the last decade. If you missed it, too bad.

Charlotte Bobcats 80, Memphis Grizzlies 98: See my reaction above, and the same goes for betting on the Bobcats. . .

Boston Celtics 93, San Antonio Spurs 91: The Spurs were up 28-11 at the end of the fourth quarter. Three quarters later, they lost. You can’t say the Spurs are in trouble, but losing five of their last six, and blowing a near- twenty-point lead at home causes some reason to start speculating.

Toronto Raptors 79, Utah Jazz 96: Maybe I’m saying this because I’m a Georgia Tech fan, but Chris Bosh may need to be considered for MVP; with him, they’re a three or four seed. Without him, they don’t make the playoffs (now 2-8 since he went out, and only 4-13 on the year). Just a thought.

With no football games, it’s hard to gamble, so, thankfully, we can throw our money away on NBA games that can really go either way. But it’s entertaining, right? And, in short, that’s the main reason we gamble. We don’t do it to win or lose — we do it because it takes an otherwise boring chunk of the night and becomes very, very entertaining, even if the entertainment is accompanied with many hours of grief afterwards. Enjoy my picks. I’m the best.

Last Time I bet: 1-2
On the season: 13-16-1
What I’ll be Tonight: Really, really good

New York Knicks (+7) @ Indiana Pacers: It’s hard to bet the Knicks, I know, but getting seven points against an almost-equally-sucky team is hard to let go of.

Atlanta Hawks (+7) @ Washington Wizards: I’m feeling it for my Hawks. Feeling it.

Cleveland Cavaliers (+7) @ Orlando Magic: Does anyone else see this recurring trend on the line? Take the points and Cleveland.

LA Clippers (+6) @ Minnesota T’Wolves: If you bet this game, you’re insane. Given that I have to pick, I’ll take the ‘Dog and hope for the points to cover.

Charlotte Bobcats (-2) @ Memphis Grizzlies: This is too many away teams in a row for me, but I’m feeling it, baby. Feeling it.

Chicago Bulls @ New Orleans Hornets (-12): Lots of points to give. But after getting blown out, Hornets will want to make a statement, and they’re good at doing these things at home.

Boston Celtics @ San Antonio Spurs (-1): They’ve had a recent skid, but they’re at home. Spurs should be fine.

Toronto Raptors @ Utah Jazz (-13): They really, really need Bosh back.