Isiah has hopes of returning

Friday, Nov. 28, 2003 | 10:01 a.m.

SUN WIRE REPORTS

For the first time in 22 years Isiah Thomas does not have an intimate relationship with the NBA.

He hopes the separation is merely temporary.

The former Indiana Pacers coach was fired last August after three seasons. Before that he was an NBA announcer for NBC and a part-owner of the Toronto Raptors, following his 13-season playing career with the Detroit Pistons.

Now he's trying to stay close to the league any way he can. He sits in on practices to soak up knowledge from coaches like Detroit's Larry Brown and the Los Angeles Lakers' Phil Jackson.

"I've been to a couple of games, but mainly I've been more interested in their practices," said Thomas, who led the Pacers to three consecutive playoff appearances, but was fired seven weeks after Larry Bird was named the Pacers' president of basketball operations.

"When you're playing, you get a chance to compete against players, and you're always able to pick up a move here or there, but when you're coaching you're in a vacuum. You never really get a chance to see what the other coaches are doing. This has been a great opportunity to go around and see some great stuff."

When he's not on the road, he watches countless NBA games thanks to the satellite dish at his Indianapolis home.