NEW YORK - In a change of leadership that almost no one at Madison Square Garden saw coming, Scott Layden was fired Monday as Knicks president and replaced by Isiah Thomas.
The move comes after New York missed the playoffs the past two seasons with a roster largely assembled by Layden. Recent speculation centered on coach Don Chaney possibly losing his job.
Instead, the man forced out was Layden, who joined in the summer of 1999 after New York was coming off an appearance in the title series.
Thomas has been out of the league since being fired over the summer by the Pacers, the team he coached for three seasons.
"We've got players and coaches probably a little bit unsure of what's going on, and my job is to come here and calm the waters," Thomas said.
76ers cruise past Magic
PHILADELPHIA - Glenn Robinson scored a season-high 22 and Eric Snow added 14 points and 14 assists to lead the 76ers to a 95-73 victory over the Magic.
Robinson bounced back from a 2-for-10, four-point game Sunday against Boston.
Tracy McGrady missed nine of his first 10 shots, but finished with 20 points for Orlando, whose season-best three-game winning streak ended. Orlando was 22-for-35 from the free-throw line and 33 percent from the field.
JAZZ 92, BULLS 80: Andrei Kirilenko had 26 points and 16 rebound for Utah. The Jazz is 11-1 in its past 12 against Chicago. Utah, which overcame 26 turnovers, finished its road trip 3-3.
NUGGETS 106, GRIZZLIES 99: Andre Miller had a double double with 21 points and 10 assists for host Denver, which matched its win total of last season (17).
LAKERS: Karl Malone will miss at least three games with a sprained knee ligament. Malone has missed just 11 games in 18-plus seasons.
AROUND THE LEAGUE: The Warriors waived eight-year veteran center Cherokee Parks. ... The Nuggets placed guard Jon Barry (strained neck) on the injured list.
