Thomas to Sell CBA to Land Coaching Job

Isiah Thomas signed a letter of intent to sell the Continental Basketball Assn. to the union that represents NBA players, USA Today and the Indianapolis Star reported Wednesday.

The move apparently clears the way for the former Detroit Piston star to succeed Larry Bird as coach of the Indiana Pacers. Thomas and Pacer assistant Rick Carlisle are the finalists for the job.

NBA officials have said Thomas, an NBA commentator who last month was elected to the Hall of Fame, couldn’t take a coaching job while he owned the CBA.

The Indianapolis Star reported that Thomas, 39, owes about $750,000 from his purchase of the CBA, which has a loose agreement with the NBA to develop players. Thomas paid about $10 million for the league in August 1999, getting its nine teams as well as the CBA’s licensing and marketing arms. Thomas at the time suggested the CBA become a baseball-like minor league for the NBA.

Neither Thomas, National Basketball Players Assn. Executive Director Billy Hunter, nor the NBA could be reached for comment.

If the union buys the CBA, it could provide the union with a ready-made alternative if the players association and the league is unable to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement when the current labor contract expires in 2004.

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Jayson Williams, 32, a star rebounder whose career with the New Jersey Nets was undercut by injuries, retired.

The decision by the jovial center came 14 months after he broke his right leg and tore up his knee in a collision with a teammate.

“Jayson did everything he possibly could in rehabbing and trying to get well so he could play,” Net President Rod Thorn said during a conference call. “It just hasn’t worked out. He has done everything he possibly could.”

Thorn said Williams was in Arizona for an undisclosed reason and the Nets had his approval to make the announcement.

“We are very saddened by it because not only was Jayson a terrific basketball player but he also brought the intensity and brought a work ethic to the game as well as a rebounding skill that I think every team needs,” Thorn said. “Jayson has so many intangibles that you cannot replace.”

In a statement released by the club, Williams said:

“This has been a hard choice for me. I loved playing basketball, I loved being a Net and I loved the fans in New Jersey.”

Williams did not play again after a collision with teammate Stephon Marbury in a game against Atlanta on April 1, 1999.

He attempted a comeback late last season but he broke his left foot while landing on the foot of rookie teammate Evan Eschmeyer during practice.

New Jersey has petitioned the NBA for an injury exception, which would give the team about $3.8 million more in salary cap room.

The team will have to wait until April 1 to petition the NBA to have Williams declared a permanent medical disability, which would totally remove his salary from the team’s cap.

Williams was in the second year of a six-year, $86-million contract.

The team will honor the contract, Thorn said, adding insurance will pay most of it if Williams was declared a permanent medical disability.

After being dogged by injuries in his first three seasons, Williams started to blossom in 1995-96 when he started a run of four straight years in which he averaged more than 10 rebounds a game.

He was named an all-star in 1997-98 when he averaged 13.4 points and 13.5 rebounds.

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Haskell Cohen, the NBA’s publicist for 19 years who helped establish the All-Star game and bring the league its first television contract, died of a heart attack in Fort Lee, N.J. He was 86.

Cohen had battled Alzheimer’s Disease for five years.