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(c) 1997 Copyright Nando.net
(c) 1997 Associated Press


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ISIAH FALLOUT: The resignation of Isiah Thomas as general manager of the
Toronto Raptors has left the team with an
unhappy roster.

When the news became official Thursday that Thomas would sell his nine
percent ownership stake and step down as general
manager, the players took it hard.

Damon Stoudamire, the team's most popular player and a Thomas loyalist, =
was
expected to meet with new GM Glen
Grunwald in Miami on Friday to demand a trade, according to several =
people
close to the Raptors.

"He's outta there," said one source close to the team. "He doesn't want =
to
get the reputation as one of these young guys who is
a problem, but he wants out now that Isiah's gone."

Similarly displeased is Marcus Camby, who like all of the players was =
loyal
to Thomas rather than majority owner Allan
Slaight.

More than any other general manager in the league, Thomas strived to =
foster
a family-type relationship with his players. He
took the team to the NBA Finals last June, then on a trip to Barbados =
over
the summer.

In an effort to make sure Tracy McGrady's transition from high school to
the NBA was smooth, Thomas hired a cook for the
18-year-old and helped set up McGrady in an apartment across the street
from the club offices.

Stoudamire warned that he would leave if Thomas left, and he told people
close to him that he'll now follow through with his
threat. Stoudamire will be a free agent at season's end, so the Raptors =
can
be expected to try to get something for him rather
than losing him next summer with nothing in return.

Camby is signed for this season and next, so he has less leverage than
Stoudamire in forcing a trade.

"I can honestly say every player on the team wants to leave with =
Isaiah,"
Camby's agent, Alex Johnson, told the Toronto Sun.

Another Raptor, Popeye Jones, also will be a free agent at the end of =
the
season. There was talk that Slaight squashed a trade
that would have sent Jones and McGrady to Philadelphia for Jerry =
Stackhouse
and Clarence Weatherspoon. Toronto
newspapers also said Slaight may have intervened to kill a deal that =
would
have sent Shawn Kemp from Seattle to Toronto.

More rumors, and perhaps something bordering on an all-out player =
revolt,
can be expected as the fallout from Thomas'
resignation ensues.

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