NEW YORK — Isiah Thomas assembled a bad roster, and he's the latest Knicks coach to lose his job because he couldn't make it a winner.

Donnie Walsh is certain he will find plenty willing to try.

Thomas was fired Friday after a season of listless and dreadful basketball, a tawdry lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding his dismissal.

The Knicks are now in need of their sixth different coach since Thomas became team president during the 2003-04 season. And Walsh, who this month replaced him as president, is sure he'll get a good one.

"I will get calls," Walsh said. "This is a coveted job. People want to coach here."

None have won in a while. Jeff Van Gundy was the last coach to escape the Knicks with a winning record — they were 10-9 when he stepped down early in the 2001-02 season.

His name has been mentioned as a possible candidate, and Walsh said former Knick and current TV analyst Mark Jackson, and assistant coach Herb Williams likely would be interviewed. He said he has no timetable to make his decision.

"I just believe a new voice, a new coach, is necessary to change the direction of the team," Walsh said.

Thomas lost a franchise record-tying 59 games this season, and along the way seemed to lose the support of his players, who didn't always play hard for him the way they did last season.