The Isiah Thomas era begins with a whimper

Barring some sort of cataclysmic error (or, say, another sexual harassment suit) Isiah Thomas deserves what every other new college coach deserves: plenty of time to build his program, and a touch of deference until that "plenty of time" line has come and gone. Still, if Zeke's debut at FIU is any indication, his tenure is going to be filled with that signature Isiah Thomas losing flavor. Drink it in. It always goes down ... actually, it doesn't go down smooth at all. Yes, Thomas's FIU squad dropped its first exhibition last night in an upset almost as bad as Syracuse's the day before. The Panthers lost 71-61 to an NAIA team from West Pal Beach, Fla., called Northwood; NAIA, if you're not aware, is all the way down there in the college sports hierarchy below Division III. Which is not to say there aren't good NAIA teams. There are. It's just that, you know, NAIA schools are never supposed to beat NCAA schools, and they're especially not sup...