It's not easy to do 'the right thing'

This past weekend was beautiful.

It didn't rain. It was warm. It was sunny.

Hopefully that was a sign of things to come. We don't need any more rain, that's for sure.

While sitting on the porch reading the newspaper Sunday evening, the weather wasn't the only thing on my mind. I kept going back to something I watched on TV while at lunch one day last week.

Donnie Walsh, the former head man for many years with the Indiana Pacers, accepted the top job with the New York Knicks last week. He's now in charge of trying to turn around a once proud franchise.

In his first news conference in New York, Walsh was bombarded with questions about the coach he inherits -- Isiah Thomas.

The Knicks are one of the worst teams in the NBA this season, and most of the New York press wants Thomas out.

So Walsh was asked the same question many different ways, but he held his ground. He gave the same answer each time. He kept a straight face, and didn't get upset.

His answer was perfect, and it showed his true character.

Walsh said he would meet with Thomas and have a meaningful conversation, and then will make up his mind about who will coach the Knicks next season. Walsh emphasized he wouldn't rush to judgment.

Why?

"Because that's the right thing to do," Walsh said.

The right thing to do? That caught my attention real quick.

The easy thing to do would be to rush to a decision without meeting with Thomas. Listen to the tabloids, and don't worry about what he has to say in a one-on-one meeting.

But that's not the way Walsh works. And it shouldn't be the way most of us work either.

"The right thing to do" is often overlooked in today's society. If more people in charge took the same approach as Walsh, this might be a better world.

The business world isn't structured for the meek, that's for sure. But tough decisions can be made professionally with people's feelings in mind.

I really don't care about the New York Knicks. But Walsh helped rebuild my favorite team, the Indiana Pacers, into a quality franchise (though it's going the other way now). Now I know how he did it, by doing the "right thing" when it comes to dealing with people.

Too many times people associated with the NBA and professional sports send today's youth the wrong message. Selfishness comes to mind.

The way Walsh conducted himself last week may be a needle in the haystack called professional sports, but it was a positive sign.