He’s back. The Irrational ever-optimistic Knicks fan is here. Guess what? After that dramatic win over the bucks, the knicks are only 7 games out of the final playoff spot!! But don’t start purchasing, your playoff tickets just yet. We still have 2 weeks to go before the trade deadline. Remember, if the defensively challenged suns can trade away their best defensive player, for a center who will not fit the Suns’ running style anything’s possible.

Marbury

Yes, you knew I’d talk about him. What can I say, the man’s from Brooklyn and he grew up rooting for the Knicks. For those two reasons alone, I’ll always be a Marbury fan. The news is, he’s out for the year after his surgery. I wasn’t expecting him to come back anyway. But I will say that all those pundits who thought the Knicks were better off w/o Marbury…..   Well you know the rest. The knicks embark on a losing streak of 5 or more once every 2 weeks. They didn’t do very well with him but they damn sure aren’t doing any better.

The Problems

They are numerous, stretching as far as the eye can see. I’ll start with the coach. Isiah never should’ve taken that coaching job. The knicks are constantly giving up leads in the 4th quarter. Or they fall behind big in the 1st only to watch a furious comeback fall short. They never play the full 48 minutes. They always finish the game with 15+ turnovers. Those are signs that point to an underprepared team. The blame of an unprepared team falls solely at the feet of the coach. While I don’t think he should lose his job as team president, they need a no-nonsense defensive minded coach such as Pat Riley who knows how to get the most out of a little.

I’ve been screaming about ths since they traded Camby. The knicks need a bona-fide shot blocker. The funny thing is, they have two. Jerome James got 30 mil, why not make him earn it? There’s also a young energetic center named Randolph Morris. The current rotation is obviously not working, why not overhaul it without having to make another bad signing? Instead these two guys, who can very easily help the Knicks defensively in the paint, ride more wood than Jenna Jamison. Again it’s the coach’s fault.

The Knicks do not have a single deep threat right now. While Robinson’s improved and Crawford shot selection is no longer on Blood-pressure-raising levels, there isn’t a single gaurd on the Knicks that makes you say: NO!!! For the love of God DON’T LEAVE HIM OPEN!!! Just about every Playoff Caliber team has a deadly outside shooter. The Knicks have none. I used to think Richardson would be that player, but he’s been taking performance-eroding drugs, so no dice.

The Solutions

Damn it just start rebuilding!! Isiah wanted the knicks to get “younger and more atheltic” when he took over as team president (If you can remember Scott Layden assembled the shortest, oldest, highest paid team in the league during his tenure). He’s about halfway there. Lee and Balkman are good energetic role players (not to mention Balkman is a hell of a defender) that you can put a few scorers around. Robinson’s energy is perfect as a 6th man (which is why he’s better off the Bench). Throw in a shot-blocking center, like Morris and the knicks are about 2 crunch time scorers away from being taken seriously. Whether that scorer is Crawford, or another 2 guard from the draft is irrivelant. Take a look at that roster: Morris at the 5, Lee at the 4, Balkman at the 3, Crawford or any other dynamic scorer (Did someone say T-mac?) at the 2, and a playmaking guard at the 1 (you know, like Marbury). All they’d need is some backup big men and a bona-fide, never-misses-when-he’s-open, shooter maybe at the 3 or 2. Get a defensive minded coach to teach Morris, Lee and Balkman the “No lay-up rule” (Mardy Collins already knows the rule as he so convincingly demonstrated to Smith in that Denver game) and you have a Team that the New York Fans would be proud to cheer for. And speaking of fans….

In the February 11th version of Sports Illustrated, the Garden was actually voted as the 4th scariest Arena for a visitor to play in. This despite the fact that The knicks have won a grand total of 10 games at home all year. Put it this way: Half of the league has already won more games on the road. What’s the point? I’m glad you asked. If opponents are afraid of the Garden when the Knicks are this bad, imagine how many nightmares they’ll have when the Knicks are good? If the Knicks can field a team that actually plays with passion, and wins, they’ll be a force to be reckoned with. They already have crowd elevating players (Nate & Renaldo), they’re just a few defensive stoppers away.

The Illusions

I don’t think the Knicks payroll is as big a deal as everyone makes it seem. OK so they have a high payroll. And the problem with that is??? NY is an expensive city to live in. We pay more to park at Yankee stadium, than other teams charge for their actual games. We pay more for everything, so why not have a more expensive team?? If the Knicks win a Championship, David Stern is not going to say “oh wait, you guys don’t deserve the trophy, you’re the highest paid team!” As far as am concerned, unless being the highest paid team directly deteriorates the level of play I don’t think it matters.

So there you have it: I’m officially joining the Fire Isiah chorus (but only as coach). The Knicks will win, and they’ll win soon. I’m hoping one day Isiah’s on the internet and accidently stumbles on this post. Maybe he’ll take some of my advice. Hey, weirder things have happened. Like Defensively challenged teams trading away their best defensive player.

Well, at least all the drama is across the river for a change.  I have always thought, and said so earlier in a blog here, that Kidd has received far too considerate treatment for sports writers around here.  True, he puts up great numbers and teams generally get better after he joins them, but they don’t win!  Having Byron Scott fired was the beginning of the end for this Nets team, and now Kidd is apparently “on strike” because he wants to play with his buddy Bron-Bron… yeesh.  That outdoes Steph and his misunderstanding with Isiah (personally, I still believe Thomas told Steph to go home, but..)

Most importantly, the Knicks finally beat the dreaded Jersey-ites, providing a tiny bit of solace for me since my beloved Hoos played like crap on national TV, losing to Syracuse.  Fred Jones did play great, however, I think the victory has far more to do with Eddy and J-Kidd’s absence than Steph’s.  Now let’s go get Philly, another franchise in turmoil, finally firing King, about 25 years too late.

Steph, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.  Be well.

First I’d like to thank Wil for the welcome and also for attacking my first post (No, I wasn’t being sarcastic). Maybe you misread my last post. When I say they need a shot blocker/enforcer type, I mean they should trade one of their big men to do it. Think about it, there’re plenty of teams in the league that can use a scoring big man. For example, what if the knicks got rid of Curry (they still have a low post threat in Randolph and at least he grabs rebounds) and got back an enforcer like Camby, Kaman or Bogut? The Knicks’ back court wouldn’t have to worry so much about getting beat off the dribble, which would enable them to be alot more agressive on D. The pistons backcourt did the same thing when Ben was guarding the paint. The difference would be palpable even though it probably wouldn’t show up on any stat sheets. Isiah still gets a free pass as a talent evaluator because he drafted D. Lee, Frye, Balkman, and Robinson (verdict’s still out on Mardy). When those players get minutes they genuinely excel (yeah I know Frye’s not there anymore but just stay with me on this). Those guys he bought to the team weren’t drafted by him. Isiah’s a bad businessman (Ladies and gentlemen, the understatement of the decade!!) but not a bad talent evaluator.

Knicks hold Celtics to 104 points….

I was impressed. That was the 8th lowest point total for the Celtics this season. The Knicks had a whopping 6 blocks to go along with 3 steals. They even committed 22 fouls because they just knew the Celts would only be shooting just 72% from the charity stripe. They were playing so well defensively that they became bored with their own success. Several players began yawning and showing a lack of interest during the 4th quarter. Unfortunately I neglected to look at their offensive stats. I must’ve bumped my head or something. Heard some crazy rumor that they only managed to put up 59. Couldn’t possibly be true. Oh well. Moving right along…

….But manage to come back from 17 against the Bucks

This game should be one big “In Your Face” statement from the Knicks showing that they indeed have no quit in them. A team that has quit on its coach will not be coming back from a 17 point deficit. Yes I know it was against the bucks but they have Yi (beware the Yi!!). An Elite team the bucks aren’t, but the knicks could’ve said “Here we go again” but instead they decided to win back over their 23 remaining fans and gut out a victory. There is something I have noticed though. I don’t think the Knicks have quit on Isiah. I think they’ve quit on Marbury. If you have an inexplicable need to torture yourself, take a look back at the Knicks other 4 W’s. In 2 of those wins they came back from double digit leads. During both come-backs Marbury was on the bench. The Knicks seem to play better with Marbury on the bench. Maybe that 24 hour hiatus was more damaging than they’re letting on. Still I don’t think the Knicks should trade him…  yet. More on this as the season progresses.

One last thing….

I will still stand by my words in this post even after the Knicks get annhilated by Pheonix tomorrow night. Why do I say this? Because the 2 positions that the Knicks suffer the most defensively is PG and center. That happens to be the positions of the Suns 2 best offensive players. Amare and Nash will have a field day. Let’s just hope they hold ‘em to less than 104 points.

Go Knicks!!

First of all, welcome Patrick. I am not even going to begin attacking your first post, just because I am so happy to have a bit of a distraction.  Oh wait, yes I am.  You seem to think the only thing that needs changing is a shotblocker/enforcer and that nothing is wrong with the defense?  That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.  First of all, please, please do not put another big body in the lane.  Speaking of which, how is Isiah still getting passes on being a great evaluator of talent?  Jerome James, Jared Jefferies, the list goes on and on.  (Anyone else want to see Jerome James vs Carl Pavano in a cage match?)  I can’t even begin to comment on the rest on this day after the great massacre, but if you think there is any bright spot or hope, you’re wrong.  But welcome, just the same.

Maybe I should go home for Thanksgiving more often, as the Knicks won back to back games for the first time in well over a decade (or something like that, look, I don’t have a fact checker or statman, so I can’t swear to that one, but I think it’s true.)  That’s right Chicago and Utah, take that! Anyone else notice that games with Utah are always awesome!  Time for a little litmus test of where the Knicks are at, how they match up with the beasts, the new look Celtics. 

Welcome everyone. I’m not a new blogger but I honestly have been swamped by work (some of which involves blogging for the Giants) and I’ve finally freed up some time. Just some random thoughts involving the state of the Knicks. A few notes before I begin: 1) I am eternally optimistic so some of my posts will border on ludicrous. 2) No matter how bad the organization is right now (and it’s very bad) I’ll always try to bring some humor to my posts (remember I said try). 3) I think alot more people read these posts and care about the Knicks then you guys give credit for. So without further ado this is my monthly “State of the Knicks” Address. Try not to get too excited.

The Anucha Browne-Sanders Trial.

So Isiah Thomas goes to trial and the franchise suffers through alot of bad publicity. While I can’t defend Isiah’s actions I will say this: Do you honestly believe that he was the only one? Do you think Isiah’s the only high ranking official that curses? What he’s suppose to be a perfect human being? Last I checked he was hired to run the team not be a saint. Think about it people. Stephon Marbury is not the first player to have sex with an intern. For more proof, ask any basketball player at your high school reunion. That’s like some dude at a fraternity messing with a sorority chick and then everyone else acting disgusted by it. Yeah that’s real shocking.

Bad Defense

The Knicks get scored on more than Paris Hilton. Yeah I know it’s terrible. But guess what? So do the Suns, Warriors, Sonics, and Wizards to name a few. Yet people act as if the Knicks are the only poor defensive team in the league. Yes I know that some of the afore-mentioned NBA teams actually win a few games once in awhile. Ok fine. But deep down inside it is a well known fact: The Eastern Conference is trash and the Knicks have the talent to make the playoffs. Don’t believe me? Ask Utah and Denver, 2 Playoff bound teams that the knicks have already beaten this season.

Marbury

As the soul remaining member of the Marbury band wagon I have this to say -Wait let me put the caps lock on to emphasize my point: LEAVE HIM THE HELL ALONE!!! Every single ill that he has done in his life has been put on full fledged display. How about when he went on tour to promote his $15 sneakers. Every other already-rich athlete sells their sneakers for $100+. Marbury sells his at a price anyone can afford but barely a peep out of the media. Secondly, he is their best backcourt player. Let’s see, the Knicks are in turmoil so let’s trade their best player. Makes sense doesn’t it? Someone explain that one to me.

The Roster

With the exception of a shotblocker/enforcer (they have excellent rebounders in Zach and Lee, but they don’t block shots) the Knicks roster is fine as it is. Take a gander at the league. Most of the Elite teams have a set 8 - 9 man rotation that’s been together for years. Until last year the knicks have never had that. Players come and go, coaches come and go, but there’s no continuity. This roster is capable of winning as they’ve proven this year. If they stay together and have a chance to jell (remember that term form the 90’s) they may actually do some damage. Detroit, San Ant., Pheonix, Dallas, Utah. All those teams have rosters that have been intact for years, a big reason they’re a success and Larry Brown was a disaster.

Last but not least, Thomas

Thomas should stay. End of story. He’s coached a playoff team (Indiana for 3 years) and he’s a shrewed talent evaluator. So let’s say he leaves. Now the Knicks need a new coach and a new president. The new president would probably over haul the roster and Marbury will have to change his playing style yet again. So now we can throw in another 5 years of “rebuilding.” Let him stay. If he’s anything he can perservere. If the Knicks can put together a winning streak they can easily climb back into contention. New coach? Not so sure.

Well that’s it for my random thoughts. Feel free to post your replies because I know everyone disagrees. That’s why I’m here.

Go Knicks!!!

Well, another game, another blowout loss to a not very good team, golden state in this case. After watching local media talk about how terrible the Knicks are and how well the Yankees have taken care of business so far, I am again troubled by the longterm damage Isiah is almost singlehandedly doing to the organization. We are a joke. The Yankees have done a fairly horrible job of taking care of business in the offseason, and yet have A-fraud crawling back to them, and have resigned Rivera and Posada, before Thanksgiving, solely on the basis of them being the Yankees. They don’t need to do anything, everyone has faith in them, cuts them slack, wants to play for them, will part with their richer than Rockefeller agents, will excuse any sort of post season collapse, any shitty treatment of managers that bring them championships, because they are the Yankees. The same used to be true of the Knicks. That rep is in jeopardy. Oh, and Jamie, don’t look now, but Zach had another double double, putting him in the company of, yes, Oak. What in the world must he be thinking? I certainly don’t blame him, and have said that it was Isiah’s best move yet, and sucked me in to thinking there was hope this season. That was before Isiah started telling people to go home, taking player votes, ignoring player votes, kicking players out of practice at critical times…..Detroit tomorrow night, I’ll be back in VA, with Oak (ok, in spirit) confident that Zack is doing his job and hoping that Isiah doesn’t do the organization irreperable damage.

So, moving forward. Thanks to Jamie for his previous, very thoughtful post…now back to the business at hand. 6 and a half left on the road to a pretty poor Sacramento team, tie game. The Knicks have shown some heart in this game, unfortunately only when they had to, when their backs were against the wall and they were down 10. Steph didn’t start but has played a good amount of minutes, Eddy has sat A LOT, especially here in the 4th, and the bench has (surprise, surprise) given a spark. The usual defensive problems have persisted, a lot of open 3’s and they have made Kevin Martin look like the second coming of MJ.

Nate hits a big 3 off a feed from Marbury. I don’t care if his teammates don’t vote him the most popular, they can win with Marbury. It’s up to Isiah to figure it out, and telling him to go home is not the way to do that. (yes, I know that is not the official story, but we all know that is what happened, whether he meant it literally or not). This is the time I have been wondering about, crunchtime, who is the go to guy. I don’t love Crawford, but I like him down the stretch. Q hits a great shot that should be counted and is waved off as an offensive foul, giving him 6. Shame, complete bullshit call. 4 point lead, 4 minutes left. Not shockingly, help D breaks down and Artest gets a layup. Marbury takes a charge at a key moment.

Big, big two minutes to go. Up by one, a chance to steal one on the road that the Knicks didn’t deserve. Eddy Curry hits a big shot, has 25 and 8…then gives up an easy 2. Marbury great feed to Curry, wide open, stripped..damn, he’s got the weakest hands of any big man since Ted Jeffries of UVA (yes, hometown reference). Nate takes a bad shot next time down, again, who is the go to guy?

Up 1, 30 seconds, Sac gets a layup and a foul. Knicks down 2 with 21.4 left. Timeout. So, let’s see, who is the go to guy? Do they bust it inside to Curry, let Crawford freelance? Crawford misses, Curry follows to tie it. Garcia misses a (wide open) 3, Knicks call time, have 2.2 to go for the win. Good pass to Curry, blew a fairly uncontested layup. Overtime.

Martin and Lee trade baskets, then Martin gets a gimme when the Knicks have a defensive lapse. Lee again, and Artest answers. Marbury bricks as does Garcia, as both teams forget who the go to guy is. Crawford hits the bucket, followed by an Artest 3. Knicks down 3 with a minute and a half. Timeout Knicks. Still thinking about the great dinner I had at Jeff’s and Jess’s. Crawford, 3 point play to tie. D Lee gets 14th board, Crawford puts up trash.

Offensive foul, Sacramento. 21.5 to go, Knicks ball. Crawford freelances, misses, D Lee misses the putback, double overtime. German food and beer making me sleepy, busking is going to be difficult tomorrow. Uncontested layup, Curry doesn’t help once again. Knicks down 4. Curry misses a 4 footer, and doesn’t help on D, Knicks down 4, and quickly throw it away. Goodnight, Knicks can’t stop the pick and roll. Too little, too late. Coaching, coaching, coaching.

A few days ago I was telling a friend that I was on the verge of writing a scathing, nasty e-mail to my colleagues and other friends about their lack of participation on this site. I was prepared to question the level of commitment to my own professional success my friends have in me. I was going to actually waste more quality-time on the Knicks. And - gasp - I was going to call out peers along the way.
The friend with whom I was consulting made the point that these days, few people even think “Knicks,” let alone watch the team, let alone read about the team and certainly NO ONE is wasting time writing about them. Fair. True. Valid.
However, in holding up my end of the bargain to Knicks Alley, I continue to write. As each post becomes less and less positive and more and more painful to be a part of, I realize that the humor is gone, the irony forgotten and the true embarrassment that is this franchise stands glaring.
The New York Knicks may be just a basketball team. But for many, particularly in this city, basketball, sport, is a means by which to find solace amidst 4:45 sunset’s and 22 degree days. As the winter chill embraces this city, many of us turn our attention, undivided at that, to the “World’s Most Famous Arena.” And as the unofficial-official basketball capital of the world, we simply deserve better.
Coming off a summer in which the belly of the franchise was revealed to be saturated with sexism, racism and an overall err of arrogance and bigotry, what the city deserved, what the fans, both loyal and stubborn SHOULD be seeing is a gritty, never-give-up type-effort every single night the New York Knickerbockers public representatives take the court.
On the other hand, perhaps this implosion is exactly what the franchise needs. Perhaps the reported threat Steph has made about “exposing” Isiah should come out so we can all see, first-hand, what we clearly assume to be true: that he is an ego-maniacal, arrogant, stubborn man, not worthy of any title that involves “New York.”
Think about it: if you believe in karma, and I mean if you even think that there is the slightest bit of truth to the belief that we all ultimately get what we deserve, “what goes around comes around” and things of this ilk, how could you possibly imagine the 2007-2008 New York Knickerbockers having even the slightest bit of success?
This is no longer about basketball. Sure, to those non-fans, a game is just a game. To those of us who understand the social implications of sport on any level, we realize that there is more at stake. Right now your kids are reading about how it’s OK to quit if your boss says that since you’re not performing, he’s not going to reward you. Right now your kids are seeing that when you tell them something they don’t like, it’s OK to just run away and threaten them. People saw all summer-long how even if you call a woman a “bitch” or a “ho,” you don’t really suffer anything. Maybe someone else who’s “responsible” for you does, but you yourself lose nothing.
I really don’t care how difficult the spotlight can be anymore. And no, I’m not living with the pressure of doing my job publicly every day with a hefty paycheck to boot. But it’s time for the excuses to stop and for someone, one decent soul to come out and say, “enough. We’re sorry. We ARE going to change.” Whether that’s James Dolan resigning, Isiah Thomas resigning or Stephon Marbury issuing a sincere public apology, something must be done. If not, why are we going to these games? Why are we cheering? Well, for my part, it’s because I have resigned myself to the fact that I am a New York Knicks fan. I cannot change that even if I wanted to. Not until the organization comes out in favor of anti-semitism and the death penalty can I trade in my uniform.
We’ve all gone through tough times. How many times have you sought solace in the form of cheering on your favorite team for 3 hours regardless of the outcome? Now I ask you, do you actually think you might take a break from every day stress by routing for THIS Knicks team?
It’s time for someone, something to step-up.