In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z

I think it's a little late to wonder if the team would be better off without Steph.

Before this year, I thought there was a chance for an older, presumably wiser Steph to learn his style of leadership and have some level of success. But after this year, even if he turns it around (which I doubt he can), the public opinion will never let him live it down. He'll never come out from the shadow of this year. Sorry if that sounds bleak...but if it was going to be tough to change people's minds on his legacy in the NBA before this yr, he made it 1,000 times harder for himself for the way he approached his team and his season. A solid "contract year", with all the doubt and skepticism that goes along with playing for a bigger contract will douse any positives you take away from next season. That's assuming he has a strong showing. The players in the league think he's a punk, a whiner, a quitter and betrayer. There's no medicine for that. And if he does well...he'll be blamed for this year's failure EVEN MORE! Rightfully so.

Zach?

I think its true that Zach is better than Curry and Steph. So, yeah, Zach and Steph aren't the ideal players to build around (I dont think there's an argument there) but superstars aren't exactly abundant and team's aren't just giving them away. And if I had to choose one, I'd roll with Zach. Even with his past and the debacle that this season has become. Through it all, for as big of a bitch and moaner as I think he is, Zach brings it on the floor. I'd rather pay Zach his $13mil a yr than Steph's $20mil or Curry's $9mil. If I were to be "stuck" with a player, I'd choose Zach over the other two.

And that's the reality...they can't move all three. They might only be able to move ONE. Maybe two, and the one of those will undoubtedly be a fleecing of the Knicks. This yr's performance killed all of the value for this roster on the open market.

I, for one, must thank Zeke for not waiting until the end of 2007 to do something about the roster. He had few picks, a mediocre roster and an injured Allan Houston to headline. I believe Steph was the most available skilled player that could be had for the least in return. That, to me, is a good trade. Chemistry aside. Up until this yr, it didn't seem all that bad. Stpeh seemed to be along for the ride...bad statistical performance and all.

Zach, for what we gave up, was a good trade. Chemistry aside. At worst, they are both placeholders. At best, the risk you take is rewarded with their inspired play. Zach gives you inspired play. The key is/was to surround him with people of the same ilk. If there is a crew for the BARF's, the AF's and th Statesman's...then there is a crew for the Artests, Zachs and Steph's. All obvious comparisons considered. LOL

They just haven't found right complementary pieces. I hope Artest is acquired because I don't think there are many other types of players that will fit into this roster with Zach on it. Sometimes all you need is a player to emulate. I think Artest can be that player that does what he does alongside anyone you put next to him. Artest doesn't need a roster full of nice guys to get his job done. He rocked in Indiana with Stephen Jackson. He works in Sac with good guys Garcia and Martin. But I think if he had a choice, he'd choose to rock with bullies like Stephen Jackson and Zach. I hope the Knicks can put together an offer before Golden State snatches him up. I think its possible they will.

But with that said, I do agree...I wouldn't "build around" Zach. I wouldn't want to use him as a foundation. I wouldn't want to give him that much power or influence. He's not unselfish enough. His contested three pointers and head-down-to-the-basket moves proves that much.

Still, for me, Steph's rebellion from Zeke stripped what little authority he had as coach/GM/face of the franchise. That reaction was so far out that it surprises me how little blame is placed on Steph...or how reporters have the balls to call him a scapegoat. That's bullshit...Steph phukked up big time. IMO, he phukked up the most.

If you HAD TO MAKE ONE CHOICE between Zach and Steph? Who's more to blame for the performance on the court this season?

Interview with John Canzano

Q: There was a stretch there when the Blazers were the biggest joke in the league. We�ll get to the Oden era in a moment but first, we�d like your three best (told or untold) JailBlazer stories. And somewhat related - living in a relatively small city, were you ever mildly worried about your safety, especially since the cops said Zach Randolph rolled with gangbangers?

Jason Quick, The Oregonian beat reporter who covers the team, has seen far more than me. He deserves some kind of honorary beat-reporter medal for enduring what was the worst locker room in all of professional sports. There�s wide speculation among some Blazers employees that Sebastian Telfair was not accidentally carrying that gun on the plane in Boston that day he was busted for a concealed weapon, but that he was carrying the gun all the time because Telfair might have feared the entourage of a couple of teammates who didn�t like him. Maybe he had reason. Just before he was traded to the Knicks, someone on the gang enforcement team at Portland Police Department told me to pick up the MTV Cribs episode that featured Zach Randolph because the police had a copy, and noticed some disturbing details about the unsavory people who hung around Randolph.

Nevermind�

Here�s three random ones, off the top of my head�

Whenever the Blazers sign a player to a 10-day contract the equipment manager provides the player with a free set of team-issue luggage. Sort of a welcome gift. Nothing incredibly fancy, but it�s way better than the stuff I have. So Omar Cook is signed a couple of years ago, and the luggage is placed in front of his locker. Cook was flying in from out of town, so he�s not there yet. Ruben Patterson, the team�s registered sex offender, sees the luggage, knows Cook isn�t around yet, and Patterson basically just decides he�s going to abscond the luggage. He just rips the name tags off and takes it. Nobody says a word, either. It�s not anything violent, but it demonstrates the lack of decency and respect that permeated.

Another time, in the visiting locker room in Dallas, I had Rasheed Wallace threaten to punch me after a playoff-game loss. Deadline was approaching, I�m the only writer in the locker room and I�m asking Rasheed questions, and he whips around, and tells me to get out of his space or he�s going to punch me out. At that point, his teammates are all looking to see how I react, and in no way am I going to back down. I�m looking at Rasheed, and thinking if he takes a swing I�m going to try and stuff him into the locker behind him if only because journalists everywhere need me to man up in that situation. Either that, or I�m going to get knocked out and blow my deadline. So I tell him I�m not moving. I just stand there, holding my notepad and recorder, and we�re staring at each other. He eventually storms past me to the shower, and while he�s gone Zach Randolph, a rookie then, leans in to me and says, �When �sheed comes back, make sure you don�t have your back to him. He�ll sucker punch you.� The great irony is that a month later Randolph sucker-punched Ruben Patterson during a practice breaking his eye socket. Someone was holding Patterson�s arms when Randolph threw the haymaker. There was a period of a few days after that incident where Randolph hid out at Dale Davis� house because he feared that Patterson was going to try and shoot him.

Here�s my favorite story, though. Blazers back-up centers Ha Seung Jin and Nedzad Sinanovic were locked in the Blazers practice facility together for the summer, playing against each other because they needed the work. Ha, who is 7-foot-3, had come back from South Korea out of shape, then was hampered by tendinitis in his knee, and so he�s getting schooled by the 7-foot-4 Sinanovic, from Bosnia.

The two were tussling and tangling on the court. It�s getting pretty heated, and they�re yapping and cussing at each other, most of which neither can understand because of the language differences. And as the players usually do at the end of a workout, the two players were shooting free throws together in silence. Sinanovic went first, then it was Ha�s turn.

Peaceful enough.

That is, until Sinanovic made his final free throw, then retrieved the basketball and held it. I mean, it was like watching kids bicker and fight. Ha walked over and snatched the ball back. Then, Sinanovic said something unkind and two men ended up on the ground in a pile of swinging elbows and fists.

The fight was broken up by Blazers trainers and team managers, who are all about two feet shorter than the two players. Ha, who took a good punch in the face from Ned, was screaming, �I�ll sue! I�ll sue!�

The two were escorted to different areas of the practice facility to cool off. Normally the story would end here. Except Ha�s neutral corner happened to be the team weight room. He picks up one of those long wooden poles that players use to stretch. Ha just comes running out of the weight room swinging the pole and screaming expletives in Korean. He really went after Sinanovic, who blocked one swing with his forearm but took another shot in the ribs before someone ripped the pole (think: closet dowel) from Ha�s hands and threw it across the courts.

If you didn�t have the fight in you before you came to Portland, you soon found it.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Barf:

Fair enough. I agree with most of what you're saying, but the difference is that I'm not blaming Zach. Zach is what he is. I'm putting this one squarely on Zeke.

All I'm saying, is that Zach is the type of player I would not want on my team.

As skillful as the best of them, but in my mind, not the guy to build around in my not-so-humble opinion.

I'm not sure the team would be worse without Zach and Steph though. As a matter of fact I think they would be better. There's no to tell, but chemistry is a funny thing. It jumps up at you once you have the right mix of players, not necessarily the best players.

Francis' body may have broken down here also, but he was a good mentor for the younger players, and could give a few solid minutes per game.

But like States rightfully said, we cannot undo trades. That's done.

We still do need that defensive big to balance the roster after the Zach trade, a trade that has derailed Zeke's legacy in my opinion.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
AF,

I completely agree as to what we were trading away in Channing and Francis. The good soldier mentality in Frye and the cap flexibility are definitely assets we traded away. And still, I would make that trade.

Why?

I don't think Frye's good soldier mentality would have helped anything this year when Steph went AWOL and pitched a fit. It wouldn't have helped when his pops passed either. Steph went missing in yrs past and the team suffered in his absence. They would show flashes of the team that could be but they needed Steph's skills on the court. No doubt about it. This team, as presently constructed, relies on Steph. Without him, you might as well re-construct around someone else.

Having traded for Zach, gives you the opportunity to. Without Zach, imagine how much worse the team would have been once Steph bounced on the team. Do you think Francis would have made a difference? How many minutes have Stevie Franchise played in Houston? And don't say its because Rafer is having a good yr either cuz even Mike James has his ass traded. Stevie's not his old self. His body didn't stand up to his style of play. His career is finished unless he's traded to Phoenix and their medical staff work the magic they seemed to have worked on one-and-done Shaq.

The difference in cap flexibility with Francis as opposed to Zach is an extra, what?, $10 million (maybe less). The amount of yrs Zach is locked in for is pretty awful, but its not like Zach doesn't generate his numbers. He does. If anything, Zach "gets his" a lot more consistently than Steph and Francis combined for the last two yrs.

I can't regret an acquisition where the player you acquire is doing what he does. Zach came here to get 20 - 10...and he's given you damn close to 20 - 10. At the expense of two of your other big man's numbers? Sure. But what's it say when a newbie like Zach can jump in and "take away" stats from the other bigs? Our bigs aren't aggressive enough. Zach is. DLee is "persistent" and shows "determination" but he lacks "aggression" unless he's got a clear lane to the hoop or under the rim for one of his patented scoop dunks. Outside of those two instances, he's busy getting blocked by players going over his back.

Duplicate production? Sure, that's Zeke's fault. But is Curry's regression Zeke's fault too? Is his lack of toughness?

His numbers across the board went down. Even points. You blame that on Zach and Zeke?

This is a man's world.

Eventually, the players should shoulder the weight from their lack of production. If the players produce their usual numbers or numbers "close to last year's" and the wins didn't follow, then undoubtedly, the blame falls squarely on the coach. But if players like QRich, Curry, Steph...fail to produce...it's their own fault. Blame it on a system that worked last yr? Blame on a system that added another tool in Zach on the perimeter and the post?

Should Coach have subbed them out for the bench counterparts? I thought so early on in the season. But I could understand why he didn't. After Steph's episode...how much more controversy could he take?

Mardy didn't WOW anyone when Steph was out.

Morris didn't WOW anyone when he finally got some minutes in the second half of the season.

Wilson Chandler, outside of this latest game, hasn't put up huge numbers.

I am of the philosophy that if it ain't working then I have to keep tinkering until something works. Then you isolate that portion that works and rebuild around it. I thought Isiah never found a portion of his lineup that worked. And, somewhere between Steph bailing on the team, QRich's overall lack of production and Curry's disappearance act from the stat sheet, Isiah lost interest in looking for an answer on the bench. That's not my style but I can understand the coach's problem.

How much different would the season have turned out if the younger bench players were given starting spots (or just played more minutes) ?

I can't say for sure, but it doesn't seem like a whole hell of a lot of difference to me.

For me, QRich doesn't start next year. Its a spot he will have to win with production and no amount of crying, bitching or moaning will help his cause. Curry's spot is up in the air. I'd trade his ass for Artest, J. O'Neal or a high draft pick in this yr's draft to be used on B. Lopez. In my mind, Steph is out. Gone. Never to be heard from again. Forget trading him for anything less than draft picks and an expiring this YEAR (which won't happen cuz there are no contracts to rival his). His redemption on the Knicks roster would come with a prerequisite public apology and promise to the team, the franchise and the city.

The time for private concessions and silent promise making are over.

Next yr is a time to change. The core has been re-adjusted and Zach is a piece of it.

I don't want to go back to last yr's team. The league has moved on and the East is getting better. If we go back to last yr's team, we're moving backward and our young'ns contracts are only getting shorter. Now is the time to see who will be resigned in the coming yrs and leaning on Curry - who doesn't seem to WANT TO STEP UP - is doing a disservice to the fans, the team that is left waiting for him to produce and the franchise that is left flapping in the win until Curry decides its time to grow up and take what it has already been given to him.

Curry's had tough love in Skiles...he's gotten borken down by Brown...he's been entrusted to lead the franchise by Thomas...

what else does Curry need?

When will he realize that it's not only Steph and JCraw's numbers that the team needs...its his too.

That's not Zach's fault.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
African,

In the Real World you can't undue trades. Once the trades are made, it is up to the coach and players to make it work. The Zach trade is in the past. I am more concerned with what happens in the future. How does the team get better in the future. What trades need to be made, what free-agent signing.

Will this guy below be the prize catch? I do not believe that he will leave his present-team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=323YvqYd8_4

Peace & Blessings

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Good AM Fanatics!

Kansas did their THANG last night and sent the Mighty Memphis Tigers reeling in the final two minutes...A great display of Grit and Mental Toughness...they also help \"Lots of Dough\" my Indian Name gents, to rack in quite a bit of cheddar...SO I DAMN SURE AIN\"T COMPLAINING THIS MORNING!

In the post that got lost on Sunday, I dropped a name for coach of the NY Knicks just to start the debate of truly viable coaches outside of Zeke. The name I dropped was DANNY MANNING! I always thought he would make a great coach! His skill sets were off the charts for his size and he had a stellar college career and would have had a stellar Pro carrer if not for the injuries... He also had great coaches during his playing days...

@Taz

the KID ROSE had 18 points & 8 assists I believe 4 or 5 turnovers; There is no 9 point lead with out his ability to take over last night game during that fabulous 9 minute stretch where he was clearly the best player on the court. Also, his defense was OUTSTANDING last night...He has the POTENTIAL to be the Next Great Point Guard....He has all of the physical tools and leadership tools...How bad does he want is the only question....IHMO

Your fellas the BOTOX is working on the site and the cosmetic procedures being performed by BARF & LIVES & TAZ are to be commended...

Great Job Homies!

In regards to whom we should draft, Like I told BRONX the other day, when all of the names are in the hat then it is time to have that discussion. At least for me any way.

ONE LOVE!

Keep it CRACKIN!

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Barf:

I would take that trade back, and I'll tell you why.

I had the privilige to look at Portland with Zach, and was very impressed with his skill, but the team was playing uninspired ball. You could see the emotionless complimentary players. Zach always got his numbers, but the team sucked big time. There was no chemistry.

Good leaders inspire others to want to play for them. Coaches, floor leaders, whatever field. I saw players going through the motions.

When Zach was traded here, I too got caught up in the excitement, forgetting what I saw in Portland.

It all hit me square in the face after the first few games. I saw the same Knick players become the Portland players. That's when I mentioned on KD that Zach was the problem. Early in the seasaon.

One player can change the whole make-up of a team, and that's what happened.

When Zach beefed with Zeke, It was apparent that Zeke spoke to him about the long jump shots, and the forced shots. Zach rebelled, and my take was; Zach saying to Zeke, "You knew what you would get from me. So why did you trade for me?" So true.

Frye is soft, but Frye is young and a good soldier. Not the guy to start, but someone that can come in and give you some solid minutes. A big guy that can make that mid-range shot to keep defenses honest. The kind of chatacter guy you can build a good locker room with.

In Francis, you have cap flexibility after a couple years, and an insurance policy for the volatile Steph. Steph wouldn't act a fool if he was challenged for that point spot.

I'd take back that trade in a heartbeat.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Draft talk today???

Who do we want Guys?

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Rose had the World's stage last night, which he

did not look like the "TRUTH."

Maybe it was just a bad game?

I'm not sure if he's better off returning to Memphis

next year? That 9 point collapse by the Tigers reminded

me of my favorite team!!!!!!! The last thing the Knicks need

is a Marbury 2!!!! Perhaps that is an overreaction as

I was picking Memphis to win..and they gave the game away!

Maybe if the knicks get the 1rst or second pick, should we go for a Big man,

then try to get "Chalmers" in the second round ( if we make a deal to

get a second round pick.....or even late 1rst?)

I'm not sure....I'm just not sure that Rose is equal the hype!

TAZ

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
@Fanatics

Lost another post from earlier this afternoon in response to my man African. No worries! I'll just copy everything for a minute.

NCAA Final Game is quite intriguing. Helluva a match up! Despite his turnovers Rose still impacts a game and that is impresive for a Freshman PG.

Gotta bounce and get back to the game. I'll check in sometime in the AM!

One Love!

Keep it CRACKIN!

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
DaVonn Clinton Jefferson,

Do facts matter? Or have you fallen so far down the MSM-Sewer that you make comments w/o seeking the facts. (LOL)

Knicks Facts:

Year Record (W/L)

1984-85 24/58

1985-86 23/59

1986-87 24/58

Note--Isiah was a player and not the coach during this period.

Clinton Jefferson, if you listen to the media, you would think this is the first-time the Knicks have experienced failure. They write/talk because they know

some people will believe whatever they say. C'mon Clinton Jefferson you know better.

Stand-up guys were able to see through the Veil. Judas is it baritone or falsetto today.

Peace & Blessings

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
You can't be serious......Isiah Thomas is the worst coach the Knicks

have ever had. The #'s don't lie buddy.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
I wouldn't. Bad season and all, I would still make that trade. The value in Channing and Stevie, IN MY OPINION, going forward, is less than Zach. I could be wrong if Zach is traded for two pieces of shit on a stick and a 2nd round player...of if he has career ending surgery, or if Curry plays uninspired ball alongside him for the next 4 losing seasons...

but if I'm thinking replacing Frye with Zach straight up...I'm thinking the chemistry, over time, will work itself out. Its not like Curry and Zach don't like each other.

Its not like the beginning of the year was so awful. They were all barely losing games. The Cleveland loss to start the year was a great game. The infamous Miami game (Shaq, Zo and Wade still there) was a great game. Both losses.

Considering that Isiah was distracted by the trial...and the team as well...The year started off strong. They were losses but the team didn't start out-right quitting til AFTER Stephon's AWOL episode. Then Steph's pops passed and the season was gone in the blink of an eye. The subsequent media frenzy surrounding this "FRAGILE" team (I wouldn't have called them fragile after the Denver BRAWL) really fractured the locker room and the team.

Blame it on the coach and/or the player...50-50 blame, maybe...but I can't sit here and act like I wasn't convinced they were a tweak here and a tweak there away from stringing together some wins.

They were. But the faith in the TEAM was stripped away by everyone busy destroying them. Yes, they BECAME fragile...pound and pound a slab of steel enough and the dents compromise the soundness of its structure...and we all know the Knicks were never a slab "of steel" so all the destruction really took its toll.

I'm not offering these reasons as excuses...just as tools for understanding. Do with them what you may!

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Fellas,

I never understood the Zach held Curry back mentality. Zach played up-top, while Curry was down low. Even if you think Zach hogged the ball (he did at times), did

this cause Curry not to rebound, not to block shots, or not to play defense? If Curry

is so weak mentally that when he doesn't get the ball, that he can't contribute anyway else, than he is not the guy for your team. Look at what Shaq is doing at Phoenix. He's not getting the touches he's accustom to, , he's not the first option on offense, but he is rebounding and blocking shots. Remember that the Knicks needed more than a defensive player at the 4. Last year w/ Curry & Lee in together they were getting manhandled. I recall one Piston game that McDyess, Wallace, Dale Davis, & someone else just took turns beating on Curry w/ Lee & Frye offering little physical assistance. The Knicks needed a physical presence and Zach supplied the presence. Also Zach continued to rebound w/ or w/o Curry. Curry at this point does not have the mental make-up to be a featured player. What held Curry back this year was his conditioning. Blame Eddy's poor work-habits for his terrible season. As DaVonn "Clinton" Jefferson would say, "terrible, just terrible".

JChuck is not a starter. If N8 is on the team than JChuck has to go. Both guys are scorers off the bench that offer little in the way of defense. N8 can't because of his size and JChuck refuses to play on the defensive side of the ball. I believe that JChuck can bring a moderate contributor to the team. Look for JChuck to be traded,

for a backcourt player that plays on both sides of the ball.

Peace & Blessings

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Cooley:

I'm not ready to continue that Zach/Curry debate, but if I was trying to hand out blame, there's a whole lot to spread around.

My post was related(in case you didn't comprehend) to Zeke and what I blame him for. It wasn't about the players and placing blame. That's a whole different blog header.

But since mentioned Curry....Ahhhhh... I can't resist.

Cooley, I made a case at Modi's(and I hate to repeat my post on different blogs).

The scenario goes like this: If your boss asks you to head up a department, and after the first year you did well, maybe the best productivity in your career.

You sit down with him after the year and he agreed that there need to be some improvement on some levels, and promises to bring in some new hires to help in the defecient areas.

You walk in in the new year to start your job, only to find that your duties have already been done by a more experienced new hire. Now, where does that leave you? Right away you start thinking they want you out. Redundancy is good, but not in a starting line-up. That's not a good feeling. Not a good situation. That's why I blame the architect.

There is no question Curry deserves some blame for some uninspired ball, for being so out of shape coming into the season, but try putting yourself in his shoes.

That's a bad trade by Zeke, that disrupted the chemistry on a fragile team.

Compounding the issue is the fact that a player like Curry need a point that knows how to feed the post. Who did he have? Crawford and Nate?

That was the sole reason I felt that Steph would be benched this season. He wasn't playing the script of feding the post with the two post players on the starting team.

Quite a recipe for disaster.

Trust me. I don't think Curry is perfect. That's news for most of you isn't it? But i just think that the bigger blunder was Zeke's for making that trade. I'd take back Frye and Stevie in a heartbeat.

O&B:

I hear you. No beef. I'm all veggies.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
AF, u know I agreed with you on the Zach scenario.

But Curry REALLY dropped the ball when it was clear Stephon was blowing this yr for himself and the team. Curry was out of shape for a long time. Curry let Zach shine on both ends of the court when compared to his effort. He let Zach win over fans with his hustle (even if 3 rebounds a game was at the expense of DLee).

I may be a softie for JCra but I dont blame him for the way he carried this team. He did what he is known to do. He put his numbers up and his numbers were some of the highest of his career. They weren't at the expense of his team cuz by the time he took over, Stephon and Curry were out of the productive portion of the roster.

QRich's season was a huge disappointment.

There's plenty of blame to be had for everyone on the roster, top to bottom.

Everyone except for DLee, of course. He was great. A perfumed breeze while trapped in a hall of a thousand farts. A ripened apple at a banquet of feces. UGH!

Reading the DLEE BLOW ME CLUB really sucks...Especially when you really are a fan of his and realize that he has a lot of developing to do too.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Here here BARF

thats why I'm here, and still fighting that good fight.

What did you think of my attempt to contextualize Thomas' descent?

I did forget the media's role but I guesse I assumed most would include there role.

Again I need to redraft that article.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
What shouldn't be lost in this summary is the media's role. They took a weak headed Stephon and put on display for all to see. This includes the newbie, Zach, who I'm convinced snitched on the team's secretive turmoil more than once in an attempt to separate himself from the riff raff...and exonerate himself of any blame. I'm sure the Scholar wasn't too far behind him either.

THE WORST TEAM EVER?

Straight horse shit...SLAM's running with this Knicks "shit in piles" story.

I always love to see reporters feign an understanding of the magnitude of Isiah's job by saying something like "the roster he inherited was bad"...no motherfudgepacker...the roster he inherited...and the payroll situation...WAS WORSE. Not to mention, the media. Dolan was the one with the bull's eye square between his focals. Now, Donnie has the luxury of not only having Dolan but Isiah to share the burden of this NYC NBA media crunch. I swear, everyday, watching the beatwriters work is like watching a pack of 1 yr old pups humping the same leg.

They are notoriously left out of the loop here yet, pump out more material than any other city in the US.

Does anyone else see this? Its ridiculous.

It gives the quote "NY won't tolerate rebuilding" a whole new slant. It's not just the fans that won't accept rebuilding...its the media too. They can't accept that their "storied franchise" is just not at a good place...and hasn't been for many years...not just 4...more like 6, 7, 8 yrs. Yes, its time to turn it around..and its overdue...but this stuff takes time.

And with the media "destroying them everyday"...it just makes the job that much harder. It makes being a Knick that much harder.

Ya'll need to read this article: Absolutely, Positively the Worst Team in the History of Professional Sports

It shines a light on the relentless selective misinformation the league and its fans are under when it comes to Isiah an the Knicks. Worst team ever? How about the Clips? the Wolves? the C's up until last yr?

Ever? Blogga Please.

Which reminds me...I just can't be a part of a predominantly Knick hating blog. There are just too many out there and when it comes to Knick-hating, I'm not very good at it. The Sperminator and Ice-colda have that market cornered. What's worse is they get paid to do what they do...am I supposedto hate on my own home town for free? As a product of my free time? Nah, man...I got a life to build and I won't be one that builds on top of a hating heart. No, thanks. I'll leave that to you who have that fervor and will to destroy those you do not know. Those who entertain you.

We could be the worst team in the league for a decade and I will still stand here trying to figure out how to make things better. I will still point out the positives on which to build and leave the endless criticism and pretentiousness of all those fans who feel they "deserve better" to their blogs and negativity. I'd rather spend my time arguing the merits of another fan's rebuilding efforts than gleefully flooding my mind with (and the mind's/time of others) with AIMLESS negativity.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Now there you go again 'Pink Eye' blaming Zach and yet you failed to mention Curry showing up out shape, not working on or improving on other aspects of his game, and acting like a Big Baby...I'm quite sure Gasol gets fewer touches but he plays to win, he still boards and hands out assists, blocks a shot here and there; I'm quite sure Yao Ming got more fewer touches when Tmac was on the court verses when he's not, but he too plays to win, reboundsan blocks shots; Dwight Howard's touches have flucuated this year too, but he still plays to win and you can see improvement with his game...

Now I can relate with you on two and three (and I that's not required African), and there is some merit to bits of the Zach scenario, but not to mention any culpability on Curry's part and totally absolve him of playing any role in this seson's demise is slippery at best.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
African

I should have been more specific. I agree Zeke is not the monster or complete pariah many have made him out to be (MSM and thir pide piper lacky readers) and he has done well in the draft and increasing the talent base of the franchise. What I meant is that how he was set to fall by so many different factors, and how it is happening to a person of his calibur and reputation as a player and person is tragic.

I was trying to paint a sympathetic view of Zeke based on the context of the challenge he faced and what pressure it must have put on him to wear different hats and have conflicting interest while attempting to carry out he mandate James Dolan hired him to carry out. That was really my point. I think I will need to re state my argument.

I will clarigy more pointedly later.

No beef just veggies.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B:

I couldn't disagree with you any more with that comment. "His story is tragic"

Call me whatever you like, but Zeke have not received enough credit for what he's done in his tenure here.

Remember, this was a job that no one would take because of what you had to work with. Take a good look at the pre Zeke roster. Zeke has transformed the roster to a young and promising nucleus. This team was predicted to be in the top four in the Eastern confrence. How soon we forget.

What went wrong? I blame Zeke for:

1) The Zach trade.

All Zach did was duplicate the job of Curry and Lee.

He took Curry's touches and shots, and took lee's rebounds(literally fighting him off to get it). The team from the previous year needed a defensive presence, not what Zach brought.

Add that to Zach's dominant personality, and you have a completely new team, one that's not a continuation from the one from the previous year that had chemistry and a decent foundation. You now have two guys in Zach and Craw that are on the court at crunch time taking ill advised shots.

2)The Steph incident.

I don't blame Zeke for waning to sit Marbury. I blame him for the way he managed the situation.

Early in the game, I believe in the preseason I mentioned on KD that I noticed Marbury breaking off plays, and that he would be benched. Marbury wasn't playing to the strengths of the team. If I'm seeing it in the stands, what do you think have been going on on the bench? You can't tell me he didn't speak to Marbury before.

The way Zeke handled that situation, playing Marbury thirty plus minutes after he came back to the team was a recipe for disaster. I also mentioned that on KD. That move created a wedge between him and the other players. That was poor management.

3)Coaching.

In that same post in the preseason, I mentioned that Zeke shouldn't coach that team. The parts were there, but the team needed I thought at that time, a different voice/leader on the bench. Zeke became too much of a father figure to lead these troops. Parents tend to be too loyal to their offsprings. A different coach would sit Q way back, and allowed Chandler to get his feet wet.

The substitution patterns were terrible.

If you not listen to the media and look a the talent on this team, with a little leadership and someone to do some dirty work down low, you have a very competitive team.

That tragic word I just don't get, in my not so humble opinion.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
I think Thomas' roster redundancy was a way to hedge his bets given that he was picking usual mid to late first rounders. With that type of pick there is the possibility they won't flourish and bust. Hence, Thomas the GM covering for Thomas the GM. Pick a player in the draft with upside. Sign via the MLE a player very much like the one drafted to cover your basis. If in doubt and facing a legacy season where it's playoffs or bust, hedge in favor of the MLE players to the detriment of the pups whose careers would be better served with gametime burn. Thomas is always fighting himself b/c he it appears he was trying to reclaim his image, after it being tarnished with the accusations that he blew it in Toronto and the CBA. That plus the mandate when he stepped on about how NY can't rebuild sort of boxed him in. He was always trying to make his moves as a coach GM, draft picker, free agent acquisitioner look good beyond on paper. He was destined for a fall with all that redundancy.

His story is tragic. That's if you can step back from the vitroil and have 20 20 vision of what sort of internal and external pressures he was under. To that end he failed under pressure, and marketing ("Starbury," "can't rebuild," and "big money MLE signings and trades") trump sound management decisions.

Next part will speculate at his chances of redemption- should the James and the Don keep him on board, and he maximize his organizational strengths.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Hey Fanatics, I've got Good News and Glad Tidings of JOY!

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, coach Pat Riley and four others have been elected to basketball's Hall of Fame.

Never doubted it for one second....Dickie V made it too...

Let's Go Memphis, so ROSE can do his ONE AND DONE... Knicks Draft Rose (if all goes well, he'll bring back that winning feeling to the MECCA) and sign his mate JDorsey as our off the bench rebounder and Hatchet Man....With the proper pruning he could possibly be a low grade Ben Wallace Clone...I'm just saying!

ONE LOVE!

Keep it CRACKIN!!!!

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Good PM Fanatics!

It looks like the youngings under the watchful EYE have elvated their and their respect for the game. That's what happens when the Travel Agent sets up shop right outside the Lockerroom.

We've defintely got some keepers and some carrots we may well have to dangle. JD'S deal is the clincher...We will see what kind of business man he really is on the day the Lottery Balls are jumping...Than, on Draft Day! Is it real or is it Memorex!!!!!!

The sight is starting to pick up steam and good momentum....Like the Ole Folks say, "Home is where the Heart is, or where A FLY PR MAMI is waiting in the wings to give you a Blow Me Club Special."

I'm just saying! ONE LOVE!

Keep it CRACKIN!

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Barf:

I'll settle for the "Whenever I feel like" post. You guys have it going. We don't need a new post every day, we just need good convo, togetherness and disagreements. Without differing opinions, he conversation gets stale.

I know the recently departed Lives will chime in with some flava soon.

I'm loving it already.

Who did this lead? My guess is States. I'd like to suggest the head blogger put his name to his work. Good piece.

If you remember, I had that idea from KK. I asked Isola to have someone do the lead. He objected. I asked Hahn to do the same thing, now Hahn has allowed a blogger to do the lead over there.

We gotta think outside the box.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Fellas,

Jay Bee & Barf,

That was some good stuff you guys put down on the new sheriff in town.

Jay Bee, I thought your post on the Carolina guys was overlooked. Those guys do stick together. Karl's #1 assistant is Doug Moe another Carolina guy. Isiah had to feel awkward having Ford (last year) & Hanners (both years), on the sidelines. I believe Jimmy Dolan did not want to buy out their contracts so thaey stayed on staff. Two of LB's guys had to create some tension, but I believe Jimmy Dolan prefers a little tension. It is his way of keeping control and having a little policing w/o policemen, if you know what I mean.

Barf---please shoot me an e-mail.

O&B,

I could never be humiliated on a blog. My back-bone would never allow this to happen. Now If I write some dumb-shyt, and someone has data (or nuances) to prove me wrong,...that's another story. There's an old saying "A FOOL and his MONEY will soon part". A little modification says "A FOOL and his BLOGGERS will soon part".

'Lives', you puttin my bizness in the streets!! Abrasive, annoying, snarky, devilish...

why didn't you include my faults?(LOL). As I read the death of 'Lives', two things came to mind, 1) This should be the Death of Drossman, now that Isiah is on the way

out, he's done,.... his 1-track-show is over 2) 'Lives' who gets your DELEGATES?

The youngins showed something last night, against a team that was trying to win.

Youthful Exuberance can trump talent when given a chance. There is a difference between Youthful Exuberance & Irrational Exuberance (Greenspan). Depending on Curry & JChuck to get you over the hump, is Irrational.

Peace & Blessings

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
AF,

you wanna make it official and make it a headline for this new joint? I got a slot open for Tuesday. States, is pegged for Wednesday (Hump Day is critical)...or you can have Monday even though now it would have to be a night time post. Even if you don't want a regularly assigned time slot, you could still work out a plan for a "whenever you feel like" post. Kind of a sweet deal!

Let me know dude.

When the season ends, I got a series planned to carry us through what will be a depressing (from a Knick fan POV) playoffs. It'll give us a chance to pull out the whipping stick and take out our frustrations...in a constructive way I hope.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Careful O&B.

You could be booted by the over sensitive KD.

Lives:

Wherever the hell you are. I'd like to kick your ass out of retirement/six feet under.

Calling me an antagonist! Well......i'm kinda.

That was a hell of a kick ass post over there. Where and when idid I become a racist? The last time I did racial/social issues was at KK. I don't remember approaching that topic at KD. Whatever man.

Don't let the name fool you. You'd be suprised when you see what I actually look like. Ha!

Didn't chime in on that Walsh move as yet, but will do real soon.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
REPOST FROM the from a comment I made on the other bog.

Sorry to let this spill over but I had to do it.

I wasn�t talking about me or any fan being proud of the franchise�s woeful state of late. I was talking about the players perhaps regaining some pride. But perhaps the better word was some sense of self respect.

Pride is a fools concept really. A win in an otherwise terrible season is nothing to be proud about. With that I have no qualm.

What is more important in the end for the team and city of NY is that the team play with a sense a dignity and respect for the game. That the coach coaches the team with that concept in mind and that the person�s running the organization run the organization in a manner consistent with the standards of a first rate organization.

If your whole pride tirade was a slight at me. Then you misunderstood what I was alluding to with the win or lose commentary I put out above.

You should be the last blogger to get all high and mighty about pride, you humiliated Statesman by uncloacking him on this blog w/o his permission. You shut out otherwise great voices who will be sorely missed. Now, I am hoping I am misunderstanding you, you make a veiled slight at my commentary which alluded to the concept of pride - team pride mind you- and demand respect from other bloggers here.

This is your house. Duly noted. Much success to you. But check yourself and how you phrase your commentary, unless you intend your words to carry a certain meaning good foul or otherwise.

In the end I�m a Knick Fan and Lover for Life

and I perfectly understand why I won�t feed into the media negativity b/c it could flow over into me personally.

I won�t wear rosed covered glasses but I won�t become a pariah and sess pool of negativity just b/c the other sheep are screaming that shyt in my ear.

I�m above that fray like Lives, and other quality people on this blog and elsewhere.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
jaybee, here's another few

"Talk to the hand cuz Donnie's not listening"

"You are getting sleeeepy!"

"Poof! Be gone"

"You're dismissed!"

LIVES, you'd better have a plan for post-funeral cuz it ain't the same w/o you...or more accurately, its not as much fun. You shouldn't feel between it, you should feel above it and that's okay with me. Great posts on KD. Real thorough and very true on every angle. There ain't no hard feelings, its been a hard season for everyone. And I can't even say that I didnt see it coming.

Its all to the good. We're an evolving bunch. And last time i checked, evolution is natural.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
This is my fingerprint.

My hand will soon follow.

Great post BARF.

Let's clean this bad boy up.

LIVES

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
I'm cosigning statesman's statements on Walsh and the last one hear. When the next coach understands chemistry mark down a MINIMUM of 12 extra wins just on line-ups changes alone. We obviously need a point and if we can't get Rose and Isiah is no longer the coach then it might be better to roll with Marbury situation rather than roll another season with no real point. The thing about Marbury is that he should never be in a lineup that has 5 scorers on the floor which is what he was trapped in. Two other scorers and two guys who don't need the ball. that's the formula.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
You must look at the picture to get the full effect, so scroll up then scroll back down then back up again and back down again.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
More...as if I couldn't hear your groans.

Your eyelids are getting verrrrry heavy. You are asleep. Your essence is floating outside of your body. Remove your blouse.

Oh hell no! Is Donnie Walsh gonna hafta smack a bitch?

Yes I have been dead for five years. I'm just decomposing gracefully. That Hatian shea butter soap is good stuff.

Pull my fanger.

Hey Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit outta my hat. (Rocky: "Aww Bullwinkle you can't do that.") Nuttin' up ma sleeeve...

Now waaaaave ya hands in the aaaaair, and waaaaaave 'em like you just don't caaaaaaare...

Wait, wait I know this one. There's Ghostface Killah, Meth, U-God, Inspectah Deck, the RZA and the GZA, ODB, Raekwon and Masta Killa...

Thank you, God bless, Good night.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Re: The post picture

Insert comment:

And now, by the power vested to me by the great state of New York, I now pronounce you...

I did not have sex with that woman, Anucha Brown Sanders!

Be gone Satan!!

Yo dog!! Throw me the rock!

Stop playin' N8! Gimme my teeth back. You play too damn much.

Expecto Patronum!! (Ya almost hafta have kids for that one.)

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Notes from the stat line:

D. Lee F 29:25 5-11 FG, 3-4 FT, +22 lenovo, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 13 points

J. Jeffries F 27:33 2-5 FG, +17 lenovo, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 points

Z. Randolph C 27:03 8-19 FG, 0-2 3ptrs, 4-4 FT, +13 lenovo, 11 rebounds, 20 points

J. Chuck G 26:35 3-16 FG, 2-6 3ptr, 3-3 FT,+16 lenovo,3 rebounds,3 assists,11 points

Wilson G 44:20 7-16 FG, 1-4 3ptr,8-10 FT,+11 lenovo,8 rebounds,1 assist,23 points

N8 30:28 3-10 FG,1-5 3ptr, 5-6 FT, -3 lenovo, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 12 points

Fred 19:39 5-9 FG, 3-5 3ptr, 0-0 FT, -11 lenovo, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 13 points

Mardy 15:34 0-4 0-1 2-4 +6 lenovo, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 points

Balkman 13:35 0-0 FG, -10 lenovo, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 points

R. Morris 05:48 0-2 FG, 2-4 -11 lenovo, 2 rebounds, 0 assists, 2 points

M. Rose DNP 00:00

Q. Richardson DNP 00:00

Total 240 33-92 fg (35.9%), 7-23 3ptr (30.4%), 27-35 FT (77.1%)

Team Rebs: 55 Orlando Rebs: 52

Total TO: 9 Orlando TO:14

Points in the Paint: 36 Orlando 42 Knicks

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Nate was the Heart of this win tonight......even with less than a minute left in the fourth.............................................

Howard, Nelson and Turgolu were still on the court, trying to pull out a Miracle win!

I still love this team!

TAZ

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Jay Bee,

The Knicks as a whole played hungry. I was surprised by the energy level. Isiah played the young guys more, and often together. In the 4th quarter he had a weird lineup--Balk, Chandler, N8, Mardy & Morris. Chandler is getting his confidence, which is why I don't understand why Isiah stayed w/ Q, for so long. In addition he is athletic which is what a front line of Curry and Zach needed. The team has more talent than just Lee. The key will be finding a coach that understands chemistry.

Peace & Blessings

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
So far tonight the audition seems to be going well. League pass and NBA TV fucked me out of my game so I couldn't watch. I'm trying to wrap up some taxes for family so it was probably good I didn't see it. Somebody tell me what the hell happened tonight. It looks like a great game from Wilson Chandler.

In the meantime, I'm going to the stats for answers.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
My Bag Brudders! No need to search, but I appreciate the gesture TAZ & BARF...

Stick and Move is the play right now in Knicks Land. Let the Script play out and we will see what kind of deal JD cooked-up with the Lil General. Always follow the money.

We shall SEE!

Keep it CRACKIN!

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/840493.html

Karl is saying he's glad to have passed on Artest!!!!

The Knicks are playing the Magic tight

but it's hard to watch.....

TAZ

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Walsh will help, but he's not the savior! I believe its impossible to have a worse

year next year, even if we do a complete rebuild from the d-league!

Steph has to go reguardless of who's the coach. He may thrive elsewhere,

and I hope he does! I wonder what kind of program Curry will be under this summer for Conditioning? I personally think he should play in the Summer league, not to humiliate him but to keep him in shape! I have to admit that if we were lucky enough

to get the 1rst pick this draft.....I would hope it would be Rose!

We need a floor General and an obvious defense ( Artest) and we need REAL PURE SHOOTERS! You can't have Lee, Jeffries, and Mardy on the floor at the same time ever! Like I stated in a prior post...Why don't Jeffries go to a " Big Man Camp" and Clone Camby? I agree with DVJ this summer will be more exciting than ever!

Yo BARF..... Cooley's missing a post! See if you can find it, please!

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
WHAT HAPPEN TO MY LAST POST....

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
DVJ- I dont think Walsh will overhaul the franchise...and if he does it wont happen quickly. I just don't see a reason to let Isiah go for doing things the way Dolan wanted them done. He's recently received an extension for major money and he still has the attention of the players he's revolved the roster around.

See, he built the roster around Stephon and Curry but those two came up pretty lame this year. As the season wore on, the only people willing to do any of the heavy lifting (without an emotional meltdown at least) have been everyone but Curry and Stephon.

I can't put much on Zach as he is the newcomer. Yes, his presence has been disruptive to the chemistry of last year but when "last year" was still a losing one...does the responsibility of your pent up emotion and subsequent frustration fall on your teammate?

Steph played the coach's pet for very long and this year was the year he was supposed to step up and claim what was his. If he had to ride the bench to prove he deserved to be on the floor at the end then he should have done it. If I was coach and my season rode on the performance of my VETERAN PG...my "friend" and "neighbor"... then I have to find a way to motivate him. He chose the way of Ginobili and Jason Terry (before the Kidd trade) and Steph rebelled against him. Then life continued to unravel for Stephon and the season unraveled with it.

The Steph benching was long over due. Not for emotional reasons like ego and respect for authority but for pragmatic reasons like energy and wear and tear. Steph relies on his rare combination of strength, speed and savvy on the court. On bad wheels - so much so that he elected to have season ending surgery - he could not sustain the type of aggression that is required with Curry and Zach on the defensive side of the floor. As a PG, you have to go down low often and try to draw fouls by either creating a shot of your own or getting an easy one for your big men.

But by rebelling against the benching, we'll never know what a vet Steph from the bench would yield. Over the course of the year, he could have been a great alternative to JCraw. With less ball handling duties and more attacking responsibilities, Steph might have redefined himself as a versatile TEAM leader and been considered indispensable for next year.

No one on this roster has his skill level. No one else is in the position he held. No one else could have meant more this year even if the record suffered because of it.

Without Marbury next year, without a serious acquisition (O'Neal for Marbury) and without a talent like D. Rose...next year could be painful.

If Donnie overhauls the roster this offseason, I'd say a coaching switch wouldn't be a bad thing. If you get rid of all the players who support Isiah then what would be the reason to keep him right?

But if he Donnie manages to re-form the roster with the sort of moves that Isiah needs to make the roster fit..gets rid of Aguirre and Herb Williams for more defensive minded big men coaches...then, for me, Isiah should stay. Personally, I like the style of play the Knicks put on display when things are going well for them. When things are bad though...they're downright ugly to watch.

I can't stand to think of how the ball was dropped so early in the season. And how little the rest of the players stepped up to the challenge. The last two months of basketball are practically meaningless a the play has reflected it. And still, the first half of the season was worse. That really says something of how bad the emotional make up of this team was to start the season.

With all the media attention on Isiah's trial to start the season, it's not hard to understand why. With a team this young and a leader that hard headed, its not hard to understand at all.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Good Job, BARF!

Peaceman Will also be Known as TAZ!

COOLEY has won the NCCA POOL amongst us! If Jay Bee had picked a winner he would have won! Gotta go ...here comes a guy Who looks like Donnie Walsh...and he's complaining of chest pain!!!! lol

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
DaVonn Clinton Jefferson,

It appears that you are making lot of EXCUSES for Mr. Walsh.

Who HIRED Bird? Bird's hiring had a drastic effect on the Pacers.

DVJ--Do not believe that Walsh calling the Shots means a Great Draft Pick--see below

Pacers Draft Since 96

96--Erik Dampier (Passed on Kobe, Steve Nash,Jermaine O'neal)

97--Austin Croshere

98--Al Harrington

99--Vonteego Cummings(Ginobili)

00--Primoz Brezec (Mike Redd)

01--traded for Tinsley

02--Fred Jones--(Tay Prince, Carlos Boozer)

03--No draft

04--David Harrison

05--Danny Granger

06--Shawne Williams

Does any of these guys jump off the page. Do not believe every person that is

"Anointed" has all of the answers. Also DVJ, people do lose their MOJO. Remember

Jerry Krause was a Genuis w/ Scotty, then the Bulls could not make the playoffs for

6-years and he was force to resign.

Change can be good.

Progress is ALWAYS good.

Not all Change is Progress.

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Knicks Media Amnesia will become contagious!!!!!

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
I'm going to answer that with a post I put on MODI's website.

People who think Walsh has fallen off in regards to the last few years of the Pacers timeline clearly are just talking and have no validity to back their thoughts up.

Please read and take note on the last few years in Pacerland.

My post from MODI's website.....

When did Bird go to the Pacers? He was signed in the offseason of 2003. Right before the start of the season they traded Al Harrington (per his request) to Atlanta for Stephen Jackson. They started as the best team in the East until the Brawl in Detroit. That season was supposed to go to waste but they actually went to the playoffs (13th time in 14 years). They year after that was the year Artest started the whole �trade me� stuff. He disrupted the team so Walsh granted his request. Jermaine missed 2 months that season due to a torn left groin. However, even with all that going on�they made the playoffs AGAIN for the 14th time in 15 years. The year after that was when Jackson was poppin shots in the parking lot and that led to him being traded. The public demanded he be traded (since he was also a major party in the Detroit brawl.) They probably didn�t want to deal him but they had to. Ever since then the team has gone downhill. How many games has Jermaine this year? All these things are out of the managements control my friend. Nobody could�ve done a better job with the set of events in Indiana for the last few years. Now we don�t know if Walsh or Bird was pulling those trades but we do know that before Bird got there when it was only Walsh�.they were always elite.

Think about what the team was before Bird was there. They were in the Finals and they were a fixture in the playoffs and most times Eastern Conference Finals. I�m sure you remember those battles with Jordan and Miller or Scottie and Jalen. Classic stuff indeed.

Great move by Dolan in stepping back and letting a basketball great handle everything. People keep mentioning his age like he�ll be bringing the ball up the court LOL. He�s 67 not 77�.BIG DIFFERENCE!!!

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Fellas,

Donnie was brought in to sell ads and keep next year's season tickets renewals in place. Does Donnie have the answers? If you look at his record the last few years, you would conclude NO!! The MSM a la Hillary Clinton is cherry picking on Donnie's

success w/ the Pacers. Anything good he gets the credit, and someone else is responsible for the blame. My favorite is Donnie wanted to draft Tay Prince, but Isiah talked him into taking Fred Jones. What about the terrible picks since Isiah left?

Oh that was all Bird. Please give me a break. When drafting Reggie Miller( almost

20 years ago), is the best the MSM can do, then it says alot about your ability.

DVJ---Obama is change, Clinton is more of the same. Walsh is more of the same.

How about DeVonn Clinton Jefferson, it has a nice ring(LOL).

Provincial Thinking--"He is one of us"--Leads to Mediocrity.

The follwing hires would have never been made w/ this thinking.

Red Auerbach--From Washington DC, coached in Wash. before Boston

Pat Riley(Lakers)--New Yorker in LA LA -land

Phil Jackson(Chicago/LA)--Knicks roots

Chuck Daly (Detroit)--Philly roots coaching in Detroit

Pop--No Texas connection, brought to San Antonion by LB.

Cooley, good to see your post. Have always had big respect for you bruh. It is easy to see through those at a distance, but more difficult to see through those that are close. The Devil can be LOUD or he can be Quiet & Polished. However he is still the Devil!! If someone offline or behind the scenes is consistently putting out negativity, what's their objective?

Peace & Blessings

In response to: GIVE D-DUBYA A HIGH FIVE!!!

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
"Will he inspire Curry to position, rebound and block shots? "

No..that's why he'll get traded.

"Will Zach pass the ball consistently and start drawing charges on D?"

Depends if Donnie puts consistent shooters around him. Why should Zach pass to Jamal, Mardy, Balkman, Lee when they can't shoot. The point of moving the ball is to get an open shot...none of the other players can shoot. Why pass? LMAO

"Will JJeff push his body into towards a PF physique and stop playing so small and light?

No he won't....that's why he'll get traded also.

"Will DLee get blocked on the block less?"

Lee will still get blocked but you need a player like Lee to rebound and make hustle plays. Those players are essential on championship teams. Ask Miami about Haslem...they'll tell you!!

"Will JCraw shoot less "good if it goes" type shots?"

Crawford will be relegated to a sixth man position which is what most people have been hoping for sometime now.

"Will Stephon now be a leader?"

Probably not....but if we land a top 2 pick and are able to get Rose....he won't have to be. He'll probably be brought out if we draft Rose.

"Will QRich sound less like a winner and start playing like one?"

QRich will also be moved. There are big changes coming fellas. This will be a more interesting summer than last summer.

"Will Chandler, Balk and Morris actually get off the pine when it counts?"

I can't answer that. You have to wait to see who our coach is before you can make a prediction regarding that question.

Donnie has this under control.

We're in good hands now.

Only thing left to do is be patient.

If we get Rose...our patience won't have to be so long.

Not saying we'll be great next year but this kid will be better than Paul.

There's a reason why people are saying he's the best to come out of college since Jason Kidd. Think about how many PG's came out since then. Rose is better than ALL OF THEM!!!!

Change in 08!!!!!!

Change is coming.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
African

I hear you about the response I wrote.

I really didn't want to write a reply but he appeared to take plenty of my statements out of context. That of course appeared coupled with an agressive tone. I just wanted to set the record straight.

Like Peaceman is doing at he KnicksFix, I intend to do at our former blog home.

There are still good bloggers out there and I'd like to keep our ties with them strong. Should they decide to visit or frequent this blog that's icing on the cake. If not, there company is still good despite our falling out with the host.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B, Peaceman,

Following up on why Walsh will let Isiah go. It is true that Walsh worked w/ Isiah before, but in that situation Walsh had his people in place. The current Knick organization consist of Isiah's people. The assistant GM, the scouts,and others. At this point in his career I am sure that Walsh would want his own people. I do believe that Isiah has been aware of the decision for weeks, and that is why practice has been frequently cancelled. Read his body language and his quotes, he knows this gig is up. Isiah will rise again.

'Lives' my starting 5.

Miles, at the point.

Trane, at power forward w/ passion

James, in the middle bringing the funk

Jimi, w/ the crossover

Marley , on the wing

With Stevie , Sly & ParliamentFunkadelic first men off the bench.

'Lves', you have taken this to another level.

Peace & Blessings

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
new post

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
African,

This is home, but that fact that Alan gave this blog a "Shout out"( he posted a link to our site...I know that pissed off the nameless one)

and the fact that there a few cats from his blog that are real KNICK

FANS and may post here also ...is not a bad thing! I want to make freinds

not enemies! In the future he will make reference to this blog and feel it's ok, which only helps this blog grow!

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Barf:

Zeke's just playing head games with these clowns.

They're saying he destroyed the franchise, his comeback is that you have nothing to show for any measured success you had in the recent past.

You had nothing to begin with, so I couldn't destroy it. Let's start talking about how to win one.

That was a quip. He knew that would piss them off.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
"the phoniest cats are the loneliest" - black thought

Its cool. What are u gonna do?

I love what Isiah said. That's some great shit.

If Donnie fires him now, I won't feel so bad. At least he got that off his chest.

HAHA

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Peace:

Dross couldn't post there before. His ramblings now favor Dross.

Now the numbers don't matter.

BTW. Why are you guys blowing up Alan's blog?

I thought this was supposed to be home?

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
African,

Your right...but slow death? He's dead already!

He's now attacking my posts @ Hahn's joint.

I guess it gets lonely when dross has become your main blogger!

Alan has emailed me that he has asked his guys to put this blog

on his blog roll link! Who Da Thunk it?

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B:

Quit wasting your time with this guy.

It's not worth it.

Notice, he didn't reply to Cooley post?

All he's relegated to at this point, is deleting posts that appears critical.

Let him die a slow death.

I tried warning him about he history of blog hosts. He didn't listen.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Please Note that the following LAP is merely to preserve the record of an attempted conversation, which I hope will not be erased or censured.

Should be Post Number two (2) if it hasn't been erased.

Here is my response to your post # 18 in the previous thread.

�O&B. your example of chicago failed to mention that scott skiles got fired in december despite having a better record than Isiah thomas� knicks. isiah is still the coach to this day, and he didn�t get to the second round of the playoffs in the preceding year.�

I pointed out in my comment the much better recent history of success that Chicago has had over the Knick franchise. Please don�t misconstrue my statements.

From my post # 13

Lastly you should note that the Knicks are not the only team that have been torn apart by internal division resulting from bruised egos, and a wholesale player abandoment of the coach by the players. Chicago despite a string of yearly success also experienced the effect of bruised egos (ala the Mebury episode in Phoenix) with the hurt egos suffered by Duhon, Gordon et al when Kobe�s name was bandied about in a manner that slighted those players as second class rethreads. Also the awoling of the team on Scott Skiles compounded that internal division and a former playoff team took several steps back.

��

O&B. Nobody is asking you to pick sides except your �fellowship.�

The following statement by you at post # 16 appears to imply that choosing one blog over another could invite a conflict of interest, and may direct the exiting or visiting blogger to emulate the decisions of exiled bloggers.

�Vic Corbit

barf and african chose to leave for good, and peaceman and statesman were both permanently banned from knicksdefense. As a result, they started their own site, you can look for the link on hahn�s blog if you wish to follow their lead, as some here have chosen to do. it is for the best, there is clearly a conflict of interest.�

My response at post # 17

Choosing to post at one site or another doesn�t necessarily result in a conflict of interest.

It�s not like one of those you�re with us or against us scenarios.

If you would like to keep in touch with the displaced bloggers do so.

If not that�s ok also. Just be true to yourself

��

O&B. �rush to change?� after four years as gm? after two full years as coach and less than a 30% winning record?

Again you are misconstruing the general thrust of that post @ #13.

It actually reads in the following manner:

�Isiah hasn�t been fired yet.

If he is. Oh well. I�ll continue being a Knick fan.

If he stays and his talents are constructively utilized. I�ll still be a Knicks� fan.

The point for me is that there not be a rush to judgment and wholesale changes for the sake of making wholesale changes.

There is a talent base in this organization. No doubt alot of redundancy also. But many of the players Isiah picked will either stay on and make a contribution to the team.

Sure there is a lack of a bonafide two way star but considering where the Knicks� have played in the draft, they have solid players generally.

Too blow it up just to give the impression of change isn�t a good move either. To that end you�ll notice how the broadcasters point to Walsh�s measured patient approach. And that he is going to cross his Ps and Qs before making any move.�

Now no doubt there is a vast difference of opinion between our two points of view as to Isiah�s future. While your positions is a staunch he must go at all cost and not be placed in any position of influence in the organization, (If I am reading your post correctly), while my point is that while there is no doubt that the Knicks record over the course of the Isiah regime, and especially the supbar performance of this year should not warrant an Isiah redux at the helm of the organization and neither as coach, Thomas still possesses talents which can be constructively utilized in the organization and that as a result he may still find a place in the organization where his talents can be utilized and his short comings can be better neutralized.

That is of course my opinion but a good talent evaluator and solid drafter can be very helpful, especially in a transitional phase in which the Knicks will look to let bigger contracts expire and retain players at a budget price. That scenario flows with getting younger talented players with upside in the draft who will be motivated to increase their stock for contract negotiations, and who will come at a bargain initially b/c draft picks earnings are capped.

That is my point and I believe it is logical. No doubt it�s not flawless but there is reason to my opinion.

��

O&B. clearing payroll could have been accomplished by any CPA that doesn�t know jack schitt about basketball, as gm your responsibility is you have to clear payroll and attempt to be competitive, the knicks have not been competitive in a long time, and the cap space problem is only marginally better than it was at layden�s time of departure.

KnicksD

There is a topic which I could have better elaborated on during post # 13

But here is that paragraph in its entirety and I hope you will notice with objective eyes that I was even acknowledging the reason why many a fan, including I, would have and do have misgivings over the Isiah Thomas regime.

�I sort of understand some of your frustration because the beginning of the Isiah regime was marked by alot fo flash and sweeping changes. People were let go w/o having the opportunity to plead their case or at least get the news from the horses mouth, and a series of player shuffles which has invited long and expensive conracts was also par for the course. But do remember that the Knicks have cleared some of their excessive pay roll and if they stand pat they will clear more. �

You stated the following @ post # 18

�[C]learing payroll could have been accomplished by any CPA that doesn�t know jack schitt about basketball,as gm your responsibility is you have to clear payroll and attempt to be competitive.�

I believe that argument is understating the value for dollar assessment a GM must undertake in deciding whether to let contracts expire, acquire contracts via trade, or fail to resign players.

The greater context is that New York for quite long long duration of time which encompassed the Scott Layden era and the Isiah Thomas era was sold on the concept tht �ONE CANNOT REBUILD IN NY AND THAT THE KNICKS HAD TO RETOOL.� So over a course of time during the two aforementioned regimes Knicksfans were encouraged to think that a retooling of the team was possible but that such retooling would/and could compromise cap flexibiltiy. Heck even MODI wrote an article about how the Organization�s deep pockets could offset the salary cap liabilities that would have to be paid out for acquiring players over the cap.

That formula has at this juncture not succeeded, and now the current Exec of Basketball operations, and the Garden are acknowledging that the team will have to rebuild. But although the Knicks are a losing franchise, they are at this juncture not a team with older rethreads, as in the Scott Layden regime, there is currently a corp of talented young players who could compliment a championship calibur team in the years to come. And while the Knicks are still in salary cap hell many of the cotracts on the books will be coming off within the next one to three years.

Even Isiah recognized that retooling wasn�t possible, I�ll have to find the qoute and cite it, but at this juncture having a person sell you water when your thirsty who you previously bought a flat tire from is not goign to sit well with any fan base. Ala the emergence of Donnie Walsh, whom I hope all Knick fans can call Donny W one day.

��

Please don�t anyone come on here trying to recruit people away from this site. If you want to blog with the Nazis, that�s fine. but try to show some class. don�t come on here with the smugness talking about �good luck to you,� �good night to you,� and then turn around and do otherwise on here, and say otherwise on other blogs.

Again if DLT, Vicbit, Steady, the remaining Force MD�s, Paulnoize, JohnQ, FollyMach, MinnKnickFan, SaipanKnickster, and all whom I�ve failed to mention choose another forum. They are free to do so. They are also free to call KnicksDefense their blog home. I have no opinion one way or another and I will not make a value judgment on people for choosing to blog at your house or at any other locale.

�Smugness�

You are misunderstand me. I thank you for the time you�ve allowed me to blog, and for the obviously strong commitment to building your bloghome, and making it accessible to former blog fugees such as myself.

I am not a vindictive individual, and there is no purposed served in whishing for another person to fail, and even worse to celebrate anothers decline (mind you that I am not declaring your decline). I sincerely whish you well b/c of the aformentioned reasons stated in the above paragraph. We have different views on the Knicks at this juncture that is all. But I won�t impose mine on you and figure that you will not do that either.

However, the term Nazis is quite excessive. There is facism, which encapsulates and either or approach to differences, and designates as an enemy those with different views. Nazism was at the extreme b/c it took on a racial component which many historians and social scientist will say was the illogically logical conclusion of western imperialism.

Let�s not overstate our differences going foward.

��

The people that can think for themselves are the only people I care to associate with, O&B.

Then the question is the following. Do I fail to think for myself b/c I disagree with your point of view? I think not. Knicksdefense is still a forum where differences can be debated rationally and persuasively? Yes? If so then where I am stood corrected I will acknowledge it. Where my argument�s validity is recognized� well that�s ok also.

��

I�ll leave you with this final thought for the night O&B, and you can appreciate it or ignore it or go talk shit about me on hahn�s blog again, whatever.

much has been written here since October on not accepting the mainstream media�s presentation of the new york knicks under isiah thomas, right?

so then the general question becomes, if you�re in a room full of people who are in total agreement in their opinion, does it necessarily make that opinion true?

Perhaps you already know the answer to that question. You�ll find for some, it depends on how much they wish to fit in with that group, yet others will think for themselves and come to their own conclusions despite what said room full of people considers to be true.

The answer is that no opinion is true, especially when an opinion is based on speculations over facts which the opinionator is not correctly aprised of or about.

So to that end you have your ops I have mine, the point shouldn�t be about whose right or wrong, b/c the points are about opinions after all, its about your and mine ability to put forth our opinions pursuasively and respect and acknowledge the logic of the other party�s opinion when put forth pursuasively.

Again I whish you God Speed.

Comment by Orange and Blue � April 10, 2008 @ 11:34 am

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
WTF!

I'm blogging with Miles in the background!

What an experience!

Good looking Lives!

It's best to let that nameless blog host to fall on his own sword.

The guy is a liar, a hypocrite, and a sensitive brat.

Don't know about Barf, but he blocked my IP address from his site for whatever reason. So when he says we left on our own is a blatant lie. Not the first time he has been caught.

This guy suffers from multiple character issues. He'll die on his own.

He now sounds like Hillary. Now the volume of posts doesn't matter. What matters is that he has Drossman. Like minds.

Just needed to point that out.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Seems like citizen X is aware of where this site is situated. Since he pointed out to Vicbit how he could go about and access this blog.

But he appears to be taking a your either with me or against me approach by implying that if one chooses to blog here, then there in a conflict of interest.

That does not make logical sense to me. I respect some of the voices over at blog X but it's there choice if they want to reconnect with the fellowship that we have cultivated over the course of time that is maxing it up at this joint.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B

I saw you try to rescue poor DLT! LOL

Good move! Also Cooley is on point as usual!

One of you unblocked Guys should tell the Nameless former Dictator host

that if he wants to tell BARF something....Give him the This Blog address

and he can tell him himself! Or just tell him to shut it down ....he's

embarrasing himself!

Any win is a good win! We can finish this season upbeat and be excited

about next year!

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Statesman

Your reservations about Zeke's future with the organization are duly noted.

You often provide much needed levity.

I believe I put forth a minnie article on why Zeke will likely stick with the organization.

Has anyone read it?

Lol!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
@ Statesman,

Look at who Dolan bought in! The first guy to give Zeke a coaching job!!!

Talk about \"Deep Cover\" Walsh can run interferance while ZEKE does

his job....of Coaching! Looks good on paper...nice old White guy in charge

and takes the heat off Zeke! Story book move by Dolan!

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Over! Playing for pride!

This team took there lumps this year!

On to 2008-2009...and make some Noize!!!!!!

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B,

I hope that you are right. However, when someone is brought in and given your title and responsibilities, that is a statement that ownership does not want you around. When that person that is brought in is close friends w/ the previous coach that you help oust,....it does not look good. Hopefully this is

just a cosmetic move, but my cynical side does not allow me to think that way.

@Modi,

Some people might not believe that Majic and Sugar could play together. They should remember that Norm Nixon was a good point guard before Majic arrived and they started together on theLakers' first(not sure about second) championship team in the 80s. Would have been a great combo.

If unable to draft Rose, will need a point that can drive and dish. This makes Lee, Balk, Chandler, all the guys better. Knicks have a buch of finishers, not guys that can generate their own shots. Except Craw, he can get a shot off from half-court, which is part of his game.

Peace & Blessings

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Cooley High,

I saw that! Your the \"TRUTH.\"

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
The Bobcats have made a game of it

2 point difference with about 2 1/2 left to go in the game.

We'll have this if we get that (Stop that is)!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
We got this!!!!!!!

TAZ!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Statesman and fanatics

I also don't believe Zeke will resign himself to lackey status.

He has servicable talents, and has rebuilt the talent base.

What is needed is allstar calibur two way players.

The Knicks appear to be positioning themselves to obtain such players in the foreseeable future either through the draft or free agency, should they stay the course on a fiscally conservative route.

That's why I emphasized that a good talent evaluator in the draft will allow the Knick Organization to refill the cupoard of talent across the board but at bargain basement prices-i.e., w/o having to turn to trades that compromise the team long term or signings that inhibit cap flexibility.

Walsh's presence if anything perhaps insure that there will be some oversight to keep in check some of THomas's questionable tendency to turn to the MLE to cover his bets which has up till now created a roster glut and some uneccesary redundancy.

Also the prospect of having a Knick affiliated NBADL could also provide Isiah and the organization an opportunity to test the Organizatio's ability to craft a genuine farm system capable of keeping the Knicks cupboard stocked over the long term. It is what Thomas was trying to accomplish before he was lowballed by the other lil general Stern.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Here here Stateman...

Hate is at times but a desguised form of envy.

It will be interesting to see how many will react when Zeke is not axed in the gory and senseless way that his detractors would like to see.

Knicks are playing well tonight a double digit lead up by 14.

Chandler is playing well again, and Balkman is playing solid D, and providing energy.

I tend to think that Lives is right about Balkman, he relies on his athleticism and hustle on all aspects of his game.

Its a good aproach to rebounding and running the floor.

But with regards to defense one must defend being conscious of one's opponents tendencies and style of play and how that fits within the opposing teams offense. That requires more that just hustle. It requires awareness which can be a little difficult for a high energy free spirti like Balkman.

He's playing his game tonight but he appears to be playing smartly and relaxed.

Let's go Balkman!

Let's go Knicks!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
14 points lead.....lets blow them back to NC!!!!!

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B,

That was a great story. I do believe that Zeke will be ok. I do not believe that his pride would allow him to stay around as a lackey. The MSM would love to see him demoted and broken. Zeke will rise again. Most of

those guys are losers and they want company in the bottom of the well.

What Zeke has that they don't, twenty fuck'n million dollars coming.

Peace & Blessings

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
12 point lead! lets give the nameless host CPR and break some ribs!

Lets go Knicks!

�� TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
I'm logged out again...so lets roll Knicks!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Lives ,

I logged out Again but the site will only let me in as a visitor

and shoots back to what you see now!!!!!

The knicks are on so....we will deal with this later!

TAZ!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Well I got home late and it's game time.

Knicks are up.

Let's see if we can give other supposed fans a coronary!

LOL!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
nice post states, I like the historical backdrop as my live Knick memory begins in 1982 and Michael Ray.... everything before that is videotape and books... hey don't forget that in the 1979 draft Laimbeer was drafted in the 3rd round, James Donaldson in the 4th, and Mark Eaton in the 5th!

...damn, two picks away from Magic... before he faded fast Moncrief was the truth!

anyway, perhaps with Chandlers emergence MSM could stop repeating that the Knicks gave up two first rounders for Curry and reducing him to an afterthought...

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
What up!

We be floating.

The ship be sailing beautifully.

It's so green in here, I feel like I'm in the Garden of Eden.

In the mother land.

Lush vegetation!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
What up Fanatics???

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
That was right hand corner, not left.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
TAZ,

Logout of admin (far upper left hand corner) to post without the admin.

Jay Bee that was fab. You guys need to slow down. I'll be up all night just reading.

Great stuff.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Check it: Draft news!

The Daryl Morey Rule: The NBA also decided to close one �loophole� in the rules that last year allowed the Houston Rockets to organize a �workout marathon� spanning two days in Orlando immediately after the conclusion of the NBA pre-draft camp. The Rockets brought together 36 players to be evaluated in one gym by 12 NBA teams, in 9 different sessions, over multiple days, with the costs being split equally by all teams. This innovative idea gave teams involved a chance to watch a huge batch of players (some underclassmen who were able to save a significant amount of money on travel expenses, and others who did not participate in the pre-draft camp) simultaneously in a very cost effective way. The problem was that this was seen as being somewhat of a rogue event that may have hurt the credibility of the NBA pre-draft camp conducted just days prior in the same city. Ever conscious of anything that might cause players not to participate in the pre-draft camp (a huge concern and the reason for most of the workout restrictions today), the NBA has decided to disallow any team besides the Magic from holding workouts in the city of Orlando in the three day span following the pre-draft camp. Thus, they�ve effectively closed the window of opportunity to bring a great deal of teams and players together while everyone was in the same city immediately at the conclusion of the camp.

Early-Entry Rumor Mill

-Ryan Anderson will be officially announcing that he's entering the NBA draft in the next day or so, and will do so in a press release through his college. Anderson is just testing the waters at this point, and will not hire an agent until he feels comfortable that he's assured of a spot in the first round.

-Multiple sources informed DraftExpress this week that the LSU freshman Anthony Randolph has decided to enter his name in the draft, and will be closing the door on returning to school shortly by hiring an agent. B.J. Armstrong of Wasserman Media Group (Arn Tellem�s agency) is expected to be his choice. A representative of WMG had no comment on the report.

-If you�re an Indiana fan hoping for some unexpected good news from Eric Gordon�s press conference later this week, we�d advise you not to hold your breath�Gordon has been shopping for an NBA agent these days, and was even seen sitting court-side at a Lakers game last week with Kobe Bryant�s agent Rob Pelinka.

-Gerald Henderson had wrist surgery this week, shelving him for 3 to 4 months and ending any possibility of him declaring for the NBA draft. Henderson will be back at Duke next season, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

-The Blake Griffin saga continues�after Jeff Capel got the extension he so coveted, it now looks likely that he�ll be able to keep Griffin at Oklahoma for at least another season. We�ve moved him to our 2009 mock draft after receiving multiple reports that he is very likely to stay in school now.

-Tom Crean leaving Marquette might cause Dominic James to think about declaring for the NBA draft now. The problem is he already used his �draft card� last season, and would be in for good should he decide to do so. James would be wise to return to Marquette for his senior season regardless of the coaching situation�as he is not a lock to get drafted even in the second round at this point.

-Bill Walker will be testing the waters 100% from what we were told, but will hold off on signing with an agent until his draft status clears up a bit more.

-Who�s in and who�s out? Check out our updated Early-Entry List.

-I'll be hitting the road for the next 10 days, traveling to the Final Four in San Antonio at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Virginia.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Early-Entry List Breakdown:

JaVale McGee

Vitals:

Size: 7-0

Weight: 237

Age: 20 years old

Class: Sophomore

Team: Nevada (21-12)

NBA Position: Center

Stats: 14.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, .6 assist, 2.4 turnovers, 53% FG, 52.5% FT, 33% 3P, 27 minutes[/lfont]

In Short: Rare physical specimen�has an almost unprecedented combination of size, length (7-6), athleticism and fluidity, packed on a frame that should easily be able to fill out nicely. Has excellent hands, runs the floor exceptionally well, and is extremely reactive off his feet. Has an intriguing variety of skills too�the ability to knock down 3-pointers, put the ball on the floor, and execute some incredibly smooth pivot moves in the paint, finishing elegantly off the glass with excellent extension and touch. Gets off the ground impressively and can really be a factor as a shot-blocker or on the offensive glass. A late bloomer who barely played in high school and averaged just 10 minutes a game as a freshman�the sky is clearly the limit on his upside.

The problem is he�s extremely far from reaching his full potential�so far that you have to wonder if he�ll ever make it considering the way he looks at times on the court. Struggles to establish position and finish in the paint, settles for some incredibly awkward off-balance shots, and is virtually a black hole with his passing skills�averaging 4 turnovers for every 1 assist. Looks very disinterested at times, doesn�t hustle, gives up on plays, late getting back down the floor, and might be the worst man to man defender we�ve ever evaluated in the post. Gets pushed around, gambles excessively for steals, has no stance or fundamentals, doesn�t move his feet, and is a complete non-factor even against the mediocre competition he faces. According to Synergy�s �PlayType QuickTable stats,� McGee was scored on 66% of the time when being posted up in the paint (against the likes of Fresno State, Utah State, Houston, etc). Is light years away from being able to compete on an NBA level defensively, if ever.

Chances of returning to school: 0%. Surprisingly already decided to hire an agent, from the NFL ranks. Many scouts are very high on McGee, due to his incredibly high ceiling, which gives him �home run potential� once you get outside the top 10-12 players in this draft. McGee is the type of player that GMs love, but coaches hate, since he could make someone look great down the road, but will take years and years of hard work before he has any chance to do so. If he does, watch out.

Early Projection: 12-25

Source: (DraftExpress:) JaVale McGee Enters Draft, Hires Agent Roosevelt Barnes

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brook Lopez

Vitals:

Size: 7-0

Weight: 260

Age: 20 years old (yesterday)

Class: Sophomore

Team: Stanford (28-8)

NBA Position: Center

Stats: 19.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 1.4 assist, 2.1 turnovers, 47% FG, 79% FT, 31 minutes[/lfont]

In Short: One of the best post scorers in college basketball. Possesses rare physical tools--Tall, long, coordinated, with a good frame, nice hands, and the skill-set and smarts to be effective on both ends of the floor. Somewhat predictable since he seemingly goes to the same exact move every time on the right block, but it�s hard to question his productivity, especially considering how little help he had offensively from Stanford�s backcourt. Establishes deep position in the paint and gets to the free throw line at a very good rate, where he converts at a near-80% clip. Settles at times for bad shots, is not much of a passer out of the post, and is not the most fluid big man you�ll find around. A very solid defender, especially when it comes to hedging screens on the perimeter. Likely a very solid role player, not a star, but has the makings of an excellent long-time pro, at a position of need. Very intelligent off the court.

Chances of returning to school: 0%. No surprises here, considering how high he is projected to be drafted, and how little he has left to prove. Has stated that he will be hiring an agent, likely Bob Myers/Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group.

Early Projection: 3-7

Source: Statement Released to the Associated Press.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin Lopez

Vitals:

Size: 7-0

Weight: 255

Age: 20 years old (yesterday)

Class: Sophomore

Team: Stanford (28-8)

NBA Position: Center

Stats: 10.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, .6 assists, 1.8 turnovers, 53.4% FG, 65% FT, 24.5 minutes[/lfont]

In Short: Tall, long, agile 7-footer with excellent hands and a very high activity level. Raw offensive prospect who drops glimpses of potential from time to time in the post�makes good, quick moves and has a decent framework of skills to build upon. Runs the floor well and is a solid offensive rebounder�not afraid to throw his skinny frame around in the paint. Plays hard and can be an excellent defender when he�s fully focused�blocking shots and being extremely physical contesting his matchup. Lacks great footwork inside and has very little scoring ability facing the basket. Intensity wavers at times and body is still far from being NBA ready. Strong intangibles.

Chances of returning to school: 0%. Has said to be in the process of hiring an agent. A likely first round pick barring poor workouts or unexpected red flags, but might be sweating on draft night if more players than expected enter their name.

Early Projection: 15-35

Feedback for this article may be sent to TAZ!!!!! LOL

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Expect a post from Bokonon......(who I love and respect,no homo)

With the grass is greener state of the Union.....same old shyt!

You know what...the freaken grass is GREENER!

A LOT GREENER! GREEN AS HELL, GREEN AS MITCH LAWRENCE'S TEETH! LMAO

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
@ African,

He's lost his freaken mind!!!!! Dude I'm serious!

This is all from his favorite ....Marbury being "shitbury."

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B:

That was a LAP, but relevant.

I went over to that site that remains nameless, and all I saw was tumbleweed blowing across the screen. lol

That guy really hates Zeke. I'm sure he had to grin and bear it for quite some time in order to get his site together. Now, he just don't care!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
New Rules for the Draft...Check it:

Rule Changes, Early-Entry Speculation, JaVale McGee/Lopez Twins

by: Jonathan Givony - President

April 3, 2008

There are a number of rule changes that NBA agents and prospects need to be aware of as they figure out their strategy of attack for the coming months. Will the NCAA allow NBA teams to cover expenses for underclassmen workouts? Six players will now be allowed on the court in workouts, instead of just four. Introducing the Daryl Morey rule--teams are no longer allowed to conduct mass workouts in Orlando following the pre-draft camp. That, and plenty more scuttlebutt regarding early-entry prospects, including thorough breakdowns of the decisions of JaVale McGee, Brook Lopez and Robin Lopez to enter the draft.

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
BARF

Yeah when I thought about how such a highly respected figure is basically being besmirched in a manner that rivals the excess of any form of mob frenzy, I immediately thought of that story. I too hope he finds the redemption in time, hopefully here and for the Knicks benefit, which he could not initially find due to the excess vitriol of the NYMSM.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B

Good stuff!

BARF....Will you be doing Barf Johnson tonight?

I love that the knicks are winning these games and piss off

nameless blog hosts that root for them to lose! ( not refering to statesman, I respect your view)

but you guys know who I'm refering to! The venom spit out by this host

is unbelieveable...in such.... I want to win as bad as ever tonight!

One for the "CAUSE"

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B, Thomas is responsible and praised i Detroit for bringing a prize Pat Ewing could not. A first ballot HOF himself...the doubt and lopsided criticism bother me to no end.

Great story. Great find. I can't wait for the day they will be forced to lick off all the shit they heaped onto him...hahaha

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Check it:

Breaking News: Donte Greene Entering Draft

by: Jonathan Givony - President

April 8, 2008

Syracuse freshman Donte Greene will be entering this year's draft, a source with intimate knowledge of the situation told DraftExpress exclusively Tuesday. Greene, a smooth and extremely talented 6-11 wing player, was one of the most highly touted members of this year's freshman class, and finished second in the Big East in scoring. He struggled with poor shot-selection at times this season and failed to make the NCAA tournament, but will still be viewed as one of the more unique players in this year's pool due to his terrific combination of size, athleticism, perimeter skills and upside.

He's viewed by many as a late lottery pick at this point, but will have a chance to move up once he is able to showcase himself in private workouts. A formal announcement is expected in the next 24 hours. Greene will not be testing the waters and should hire an agent shortly.

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
JayBee, this is better than i thought. Keep going. For as made up and speculative as this dialogue sounds...it actually serves to demonstrate how the AWOL situation could have played out. There are so many things that could have been said. Imagine being Steph, sitting on the airplane, and the big cookie monster Curry comes gossiping about Zeke's possible benching...I can't even blame Steph for being upset...but he took it to levels unfathomable. Did he think he was unblameable?

3 hours to gametime and counting.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
The NY MSM pretend they are the Masters of all! Know it all and can cast judgment on everyone and all.

Thomas talking about the glory and sweet honey reception in Detroit was a form of making the beat writers eat shyt for the lack of respect and basic human decency they have treated him with during this sordid year.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
The Bitter taste of acrid feces in the mouths of those who besmirch without once ever having to spend time in the shoes of another will ring true at the end of this episode and Isiah will emerge as did the protagonist of the below referenced story of injustice and redemption.

THE PONGO'S DREAM

Jos� Maria Arguedas

A little man headed to his master's mansion. As one of the serfs on the lord's estate, he had to perform the duty of a pongo, a lowly house servant. He had a small and feeble body, a meek spirit. His clothes were old and tattered. Everything about him was pitiful.

The great lord, owner of the mansion and lands surrounding it, could not help laughing when the little man greeted him in the mansion's corridors.

"What are you? A person or something else?" the lord asked the little man in front of all the other serfs.

The pongo bowed his head and did not answer. He stood frightened, eyes frozen. "Let's see!" the lord said. "With those worthles hands, you must at least know how to scrub pots or use a broom. Take this garbage away!" he ordered.

The pongo knelt to kiss his master's hand and followed him to the kitchen hanging his head.

The little man had a small body but an average man's strength. Whatever he was told to do he did well, but he always wore a slight look of horror on his face. Some of the serfs laughed at him, while others pitied him. "The most orphaned of all orphans," a cook of mixed blood once said upon seeing him. "His frozen eyes must be children of the moon wind, his heart must be all sadness."

The little man rarely talked to anyone. He worked and ate quietly. Whatever they ordered him to do was done obediently. "Yes, papacito, yes, mamacita," were the only words he uttered.

Perhaps because of the little man's frightened look and his threadbare, filthy clothes, or perhaps because of his unwillingness to talk, the lord regarded the pongo with special contempt. He enjoyed humiliating him most at dusk, when all the serfs gathered to say the Hail Mary in the mansion's great hall. He would shake him vehemently in front of the serfs like a piece of animal skin. He would push his head down and force him to kneel, and then, when the little man was on his knees, slap him lightly on the face.

"I believe you are a dog. Bark!" he would tell the pongo.

The little man could not bark.

"Stand on all fours," the lord would order him next.

The pongo would obey and start crawling on all fours.

"Walk sideways like a dog," the lord would demand.

The little man had learned to run like the small dogs inhabiting the high moors.

The lord would laugh heartily. His whole body shook with exhilaration.

"Come back here!" he would yell, when the servant reached the end of the great hall.

The pongo would return, running sideways, arriving out of breath.

Meanwhile, some of the other serfs would quietly say their Hail Marys, as if their voices were a wind hidden in their hearts.

"Perk up your ears, hare! You are just an ugly hare!" the lord would command the exhausted little man. "Sit on your two paws. Put your hands together."

The pongo could sit in the exact same prayerful pose that these animals take when they stand still on the rocks, looking as if he had learned this habit while in his mother's womb. But the one thing he could not do was perk up his ears. Some of the serfs laughed at him.

With his boot, the lord would then knock him to the brick floor.

"Let us say the Our Father," he would then say to his Indians as they waited in line.

The pongo would get up slowly, but he could not pray because he was not in his place, nor did any place belong to him.

In the darkness, the serfs would leave the great hall for the courtyard and head to their living quarters.

"Get out of here, offal!" the master would often order the pongo.

And so, every day, in front of the other serfs, the master would make his new pongo jump to his demands. He would force him to laugh, to fake tears. He would hand him over to the other workers so that they would ridicule him too.

But . . . one afternoon, during the Hail Mary, when the hall was filled with everyone who worked and lived on the lord's estate and the master himself began to stare at the pongo with loathing and contempt, that same little man spoke very clearly. His face remained a bit frightened.

"Great lord, please grant me permission. Dear lord, I wish to speak to you."

The lord could not believe his ears. "What? Was that you who spoke or someone else?"

"Your permission, dear master, to speak to you. It is you I want to talk to," the pongo replied.

"Talk . . . if you can."

"My father, my lord, my heart," the little man began. "Last night, I dreamt that the two of us had died. Together, we had died."

"You with me? You? Tell all, Indian," the master said to him.

"Since we were dead men, my lord, the two of us were standing naked before our dear father Saint Francis, both of us, next to each other."

"And then? Talk!" ordered the master, partly out of anger and partly anxious with curiosity.

"When he saw us dead, naked, both standing together, our dear father Saint Francis looked at us closely with those eyes that reach and measure who knows what lengths. He examined you and me, judging,

I believe, each of our hearts, the kind of person we were, the kind of person we are. You confronted that gaze as the rich and powerful man that you are, my father."

"And you?"

"I cannot know how I was, great lord. I cannot know my worth."

"Well, keep talking."

"Then, our father spoke: 'May the most beautiful of all the angels come forth. May a lesser angel of equal beauty accompany the supreme one. May the lesser angel bring a golden cup filled with the most delicate and translucent honey.'"

"And then?" the master asked.

The Indian serfs listened, listened to the pongo with a limitless attention, yet also afraid.

"My owner, as soon as our great father Saint Francis gave his order, an angel appeared, shimmering, as tall as the sun. He walked very slowly until he stood before our father. A smaller angel, beautiful, glowing like a gentle flower, marched behind the supreme angel. He was holding in his hands a golden cup."

"And then?" the master asked once again.

"'Supreme angel, cover this gentleman with the honey that is in the golden cup. Let your hands be feathers upon touching this man's body,' ordered our great father. And so, the lofty angel lifted the honey with his hands and glossed your whole body with it, from your head down to your toenails. And you swelled with pride. In the splendor of the heavens, your body shone as if made of transparent gold."

"That is the way it must be," said the lord. "And what happened to you?"

"When you were shining in the sky, our great father Saint Francis gave another order. 'From all the angels in heaven, may the very least, the most ordinary come forth. May that angel bring along a gasoline can filled with human excrement.'"

"And then?"

"A worthless, old angel with scaly feet, too weak to keep his wings in place, appeared before our father. He came very tired, his wings drooping at his sides, carrying a large can. 'Listen,' our great father ordered the angel. 'Smear the body of this little man with the excrement from that can you brought. Smear his whole body any way you want and cover it all the best you can. Hurry up!' So the old angel took the excrement with his coarse hands and smeared my body unevenly, sloppily, just like you would smear mud on the walls of an ordinary adobe house. And in the midst of the heavenly light, I stank and was filled with shame."

"Just as it should be!" crowed the master. "Keep going! Or is that the end?"

"No, my little father, my lord. When we were once again together, yet changed, before our father Saint Francis, he took another look at us, first at you, then at me, a long time. With those eyes that reach across the heavens, I don't know to what depths, joining night and day, memory and oblivion. Then he said: 'Whatever the angels had to do with you is done. Now, lick each other's bodies slowly, for all eternity.' At that moment, the old angel became young again. His wings regained their blackness and great strength. Our father entrusted him with making sure that his will was carried out."

[If you care to know why it was written]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JJose Maria Arguedas learned Quechua as a boy from servants in the household of his stepmother and his father, an itinerant lawyer. Until his suicide in 1967, the novelist and anthropologist was perhaps more responsible than any other Peruvian for the impassioned defense of the Incan tongue and cultural autonomy for millions of Quechua speakers, challenging the powerful ideologies of "modernization" and "national integration" predicated on the erasure of Peru's indigenous past. Although there was a strong utopian strain in Arguedas, he was not just interested in indigenous traditions. He also wrote about the challenges of migration and modernity, and proclaimed himself an "hombre Quechua moderno," a modern Quechua man, reflecting his desire for a cultural pluralism for Peru that would go beyond a retreat into a narrow traditionalism. An adaptation of a story Arguedas heard from a Cusco peasant, "The Pongo's Dream" captures the rigidity of the feudal order that still prevailed in many parts of the Andes in the midtwentieth century. But the denouement, where the world turns upside down as in the Inkarri myth, suggests the existence of a spirit of independence and opposition, which was to fuel the peasant movements of the 1950's and the break-up of the landlords' rule.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
LOL O&B,

I'm waiting ....watching MSG for the results of the meeting that Walsh

is to have with Zeke today!

Check out Dx Express's sleeper draft picks!

Until I know how to hyperlink on this format.....I'm stuck at one!

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Rose is not going to happen for us unless we get our frosty balls. I liked what I've seen of Arthur from Kansas all season. He's got it and he seems to have the bball IQ that we're craving. He hasn't declared yet, but after a great game in the biggest game, I'd have a hard time believing he won't.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
The phrase of the day at the blog which shall remain nameless is...

TWEET TWEET!

CHIRP CHIRP!

Blog Suicide

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

(Latin suicidium, from sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of intentionally terminating one's own life; many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest".[1] Suicide may occur for a number of reasons, often related to depression, shame, pain, financial difficulties or other undesirable situations.[citation needed] see STARBURYFAN;

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Peace;

You're a funny dude! LMAO!!!

In my final post that was blocked, (I know he read it) the question to him was; "How long do you expect to stay warm if you pee your own pants in the winter?"

The guy kept pissin' on himself. LMAO!!!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
States:

I agree. Blame that loss on coaching. He also had the option to foul on the final play that sent it to OT, but even before that, I felt Memphis need a time-out to get the players settled. Roberts is a pretty good free throw shooter, but these guys, (him and Rose) played every minute of the game.

Exhaustion played a big part in the key misses at the line in the crunch.

Jay Bee:

That apology from Steph was way too long. I think it went something like \"My bad yo! lol

Good stuff!!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
African,

I thought you'd like this:

Blog Suicide

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

(Latin suicidium, from sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of intentionally terminating one's own life; many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest".[1] Suicide may occur for a number of reasons, often related to depression, shame, pain, financial difficulties or other undesirable situations.[citation needed] see STARBURYFAN;

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Jay Bee,

That is some good material that you put out. If only someone could have gotten to Steph, but when you have been pampered all your life and you have people telling you that you are Starbury, you think your shyt does not stink.

Hey 'Lives' was not fair or balance in his description of me. He listed only my attributes,(LOL).

@'Lives & Barf,

You guys have done a kick-azz job. I want to publicly acknowledge my gratitude and appreciation for your work. I can only image the sacrifice that you guys have made to get this up and running. Congratulations

Peace & Blessings

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Snarky!!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
African,

I do not understand those that could not see Rose's talent in the Final.

His stats were good & would have been better, if his team had better coaching.

The reason that he did not score more or have more assist, is that when

he ran the pick & roll, Kansas big guy would aggressively jump out at Rose.

Memphis big man that set the pick, would not roll to the basket, he would just

stand there and observe the game. Additionally, Memphis big guys would set the picks too high ,and not roll to the hoop, because if Rose gave them the ball they would have to put it on the floor to get to the basket. Calipari is one hell of a recruiter, but his coaching leaves a lot to be desired. He did

not call a time-out because he did not know what to say in the huddle,(LOL).

'Lives'

Admit it. You were one of those guys that said Majic's game would not translate very well to the pros, and Cartwright was the next Wilt.

Let me guess, you believe Kevin Love is the second coming of McHale.

Peace & Blessings

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Disappearing Acts Scene 4

Marbury sulks out, towel on his head and heads to get dressed. The locker room is empty. (Cut to the locker room the next day before practice.)

Isiah: Listen up guys, there�s a new starting lineup. (Isiah posts a sheet on the bulletin board)

Curry: Hey Isiah I think you made a mistake, this sheet is blank.

Isiah: No mistake big fella. The starting lineup will be determined by who is effective in practice, can show toughness and shows a knowledge of the offense and defensive schemes. We are defining Knicks basketball right now gentlemen. This is a man�s game and we�re going to play it like men. The Knicks are going to be a tough, smart, defensive team who can score. If that is who you prove yourselves to be then you will be on the court. Anyone who does not fit that description might play but they won�t see any real time. Now who wants to practice?

Cut to the locker room after practice and Marbury walks in first, with yet another bloody towel on his head and a fattened lip. He is slowly followed by other Knicks with ice packs and bloody towels of their own.

Marbury to Jamal: Hey man, I was out of line the other day. You was just lookin� out.

Jamal: It�s cool man. You gonna hafta keep your head up though. We need ya baby. (slaps it up complete with back pound.) You need to talk to the team man. There�s a lot of hurt feelings over here, not just mine.

Marbury: You�re right man, I fucked up.

Excuse me! Guys?! Excuse me!! (Nobody�s listening, still getting dressed, etc.)

Jamal: Cmon guys hear him out.

Marbury: I ain�t good at speakin� or apologizin� so please bear wit� me �cause all I can do is speak from the heart. Yall�s my brothers yo. It was hard losing my old coach and friend, but I can�t put nothing on that. I was wrong to take the benching the way I did. I was mad. I ain�t never been benched in my whole life. I ain�t know what to do. It was stupid to leave, but I didn�t know what else to do. I just want to say if yall can forgive me, I won�t do nothing like that again.

N8: I�m still gonna take them minutes yo.

Marbury: You can try, but if you don�t stop biting on those crossovers you ain�t takin shit.

N8: Aight nigga, we�ll see.

(Cue rap music. NAS - The World Is Yours)

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Does anyone know how to link an Article or youtube video?

I tried the copy and paste but only the link shows up in black and white and when you click on it...it won't take you there unless you enter each letter

in your browser! What am I doing wrong? For example:

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=40233

Normally this would be a blue link .....but it's not! Help!!!!

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
This site kicks ass!

Just figured out a feature. You can send a personal e-mail to bloggers by clicking their names. Therefore you can take a convo offline if you wish.

Wow!

This IS the shit!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B:

You're so right. Zeke's new name is teflon. There's gonna be a lot of upset people when he lands on his feet.

What Zeke brings, not many can. If you remember at the start of the season, I think it was Broussard on ESPN did a piece and he stated flat out, if he's starting a franchise, the first person he's calling is Zeke.

States:

Rose is defenitely the class of the draft. I heard someone(maybe Clyde) say last night during the Knick telecast that he was on the national stage and didn't show. That's a load of bull.

The guy was playing within the game. He had eight assists. That's a whole lot for a college game, and when he needed to score, he took over. At one point he scored something like ten in a row to get that nine point lead. Plus the defense was focused on him. They doubled him in every pick and roll.

Hello Rose, Bye bye Steph if we get that opportunity.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z

Scene 3: Isiah's office (all of the coaches are present, Hanners and the PR rep are taking notes.)

Marbury: Man! Look what they did to my face!

Isiah: Very nice. Have a seat Mr. Marbury.

You have abdicated your position as Captain of this team and absconded your responsibilities for whatever reason.

Marbury: Look man, I ain�t no bench player�

Isiah: Don�t interrupt me again. Further interruptions will be seen as insubordination and you will be fined for them.

Marbury: Mannnn I ain�t�

Isiah: $20,000

Marbury: You cain�t�

Isiah: $50,000

Marbury: My agent�s gonna�

Isiah: $100,000 (silence, golden expensive silence)

You�ll get your chance to talk when I�m through. The paperwork has already been sent into the league office to fine you a game check for the game that you missed. As I was saying, your position as Captain has been revoked. A captain would not do what you did to his teammates. A captain would be working extra with the young guys to make sure they knew the offense and would reign in Jamal or any of the guys if they were not running the plays the way they were supposed to. You chose a different route.

The route of selfishness.

You�re a great player. I wouldn�t have brought you in here if I didn�t think so. Bottom line is you�re killing me and all I�ve done is try to give you vets a chance to show the young guys what this league is about. Actually, I owe you an apology. I didn�t make you earn anything you�ve been given and for that I really am sorry. I did you a disservice, one which I intend to rectify.

Marbury: Huh??

Isiah: I�ll let that one slide. Scratch that one Hanners.

Hanners: O.K. boss. $500,000 scratched.

Isiah: I�ve told you this before but I�ll tell you again since we�re starting off fresh here. And when I say fresh, I mean fresh as if it is your first day walking through this door. We will not disrespect you by calling you Rookie, but you are no longer Steph, Stephon, Marbury or Starbury. You are number #3 and it is up to you whether the other teammates will respect that name or laugh at it. It is up to you to make the league respect that number. Your game jersey has been altered to reflect the new change.

So that you know, this is not forever. You have an opportunity to earn your way back onto this team and into the rotation maybe even as a starter. However, you will not be given anything else from this team but some Gatorade and a hot shower.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
LIVES,

This music is Dope! I'm listening to J5's "never can say goodbye"

as I'm bloggin! You DA MAN!

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
FYI,

I have logged out of ADMIN several times and came back

even using my daughters email address and it still comes up ADMIN,

Perhaps it may be my IP address? I can loggin as a plain old TAZ

on another computer...like the one at work!

Just wanted to let you guys know!

TAZ(Peaceman)

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
LOL jay bee,

I would love to see a cartoon with your exact story

played out! Good stuff!

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
I don't believe this shit. This damn thing wanted a spell check. I went through each underlined word and added it to the dictionary. LOL It worked though.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
African

"Once again you've got to be careful what you digest. If you're not careful, you will become our past blog host that would remain nameless."

I agree wholeheartedly. But I am not as easily swayed as the former host who shall from here foward remain nameless.

Actually the argument, IMHO, for Zeke staying would factor in the following items.

A) Dolan appointed Thomas to the role of head coach after LB was fired, and several of Brown's assistants stayed on.

IF A) is taken into account along with the rash of additional expenses expended by ownership, to fight the ABS claim, to pay out the ABS claim when it was ruled against them, to maintain, (and Peaceman suggests buy out certain non-performing contracts [Q and James]), then it is plausible that the Organization is going to want Isiah to earn his keep.

B) As you, (African), and others here have pointed out, Isiah has a solid eye for talent.

That redeeming quality, is an item which the Knicks will need in the years to come. If one assumes that the stated goal of Walsh, (Make the Knicks competitve while still being fiscally disciplined enough to bid for Wade, or LBJ), is the Knicks actual goal indeed, then a solid talent evaluator in the draft who can help the organization pick solid performers, and talent in the draft will surely be needed. Why? B/c the salaries of players drafted is set, and is comparatively at a budget that would suit the organizations desired goals. Also if the picks Zeke helps draft become stars or contributors of some merit, then their performance, will factor into the composition of the team, which will surely be a consideration for LBJ and Wade to consider when signing a free agent contract.

C) Dolan values Loyalty.

This last factor when taken into context is another determining factor as to why Thomas will likely not get the boot. In Thomas, Dolan obtained an Ee who followed Dolan's orders to a T with regards to his media policy, a soldier who fell on the sword when all went wrong.

I believe those factors will carry significant weight in Isiah's continued stay with the Knicks organization.

Where in the organization it will be is still to be determined.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Disappearing Acts Scene Two: Marbury Returns

Scene 2: Marbury Returns - The Re-enactment

It's a cold dreary day and the press has been beating up on Isiah and the Knicks mercilessly. Players again are pensive as Stephon walks into the workout room with headphones blaring:

Jamal: Hey man, you o.k. I heard about your old coach...

Marbury: Shut yo little bitchazz up and get outta my face.

Jamal: I was just...

Marbury: You was trying to take my spot niqqa. I see you whispering in these punkaz niqqas ears.

Marbury to Balkman: What the fukk you looking at yo?

Balkman continues to whistle something in reggae while smiling devilishly but doesn't answer.

Isiah walks in.

Isiah: Yall should be sufficiently warmed up by now. Orange team on me! Curry, Lee, Balkman, Nate, Mardy

Herb: Blue team! Morris, Zach, Wilson, Number #3, Jamal

Scrimmage begins. Morris tips it to Jamal who passes to Stephon who breaks down Mardy and heads for the hole. He does not quite get there as he is met rather rudely by Eddy Curry who does not offer to help him up. No whistle is blown and the Orange team heads up the court. They set up in their offensive set and as Marbury catches up to his man he runs into a "sharp" elbow on a Balkman pick that catches him square in the nose.

Marbury yelling to Chandler: You gotta call those out Rook!

Chandler: You're not the boss of me.

Cut to the locker room where hi-fives, rap music and laughter is going on. A bloodied Stephon Marbury walks slowly into the locker room where his space has been X'd out with police tape as if it were a crime scene.

Hanners: Number #3! Coach wants to see you in his office right now!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
I shall plan, persist and persevere.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
States,

You know I disagree with some of that shit. . .but damn that was a nice post. You look good in the penthouse. We may have to keep your snarky azz up there.

I don't know what you're talking about regarding defending African as a racist. I think I missed it. I never called African a racist. We had this discussion far too long ago about what a racist is and I would never have to defend him as a racist. If he was I wouldn't defend his azz. I'd just talk about him.

African

BARF and I agree 100% on having just one page. I hate having to do all that extra clicking. I think that helped the downfall of Knicks (whatever that Isola spot was called). We are trying to figure it out and if sosblog does not support that feature, we may be changing addresses. But, we're working on it. Right BARF.

Jay Bee

There are currently two words on the banned list on this site. You seem to have used both of them and gotten through. Go figger.

The two words are funk and tigger. I thought Peace, ironically, put those words in. BARF, did you? I have no opinion about banning those words except that I will not. Let the marketplace rule is my rule.

I could not find your comment. Be creative and repost. (Now I sound like KD).

I hope the new problems at Knicks Defense are cosmetic changes. The more blogs the better, plus I can't have anyone fucking up my funeral plans.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
As far as Thomas being a "Deadman walking" the following

was copied from the Real Isola, not the nameless former blog host

that is trying to be just like him, ( well he has stolen� Frank's #1 blogger

three peat ed) Check it:

Asked about the meaning of this night against the backdrop of his disastrous Knick reign, Thomas said, "It gives me more confidence in the beliefs I have in what we're doing in New York. It definitely recharges my battery and makes me want to push even harder to accomplish the things we did here, to leave something that will stand the test of time in New York."

Don't sound like a Deadman walking to me!

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
My last post was directed to States.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Jay Bee:

Lol. Rev Wright and I are cut from the same cloth, but we're a different grain.

There's a lots of truths that when said, comes our really repulsive. Truths nonetheless. Nuff said.

Racist! We've got to examine that definition in order to label anyone accurately. Conscious. That's a whole different story.

Don't get me started.

A blogger on that nameless site said that all I blog on is race. That was news to me. Go figure!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B:

If you listen to the media, you'd think Zeke has no idea what he's doing.

The fact remains that this team has lots of talent, and opposing GMs would rob us blind if we do a fire sale .

Zeke made some poor management moves this season that made him look bad, but his talents are still an asset to any organization.

The difference in the play is that the players realize they have a new boss, and are trying to impress in order to survive. That's my reason I advocate for a new voice on the court.

If you look around, all the GM's folks are talking about to be the next, can't hold Zeke's jock. Once again you've got to be careful what you digest. If you're not careful, you will become our past blog host that would remain nameless.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
I forgot Mardy

Mardy- whatever he says will fall on deaf ears

he wont be a knick next year via trade.

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Jsy Bee,

The content must be tooo hot!!

African,

Beasly ,Rose and Hansbrough are the only players that have not declared. You can bet that Beasly & Rose are coming. Hansbrough, it doen't matter. His prospect will remain the same.

BTW, I knew we had an Obama on the blog, but I did not know that Rev. Wright had joined us. When I read 'Lives' defending you as a racist, I assumed the "behind the scene guys" were asking 'Lives' to Reject and

Renounce African. John Lewis was forced to see the light, but Rev. Butts & Tavis Smiley are STILL tryin to derail brothers

Peace & Blessing

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O&B

I believe that Dolan will eat Jerome James and Q Rich's contracts

rather than the 24 million that Zeke is owed!

I believe Zeke will get the first 15 games of next season to do

a 180 or Dolan will be forced to fire him before Christmas!

The exit interview with the players will be huge!

How many and who will insist on keeping Zeke?

This is my guess:

Nate- yes please Keep Zeke

Crawford-yes, please keep Zeke followed by an long

heart felt plea!

Balkman- yes, keep Zeke

Chandler- yes keep Zeke

Lee- yes keep zeke

Rose- no, followed by a Scholarly speech about his Spur's Ring

Curry- yes only if we trade Zach

Zach- yes only if we trade Curry

Jeffries-yes

Q Rich- his vote don't matter

Marbury- his vote don't matter

Jones- yes...because we may resign him very cheap!

James- he won't be asked! lol

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
jay bee,

ask barf or lives!!!

I'm not computer savy! But I too await the rest

of that post!

TAZ

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Seems like the other site, which shall remain nameless, is a hollow shell of its former self.

Oh well!

On another note, I'm also loving Chandler and Jefferies is no longer playing like an awkward Giraffe but more like an elk in rythm.

A question comes to mind...

What is to happen to Ronaldo Balkman?

I'm still a big fan of the Taz, and would like for him to realize his potential as a defensive stopper but I wonder if Chandler's emergence and Jefferies re-emergence might have secure a spot for Taz on the trading blocks?

The inverse might be that now b/c Jefferies is playing more fluidly, he could be traded and his MLE salary could be taken off our books. But is this a route the Knicks are considering? Taz could stay on and attempt to fill Jefferies role and do so at a budget price for the upcoming season. However, he, (Taz), seems reluctant and trepidatious?

What are the thoughts of the fanatics family on this topic?

I also think that Zeke will stay on but b/c the MSM and fickle fanship appear to crave the appearance of a clean up, he will probably not be the Head Coach next season. The GM spot also might be too public. So my guesse is an undefined role in between an assistant GM, and consultant. Who knows with his penchant for picking solidly in the late rounds of the draft and his penchant for working with younger players, he might head up the Knicks NBADL franchise or at least oversee what talent we can get into that franchise.

Again what are your thoughts? Is there a place for Isiah with the Knicks if so where? Sounds like a good topic for a lead post. Yes?

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Nope, Nigga sailed through like a dream. Nigga is cruisin. Not sure why my post won't go through. Admin! Save me!

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Or nigga.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
No.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Maybe it was the use of the word fuck?

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
O.K. so no filter.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Is there a filter on here? I was cussin' my ass off. (test)

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Re: Scene 2 - Error message I'm getting is: Supplied comment is invalid

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Barf:

I love Jefferies' versatility. Bulking up does not work for free flowing players like Jefferies. It would kill his mobility and flexibility. I was loving his game last night and the past few games. Bring up the ball and taking it to the hoop instead of taking that foul looking jump shot.

He's playing freely and that's what you want from him. He now looks like the Jefferies that played in Washington. Gone is the tentitive fragile Jefferies. He's also a keeper in my book. Just the way he is.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
JB

I'm still looking forward to the sequel on the previous thread..."Disappearing Acts - The Re-enactment"

I kinda wanted to see where you were going with that piece.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Good piece States. This Knick franchise is far from perfect and its been that way for a long time. This is shaping up to be a very important draft. I would love Rose, but with a trade down (get rid of Marbury, QRich, JJames, MRose and/or a big)...I wouldn't mind it if we picked up a few other draft picks and just replaced some of the vets on this team with more youth. We'd suffer in the short term but I'd rather suffer with youth than the bunch that has under-performed this yr.

I took a glance at the NCAA championship game and got a glimpse of Dorsey. That kid has got NBA written all over him. Maybe not a star, but Milsaap/Gomes/CraigSmith type quality to him. He looked like a beast.

I also like B. Lopez and would definitely take a shot at the freshman Kevin Love.

But it all kind of depends on who Walsh can get rid of this offseason and who actually comes out.

Chandler's got the size, he's got the stroke and he's got the strength. All he needs is the experience and the confidence and we have ourselves a bonafide two way sleeper at the SF spot for next season.

QRich has to earn his spot. JJeff should try bulking up some, 15-20 lbs if not 25 to 30 without killing himself. He would benefit from taking his sights off the PG's and SG's on defense and concentrate on being able to guard the SF, PF and C (obviously in specific circumstances and matchups).

The core has shifted.

Its nice to know the big fella was inducted in the Hall. Finally, he's won something. Too bad it wasn't with a ring.

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
@ African,

Your 100% right! This is the best Crow I have ever eaten!

Chandler is a keeper! I wanted to believe and now I'm on board

with him as a future Knick star!

@ Statesman Great Post!

I have a feeling there's a Diamond in this draft that is not

mentioned in your list or any MSM list of prospects for this years draft!

We will have plenty of time to research the players who did not get

the same coverage from the MSM as the Players you mentioned.

If we should happen to Luck out and get the 1rst pick.....I think we should

trade it for two mid 1rst rounders! We do not need Beasley as Chandler

and the former ST John's bad boy will be enough at that position!

Maybe the Knicks will have a pre draft agreement with another team that includes we pick Beasley trade him to the team with the second pick for Rose

and a second rounder or late first rounder (if they have it!)

Peaceman

In response to: Deja Vu: It's 1985 or is it 1979

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
What a breath of fresh air States!

I can surely breathe again. I don't have to hold my nose like I used to at the other site that would remain nameless.

It's hard for me to speculate on draft picks when you don't know who's coming out.

Peace, your boy Chandler is making you eat crow! The guy is a legit NBA player. Size, hops, athleticism, soft shot, shotblocking, rebounding. He's got the whole tool bag! He could probably save Zeke's job. Would you like some fries to go with that?

I know there's a lottery going on out there as to when Zeke will be fired, but if I'm Donnie, I'm keeping Zeke as the GM, and have him report to me. Work with him on trades, and hire a new voice for the players.

I do understand why Zeke didn't hire Patrick, but this is the time to get the Big Fella home. You know that's what he wants!

Lives, I remember way back I posted on that nameless site that I would like to see Zeke back in the tunnel. I speculated on having my boy from the Wizards to be the next coach. My second choice was Laimbeer. That was way before all this drama of this season started. Here we are again discussing possible coaches.

One improvement I'd like to see is, let's have one streaming page instead of the page breaks. It gets a bit too involved trying to get to the end to do a post.

Peace, you're one funny dude!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Lets hope the Knicks can spoil the Pacers playoff hopes!

Artest and Co seem to love the "Spoiler role" as they beat the Hornets

with Artest leading the way, since we haven't figured out how to link

I've copyed this from the Bee:

This was how the Kings envisioned it.

Without postseason prayers, they pictured a new role � the spoilers � as their schedule provided the necessary matchups.

Western Conference-leading New Orleans was the first to meet the Sacramento roadblock as the Kings defeated the Hornets 94-91 Saturday night at Arco Arena.

The loss not only jeopardized the Hornets' hold on the West's top seed but likely jarred Chris Paul's MVP chances.

"Mucking it up, we can smile about it because that's been our goal," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "We are going to be here working anyways, so let's have some fun and muck it up. Make the West take notice."

The Kings have a chance to further mess with the standings with games against San Antonio on Monday and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday in their regular-season finale.

"We got exactly what we deserved, and that's a loss," Hornets coach Byron Scott said.

The Kings won despite the absence of leading scorer Kevin Martin, who suffered a strained right knee in Friday's win over Portland.

As in several games this season, Ron Artest's status was unknown leading up to tipoff. The Kings small forward had sat out three of the last four contests because of a sprained left thumb, but he decided to play and had a pivotal role in the upset, scoring a team-high 22 points on 9-for-19 shooting from the field. His two consecutive three-pointers early in the fourth quarter put the Kings ahead 76-75, and he hit two more from long range in the period.

Artest's final three-pointer gave the Kings a 91-85 lead with 51 seconds remaining. They needed that cushion when Morris Peterson sank three free throws with 23 seconds remaining after he was fouled by Francisco Garc�a on a three-point attempt.

New Orleans then forced the Kings into a five-second inbounding violation, and former King Peja Stojakovic hit a three-pointer to close the gap to 92-91 with 12.3 seconds left.

The Hornets fouled John Salmons with 11 seconds left, and his two free throws provided the final points, as Stojakovic's three-point attempt with 2.9 seconds left circled the rim and fell out.

"Phil Jackson said, 'Watch out for the Kings � they'll play a part in what's happening to the West down the stretch,' " Theus said. "From the beginning to the end, we outplayed them."

Salmons finished with 18 points and a career-high-tying 11 rebounds for his fifth double double of the season. Garc�a scored 16 points for the Kings, who used an eight-man rotation.

David West led the Hornets with 30 points and 15 rebounds, his ninth double double this season.

"It was a fun game, and we played well," Garc�a said. "We played well together again, and when we play together, it shows that we are hard to beat."

The Kings won the season series against New Orleans 2-1 and picked up their 16th victory in 18 attempts against the Hornets at Arco. They also have won six of their last eight games overall.

"I'm very impressed with our players who are taking pride in finishing the season strong," Theus said. "That's been our goal � we weren't talking about winning the games. We were talking about finishing strong, and as I say all the time, if you play harder than the other team, you're going to have a chance to win."

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
@ BARF

Looks like the GSW can make the playoffs! Denver plays @ Houston

tonight after a loss to the Jazz! If Houston wins and GSW can Beat the Suns,

the last games for each team will be Memphis vs Denver and Sonics vs GSW!

We'll see who wants it more!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
@LIVES

Before the revolution there must be involution...You, Statesman, BARF, and Young Brudder Peaceman, have taken the proverbial step to commune in the SPHERE of LOVE, HONESTY, TRUTH...

And, though the revolution will not ne televised, the EVOLUTION will CAHNGE THE WORLD...It's somthin about my boy the Beatles...make me what to shout it is going to be allright....

Groove on my TOASTY BRUDDER...

ONE LOVE!

Keep it CRACKIN!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Good evening Fanatics, Defenders and Fixers,

It is deep in the PM and I just finished dinner with my family. As usual we had interesting dinner table conversation about race and politics at the table, trying to explain the REASONS for�as much as I could�to a nine year old. I am so pleased at the advantages my daughter has that I did not have and I pray that her contribution to society and to her own life reflects that advantage. Change is happening over the dinner plate. WOW.

Man, I won't write much because I am toasty tonight, enjoying some nice chardannay and thinking about the work we are engaged in as we build the Fanatic Station. Good stuff, but no matter how many bells and whistles we add to the joint, the soul and heart is the members of the community.

I remain sad at the decline of KD, but the transformation continues regardless and you folks, Gentle Fanatics, are doing a great job at developing this home. Please believe me when I tell you we are the cutting edge -- dangerous, like stepping razors. DaVonn is right, the world is changing. MSM is becoming secondary and while the revolution will not be televised, it will still be broadcasted. Perhaps from your livingroom.

So I ask that we build this legacy on our love for community, honesty and truth. All else will fall into place. No rules. The marketplace (community) rules.

Peaceman, great comments.

I am just warming up. Feeling toasty and ready to burn a hole in the blogosphere. Be afraid. Be very afraid. You thought I was crazy before. Watch what happens next. It'S JUST A RIDE.

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
It may be noted that LA has some of the Best Orthopedic MD'S

on this planet! That is a FACT! Anyone find it a coinsidence

Bynum comes to NY for RX? With a Knick MD!!!!! Bynum slips in and out of NY while the Press is in waiting for a meeting that

may or may have not taken place Between Walsh and Zeke?

MONTY IS ALIVE AND KICKING! BTW....which card Bruh?

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Check it, I wish Steady were here to read between the lines!

Let me copy and post a few interesting Coinsidences.

Remember that Lives met the "Insider" at a Knicks game with me?

Well let me paste this from one article:

It's also possible -- the Post reports -- that the Knicks gave an optimistic report on when Camby is scheduled to return in order to not scare off other teams in trade negotiations. Camby was on the trading block until the deadline passed on Thursday.

"I expect him to come back and I think he wants to come back, I think he will come back," Knicks head coach Don Chaney told the Post. "In terms of when, I have no idea."

Also, Camby is seeking a second opinion. Camby will also see another orthopedist -- Dr. David Altchek -- on Tuesday, the Post reported.

Here's todays Hoophype report on Bynum...Note the MD'S NAME!

BYNUM LIMITED

The progress, or digress report from injured center Andrew Bynum did not sound good:

�I still have a little bit of pain but jumping, running, backpedaling and quick change of directions are still a problem,� Bynum said when he talked to the media before the game.

Bynum got back from New York this week after his knee specialist, Dr. David Altchek, did not clear him to practice. It was a serious setback in his rehabilitation from a bone bruise and briefly dislocated left knee suffered in January.

Guys, Dr. Altcheck works for the Knicks! He also works at my sister hospital,

The Hospital for special surgery @ 68TH & York! Google Him as I'm trying to Read between the lines for the truth!

1. Bynum saw a Knick MD this week?

2. Bynum is to sign a 75 million dollar contract this summer?

Would I be strecthing it to say the Insider may be on to something here?

Like Goodbye Steph and God knows who? Hello Bynum?????

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Peaceman

Very informative reads, especially that about the inner working about the NY Tabloid "Opinion" writers.

Here is a genuine question which arises...

Does the Tabloid slanted MSM generate such "news" for the purpose of selling copy, with the awareness that an ancillary benefit is to stir a pot so that news is made by those rattled by their "news stories?"

On another topic

Did anyone notice how Clyde was talking about how important it is for the organization to have stability in order to become stable and prosperous?

From that phrase, I'm wondering if the Knicks during the Thomas regime ever had the necessary stability to succeed. One may argue that all the constant misinformation, exagerattion, and scandal style reporting did as much to add to the lack of instability within the organization as did the constant line shufflings of the LB coaching experiment.

What are your thoughts on this fanatics?

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
@Peaceman

The scales of Justice have a way of balancing out...On that note,

I want to commend you and re-thinking your position and your thought process regarding KD and his the presence of his THREAD on this one...I mean this sincerely and beleive it totally...

You cannot create or build anything of Significant Value on a foundation of ill will, finding joy or solace in the demise of another Universal Child or Children, or allowing the Cancerous effects of anger and discord to dictate your actions or behavior without dire consequences, for the Universal Law of Cause and Effect will not alter its Universal Principle for you, me or anybody else...

I'm Proud of you PEACEMAN and I also mean that sincerely...

If the flow of truth and justice is evident in our effort here, and our Universal flow is pleasing to the Master of Mysteries, he will allow our flow to become a cemented block foundation, and the others trying to better our flow better look out below....If we do this in the right spirit, "In the heights of the Universe shall be our Habitation...CAN YOU DIG IT

ONE LOVE!

Keep it CRACKIN!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
@ Cooley High

Thanks,

I emailed MODI that article in a copy and paste, he got back to

me and wanted the source which I gave him the link! I think he's pissed about the injustice of Brown putting up Pictures of traded Knicks in MSG ONE WEEK

after the trade! She claimed to have no Knowledge of that trade when everyone, even a sometime fan knew about that trade minutes after it happened, let alone a Knick VP of marketing.....and you Know Modi.....

and how he hates injustice! There will be a revival of the ABS trial even though people have moved on.......People have to Know the truth!

Modi was unaware of that article, so was I until today!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
It would be nice if can we beat-up the C's Monday.

Game #81 and Zeke still doesn't a consistant starting line.

When this season ends we will have progress.

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
@Peaceman

Thanks for allowing to refresh my memory via the articles and email expose by LOU....Interesting stuff...

One Love!

Keep it CRACKIN!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
I knew bokonon would show up with some

post that would coinside with this migration. He's now Posted

on Hahn's site as well as KD'S!

bokonon was always one of my favorite Read's @ KN!

I would enjoy his fellowship here!

bokonon, if your reading this you are always welcome!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Even worse hate..... @ Ewing

NY Knick Fans and Patrick:

Losers Together and Losers Apart

Yeah you can believe that the jack off Garden Knick fans, who pay the equivalent of 4 tank-fulls of gas to watch 2 hours of meaningless NBA mid-season basketball, you can believe that these �sports fan� morons would stand and cheer the return of the biggest franchise disappointment � if not the biggest disappointment in the entire history of sports. �St. Patrick� Ewing was back in town, and golly-gee, let�s show the world how �knowledgeable� and �classy� us New York and New York Knick fans really are.

The stupid ass-brain idiots. Cheering a player, Patrick Ewing, who was supposed to bring them not a single choke-filled appearance in the NBA Finals, but an entire dynasty of all-the-way-to-the-Canyon-of-Heroes championships. Har har har har har har har. You wish you owned the Garden, laughing all the way to the bank with an arena full of suckers like these.

The biggest laughs are reserved for the biggest dickheads of all, those �knowledgeable� and �classy� and tapped-out horse�s asses who stood and cheered for that big stupid fu#k Ewing.

Here�s a player who never thought of the good of the team, who made it a point to stay aloof and maintain his �Hoya Paranoia� inherited from that other Me-the-Victim guru John Thompson. Ewing was paid more money than any non-winning sports figure in history,�

Ewing has been romantically linked to Knick City Dancer Ashley, now in her 5th year.

and when his final contract ran out, he told the Knicks and their fans in effect, �Big shit, I played here for 16 years. Fuck you, pay my 38-year-old legs $16 million a year or I�m hobbling out of here. I got a bigger asshole named Paul Allen in Seattle who will give me what I want. Been good knowing you -you loser shithead assholes, wish I coulda saw past my own statistics or made a clutch shot once in a while, but hey, fucking I got mine. Thanks and so long. Oh, one more thing: Don�t forget to stand up and applaud like the �knowledgeable� and �classy� New York and New York Knick fans you are next time I stop by. Assholes!� And Knick fans, just like their counterpart Giant fans who worshipped the even more selfish crybaby Mark Bavaro, are licking Ewing boot.

God how easy it is to sneer, �Knick fans!� - comprised predominantly of jerk-offs in the cheap ($60) seats and courtside super-celeb real �nitty-gritty� basketball fans, they howl with fu#king adulation when the Biggest Loser in Sports History struts onto the court.

Enough, enough, the point is made and it isn�t lost on Knick or Garden management: �Boys, we are milking the biggest brainless cash cow in the history of live sporting events.

Look at these assholes! They are so caught up in being �fans� in being �seen� and in acting like jack-offs that we can pretty much put any five yo-yo�s on the court and watch the dough roll in. Every once in a while, we can make them feel good, and feel proud, by drafting or signing or trading for some big name loser, say for example like that basketball fraud Patrick Ewing, we can whet them every once in a while and milk their shitbrains dry.�

Thanks, Patrick. For being such a big, selfish �victim� but more important, for demonstrating that it ain�t how you win the game, or how you play the game; but rather how you lose the game. Again, and again, and again.

Ewing has not been romantically linked to Knick City Dancer Kris.

And to watch those basketball �genius� New York and New York Knick fans, watch them wallow in their own stupid losing spending ways, they�re so smart!

I had to EDIT this just to get it posted, but this Hate is constant here in NY! Now, we that remember what the writers were writing back then but we

had no blog formats to respond to that hate! I guess MODI'S term " Knick Media Amnesia" is soooo true! And they attack Zeke for

saying we have not won the Chip since 1973???

Peaceman

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
More haters from the Ewing Era.....Some people have short memories:

July 28, 2000

Patrick Ewing

No one can begrudge Patrick Ewing his desire to convince the Knicks to part with $30 million for the privilege of having Patrick lead them into the first and perhaps even second round of the NBA playoffs. What we can begrudge the big, non-NBA champion doofus is his continued insistence that he has any relevance at all to the Knicks chances of winning a title: the only relevance is that Knick management might recognize they aren't winning a title with Ewing, and cast aside their sentimental blindfold and show "Saint" Patrick the door. We all know the real St. Patrick led the snakes off the Emerald Isle. The only place the Knicks St. Patrick has led them is off the road which leads to an NBA title.

And if Patrick wants to make noises that he is going to play for another three years (the one still remaining under his current Knick contract plus two more) even if it means leaving the Knicks after this upcoming season, then set the brother free. Ideally, no matter where Patrick goes, he never tastes the sweet euphoria of a championship season. Ironically, he may well achieve the goal if he accepts a limited role on a solid contender - maybe playing pee-potty holder for a genuine NBA center product - Shaq O'Neal or perhaps even 'Zo Mourning.

Let's face it. the Knicks have wasted 15 years waiting for Ewing to lead them to the promised land. Every year it's the same mantra coming out of the Garden: This year we win with Patrick. They're saying it again this year, they might even believe it (but can you?).

And now Patrick says pay me or goodbye. Let him leave, let him go scrape gum off the court-sweeper's shoes somewhere. Overrated, arrogant, and almost certainly never-to-be an NBA champion, Patrick Ewing can take solace in counting his enormous paychecks. Nothing personal, it's just that relying on Patrick for an NBA title has been the worst NBA bet anyone could've made over the past decade and a half. Let the big man go, get him the hell out of here. Bring in a winner, someone who doesn't think an entire team revolves around him, and them fails to bring that team a win.

Bye, bye loser. Go get your $30 mil elsewhere, if you can.

--Dick Acorn

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Check it ...more proof that the ABS trial was pure bullshit!

An E-Mail Exchange

Anucha Browne Sanders = Hero of the Stupid

Andrea Peyser and Kati Cornell of the NY Post

Bias their Coverage Against the Black Man -- Isiah Thomas

The following is an email exchange between LouV and Andrea Peyser/Kati Cornell of the NY Post during their daily roasting of Isiah Thomas during the Isiah Thomas-Anucha Browne Sanders trial.

Thu 9/20/2007 5:06 PM

Dear Andrea Peyser,

I have been reading your blog in the NY Post concerning the trial case of Anucha Brown Sanders versus Madison Square Garden. Also today, I picked up a copy of the NY Times that someone had left on the Staten Island Ferry.

What I read in the NY Times was startling. The news article provided many facts that neither you or the person on the Post doing the 'straight news' article on the case have even mentioned -- that Anucha Brown Sanders did numerous things on the job that were severely incompetent. Like having a mural put up at MSG that showed the faces of players who had been traded away!! That by itself is cause for dismissal for most $250k a year marketing people. And that seems the tip of the iceberg with her. And then also to be accused of coercing other employees to drum up charges against the Knicks for her sexual harrasement case so she could protect her job!

In reading the NY Post sports pages for years, it's become evident to me that James Dolan makes mistakes in running the team, but he also seems like a very moral fellow. This has shown through to me by his support of former alcoholics, and other employees who go through tough times. Trust me, I've cursed the guy out many times; almost called him a bitch once for signing Alan Houston for three more years, but I've also seen a very strong sense of morality in him.

My suspicion, and gut feeling, is he could have easily settled out of court in this case, as you suggested the other day, but I think his moral fiber made him fight it, because Anita Brown was incompetent and in the wrong, and was probably a 'nightmare' at work.

James Dolan, who reportedly spent many heart-to-heart talks with troubled alcoholic Vin Baker, whom the Knicks traded for after his career and life seemed to reach a nadir.

Stephon Marbury, on the other hand, seems to be a very juvenile fellow. But to be denigrated because he used the word "bitch" when referring to someone in a private email to someone else, is absurd.

Andrea, you typically have things right but I think you're seeing this case the wrong way. I think you're giving right to the bad guy.

Lou

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:56:33 -0400

From: Andrea.Peyser

they've drummed up a case against her, after the fact. we'll see what happens.

Writer's Note: The NY Post requires their writers to respond to reader emails. From the sparse, ungrammatical response from Andrea, it's clear she either can't type, rushed this answer out, or isn't much of a writer.

Notice also how I inadvertantly called Anucha Browne Sanders "Anita Brown" above. Yikes!

Thu 9/20/2007 9:10 PM

To: Andrea.Peyser; Kati.Cornell

Andrea,

It's getting worse. I came home tonight and read Dave D'Alessandro's report on the case in the Staten Island Advance. Like your columns, I highly respect D'Alessandro's reporting and view on things. His is the best report so far as to actually what is happening in the case, allowing us readers to draw our own conclusions from the facts.

Information that was in D'Alessandro's article but not in the Post:

Browne Saunders received annual bonuses because "they're built on two factors -- profitability of MSG on the whole -- about 50 percent of it -- and how your individual business unit peforms." Mills added that in 2006, he had fired her Ranger counterpart, Mike Golub, "while handing him a bonus check."

".. as for Browne Sanders' glowing performance reviews, Mills said they were deceiving. in no fewer than three cases, he noted that she needed work on her business relationships.."

Andrea, I'm not sure if you've ever worked in the real world, but having been part of corporate America for 25 years, and involved with lots of marketing people, I'll tell you this -- people get performance reviews that 'seem' good all the time. The devil is in the details. The devil was apparently in Browne Sanders' details.

More:

According to Mills, "her style tended to be somewhat abrasive. Not the type of manager who can get the most out of people."

In other words, Andrea, she was a nightmare. The kind of person you look to get rid of. The fact that she was a woman and she was black, means you have to tread delicate ground in dismissing her.

MORE:

It was Hank Ratner, the vice chairman of Cablevision and MSG, who originally sounded the alarm and told Dolan and Mills that "we should fire her right now" after a NUMBER OF FINANCIAL PLANNING MISTATEMENTS BY BROWNE SANDERS AT A FINANCIAL PLANNING MEETING IN AUGUST 2005.

Andrea, why was this information never disclosed in your coverage in the NY Post??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I'm starting to worry about your coverage in the NY Post. It looks extremely unbalanced and biased.

I'm starting to wonder about your reports in general.

Lou

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 08:40:31 -0400

"Andrea.Peyser" wrote:

I'm an opinion columnist. I give my opinion, and it is that the Garden apparatus after the fact found stuff to make her look bad. They never said she was fired for poor performance. and the Rangers guy worked there one year and was rated a "3'' - lower than Anucha ever got. As I said, he was out in a year.

But I write an opinion column. You can find the news in the straight news pieces.

Writer's Note: Looks like Andrea is pointing the finger of blame at Kati Cornell at this point, for lack of facts reported in the straight news story.

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 08:38:29 -0700 (PDT)

To: Andrea.Peyser ; Kati.Cornell

Well then my blaming finger points at you Kati...

Andrea, thanks for replying. I understand you are an opinion columnist, and you're a good one. I regularly enjoy your columns, and typically agree with you.

But in this case I was really confused after reading the Post's overall coverage of the trial, that MSG hadn't put up more of a fight. It wouldn't make logical sense for them -- to not pay her off if her charges were true; as D'Alessandro said last week -- 6 million would be well worth it and pocket change for them to make sure the Garden wasn't besmirched, and the general public to get a bad feeling about them. They're in the business of selling tickets. The only logical reason that I could think of why they allowed this to come to trial would be if the charges were trumped up and Browne Sanders was a nightmare, and Dolan's morality was challenged.

But then to find out while reading the Times and the Staten Island Advance that, in fact, this case had been made, it was just that the NY Post failed to mention it in their news pieces. That's scary stuff.

As Deroy Murdoch once told me, you can change the news based on what you leave out of a story.

The face of prejudice against black men? Andrea Peyser looks like a woman who has spent her life riding the F train to Queens fearing getting mugged.

You guys influence a lot of people. Give us you opinions, but also get us the facts; let us make up our own minds.

Lou

PS: I'm not a fan of Dolan, who is the king of boneheaded moves; I'm not a fan of Isiah, who effuses arrogance; I'm not a fan of Marbury, who is juvenile. But I'm also not a fan of incompetent marketing people; I've worked with my share of good ones and bad ones. The bad ones will kill you, in the workplace. I hope that whatever the truth is, truth is served in this trial.

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:50:12 -0400

From: "Kati.Cornell"

Thanks for your interest. We are one day into the defense case, so I'm sure there will be more information to come.

Best,

Kati Cornell

Writer's Note: Notice how Kati's response is more refined and coherent than Andrea's response above. One can only infer who the 'writer' is .

Notice also how Andrea Peyser has formed such a strong opinion BEFORE any of the defense was even begun. These emails follow continued articles by Peyser, started the first day of trial, that ring Isiah Thomas and James Dolan up as the worst animals on earth.

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:39:12 -0700 (PDT)

To: Kati.Cornell" , Andrea.Peyser@nypost.com

Thanks Kati. Better coverage by you today; your reports are starting to look like the information being dealt out by USA Today, NY Times, SI Advance, and Florida Times-Union.

First day of defense you say.. now day three.

Looks like Andrea Peyser's opinion was formed before the trial even began?

Andrea, here are some pointers on the information you are letting fly past you in this trial, in your apparent attempt to paint Isiah Thomas as the culprit here, and assassinate the character of employees of Madison Square Garden, no matter what facts are presented to you.

First -- Andrea -- if the Marketing Manager approves the posting of a large mural/poster that features the faces of players that HAVE JUST BEEN TRADED AWAY, that is a HUGE blunder if what you are talking about is marketing of an NBA team. They might as well have hung a huge poster in front of MSG that announced to the city "We're really stupid people here, and want you to root for the players we just traded away!!". Andrea, for that Marketing Manager, who is the VP of Marketing and should be pouring his/her heart and soul into the team in the way of 70 hour work weeks and knowing everything that is going on -- when that manager turns around and says it's not her fault because NO ONE TOLD HER about the trade!!!! -- Andrea, every Knick fan in NYC knew about the trade minutes after it was made, let alone days to a week later. Andrea, this was the EDDIE CURRY trade that everyone in basketball knew about. This Marketing Manager says she didn't know about it??? Does she ever read the back page of the NY POST? She IS, after all, THE VP OF MARKETING of the Knicks! Then to say that she can't keep up with the players that Thomas trades, he trades so many.. THIS WAS THE EDDIE CURRY TRADE ANDREA. Thomas DOESN'T TRADE A LOT of players; and even if he did, the VP of Marketing should be able to keep up with it wouldn't you think?!!!

Then to say, even if she had known, she would have put up the poster anyway. HUH? That statement means that she is acknowledging that she's an arrogant moron who doesn't give a shit about the team or its image.

THIS ONE INCIDENT is all I need to know, from a far, to see that she was an arrogant, incompetent marketing manager looking to put the blame on someone else for her own laziness. At 250k a year.

In today's column, you glossed over the fact that she told Isiah Thomas that SHE WAS IN CONTROL OF THE BUDGET AND HE HAD TO RUN ALL TRADES THROUGH HER. HUH??? According to Kati Cornell's 'straight news' article, "Thomas said Sanders came into his office and handed him a "cheat sheet" describing her duties and told him, "I want to let you know that I'm responsible for the Knicks budget". 'I said, I thought I'm in control of my budget', said Thomas."

The face of incompetence? Sanders, the VP of Marketing, didn't know the top players on the team had been traded, a week after they were traded.

Andrea, in your column, you wrote "The next time, she asked him to inform her about player trades so she could put the information into the team budget."

That doesn't jive. Andrea, you are misrepresenting the facts in your "opinion column". I know you're an "opinion columnist" in your own words, but you're not supposed to be changing the facts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In her straight news article, Kati said that "Thomas said that as soon as their embrace ended, Sanders wanted to "put in a good word" for a pal, the assistant general manager of the team, and asked Thomas if he would attend weekly meetings with her. "I said, I'm not sure. I just got here," Thomas said. "I told her I was still looking for the water cooler." Adding to his frustration, Thomas learned that Sanders had secretly spoken to his assistant as she left his office and instructed the woman to go ahead and put the meetings in his calendar."

Andrea, in your column, you dismissed this in writing "What she did was ask Thomas' assistant to schedule some meetings with her. He hated that. It was war."

This shows me Andrea, that you've never worked in the real world, and know nothing about sports, or marketing. You are revealing more about your own hangups than anything that's coming out on Isiah Thomas, and his "unhealthy relationship with his mother" accusation that you fire away at him.

Andrea: It's becoming apparent that you have:

Never worked in the real world

Don't know much about sports, or the importance of having a GM control the player payroll budget!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have been sexually harrassed in the workplace yourself. Have you?

Have something against black men. Do you?

Writer's Note: You can see that what Andrea wrote in her column today really pissed me off. She not only glossed over facts that the defense brought up, and misrepresented them, she continued to belittle Thomas and made a statement about him having an "unhealthy relationship with his mother." In this, she mocked the African-American culture, after Thomas had described how his mother had taught him how to treat a lady.

Andrea Peyser didn't respond to my email.

Thu, 27 Sep 2007 18:59:01 -0700 (PDT)

"Kati.Cornell" , Andrea Peyser

Andrea,

Can I take your failure to answer my two questions as a "No Comment"?

Lou

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 07:31:45 -0700 (PDT)

"Kati.Cornell" , Andrea.Peyser@nypost.com

Andrea, one more thing to think about:

In this world of emails, where folks who get into trouble for sexual misconduct almost always get caught redhanded with some salacious emails that they've sent to the other party, how come there has been no evidence brought up that Isiah Thomas ever sent Anucha Browne Sanders ANY emails with any kind of sexual innuendo?

Don't you think that there would be some such emails if he had indeed sexually propositioned her? And if there were the defense would have brought them up and then I'd be on your side Andrea -- then I'd say yes, the guy is guilty. Hang him.

But there were no emails of a non-business nature, and he apparently never called her during off-work hours. I'm surprised the defense didn't make a big deal about this (or perhaps, horribly, they did and the newspapers didn't report it? -- I can't trust the news at all anymore so I don't know.)

All she is claiming is he used some vulgarities in her vicinity because of the fucked up job she was doing, and her demands to control his player budget. And then a verbal sexual invite without any emails in this world of email fervor.

Andrea, this is a case of really bad worker getting fired and then drumming up a charge. Anucha Browne Sanders is making it more difficult for women everywhere who actually HAVE BEEN sexually harrassed and then fired. And you're giving that really bad worker the right. And making things worse for women everywhere.

Throughout the trial, and after the trial, all reports indicated that all of the players and other workers in the MSG organization, all the way up to James Dolan, stood firmly behind Isiah Thomas. Sanders, contrastedly, seemed universally disliked in the organization.

-- LouV

Postscript:

December 11, 2007, 5:29 PM ET

Madison Square Garden and New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas reached an $11.5 million settlement of the sexual harassment case brought by Anucha Browne Sanders.

"As I have said before, I am completely innocent," Isiah Thomas said. "This decision doesn't change that. However, this is the best course for Madison Square Garden, and I fully support it."

"We don't feel any less strongly than we did throughout the entire episode," MSG said in a statement. "The outcome was a travesty of justice, and we vehemently disagree with the jury's decision, however, at the strong request of [the NBA commissioner] and in the interest of focusing on basketball, we can all agree that it is time for us to move on and put this issue behind us."

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
A more recent article !

Why the Knicks Don't Suck .. Anymore

But the NY Post and NY Daily News Do (Suck)

by Lou V

As the Knicks start the 2007-08 NBA season at 2-9, it would seem all of NYC is apoplectic and calling for the firing of Isiah Thomas. A media frenzy drives the casual fan to think basketball hell is taking place at Madison Square Garden. The NY Post -- closer everyday to the National Enquirer -- in its on-going effort to dumb-down the citizens of Gotham, has used the front page of its Thanksgiving edition to call for the firing of Isiah Thomas, putting his head on a turkey. As if there were no other news in this world to cover.

The Knicks Are Doing Fine

But the only thing in demise here is the journalistic integrity of the NY Post, Daily News and similar media outlets who treat the readers the way media has traditionally dealt with people in third-world countries; getting their attentions off real economic and political issues by parading sports and the lottery in front of them. Basketball isn't that important, and the Knicks are fine. They remain as they were to start the season -- a young, athletic team with guys who can score; they have great chemistry, believe in their coach, and are progressively playing better defense.

Mort Zuckerman and Rupert Murdoch dumb down NY with National Enquirer journalism while James Dolan and Isiah Thomas provide moral substance.

They're not a championship team yet, but they're a good team; a playoff-caliber team. They've had two early season issues -- turnovers and bad free throw shooting -- causing them to lose a number of tight games. A tough early-season schedule for the 3rd year in a row has started them off in arrears. And it will get worse -- their late November/early December schedule is extremely tough. The schedule eases up in January, and then gets downright pleasurable in March and April. But that's a long way away; dozens of NY Post and Daily News front and back-page assassinations to endure. It will be interesting to see if the Knicks can win enough in December to keep the wolves at bay; if James Dolan, owner, who has proven to be a stand-up, moral guy despite numerous assassinations on his own character by the same media, will stick to his word and the game plan until the casual fan is spoon fed the idea that this team isn't so bad. History favors Dolan standing by his word.

Why Isiah Thomas Is Castigated by NY Media

Exemplified by the Renaldo Balkman Affair

Isiah's overly optimistic, used-car-salesman-handshake approach and street-fighter, chip-on-his-shoulder personality doesn't wash well with the NY beat reporters, and they attack him regularly with vengeance. Previous coach Larry Brown, in contrast, ingratiated himself with the mostly white NYC beat reporters. Mike Lupica of the Daily News seemed to fall into that Brown family of friends; and it was Lupica who savagely attacked Isiah in the middle of the 2006-2007 season, when the Daily News ran a back-page Sunday edition featuring Isiah Thomas drawn as a clown. Lupica attacked Thomas for daring to say that he knew more about basketball than the typical NY fan. Thomas's sin came after months of being ridiculed by the NY beat reporters for the 2006 June draft, echoed by fans on Sports Talk Radio, when he picked Renaldo Balkman with the 20th pick in the draft. That day, basketball-expert NY fans in attendance at Madison Square Garden booed; they wanted Isiah to pick local college hero point-guard Marcus Williams. Because they'd all seen Williams on TV, and he was good. In college. And the local newsmedia prepped them before the draft by telling them that the Knicks could possibly get to draft Williams with their first round pick, which was a late first rounder. Nobody -- not the Knick beat reporters or the fans -- had ever heard of Renaldo Balkman.

Isiah Thomas had. He'd seen Balkman play in college. He'd seen Balkman play at the pre-draft drills and private tryout invites. Isiah Thomas as a GM previously with Toronto and Indiana, had established himself as a terrific evaluator of NBA talent, and draft picker. Isiah Thomas was one of the greatest point guards in the history of the NBA; led his team to two championships; and you'd figure if Thomas saw a player he'd want to play with, that would be enough for anybody. Point guards especially, know the game like noone else, since they're distributing the ball to everyone.

You'd figure that the typical NY fan would be thumbs up with whoever Thomas picked; and if he picked a 6'7" sleeper that noone had heard of, so much the better. Thomas had been hired as GM in part for his fantastic resume at making great picks in previous NBA drafts. But none of this was good enough for the NY media and the casual fan, who felt that by watching the game on TV and playing it in the schoolyard, they no doubt knew more about basketball than Thomas.

Marc Berman of NY Post and the rest of NY media and expert NY basketball fans ridiculed Isiah Thomas's pick of Renaldo Balkman with the 20th pick in the 2006 draft, and they were all dead wrong. Balkman has become a top player.

Marc Berman of the NY Post took it to another level. In the days following the drafting of Balkman, Berman wrote that he asked the other GM's picking after Thomas in that first round if they were poised to pick Balkman, and all of them said no, they didn't have Balkman on their radar. Thus, Berman reasoned, not only had Isiah made a horrendous pick in picking Balkman, but if he played his cards right, he could have picked Marcus Williams with the 20th pick, and then used his second first round pick at #29 for Balkman, thus getting both the player Berman felt the Knicks should get, and then Thomas's favorite too, instead of Mardy Collins, another player no one had heard of, whom Thomas picked at #29.

There were a number of issues with Berman's logic:

He didn't know what he was talking about. Berman had no idea who Balkman was; Isiah Thomas knew exactly who he was and done all his homework to scout him.

Berman was blessed with perfect hindsight -- he was the Monday morning quarterback with information on what went down after it went down. Isiah Thomas had no idea what the other GM's were thinking on draft day, and so it would've been crazy for him not to pick the player he wanted (Balkman) with the 20th pick to get a player he didn't want or need (the Knicks already had 3 point guards headed by all-star Stephon Marbury, and didn't need another point guard in Williams).

Word before the draft was that Marcus Williams had a tendency to get out of shape, the same way that Pearl Washington, a great college point guard from a previous era, used to get out of shape (and thus didn't quite make it in the NBA). Isiah Thomas, one of the greatest point guards of all time, would be in best position to judge whether or not he liked the play of Marcus Williams at the point.

If other GM's that Berman had interviewed had known Thomas had his eye on Balkman, at least one of them most certainly would have changed their mind and picked Balkman. Isiah has a reputation amongst other GM's as being a good evaluator of talent; and even if the other GM's picking #22 through #28 didnt' think that, they might have still picked him to force a trade with Thomas. How could Thomas have taken that chance?

All of this was much ado about the 20th pick in the draft -- a pick that generally results in a player who historically doesn't stick in the NBA. The media treated it as if Thomas had used a lottery pick to draft Balkman.

What was never reported in any outlet was that the New Jersey Nets, who picked Marcus Williams, didn't pick directly after the Knicks -- the Boston Celtics did. Unlike the Knicks, the Boston Celtics were in desperate need of a point guard, having only not-ever-ready-for-prime-time Sebastian Telfair. The Celtics didn't pick Marcus Williams. They picked Rajon Rondo, a point guard. Over Williams.

Reading his column on a regular basis, Berman is judged by this reader to be one of the dumbest writers in NYC. He regularly gets the fine points wrong in his coverage of the game -- blaming loses on the wrong player, even after the coach tells him what went wrong in interviews after the game. He also stubbornly beats on unfounded issues for months; he spent the year after Patrick Ewing was traded reminding readers at every opportunity that that the Knicks had won a game without the help of Patrick Ewing. But that's a story for another column.

Berman continued his Isiah-should've-picked-Williams attack not for just that week following the draft, but for the next 6 months, taking any opportunity he could to remind people of this 'fact' in his regular column in the Post. Even after it soon became apparent in summer league and then the start of the 2006-07 season that Balkman was a great NBA player and the steal of the draft.

Marc Berman looks like he's never played a game of basketball in his whole life, and writes the same way, but unfortunately influences thousands of casual NY basketball fans with his illogical coverage and stubborn attacks.

Still, Berman reasoned, Isiah could've had Balkman and Williams if he did it Berman's way, versus Balkman and Collins. As the season wore on and Collins too began to establish himself as a pretty good NBA player -- a 6'5" shooting guard and excellent defender, Berman's idiocy died down. There were no apologies, and the damage had been done -- all casual NY basketball fans condemned Thomas on sports talk radio and elsewhere for months. Causing Thomas to finally utter his brash words -- that the booing didn't bother him because he felt he knew more about NBA basketball players than the typical fan and the picks he made were based on that knowledge -- BAM -- Mike Lupica and the Daily News and all the other media outlets had another field day on Thomas. How dare he say that. The arrogance!

Why Isiah Thomas Doesn't Suck

Through great draft picks like the one for Balkman, and great trades, Isiah has turned the Knicks around in 3 years at the helm as GM.

The Knicks offense is geared around their big men -- Eddy Curry, who scores at an over .600 clip inside, relentless 6'9 power forward Zach Randolph, and super-leaper David Lee, at 6'9 one of the best young power forwards in the game whose post-up game has even shown improvement this season. And that is where you want an NBA team to be centered -- not around shooting guards like the Stu-Laden-Alan-Houston-Latrell-Sprewell Knicks. Most GM's in the NBA would exchange their best three big men for those three Knicks in a heartbeat.

Tough defenders Renaldo Balkman, Quentin Richardson, and Jarred Jeffries form the rest of the front court, and at the guard is star scoring-point-guard Stephon Marbury and the enigmatic, athletic, super-nice-guy but often-boneheaded Jamaal Crawford. Tough defender Fred Jones and the super-energetic but not-great-ball-distributor Nate Robinson round out the backcourt.

Not a perfect team; not a championship team, but a pretty good team; a playoff team, and the most hope Knicks fans have had for a fun, energetic, competitive team to watch since 1995 (and that includes the 1999 finals team that sucked throughout the regular season but turned it on for the playoffs).

The word is still out on Isiah as a coach; he has a mediocre resume there, and was never hired to be a coach of the Knicks; he was hired as a GM. He assumed coaching responsibilities as a kind of penance for his poor choices of coach hirings -- Lenny Wilkins to be his puppet coach when he first arrived. Wilkins was in retirement mode, and was replaced with Herb Williams. An honorable choice for Isiah, but another bad decision, as Williams was a rookie and NYC was not the place to experiment. Then came the Larry Brown fiasco, which was James Dolan's doing -- Brown was the last person Isiah wanted to hire but had his arm twisted to do so. As penance, Isiah coaches this team himself.

Isiah Thomas's Knicks' Resume

Great Trades:

June 28, 2007: Acquired Zach Randolph, Fred Jones, Dan Dickau, and draft rights to Demetris Nichols (2nd round, #53 overall) from Portland in a draft day deal for Steve Francis, Channing Frye, and the Knicks' 2008 2nd round draft pick. Synopsis: Zach Randolph and Fred Jones for Channing Frye? This may go down as one of the great Knick trades ever.

June 29, 2005: Acquired Quentin Richardson (25 yrs old) and Nate Robinson (the 21st overall 1st-round pick) from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Kurt Thomas (32.5 yrs old) and Dijon Thompson (the 54th overall 2nd-round pick). Synopsis: Kurt Thomas was getting old. Richardson is a terrific all-around ballplayer (especially after the back surgery) and almost 6 years younger. Plus the Knicks got Nate Robinson. Great trade.

February 3, 2006: Acquired Jalen Rose from Toronto, a 1st round pick in 2006 (#20 overall, used by Knicks to select Renaldo Balkman -- this was originally Denver's pick, acquired by Toronto), and cash in exchange for Antonio Davis (and essentially $10 million in cap relief). Synopsis: Fantastic trade for NY, especially since Isiah used that pick to select Balkman. Rose played some ball in NY before being eventually waived, opening up some salary savings for NY.

February 16, 2004: Acquired Tim Thomas from Milwaukee and center Nazr Mohammed from Atlanta in a three-team trade. In exchange, Knicks sent Keith Van Horn to Milwaukee and Michael Doleac and a 2005 conditional 2nd round pick to Atlanta. (In addition, center Joel Przybilla was traded from Milwaukee to Atlanta.) Synopsis: Mohammed played some good ball in NY, but then helped Isiah rebuild with the trade listed below this one. Tim Thomas played some ball in NY, but then helped Isiah get Eddy Curry from Chicago. This Feb 2004 trade was a fantastic setup trade for the Knicks.

February 24, 2005: Acquired Malik Rose, Maurice Taylor, conditional first-round draft picks in 2005 (ended up being David Lee at #30) and 2006 (ended up being Mardy Collins at #29) from San Antonio in exchange for Nazr Mohammed, Moochie Norris, Vin Baker, and Jamison Brewer. Synopsis: Nazr Mohammed for Malik Rose, David Lee, and Mardy Collins? Great trade.

October 3, 2005: Acquired Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis from Chicago for Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney, Jermaine Jackson, NY's 2006 1st round draft pick (eventually became Tyrus Thomas at #2 overall), a 2nd round draft choice in 2007 and 2009, and ability to switch 1st round picks in 2007 -- which they did; Chicago got NY's 2007 1st round draft pick (eventually became Joakim Noah at #9) and NY got Chicago's 1st round pick (became Wilson Chandler at #23). Synopsis: This should have been a great trade for NY, but Larry Brown took a 36 win team and made it a 23 win team, making that #1 pick in 2006 go from a mid-first-rounder to the #2 pick. Still not a bad trade for NY, whom I think would trade Curry and Wilson Chandler for Ty Thomas and Jaokim Noah even now, dependent on how Chandler and Noah develop.

August 6, 2004: Acquired Jamaal Crawford and Jerome Williams from Chicago for Frank Williams, Dikembe Mutombo, Othella Harrington, and center Cezary Trybanski. Synopsis: Great trade -- Jamaal Crawford for nothing much. Mutumbo was ancient.

January 6, 2004: Acquired Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, and Cezary Trybanski from Phoenix for Antonio McDyess, Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Maciej Lampe, Milos Vujanic, Knicks 1st-round pick in 2004 (#16 overall, ended up being Kirk Snyder, a career reserve guard), and future conditional Knicks 1st round pick (looks like it will be the 2009 or 2010 pick) and cash. Synopsis: Despite the criticisms, Marbury has played a lot of all-star basketball in NY. The final word is still out on this trade as there is still that conditional 1st-round pick hanging out there in 2009 or 2010 that Phoenix gets from NY, but so far, NY got Stephon Marbury for a bunch of crap -- including Knick-franchise-of-the-future-according-to-Stu-Laden, Michel Lampe. Penny Hardaway was used by Knicks to help get Stevie Francis, who was used to help get Zach Randolph. Phoenix used this trade to get $7-million under the cap, enabling them to sign free agent Steve Nash, and catapulting them to an elite team. This trade looks good for both teams right now, for different reasons.

Why James Dolan Doesn't Suck

As much as Isiah Thomas has been ripped apart in the NY media, James Dolan has been almost as much so. Dolan, the son of cable magnate Charles Dolan Sr, who built the billion-dollar Cablevision empire, has been assessed by the NY media to be a stupid, rich, spoiled, arrogant never-do-good who plays with the Knicks as if it were his rich-kid's toy. Fans have taken to building websites that call for him to sell the Knicks. Open protests in front of Madison Square Garden have broken out, protesting his decisions on owning the Knicks. His Wikipedia entry currently says "It is widely agreed upon, amongst fans the media and the NBA, that his tenure has been a complete failure and his inability to manage the Knicks would be comical if it were not so pathetic."

Some of this may be true, but for all things bad there are things good, and with James Dolan what is often not said is that he is a man of moral fiber. Here's proof:

A reported former alcoholic, he has gone out of his way to give other former alcoholics a chance. After the Knicks acquired talented but troubled Vin Baker in 2001, Dolan personally spent many hours talking to Baker, according to published reports, trying to help him understand and deal with his troubling disease.

He has stood up for, and valued, players who displayed fine moral character on the Knicks -- thus one of the reasons he foolishly laid so much money down to keep Alan Houston when his initial contract expired. Houston was the epitome of fine moral character -- a truly nice and giving fellow; the anti-Joe DiMaggio.

When Larry Brown was attacking Knick players in the press in 2005-06, calling them stupid, Dolan cracked down on Brown, according to published reports. When Brown continued to lash at players publicly, Brown was fired -- even if it took 40 million dollars to do it.

Dolan has since then publicly acknowledged that the hiring of Larry Brown was his mistake, not Isiah Thomas's, and he should take the blame. Another stand-up move not noticed by the NY media or fans.

Thomas's Resume Continued

Great Draft Picks:

Renaldo Balkman #20 in 2006. This was the draft wherein MSG fans booed and NY media ripped Thomas for months for not picking Marcus Williams. No one had ever heard of Renaldo Balkman, and thus Thomas was judged to be stupid. Balkman was a steal.

Mardy Collins #29 in 2006. Good pick, that late.

David Lee #30 in 2005. One of best young power forwards in game. Fantastic pick.

Nate Robinson #21 by Phoenix as part of trade. Robinson exudes energy and has helped win a number of games in his career so far. Needs to learn how to be a better point guard. Still a good pick that late.

Trevor Ariza #44 pick in 2004 draft. Great pick that late. Thomas was forced to trade him away by Larry Brown.

Randolph Morris -- from reports it seemed that most GM's in the NBA didn't even know this star center for Kentucky was available as a free agent as soon as his college career ended -- he had already made himself available for a previous NBA draft and went undrafted. But Isiah Thomas knew, and pounced on him before anyone else in March 2007, resulting in essentially a steal of a mid-first-round draft pick.

Wilson Chandler #23 in 2007. Too early to tell.

Demitrius Nichols #53 by Portland traded to NY. A late 2nd round pick that Thomas got Portland to deal him, Nichols alas was lost in a numbers game in NY (15 players ahead of him in talent or guaranteed contracts), and had to be released before the 2007-08 season. He was quickly picked up by defending Eastern Conference Champs Cleveland. Still, his sterling play with the Knicks in 2007 summer camp and NBA future is another testament to Thomas's ability to see NBA talent.

Channing Frye #8 in 2005. Frye ended up not being so good, but he was the best legitimate player available when Thomas was picking #8 (notwithstanding gambles who may have turned out better). After two years of Frye not living up to expectations, Thomas astutely traded him to Portland for Zach Randolph.

Dolan's handling of the Anucka Browne Sanders case is prototypical of his high moral fiber. It was a case that he could have made go away without any negative publicity by just paying her five or six million (chump change for MSG) before the case ever went to trial. But his righteousness in a case where he undoubtedly felt on high moral ground would not let that happen. According to defense allegations unveiled in court trial coverage, Anucka Browne Sanders had established that she was incompetent at handling Knicks marketing and was an abrasive person to work with, who, according to Steve Mills, MSG CEO, came into his office and "told me she's lost the confidence of the people she worked with, and she can't do this anymore." Again according to defense allegations, it was only after Dolan learned that Sanders was pressuring her underlings to back her up in a sexual harassment suit that he fired her on the spot.

Dolan's backing of Isiah Thomas and giving him his word that he has the 2007-08 season to put the Knicks on track is yet another example of a fellow with high moral fiber who gives his word, and stands by it.

Finally, Knick fans should rejoice that James Dolan is clearly someone who will spend lots of money on the Knicks in an effort to make them good. It hasn't always worked out, but Knick fans could have a worse owner.

Thomas's Resume Continued

So-So Minor Free-Agent Signings:

Jerome James: A minor free agent signing -- Knicks used their $4 million exception to sign him. He's been wrecked by injury in his first 3 years in NY. He was a dominant inside defender and rebounder in Seattle and in brief healthy appearances in NY. Still 2 years left on the 5 year contract to see if he'll ever be healthy in NY.

Jared Jeffries: Another minor free agent signing with the $4 million exception. Jeffries had a poor first season in NY due to injuries and overzealous play (he was guilty of trying too hard). He remains potentially a key player for NY, their 8th man in their rotation; a 6'11" defender who can shut down another team's top-scoring big man. Has yet to be proved in NY though.

For that and all the reasons stated above, here's hoping that James Dolan stays in charge of the Knicks long into the future, with Isiah Thomas at the helm as GM, if not coach. So that the good guys can win the day.

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Found an old Article, seems we've never recoverd from what this article states:

Why the Knicks Suck

The worst Knick season in history -- 23 wins, 59 loses. Lots of finger pointing going around in New York as the 2006 season wound down, with those fingers mostly pointed at Isiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury, and even a few at Larry Brown.

Late Breaking Dec, 2007 News:

Why the Knicks Don't Suck .. Anymore (click to read)

But the NY Post and NY Daily News Do

Like most difficult mathematical problems where you need to isolate all of the variables to figure out the answer, there is no single issue causing these Knicks to suck. But they are dwarfed by one central issue. The Knicks own X factor.

It's Not Isiah Thomas

Isiah Thomas is not X. I've never liked Thomas from what I've seen of him in the newspapers. He has that shit-eating grin, he froze-out Michael Jordan in the All-Star game when Jordan was a rookie, and he's made some seemingly veiled racist statements in the press (for example, saying Larry Bird was overrated because he was white, or that he (Isiah) doesn't like 'European' ballplayers).

But this lost Knick season isn't his fault.

In fact, Isiah has done a heck of a job turning around the talent level of the Knick team in just two seasons. Isiah has done the impossible -- take an old, un-athletic, injured, overpaid roster full of contracts that the Knicks were stuck with for years into the future, with players that had little or no market value (ie, nobody wanted anyone on the Knick roster except Kurt Thomas two years ago), and did what everyone said couldn't be done -- turn the roster completely over to produce a young, athletic team full of guys who can score. The Knicks now have a load of guys sought after by other teams in the league.

Isiah's Strategy

Not only do the Knicks look better talent wise than they did just two short years ago, Isiah seems to have turned the roster over with a solid strategy in place -- contrary to what you've read in the NY Post, the pieces of Isiah's puzzle fit together.

In Eddie Curry, the Knicks have one of the legitimate, premier young post-up centers in the NBA. The perfect tandem to Curry is to have a point guard who can penetrate to the basket to draw defenses, and dish off to Curry for easy baskets -- and there is no better point guard in the NBA at penetrating through half court defenses like a knife through butter like Stephon Marbury. If Marbury can't score on his own drive or dish off to Curry on the low block, then there's Channing Frye waiting in the paint -- the perfect scoring power forward, getting most of his points facing the basket and dead eye from 10--20 feet. The final pieces to this offensive puzzle is to have some players who can shoot lights-out from three-point range, so that if a team clogs the middle to defend Marbury-Curry-Frye, you beat them from the outside. There Isiah hasn't been as exacting, bringing in Jamaal Crawford and three-point-record-holder Quentin Richardson -- both streaky shooters.

On the defensive side, Isiah's players are weak. Jamaal Crawford, Stephon Marbury, Quentin Richardson, and Eddie Curry have reputations as bad defensive players. To solidify the defense, Isiah -- arguably because Knick upper management twisted his arm to do so -- brought in a coach highly regarded for coaching teams that play great team defense -- Larry Brown.

Not Stephon Marbury's Fault

Stephon Marbury was having a terrific year when he was brought down in a mid January game that killed the Knick season. The Knicks had just reeled off six wins in a row before a loss to Toronto, when Marbury was injured in a game at the Garden against Minnesota. Despite being yanked around by Brown, and crapped on in the press by Brown, Marbury was scoring, passing, and leading the team, and beyond all else, was fun to watch. This disaster of a Knick season was not Stephon Marbury's fault. He is not X.

So then Why Do the Knicks Suck?

1) The number one reason why the Knicks suck -- is in two words, Larry Brown. Larry Brown = X. Forget the 'track record'; Larry Brown took a team that should have won 40-45 games this year and won 22. The defense was atrocious, and the team absolutely stopped playing for him the final third of the season.

Brown's past coaching technique has been to spend the first 6 to 9 months discombobulating whatever team he coaches, playing different starting lineups every night in an effort to emasculate all the egos on the team and make every player his puppet, hanging on his string, knowing that if they lapse just a little bit on the court, they won't play the next night. If any player grumbles about playing time, Larry Brown goes after them in the press, calling them names or disparaging their talent level. If the player fights back, he's soon traded. If he doesn't fight back, Brown has won the will of egos, and the player is put back in the playing rotation.

Now Versus Then

In two short years, Isiah Thomas has turned the Knick roster over -- from old, unathletic, injured, overpriced geyser lineup, to young, athletic, high-scoring players. The Knicks two years ago featured:

C: Dikembe Mutombo. Old (38?)and immobile and couldn't score.

PF: Kurt Thomas and Antonio McDyess (with Othella Harrington, Clarence Weatherspoon, and Michael Sweetney in reserve). Kurt Thomas was the only player on the team that anybody else wanted. Sweetney had talent but wasn't playing at all. Weatherspoon was the only power forward in NBA history who had to quadruple fake to put his shot up, and would still get it slammed down his throat.

SF: Keith Van Horn. Unatheletic and piss-poor defensively. Van Horn was a scorer who would disappear late in games when other teams put defensive stoppers on him.

SG: Alan Houston. His career was over, although we weren't sure at the time. Piss poor defensively even in his prime, before the knee operations.

PG: Charlie Ward and Frank Williams.

In comparison, the Knicks 2006 roster contained the following players:

C: Eddie Curry (with Jerome James in reserve). Curry is 23 and one of the best young post-up centers in the NBA. Deficiencies are his inability to rebound nor block shots or clog the middle defensively.

PF: Channing Frye, Antonio Davis (with Malik Rose in reserve). Channing Frye is 23, has dead-eye accuracy from 10-20 feet, moves well without the ball, and has the kind of court sense reminiscent of Tim Duncan. He's 6'11".

SG: Jamaal Crawford (with Quentin Richardson in reserve). Only 25 years old, Crawford can score and score and this year, he's scoring within the confines of the team offense, which is the best news for the Knicks. Richardson is also only 25.

PG: Stephon Marbury. You can piss on Marbury all you want, but he remains one of the premier point guards in the NBA. One of the few players in the game who can penetrate defenses and get to the basket like a knife through butter. Doesn't 'see the court' while running a full-court offense like Steve Nash or Jason Kidd, but I'd still rather have Marbury in a slow-down half-court offense of the playoffs. Hey, remember, Nash was one-and-done in last year's playoffs.

The result of Brown's tactics is a team that plays hard, even kamikazee defense, for a while. His spell typically lasts a year and a half to two years. After that, Brown's constant head games with his players eventually backfire and the players stop playing for him, at which point Brown has already set path to 'jump to the next stone'. He wears out his welcome, amongst the players and the management, and has a history of leaving teams high and dry.

Brown left New Jersey high and dry in the late eighties, and the year after he left both Kansas and UCLA, those college programs were placed on probation. In Detroit, he rode a conference champion (that then added Rasheed Wallace) to a championship, and some of those players have made it clear in the newspapers they resent Brown for the way he coached and taking all the credit for their championship. And let's not forget that Larry Brown is responsible for the worst coaching job in the history of basketball -- coaching the 2004 US Olympic Basketball team to a bronze metal, despite the fact that they had one of the greatest rosters of all time, featuring Lebron James, Tim Duncan, Carmello Anthony, Alan Iverson, and others. That team couldn't beat Puerto Rico. That team complained to a man about being 'discombobulated' by the coach.

With the Knicks this year, Brown's constant lineup changes subterfuged Isiah Thomas's lineup. The team never gained any kind of continuity or teamwork, as Brown jostled the lineup without rhyme or reason, playing guys 35 minutes one night, and zero the next. Beyond that came the whines to the press about the roster Isiah Thomas had put together, about his players, about lack of effort -- always someone else's fault. At one point in the season Isiah Thomas capitulated and privately asked Brown to write down the players he wanted; he'd go get them. Brown's response -- he immediately went to the press with this private piece of information, making Isiah Thomas look like an idiot.

Ancillary Reasons Why the Knicks Suck

Besides Larry Brown, Isiah Thomas's team is still not perfectly formed. There are other reasons why this season went down in flames for the Knicks, and they are:

2) Eddy Curry can't rebound. The Knicks have lost several games this year because Curry couldn't rebound the ball in late game situations after the Knicks as a team had played great defense on a possession.

3) The Knicks entire frontcourt can't rebound. If Eddie Curry is getting 5 or 6 rebounds a game, and his sidekick power forward is Channing Frye who gets 7 or 8, the Knicks C-PF positions are getting 12-15 rebounds a game and you're not going to win too many basketball games if that's the case. And that's why Knick coaching is impressing on both of them to rebound, rebound, rebound. Don't be surprised if the Knicks eventually have to trade one of them (Frye?) for a big time rebounder. Remember the Knicks had Ewing (who was a pretty good rebounder) and Cartwright. Trading Cartwright to Chicago for Charles Oakley gave Ewing the rebounding power forward he needed, and gave Chicago the center they needed (alongside PF Horace Grant) to win championships.

4) Eddy Curry is not a big-time offense force. I think by this time Isiah Thomas was hoping Curry would be averaging 20 points a game. He's not near that. He's inconsistent, and disappears in games when the other team makes defensive adjustments to him. Late in games, he never gets good position inside -- he's often moved so far off the blocks he's 20 feet from the basket. He often becomes a non-entity for the Knicks offensively, late in games.

5) The Knicks are still a young team. It takes two years for NBA teams to play together and become good -- to know how to win. From the start this Knick team was a collection of players who were just getting to know each other. For a good part of the early season the Knicks were playing rookies Channing Frye and Nate Robinson, and 20 year old Trevor Ariza. Rookies tend to make mistakes (leave their man on defense or throw the ball away in key situations) and not know how to finish games. And on top of that they had Brown discombobulating the team.

6) Deficiences in the roster. Isiah has only been working on this roster for only two years. So far he's done the unimaginable, turning the roster around. But there are still holes at backup point guard, at small forward, and the rebounding situation at center-power forward mentioned above.

The Solution

The Knicks need to get rid of Larry Brown and his big ego as soon as they possibly can; bring in a coach who can win with the players he is given. They need to address the rebounding situation. And they need to get a coach who gets his team to play defense; a coach that the team doesn't stop playing for midway through the season. If they can do those things, they'll be a fun team to watch; a playoff team; a contending team.

They've got the talent. X has to go.

-- LouV

Tell Us What You Think: If you'd like

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Marbury can't be serious.Check it:

Marbury Tables Euro Talk, Eyes Return

April 12, 2008 - 8:00 am

The New York Post -

Stephon Marbury has tabled his plans to play in Italy for a few years and said that he hopes to play in the NBA until then, according to a report in the New York Post.

Marbury hopes to play out the final year of his contract with the Knicks, with the removal of Isiah Thomas in the front office increasing those chances.

"That's my goal is to retire a Knick," Marbury said. "I got a lot of basketball left in me to play. I definitely want to explore overseas, but that's later on, when I'm on the downside of my career. I know I can play another five years at a high level." [READ]

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRvVzaQ6i8A

Barf how do we make this \"Blue\" and just hit it

to go there! BTW, I think you will like that link!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
What up Fanatics!

Statesman thanks for the 411 on the IT article, which I assume was with writtem by Mitch Albom. BARF, thank for putting it on the THREAD. It was a great read and quite informative.

GO CAPITALS!

Still Left Coasting and about to get into all kinds of mischief, but a little dirt never hurt anybody, and like Peaceman with the Bicycle, I'll ask forgiveness later, cause I damn sure don't need permission.

The site is banging and the music is slamming....

ONE LOVE!

Keep it CRACKIN!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
PING PONG.....Lets at least spoil the Pacers playoffs!

Stick it tp Bird!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Peace, I see the html did not work. Nor did cut and paste. I'll ask what can be done to make it work.

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3341664

Available General Managers

Peace, I am experimenting with the hyperlinks here.

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
DLT,

Knick City dancer....your pick!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Yea,Peaceman

With the right players and a true leader on the floor. He can make his mark.

And if you are not giving up the lung,at least get me a KCD and don't tell the wife. :-) lmao

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
LOL DLT!

Imagine Crawford with a real PG next to him?

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Peace,

I agree,winning makes me happy.

Oh,and get ready to give up that lung.

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Q is hurting any chances of a trade for him!

He couldn't start in the D-league!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Good pass Bibby!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
DlT,

I can't root for my team to lose!

It don't matter either way....it will take a Miracle to get

1 or 2 in the draft! No matter we win or lose we are stuck at 5-6!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Welcome again DLT,

Get Q out!!!!!!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Fanatics

I like the music.....great idea.

Are we hoping for a lost and more ping-pong balls tonite?

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
LOL I can't even do that right!

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Ok Barf, That worked! But where do I put that info on hyperlinking in the Html?????

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
We have to forgive and move on!

Lives will link KD @ our blog roll! We are taking the High Road!

Here's a little "Kissy, Kissy"

When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.�

john7 Catherine Ponder quotes

�To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.�

Lewis B. Smedes quote

And finally My favorite of favorites:

When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.

TAZ

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Oden is a bigger nut than our own PEACEMAN!!!

Read this article to get an idea of Oden's comedic side.

Also, the Blazers could be looking to unload this yr's pick and LaFrentz's contract (expiring?)...

Next year the Blazers will add Oden and their lottery pick. They also are expected to welcome Spanish guard Rudy Fernandez, the No. 24 pick in last year's draft who would be a top 10 pick this year, according to Pritchard. In 2009, they could have $26 million to $33 million in cap space; or this summer they could offer the pick and Raef Lafrentz's expiring contract if a rebuilding team is interested in making the kind of deal that sent Kevin Garnett to the Celtics or Pau Gasol to the Lakers. They have Roy, an All-Star this year, and LaMarcus Aldridge, who will be an All-Star soon. But their championship aspirations are built around the 20-year-old who has yet to play a minute.

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Good find Statesman,

This is off that trail, But I wish Noah was a Knick, the guy

has balls the size of Texas, Check this statement from RealGM:

Energetic Bulls' forward Joakim Noah may be a rookie, but he is not afraid to speak his mind.

According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Noah spoke about about the poisonous effect that losing can have on a ballclub.

"It's a disease, and it spreads throughout the whole team," Noah said calmly. "It's just really, really hard right now because regardless what we do, there's no light at the end of the tunnel, especially for this season."

"We're not really playing with a lot of pride and respect for the jersey. It's just hard because you can't point at anybody individually. It's just our togetherness as a team is just bad. You can talk about Florida. But if you're a Bulls fan, I'm not a champion anymore. We're losers. We lose. That's all we do. That's all there is to say."

The kid has winning in his Blood, he won't be a Bull for Long!

I'd welcome him on the Knicks

TAZ

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
All thanks are to be re-directed to Statesman who emailed me the article. After reading it myself, I was compelled to post with a bit of formatting.

I understand why people think Isiah is arrogant...but if a person achieves certain pinnacles in life...accomplishes dreams...he will have a different vocabulary then ur average Joe.

Joe shouldn't take it personal. Isiah's from the hood...came up from nothing...he should be an inspiration to folks but these ankle-biting crabs in the bucket stay trying to heap extra blame on dude. Hey, the records of the last few yrs are far less than stellar and he deserves the criticism for taking shots at certain players and making certain decisions (Marbury, Curry, Zach trade) but despite some mistakes, HE STILL HAS DONE MORE AS A GM THAN SCOTT LAYDEN.

He's managed to start re-building. I understand criticism...I just can't flow with all the venom. Its pointless...and if you know anything about the recent Knicks, you'd know that Isiah actually accomplished a lot in a little amount of time.

If those 3 previously mentioned players adjusted to the circus atmosphere in NY...then we'd have a whole different opinion of Isiah the GM's reign. We're not even the highest payroll in the league anymore. Number 2 is still bad but...ah...you know what I mean. LOL

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
Dayum! Dadgum! Great post BARF. Those sound like some honest answers to dispel some of the urban legend that's been out there as if it were fact. All plausible and even believable.

In response to: Isiah's Parting Shots

1970-01-01T01:00:00Z
BARF

That was a priceless article.