The Knicks Fix

All I can say is that my life is pretty plain
I like watchin' the puddles gather rain
And all I can do is just pour some tea for two
and speak my point of view
But it's not sane, It's not sane

My last free weekend before the season starts and it’s pouring out. Only seven months of weekend games and traveling until my next free weekend, so I’m feeling melancholy. It’s times like these 90s grunge dominates my playlist. Not that Blind Melon would be mistaken as grunge, but they are a 90s band. And too much Alice in Chains might put me over the edge.

Bury me softly in this womb
I give this part of me for you
Sand rains down and here I sit
Holding rare flowers
In a tomb...in bloom

I’m sure my mood will continue to upset my friend who emailed in after the last blog to label me as “a disgruntled Tribune employee.” I didn’t realize it was so obvious. Perhaps one day they won’t refer to it as “going Postal” but instead “going Tribune.”

I think I’ll copyright that.

Speaking of which, the Knicks “went Tribune” on the Nets, at least by playing them physical in the preseason finale on Friday night. The Nets still destroyed them on the scoreboard, but I was amused by Isiah Thomas’ tactic to provoke the sleeping giant. The Nets are a talented veteran team that mostly lays out on a lounge chair and takes in the sun during the preseason. Then the Knicks came along and for no reason flipped them into the pool.

It reminded me of those hilarious "Messin' with Sasquatch" commercials for Jack Links beef jerky. Sure, the guys pull a fast and funny one on the unsuspecting Sasquatch, but the beast gets them in the end.

(A sidenote to all of this: There is a misguided notion that somehow the Knicks are healthy again because Eddy Curry stepped in a shoved Clifford Robinson after a hard foul by Quentin Richardson on Nenad Krstic. Throughout the game I was singing Queen Latifah’s “U.N.I.T.Y.” to my colleague Ken Berger.

Gotta love the Queen when she growls, Who you callin’ a b----?)

I have to admit though I liked what Isiah was trying to do in provoking the Nets. He’s creating interest where, for a few years now, there has been none. In the end it doesn’t matter if they get spanked like they did against the Nets on Friday night. But if he can get this team to show a little heart, at least it gives fans something to feel good about coming off last season.

And now for something completely different:

Channing Frye needs to take a seat. From what I’ve seen in the preseason, I’m still trying to figure out exactly how he fits in Thomas’ system, especially if he is going to continually pick up more fouls than rebounds and pose little threat on the post. David Lee seems to do more of the proverbial little things – move to get open, set good screens, attack the glass, pass and defend – and its on that merit alone he might be better suited for the starting five.

It also might be better for Frye to come off the bench because he could be in there with Kelvin Cato, who is not known for his offense, instead of Curry, who is a post-up scorer. Frye could become the low-post option when Curry comes out of the game and perhaps the Knicks could switch up the offense do more pick-and-pop stuff with him and Jamal Crawford.

I also believe Frye needs to develop a turn-and-face routine in his post-up if he is going to be a more effective player on the offensive end and a legitimate threat that demands defensive attention. What I mean is Frye should catch the ball on the post and immediately turn and square up to the basket. A lot of post-up guards do this and Frye seems more comfortable facing the basket than he does with his back to it. This way he can see the floor to make passes to cutters and use his length to get off his shot.

Frye looked very uncomfortable trying to pass out of the post-up in the game against the Celtics at Mohegan Sun. The Celtics double-teamed him every time. You could look at that and say the Celtics showed respect for Frye’s post-up game, but I disagree. I think they were showing a lack of respect for his ability to pass out of the double-team. They were exploiting his weakness.

Thomas can’t approach this as a demotion for Frye, who is a promising young player who has clearly struggled in the preseason with foul-trouble and on the offensive glass, where he is almost non-existent. Thomas should make it a promotion for Lee, who has been solid all-around and, at least right now, makes the Knicks a better team when he is on the floor.

But you know us media-types. We’ll make a controversy out of it anyway.