I told you guys you should check out that Marbury blog!
Wow.
Italy?
David Beckham?
Knee tendinitis?
Too much input. I had a lengthy blog on this situation this afternoon and lost it when we lost power in my neighborhood. You can just imagine how happy I was to lose all of that material.
Maybe it's better it never made it to the web. I'm sure the Knicks are wishing Marbury's blog never got there, either.
I keep waiting for Porky Pig to burst through the screen.
"A-th, A-th, A-th, That's all, Folks!"
Gilbert Arenas has a blog on ESPN.com. It has it's moments, too, that are a bit looney. But we've gotten to know Gilbert as a funny personality. Stephon's recent behavior doesn't come off as funny. He seems uncommonly giddy, which is all good. His sneaker is making a difference in the industry. I wish Kevin Durant took his offer instead of the $50-plus mil that Nike tossed him. But Durant probably never knew what it was like to not be able to afford good sneakers. Or maybe he doesn't remember.
I'm totally with Stephon and his movement. Totally. I'm just not as with it as some others, who trade objectivity for access. Who promote instead of report.
There's a line I learned not to cross when I majored in journalism in college.
And go ahead and counter-attack a few stories about the future of the point guard spot (written by yours truly and veteran Frank Isola of the Daily News) by suggesting you would consider playing in Italy after your contract ends. I'm actually pleased to read that Steph sees the reality of his future with the Knicks. That he admits his body has taken a pounding after a decade in the NBA. Some guys just refuse to accept it. Stephon's lucidity is refreshing.
But to compare yourself going to Italy to Beckham coming to America?
Yeah, that's when ya lost me.
* * *
Other than Steph's blog adventures and the Magical Starbury Tour, the Knicks have appeared to have shut it down for the summer. Not much going on other than what we've been discussing all along. And the Ron Artest stuff that my man Ken Berger had the other day was great stuff. Clearly, he's also still open to becoming a Knick and I'm still open to thinking it could happen.
But I figure this might be a good time in the summer to do a Mailbag-kind-of-thing. I used to enjoy doing those when I covered the Islanders. So here's your chance. Post questions to the blog from now until tomorrow night and I'll post a blog answering them in the old Mailbag format.
Talk to ya then.
Comments (33)
Alan,
Is there something Marburry could be doing to cure his tendinitis? Maybe some pool training or a personal trainer.
I'm sure traveling around the country selling his shoes will not benefit the Knicks next year.
Also do you think the Artest talk will pick up again once Dickua and jones contracts become available to trade?
"I'm totally with Stephon and his movement. Totally. I'm just not as with it as some others, who trade objectivity for access. Who promote instead of report.
There's a line I learned not to cross when I majored in journalism in college."
Great call Alan. Its obvious to most people that Marc Berman crossed that line a long time ago. Why doesnt anyone call him on it?
Great Blog Alan, I really enjoy reading it whenever you post.
I have a couple of questions that I have been wondering about, maybe you could shed some light
This was especially highlighted around the NBA draft- newspaper writers and internet writers(chad ford,chris sheridan, etc...) constantly quote their "inside sources" when revealing trade rumors. Who are these inside sources, are there really GM's and higher ups who reveal these trades to people such as chad ford? For some reason that doesnt sounds right. If they do really do this, why would that be? Is it because they want to see the public's opinion? Any insight that you have would be greatly appreciated.
While covering the knicks I am sure that you have your favorite and least favorite players- who do you find to be the most genuine and down to earth knicks and who do you find to be the most aloof and arrogant? Jamal Crawford and Eddy Curry strike me as real nice guys, I'm wondering if how these guys seem on the court is how they are off of it.
How has the feedback been regarding the knicks draft around the business? From a fan's point of view, Chandler looks like a real quality basketball player, dare I say he reminds be of a Ron Artest type player with his physique and defensive abilities. Nichols looks like a great shooter, kind of like Steve Smith.
Thanks, i look forward to your answers in the mailbag
Alan, your blogs and articles are the best writing about the Knicks, period.
If you were to predict (and I know this is just a guess), how do you think the Knicks will get down to the 15 man roster limit?
Alan, if the Knicks roster stayed the same what do you think will be the starting lineup and what would be the order of the substitutions coming off the bench?
I know the roster can't stay the same and they need to get down to 15 players but when they do I mean
Stephon's recent behavior is very consistent with a manic phase of bipolar disorder. Elated or irritable mood, excessive spending sprees, distractability, heightened interest in new activities and people, grandoise delusions of exceptional talent, making grand plans for the future, delusions of exceptional mental and physical fitness, psychomotor acceleration and increased sense of well-being, and so on. Good for him, I suppose, as long as he doesn't get too depressed when this all settles down for him.
Alan,
Dave H is going to be someone's next HC--what a JOB he did this summer! For how many years is he signed up?
Do you foresee OUR Knicks team with 2 IDs? What do you think about a scenario where the Orange side starts out and plays East Coast-half court ball, walking it up and going right to left and left to right on post-ups with occasional treys and mid-range jumpers from QR, RA, or SM? On the Blue side, they could bring simple mayhem--the all energy team with DL and RB in for the hustle and N8 or MC running the point.
BTW, I'm not sure that SM was comparing his impact of going over to Italy similar to DB's recent. I think it can be interpreted favorably as an example provided to show a star athlete from one country going to another as an ambassador for the sport or to expand his marketability and reach (impact). We all know that SM is human and like all of us, with foibles. Pointing out this perspective is similar to those who critize him for saying that he thinks he's the best PG in the game.
KFL
Alan:
Why were we not in the running for defensive-minded SFs Desmond Mason or James Posey? Q will be hurt when we'll be fighting for playoff position and it is my belief that we will suffer the same defensive breakdowns in crunchtime situations that felled us last year. Either could have been had in a 2 for 1 sign-and-trade. What gives?
Alan,
What happens if Isiah is found guilty of sexual harassment? Does Dolan cut him loose, and if he does, would Herb get the opportunity to run the team, or do they go outside of the organization (I'd like to see Kiki get the GM position, even though Grunwald could take over.)?
Alan,
What happens if Isiah is found guilty of sexual harassment? Does Dolan cut him loose, and if he does, would Herb get the opportunity to run the team, or do they go outside of the organization (I'd like to see Kiki get the GM position, even though Grunwald could take over.)?
Darren,
Why would we sign desmond mason for the midlevel when we have two guys who do what eh does for rookie pay. (very cheap rookie pay)
Alan,
Who polices the press ?
There don't seem to be any repurcussions for misleading or outright false reporting ?
Right, that comparison is irrelevant and a bit out of the blue to me. Anyway, at least Steph's acknowledging that his days in the NBA might be over. Kudos!
Assuming that our roster doesn't change other than shedding the final 2 players, would you rather see Q at the 2 or 3? Would your opinion change depending on personnel? Seems to me Q is an ideal 2 offensively, but may have trouble guarding the 2's on defense. I'd like to see him start at the SG alongside Balkman, and hav Jamal and Lee off the bench together, but I recognize that probably won't happen. Why amd I right or wrong in wanting that?
Alan,
I slightly disagree with you on the Beckham/Marbury thing - as a soccer fan, I think they are quite similar. Beckham you can definitely argue is way higher profile celebrity in the UK (and the world) than Marbury. If that was your point, then I agree with you. But in terms of actual talent, Beckham was an All-Star level player for a while, but was also tremendously overhyped and overrated, because of the British media. His rep benefitted from playing in the UK, which has been starved for a soccer savior since the 50's, and marrying an equally big name. Skill wise, he probably is similar to Marbury, and the transition down to American soccer is very similar to the transition to Italian basketball, which is probably Marbury's point.
Now, a couple of questions for your mailbag:
1. Do you read other sports sites/blogs? Which ones?
2. How much of an impact do you think Randolph Morris will have this year?
3. How do you see the Atlantic Division shaping up this year, with all the moves the Celtics, Raptors Knicks and Nets have made?
There has been a lot of debate on these blogs over Isiah’s record and job-performance. In general, he appears to have a very favorable approval rating among the regulars who frequent the various blogs. Some have been more critical. My questions are:
1. How do you rate Isiah’s job performance? As both President/GM? And coach?
2. Where are you on a possible trade for Ron Artest? Is it feasible? Do you consider it a good idea? How far would you be willing to go (who would you be willing to trade) to make it happen?
Next thing you know, steph will probably say how much he loves harry potter...LOL
Alan --
Gilbert's blog is on NBA.com.
Marbury should do the knicks a favor and opt out of his contract now and play in italy this year. As a person he seems like a good guy, but as a player he has never been on a winning team. So far in his career the Nets got better when he was traded to the Suns, and the Suns got better when they traded him to the knicks. His answer to the question as to whether he will make Zack Randolph a better player tells it all about him. His answer was that Randolph is going to make himself a better player. Jason Kidd would answer, absolutely yes.
Those who say Marc Berman "crossed a line" in journalism are dead wrong. It is other journalists who DON'T report Marbury's off-court behavior that have crossed the line. It is those journalists who report on the slightest infraction with the law who have "crossed the line." Perhaps this lesson should be taught in journalism school. How come we rarely hear journalists "professionalism" being taken to task for covering off-court incidents with zeal.
Great stuff so far. I'm going through the questions and comments now and will reply later tonight. Keep em coming. The cut-off time is 10 p.m.
Allan,
Great Blog, great work keep it up.
I don't think it's Zach and Curry with the problem of playing together. I think it's going to be them two versus the guards. Marbury has his sights on maintaining that 20pts and 8 assist career average, Nate does not even know how to pass the ball to a big on the post, Craw never seen a shot he didn't like a Q wants this to be his breakout year.
Now you have Curry and Zach who are useless on the offense because they don't set pics and they will rarely see the ball on the block. We all know they are useless defensively.
Zach and Marbury will go at it and it's team turmoil all over again.
Your thoughts on this potential Guards vs Bigs conflict due to lack of leadership.
Hey Alan. Cool idea with this mailbag thing.
Here's what I got so far.
How successful do you think Q's back surgery was? Do players come back from that? What do you expect, a recovered Q or an early retirement waiting to happen?
[It is my opinion that he is the single biggest key to the Knicks success next year. He and he alone assuming contributions from everyone else remain similar to last year]
The popular topic is the E-Z Pass connection. Personally, I don't see much mystery there. We know what we have with those players and we know what we lack. On offense, the key will be spacing, unselfishness and a willingness to follow every shot for a rebound. On defense, how do you think the duo will be successful?
They are both wide bodies and can occupy enough space to defend the post adequately. Are there enough dominant post players at the Center and PF position where we should be worried?
We still will have trouble with quick footed penetrators because of the lack of shot blocking and help defenders. Is there a defense the Knicks could run that would take the pressure off from Curry and Zach?
You think Marbury has more than 2 years left on those knees? You think he'd give up on the idea of playing in Italy to re-sign for an MLE? Or will he pull a Beckham- sign for an absurd amount of cash money and take his deteriorating body to a place that knows no better and just wants the publicity?
You think MSG's media policy will lighten up when the team starts winning or when the reporter's learn to kiss more butt?
I am from the camp that believes acquiring Artest would put us into the elite category. How far do you think the Knicks will go WITHOUT Artest?
Alan, I enjoy your blog and I have been promoting it to a bunch of my friends. Your are balanced and thoughtful in expressing your view and sharing your observations. Good stuff.
I am interested in your take on the status of Sports Journalism in New York. I find it quite interesting that you believe Berman has crossed the line, especially since the need for content has long blurred any line between Journalism and news.
I suggest that your old school view is absolutely no longer reflected in New York sports reporting which is far more opinionated, personality driven drivel.
With that said, I pose the following questions to you:
1. How do you feel about the state of sports journalism today?
2. Where did you go to journalism school?
3. How do you feel about the abilities (and work prooduct) of your fellow New York Knick beat writers particularly, Frank Isola, Howard Beck, Mike Lupica, and Peter Vescey?
4. What writers inspired or encouraged you to write sports journalism?
5. Where do you think sports journalism in New York is headed and will we, the fans, ever be able to regain faith in journalists or rely on journalist to enhance our enjoyment of the sporting experience?
I look forward to your answers to the great questions on the blog. Kudos for the effort and I hope you are able to answer a couple of mine above.
Is Stephon Marbury or what he is thinking looney? I do not know Mr. Marbury on a personal basis, but I do understand what it takes to broaden one's view of the world, one's goals and dreams and to take steps to realize those dreams.
Those who achieve big things must think and visualize in ways that most of us don't understand. And yes, to those of us who think smaller, they seem looney. I bet someone thought Alan Hahn was looney to think he could one day win a Pulitzer or even the Red Smith award.
There are so many examples of this, but my absolute "Now" favorite is Tiger Woods who when he entered the professional golf scene as a precocious youngster pissed all the pros off with his proclamation that he wanted to win all the golf tourneys he played and that second meant nothing to him. Now everyone is kissig his ass and bowing to his brilliance and extoling his vision. They thought he was looney too.
Most dreamers are a little looney because they are not all here -- their minds are often someone in the future, preparing for their victories, practicing their blessings again and again in their mind. And when they get their they are not surprised because that is the way it is supposed to be. That is the way greatness grows.
So Marbury should not be insulted that you think he is looney. Neither he nor you should be surprised that you don't get the Beckham analogy.
Why not start by comparing yourself to Beckham who probably compared himself to Pele and the Beatles. Beckham has set a modern standard for what it means to bring the heart of a sport revered in most of the world to a relatively new market. It is no secret that Stern is seriously contemplating how to expand the NBA product to Europe. Stern is thinking this now. How smart is it for Marbury, who will be a worn down player to position himself to be an international ambassador for the game. Why not believe that after you win a Championship in New York that you can take your game, your fame and your family and the NBA game to a relatively new market. Why not? Why not?
Thank goodness this man is starting to listen to his heart and people may be looney, but are great looneys like Jim Brown, who refused to be a slave to people who loved sport and wanted to see him run, when he wanted to have a movie career? Remember what they said about him?
But it should be no big deal to Marbury what we think. Most of us are pretty pedestrian in our dreams. How big are yours Alan?
Remember, Marbury is not just a businessman, he is a Business, man.
Peace. Have a fun and productive night.
I forgot,
Darren, Trane, BARF and Director, I love seeing you guys around. I think each of you is upping the level of the dialogue on all of these blogs. WriteOn. It keeps me going.
How will Garnett trade affect Kobe's situation? Will he push more then ever to be traded? Will Knicks have a shot? We can do a 5 player/2 draft pick trade ourselves.
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