The Knicks Fix

Nice to see Renaldo Balkman back on the floor.

As for defense from Marbury and Crawford, the latter simply lacks the fundamental knowledge and, coming off a leg injury, foot speed to play competent position defense in the NBA. That's nothing of course.

The former hasn't played defense since Lincoln High School.

RealGM reported that Cleveland signed Demetris Nichols on Monday....

that video is tough to watch, its weird how the kid's jersey is backwards, as is the spalding basketball.

yup, d-nice is a cav. good for him. isiah prefers to let jerome james rot on the bench rather than have a young good shooter with height and defensive abilities. oh well, he's gone now. i thought for sure if allan houston was cut, that it would solidify d-nice's position on the roster, because this team does not have enough outside shooting to compliment the interior scorers, but I guess we have fred jones and nate off the bench as the shooters, maybe chandler.

its not that zeke prefers james...its just that its gonna cost 30 mil a year to keep Nichols who probably wont crack the rotation...we all know how knickfans over react over with over paying...Nichols would cost roughly 31 mil to keep.

plus maybe james dolan doesnt want to waste that kinda money...it is his team and his money so maybe that it

I've heard that argument before avila. i understand that point of view with regard to the millions of dollars remaining on the contract isiah originally created for jerome james before eddy curry happened.

but i ask you this: when has money ever been an object when constructing the knicks basketball team? only 33 wins last year and no playoffs, but NY still made more money than any of the other 29 teams in the league.

and follow up that question with one more: is there any doubt that nearly all of the good players Isiah has brought to new york have been rookie finds, exactly what demetris nichols and jared jordan are at this point?

i don't have to worry about swallowing my pride and cheering for jerome james when he's in the game, because, let's face it, the guy is going to be in street clothes on the end of the bench for all of 07-08, just like last year and the year before--gettin' paid to smile.

Any truth to the rumor that the kid in the video is Mark?

If the coach thinks that Marbury and Crawford played good D in the preseason, then we're in for a long season.
D is the key; without that, well there will be entertaining moments, but the goal of going deep in the playoffs won't be realized.

I felt that Marbury and Crawford were both tentative with their shots. They so wanted to be seen dumping the ball into the middle they forgot about their own offensive game and positioning. Marbury needs to be more consistent, but when he locks down on a player he can stop a guy cold. (like Ray Allen last year against Seattle and the game in Dallas) True they need to improve D. They are gettiing the ball into Eddie and Zach. Eddie needs to learn yo assist Stephon and Crawford. Stephon is going to need to be able to take over games when the Knicks get in a hole like they did in Jersey. He can score in bunches and shouldn't just watch the bigs get shut out when they are off. This goes for Jamal also.

Were you all really comfortable with the way Jamal and Stephon were shooting the ball in preseason?

I think they are trying too hard because they read comments like this in the paper saying they are selfish so they just do a mea culpe and let Eddie carry a load he can't carry on his own. You need 100 points to win not just 20 from 2 players.

AM i the only one that want to see Stephon drive to the hoop sometimes. As Clyde says "it opens up everything else and gets guys open when they attempt to colapse on Stephon.

Starburyfan – I, too, couldn't believe it when Isiah kept James instead of Nichols. Especially now that he’s out for the year. How many years will he have left on his contract after a year of rehab? I almost could have understood it if he was healthy. (ALL NBA coaches go crazy over 7-footers.) But with all the tens of millions Dolan has eaten on previous contracts, this makes no sense to me, even if Nichols wouldn’t have cracked the rotation for another 2-3 years.

But one thing you said surprised me. You said the NYK “made more money than any of the other 29 teams.” I don’t know what figures you’re looking at. I suppose it’s possible in NET REVENVUES, because ticket prices are so high, they BROUGHT IN more money than other teams.

But be very clear about this: As a business, the New York Knicks LOST tens of millions of dollars last year. (I think the figure is about $40 million that they lost, but I haven’t looked it up in a while.) They saw NO PROFIT whatsoever. They are a horribly managed BUSINESS, that loses money each year. Thankfully it doesn’t matter much. Dolan can afford it, and just writes more checks. But I’m curious what the figure are you were looking at.

Hey Alan

ARE we be active on KObe?

Going into this season I have "guarded" optimism for the Knicks. There are kinks that I think have to be worked out, but until they are, the Knicks could again fall into a big hole to start the season.

The problems I see are as follows: 1) Sustained defensive intensity - through the preseason, I saw spurts of great d, but have yet to see it for 4 straight quarters; 2) With that, I will add sustained ball movement - Against Philly and Boston, I saw good ball movement, but against the Nets it was back the the old "iso-matics"; 3) "Curry and ZBo" - From what I have seen, Curry just establshes low post position, with very little movemnt. If the ball goes to ZBo on the high post or there is an extra swing pass, Curry's lack of movement causes a 3 second violation. Turnovers killed the Knicks last year, so there is no need to invent new ways to turn the ball over; 4) Marbury and Crawford - I have always loved both of these guys, but I can't agree with having both on the floor at the same time. Marbury's defense has improved, but him working harder on the defensive end, often causes him to make sloppy plays on the offensive end, which leads to turnovers and stagnant offense. Crawford is partially to blame for this because his ineffective d causes Marbury to stick bigger, quicker guards. I really think that Crawford should be the beast off the bench, play the other team's second unit so he doesnt look like so much of a liability.

What does everyone else think?

I think Zeke would have gotten a lot of criticism if he kept DNic and cut James. DNic may not have seen playing time this season. Then some guy like Isola would equate the 18.6 million left on james's contract, include the luxury tax and then say we're paying a secound round pick rookie $27.2 million to sit on the bench. I think that's the NY sports business side of it.

As far as the uneasiness some of us might feel going into the season. I have faith that Isiah will play the right people and bench anyone who needs to ride the pine to ensure we are winners. We've got enough talent to compete.

I under estimated the value that the energy of balkman and nate bring every night. I hope to see more of that from the rest of the team.

That video is do bomb!

Charlie O's, I agree with much of what you said. In regard to Steph and Crawford playing at the same time, I agree that Crawford would be best off the bench. Inconsistent but electric scorers capable of going for 50 on any given night are valuable assets, but not ones you necessarily want starting every night. A Ben Gordon type role might be suitable for Crawford. However, the chemistry that Jamal and Eddy have together plays a large part in Jamal solidifying a starting role. The guys are best friends and have played together so long, they know each other games better than anyone else on the team. Think back to how many top of the key alley-hoops Jamal consistently throws to Eddy (with a surpisingly high success rate) and the game winning alley hoop he threw to Eddy to beat the Lakers. We'll see what happens in the first 10 games, but if we get off to a slow start and Nate keeps playing the way he did in summer league and preseason, I wouldn't be surprised to see him starting at the 1 and move Steph over to the 2 so he can focus more on scoring and less on controling the offense. I think I even heard some rumblings about this from Alan.
Briefly, as for the defense, it certainly is the consistency that needs to improve. The preseason has been encouraging though, especially in regards to guarding back door cuts (Jamal in particular).
As for the Eddy/Z-Bo high low offense, we can't shy away from it just because if we make and extra swing pass Eddy gets called for a 3 second violation. That has happened a few times in the preseason (I remember one clearly against the Sixers), but its something that Eddy just has to make a determined effort to watch out for (which also falls on Isiah to emphasize). Every successful big man tandem has executed the high low, its unacceptable for ours to falter because Eddy isn't conscience of how long he's been in the lane. It also is the responsibility of Z-Bo to get him the ball right away (if hes open), or not give it to him if he's already been posted up for 2 seconds because it takes him another second or two to make his move.
C'Mon Alan, there no lull in Knick fandom! Also, does it make anyone else smile thinking about how excited Gus Johnson must be right now? He is probably bouncing off of walls not knowing what to do with himself. He's going to be like a little kid on Christmas Eve Thursday night, as I suspect many of us will be.

I think the Knicks are gonna surprise many this year...

I also think that Kobe should stay outa NY...

Let the young bloods play!

Why are you all panicking about Crawford and Marbury? They are our two best guards in half court offense. Those who don't understand the difference should not make any conclusions from how they played in preseason. Pre season games are not game planned and mostly up and down games where guys like Nate, Jones and Lee will play better because they are younger and more energetic and they play against the bench most of time. But when you need to grind it out in half court, Marbury and Crawford are much more knowledgable and more effective. Isiah said they didn't even run any of their regular offense in preseason. So what can you know about how they're going to play for real. You don't know. We saw glimpses in Celtics and Sixers games and it's all good. I'm not worried about any of it.

trane, this is what i was talking about:

http://www.nba.com/nba_news/knicks_forbes_070125.html?rss=true

if i implied that the knicks are well run under dolan, well, I just didn't mean to put out that sentiment. anyone else owns the knicks, and they still make huge money, because that's just how important/valueable the knicks franchise is to the league.

now that you mention the poor management of the knicks, it is also interesting that dolan is trying to buy out other cablevision shareholders by lowballing them for $37 a share. i wonder if there is a correlation or even strategy behind recent events. the shareholders said no to the buyout of course, but still.

hey, I'm not a business major, I only know that all the owners and managers of the knicks have bought out many players in recent history and think that Jerome is the textbook definition of deadweight.

Starburyfan, James can still possibly be dealt later and thus be an asset ala Francis. If Knicks buy him out they lose all that money.

Charlie O,

Agreed with your positions one through three. Defense, ball movement, and the Lazy Eddy-Fat Zach forced marriage - not to mention the turnovers, lack of rebounding, and pre-pubescent pouting that it will cause - will make (and probably break) the Knicks this year.

Can't agree with you in full on number four, though. Like you, I believe Jamal Crawford would be a better sixth man. Lee and Balkman are too much alike. Balkman, when healthy, should start. He's a strong, hungry complimentary player. Good on the defensive end and the windows. He doesn't whine for the ball on the offensive end and will hit the glass that Lazy Eddy smudges. Put Richardson at the two where he can use his three-point shooting and mid-range game and save his back. Run Balkman at the three. Crawford would bring offense off the bench and work in unison with David Lee. What Pop Gun bricks, Lee rebounds. Little Man Nate will not work. Too small. Too erratic. Too hot-headed. Cannot play defense.

And speaking of defense and the backcourt, that's where I really must disagree. Al Hahn tagged this post "Guarded Pessimism." Only fitting. After all, Pessimism is about the only thing Stephon Marbury can guard. The Coney Island Cupcake is simply useless on the defensive end of the floor. The Cupcake has never been worth his weight in spit once the ball crosses the mid-court line and it's not in his hands. The Coney Island Cupcake is not merely a defensive liability; he's damn well near a full scale collapse waiting to happen. The Coney Island Cupcake displays no heart, no soul, and no guts with his back to the basket.

Pessimism, the perfect defensive match-up for The Coney Island Cupcake.

I didn't want to lose DNic over the deadweight james either. I was hoping isiah had a trade up his sleeve. i'm just glad nichols didn't go to boston or jersey.

I think isiah is still going to get under the cap for the free agent period after two seasons. Which now it seems ben gordon may be a player in after chicago is treating him like they did crawford.

i'm not worried about this season. i feel we are built to get in the playoffs, but better built to win in the playoffs. it's just going to take till late january early feb before we get good rythm.

james is playing just 6.7 minutes a game for 41 games on the season (82 SHOULD be a full season). that's just a little more court time than the Knicks City Dancers are getting on the season. how do their cumulative salaries compare?

Starburyfan -- Great coincidence – that’s the exact article I found months ago, and based my numbers on. (Damn, I hope it’s that old.) But let’s be very clear about what it reported.

The Knicks are rated as the most valuable franchise in the NBA . . . that means, if you wanted to buy the team, it would likely be the most expensive. But that’s based almost entirely on the assets that include real estate in mid-town Manhattan, the “world’s most famous arena,” etc. As a BUSINESS, the organization that Isiah runs lost $40 million last year. Now, I’m willing to acknowledge that the losses don’t count for much as long as Dolan is willing to keep writing checks. (And the Knicks only represent 3% of Cablevision, so I’m sure those losses can be buried by creative accountants.) Still, most owners in the league would consider operating losses on their investment of $40 million per year a VERY bad thing. And, in most cases, it’s the President/GM who would be held responsible. Most sports franchises are still businesses and the owners expect them to be run like a business. And, of course, most businesses rate success or failure by one simple yardstick: profitability. Of course, in sports you have the added prestige of winning championships. Some owners are willing to spend a little more for the chance to have champagne sprayed on their head as they’re handed a trophy. Of course, behind THAT is the assumption it’s a long-term investment in the franchise -- that a championship (or at least playoff success) would mean increased value to the franchise and increased revenues in the following years.

The Knicks, of course, fail in both respects -- as a business. They had a 33-win season AND lost $40 million. That’s bad management. It could be, of course, that Isiah has a green light from Dolan to spend money in ways that other GMs don’t. I don’t know. Certainly the way they were eating long-term contracts for a while would seem to indicate he does. (And if that’s true, you can throw out all the business school models for how a business should be run. In which case, I would agree with you -- Why not dump James, eat the contract and gamble on Nichols 2 to 3 years down the road?) So I’m willing to concede It’s possible Isiah isn’t held to the same kind of responsible management practices that most GMs are. In THAT case, were I in his place, I’d spend money as profligately as he has over the years. I’m actually a little surprised the Knicks ONLY lost $40 million last year, with all the salaries on the books.

What Isiah isn’t doing in New York, however, is building a resume for another job. He would have a very tough time convincing another owner in the league he could run their business for them. Help shape a team? Bring in new players? Run the draft? Definitely. I’m not saying there haven’t been successes, as well. But you can be certain that $40 million operating loss is going to scare off most owners in most professional sports leagues.

Moreover, the “value” of the Knicks – mostly existed long before Dolan took over, or brought Isiah in. They can’t take credit for creating the value Forbes is rating. Dolan’s daddy just bought it. They are, however, directly responsible for the operating losses.

In a sense, Isiah has a fantasy job. Again, as long as Dolan isn’t going to hold him accountable . . . as long as the owner is willing to spend whatever it takes to keep shuffling the deck to find a winning combination of players . . . then Isiah would be nuts to do anything other than exactly what he’s been doing. And I think we all agree it’s an approach to building a franchise that has shown a lot more results lately. I can’t imagine anybody would argue that the 15-man roster right now is the most exciting Kniciks team since long before Isiah came to town. So as fans . . . we can all be grateful for that . . .

WATCH THIS VIDEO

Gentlemen -- I hope Alan doesn't object on the grounds this is sacrilege . . . being the wrong sport and all . . . but you’ve got to see this video. It’s hysterical.

Actually the play is amazing . . . but the announcers are what make it slap-stick comedy . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2_lbqw7sd8

Bad News for the Timberwolves: Talented young point guard Randy Foye injured his knee and will be out for several weeks.

HORRIBLE News for the Timberwolves: Bassy, his legal defense team, and his personal bail bondsman will fill in at the point until Foye returns. There goes the neighborhood at the Target Center.

Ben Gordon's only a slightly better bricklayer than Pop Gun Crawford. Gordon's career shooting percentage is .431; Pop Gun's comes in at .401. For every 100 shots from the floor, Gordon makes three more than Pop Gun.

If Gordon and Pop Gun each take about 1,300 shots a season, Gordon will make 39 more shots than Pop Gun or roughly about 78 to (depending on threes) we'll say 85 points.

Eighty-two games. Eighty-five points. Gordon gives you about one more point a nice from the floor.

One point.

Wow!

DFTT

Herbie wants to be a Dentist! He pulled out the Monster Snowman's teeth! This internet thing is very much the teeth of that Monster! Once exposed, he's no longer a threat, because he never had teeth to begin with! His home? The Island of misfit toys!
Lets hope he gets back there! Who wants a "Charley in the box?"

Heard on WFAN that Vegas has put the over/under on Knicks victories at 36.5
Take the over.

I had the Knicks at 35-47 with Charlotte healthy and 37-45 with Sean May and Adam Morrison gone.

I'll stay there.

37-45. Fourth in the Atlantic. Tenth in the Eastern Conference.

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