It was an 8 p.m. start and we had early deadlines. So what most of you saw in your morning newspaper left at the end of your driveway is what we in the business call a "running" story, or something written on the fly as the game is going on and sent into the office in bits and pieces. An editor pieces it together at the office and...well...usually it's pretty ugly.
Here is what I filed for the "Late" edition, which you'll find at most delis and newsstands. Quotes and all. This version didn't make the website because apparently our web people turn into pumpkins if they work past midnight.
Fixers, have yourselves a great Thanksgiving with your families and friends. God bless.
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By Alan Hahn
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – This is where it began for Isiah Thomas some 25 years ago and there is reason to wonder if this is where it will end for him. A night after he was booed off the Madison Square Garden floor and chased with chants of “Fire Is-iah!” he was welcomed rather warmly here in the town where his NBA career reached its pinnacle.
Perhaps the sellout crowd at the Palace at Auburn Hills still has a soft spot for the franchise’s greatest and most accomplished player, whose coaching career continues to reach new lows with the Knicks. Last night it was a 98-86 defeat to the Pistons that extended the Knicks’ losing streak to eight games.
Will he be around to see a possible ninth or even the end of this misery? Thomas’ Knicks host the Chicago Bulls in a matinee at the Garden on Saturday.
Before the game, Thomas continued to put the onus on himself – “When you’re in a hole like this, it’s not about the players,” he said, “It’s really about the coach. My job is to pull us out of this.” – and also spoke like a coach who sounded as if he was pleading his case to owner James Dolan, who will have a lot to consider during Thanksgiving dinner today.
“I understand what needs to be done,” Thomas said, “and I’m capable of delivering what needs to be done.”
Maybe, as one Palace spectator suggested, if he put on a uniform.
Eddy Curry led the Knicks (2-9) with 26 points and Jamal Crawford had 16 points. Chauncey Billups had 25 points and 15 assists for the Pistons (7-4) and played like the point guard Thomas has been longing for.
“He did everything that they needed, assists or baskets," Thomas said. "He had a great floor game and he also had a great scoring night.”
While Thomas offered kudos to Billups, it was impossible not to notice how Stephon Marbury went out of his way to praise how the Pistons play under coach Flip Saunders, who had Marbury and a young Kevin Garnett in Minnesota all those years ago.
“Those guys play in a very good system and know where to go at all times,” Marbury said of the Pistons. “They have counters to everything that you do defensively and they don’t rely on the first or second option. They get it to the third or fourth option. Playing for Flip, you see the execution. You know what’s going on.”
Most opponents these days can’t figure out what is going on with the Knicks. Pistons guard Flip Murray went as far to suggest the Knicks barely gave it an effort last night. He should have seen the performance Tuesday night against the Warriors.
“They looked like they didn’t want to compete,” Murray said. “They were just out there. All you had to do was look at their body language. I don’t know what’s going on over there, but they have a lot of issues.”
The Thomas-Marbury affair is the key one, but Curry and Zach Randolph haven’t exactly taken the team by the reigns during this losing streak, either. Curry’s offensive numbers look gaudy (he shot 12 of 19 from the floor), but he was practically non-existent on defense and managed just five rebounds in 37:20.
Randolph had his worst game as a Knick. He managed 13 points but had just 5 rebounds. It was the first time he didn’t record a double-double this season, but the statistics only tell part of it. Randolph, who had four turnovers, fell into some selfish habits with the ball. When he didn’t have the ball, he didn’t have the same kind of intensity. Thomas benched him for the entire second quarter.
“Tonight wasn’t a good game for me,” Randolph said.
The Knicks actually were in this game midway through the second quarter when a Jared Jeffries alley-oop dunk made it a 47-45 deficit with 3:11 left the half. But Billups, who had 10 assists in the first quarter, drew Marbury’s third foul of the half and hit both free throws to start an 8-0 run to take a 55-45 lead at halftime. The deficit was 17 by the end of the third quarter.
Notes & Quotes: A week after he went AWOL on the team in Phoenix, Marbury opted to travel with the team here to play instead of attending his aunt’s funeral in Brooklyn . . . Renaldo Balkman, who did not make the trip, missed a second straight game with soreness in his right ankle. Balkman has now missed four of the past five games because of trouble with the ankle.
Comments (43)
It's sad whats going on with the Knicks. I think there is a cancer in the knicks thats eating them at this moment. The Cancer consist of two people and thats Marbury and the one that put everything together Isiah. He never should had played Marbury after the team voted him out. He at that point needed to send a point to all the players you either play defense or you dont play at all. I can understand a litle aguement when things dont go your way. But Isiah is there to coach a team and if a player does not want to play the way the coach tells him then he should not play and should not be in the team. There is a trend here what Marbury whants he gets. He didnt want to play with Van Horn the year he came, it was granted to him. May I say that Van horn was playing pretty good. He didnt get along with Kert Thomas so they also got rid of him. He didnt want to play the way Larry wanted him so the whole team quit and the Knicks won 23 games. I think the only thing to get us going is either trade him or buy him out. Like I said he is a Cancer that would cost Isiah's job if he does not put a stop to it really quick. At this point it does not matter who we get in return just get rid of him. Later guys enjoy Thanksgiving.....
I think fans should boycott the knicks home games. until they start winning.
sec11rowH wrote: "wow, these duded not only pretty much suck, but they are playing beneath their capabilities too...always a deadly combination.
let's see; they don't shoot well (from anywhere, the arc, the line, in the paint), they don't handle the rock well, they have no hops in the starting five, they have no penetrating forwards, they don't defend up top at all, they don't rotate for weak-side defense, they have no stop defender at any position, they don't rotate the ball to the open man (for that matter, they can't even play a basic in-out game), and to top it off, they don't hustle,
AND......is this the worst coaching scheme AT BOTH ENDS OF THE FLOOR anyone has ever seen? how the hell did isiah get this job? he has absolutely no clue how to coach."
It deserves to be reposted - pretty much sums things up. What possible defense is there? That the media is hard on Isiah? That what we see is a special form of "talent" that doesn't reflect in the standings? After four years, this is the best Isiah can do?
Come on.
"They looked like they didn't want to compete," Murray said. "They were just out there. All you had to do was look at their body language. I don't know what's going on over there, but they have a lot of issues." F--ing A!
I noticed how Balkman made the Knicks more firery, This is why we need a guy like Ron Artest. It's the same toughness that gets him in trouble that we need. ARTEST WOULD SCORE 50 against the warriors if the Garden booed him like that. He would not stand for it. Just like Oakley, just like Mason, just like SPREWELL. The garden eats up your mean streak. People that like to cross lines drawn in the sand survive. Van Gundy was a warrior. Isiah is too slick. I wish he talked like he used to play. Then again he quit at 32 so he wouldn't have to play in the Garden. Fire Isiah, Trade for Artest.
Trade MARBURY & ISIAH to Detroit for Flip Murray and Flip Sanders
I've turned from hating and dispising this team on a daily basis, to just feeling bad and sorry for whats going on. Maybe some changes are in line....
Jeff Van Gundy anybody?
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Hopefully, the next post from Alan will be an announcement that Isiah Thomas, Steve Mills and Stephon Marbury have all been relieved of their duties and no longer are part of the Knick organization. It won't happen today, Thanksgiving, but hopefully tomorrow.
"This version didn't make the website because apparently our web people turn into pumpkins if they work past midnight."
Alan,
First you dissed your wife with that stupid Jessica Simpson thing. And now you urinated all over your IT staff.
Don't you ever learn, son?
Without your wife, you'd be nothing. Without your IT staff, you'd write with some sort of pen and pencil set.
You apologized to the Missus. Might wanna do the same to the IT gang at Newsday.
Lets make a trade:
Marbury, Rose, Jerome James, Jones, Balkman, and Lee to Sacramento for Artest, Bibby, Brad Miller, Abdur-Rahim.
I know we don't want to trade Lee and Balkman but you have to give them up to get rid of Marbury and Jerome James, period.
Getting Artest and Bibby comes with the price of taking on two bad contract in Miller and Abdur-Rahim.
Essentialy we loose a cancer in Marbury with a bad contract, and two bad contract in James and Rose.
Lee and Balkman are young with great contracts that I would love to keep, but getting rid of Marbury is more important.
Sacramento would do this deal because Marbury, James, and Rose have 2 years left on their deals while Miller and Abdul-Rahim have 3 years remaining. Also, Jones comes off the books at the end of this year
Next, we have to get rid of Isiah...........
Knicks Fan for life......GO NY, GO NY, GO!!!!
Hey Alan,
How come I'm not gettin any love from your bloggers?
Man, I need some lovin and some understandin.
Did I ever exist? I am starting to wonder if I am a figment of the imagination...
Hey everyone...first post but i've always been a fan of this site...great job Alan...its just growing and growing.
Okay..This is what I think will fix the problem and it's RON RON RON. If we can somehow trade Jamal Crawford and a draft pick for Ron Artest..then we can put Q at his natural position at 2 and not sacrafice much with crawford being gone....Q will emerge at the 2 spot because he has good defense and won't have to guard those big small forwards...his scoring will go up because he can post up some of those 2 guards with his strength...Ron Artest will be the leader of the team with his all out hustle everybody will follow what he's doing...we will be a team of bad boys like the original bad boys (Detroit Pistons isiah era). Starting line: Curry, Randolph, Artest, Q Rich, Marbury subs will be Lee, Jones, Nate, Jefferies (starting to play good) Balkman. a 9 or 10 man rotation. This should do the trick. As much as everyone would like both JJs to go and Marbury to go...But I think our biggest problem is Crawford...every 2 guard kills him, he plays no defense and he's killing us with the turnovers...he doesn't look like he gets fired up for anything. If Crawford is off shooting that's it he can't be affective any other way...Q is still in the starting line because of his D even if he's not shooting well...Crawford is not like Allan Houston where you can rely on his Jumpshot night in and night out even if his defense lacked. The peice that doesn't fit is Crawford...The peice that's a perfect fit is Ron Artest.
Is Riles really getting this desperate?
Riley, who also serves as Heat president, said he presently was ''not actively seeking'' outside help. But the Heat often is mentioned in trade speculation throughout the league. It was the case this week when media reports had the Heat inquiring about guards Stephon Marbury, Mike Bibby and Andre Miller.
Sure, Riles, take our point guard, please. Send us JWill, Blount, Davis and a high pick. Done.
going to the game on saturday.
i think its time to bring back an old school chant that rung through the garden a lot in the 90s.
we want herb.
i've backed isaiah cause i thiought that he at least brought in talent to a talentless team. i gave him the benefit of the doubt last year, cause he seemed to have his team and marbury behind him.
he's lost the team. he's gotta go. let herb finish out the season, and see what he can do.
I'm as pissed as the next guy. This team is embarrassing and disgusting. But I can't decide what I really think ought to happen.
I understand the Fire Thomas thinking. But really, it was not that long ago that these guys rallied around their coach and went to war for him. He brought each and every guy on this team to NY, and if anyone can get to them and motivate them, I think its Isiah. So maybe Marbury just needs to go. But, we all saw what happened with Marbury off the team. They are clueless and listless out there. Lets say we don't trade Steph, but just bench him, ask him to leave, whatever. Pay him to not show up until the trade deadline or the offseason and then move him. Just get him away from the guys he alienated and who no longer have his back. Is that gonna help? I'm torn. Can we really do anything with Nate and Mardy running the show? I feel like Mardy had his audition and failed miserably.
So part of me wants to join the Fire Thomas crowd, but I don't see that solving anything. Part of me wants to join the Dump Marbury crowd, but for right now I don't see how that helps. These exact guys were a unit, they cared about each other, believed in their coach, and worked hard for 48 minutes just a couple weeks ago. The first 3 games of the season they showed heart and desire and unity. This has been a dispicable meltdown, but is that team we saw to start the season really lost forever? In some ways I feel like Isiah is the only guy with the means to bring that team back, and Marbury is included in the bunch.
I'm guessing most people disagree though.
Isiah had the perfect chance to galvanize the team and he blew it.
once he took a vote to see what the players felt about marbury playing (they voted to not play him) and he played him anyway i thought he broke the team's spirit.Basically he put marbury's desire to play (and his desire to win) above what his team felt was right...i think that was the beginning of the end right there.if you look at the games after that event it seems as if they have lost their fight.
Isiah is the blame for that.if he had listened to his players he would had a point for them to rally around but instead now he has a mutiny on his hands.
Adam L,
I hear you, but the whole us against the world, rally together thing really isn't a long-term substitution for good coaching and a well-conceived team (both in terms of balanced roster and on court identity). Maybe it can inspire some overachieving, a short streak, but do you really think that it can drive the Knicks from here deep into the playoffs? And if it can't, why not start making changes now?
Lets be real fellas, Q-rich is way too slow to gaurd SG in this league. Take a good look at him against any player that has speed. In fact, I would love to get rid of him. Let see him gaurding Wade, Iverson, Gordon, Allen, Hamilton, Redd, Joe Johnson, Carter, Kevin Martin,Ginobli, Mobley, Roy, etc. Anybody that thinks Q-Rich is the answer at SG don't know basketball period...
However, He is a good defender at the SF position where the players are bigger and not as fast. He can body up on them and force them into bad shots. As a SG, Wade or one of the guys above would drive on him each and everytime down court.
Why fire Isiah now, when we can keep losing with a chance to get a number 1 pick with our new GM and Coach next year. Marbury's contract will be an asset for a big time trade as well as Rose's. Cutting Marbury doesn't make sense either, since you can't replace him with someone that can help if you we cut him.
Knick's Fans don't think about this year, instead look to the future.......this team as presently constituted will not win with Isiah or any other coach this year as long as Marbury is here.
Top 5 players to get rid of:
1 Marbury (cancer)
2 Jerome James (fat and unprofessional)
3 Rose and the 2 years remaining (done)
4 Q-Rich and 3 years remaining (untradeable with his back issue)
5 Jeffrey
Knick's Fan for Life.......GO NY, GO NY, GO!!!!
Yeah...I do agree that the knicks roster is flawed.it seems like Isiah is obsessed with duplication.
David Lee and Renaldo Balkmen are both athletic small forwards with no jumpshot...also Isiah has never found a pure shooter to add to the
roster.if you are going to play inside out you need shooters to stretch the defense....when you look at the knicks roster you don't see anyone who can shoot on a consistant basis.Jamal Crawford is our best shooter and he is more a scorer than a shooter(he is hot or cold).i wish they could have kept demetrius nichols on the roster.that kid has a nice stroke...WHY NOT GIVE WILSON CHANDLER A SHOT AT STARTING AS SMALL FORWARD?
from what i have seen of him he is althletic and has the speed to play defense on the 2 or 3 spot.plus he has a decent jump shot....just a thought.
I THINK Q RICH IS SHOT!
I think this team as presently constructed could have (could?) do something. Last year after the brawl we were 20-17. We stayed together and added a good piece in Z-Bo. Hell, we were all predicting like 40-43 wins this year. That is progress to me.
We just need to have an identity, which we've lost. When we played well last year, we pounded it inside, our second unit got out and ran, and we went to the line more than any other team. Plus we dominated the boards. While that is not a championship identity, it is tons more than we have now.
Thats my point
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR PEOPLE TO SEE THE PLAYERS GAVE UP ON ZEKE AN ZEKE DOESN'T WANT TO BE IN NY NO MORE.I KNOW THE WORLD IS FULL OF STUPID PEOPLE BUT DAMM HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO REALIZE IT.DAMMMM....YOUR YOUNG CORE IS LEE.ZACH.BALKMAN.CHANDLER.COLLINS.EVERY1 ELSE CAN GOO IF I KEEP MARBURY IT WILL BE AS SHOOTING GUARD...
I like Q Rich, but if has a hyper extended elbow, why is he even in the starting line up? It should be either Chandler or Balkman, since Balkman is down for the moment, give the kid Chandler a shot...or else use Jared Jefferies...why Isiah doesn't use him is beyond me (maybe the knee?)...a change must be made before Saturday's game.
Oh, and if Isiah Thomas survives this weekend, he won't be fired at all this season.
I am finally convinced. Isiah is not an accomplished Coach and Stephon is not a winning, intelligent Point Guard. Both must go immediately to give this team a chance to recover.
They need a very accomplished, tough, defensive minded coach to see if the remaining talent can be molded into a competitive, functional, healthy team.
I'm not an isiah guy. He was wrong with LB. They should have gotten rid of Stiff then. The only way Isiah survives this is he makes a move. Andre Miller could run this team. The only team I could see taking a shot with Steph is Miami. He would never do anything to piss off ShaQ, or Wade. That should keep him in check. He can save his career there. Nobody is going to sign him in two yrs. Maybe in Italy. Unless he wins with Miami. I would rahter have JWill running this team. Isiah needs a real point and a shooter (Wally's World). To make it a better fit, with Zach and Eddy down low. Isiah better trade someone. This is it for him, no more chances. might as well go out swinging.
Adam L,
Fair enough.
I'm ready to trade Curry/Crawford/Collins/Jones for Dalembert/Miller/Green. Philly's desperate and so are we.
Make moves Isiah. Don't leave the best chips for the next GM to trade and get credit for. Miller should ease the turnovers, Dalembert can just be the opposite of Curry. Z-Bo can handle the low post scoring now.
Then wait till December and send Marbury to Miami for Davis and Williams.
It wouldn't hurt the cap and Davis and Dalembert would be better defensivley.
Oh yeah! Play Wilson Chandler like crazy after the All-Star break!
just look who does the reporting... look at the coverage of the Nets by NY media (just 2 less losses than the Knicks) even espn's quitefrankly and booyah have been quiet about this... Marbury to the Heat makes sense... they are just as desperate at 2-9 and know that in the East it won't take much to get back in it where only 6 of 15 teams have a winning record. they miss Balkman's energy and Defense in the 2nd unit .. randoplh is still putting up double/double's, Q can't shoot, Crawford has stopped driving and his shoooting his usual 30% from outside.... 10 more games to straighten this out...
the home fans will it make tough, their chants at MSG of fire the coach just confirms that the notion of NY fans being the most knowledgeable is now a myth
Lord Thomas is probably trying to find an angle whereby he can assign blame for this recent debacle to either Steve Francis or Phil Ford.
Both are gone and cannot defend themselves.
Let's go Zeke.
Make a trade, get TheCaptain-Willis Reed to mentor the bigs, admit mistake to the players for not benching Steffi Me-bury, get their input if Yukbury should be benched and if yes, for how many games..... Still a lot of b.ball to play and the season is still salvageable.
Philly wants nothing that the Knicks have, BAZ. No one does. Well, maybe bits and pieces. David Lee. A healthy Renaldo Balkman. Otherwise, we are what we are.
A center who cannot rebound or defend. Two starting guards and Nate who cannot defend or shoot with any consistency. A power forward who's as apt to give away the basketball as anyone. A small forward with a bad back and even worse production. A handful of guys, Jeffries, James, and Rose, with big contracts and little else.
It's going to be a long, long year.
these are the darkest of days. the reality is that there is no quick fix. isiah has lost the team, and will soon lose his job. star-jerk has never won anywhere, and obviously won't win here. they are underskilled at every position except power foward and center, and even at thoose positions there are serious flaws.
the roster needs to be blown up. star-jerk is untradeable, they should buy him out, he is a cancer. jamal is expendable, as is curry. the only player i would not trade is balkman, who has a huge heart and upside. i know this is heresy, but i would trade lee while his value is high. he will have a nice career on a good team, but he will never be a star, he can't shoot. the league is getting more and more talented, most guys in this league can fill it up.
and thank you pete, for noticing.
Chris Mullin gonna replace Isiah! Sweet!
BAZ - The All Star break is 30 games away; a lot can happen btw now and then.
Hammond: Isiah has done a very good job
With Stephon Marbury making headlines last week after disappearing for a game, Isiah Thomas is under scrutiny once again for the players he has brought to New York, but according to Pistons' vice president John Hammond, Isiah did the best he could with the limited resources he inherited.
November 20, The Village Voice: "What people refuse to understand is that being so far over the salary cap from the get-go, Isiah really didn't have a choice," says John Hammond, the Detroit Pistons' VP of basketball operations. "Under the circumstances, you could say he's done a very good job."
The only other choice available would have been to strip the franchise bare--much like the post-Kevin Garnett Minnesota Timberwolves have done this season--and start anew from the very bottom. "But the Knicks were so far over the cap it would have taken Isiah eight to 10 years to rebuild that way," said Hammond.
And in the NBA, nobody has eight to 10 years. Particularly not in New York.
Chris Mullin gonna replace Isiah! Sweet!
No!
We need someone who knows what he's doing in the front office. Mullin as a GM is nearly as incompetent as Isiah.
I love Mullin, but if you'd like to see him get a gig in NY, I suggest the head coaching job at St. John's.
We need experience, not a hometown favorite.
Let me append one sentence in my post above:
Mullin as a GM is nearly as incompetent as Isiah as a coach.
Zeke has brought talent to this team and has made them much younger. He just doesn't know how to coach them.
To be Honest,
There is not one trade that Isiah has made that is bad!!!!! There are many other GM that has done worse....
- Keith Van Horn and Michael Doleac are dealt to Milwaukee and became Tim Thomas and Nazr Mohammed. Advantage: Knicks.
- Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Antonio McDyess, Maciej Lampe, the pick that became Kirk Snyder and another 1st rounder (most likely 2010) then became Stephon Marbury and Anfernee Hardaway. Advantage: Knicks.
- Frank Williams, Othella Harrington, Dikembe Mutombo and Cezary Trybanski became Jamal Crawford and Jerome Williams. Advantage: Knicks.
- Mohammed and Jamison Brewer are dealt to the Spurs for Malik Rose and the pick that became David Lee and the pick that became Mardy Collins. Advantage: Knicks
- Kurt Thomas and Dijon Thompson became Quentin Richardson and Nate Robinson. Advantage: Knicks win or at worst a tie.
- Tim Thomas is traded to the Bulls along with Mike Sweetney, Jermaine Jackson, the pick that became Tyrus Thomas and the pick that became Joakim Noah for Eddy Curry, Antonio Davis (who months later became Jalen Rose and the pick that became Renaldo Balkman) and the pick that became Wilson Chandler. Advantage: Knicks or a tie.
- Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza became Steve Francis, who, along with Channing Frye became Zach Randolph, Fred Jones, Dan Dickau (who became Jared Jordan for a few weeks) and Demetris Nichols (who has since signed with Cleveland and was the subject of fan uproar when he was released). Advantage: Knicks.
He has done a good job drafting young talent......
However as a Coach is where he has mess up!!
Marbury is very talented but he is a cancer that can only be a valuable member on a team that has a strong leadership such as Miami (Shaq and D Wade). Marbury has to be traded in order for the Knicks to win....
Knicks fan for life.......Go NY, Go NY, Go!!!!!!
Isiah has brought talent to the team, yes. And no, apparently he can’t coach them. But he’s only begun to build a team. The roster still has huge holes in it. Moreover, the argument advanced by Badboys is erroneous. Everyone acknowledges he had very little to work with. And that trying to rebuild through free agency would have taken a dozen or so lifetimes. But Badboys ignores the one huge resource Isiah has had to work with – one that he has exploited successfully to some degree . . . but whether or not he could have done a better job is by no means certain. That resource, of course, is Little Jimmy Dolan’s very big checkbook. I’ve always supported Isiah’s decision to ignore the cap and spend, spend, spend. And when he’s made mistakes, he’s been able to buy his way out of them. That’s why all the arguments that supposedly “trace” each trade from beginning and end never tell the whole story. Because they ignore all the bad players and bad contracts he was able to take on, then buy out along the way. That's what allowed him to continue to maneuver in situations where other GMs would be forced to live with their mistakes.
Isiah has also had some exceptional drafts. I have no problem giving him credit when it’s warranted. But his one great accomplishment last year as coach – gaining the confidence and support of the team – has now been squandered, just 10 games into the season.
The best argument against a coaching change was that this team didn’t need the disruption it would cause. But a coaching change couldn’t be worse than the current chaos.
Isiah’s gotta go. The problem is, who's going to advise Dolan who to hire? Who can Jimmy ask except . . . Isiah?
I am amazed at how stupid Isiah must think Knick fans are. Today's Newsday reports that Isiah believes that he should remain as coach and that Dolan agrees. He makes the argument that lots of teams are struggling right now and that they just have to find their sea legs.
What he doesn't say is that the team won 33 games last year, and 29 the year before. What he doesn't say is that the team has never played defense for him and never will. What he doesn't say is that at best, the Knicks are the ninth or tenth best team in the conference.
I think most Knick fans have had it. It will either be Thomas/Marbury or us. If they persist with the "stay the course" plan, I think most of us will ignore the team starting in December.
The very first thing that Isiah The Genius must do in this reconciliaiton process is to: apologize to the team for the way he handled the Warbury situation and admit that the made a mistake.
Thereafter, obtain the players' input whether Steffi Me-bury should be suspended and if yes, by how many games.
Bleep Yukbury and try to salvage the season.
CURRY CRAWFORD Q N NATE NEEDS TO BE GONE.ZEKE FIRST B4 THEM.NO FRANCHISE IS GOING TO BE GOOD WITH CURRY AS THE MEAN OFFENSE.BIG DUDES ARE FOR REBOUNDING AN BLOCKING SHOTS SOMETHING CURRY CAN'T DO.MARBURY WITH THE RITE PIECES LIKE HE HAD IN PHOENIX CAN BE GOOD....THE COACH IS THE PROBLEM...FIRE ZEKE IS RITE.I COULD OF DONE A WAY BETTER JO AT G.M THAN HIM.....
I hear you guys, patience. But turnovers and defense was our problem last year. It will probably continue to be our problem until this team grows a pair.
It's true -- Isiah didn't make one terrible trade. He made several. Do the names Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor ring a bell? Two perfect examples of bad moves that he was able to buy his way out of. So effectively, to be fair, they weren't as damaging to the organization as they would have been elsewhere. Still, the Antonio Davis long-term expiring contract was a VERY valuable bargaining chip to any NBA GM. It netted us Jalen Rose, who had to be bought out of his contract. That contract could have been packaged for a significant player. And don't tell me it was Larry Brown's fault. Maybe you appease your coach with a minor bad move, to show support. But that contract was too valuable. Clearly asset management wasn't a concern with Dolan writing checks as fast as Isiah could make deals. Okay, but it still hurt us. Not as badly as it would have other clubs. But they were still assets squandered.
Now Isiah’s back is against the wall. If, by some miracle, he can turn this franchise around . . . and make it into a winning organization, he will have earned the praise he receives. If he leaves the organization basically where it is now . . . this is likely his last job in the NBA. Certainly his last GM job. (Except, as I’ve always said, if he wants to open a Draft Evaluation Service, and consult for multiple teams.)
James Dolan. Isiah Thomas. Stephon Marbury. Eddy Curry. Jerome James
The biggest problems, in order, on the New York Knicks and the parties that Charles Dolan needs to remove from left to right. Otherwise, things will just stay the same.
Kind of hard to include James on that list; did he ever play in a game for the Knicks?
Biggest problem with the NBA is the stupid salary cap. How can Phoenix and San Antonio and these other hee-haw towns be on the same page with the great metropolitan cities such as NY, LA, Chicago? You gift wrap (McHale - Ainge) star players to the Celtics and you see what is happening now after many moribund years.
Isiah is a snake oil salesman and should be escorted to JFK immediately. However, the rigid salary cap of the NBA places major NBA markets in the same pool as college towns and handcuff teams for multiple years. I can accept some form of revenue sharing which will still field competitive (just not yearly champions) from passive aggressive NBA basketball meccas such as Texas.
As the Knicks, Lakers, Bulls, Celtics, Heat goes, so does the NBA. David Stern needs to eliminate this thirst for parity and get real.
Wonder what our beloved Yankees would look like very year is we were forced into a rigid salary cap?