Bombshell Across the Bridge
There were whispers heard around the IZOD Center that Jason Kidd's absence from the lineup was related to more than just the migraine headache the Nets were reporting. And if you read fellow Fixer Al Iannazzone's story in the Bergen Record you'll see what's really behind it.
Looks like the Knicks aren't the only New York-area NBA team with issues. Nice to have company in your misery, isn't it?
The Nets just fly so far under the radar, no one really pays a lot of attention to them. But I can tell you this: without Kidd, that's an awful team. You're welcome, says Captain Obvious.
Vince Carter gave an effort on defense, but he was lost offensively without Kidd. And without Nenad Krstic (damaged goods), they have zero post presence. Jamaal Magloire and Jason Collins are brutal. And I wonder what took Lawrence Frank so long to figure out that Eddie Gill could not guard Jamal Crawford? Once Gill had three fouls and Frank had to take him out of the game, Carter moved to Crawford and did a much better job containing him.
Speaking of Crawford, he certainly looked comfortable out there. The ball was in his hands more and he was able to get himself into an early rhythm, which brings me back to a point I've been making since - hmm - July? The Knicks collection of scorers desperately needs a point guard that distributes the ball.
Zach Randolph also had a lot more touches on the post and from the mid-range without Eddy Curry in the lineup. David Lee also got in some work on the low post, where, as I've said before, he has proven he can score from in the right situations. I agree with some of your observations that Lee doesn't look as "springy" as he did last season. He still has ups, but they're not as quick and he's not as active. It could be some extra weight he put on in an attempt to bulk up. It could be the result of a summer in which he did a lot of rehab work to get his leg back and then he put in the work with the USA Basketball training camp in Vegas. Is it fatigue? Is that dead-leg issue he had last season lingering?
He's not rebounding like he did last season, but he is showing us more offense this year. Lee should be a classic inside-pivot guy, similar to a Jack Sikma type. His ability to go strong to the rim should get him frequent trips to the line where he is one of the Knicks better free throw shooters.
But can you really get away with playing the 6-9 Randolph and 6-9 Lee as your big men on a nightly basis? I think a big part of Curry's mediocre overall performance this season has to do with less opportunities. Last year, Isiah Thomas demanded the ball continually go down to Curry on the post. This year, the offense has more options with Randolph and, quite frankly, Randolph has proven to be a more consistent and more persistent scorer.
Think Curry hasn't noticed the trend going away from him? Before the game, when Curry was talking about the ankle injury that kept him out of last night's game, a reporter joked that Crawford should get all of Curry's shots for the night. Curry retorted, "He can have them, all nine of them."
Other thoughts and observations:
* - Fred Jones continued his yeoman work, as well. D'd up Carter tough. Showed some hops. A few moments of erratic play on offense and a one for six from downtown, however, but you can live with that if you get zero turnovers in over 40 minutes of run.
* - N8 the Gr8 got off the bench for a sniff. Got a quick seven, a pair of treys. He's got a tight new haircut that sort of makes him look a like a Chucky doll at first glance. Fresh start is always a good thing.
* - With a home-and-home against the Sixers next, I asked Philly native Mardy Collins for his recommendation for the best cheesesteak place in his hometown. In my many years going down to Philly, my personal favorite is Pat's Steaks, where you circle the block to find a place to park, stand outside in the freezing cold and make sure you get your order right. Provie Without is always my call. Across the street is Genos, made famous in the Boyz II Men video, "Motown Philly" from back in the day. Then a few blocks away is Jim's. There's also Steve's Prince of Steaks. So what does Mardy say? "Max's in North Philly," he said. I asked him where it was and he suggested I don't want to know. Why, I won't fit in up there? "It's not about fitting in," Mardy then said. "It's about personal safety."
After what I've been hearing about the goings-on in Philly these days -- think NYC under David Dinkins -- I don't expect to be checking out Max's. I'll just take Mardy's word for it.
* - Stephon Marbury released a statement during the game. The team distributed it through the media and it was read during the MSG Network broadcast. Here is what it said (unedited and directly from his email):
For the fans...
First and foremost, I want to praise GOD for covering us and sustaining us. We couldn't get through this difficult time without trusting in him.
On behalf of my entire family, I especially want to thank the Knicks fans and fans around the world for their outpouring of support, heartfelt prayers and words of encouragement.
I would also like to give a very special thanks to the NYPD, New York State Troopers, the Knicks and our friends at the American Diabetes Foundation.
My father left his legacy were he always wanted us to finish playing, at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN...
Sincerely,
Stephon Marbury
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Comments (24)
WE WON AND NOW E HAVE 2 WINNABLE GAMES ONLY 2 GAMES OUT OF 8 SPOT IN LOSS COLUMN. I DON'T NEED MIRACLES, BUT A SEASON WOULD BE NCE
GO KNICKS
Kidd to the Knicks for Marbury! Haha
Curry should stop whinin' about his touches and play some freakin' defense. You can always get a touch if you grab an offensive rebound.
Poor Stephon, if only he'd stayed in his hotel room in Pheonix with a 'migraine'...seems J. Kidd is still schooling him. It'll be interesting to see if Kidd is boo'ed like Marbury...Perhaps the few fans in the swamp just don't care?
It's good to know Jamal can step up and score when there's no one guarding him, and he doesn't have to play any D. I'm guessing Andre Miller will present a different challenge to him.
Great game and good victory in which they controlled the tempo most of the game to the end. By far this is the Knicks best group of offensive and defensive players in a starting line up.
I wish I can beg Curry to ride the bench for as much time as he needs to heal. Curry is too much of a defensive liability. His offense is negated by lack of defensive effort. That is why if Zeke has to make a bench it has to be Curry for some more wins. Since when has Curry kept offensive and defensive throughout a whole game consistently? Never. Like the tattoo he has on his chest.
What I learned from one Game:
I learned that Jamal can score at will and without Marbury starting in the game and he turns in to super guard a.k.a hybrid of Steve Nash and Tracy McGrady.
Randolph is fearless and has a closers mentality.
If Jones puts the effort can have sick fade away shot that will shock many opponents.
Q knows how to create shots for himself and others better than we think he does.
Lee can shoot the mid range jumper and bedazzle guys with his ball handling.
Alan-
you gotta go to ishkabibbles downtown in philly.
337 south street
you can thank me later!
Alan, Did you write this? The link is lousy. Fix it.
And some crap about "Your welcome, says Captain Obvious." Your welcome? Try You're welcome. As in You are welcome. Who pays you for this stuff?
As for the Knicks needing a court boss who can pass the rock, Isiah and Larry Brown said that years ago. Knicks fans have been screaming for a passer at the point since Mark Jackson left town for the 14th times. Nobody has ever been home to hear us. Or give a damn about what we say. So why should anybody read your words and think, "Hey, that guy's right!" ????????
Sikma played center; Lee's a small power forward. More like Paul Silas. Couldn't get off the floor, but just got the rebounds.
And Lee can't rebound? Try Curry, the big guy who didn't play, and Randolph, the round guy who did. Lee got the most rebounds last night and trails just Randolph, who plays more minutes, this season.
Did Randolph forget how to get a double-double? How many's he got in the last couple of weeks? One? Maybe two? Guy just won't rebound anymore unless it falls right in his lap.
So Nate's got a new haircut. That just makes him shorter. Height's a bit of a problem for Nate. Don't you remember?
Oh yeah, Marbury's letter has a spelling mistake, too. Find it. Fix it. Do it in RIP.
"I learned that Jamal can score at will and without Marbury starting in the game and he turns in to super guard a.k.a hybrid of Steve Nash and Tracy McGrady."
Dude...don't bogart that crack pipe.
I wonder if Kidd will take as much heat as Steph. I'd say what Kidd did is arguably worse than what Steph did, and believe me, I'm not Steph fan.
Im a Pat's guy myself. Mushroom provalone steak with........
Ishkabibles sounds familiar for some reason.....
Kidd or no Kidd, last night was very satisfying.
Played good D. Moved the ball. Hit some tough shots and played 48 minutes.
Looks like the team is really building some confidence. I started to see guys UNDERSTANDING AND EXCEPTING THIER ROLES. Beautiful thing.
Lee plays and looks like Phil Jackson when he was on the knicks.
I would like to know where this alleged "bulk" is that Alan sees. Lee looks like he could use some muscles.
Can we list the number of things Kidd has done that is worse than anything anyone on the knicks ever did?
-1. Repeatedly beat his wife over a number of years.
-2. Have beaten wife drag thier young child to game after game in 2004 to improve his public image so he could get max contract and keys to the Nets. (Remember that display) (Remember Bob Ryan getting in trouble for critisizing them for it?)
-3. Allegedly grab a woman's crotch at a night club.
-4. Publically speak about how great it would be to play with players on other teams while he is supposed to be trying to win with the Nets. Been doing it for years. (Remember him talking about playing with the Spurs)
He will get no flac because no one cares about the Nets.
Jamal displayed the sort of comfort he did during the 4th quarter of last Friday's home win against Milwaukee. And what do last night and the 4th quarter against the Deers have in common? Exactly. I'm not saying, I"m just saying.
Good to see Nate get some floor time last night. I guess it took Zeke the entire first half to realize that Kidd wasn't there, and those "matchup problems" keeping Nate off the floor were no longer an issue (unless he thinks Nate can't deal with Eddie Gill, whoever that is).
Alan, you deserve a raise -- not only for dealing with idiots who insult you on your blog, but also for having to talk daily to a head coach who tells you the most obvious lies and apparently expects you to believe them. There's no way around the fact that Nate is being punished; and evidently his crime must have been a lot worse than abandoning the team on a crucial road trip, since that offense merely gets you 33 minutes off the bench instead of 33 minutes in the starting lineup. Maybe Nate should threaten to blackmail him; it seems the best way to get back in the rotation.
Knicks win 4 out of 6! Good times all around.
I guess if you're the guy that helped turn around a franchise into a winner, and your a leader on the court, and you consistently knock down triple doubles...you could probably get away with murder in this league.
I've always admired the way Kidd plays on the court, but I think San Antonio is feeling pretty good about ending up with Tony Parker, after Kidd turned them down.
Knicks beat writer (ahem, Berman, ahem) got bored and needed a story.
D (as in delusional) Nic Update
Demetrius was waived by Cavs to make room for Varejao. And again gettting to ponder the meaning of these mysterious words: "Nice player, he needs time in Europe or the D-League"
What kinda junk is his agent feeding him? Now he's going to have to go that route with no NBA love. He coulda been our guy, paying his dues and waiting for his opportunity. Too bad, I hope he doesn't end up in that Syracuse scrap heap of broken NBA dreams.
Here's hoping to see him in camp next summer.
ISN'T IT AMAZING HOW COHESIVE THE DEFENSE FOR THE KNICKS LOOKED MINUS MARBURY AND CURRY...hmmm....
I really think isiah has to entertain the idea that he should not have randolph and curry on the same team.they don't add to each others game.they both play better when the other is not on the floor.
we need an athletic forward/center to cover up our defensive mishaps.
ALSO CRAWFORD LOOKED MIGHTY COMFORTABLE AT THE PG POSITION LAST NIGHT.HE ACTUALLY TRIED TO PLAY DEFENSE.
crawford never will be the defensive player of the year but i get mad at him when he won't even try.when larry brown was coaching the team it seemed like he made an effort.but this season he has whole stretches of games where he looks clueless about how to defend a pick and roll....
I LIKE WHAT I SAW OUT OF FRED JONES LAST NIGHT....
BUT I WISH ISIAH WOULD THROW WILSON CHANDLER OUT THERE TO GET THE GUY SOME EXPERIENCE.
I MEAN IF THE SEASON IS LOST AT LEAST WE CAN FIND OUT IF THE GUY CAN BALL...HE IS A MUCH BETTER OPTION THAN JARRED JEFFRIES WHO HAS NO OFFENSIVE GAME AT ALL.
Despite Isiah's misdeeds, NYK is still numero uno.
NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks' struggles on and off the court didn't keep the team from remaining the NBA's most valuable franchise for the third straight year, according to a list compiled by Forbes.
The Knicks were valued at $604 million, up 3 percent from the previous year despite a spate of losing, an embarrassing defeat in a sexual harassment lawsuit, and continuing questions about the future of coach Isiah Thomas.
The NBA's marquee franchise also had a league-high $196 million in revenues for the 2006-07 season while topping the list with negative $42.2 million in operating income after going 33-49 and missing the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Lakers decreased in value 2 percent, down to $560 from $568 million, but remained second on the list. The Chicago Bulls were third with a value of $500 million and a league-best $59.3 million in operating income. Detroit and Houston rounded out the top five.
The Knicks have a league-high value and revenue . . . because of MSG and Manhattan real estate prices (value) and because you can simply charge more for tickets and beer in NYC (revenue).
But let's not also forget the Knicks also have league-costs. And the Knicks LOSE more money than any other NBA franchise every year. Mak quotes $42.2 million in operating losses this year. It's projected at over $50 million next year.
Not even Dolan can undercut the value of real estate in mid-town Manhattan. (If you own MSG, it’s always going to be valuable.) But that's certainly not value he added to the franchise. The Knicks were the most valuable franchise before the Dolans and will be after the Dolans. As a business, however, the Knicks are the league joke. I've always supported Isiah's decision to ignore the salary cap, and to keep spending Dolan's money to buy the roster he wants and to buy his way out of his mistakes. As long as Dolan keeps writing the checks, why not? But at this point, Isiah must know that no other NBA owner would ever hire him for that very reason. Isiah must know this is his last NBA GM job unless he miraculously turns this franchise around. And maybe even if he does.
Hey hey hey now, on Jamal's defense he does so move the ball and him and Eddy Curry work well together, but as you saw Eddy was out also.There are many times he goes scoreless in the first half because he is moving the ball around (and he needs better shot selections, I know). Then in the 3rd and forth quarter he gets most of his point cause he start to shoot more. Plus he is a shooting guard not a point guard. I think Jamal felt he had to "man up" for lack of a better term and take responsibility into his own hands. Which as we saw was a good thing. I'm tired of everyone focusing on the fact that there was no Jason Kidd. That is ONE starter they didn't have. We lost TWO starters and still won! (climbs down off of the soapbox)
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