The Knicks Fix

i dont think marbury's leg is actually hurt...thomas said "when and IF he decides to play again".... LETS GO JAMAL on that free throw streak, at least one good thing should happen this season right?

This win over a tired Pistons team, does it mean an extra 4 year extension by Dolan for I. Lord Thomas?

Seriously, who really cares.

They won a game. Big deal, so maybe they'll win 30 games this year instead of 29.

What a frustrating experience, being a Knick fan. There really is little hope other than enough losses to convince Dolan to hand the reigns to a competent GM and Coach. And if they win a few games, its possible Dolan will think all is fine, and Isiah will get another extension and the Knicks can spend the next five years averaging 29 wins a season, just like they have the past four seasons.

The Giants win a playoff game, AND the Knicks win? Is this the Bizzaro world?

That's the problem, David -- you don't want to root against the Knicks. But you have to fear that it will only take a few wins for the old arrogance at MSG to come back in full force. And Isiah can keep talking about winning championships. The very fact that Q is still starting should be indication enough how far removed from reality Isiah is. I don’t know if he’s one of the 5 worst coaches in league history . . . or just shell-shocked at this point. It doesn’t matter. His coaching is that bad. His rotations and substitutions make no sense. And you have to wonder what goes on when the team holds, if you’ll pardon the expression, a “practice.”

You really think they have a shot at 30 wins? I think Isiah is going to have to coach his a$$ off just to beat Larry Brown's record. And he’s such a terrible coach, I don't see that happening. He’ll be lucky to get 20 wins. This is Isiah’s legacy. Isiah’s team. He will be remembered for: Stephon. Curry. Q. Crawford. Randolph. A terrible team, getting worse. And all I can say about his so-called “eye for talent” – none of his talented draft picks can even get into the starting line-up on a terrible team. And only 2 have made it into the rotation. I hate the thought of rooting against this team, but the best thing that could happen to this team now (aside from firing Isiah) is more ping-pong balls. And getting the younger players experience, since the season is already lost anyway. I keep reading on other blogs about all the players on the Knicks roster that other teams want. Nonsense. You can count them with a pair of chopsticks. The next GM really has his work cut out for him.

This franchise is doomed as long as Isiah Thomas is employed at MSG. Until he’s removed, they shouldn’t even be allowed to burn up all that jet-fuel on their fancy charter flights. What’s the point? The Knicks should go green, and forfeit the rest of their away games so at least something good can come out of this dismal seaso

All good points Trane. This is an organization that can not be trusted. Not its ownership, not its management, not its players. And that, more than anything, is the greatest crime and disappointment. There is no hope at this point, and any move they make (with the exception of firing Isiah) will likely be a poor one.

And as much as I don't like Marbury, I understand his reluctance to hitch his wagon to Isiah. Of course, the Knicks do tend to move the ball around better without Marbury, but the reason they won yesterday was due to an exhausted Pistons team, not any great reason of their own.

Marbury has now missed 1/3 of the games this year without an injury that would have caused a real player to miss even part of a game.

I'm a little surprised that you can't doc the pay of someone making that much who calls in sick that often. I don't think McDonalds or Walmart would keep an employee with that level of commitment.

I wanted to take a poll of the readers of this blog - How many of you have mentioned that Isiah should be fired more than 100 times?

Don't you just love people who tell you the same story over and over again? Don't you love spending time with those people?

emac - a lot of us are frustrated. And, yes, there is a sense that it's all been said before . . . even as things continue to go from bad to worse to worst. Yet, I get the impression you might have said the same thing about Nixon in the summer of '74. What should we be discussing? This is a Knicks blog. Isiah is the single biggest problem the Knicks have. It's certainly not the only thing that gets discussed here. But it's a subject that can't be avoided as ownership/management continue to bury their heads in the sand . . . talk about winning championships . . . start woefully unproductive players . . . refuse to develop the young talent we have . . . and come on the court unprepared for every game. Dolan's war against the media has crippled this organization. Either he's too dumb to know what has to be done (sadly, a distinct possibility), or too obstinate.

Either way, this organization will continue to self-destruct until a new GM and coach are brought in. Many of us are concerned about that. And unwilling to treat our biggest single problem like the elephant in the corner.

I know this is a blog and the only thing we can do here is talk but it seems that after you make a point 30 or 40 times you either stop talking or talk about something else. It doesn't have to be positive but who is a point being made to when it is being made for the 100th time?.

I think that people feel that if they say it enough it will happen.

I'm not convinced the opposite is true. Especially with Dolan.

We can talk and get excited about the possibility of getting a high pick in next years draft. Shoot, we might even be able to talk about that in the context of who we can get and how they would help the team instead of in the context of how we traded our last good pick for Curry.

New York sports coverage and discussion has turned into such a pity party and hate fest it makes it tough to be a fan unless you enjoy crying and fighting.

All the fans do is make it harder for the team to succeed and eliminate the enjoyment of the good things that are happening. All because things aren't happening fast enough or because the rebuild hasn't been without mistakes.

I'm not directing my comment at you BTW. It was general consumption for anyone who feels the need to repeat the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over.....

and...Why would anyone expect a new coach and GM to turn things around?

What in the world would you base that on?

How often teams are successfully rebuilt?

How desirable the job is?

Dolans hiring history?

The great fans?

The adoring media?

emac2, the Knicks have only left us a few choices:

--continue to root for the laundry and hope for a management change (which means stating it over and over again).

--giving up on our team and finding something else to do with our time.

Many of us refuse to give up on our team, and will state as often as necessary, that something has to change.

Maybe Dolan doesn't listen. Maybe the NBA doesn't care. Maybe the beat writers are getting redundant. However, we want our team back. We want players, and coaches we can root for, not root against. We want a franchise that is smart, strategic and intuitive.

Maybe some day . . . .

Certainly, there is no reason to have any faith in Dolan’s track record. But we know that Isiah’s decision-making is flawed in the extreme. He can’t be allowed to make any more moves on behalf of the organization. So, yes – there is reason to believe that a savvy GM could come in a do a better job. There’s no guarantee, certainly. And plenty fail. But can we be doing any worse? I don’t think so. We can’t be satisfied with what we have. So we look at the possibility that change will bring improvement. There’s no improvement coming if we don’t change. So it seems worth trying . . .

"WE" don't "KNOW" anything of the sort.

You are welcome to your opinion but please exclude me.

Looks like Steph's injury may be legit. I was starting to get my hopes up that he was on his way out.

Fair enough -- it was an editorial "we," but it felt pretty safe. Point taken.

And yet, I would offer the current team as ample evidence that Isiah shouldn’t be the one making final decisions on building a franchise. The roster – his roster – is deeply flawed. That’s not even a question of overall talent but none of the pieces fit together. Too many one-dimensional players who duplicate instead of complement one another. He consistently went after the athletes he liked . . . not the players we needed. Worse still, his signature moves will haunt him his entire career. Stephon, Curry, Q and Frances. Randolph is a player, just the wrong player to bring to this team. Even more evidence Isiah shouldn’t make the final decisions. (And the Curry deal should be ample evidence Isiah shouldn’t be the one at the negotiating table.) He has consistently misused and squandered what few assets the team has had – particularly the two expiring maxed-out contracts of Hardaway and Davis. His MLEs haven’t been much help either. His ability to find talent in the draft is impressive. I just wish he were consulting to another GM who would make the final decisions on how to build a franchise.