For the 12th time in franchise history, the Knicks have reached the 50-loss mark. With 13 games left in the season (and not a whole lot of ambition to win) is it out of the realm of possibility that Isiah Thomas' team set the franchise record by hitting 60?
What a way to go out.
But keep in mind: with every loss the Knicks get closer to an extra ping pong ball.
The next loss also brings a milestone. It would give Isiah 100 losses (next to 52 wins) in two seasons. He is second only to Eddie Donovan in Knick history as the fastest to 100 losses. Donovan did it in 149 games from 1961-62 to the 62-63 seasons. Monday against the Nets is Game No. 153 for Isiah.
So close. He did say he wanted to leave a legacy.
By the way, if the Nets fail to clinch a playof berth, it would be the first time since 1986-87 -- over 20 years -- that the NBA playoffs are nowhere to be found in the New York area.
Good thing we have strong college basketball programs in the area.
* * *
* - Mardy Collins doesn't get a lot of ink -- or bandwith space -- but you have to say there were much greater expectations for him this season after his strong finish to last season. Collins had his knee scoped in May and the rehab set him back a little, along with the extra weight he apparently put on as a result. The knee took a while to recover - remember he missed the summer league - and he admittedly wasn't 100 percent at training camp. It didn't help that Mardy had no idea what his role would be this season and went from DNP to starting back to DNP several times throughout the season. Clearly Collins needs to put in some serious work this summer on his body and his conditioning, not to mention the consistency of his shot. As with most of the Knicks young players, it's impossible to scout them based on this season. There needs to be some much stricter discipline with these guys.
* - I watched Michael Beasley against Wisconsin and while he has owned college basketball, he's not going to step right into the NBA as a dominant force. I'm not saying he shouldn't come out because this year is a light draft year and he will undoubtedly be a lottery pick, possibly No. 1 overall. But any team that drafts him should not expect him to step into a starting role and deliver as a centerpiece. He has so much to learn and Wisconsin big man Greg Stiemsma showed Beasley can be man-handled on the post, which is what he'll get on a nightly basis in the NBA.
When considering the best situations for Beasley, perhaps Miami would be a good place for him because he can play behind or next to Udonis Haslem and have Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion to dominate the offense. Minnesota doesn't have a need at his position but Memphis does. He'd have a lot more pressure on him with the Grizzlies, where he'll play right away.
There's no doubt the kid has an NBA body that will only get stronger and bigger as he gets older and continues to work hard. He has the game, too. What you always have to watch out for is the situation the kid goes to as a rookie and what pressure is on him from the start. Best example is Kevin Durant. His numbers are gaudy, but is he really the Rookie of the Year? My choice - and I get a vote - is Al Horford.
Durant desperately needs to add weight and intellect. A constant green light doesn't make you a great player.
* - More NCAA scouting: The more I see and read about Stanford's 7-footer Brook Lopez, the more I'm thinking he might be a very good fit with the Knicks. Brook is intelligent and mature and an exceptional athlete. These are the kinds of bigs you need in the NBA, the Tyson Chandler-types. Lopez could grow into a compliment for either Eddy Curry or Zach Randolph, depending on which you decide to keep. I might even consider drafting his twin brother, Robin, with a second-round pick because Robin is a heck of a shot blocker. I know there are needs at PG and SF, but perhaps those you fill via trades (you have to revisit Kyle Lowry for sure). Then again, you really should do your homework on Italian star Danilo Gallinari, the 6-10 small forward who will be available in this draft. If he's on the board, will the Knicks finally go for a European player?
* - Happy Easter, Fixers.
Comments (21)
I'm surprised that your blog seems to favor Lopez over Beasley. Lopez will likely be a good big man, but Beasley will likely be a superstar. Also, I hope the Knicks don't go for a European player, as that's much more of a crapshoot.
I think their draft board should be Rose, Beasley, Bayless, Westbrook, Augustin, Gordon, Mayo.
Correct me if I'm wrong, Alan, but didn't we cut our 2nd round pick, in training camp, when we said good-bye to Nichols? I thought we only had a first round pick this year, because we sent the 2nd rounder to Portland ? ? ?
You are correct Trane, the Knicks do not have a second round pick this year, but second round picks are always for sale.
i've been telling alan & you ppl on here for weeks now about my boy JARVIS VANARDO !! already today he has FIVE blocks vs memphis in the first half. much more to come...stay tuned. i need him on tha knicks next yr.
Alan...are you picking on Mardy because of the disappointing showing of Randolph Morris. You have been touting him and no remarks on his recent play? Morris does not look anything like an NBA player...in fact, Al Trautwig even likened him to Eddy Curry in terms of his lack of desire to rebound. Now Eddy is a good offensive player, not so sure with Morris. HOWEVER, Isiah has not done much to help this team, esp the young players. Giving the younger guys PT right now is almost a detriment because he is not coaching AT ALL. He is also telling them, "we need to you to go out there and lose!" Essentially, he is using them as tools for his tank job.
Unfortunately, Isiah won't be sitting at the dais when the Commish announces that we have a high draft pick.
Not that it's relevant to the Knicks situation, but I thought the Heat weren't planning on signing Marion.
Knicks lack a second-rounder. Isiah dumped the second-rounder in a swap with Portland last year.
A Knicks scribe who doesn't know how many draft picks the team has? In a two-round draft?
About the typical lack of effort we all can expect from a Long Island hockey writer.
DON'T BE SURPRISED IF YOU SEE ISIAH BACK NEXT YEAR!
don't put your faith in dolan...when has he ever done what is in the best interest of the knicks.
he is self centered bastard!
UNTIL ISIAH IS OFFICIALLY GONE I WILL CONTINUE TO BE CAUTIOUS...
@allan
beasley is a beast...
JARVIS VANARDO is man the knicks need.great shot blocker and defensive presence
what the knicks really need is a point guard...colleson from ucla is who i would pick.him or derrick rose...there are no good point guards available through free agency...sebastian telfair?please...we might as keep nate as point guard if we sign telfair.
CAN YOU SPELL UNDERACHIEVER?
Bandwidth
not
bandwith
a blazers blogger recently posted this in relation to the best young duos in the nba:
Our third group is known as...
"The Knicks."
Knicks: David Lee and Nate Robinson. Nate's huge game against the Blazers was incredible. David Lee is often mentioned as the last remaining asset with trade value on the Knicks roster. However, the Knicks are the Knicks and it's impossible to assess the relative value of talent on this team so they will get their own category.
i miss the days when the knicks were in a category of their own simply because they were the knicks not because they sucked...
ps can we please get all this crap over with fire isaiah and bring in some1 new already...im tired
check it- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4ilybiULlg
if Isiah Thomas is the GM, and it is looking that way, the knicks will absolutely not go for a euro baller. ever. isiah would rather continue to think that the only good players in the world are either from chicago or indiana, and then later complain that the nba game has changed to not allow players like curry to thrive.
meanwhile euros are often featured on successful playoff teams. it is not rocket science, you don't need to have "intimate knowledge" to see the direction the league has taken over the past four years.
Knicks owner, James Dolan, continues to demonstrate that he is several sandwiches short of a picnic as the rearrangement of the deck chairs continues to be passed off as meaningful progress as team Titanic II sails forth to close out another abyssmal season. New Yorkers have really brought this on themselves because they continue to support this very uninspiring group of decision makers by their attendance at games. The Knicks are continuing to make money. I find it ludicrous that fans are still going to watch the horror shows being passed off as games at MSG. We need a new coach, a new general manager, a new president and new ideas. And we need all those things now (really we needed them at this time last year). The players also need to take responsibility for their fitness. With the money that those guys make, every one of them should have a personal trainer and nutritionist and being in peak condition prior to the start of a season should be a top priority. Players will get away with what the coaching staff lets them get away with. There seems to be very little self discipline in that group of people. James Dolan obviously has too many dollars and not enough sense. This saga now has more episodes than The Bold And The Beautiful. 34 years ago I lived in New York and enjoyed following the Knicks. I've lived in Australia ever since and recently have wished that the old days of not getting results or being able to watch a game on a computer were still with us. New York fans need to speak out against the current debacle as one if this mess is even going to begin to get fixed. Pick out one of the remaining games and boycott it. Let's face it, you won't miss much anyway and maybe just maybe all those empty seats will drive home the reality that this could occur regularly next season if changes aren't forth coming. Or do you prefer the status quo??????
you assume too much Gary. I basically had season tickets last season. this season, i've been to just one regular season game. so the boycott approach has not worked because the tourists end up buying the season ticket holder's tickets from scalpers so they can show their kids what the inside of MSG looks like. people continue to buy season tickets because they don't want to give up their seats should the knicks get good again. unfortunately it doesn't look like that will be any time soon with Isiah still here.
knicksdefense - everyday you sound more and more like a victimized herb. if your life didn't suck so much, maybe you wouldn't pay so much attention to a team you obviously hate watching. if you long for the good ol' days so much, go rent some old Knicks footage, put on your ratty Ewing jersey, shave the words "in God's hands" onto your head and watch Charles Smith get blocked by Pippen and Jordan over and over again.
Finally pick a euro player?
F. Weis? The guy carter dunked over, the guy who never played for us, the guy we drafted over ron artest...
where is that $%^ at?
Some additional thoughts:
- Prowler et al have been right about Vanardo, that kid definitely has Dikembesque skills. But I like Lopez for more of an all-around game. Just bloggin.
- I never said the Knicks CURRENTLY have a second-round pick, - I am saying if I had one I'd use it on Brook's twin brother. Portland has a lot of picks and they aren't interested in getting younger, so you can always try to get one from them.
- I'm not picking on Mardy and certainly not ignoring Randolph Morris' unimpressive play. I'm pointing out factors that have led to Mardy's game dropping off. Like Al Trautwig said, would be nice if the Knicks tried to feature Morris on the post for a few plays. But yes, he doesn't show you a lot of intensity on the boards or defensively, does he?
- My bad on misspelling bandwidth.
I'll check in before the big Hudson River battle tonight. (Yawn).
Knicks dan, you must know, there have been successful euros in the league since Fred Weiss, Milos Vujanic, Maciej Lampe, and Slavko Vranes. Just because layden drafted most of those players doesn't mean that euros suck in general. The key is to find a player at the end of the first round or second round that wants to come here to play. Ask Tony Parker about it, the spurs got him at #28.
"anonymous": You're not fooling anyone. i've yet to read a single positive post from you, and i read this blog daily, which is probably why you were banished from other blogs to begin with. name calling will give away your identity every time. until you actually prove yourself to be a knicks fan through your words, I'll just consider you a cancer from here out and skip past your hateful, yet meaningless posts.
i want the knicks to improve. i bleed orange and blue. i talk smack about this team now because it is obvious they are not improving. i don't jump ship, but i'm not going to kiss isiah's ass either. i call it like i see it. you got a problem with that? that's too bad. last i checked this was a knicks blog, so I will continue to post here what I think is relevant content.
TEAM TANK-TINIC
Another season down the drain under the stewardship by Commander in Chief, El Sicko Zeke de Thomas.
This sick boy has got to go!!!!.
The once respected Knicks became the disgusting and laughable Team TankTinic under Isiah Lord Thomas.
“I’m your captain, I’m your captain.
Though I’m feeling mighty sick.”
- Mark Farner (GFR)
BTW, ALAN: “Team TankTinic” has been copyrighted by yours truly. However, I’m “GIVEING” you permission to plagiarize it before Berman does.
I think the Knicsk will do like the Bulls. Trade their pick for a second first round pick. The Knicks will shoot for Rose and a big. Hibbert, Lopez, or DeAndre Jordan are the likely bigs they will try out. Isiah will chose a low IQ shoot first guy. I hope they don't let him scout draft picks
I'm not crazy about Hibbert. It seemes like he offensively disappears too often in big spots.
very glad to see alan & some of tha boys on here see tha light about vanardo...he's still raw offensively and a bit on tha slim side but in 2 yrs he can be as good as our old boy camby. he was as clyde would say.."a stringbean" back then too. but we SERIOUSLY need this kid on our roster next yr. hope donnie can make some magic happen....