Don't Hurt 'em, Just Knick 'em

resurrection?

2009-07-10T12:03:00.004-04:00

hello all. not much to say, other than we need to take a live wire to the orange-n-blue-blood pumping vein of this blog. we bullshit so much about the knicks through bbm, gchat, email, phone, telegraph, carrier pigeon, Morse, et al., it would really be worth using this platform to archive it.

that being said--a quick few thoughts:

1) i feel like i should be researching these jason kidd and grant hill rumors on netscape navigator
2) the jordan hill-mikki moore comparisons need to stop
3) has anyone appreciated the irony that the knicks #1 draft target was a perfect portmanteau of the two knick acquisitions that very efficiently sank our entire franchise 'Steph(o)en' 'Curry'
4) i think i might get this image tattooed on my face, and if not, screen printed on to my tombstone:
http://www.euroleague.net/resourceserver/12311/a80d1475-f44a-4f94-ba9d-16c1583b9b76/da1/rglang/en-US/filename/a80.jpg (please cut and past the link to your browser, well worth it)
5) we're one Lou Amundsen away from boasting a lineup of Huey, Duey, and Louie
6) the jordan hill, danilo, and wilson threesome needs a nickname. all i got is willy, nilly, and hilly, but think we can do better.
7) what would you less rather wear-- an A-Rod jersey shirt that says 'A-Rod', not Rodriguez on the back, or the St. Patty's day green Nate Robinson jersey?
8) let's pick the chatter back up here fellas . . .

PEw going to Hall of Fame Friday night 7:30

2008-09-03T11:19:00.002-04:00

http://www.nba.com/gallery/HOF_Ewing/20080828_1.html

http://www.nba.com/

Check it out the King of Kings County... imagine of PEw and BKing had played together. Two full seasons on the same team at the Worlds Most, ('86 and '87) and never played a game together. Two years later, King was back to dropping 25+ a night, with the BULLETS (vomit). Good article, courtesy of P slims
http://www.nba.com/inside_stuff/hoop_april2004_king.html

Thoughts heading into 08-09

2008-07-31T09:28:00.002-04:00

1)Trade Zach Randolph for anything. Trade him for a towel kid. Just trade him. We can't have our starting 4 and 5 guy both be horrible defenders. Curry was an improved player in 07. Then he regressed big time last year. Curry can be the Shaq of D'Antoni's system....He is a true low post player, whereas randolph wants to hang around the perimiter. He will need to get in better shape. For some reason, I think D'Antoni will get the best out of his guys. Keep Eddy, trade Randolph............

2)Keep stephon to start the season. He also, had long stretches of good play two years ago in 07. As Mike Breen pointed out, he will be playing for the last contract of his career, so maybe he is motivated to try for the first time in his career not to be a looser. Either way, if he's good, we ride him out till the end of the season and dont re-sign him, otherwise, if its not working out, he can be shipped at trade deadline time. It hurts to have to hate marbury. But he's made it impossible. Let's see if he can do something positive in one last try.....

3)DLee might get traded i hear. But why? I think he should be the starting 4 in the D'antoni system.....

Ode to P Ew - Big Fella in hall of fame

2008-04-08T14:54:00.004-04:00

://www.nba.com/encyclopedia/hof_2008.html

Last night at halftime of the championship game (one of the better ones ever, no?) I flipped through the channels and came to FoxSports to hear this asshole Gary Apple talking about how theres no way Ewing could be considered the greatest knick of all time, critisizing him for always promissing to win big games and not always coming through, and generally degrading his career on the day he was inducted into the hall, also pointing out that ewing "wasnt always the most warm, fan friendly superstar in new york, and he wasnt good with the media". Yeah, one of those sensitive sports writer assholes, who is clearly missing something, like the point.

In defense of the big fella, I'm going to address these points one by one:

*He can't be considered the greatest knick of all time:
Stupid. Of course he can be considered the greatest knick of all time. This is clearly a debateable topic, but most certainly to knicks fans its a friendly, happy debate, not one that needs to be had with idiots who are going to point out any negative about patrick and ultimately just harp on the fact that he, in a team game, didnt deliver a championship. Three knicks; Clyde , Willis, and Ewing, are up for the honor of greatest knick of all time. Thats not just my opinion, but the obvious fact, if you are a knicks fan. And, any one of these guys could be considered the greatest. A serious argument about this can only be one in which the parties respectfully disagree and accept that yeah, you really could say its either of the three. But to the point, here's why Ewing is certainly in the conversation: Um, Clyde had Willis and Willis had Clyde. And Willis and Clyde had other great players on their team, perenial all stars and hall of fame players in Bill Bradley and Dave Debeussher, and of course Earl the Pearl. That is considered one of the greatest starting 5's of all time. Ewing never played with anyone who is even approaching Hall of Fame caliber. He never played with a second perenial all star, a second go to guy, let alone 3 or 4 others. Early in his career, he had Mark Jackson, in the middle it was Starks and Oak - all great guys, GREAT guys that we loved, but not the level of guys that could be considered that second scorer, that second great player. The most talented scorers ewing ever played with were Houston and Spree, at the end of his career. Yet year in and year out, the knicks were serious contenders. Lost lots of tough series. Lost lots of game 7's. Lost to the bulls a lot. Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippin. Hello, put Scottie Pippin in his prime on the knicks. Give Ewing a guard as good as Clyde, like Willis had. You feel me. The Knicks were contenders year in, year out, and they had character, heart, toughness - all the charictaristics ewing had as their leader. And along the way, he is the NBA's 15th or 16th all time leading scorer, 20 something all time in rebounds, 5th or 6th all time in blocked shots, and leads the knicks all time in every possible category except 3's. So you gotta be an idiot or you werent watching if you think he cant be considered the greatest knick ever.

*He promised to win big games, and didnt always deliver:
I mean, he always predicted they were going to win. And a lot of the time they did. He'd say they'd win round one and they would, he'd say they'd win round 2 and they would, and then when they didnt win, it became headline news. Same shit as always with the new york media. Whatever is all i have to say to that. If you are mad at him for guaranteeing wins, whatever. Maybe if he wouldnt have said anything at all while the reporters were swarming after practice, then the knicks would have won? So stupid.

* He wasnt always good with the media
Look at some of the assholes in the league. P Ew was a standup guy. All he did was bust his ass 24/7 for 15 years in NY to try win a title. Have you ever seen a retirement ceremony like the one for P Ew in 2003. Random great players from all over the league, his peers that he played against, all making the trip to the Garden to honor him. Jordan, Barkley, Chris Mullin, Clyde Drexler, freekin Dr J....Not to mention so many of his former team mates and all the legends like clyde and willis. I mean, thats how much respect there was for him. Jordan didnt have a retirement ceremony like that in chicago... not even close. I'll paste it hear i found it on youtube for those that wanna watch. So who cares if he wasnt great with the writers because their questions were annoying and irritating. Most of the media is annoying. ........... Proud day to be a knicks fan to see P ew go into the hall with Olajuwon, Riley, Dicky V.....

You should really take the time to watch this. Four parts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQVxx6YZV5U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6KCEwSjKAc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D70xd03j644

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_NaN896JzI

A Good Move by the Dolans? I cannot believe it!

2008-03-28T10:09:00.002-04:00

I was just informed of this story by the real estate blog the Real Deal. Apparently, there have been serious plans to move Madison Square Garden, redevelop Penn Station, open up millions of sq. ft. of office space, and rename it Moynihan Station, after the late Senator... It appears that the Dolans, using their power and large piles of pesos, have all but killed the plan. Would be interested to hear what people think. Here's the story:

The Dolan family, which owns Madison Square Garden, has the drawn the ire of supporters of the plan to move the arena so that Penn Station could be transformed into Moynihan Station. That plan looks all but dead after the Dolans announced yesterday that they will proceed with a renovation of their reviled 1968 arena, which infamously replaced the original Penn Station. City Council President Christine Quinn hinted that the city's approval of the Garden's renovation might not be granted.

The joint venture between the Related Companies and Vornado, which would have partnered with the Garden on building a new arena, says it remains "committed" to the project. Related and Vornado want to fill the area with new office towers, and had offered to $550 million for the new Penn Station, which would have cost almost $3 billion. The city and state only planned to contribute $300 million, with the rest expected to come from the federal government.

http://ny.therealdeal.com/articles/dolans-denounced-for-killing-penn-station-plans

2008-03-13T13:19:00.002-04:00

way to ruin our franchise you cocksucker.

This is truly funny and also true

2008-03-11T18:08:00.000-04:00

3. What if the Knicks had never hired Isiah Thomas?
This could have been its own bizarro "Where Amazing Happens" commercial called "Where Isiah Happens."
(Cue up the annoying piano music that haunts me every time I try to fall asleep after hearing it for five straight months.)
(Picture of the '05 Suns celebrating after a playoff win.)
Where Phoenix dumps the Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway contracts on someone and remakes its team into a contender happens.
(Picture of the '07 Bulls celebrating after a playoff win.)
Where Chicago dumps Eddy Curry for two lottery picks and copious amounts of cap space happens.
(Picture of the '07 Raptors celebrating after a playoff win.)
Where Toronto finds some dummy to take Jalen Rose's contract and aid its rebuilding process happens.
(Picture of San Antonio's 2005 trophy celebration.)
Where San Antonio dumps Malik Rose's contract for a center who helps them win the title happens.
(Picture of the '08 Blazers celebrating after a last-second win.)
Where the 2008 Blazers become the most likable young team in the league because they found a taker for Zach Randolph happens.
(Picture of a white SUV.)
Where a Truck Party happens.
(Picture of Anucha Browne Sanders celebrating on the courthouse steps.)
Where a humiliating $11 million sexual harassment settlement happens.
(Picture of Curry and Randolph looking overweight.)
Where an NBA frontcourt that includes two C-cups happens.
(Picture of a mostly empty Madison Square Garden.)
Where a 60-year tradition of professional basketball goes down the tubes happens.
(Picture of Isiah sitting on the bench with that frozen, blank look on his face like he's either flatlining or planning to kill everyone on the locker room after the game.)
Where Isiah Happens.
(Follow-up note: Has a GM ever directly altered the fortunes of SIX franchises before? Portland, San Antonio, Phoenix, Toronto, Chicago and New York. That's 20 percent of the league. See if you can top that resume, Chris Wallace!)

If I Had My Druthers . . .

2008-03-10T13:29:00.003-04:00

Contracts, ping pong balls, and movability aside, this is what I would like to see happen this off season.

KEEP:
Nate, Jamal, Z-Bo, D-Lee, Wilson Chandler, Ro-Show

DUMP:
Eddy Curry, Q, Malik Rose, Steph, JJ #1, JJ #2, Randolph Morris, Fred Jones

SIGN:
Ron Artest

DRAFT:
Roy Hibbert/DJ Augustin

Obviously, the dumping part is the hardest. I'm assuming our draft pick will be somewhere between 7-11 like it always is except when we trade it, and it jumps up to #2. I don't know what the NBA rules are on this, but can players be traded for draft picks? i.e. could we trade eddy curry for a mid-first round pick. If we can (i'd probably even take on some bum with a 6ish million dollar per year contract to make the salary work with curry's. Then I take Roy Hibbert with our #7-10 pick and DJ Augustin with our pick for Curry (hopefully around #14-#16). Both of these players should be there with these picks. We should then be able to package either JJ, JJ, or Fred Jones in with a Malik Rose/Steph deal, dumping those three players as well. That leaves us with Q, and two of JJ, JJ, and Fred Jones. Which is fine, Q and whoever it is can either ride the bench or be sent to the Steve Francis/Penny Hardaway Houston 'rehab facility'. What I really want to see on the Knicks is people with attitude who look like they actually enjoy playing basketball and care if they win or lose. I've loved eddy curry forever, but its clear that he just doesn't really give a shit and is never going to rebound, blocks shots, play defense, or show up every night on a consistent basis. this is why I opt to keep Z-Bo, you at least know he loves to ball and comes ready to play. And he's still one of the better rebounders in the NBA, a guy who is just always near the ball. Stack the Knicks with people who want to compete. Jamal, Nate, Z-Bo, Artest, I'd even like to sign a veteran point guard for a year, someone like Sam Cassell. A guy who has been in the playoffs, a guy who has won before and has attitude. Ron Artest is like this. Then you take a shot blocking, rebounding, defensive presence in a Roy Hibbert, put him next to Z-bo, with Ron Artest at the 3, and then nate and jamal at 1, 2, or hopefully dj augustin/sam cassell at the 1, jamal at the 2 and nate off the bench-- you got yourself a team.

I understand how unlikely this is to happen, but it doesn't strike me as impossible. Obviously it is bc Dolan Isiah (who will be back next year) are primates, but those pieces aren't impossible to acquire. Ron Artest is finally a free agent and there is no reason he shouldn't be able to live up to his word and sign with us for our mid-level exception. as far as Hibbert and Augustin, they are both projected as mid to late first rounders. i expect those projections to jump after the tourney (esp. augustin), but we should at least be guaranteed one of them with our pick. I'd like to think we won't have any lower than a 5 pick, but even if its 8 or 9, we should still be able to snag one of them. then if we could unload eddy curry, or even david lee, for another mid-first round pick, we just might be able to scoop both of them. i know the sam cassell thing is never going to happen, but there are tough veteran guards out there who have been to the playoffs and know who to win. i think its so imporant for the knicks to acquire guys who have been in the playoffs and had success there. i think it really just changes the makeup of your team.

These are all just dribblings and fantasies for the most part, but I think what us Knick fans have learned over the past several years, and everybody claims to know this, but few can apply such a magnification glass to it, but we've learned how imporant it is to have players on your team who play with heart and pride everynight and who genuinely love to play the game. i dont think you can say that about a lot of these knicks- think eddy curry, steph, jj, jj, steve francis, all these idiots. i love this kid dj augustin. he stays in a defensive stance the whole game, every game, defines pass first, shoot second, always looks to make the extra pass, has a 10 to 1 asst. to turnover ratio, and leaves it all out on the court. we don't need more offense from our center, so if you put a shot blocking/altering and rebounding guy like roy hibbert next to z-bo, with ron artest at the 3, you've got a damn good rebounding team and some serious defensive presences. jsut my thoughts, i'd love some feedback . . .

2008-03-05T10:21:00.002-05:00

2008-03-03T11:39:00.002-05:00

Yes! We playin the knicks tonight.......high five its nice

2008-02-09T19:29:00.000-05:00

They say there are no nights off in professional sports. I think the '08 knicks are starting to disprove this theory. We already know they are last in the NBA in Field Goal Percentage Defense, and last in Swats per game. Remember the Van Gundy/Riley days when we led the league in FG% defense every year? Anyway, after speaking with my buddy Hot Peas & Butter before he went to supper a few hours ago and discussing, for about the 10th time this season, how amazing it is that pretty much every other night an opposing role player has a monster night against the knicks, I decided to do a little research. The box scores dont lie. If we just take the past month, you can see that on an average of more than once per week, an opposing role player drops it like its hot on squad bockers. These guys are all role players on their respective teams, most of them coming off the bench, most of them averaging single digit scoring numbers for the season, and when facing the knicks, we are talking about almost trippling or in some cases more than trippling their averages. We're talking about season highs and even career highs. Their eyes must be lighting up like deer in the headlights as they watch Eddy the tank with no gas in it Curry and the rest of the defensive disaster casually and gidilly warming up on the other end, as if they just came off a big win or something, or 8 straight losses or something. (More on Deers later, and how they should be able to handle us tonight). They feel like its junior high again, or AAU in their city or town again, and tonight is their chance, if coach puts them in, to have a big game. Be MJ or Magic like old times, since they dont get to be that way in the NBA anymore. Here's the hard proof of the swiss cheeze D, going back chronologically:

Kareem Rush:
Season: 8.6pts, 42%fg
2/6 vs Knicks: 24pts, 10-13fg

Steve Blake:
Season: 7.8pts, 43%fg
2/1 vs Knicks 19pts, 8-12fg

Sasha Vujacic:
Season: 7.4 pts, 47%fg
1/29 vs Knicks: 20pts, 7-13fg

Kendrick Perkins:
Season: 7.3 pts
1/21 vs Knicks: 24pts, 9-12fg

Roger Mason:
Season: 7.7pts, 42%fg
1/15 vs Knicks: 20pts, 8-14fg

Aaron Brooks:
Season: 5.1pts, 39%fg
1/5 vs Knicks: 22pts, 8-10fg

You get my sound here? Thats just in the past month. There are plenty more examples from December and November. Lets also not forget Mike Dunleavy Jr (17.7pts) dropping a career high 36 on 13-18 shooting, John Salmons (15.0 pts) dropping a career high 32, and Nazi Mohammed (7.3 pts, 5.8 rbs) doing his best Wilt Chamberlain impression againt Eddy, going for 20 and 14. Jesus. The pain goes on. Obviously, these are not isolated incidents. And then after the game Isiah talks about the other teams "savy" and "great depth" and "know how" and lots of other gay bullshit while he smiles and licks his lips, and hopefully one day he will just confirm that he was one of the Jackson 5 i truly believe this. I dont hate isiah i really dont. but the time has come to bounce. BOUNCE like a basketball. you suck at this a lot.

Most dishonorable. So right about now, Never Ready Eddy should be jumpin center at the old Bradley center in what should certainly be a slaughter for the Deers and a nice Saturday evening out for the folks in Milwaukee. Could Marquette gives the knicks a good stompin out by the way? I think possibly. Anyway, expect my dog Charlie no pubes Villanueva to have a huge night. Considering that he is a role player, and considering that NY area guys obvioulsy get up to play against the knicks, that Lamar Odum and Luol Deng and Fransisco Garcia and Skip Alston all have had excellent outings against us this year, I think villanueva is good for a big night. Time to drink...............

LOTTERY

2008-02-09T15:17:00.001-05:00

So I'm sitting in class with my Jewish friend, and the topic we're covering if blogs. We're supposed to create a blog for next saturday's class, so at least one good thing has come from this blog--no homework!! I'd also like to take this moment to announce that I officially want the Knicks to lose out for the rest of the season, and by starting Wilson Chandler last night, it seems Isiah has finally bought into this. But then we actually went up 16 against the Spurs before blowing the game in a grand, which has now become standard, fashion. Until the last few days, I've been subscribing to the philosophy that we're inevitably going to have a strong run and make a playoff push and we'll look back to games like the most recent ones against Indiana, the Clippers, Seattle etc. and say 'damn, i wish we had won those games, it would be nice to have an extra 3 wins right about now'. And I thought I'd regret rooting to lose these games when that time came. But now it doesn't look like its going to happen, so put it down in the books, I want to lose out. Give me Derrick Rose. Give me Beasley. Actually, give me a true point guard. Jamal is a scorer, which is a great thing to be, but he's not going to be a distributer and run the offense. Also, this has been on my mind recently. Which Knicks, if any, could you see actually being on a team that competes for or wins a championship? I'd say David Lee, and . . . wait . . . ummmm . . . Steph's contract?

On this Historic Day, I bring you Bockers History

2008-01-21T11:42:00.000-05:00

Looking forward to this nice MLK Matinee at the World's most round and renound today...Great way to cap off a classic sports weekend here in the concrete jungle of cement. Overshadowed by Bombers v Sox, Knickerbockers Celtics is a classic sports matchup too, lets not forget. Except us young bloods werent around to witness most of it. Except for 1990, and i dunno how many of you fools were necessarily tuned in to channel 10 MSG network at age seven like my loony ass, but maybe i can bring back some memories. I'll get back to 1990, in a big way. But first, Did you Know:

In 1973, the Knicks won game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on the road IN Boston. Whhaat? Yeah, that must have been pretty dope. Knicks were up 3-1 in the series, C's fought back to tie the series at 3, winning game 6 here at the garden, and then Clyde and the fellas rolled up to boston, mashed some babies, and won game Seven 94-78. There's a great shot of Clyde walking off the court at the boston garden with his number 1 finger pointed at the rafters. Then the knicks went on to beat Pat Riley and the Lakers 4-1 in the Finals, for their second title in 4 years. Also our last championship......ouch ok i wont go there.

Also did you know: In 1984, Hubie Brown, Bernard King, and the Bockers lost to Larry Bird and the Celtics in the second round, in a long seven game series in which the home team won every game...? The Knicks forced game 7 with a dramatic 2 point win at the garden in game 6, but then lost game 7 in Boston. The Celtics then shat on the bucks in the eastern conference finals and beat Magic and the Lakers in 7 in the finals.......In case you are wondering, a few games into the following season, King blew his knee out, the knicks sucked, didnt make the playoffs, won the lottery, and drafted ewing. B King from Kings county, BK from BK, must have really been the truth.......

Ok im back in 1990 bitches. This is as far back as my tv / radio / sports watching memories go. I dont remember regular season games or anything, didnt really know what was going on other than eating peanut butter and humpin girls in the first grade,,,but in the backround of my life, there was always knicks basketball going on, led by my ace P Ew. And i'll never forget, Warm spring day and all of a sudden im immersed in game 5 of this first round series, Knicks at Boston. I dont remember any of the first 4 games,,,, i dont think i watched them..... but here it was , second half of game 5, aging celtics squad cant hold off the young rising knicks, who are storming through the 4th quarter, silencing the crowd. And then about a minute left, a bad pass ricochets into the corner in front of the knicks bench, and Ewing picks it up, turns around, and drains the 3 bomb from the corner. They like to show that highlight a lot. Never forget Van Gundy on the bench, Buggin out. Classic..................................in the second round they lost to isiah and the pistons..... Ok i wont start. Isiah has sexy time with men though.

A little bocker history. And on this day, when we have much to be thankful to Doc King for, lets be thankful also for this particular monday off, because we are, many of us, severley hung over, since the football Giants played like champs in zero degrees and are going to the big show, the least we could do was drink until we couldnt stand. Back to 1990. Later that year, or i guess January of 1991 it was, some of us may remember watching Leonard Marshall knock joe montana the fuck out, niners running back #33 whatever his name was fumble the rock, and eventually Matt Barr, with that goofy one bar on his helmet kick the game winning field goal and the Tuna put his fists up and the giants in their road whites wilin out cuz they were going to the superbowl. A little like last night.........So G Men vs Patriots.... NYC vs boston....this blog really has come full circle ha ba da. FULL circle son. Go G Men.... Hopefully the knicks can be inspired and hand the Celtics an ass beating today. I know im contradicting myslef all the time by the way i know P man i know,,,, yes i want a high lottery pick, yes i want derek rose or the cat from kansas state or any stud, but deep down of course i want us to represent and win. And speaking of full circles, we still have no answer on what the full circle duck taped to jcraws shoulder is.... Somebody holler.....

News Alert: Z-Bo on the Block...

2008-01-10T11:38:00.000-05:00

Yoyo, so, leading headline in Hoopshype is Z-bo is on the trading block and is quite possibly on the way to the Bucks.

This is being reported by John Canzano of the Oregonian, which apparently is a legit newspaper in Portland. Here it is: "--- NBA source told me via telephone on Wednesday night that Zach Randolph is on the trading block, and that he's likely to end up in Milwaukee. Keep an eye on that, if you need a sideshow. I don't know about you, but when I think of Z-Bo going to Milwaukee, I keep seeing the Hoops Family going down the street, headed to the Shotz Brewery, arms linked, doing the "schlemiel-schlamazel" while singing, "There is nothing we won't try, never heard the word impossible..."

Also, just check out Hoopshype.com for more info... Who are we trying to get from the Bucks...thoughts? Poss the Australian fellow, Mr. Bogut? Poss someone else?

peace

A Momentary Knicks Season

2008-01-07T15:40:00.000-05:00

How about this for an instantaneous Knick season. Waking up Sunday morning, and noticing my drivers license was neither in my wallet nor in my apartment, there is a Knick season moment. Ironically, I got a call this morning from a person saying she had my license and I could pick it up at the Chase Branch....attached to Madison Square Garden.

League Leaders?

2008-01-04T17:23:00.001-05:00

So here are a few fantastic stats (footnote on items 1-4, Daniel Rodriguez-Sains, 2007)
1. Jamal Crawford is the active player with most games played without appearing in a playoff game
2. Jamal Crawford has the second worst career losing percentage among active players (2 seasons experience or more)
3. Eddy Curry has the third worst career losing percentage among active players (2 seasons experience or more)
4. Only Shareef Abdur-Rahim has a worst career winning percentage than Crawford or Curry (to put this into perspective, he played on the Hawks, Grizz, Kings, and Blazers during the lowest of many low points in these teams recent history.”
5. Now it gets really good. As a good friend and co-worker of mine, one Alexander Benaim, pointed out to me today, the Knicks are leading the league in being last in the league for desirable offense/defense/ statistics. What does that mean, exactly? Well . . . last in the league in blocks per game (and we surrender the 2nd most blocks in the league), lead the league in blocks per game/blocks surrendered per game difference, last in the league in overall defensive efficiency (which takes all the undesirable stats, i.e. points surrendered per game, turnovers per game, etc. and subtracts them from the desirable ones) at -5.13. Phoenix leads the league at +7.87, which makes it a discrepancy of 13, which is exponential if you really examine what these numbers take into account). We are last in the league in opponents field goal percentage and opponents 3 point percentage. And maybe the stat that sheds the most blinding light on our embattled franchise, we lead the league in double digit losses and for 25 point or more losses, we have more than twice as many as the rest of the NBA combined. Let’s go Derrick Rose . . . although we’d probably take OJ (Ovinton J’Anthony) Mayo.

No Subject

2008-01-03T15:57:00.000-05:00

So after a month-long moratorium, I’m back—with just as little to say as I had in late November, when the 2-1 Knick bandwagon that had crashed into the telephone pole was burning like a mid-November SoCal forest fire. As rage and bitterness subsides to apathy, I’ve found myself coming out of my Knicks media shell, becoming increasingly able to read the beat. Watching Sportscenter recaps, however, is still a ways away. For the last two months or so, reading and writing about the Knicks is like sitting through an awful movie and then rushing home to read all the reviews ripping it apart, telling you to save your money, and expressing sympathy for viewers who spent their money on a ticket and had to suffer through it. Well, I’m fully cognizant of how disastrous Team Titanic II is (quick stat--we’re on pace to win less games this season than we did under Larry Brown), and don’t really need to be relayed the message through a secondary source, or in the case of Sportscenter and goddam Bill Simmons, a tertiary source. Trust me, I get it. But recently, I’ve undergone a transition that has allowed me to unbury my head from the sand. I don’t really care anymore. The water in the well is poisoned, and I’ve been drinking and becoming so ill from it over the past four years, that I’ve built an immunity. I think many Knick fans have. It’s not to say we don’t care anymore, because we obviously do, way more than we should and way more than most could possibly understand. And this is exactly what Jimmy D and Zeke the Workplace Freak should be concerned about. After early and mid December boo fests at the Garden that witnessed so much hate and poison pumping through the veins and wafting through the air of the Garden that it should have been quarantined, a feeling of stoicism has struck the World’s Most. And this is what is so terrifying. Apathy, not hate, is the opposite of love. When you have 14,000 out of 19,000 fans showing up every night, who sit complacent, rather than choosing to either support and attempt to pick up their fallen heroes, or vociferously deride their embattled villains, that’s when you know you’ve really lost the crowd. And we’ve all seen Gladiator enough to know what happens when you lose the crowd—Empires fall. And in this case, the Empire happens to be the Empire State. Do you remember early December when it didn’t matter who it was, anyone put on the Jumbotron would automatically be booed? Even the most innocuous of celebrities- Chloe Sevigny, Josh Groban, David Ducovny, it didn’t matter. If you were on screen at the Garden, there was no way to escape it-you were getting booed. And they were no elementary boos—they were the catcalls of years of tortured fans really bellowing it out. But no more.

And now, with a dearth of anything substantial, or even, at this point, theraputic to blog about, let’s play a little game that was hatched this past Sunday while watching There Will Be Blood. There is a scene towards the middle (this won’t be a spoiler by the way, I promise) where one of the oil rigs blow and a geyser of oil shoots into the air. Then it catches on fire, so shooting up from the ground is a 100 foot stream of fire, scorching the earth and ravaging the oil workers. The incendiary finale comes to an end when the ablaze iron-cast oil tower crashes down, destroying everything the fire hadn’t. During the conflagration, there are several great shots of Paul Dano and Daniel Day-Lewis as they watch in horror as their town and drilling rig is reduced to ashes before their eyes. And throughout this harrowing experience, they maintain a look of abject horror and disgust in their eyes, one so familiar that deep down in my loins I knew what it was, but couldn’t come to terms with it until watching an Arnold movie later that night. It was the look of a Knick fan. And not just when watching us give up 25 point 3rd quarter leads every other game at home. It’s a feeling that is ubiquitous, ‘omnipotent’, as Clyde would no doubt say. So, I’m going to open up the floor to a forum on things that happen every day, or not every day, that remind us of Knick season/feel like watching a Knick game. Another good one was when I arrived in Chicago this past weekend, I left my gate and headed towards ground transportation when I realized that I had left my wallet on the plane. Right there, it felt like Knicks season. Finishing up a deuce and realizing you are out of toilet paper- Knicks season. I leave this open to my faithful comrades, who I’ve laid in the trenches with for years and plan to fight with for decades to come . . .

Staying the Course

2008-01-02T12:47:00.000-05:00

Hello Knickslovers:

First and Foremost I just want to wish us all a Happy New Year. Let's hope the new year brings more luck in every single aspect of our Organization. I mean that though. Name the aspect, top to bottom, player to front office, we need to improve there.

So, current Knick headlines are that Isiah is staying after it's been two weeks since he said, it'd be fair to re-evaluate his job in two weeks. The important part of that interview went like this:

We’ll keep moving in this direction.”

“What direction is that?” asked the Post’s uber-backup, Dan Martin, who deserves props for posing the question of the day.

“Me as the coach,” Thomas said.

Anyways, the other current headline is that Isiah doesn't want to make any moves. That little tidbit went like this:

"I really don't foresee that," he said. "I don't see us being active around the trade deadline. This is the time when you're down and you can make mistakes that can cost you years. And everything that you've worked for the last three, four years that can set you back another three years"

Exactly, BroBro. 3 or 4 years ago when you got here, you did exactly that. You made mistakes that cost us years. What worse can possibly happen now?

Anyways, I really just wanted to say a Happy and a Healthy to everyone in Knickslover Land, and all Knicks fans around the world.

Peace.

2007-12-27T10:58:00.001-05:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS. PLEASE WATCH for your pleasure

2007-12-22T15:51:00.000-05:00

watch first
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llW3k6W7jXU

watch second
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4puDVp0F9g

Kill James Dolan

2007-12-18T14:00:00.000-05:00

So after working from 8am to 1am yesterday, I have some leisure time now to think about how squad bocker got whacked infront of 14,000 again last night. Pretty soon the garden is gonna start looking like Philips arena in Atlanta, where i think homeless people hang out, no hawks fans. Although the hawks are halfway decent this season. It would be dope if the knicks were halfway decent. I'm going to stand outside of the Garden tomorrow night and find a couple of kids who want to see the Lebron show, and sell them my 75 dollar tickets for $25 a piece or something. Or maybe just some quarters so I could do my laundry. The kids wanna see Lebron im sure of it. Speaking of the Lebron show, how about the highly anticipated Mike Dunleavy Junior show that took place last night. I'm really shocked. Not really. Ok this is a knicks lover website. Its supposed to be for knicks love. So I'll just stop myself there. I wont continue. I have nothing else to say right now.
Except I want to talk about Dwight Howard. In all honesty, Ide have to say that the number one most shocking thing about this nba season so far is how much the new york knicks suck. Since I'm a knicks fan, that works out really great for me. I think in all seriousness a lot of people would agree that its one of the most surprising headlines thus far. The level, the amazingly high level of shitty play and overall organization wide embarrasement. But the number two story, at least for me, has to be Dwight Howard. This kid cant be serious. Is he not the MVP? He already rebounds better than Shaq ever did at any point. He's faster and more athletic and jumps higher to compensate for less beastly strength, in comparison to shaq. I dont think in all the years, ive ever seen someone rebound like this dude, except dennis rodman, who couldnt put the rock in the goal and was a far cry (offensivly) from a 6'11 insane vertical leaping center. Everytime i look up he's got 25 and 15, or 30 and 20. By the way he leads the league through sunday with 105 dunks, and Marion is second with 51. It all brings me to the point: How does he not have a nickname? Or does he have one, and im just so out of the sportscenter loop that i havnt heard it?? Well if he still doesnt, hows Flight Howard? I'm semi-proud of myself for that. The Terminator works for me too. Everybody who's not knicks blogging and aint gonna read this, what do you think? Which brings me to this, a road I've been down before and i'm definetely about to take myself down right now cuz im not going back to work....... Great roundball nicknames of all time:
I'm gonna start by keeping it very Knicks-centric at first. I think you will find that there have been some truly classic nicknamed ballers to rock the o and b.

The Hoya Destroya (had to start there), the big Fella
Walt "clyde" Frasier
Earl "the Pearl" Monroe
Mark "Action" Jackson
GrandMaMa
Glenn "Doc" Rivers
The X Man
H20.......................If im missing any good knicks, im sorry. I'm not considering abbreviations like "oak" or "spree" though.....

Dr. J
Michael Air Jordan
Earvin Magic Johnson
Sir Charles / Round Mound of Rebound
Clyde the Glyde Drexler
The Admiral
Hakeem the Dream
The Diesel / The Daddy
Penny Hardaway
Thunder Dan Marley
Tyrone Mugsy Bogues
Nate Tiny Archibald
Kenny The Jet Smith
Earl Sleepy Floyd
Armon The Hammer Gilliam
Daron Mookie Blaylock
Jerome "Pooh" Richardson.....................I'll stop there in case anyone else wants to play

Nothing To Say

2007-12-10T14:45:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd drop in because there has not been much action on the blog lately. I think this is due to the static nature of the Knicks. We lose 3, win one or two, nothing changes. sometimes there is effort, sometimes there isn't. there really is not much to say or analyze. Eddie Curry's effort has been lackluster the whole season, randolph still seems to try really hard but turns the ball over a decent amount. You're not gonna get more than 4-8 assists out of steph in any given game,,ever... You also know your ship is sinking when a player of Malik Rose's caliber demands more playing time or a trade. WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE AND WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE. If your name isn't kobe, nash, mcgady, nowitzki, wade, lebron, or carmelo, shut the fuck up. No one on this team is allowed to demand anything. Sheesh... Anyways, I just wanted to reiterate that it doesn't appear Knicks Lover blogspot is doomed to bad housekeeping. I truly believe there is not shit to say unless there is a change. be it firing the coach or making a trade. SOMEthing needs to change or else we are going to be sitting in the shadows, waiting for a move, waiting for something to say.

Nice Knicks W Last Night

2007-12-06T15:08:00.000-05:00

Jamal Crawford was wheeling and dealing last night. They should just cut apathetic Steph and give Crawford more playing time.

Knickerbocker SI Covers

2007-11-23T20:36:00.000-05:00

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/features/knicks/main/index.html

How Should We Feel?

2007-11-22T11:41:00.000-05:00

About anything . . . everything . . . this THING. This terrible, terrible, decrepit THING. How, now ten games into the season, have I already found half of myself, possibly (secretfully and shamefully) much more than half, hoping we lose out. Do I really mean that? No. Maybe. I don't really know. What makes it so difficult is that I really do like our players and don't think that its their fault. They are good guys and for the most part they are all just stuck in a horrible situation. It's not their fault that their owner is the most incompetent man of his position in all of sports, that their coach is closet homosexual misogynist who has built a team which simply isn't designed to win basketball games, or that the least of their starting point guards worries is he will probably go down as the biggest cancer and loser in NBA history. That's a bold claim and I only make it because it seems to be fairly unianimous (sp?). I don't think that David Lee and Jamal and Nate and Q and Z-Bo and the rest of the gang go out there every night dogging it without caring whether they lose or not. I don't think they like losing at all. I think they hate it. But unfortunately, this team isn't designed to win. It's floor generals are shooting guards who should be point guards, and point guards who should be shooting guards. It swingmen are unskilled, low flying, defensive minded players who can't guard without fouling and can't knock down an open 15 footer (and its STOCKPILED with them). It's front court averages combined less than one block per game, while averaging (I'd have to imagine) the higest turnover rate for any starting frontcourt in the league. And on top of it, not a single player on the team can play defense. Who ever said Fred Jones was a great perimeter defender definitely came from the same scout school that said Q was a shooter (and his offseason surgery turned him into a 'dunking machine'), and Renaldo Balkman doesn't count because he never plays and when he does he fouls too much to be effective.
But again, I think they all really do care (with the obvious exception of Steph). I think they hate losing and don't know what to do. And at this point, maybe there is nothing to be done but to purge the team, keep a few of the bright spots (Z-Bo, D-Lee and, uhhhhhhh) and start over. Funny that I put D-Lee in their because JEWremy and I have been rotating shifts driving the 'trade David Lee while his stock is high' band wagon. Hopefully this will be done before people realize that if Jamal weren't on the team, D-Lee would be the worst defender on the squad (and yes, I know that Eddy Curry is still a Knick). Is this what should be done? Is it time to give up on this squad? Do we host a trade deadline yard sale, take what we can and wait for our approaching lottery pick? Take OJ Mayo or Derrick Rose or any of the other point guard standouts in this years freshman and sophmore classes? It just doesn't seem like its going to work with Isiah here coaching this group, and if its going to be dismantled, I'd rather it happen sooner than later. So do hope to lose every game to expedite the process? Drop 11 in a row so Dolan has no choice to finally get rid of Isiah and maybe we can begin to make things right. Or do we hold on a while long and hope this turns into a feel good story. Maybe things click, we say eff it, were done losing lets get some wins for Isiah, and we turn things around. And even if not, do we cheer to win because we feel bad for the players weve hung with and grown with over the past few years, who have been thrown into the worst of situations? I dont' know. Someone, please, what do we do and HOW SHOULD WE FEEL?!?!

Z-Bo Not Pleased With Fans

2007-11-21T10:54:00.001-05:00

You all know I got nothing but for our best player Z-Bo. And D-Rod, you're right, thank heaven he is a Knick. BUT, there's a little something our boy needs to realize. After last nights game he said he was surprised in the fans and that Isiah is a good coach and brought him in from Portland, and since he's new around town, the fans should be more understanding. Now now now, Mr. Randolph, let's get one thing straight. We weren't booing you, buddy. We were booing the Knicks, our organization, the situation, who we have become, who we are. I'm overly devastated as a Knick fan right now. I've been devastated for a good solid 5-7 years. We aren't just booing our situation. We are booing this whole last bunch of years. How we've gotten to the point. So, Z-Bo, yes, you are new here, but this is the Mecca, MSG, the Garden, son. Don't tell the fans what to do and what not to do. We are going to boo unless you guys pick it up, Isiah is fired, you play some better D, or just show signs of a cohesive unit. Any semblance of one, at this point. ANYTHING SORT OF POSITIVE for Christ's sake!!!!!!! I can't even believe I'm posting up here, I'm so upset about what's happening to us. I was gonna boycott. But, when the O and B is running through the veins, and I just saw this story on RealGM, I had to say something. Peace and a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

Is there anything to be foolishly optimistic about anymore?

2007-11-20T16:13:00.000-05:00

Yes, there is. We have to dig deep, but there is. Ok number 1), Zach Randolph. Z Bo has missed 3 games. He is our best player. No team wants to play 3 out of 4 on the road on the west coast in the second week of the season without their undisputed best player. 2) Reportedly, freeky zeeky is beginning to put his fist down. He told Stephon Retardabury to go home last week. Good. The papers today said he kicked everyone out of practice and punted the rock across the gym. Now everyone knows I'm not the biggest fan of Isiah, but if he is our coach, he might as well start to do something that we all have criticized him over for a long time: Get tough with these idiots. Stop being so damn smiley and sweet all the time. It seems like he is starting to do that. That would be helpful. 3) Back to number 1. Zach Randolph is a Knick. He is very good. Thank heaven he is on the knicks.

There are not many other positives to look at right now, in terms of our other key players and our coach. Isiah doesnt seem to be able to get guys to improve upon their weaknesses as individuals. Cases in point, Eddy and Jamal do the same stupid shit theyve been doing for two years. They both are on the brink of being Very good players, but can't take it to that next level. Maybe that's not on Isiah as much as it is on those guys themselves. Who knows. But what about team defense? Team defense is bad. It hasnt improved. It's been bad since he started and it stays bad. Real dog piss poor. So that falls on the coach. Then theres the laughable fact that Steph and Q were guys who we were hoping to have some leadership from this season. Truth of life is, they are both FUCKING IDIOTS. If Q bangs his fists on his head for one more made layup that accounts for two of his seven points on the night, i might run onto the court at the garden and tackle his ass and try choke him out a-la Spree on PJ Carlisimo. Spree would be proud. Point being, between retardabury, jamal, Q, and Eddy, 4 of our top 5 being so lackluster, with pour team defense and a coach that cant get these guys to really improve too much, I dont know what to think. With D Lee's bounding and hustle off the bench, nate with some inspired play, and Ro Show's hustle and D - (let me just interject here, if i shot jumpers with my feet, I'de shoot them better than Ro Show. I love ro show though) - this team excluding Zach Randolph would be good for 35 or 36 wins max if everything went well for them in an improved eastern conference. So enter Zach Randolph. Lets hope that from tonight on forward, things go reasonably well for the rest of our knuckle heads. Add Zach randolph to that mix and we could reach 40 wins, even with a 2-7 start. Get 40 wins and we could be in the playoffs. ..... So stay foolishly optimistic my orange and blue crew.

May you all feast like mothafuckers on thursday. Happy thanksgiving.

Posted on the Knicks Fix

2007-11-18T16:30:00.000-05:00

Just posted this to Alan Hahn, figured I might as well throw it up here too.

Alan- A few things-- First of all, thank you for dispelling the 'Fred Jones is a fantastic permimeter defender' rumor. Isiah really has us fooled on that one, although he's better than advertised at finishing around the basket. And speaking of finishing around the basket, doesn't Q eerily remind you of Steve Francis when he gets the ball down low? It's the former 'above the rim player who has lost his legs' syndrome. Like Francis last year, on plays where Q gets the ball down low in a postion to score, he's lost the strength to dunk (like he has his entire career) and doesn't know what to do. I think that's why were seeing a lot of these double clutch reverse layups and weak head fakes, like Stevie Knicks before him, that lead to blocked shots and awkward misses. It's like a fastball pitcher who has lost his velocity and need to learn how to readjust to be successful (relying more on placement, off speed pitches, etc.). And while were on the subject of dispelling false rumors, what happened to the summer league talk about the back surgery that had Q a 'dunking monster'. That was a nasty, mendacious one.
Second, I'm not sure if 'polished' is the proper adjective to describe David Lee's post moves. I think 'scrappy' or 'servicable' would be more appropriate, although I'd opt for 'awkwardly efficient'.
Third, who is the last Knick you can think of who had double doubles just fall into their laps like Zach Randolph. It's incredible. The guy will be struggling from the field, in foul trouble, and you look up and he's got 14 and 12. What a workhorse, this guy leaves it all out on the floor.
Lastly, I'm surprised we haven't heard more rumbling from you about Nate starting at point guard. You were a proponent of starting him at the point and moving Steph to the 2 even before last week's Marbury fiasco. With Steph relegated to the bench, I though you would resurrect that talk, on which I'm not quite sure where I stand.

The Bocker Troubles

2007-11-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

I wanted to start by apologizing for my neglect of the site recently. I've been meaning to update a bunch of stuff but haven't had the abundance of free time at work that I did a couple of weeks ago. With the Knick Debacle Watch on full alert right now there's quiet a bit of Knick action going on. This whole steph situation is just so ridiculous. There's pretty much a battle for team control going on between the two, but it kind of seems like the rest of the team isn't really interested in following Isiah or Steph. It puts everyone else on the team in a tough spot of either supporting their crazy coach/GM or their degenerate over payed point guard. Both who are seemingly attempting to run the Knicks further into the gutter.
It's really nearing the point where there should at least be some talk or at least thought, of firing Isiah. I know it's still really early in the season and that there's plenty of time for things to be turned around, but right now it's just getting real ugly. You gotta figure at some point Dolan's gonna realize he has to cut his losses and just start again. It's been 4 years for Isiah and he hasn't really done much to distinguish himself from those who came before him. The thing that kills me is Isiah keeps saying that we're making the same mistakes that we did last year at this time. That's all the justification Dolan needs to fire him. Your team hasn't made progress in an entire year. what is Zeke doing during practice? what is he attempting to teach them? I just don't get it.
Another interesting game tonight. At this point that are really no games that the Knicks should win, there are just games that they are capable of winning, and tonight is certainly one. It'll be interesting to see what type of energy/emotion they come out with tonight. Also interesting to see if Steph will be starting or coming off the bench. I think he'll be starting. If we had any other sort of viable option I would say maybe not, but he's a our best point guard and when you're a bad team you can't afford to not have one of your best players starting. But who really knows what Isiah is thinking????
I think the team doctor needs to prescribe some bars to the squad so everyone can attempt to momentarily calm down.

Goodbysiah?

2007-11-16T10:03:00.000-05:00

From Peter Vescey's article in today's Post:

"The same source who tipped me off the Knicks had decided to buy out Larry Brown called to say Thomas had informed him Dolan was coming out west (a team official branded it inaccurate) to see him and sensed he was in severe job jeopardy."

All Is Not Lost

2007-11-14T23:36:00.000-05:00

I actually started this post about 5 minutes ago, jotted down a few sentences, watched Eddy Curry physically hand the ball to Jamal Crawford (without a Clipper even in the backcourt) resulting in a violation, erased everything I had written, and now here I am again. I'm actually a bit embarassed that with such a tumultous and headlne-laden past few days, I've failed to submit any posts. At least my fellow Lovers have been keeping the fire burning. Much appreciated.
So heading into tonight's game against a 4-2 Clippers, after last night's deceivingly close blowout loss to Phoenix, with Steph AWOL, Z-Bo on bereavement leave, Nate nursing a hammy, Q out with an overextended shoulder, and Ro Show and Never Tardy both sidelined with sprained ankles, things couldn't really get much bleaker. I was actually surfing the web to see if we had retained Jared Jordan's rights and if it would be possible to recall and activate him for tonight's game. Fast forward a few hours to mid first quarter, and the Knicks are boasting a lineup of Z-Bo, Eddy, Q, Steph and Jamal with Nate waiting to check in. Eddy is posting and toasting, Z-Bo is picking up 3 offensive boards and heading to the line on one possession, Steph is driving to the hoop undetered, Jamal is throwing oops to Eddy, and Q is tossing up enough bricks to build him and Isiah a nice weekend getaway house in the Pocanos. Pretty much, wins and loses aside, it felt like it did early in the season. Wait a second, IT IS EARLY IN THE SEASON. I was making a conscious effort to not discuss the Steph and Zeke The Workplace Freak drama, but I guess it really is impossible to avoid. The second half is underway, so I'm going to wrap up this very short post. Without discussing who was more wrong in the lastest saga, Isiah is right in waying that every november, he and Steph go through some drama and then they 'kiss and make up'. This most recent fallout is certainly on a much larger scale than we've sen in the past, but it only lasted for about 36 hours and seems to be resolved. And guess what, Steph is playing some lockdown D on Sam Cassell and Eddy Curry (who was also called out by Zeke) has 8 rebounds 3 minutes into the 3rd quarter. Look, Steph and Isiah both came off as ego-centric meglomaniacs, which they both are. But there is going to be the inevitable over-the-top, exaggerated, soap operaesque, blowup fight, so is it not better to get it out of the way now, than in December or January? Obviously, it would be nice for this to not happen, but for such a dysfunctional franchise, its been made painfully clear that its unavoidable. This also isn't to say that this is 'the one' and now its out of our system, because we've been trained to acknowledge that when we think 'okay, at least it can't get any worse', its just started. Speaking of which, the Clippers are on a 17-1 run and we've missed our last 11 shots. Oy vey . . . I'm out. And there's an awful turnover. Now I'm out. And another . . .

Worst Week Ever?

2007-11-14T14:10:00.000-05:00

Seriously, I can't the only one who is at a complete and absolute loss over what has happened to the squad over the last week. Leaving the World's Most Famous last Tuesday night, I couldn't have been any more excited about the squad. Zbo was giving us everything that Curry wasn't and needed to be giving us down low, Jamal was looking more lethal than ever (he looked like every bit like his new "closer" nickname was legit), and I was so excited about having Renaldo "The Shaolin Shackles" Balkman locking down one of the league's most prolific neophytes (Melo). The "ED-DY! ED-DY!" chants legitimately made me tingle and the crowd was juiced like it was the second game of the 1997 regular season. Me and Big Poppa Kuntz couldn't stop talking about how wrong everyone had been about this season's chances and how surprised and impressed we were about the squadron.

Fast forward one week:
-Big Z is on bereavement list (he got suspended and fined by Portland last time he was on bereavement leave)
-Stephon Marbury's somewhat wacky summer hijinx have now evolved/devolved to the point where he is now threatening the GM/coach and texting New York Post reporters about it. I am simply waiting for him to join the Church of Scientology before going off to play his next two years in Italy because "it's a Beckham kinda thing" and because he will in all likelihood be bought out within a week.
-The Shackles are broken, going down in what was obvious pain last night with an injury to the same ankle that kept him out all preseason.
-Curry still can't rebound and has not gotten seriously gotten outworked on the glass in three consecutive games (Dwight Howard is forgivable, Shaq is not, and there is no reason for him to get so manhandled by Amare) showing that he isn't ready to be a dominant big man.
-Isiah has completely lost control over the appearance of having control and his biggest ally/selling point/leader/acquisition ever literally just LEFT the team without any mention of coming back. Meanwhile, Zeke is on the hook for his Anucha shenanigans, is clearly one of the most reviled people in all of sports, and yet he can't stop smiling like a Catholic priest on the first Sunday of fall when all the little boys have come back from summer break.
AND
-Mardy Collins is hurt (not that I really care but at this point that just seems like piling on).

...all in one week

Scott Layden I got your back

2007-11-14T10:59:00.000-05:00

Forget Willis, Red, Walt and Bradley...Forget Ewing, Starks, Checkets, Grunfeld, Riely, Mason...Isaih Thomas has done the impossible...hes made us look back at the Scott Layden era as the "not so bad days"...Now I'll agree when Layden left I swore I could not hear about another players "work ethic" or "high charcter" in regards to signing free agents and making trades. Kieth Van Horn is a real "team player", Kurt Thomas's "work ethic" is an example for all, Michael Doleac is a real "high charcter guy"....But now I realize that we have replaced Laydens empty words with Isiah's...Thomas just chooses different words to hammer home his points, words like "talent" and "athleticism"...Eddy is a "great talent", Tim Thomas has the "athleticism" to excel...blah blah blah...If we are forever doomed to be terrible I would rather do so with a nice red skinned morman (Doleac), a jesus freak (Charlie Ward) and a guy who PLAYS not talks tough (cock eyed Kurt)...Instead we have these pompus embaressments who humilate us both on and off the court...

I guess what I'm basically saying is I would rather take 12 guys playing hard and overachiving despite lack of "talent and athleticism" then I would 12 bums with tons of talent, tons of ego and no wishes to improve their defense or play the right way...

I mean I can't belive I just wrote a post supporting Scott Layden and I truely do believe he had a chance to keep the knicks competitive if he had just kept Ewing and not run the Glen Rice to Shandon Anderson and Eisly debacle then they could have signed some free agents...blah blah blah...still Isiah is a prick, he bet all his eggs on a prick (marbury), then in desperation traded for a prick (francis)...ugh...still pumped for tonight...

Steph's days numbered???

2007-11-13T09:15:00.000-05:00

Just throwing this up here to see what some of you guys think about this. I think, even if this is true, moving Steph prior to his contract ending is nearly impossible. I cannot conceive a way to trade him, and even James Dolan wouldn't drop that kind of loot to get rid of him. Here's the article in todays Daily News with a link:

PHOENIX - The customary postgame meeting between Garden chairman James Dolan and Isiah Thomas seemed to go on longer than usual late Sunday night in New York. Those sit-downs could be potentially harmful to a head coach. But in this instance, the discussion between Dolan and Isiah Thomas could mean the beginning of the end of Stephon Marbury.

A high-ranking team official told the Daily News that Thomas and Dolan have been in talks in recent days concerning Marbury's future. Knicks brass is considering what options it has to reduce Marbury's role or get rid of him entirely.

A trade is unlikely because Marbury, the team's controversial point guard, is scheduled to earn $42 million over the next two seasons. Dolan's and Thomas' history suggests that they would not rule out negotiating a buyout for Marbury, who then would become a free agent. At the very least, Marbury's minutes could be reduced substantially for as long as he remains on the team.

The Knicks are 2-3 entering tonight's game in Phoenix. Marbury, 30, made the trip west but there is some uncertainty whether he will even play. The Knicks traveled to Phoenix yesterday afternoon and were not available for comment. Attempts to reach Thomas at the team hotel were unsuccessful.

Marbury accepted responsibility for Sunday's loss to Miami after he threw away a pass in the final minute and allowed Heat guard Jason Williams to get open and hit the go-ahead jumper.

However, blaming Marbury for the Knicks' record is unfair, especially since Jamal Crawford had a similarly brutal turnover and has struggled defensively. The same is true of Eddy Curry, who was a nonfactor in back-to-back performances against Orlando's Dwight Howard and Miami's Shaquille O'Neal.

Perhaps Marbury is being set up as the scapegoat in the aftermath of the Anucha Browne Sanders sexual harassment trial. Marbury testified that he once referred to Sanders as a "bitch." It was also revealed during the trial that Marbury, a married father, had an affair with a Garden employee who was a public relations intern at the time.

Also, Marbury made several infamous and bizarre television appearances over the summer that embarrassed the organization. Marbury has maintained a low profile since the start of training camp and has even attempted to extend olive branches to those members of the media that he has feuded with for the past several years.

A person close to Marbury says he is beaten down emotionally from everything that transpired over the summer and through the Sanders trial and that deep down he would welcome a change of scenery. In five games, Marbury is averaging 15.2 points and 6.8 assists. Now in his 12th season, Marbury has averaged 19.8 points and 7.9 assists over his career with four different teams.

Marbury was, of course, Thomas' first blockbuster acquisition. The January 2004 trade was celebrated because it meant that Marbury, the Brooklyn legend, would be returning home. But Marbury quickly alienated teammates, coaches and the media with his moody behavior. He was involved in a memorable altercation with former teammate Kurt Thomas and later with current teammate Quentin Richardson. Both players wanted to fight Marbury.

Through it all, including the losing seasons and zero playoffs wins, Isiah Thomas stood firmly behind Marbury and exiled anyone that had a problem with his guard - including Kurt Thomas, Shandon Anderson, Tim Thomas, Keith Van Horn and Dikembe Mutombo.

Marbury's career in New York, which seemed so promising, appears to be headed for an ugly divorce. If the Knicks were to sever ties with Marbury, it is uncertain how it would impact Thomas' future.

ill stay on the Ode to Z bo tip

2007-11-10T11:32:00.000-05:00

Jice, mad love for that. that was kinda ill. Wait also i want to say, for those of you that may not know, please click on Greatest All Time Knicks Moments on the top left of the blog, just below eddy curry never in a hurry's pic. Those are 5 video clips of knicks glory, courtesy of Jerms Mann. They will lift your spirits when you are down, and make you better when you are already good.

Aright, i think its obvious to all of us that call the worlds most famous home that Z Bo is the official best player on the knicks. Its not even really close. I know he doesnt pass. So what. And thats not even true, they have had a few high-low sequences when he has dumped it into Ed from up top that were nice. On top of his offensive skills and soft lefty touch he's all over both backboards unlike his front court partner. What we are gonna get from Z bo is CONSISTENCY. Bonified 20 plus, 10 plus, every night. And when your best player is always hustlin his ass off and practices hard every day, thats a good thing. So, thank god we got Z Bo. I dunno how Isiah pulled it off, but the Knicks will be pretty decent this year, squeek into the playoffs because they added him. thats the truf. He's gonna be great at the garden. Spree had some issues before coming here we might say.... He thrived here.. its gonna be like that with Z Bo. He's not taking any nights off, and he'll be great.

Speaking of taking nights off, um. Ed had 3 boards last night. I dont really want to talk about him any more. Lets just say he had 3 boards last night. LAst night was bad... hopefully we get it out of the system asap, miami hasnt won a game yet.,. so Isiah best correct that mess from friday night cuz we need to bring it on sunday. Hot P's im hoopin on sunday at 2:30 so if you need a fourth for the game im so into it

Rotation Rotation Rotation

2007-11-09T15:54:00.000-05:00

Wow im talking about the knicks and i dont want to shove a flaming harpoon up my ass to make it hurt less. Wow

I want to start a little discussion regarding our Tight rotation.

Jamal 40 min/game
Zach 38 min/game
Steph 36 min/game
Lee 34 min/game
Eddy 32 min/game
Balkman 28 min/game
Nasty Nate 17 min/game
Q 15 min/game

Rule #1: if for some reason Jeffries or James start practicing again they are immediately to receive some Tonya treatment and be Kerriganed in the knees. Addition by subtraction, do not insult my eyes by putting them on a basketball court.

Rule #2: There is no such thing as too many minutes for Balkman and Lee. I repeat there is no such thing as too many minutes for Balkman and Lee.

Rule #3: When Nate comes in you let him wild out and do what he does, however, he when he gets out of control he gets one strike and then on the second he comes back to bench--> recoil him to be sprung again.

Rule #4: Steph is not allowed to dribble laterally. He is to take directly to rim at every opportunity, especially in transition.

to be continued...

"NBA Players do make a lot of money, but people need to realize, they spend a lot of money too."
Patrick Ewing - Quoted while head of the NBA Players Union during the NBA Lockout.
God Bless Patrick Ewing and god bless the New York Knickerbockers

Rabbi out

Not As Important as 'Ode to Z-Bo', (read below immediately)

2007-11-09T12:10:00.000-05:00

Marrow, Lovers! Waking up on a gloomy, overcast morning and feeling like you’re bathing in a hundred rays of soleil can mean only one thing—Knicks gameday! (what else could possibly breed exclamation points in consecutive sentences)? More and more, I feel Knick games are a panacea for the daily drudgery. If I were a doctor, I might be inclined to prescribe Bockers basketball to my sickly patients, unless they have high blood pressure (malpractice and wrongful death suits, I imagine, are quite expensive).
So this early November day in the Big Apple will play host to a revamped Team Disney vs. a revamped Bockers squad. Will one of my favorite themes of last year carry over with E-City’s absolute manhandling of the Man Child continue? I don’t have the opportunity, nor would I if I could, to watch enough Magic games that would allow me with any credibility to make a statement such as ‘no one in the league presents DH with defensive match-up problems quite like Easy Ed does’, but I’ll do it anyway. Whether its because DH’s defensive prowess revolves around being stronger than most centers he guards, or because his compact but fairly wiry frame can’t hold up against Eddy’s girth, our favorite Chicago native ( Q, nothing personal, Isiah, what were you expecting, Wilbon, you’re a close second) seems to have his way with the Man Child everytime they play. With the additon of Z-Bo (who has won over Garden fans faster than any player I can recall in recent memory, Spree included), I don’t see any reason that this theme should desist. I’m saying 23 and yes, you heard it here, 11 for Edward tonight.
Rashard Lewis creates an interesting dynamic. I’ve only really seen him play a couple of times, but I’m not too high on the guy. Some people (including many on this blog) swear by the guy, but I think he went from being one of the Associations most underrated players to being one of the most overpaid. 6’11” three point specialists always rub me the wrong way (think Bargnani), but he does crash the glass like a drunk driver, which speaks volumes about a player. I’m very curious to see what he brings to the table tonight. Again, I confess ignorance of his all around game, but it doesn’t seem to me that’s he’s a serious threat off the dribble. Can anyone confirm, or disconfirm, that claim. I haven’t yet drank the ‘Renaldo is a defensive stopper’ Kool-Aid yet, but this seems like a good match-up for him (despite the height discrepancy).
Which segways into a another topic integral to this evenings much anticipated (by us) game. Who starts on Rashard—Z-Bo or Q? Is Z-Bo quick enough? Is Q tall enough? What the hell is wrong with Q? Do we get our first regular season viewing of Wilson Chandler? Do we see more than 8 players tonight? Why have I found myself anxiously awaiting the return of Jared Jefferies? I’d like to think IT has the answers, but in all likelihood, he doesn’t. I’d like to expand this post, but unfortunately I have a job and some work to pretend to do. This is really just something to get the pre-game juices flowing. Food for thought if you will (that doesn’t cost 12 bucks for a 6 ounce cup at the Orignal Soupman by gate 66). Let’s internalize our thoughts this afternoon and project them on our heroes as gametime approaches, showering our boys with positive thoughts. Sort of a reverse Care Bear Stare kind of thing. Lets put our heads down, power through the workday, and as always, Fuck the Hate, Knicks in ’08. LETS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sidenote—Z-Bo another double-double, making it 4 consecutive to start the season, and Q has a big shooting night. Hedo Turkoglu is also guaranteed to go off, hitting open baseline corner 3 after open baseline corner 3.

Ode to Z-Bo

2007-11-07T15:51:00.000-05:00

After Z-Bo's 22/17 performance last night I found myself inspired. Inspired to do what, one might ask? Well, I was inspired to write a poem about Zach Randolph. I'd like to share it with you Knicks Lovers. It is called, "Ode to Z-Bo":

Your name is Zach Randolph and you wear number 50.

You’re a gangster in my eyes cause you’re straight thrifty.

You punched Ruben Patterson in the face.

Then you got pulled over for your cars being in a race.

In 2006, you sexually assaulted a stripper.

Your face would make a great bumper sticker.

But now that you’re a Knick, we hope you don’t blow.

We’d like you to glow, an ode to Z-Bo.

-peace

So It Begins . . .

2007-11-05T19:16:00.000-05:00

With opening week now just a memory (along with our NBA league pass free preview) I'd thought I'd take a shot at doing something us Knicks fans are almost anatomically incapable of doing--not reading too much into it. We're Knicks fans and thus inherently impetuous, whimsical and, of course, depraved. Very, very, very depraved. But in the wake of the inaugural Knicks weekend, I find myself being able to throw these attributes to the wayside (at least for the moment). Its probably being .500 after beating a team we were supposed to and losing one that was up for grabs, but I feel I can look at these two games with at least a hint of objectivity. Let me start, however, with reverting to my old self and offering what I think we can take from these two games that might apply to the rest of the season.
First, Zach Randolph is the best player on the Knicks. Hands down, far and away, no comparison, a cut above the rest. He's a workhorse. He cares. He takes it personally. He's a unique breed of brawn and finesse. He's DAMN GOOD. And he fell into our laps, gift wrapped. Things like this don't really happen to us, but this did, and its tremendously exciting. And what's better (don't get ahead of yourself, don't get ahead of yourself) is that it doesn't look like he and Eddy Curry will have trouble co-existing. They are different players and have different games. And it looks like they both genuinely want to make it work, which is integral to their success. Z-Bo has had a bunch of nice high post entry passes to Eddy, and looks as receptive to the idea of feeding Eddy as Eddy does to receiving the ball (I think the biggest challenge to them will staying away from the force pass and recognizing when its there, and when its not there). And what is more imporant is that even if it turns out not to work with the two of them on the court together, being able to have one of them on the court at all times is invaluable.
Second, Steph looking for his shot, more specifically taking it to the hoop, will be integral to the Knicks winning games. He looks a step quicker than he has during his Knicks tenure and is still stronger than most of the guards he goes up against. Oddly, he's been missing his layups, but I'd like to think we can chalk that up to early season/opening night jitters. When Steph establishes himself, it opens everything up the entire court. It forces interior defenders to drop of off Eddy and Z-Bo and perimeter defenders cheat towards the lane, creating open looks for our shooters. The media chastized Steph last week when he said that he needs to look for his shot more this season than last, but he's right. In moderation, of course.
Third, to be successful, a small rotation needs to be implemented. Last night, only 8 players saw minutes. The Knicks have been graced with a deep bench, but it doesn't mean everyone needs to see light. Last year, the Knicks were rotating almost 12 players on a regular basis. This just isn't a win-producing formula. What Isiah would do if he were smart (or if someone smart could explain it to him), is use the deep bench as a weapon with which to combat foul trouble, and as a constant reminder that if the first 8 aren't playing hard/smart enough, it is no problem replacing them. Use the bench as a threat against laziness. If these last two games are any indication, Isiah is at least privy to this concept (benching Steph against the Cavs and the truncated rotation last night).
Fourth, and I'm sure I'm going to catch a lot of backlash for this one, but for the Knicks to be successful this season, Jared Jeffries needs to be a big part of it. Our defense is horrendous. 3 perimeter ball swings, 1 penetrate and dish, or a designed playcall and it an open 3 or an uncontested layup. And if Quentin Richardson gets into foul trouble, we don't really have anyone who can guard a scoring 2 or 3, even a 4. Tell me we couldn't have used him Friday night when Lebron was going off for 45. Tell me we aren't going to miss him tomorrow night against Melo. Who else is going to guard these players? The Melos, the Lebrons, the Dirks, the Rashard Lewis'. Right now its Q or bust, and he's looked old, slow and inept. Again, it's early and I don't want to get ahead of myself. I'm sure Q will turn it around, but its clear we need another defender who can guard scoring 3s and 4s, even 5s if he needs to. David Lee is a miserable defend and I'm not drinking the Balkman Kool-Aid until he proves he can guard without fouling. Rather, I'm throwing up the Balkman Kool-Aid and not taking another sip until this happens.
As always, I have many more thoughts on my mind than my fingers have energy to type and I don't think I can keep from overhyping us any longer. So with that, Fuck the Hate, Knicks in Ohhhhhh-8

Suprising Excitement

2007-11-02T12:58:00.000-04:00

So I'll be frank, I was never much of a basketball player, really, I never played. I mean, let's be honest here, Darien, CT not known for its bball prowess. I suck so hard, that I wouldn't even play IM ball in college Watching me shoot a free throw is like watching two retards make out (I'll show you at the play by play sometime, you know, if not that many people are around, which probably won't be too much of a problem). However, as we approach the beginning of a new season in about 6 hours or so, I find myself particularly excited for all the bockers have to offer in the coming months. Madison Square Garden, with Jimmy D at the helm is pretty much collapsing on itself. Pretty much every female in the world hates Isaiah, though you would never know it with his constant inexplicable pasted-on smile. The comissioner of the league has stated publically that the knicks are the worst run team in the NBA. There is always another chance of a fantastic brawl (which I was fortunate enough to witness last year). AND, to cap it all off, the boys were only 7 games out of a playoff spot, I mean, with a healthy team and the newest editions of z-bo and chandler, the knicks have a legitimate shot of almost being a respectable organization, ok not organization, a respectable playoff team. Now, I love my trashy reality TV as much as the next guy (watch a shot at love with tila tequilla, pure shamless trash), but the knicks are pound for pound the best reality show out there, with a chance for some great games thrown in. And, if it all goes to shit before Christmas...there is always the knicks city kids andthe chance of quick change at the half. So with all this, it's Jewremy's or bust for this guy tonight.

Isiah Wanted to Settle

2007-11-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Isiah is dumb, but he knows to back down when he's going to lose. Dolan is a straight idiot. He won't listen to anyone, including his legal team, the commissioner of the NBA, and the man he appointed to run his franchise... Obviously this isn't breaking news or anything, but just a "take a look at this" for all you Knicks Lovers out there.

This is from today's Daily News:

CLEVELAND — Three days before jury selection began in Anucha Browne Sanders' sexual harassment trial, Garden chairman James Dolan overruled Isiah Thomas and at least one other high-ranking Garden official and decided not to reach a settlement with Browne Sanders.

According to a source close to the case, Thomas, his attorneys and a Garden official felt a settlement would spare Thomas and the Knicks an embarrassing trial that could cost the franchise more than just monetary damages.

The one dissenting voice, however, was the only voice that mattered.

"Jim didn't want to settle," said the source.

Dolan's decision to proceed with the trial was a fatal mistake and one that Thomas is paying for every day. But those who know Dolan are not surprised by his decision. Dolan has never been one to back down from a public fight, no matter how messy it gets.

Dolan fought the Jets and their plans to build a stadium on the West Side. He battled the YES Network not to televise the Yankees on Cablevision and went to war with Larry Brown over the final four years of the former coach's contract.

Here is the link: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2007/11/02/2007-11-02_source_isiah_thomas_wanted_to_settle_san-2.html

1st ANNUAL KNICKS TIP-OFF FIESTA

2007-11-01T13:31:00.000-04:00

anyone reading this site is invited to attend the 1ST ANNUAL KNICKS TIP-OFF FIESTA AT THE CASA DE MANNE. guests are welcome to arrive directly after work starting at around 5:15. no nned to rsvp or any of that shit, only required to bring some sort of intoxicant (cheeba, booze, beer, crack, etc)

David Strern

2007-10-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

Today on Sports Center

Shapp: "How does the recent court case in many ways speak to the state of the Knicks franchise???"

Stern: " It demonstrates that they are not a model of, a model of intelligent managment. There were many check points along the way where more, where more decisive action would have eliminated this issue. "

I know we all know David Stern encouraged Dolan to settle out of court...but its great to hear him pound it home...

ESPN Values Our Thoughts

2007-10-26T14:38:00.000-04:00

This past Wednesday night at 11pm, Knickslover favorite Alan Hahn had a guest appearance on Brandon Tierney's ESPN radio show. For those of you who don't know Brandon Tierney, he announced St. John's games for 4 years, has covered the Knicks for forever, and now hosts a 2hr show weekday mornings on ESPN radio (1050am for those interested). In return for Alan Hahn's guest appearance Wednesday night, BT agreed to answer a mailbag on Alan Hahn's blog. He received about 60 emails and responded to about 1/3. With the help and inspiration of the Manhattan Latin aka Elisardo Gonsalves aka Xavier McDaniel Rodriguez, whose frontal lobes I always value and particulary when it come to Bocker Ball, I shot BT an email that he found compelling enough to address in one of his limited responses. Below you will find text of my question (again, shouts to Danny) and Mr.Tierney's resopnse.

Posted by Patrick H | October 24, 2007 23:29
BT (or Alan)-- Last season, after the melee with Denver to the late February win at home against Miami (which was the beginning of the injury onslaught that capsized the season), the Knicks went 20-17 and snuck into the last playoff spot. It looked like they had ironed out some early season wrinkles and were building chemistry. For the Knicks to play like they did during that stretch for an entire season, it would seem that a real leader needs to emerge. Someone to to make sure they don't play down to their competition. Someone to galvanize them when they are sluggish and to calm them down when they are too exuberant. A floor commander, but not necessarily a guard. When I think of who could play that role, Q and Steph are the only two players that come to mind. Malik Rose certainly can certainly be a leader in the locker room, but doesn't contribute enough to impact games. The likely candidate would have to be Q, but do you see anyone else stepping up and making it 'his team.' Any dark horses? Or, will the Knicks still be void of a leader like they have been the past few seasons?

BT: Patrick, I love your angle. Leadership. Man, it's vital in pro sports, especially in hoops, when you play a few times a week and can get lethargic during the dark winter months. Is there a Willis Reed on this team? Doubt it. I think the leadership will come in several different forms, from several very different players. I see Nate and Lee energizing the team with spirited and youthful (and very productive) play; Q Rich is the physical leader, unafraid to get in someone's face, whether it's a teammate, or an opponent. And Malik Rose keeps things in order in the locker room. Who's the one guy everyone looks at when the Knicks are down a point with :20 to go? That person has yet to consistently step up. We'll see if someone grabs that role this season.

Well done Knickslovers!!!

Lets finally shake off this can't get a W over the nets nonesense this season

2007-10-26T12:36:00.000-04:00

So tonight will mark my first appearence of the season at the world's most acclaimed and famed. Between my mini-plan and my good friend patrick the long gringo grande hot P's and butter hederman, I went to 30 out of 41 bockers match-ups last year. There was plenty of excitement at the garden during that stretch between december and february when they were playing what we could call good, B range basketball. I think they will improve on that this year, I really do. Ok where do i start, first with the nets. Gosh dang it, the fuckin nets. Ok. Let me say, growing up in the concrete jungle of cement as a die hard yankees and knickerbockers fan, I never HATED the mets. (jerms, little love for you here). They were in a whole different League, they Never played the bombers except for spring training, it was just like ok, irrelevant loveable loosers out in a purple stadium in Q boro with a silly apple ( i like the apple.) You guys never started to piss me off until interleague play started. The Nets on the other hand, have always been just abhorrent to me. It's not just the title of "new jersey" i mean yeah that sucks. They played in our very own division. In the early 90's, with the bockers contending for the title, we had to hear all this bullshit about the up and coming nets, the more exciting, younger, team of the future. I mean, was that not a huge pile of HORSE SHIT. Kenny Anderson, Derrick Coleman, Petrovich. Let me say, we miss Drazen petrovich in the brotherhood of hoops. Let me also say, I hated Derrick Coleman. Fuck him. What a punk and a chump. And you know what, PJ Brown was on those teams, and he was a punk even before he went to the heat and made the dirtiest play ever. I was happy when john starks broke Kenny Anderson's wrist on a dirty foul, and chuck daily was all pissed off. Yeah chuck Daily, eat a dick. And i was even more happy when the knicks pulverized the nets in that round 1 playoff in 94. Oak's 25 point, 24 rebound performance in game 2 was legendary.
Let's briefly mention how the nets are one of the saddest organizations in pro sports. In their glory days of the early 2000's with Kidd leading the way, they couldnt sell out the Meadowlands for the finals against the lakers. That's how much of a shit ppl give about the Nets. Let's also mention how myself, usually a calm and collected demeanor i would like to think, was really close to putting my fist through a stupid 18 year old punk ass bitch nets fan's nose at the garden last year after that 1 point loss. I hope I see him tonight.
So let's get this stupid monkey of not being able to beat the nets in god knows how long off our backs this season.
EDDY CURRY, PLEASE STAND UP. Please drop a few lb's like for real, and please be the dominant force that you potentially can be. Me and Gringo alto tall hownky were discussing the other night how we feel he probably holds the key to the knicks playoff door. Obviously, Zach randolph is a true baller, and this is extremely exciting. He's going to ball every night. period. But if the knicks are going to be in any way shape or form legitimate, its because they will have an unstoppable from court tandem... Eddy has had a pour pre season campaign. Lets hope it means nothing. Lets hope he can reduce the TO's. Really thats number 1. No finishing in the top five in the league in TO's AGAIN. Number 2, play a little better defense off the block with some quicker feet. That would warm my heart so much. Thirdly, a few more boards and you are looking at a true all star. Ok i just blogged the shit out of this blog. I would never read a blog this long, i dont expect anyone else to.

PRESIDENT of Basketball Operations

2007-10-25T13:19:00.000-04:00

Found this quick note on Isiah when I was looking through the deadspin.com archives on the Knicks. If you guys don't know this site, it's pretty effing fantastic. Covering everything in sports from Vince Young's Tattoos to Hockey Dad's Killing Hockey dads, I check for updates at least once an hour during the work day. I'll just pull a copy/paste job:

This is a few days old, but we can't let it pass unremarked. It appears Isiah Thomas has the same firm grasp of his roster as he always has.

Earlier this week, this exchange happened.

Reporter: When the trade was made, it looked like Fred and Dan Dickau were just salary cap throw-ins. When you made that trade, how did that discussion go?

Isiah Thomas: Both of those guys fit our team. I think Dickau is going to be a good player on our team when he's healthy. With Fred, you can't consider either of those guys throw-ins.

The problem, of course, is that Dickau was released last month, before the Knicks ever started practicing. We know Isiah has been, um, distracted, but, you know, he does run the team.

Knicks Vs. Philly, 10/24-- Running Diary

2007-10-24T20:57:00.000-04:00

So I'm sitting here watching the game by myself with no one to talk to about this game, so a la Bill Simmons, I figured I might as well jot them down so we can discuss it later. So as not to deceive my fellow Knickslovers, I coudn't get onto my internet earlier so I threw my thoughts down on some paper, so its not quite a running diary. It's actually halftime. With that being said . . .

- You know Clyde is going to have a big game tonight. The suit he's wearing is absolutely bananas ridiculous, even by Clyde standards. Its a sea foam 3-piece suit with a silver undershirt and he's got a blinged out chain hanging from his tie. Outlandish. And the first sentence out of his mouth included "Igodoula makes me wanna holla".

- Here's a goodie. Grandpa Clyde is talking about how the new scoreboard in the Garden looks like a 'space capsule'. #1 Knickslover Gus Johnson just dropped 'Thank God basketball season is finally here, I couldn't take it any longer. Thank God. This is really exciting." It takes real life journalist Al Trautwig to actual offer something of substance, telling us that Renaldo Balkman had his boot removed today and doctors cleared him to start practicing next week. God I love these men.

- Starting lineups being annonced. Apparently Q tweaked his ankle against Boston so Jared Jeffries is starting at the 3, giving the Knicks and absolutely monstrous starting 5. Jamal is a tall guard at 6'6" (5"?), and then it goes 6'11", a hefty 6'9", and another 6'11". By the way, can we make an effort to be a bit supportive of JJ this season? I think he's going to be important to this team and last season you can't really take at face value for him. New team, misses the first 20 games, come back, suspended another 5 (or something like that), then everyone goes down and his offensive deficiencies are really magnified.

- Clyde just introduced Andre Miller as Miller the Killer.

- Midway through 1st quarter. Nothing particularly interesting to report. Our boys look good. Z-Bo hits the class like a goddam drunk driver, which is great to see. Eddy Curry has also logged in an impressive 5 minutes, 3 fouls, 3 turnovers, 0 points, 0 assists, including 2 offensive fouls. Well done.

- The Sixers are really, really horrendous. It feels like they have 2 stars and a role player out with injuries, but I guess they just have this pathetic of a roster. Let's try to forget that they won 2 games more than us last year

- This is dragging on a bit, so I'l just throw in the highlights and whatever I can't keep to myself. Z-Bo is killing it. 10 points and 6 boards after the first quarter. His shot is looking really wet. One of the most surprising elements of this game is Isiah's body language. Really for all these preseason games, he has just looked really down and depleted. No laughing, no smiling, not joking around. I've never seen him like this before. He seems either sad or serious, maybe both. I like it though, he's supposed to be a GM, President and coach yet he always carries himself like he's at a goddam carnival, which the Knicks and the Garden pretty much are these days. Maybe Magic Johnson hasn't been powerbottoming with him enough recently.

-BREAKING NEWS!!! It's halftime and under questioning from Trautwig, Clyde reveals that he wears the same suit every 30 games, so we we'll be seeing it two more times this season. So everyone who missed tonights game, relax, you will get a second and third chance to see this thing in all its beauty.

- Ummm, so Nate Robinson is killing it really hard, again. Playing great defense, distributing, rebounding and I'm not sure if he's missed a shot yet. Our President of Homosexual Operations will be happy to hear this. Demetris Nichols just came in and immediately drilled a 3. Can we please cut J-Fat aka Burger King James and keep this kid? I guess that would make way too much sense for IT and Dolan to do. And who knew that (while I'm writing this Nichols get fouled taking a 3 and knocks down all his free throws, what a quick 6 points, and Tim they did just say that he is the all time Big East scoring leader, how is that possible? really?) Fred Jones had a jumper. I'm happy about him. He's had two masterblasters and his defense is looking crispy.

- Okay, the Knicks are absolutely running this team into the ground (Nichols for 3, and its good), Nate Robinson is still lighting it up, and I'm getting a bit bored. So my Knickslovers (wow, that was great, Gus is trying his absolute hardest to say Isiah should cut Jerome James and keep D-Knicks without actually saying it) you gotta believe to achieve, and I'm out. Fuck the Hate, Knicks in '08.

- One more thing, this new series of 'Experience Knicks' commercials with this bologna actors pretending to be lifelong Knicks fans and sharing their 'experience' needs to go, perhaps even more so than Fred Jones' goatee.

Hahahah oh man Why was greg anthony dressed like a caribbean waiter

2007-10-22T14:05:00.000-04:00

That's so true as well as so funny. Which reminds me; Can't wait to see Grant outside the world's most famous in a few weeks and read his newspaper. Since we are on the topic of memorable knicks suns games of the early 90's, How about that MLK day matinee that the bockers pulled out by a few points and Barkley got pissed at the no call at the buzzer and jumped on the scorer's table and chased the refs into the lockers. Knicks and Suns should have played in the finals that year, but Charles Smith wears pinks silky underwear, like Marv Albert, but Marv albert is still cool, except he does the nets now, so i take it back he's not

If Clyde annouced football

2007-10-22T10:21:00.000-04:00

1. Running and Stunning
-Brandon Jacobs "running and stunning" the defense with his moves"

2. Blocking and Shocking
-Rich Seubert "blocking and shocking" the linebackers, opening holes for the ground game.

3. Punting and Hunting
- A Feagles forte ,angling his kick away from Hester "punting and hunting" for the sideline...

4. Dancing' and Prancing'
-Ward "dancing and prancing'"thru the hole for the 1st down....

5. Whacking and Sacking
- Tuck breaks thru the line "whacking and sacking" McNabb

6. Decepting and Intercepting
-Ross lays off the reciever till the prefect moment when he jumps the route "decepting and intercepting" mcnabb

7. Deceiving and Receiving
Plax with a great move to get by the defender "deceiving and receiving" for he Td

8. Pep in his high step
After Buress shed Dyson he showed a little "pep in his highstep" as he headed for the endzone...

EUREKA!!!

2007-10-19T16:41:00.000-04:00

From Alan Hahn, @Patrick H. -- Good observation. I should have mentioned it in the blog. David had a rough night from the perimeter. Missed several wide open mid-range shots. Might be able to chalk it up to a bad shooting night, but you definitely want to see him be able to hit that shot on a consistent basis.

ooookkaaaayyyyyyyy!!!!

Dear Alan Hahn, pt.2

2007-10-19T14:39:00.000-04:00

I've been writing this guy an email every morning, so I figured I'd just post it here as well. I'll cut and paste any responses i get. If this becomes too much or starts getting annoying, let me know and I'll stop posting them. Until then . . .

Quick question, completely unrelated to this post (my apologies in advance). There was a ton of talk this summer about D-Lee working hard on his jumper. I read articles and heard interviews from him saying that he was putting up a few hundred shots a day from the baseline, foul line extended, etc. Watching last nights game, it looked like he still couldn't shoot his way out of a paper bag from anywhere beyond 10 feet. Do you have any sense whether or not his jumper is going to come around? Obviously, with Z-bo and E-City down low, David is going to need to play a lot of the 3 and it is even more important than last season that the defense respect his shot enough that they are forced to come out and guard Lee instead of sitting on the bigs. This was really magnified in the waning games of last season with our deplted lineup when sometimes three of Jeffries, Malik, Ro Show and D-Lee were on the court with Eddy. There were essentially three extra defenders who didn't need to guard the perimeter and could just collapse on Eddy when he received the ball or even deny the inbound pass. Speaking of which, why can Jamal so effortlessly throw his patented alley-hoop to Eddy from the top of the key, but can't make the simple pass to feed the post without turning it over? Isn't ballfake-step across the body-bounce pass one of the most rudimentary functions in the game?

2007-10-19T09:00:00.001-04:00

After consecutive Knicks drubbings it's time to take a look at what we've learned the past two days (if anything). It's hard to determine anything from the preseason, but you never want to get beaten soundly on consecutive nights like that. The Knicks team on the court last night did not look different from last years team at all: sloppy play (on both ends), tons of turnovers, missed free throws, poor rebounding and weak defense. Luckily the Knicks still have some time to get things in order.
A couple random things I found interesting:
1. Eddy Curry is 25 years old and he's a 7 year veteran. That is completely ridiculous. Eddy made some positive strides in his game last year and the same can be expected this year. Each year he learns more and more to help tone his game.
2. Eddy and Jamal really love each other. Watching them throw those back door oops is a thing of beauty. It helps that they've been playing with each other dating back to their days in Chicago.
3. It'll be interesting to see how Eddy does from the line this year. He will (should) be getting to the line 8-12 times a game (easily). While I don't think anyone expects him to shoot +80% from the line, the 70-75% range is very possible. This is part of his game that he needs to develop. With the amount he gets fouled he needs to be consistent from the line. Didn't do so hot last night going 5-12. On a side note Jared Jeffries, who was maybe the worst free throw shooter of all time last year, showed some nice improvement going 6-6 from the line. (watching him from the line last year was one of the more entertaining things in the knicks season)
4. Jamal Magloire gave David Lee the business last night. Magloire was busting his ass down on the block and D. Lee couldn't do shit on the offensive end (was really hurling up the bricks last night). It'll be interesting to see what D. Lee's jumper will be about this year. Can he make it with any consistency? I'm not so sure. One person who has been impressive from outside so far is Wilson Chandler. He's been stroking some 3 balls and has shown a nice little touch.
5. Quintin Richardson could really be a difference maker for the Knicks. While they don't really need his scoring, he's got a nice little touch from outside, busts his ass on the defensive end and rebounds. He's one of the few positive clubhouse influences on the Knicks. Hopefully some of the younger Knicks will follow Qs lead.
6. I hope someone else saw Steph's gear last night. I've been trying to find a picture of it, but not luck so far. A really ridiculous blue suit. Really wonderful stuff.
7. It's good to know that with about 10 days before the Knicks kick off the season Isiah still has no real idea of what the rotation is going to be. He's got a tough job because he's compiled a roster full of mediocre players who all deserve a little bit of time. The Knicks need to learn to h play together and they can't really do that until they get a sense of who they will be playing with. The Knicks are consistently beat by teams that are less talented but know how to play together. On paper the knicks might have hte most stocked team in the league, but it obviously doesn't mean shit.
8. The Allen Houston comeback tour is all but done. Isiah didn't have him dress for the game last night, and i think it's pretty obvious that Dolan (good golf buddies with H20) pretty much forced Isiah to take him on. Which is not really a problem, as long as he doesn't force Isiah to keep him.

- In an unrelated matter, I want to offer my condolences to all you Yankee fans for the loss of Joe Torre. Gotta respect Joe Torre, and his decision not to come back. Why the hell would he sign a one year deal. He'll find himself in the exact same situation last year, and probably have to hear about his contract status throughout the year. He obviously doesn't need the money, so why put yourself in a bad situation like that. Props and respect to Mr. Torre.

Dear Alan Hahn,

2007-10-18T11:26:00.000-04:00

I just emailed this to Knicks guru Alan Hahn, who if you don't know, is far and away the best Knicks beat writer and runs a blog for Newsday called The Knicks Fix. I strongly urge all to check it out if you don't already. He writes a new entry EVERY DAY (its on newday.com, just go to the 'blogs section' or use the search box and type in 'alan hahn'. Its really fantastic. Anyway, I thought I might as well post it here as well.

In an attempt to not harp on the harrowing experience of gamecasting last night's ghastly affair, in which Tommy Heinsohn's 'Tommy Point' count almost certainly eclipsed the Bocker's point total, I thought I'd ask two tangential questions.
First, there was an article in the NY Post this morning titled, perhaps sardonically, 'Fear James May Need Knife'. The article, which I'm sure you've read, indicates that the behemoth disaster may require season-ending surgery to correct the 'hardware' in his knee from a prior surgery. How, if at all, will this affect Isiah's decisions when making cuts for rapidly approaching 15 man roster deadline? More specifically, as it seems almost predetermined that Fred Jones will be on the roster with Jared Jordan and Allan Houston falling to the wayside, will this rumored surgery in anyway impact Nichols' chances of making the team? I've read articles by you and quotes from Curry and Marbury implying that everytime James practices (as seldom as that may be), someone gets hurt. I'm sure Isiah, if pressed, would admit that the James signing was his worst managerial decision during his Knicks tenure (although I would argue, and think that Isiah knows deep down, that it was really trading KVH for Tim Thomas right when KVH was oddly starting to come alive with the Knicks and had found some cohesion with Steph). Could Isiah possibly use this impending surgery as a pretext to finally cut his loses and buy him out?
Secondly, I've seen some mail and comments posted to you (as well as threads on realgm, knicks4life, knick knacks, etc.) about who the Knicks 8-9 person rotation will be. It seems to me having such a rotation is integral to success, but is that even on the radar for the Knicks? You would have to say that after last nights starting 5, the first 3-4 players off the bench would be D-Lee, Nate, Balkman, and then arguably Jared Jefferies. What, then, happens to Mardy, Fred Jones, Jerome James, and Malik Rose? These are all players Isiah has seemed adament about finding minutes for in the past.

Classic 90's moments

2007-10-17T13:38:00.000-04:00

Most Knicks fans these days have been reduced to talking about the "Glory Days" of the 90's Knicks...For hours people (myself included) can go on and on about "the dunk", "The 4 point play", Houston dropping 39 in game 6 in 99', even the Hubert Davis phantom call can be thrown into that mix...what doesn't get mentioned is the "other classic moments" that went down in the garden and througout the country durring the knicks 90's run...here are some of my favorites

1. In 1993 or 94' the knicks are mopping the floor with the 76'ers who are mired in a Charles Barkley Hangoever, and are now dealing with a bigger headache in #4 bust of the world Sharron Wright...I believe they had the verbally entertaining backcourt of Johnnie Dawkins and Hersey Hawkins too...well in this typical 90's knicks blow out the knicks bring in former #1 pick Eric Anderson of Indiana. Anderson had played about 9 minutes total that year, stuck behind Charles Smith, Anothy Mason , Tony Campbell and possibly Anthony Bonner...Anderseon enters the game and immediately tears his ACL ending his historic and Illustrious career...As a consilation prize anderson is carried off to a standing ovation of about 9,000 faithful new yorkers...Eric Anderson can now say that he and Joe Namath are the only two new york players to be carried off the field/court in the final minutes to a standing ovation...

2. In another early 90's nail biter the Knicks r beating the sixers by a good 15 points midway thru the 3rd quarter...all of a sudden all eyes are to the Spike Lee end of the garden as Anthony Mason and Maneut Bol are jawing and having words, all of a sudden Bol throws up both fists and starts bobbing and weaving like he was Joe Frazier fighting at the worlds most famous in 73'...obviously not much came of the fight but anytime a 7'6" 200 pound man squares of with someone 6'7" 260 lbs it must be noted...

3. Another great 93' moment came with the Knicks on the west coast, playing the suns, now everyone remmebers doc rivers and kevin johnson duking it out and everyone remembers greg anothny dressed like a carribean waiter coming out of no where to sucker punch kevin johnson...but heres two things to be discussed 1. Blind side haymakers from people in street cloths warrented a 5 game ban in 93'...While now blind side haymakers from players ON the court warrant 15 games (right carmello)...and apprently blind side haymakers thrown at fans get you between 30-60 games...what would greg anthonys punishment have been in 2007??? 2. Why was greg anthony dressed like a carribean waiter???

kobe? naw! yeah?

2007-10-16T12:27:00.001-04:00

I am more against talking crazy Knick trades than anyone else, but I am going to take a step back from that stance to entertain the notion of Kobe as a Knick (and to thrill/entertain Patrick). As much as I do NOT think there is any realistic chance at this happening, I think it's pretty interesting. As everyone knows Kobe is know supposedly back on the block. There are really only a couple teams who can even get close to fair compensation, and out of those, even fewer who could make a trade and have a competitive team to field around Kobe. Remember he has a no trade clause, so he's not gonna go to some team that wont have enough skill around him.

Lets take a look at the Knicks. The center to any package would have to be Eddy. The idea of trading Eddy was inconceivable last year, but now with another dominant post player you could toy with the idea. Considering what the Knicks gave up to get Eddy, they would have to get something ridiculous back in exchange for him, and Kobe qualifies. The Knicks could build a trade that centers on Eddy, David Lee and then two of the following: Jamal, Nate, Ronaldo, Wilson Chandler. Ideally i would like it to be Nate instead of Jamal, but it would most likely have to be Jamal and Ronaldo. So then you're looking at a package of Eddy, D. Lee, Jamal and Ronaldo, for Kobe and one or two of their bad contracts. Not a bad trade for either side. The knicks would be left with a trio of Kobe, Steph, and Randolph. Although wildly unrealistic, I thought it would be interesting to look.

(Dont get me wrong, I have no realistic hope of this happening, not even really sure if i would want it to happen, i just think that's it's interesting. I also think the knicks can present a legitimate trade. it would be monumental and league transforming. hence adding to the unrealistic aspect of this trade)

Im glad you enjoyed those tatas

2007-10-15T12:39:00.000-04:00

I have to agree about Isiah. The points you make about nate the ninja turtle robinson go hand in hand with why isiah is not truly a good coach and why the knicks could potentially not fulfill their potential. And it doesnt even make sense, I mean, do you think any of Chuck Daily's Pistons were dicking around shooting lefty 3's at halftime of close and meaningful games. I like Nate as a player, but I hate his antics, and they need to stop. Agreed, also, about Zach to the Rack and Curry in a Hurry needing as much time as possible to get used to each other. But I also think that it will end up working out, And if we dont suffer any serious injuries, the knicks are goign to hit their stride and make the playoffs,,, ,,,, I really think we are looking at an absolute minimum of 43, 44 wins. I'm certainly expecting better. I like the Fred Jones point. I want to root for Alan Houston to make the team and have a contributing role, but that's probably physically impossible. Yes, not only could he not play D 3 years ago,,, his D sucked in his prime, and you know as NY fans we love our D Gate. But what sweet sweet strokes. By the way, the ninja turtle that robinson resembles is Donatelo, who, as it turns out, was a lot of people's least favorite ninja turtle. My favorite was probably Rafael. He had the heart and the chip on his shoulder. Let's briefly address the fact that no matter how hard of a "tough" situation he was thrown into last year, jared jeffries really knows how to reek it up with a rock in his posession. I just dont see why he would ever be on the court instead of Ro Show. So get healthy Ro Show. . .... .. im out peace

Knicks on the brain

2007-10-13T18:23:00.000-04:00

With a new season about to being i think it's important to go in with positive thoughts. It's obviously tough to feel good about anything James Dolan is running, but we have to put that behind us and hope for the best. The thing with the knicks is that they could be really good, but at the same time they could really stink it up.

It's just unfortunate that there are gonna be people booing the knicks before the tip off of the first game of the season. Even though Isiah is the target of the boos, the whole team has to deal with it and it can't feel good when you're at home and getting booed like that. The bottom line is Isiah really needs to go. While I think he has some coaching skills, the only thing I want Isiah doing on my squad is helping with the draft. He can definitely lead a team into the playoffs I just have serious doubts on his ability to lead his team to a championship. The problem is that if Isiah hasn't been fired yet, with all the embarrassment he's brought to the knicks (not only with this case, but also with the signing of Jerome James and to a lesser Jared Jeffries, among many others), the only thing that will actually get him fired is another year of ugly losses for the knicks (which means a lot of pissed off drinking at the play-by-play).

Some random thoughts:
- Before I can focus all my energy into positive knicks thoughts, i need to get out a little anti-nate propoganda. I want to like Nate. I don't like hating one of my own. It's just he's so frustrating. I understand that he can be a spark plug off the bench (if he decides to play some real defense) with his quickness, despite the fact that I dwarf him and 80% of his shots in the lane are blocked. I just hope he grows up a little bit, you know, maybe stops practicing lefty threes during halftime. Isiah needs to rip into him a little bit, I'm sure he would enjoy some one on one time with little nate. He needs to do the opposite of whatever he's done so far.
- The thing everyone needs to realize about the resigning of Allen Houston is that this doesn't mean he's gonna be on the roster come game 1. Allen Houston and James Dolan are real buddy buddy so I'm sure Isiah was forced to give him a shot, but i'm pretty sure there's a 0% chance of him being on the roster. At least that's what i've been reading / praying. One side note.... If Allen Houston were to somehow miraculously make the roster (or any roster) how would he possibly play defense on anyone other than stacey augmon (who just resigned with some idiotic team). I mean, H20 couldn't play much D three years ago, how's he gonna do shit now?
- I would have loved to go see the knicks bitch around my fellow israelis (who feature Marcus Fizer and my personal favorite Vontego Cummings), season ticket holders did not get tickets to the game and the place was pretty much fully behind the Chocolate bars (their team is called the Maccabe Elite of Tel Aviv, but represents their sponser named Elite who, my mom tells me, run the chocolate game over in the motherland).
- It seems like Freddie Jones is a lock to make the team (Isiah did draft him in Indiana). I'm pretty sure I like this move. I'm not sure how much burn he'll get, but at least he's a physical player who can play some D. The Knicks have plenty of offense on the squad, and we could use more athletic defensive players. Maybe Freddie Jones can fill that void a little.
- I still love eddy, so I thought I'd add a picture of him. I hope he's resting his shoulder with some nice pain killers. I'm obviously happy to hear Eddy will be back soon, I just worry about him and Zach Randolph missing time getting used to each other. They are both pretty enormous individuals who need to be effective on the block, so i think it'll take a little time for them to adjust to playing with each other.
- We need to make a stop in at the MSG box office and pick up some knicks tickets. I'll meet you over there one day this week after work if you're interested.
- And i wanted to thank Xavier Mcdaniel Rodriguez for sending me some nice titties the other day. It was a very nice little pick me up.
- If anyone has anything else they'd like to see on the site let me know.

Problem, We Have a Houston or H20000000kay!

2007-10-11T15:55:00.000-04:00

Before I dive into this H2O business (note the pun), a few quick thoughts: first of all, we should create a space for quick thoughts (just a thought). second, 11.6 million for being called a 'bitch'? that fucking fucking bitch. thirdly, speaking of ABS and her 11.6 mil, at least now she can afford a sex change.

Now, before we really get into H2O2 (get it, because its his second time around AND its still a water), his addition to a roster that already boasts Q-Rich, J-Craw, D-Lee and company really highlights how far nicknames in the NBA, and professional sports in geneal, have fallen. Is taking a players first initial and pairing it with the first syllable of his last name really the best that the American sports nation can do? Gone are the days of Chuck 'The Rifleman' Person, Stacy 'Plastic Man' Augmon, The Dunkin' Dutchman Rik Smits, Isiah 'Sugar in the Britches' Thomas, and so on. Have we sunk so far that 'Melo is now a clever and refreshing moniker? And worse, when players surnames prevent us from jamming them into this creatively challenged caste of nicknames (i.e. Terrell Owens/Jermaine O'neal), we dumb it down even more, replacing the first SYLLABLE of the last name with the first LETTER of the last name. This formula breeds superstars that we now casually refer to as T.O., J.O. and a bevy of others. How has it come to this? Do David Stern and Bud Selig and Roger Goodell need to add linguists to their payrolls? And who is to blame for this derth in creativity? Does the blame fall on the team announcers, we the fans, or does it perhaps lie elsewhere? I'll let you soak this up before I tackle the H2O issue (zing!), and perhaps one of you can identify the source of the nickname drought (double zing!)

Great day to be a Knicks Fan

2007-10-11T11:32:00.000-04:00

What an interesting day to be a Knicks fan. We get to welcome the Maccabi ELITE team to NYC (a squad of highly trained jewish elite basketball players - straight from Israel), we get to hide our heads in shame after the resigning of Allen Houston, and we get to watch a bunch of slutty bimbos battle it out to be on the Knicks City Dancers (New trashy MSG program: Making the Knicks City Dancers - tonight before knicks game).

It is generally a great time to be a Knicks fan. At this point there is nothing but high hopes and playoff dreams. People can hate on the Knicks as much as they want. It doesn't matter. With the Mets and Yanks both done for the year, and the Jets and Giants both looking suspect, the Knicks are about to take complete control over New York Sports.

The Knicks play their first home game of the year tonight (as they welcome the Jews). It'll be interesting to see the reaction Isiah gets. Granted it's an early preseason game and the garden probably wont be too packed, we'll still get the first chance to see the fans reaction to Isiah. Considering he's been getting booed for the past couple years it's tough to expect any else, but it's kind of unfortunate. The Knicks are surrounded by enough chaos, the last thing they need is to get booed before even losing a game. Unfortunately there's no way around it.

AL-LAN HOUSTON

2007-10-10T21:12:00.001-04:00

Anyone else excited to break out their Houston throwback?

2007-10-10T11:42:00.000-04:00

Ok Jerms so first of all i love you you just made my week. And gringo grande too whichever of you fools put this together. I would love to spend lots of time talking about how one of the three great homosexual male athletes of the 80's (Jerry Rice, Carl Lewis) / our current head coach has embarrassed himself all summer. How Anucha would definately beat his ass. How the New York Knickerbockers dispite this tumultuous off the court off season are DEFINATELY going to be weaving and achieving in May this year. How i hate the celtics. How i HATE james dolan. How I love Knicks city Dancers. How I wash my car EXCLUSIVLY at Oakley's Car wash (if I had a whip which I dont), How anyone who doesnt recognize that walt clyde frazier is the coolest man on this side of the universe needs to wake up and smell the Bustello, How "im a knicks fan what im a knicks fan who im down with the orange and the blue" is one of the better songs of the 90's and probably of all time, how Larry Johnson being back at the garden is cool, and so much more. But im busy at work. So I'll do some more postin and toastin on this site in the near future.

Is the big fella in a red Sonics warm-up in that picture down there? Please change that up. We do miss the big fella. How do we go about putting an archive of knicks photos on this thing? Jeramiah lead the way

But there's a perfectly good explanation...

2007-10-10T11:31:00.000-04:00

As the Rev. Al Sharpton called for a Knicks boycott yesterday, the team's coach called him and denied insulting black women.

Isiah Thomas claimed lawyers doctored a tape of him saying it was worse for a white man to call a black woman a bitch than for a black man.

He offered to give Sharpton tapes proving his case.

"He was very passionate, very emotional," Sharpton said yesterday. "He said the tape of his deposition had been spliced."

Maybe his mom did raise him right. Damn those tape splicers. Also, how is he going to give Sharpton tapes proving his case? Couldn't they be spliced too?

Big Brown-Sanders

2007-10-10T08:37:00.000-04:00

Did anyone ever stop and think that maybe Anucha Brown-Sanders would be able to woop Isiah's ass? I mean, this chick is large. She played D1 basketball at a large university. Isiah is a tiny, michael jackson sounding, punk. But of coarse he would be quick to remind you that he grew up in the hood and his mom taught him to not to refer to white woman as bitches, but it's okay to refer to black women as bitches.
If he said anything to her, she really should have just whooped his ass, but I guess she figured she'd take 11 million from the knicks instead.

Also.... why isn't anyone still up Isiah's ass about that. Why isn't anyone protesting to get him fired, or at least bringing up the possibility that he shouldn't be running the Knicks (into the ground).

One interesting tidbit, there was a little story last night about how Dolan said he plans to have a major overhaul at MSG. not sure if that's supposed to mean the team or the front office (please) or more on the business side.

And finally.... Eddy Curry will be back soon from his little injury. New reports are looking positive.

Lost in MSG...

2007-10-09T17:21:00.000-04:00

So unlike many of you I did not grow up in the city and consequently do not have as intimate a knowledge of Madison Square Garden as I would like. That being said I am lucky to have wonderful friends with season tickets (for whom I would gladly buy 2 $7 beers for a ticket) and was fortunate enough to go to 13 of the Knicks home games last season. It was on this particularly unlucky 13th visit that I realized how much I still had to learn about MSG. I'm not going to say I was sober, but at halftime I came out of a blackout (so I guess I was definitely not sober) in a tiny staircase with no apparent doors. After going up a flight I saw no exit and decided down was my only move. So down I climbed, with no exit doors anywhere, until I finally busted out of a small door right onto 34th st. Needless to say it locked instantly and I was stuck outside.

Respectfully requesting a floor layout/blueprint of the building from anyone who might be able to help...

-Lost in MSG

OFFICIAL KNICKS LOVER FAMILY

2007-10-09T11:46:00.001-04:00

I would like to welcome you all to the OFFICIAL unofficial Knicks blog. You will find information and grumblings from highly degenerate Knicks fanatics.

Looking forward to all of your (maybe blunted) insights into the Knicks.

J.M.
OFFICIAL unofficial KNICKS LOVER PRES AND CO-FOUNDER