Friday, February 29, 2008

Pre-Gaming Knicks vs. Hawks

7:30 PM @ Atlanta

'08 Knicks + '08 Hawks + Philips Arena = One of the Ten Worst Games of NBA calendar not involving the Memphis Grizzlies of the Seattle Supersonics.

Reasons to watch this game:
1. Al Horford. The under-the-radar Rookie of the Year candidate is averaging 20 and 10 so far this season. He's the real deal and he should have a nice matchup with David Lee, who knows him from Florida.

2. David Lee. He was a monster against Charlotte. He was all over the floor, grabbing rebound and starting breaks with aggressive, lightening-quick outlet passes.

2. Playoff Implications. Seriously. This game (and the next few games between these two teams) affects the playoff race in the East. The Hawks are currently in ninth place and within striking distance of the 6,7 and 8 seeds. And the Knicks are only seven games (in the loss column) out of the eight spot.

3. Someone has to win. Points have to be scored. Excitement may, therefore, ensue.

4. Mike Bibby. Remember when he was like Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker put together during the 2001-2002 season when he led Kings to Western Conference FInals? Well, that guy is playing for the Hawks now and this will be his second game with them. And, he's from Cherry Hill, NJ.

5. Eddy Curry. Just kidding.

6. It's the long-awaited and annually contested rematch of the 1971 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals:

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Around the Internets

Politics Edition
In a move smacking of honesty, enthusiasm and an engagement (rather than disdain) for the world around him, Greg Oden went out of his way to let people know he is supporting Barack Obama's bid for the presidency. Oden wrote about a phone call with Senator Obama and he comes off like an innocent and eminently likable kid:

"This will be my first presidential election to participate in as a voter and I hope that you younger voters will get involved. I think that our votes can really influence the outcome so go out, register and vote for who you think is the best candidate to be the best leader for this country and make sure you and your family will feel good about the new president that is elected in November." -Greg Oden
I'm totally thrilled to see a rich, ambitious young athlete reveling in his selfhood rather than going the soul-less Jordan and Tiger rout of trying to be all things to all people. And, he's still getting some endorsements to boot. With guys like Oden and Gil Arenas really being themselves perhaps we could be returning to a time when ballplayers where known for their personalities and not just their sponsor.

Once professional athletes were at the forefront of American social and civic life. Those who were so inclined used their status as a pulpit for progress and change. That was a good thing. People listen to their heroes. Just look at the sneakers you're wearing. Now, I'm not saying that we need a league full of outspoken Jim Brown clones but I'd rather run that risk then end up with a bunch of corporate shills who are afraid to speak their mind.

Meanwhile, elsewhere people are just trying to figure out who really is my new bicycle. Is it Hillary or is it Barack?

And, that leaves Bill Simmons out there. He's campaigning for himself.

Postscript: That shirt pictured above is actually for sale, along with similiar ones using your favorite team's logo.

Knicks douse 'Cats at Garden

And win going away, 113-89


Something changed in the second quarter for the Knicks. That's when they blew the doors off the Bobcats, outscoring them 34 to 16. The players who took the floor during that quarter were Quentin Richardson, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, Zach Randolph, David Lee, Fred Jones and Jared Jeffries. These players outscored the 'Cats 34 to to 16 in the second quarter and turned a five-point deficit into a 13-point bulge.

Who was missing from this group? How is it different from the team that played in the first quarter? I'll give you a hint. The "difference" started the game by losing the tip-off and committing a lane violation.

What? No, Fredric Weiss didn't emigrate from France for the game.

It was Eddy Curry. The little big man continues to come up small. He played 16 minutes last night and didn't score a point. And, it didn't matter. When this team wins these days it does so without Curry and last night was no different.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

"I Am the Ki(ki)master. Are you the Gatekeeper?"

Daily News says Vandeweghe may be on the way


In today's News, Frank Isola reveals that Kiki could be in line to replace Zeke. The former All-Star player and Denver GM may be the replacement for only person who has ever sapped my passion for this ballclub.

According to Isola, an unnamed "league executive" told him that,"The NBA is pushing Kiki for that job." This mysterious league executive also said, "It sounds like it is a foregone conclusion that something is going to happen over there at the end of the season. Kiki makes a lot of sense."

In a perfect world the Knicks might abscond from San Antonio with RC Buford or convince Jerry Colangelo to put USA Basketball on the back-burner. But, in this flawed universe I would thoroughly endorse Kiki for the GM gig. He helped bring the Nuggets back into contention by drafting Carmelo Anthony and bringing in Marcus Camby (who he got from the Knicks). He hired George Karl and even his costliest mistake, signing Kenyon Martin, who has been hurt too often, isn't something that I hold against him. And, though, he is a former player, something I don't really like in a GM, he was a two-time Academic All-American at UCLA. He's got some smarts to him.

And, maybe it shouldn’t it matter, but it does. I like the fact that he donned a Knicks uniform and that he played in this building. He was here as the eighties became the nineties and as this team arrived on the scene. Isola believes he would bring a sense of tradition with him and welcome former Knicks back to the Garden. I would love that.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Pearls of Wisdom

Earl Monroe sounds off on Knicks

In today’s edition of the Post, Marc Berman treats us to some choice words from Earl “the Pearl” Monroe. For someone who was an artist on the basketball court it must be especially painful for him to watch these Knicks play on his court.

On the gap between the team’s talent and performance:
"I still think they got a tremendous amount of talent on this team. It's really baffling to me the team's not performing the way I thought they would perform."

On Eddy Curry:
"I think the way they played last year, I wouldn't have changed the whole scope of Eddy Curry as the No. 1 option."
…"He might be a little fragile as far his psyche is concerned, but I still think he's a kind of guy you need."
…"They had established Eddy Curry last year as a player, they come in this year and go away from it…”
…"It doesn't make much sense. He's lost a lot of his confidence and that's why they're going away from him now. But I'm not making those types of decisions. They had the makings of a real good team going into the season."

To sum up:
"There's bad karma," Monroe said. "They have to beat the bad karma down. It's the kind of season where everything's been strange.
…"I think it's surprising to a lot of people [Thomas hasn't been fired], but he was a great player and has an eye for talent."

And, I guess it had to be Pearl who was going to say something. Or, at least say something that wouldn’t come off as petulant or piling on. Something that could be considered genuine tough-love. The players from the teams that I grew up watching in the 1980s and 1990s are likely too close to Isiah (in terms of both age and relationship) to say anything too critical. Moreover, they’ll always see the great player that he was rather than the lousy coach and executive that he has become. Anyone who shared the court with Isiah will likely still be in awe of him just the same way Dolan was/is.

And, really, after Patrick, who is trying to climb up the NBA coaching ladder, who is there with the stature to actually say anything from those years anyway? Starks? Nope. He works for the Knicks and probably needs the job. Oakley? Not likely to be taken seriously even if he speaks up and easily ignored as a loose cannon. Mark Jackson? He’s on television and concentrating on making his move in that arena.

So, yeah, it really had to be someone from the previous generation to say something. It had to be one of the guys who is not beholden to Isiah and who never looked up to him. And, it had to be Pearl. After all, Clyde is employed by the club and clearly wants to avoid the fate of Marv Albert, who was sacked for being too critical. Meanwhile Willis Reed has worked for the Nets organization and the Hornets and may feel obliged not to criticize his peers. Likewise, Phil Jackson is coaching the Lakers and must be glad to have two easy games on the schedule. Dollar Bill has dropped from sight since his failed Presidential bid and only pops up for matters of politics, if it all. And, of course DeBusscherre passed away in 2003.

Well, thank you Pearl for not being afraid to speak your mind. Hopefully someone will listen.

Friday, February 22, 2008

No News is Good News. Seriously.

The Knicks Don't Make A Deal At Trading Deadline.

The NBA trading deadline passed yesterday afternoon with little fanfare, at least in New York. The Cavs were part of a 3-team 11-player deal in which they replaced their risk/reward players with someone else's risk/reward players. Bonzi Wells is on the move and Bobby Jackson is back with Rick Adelman. And the Sonics now own every first-round draft pick for the next three years. Or, something like that.

Meanwhile, all was quite on the Seventh Avenue. Eddy Curry is still a Knick. Zach Randolph is still a Knick. Everyone responsible for this season is still on the roster. And, I'm glad.

I'm so very glad that Isiah didn't make a trade yesterday. And, no, I don't I think that this team, with this coach, is going to turn it around. I'm glad because the problems haven't been made any worse. We haven't added Vince Carter to the mix. We haven't taken on four-bad contract in exchange for Eddy Curry's single bad contract.

Seeing so many other teams acquire top flight players for virtually nothing but expiring contracts and spare parts one can forget how this team actually makes transactions. Isiah wasn't going to make a Gasol-like deal yesterday. And, if he did he wasn't going to playing the role of the Lakers. No way in hell. He doesn't have it in him and he doesn't have the tools on the roster. Well, he's got tools on the roster, but not the right kind. Anyway, anyone lamenting the Knicks inaction yesterday needs to remember that any trade would have been orchestrated by Zeke. It, necessarily, would have been a disaster. Every precedent is bad. There is no reason given to date to think that any move would have been anything other than another debacle.

So, I'm glad that there was no late-breaking Knicks news. That means that we still have our draft pick. We still have the same problems. But we don't have any new ones. We didn't get three-card monte'd into taking anyone else's problems. We don't have Vince Carter.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

The Conversation


(A Brief Exchange Between a Knicks fan and Sixers fan regarding last night's contest between our respective teams)


On Wed, Feb 20, 2008 at 8:14 PM, Sixers Fan wrote:
Also .... I just saw online that the sixers are up 72-36 at halftime on your boys. What the F? How the hell do they already have 72 points?

On Thur, Feb 21, 2008 at 10:15 AM, Knicks Fan wrote:
that was the worst loss of the season. it won't get nearly the attention that blowout to the C's in november got because only seventy-five people actually watched last night's game since it wasn't on national television, but it was the worst. getting beat up by the best team in the conference is one thing, getting shellacked by the 08 Sixers is something else entirely. last night was the low point for me. thanks, for that.

at least the suns/lakers game helped me wash the knicks stink from my eyeballs. lets go mets.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

It's Time

The team was fighting on the sideline last night. They turned the ball over 23 times tonight. They lost by 40 points to a very mediocre team. The roster is uneven. The players are at odds with one another. There are no defined roles. There is no exit strategy. And, the financial mismanagement means it will likely stay that way.



Tonight's 84-124 loss to the Sixers is the worst of the season. By a long-shot. It won't get the same attention in the media but this was a far worse loss than the Boston massacre earlier in the year. That was a blow-out at the hands of an elite team reveling in its superiority. This was a beat down administered by a team with no clear-cut advantages over the Knicks. This wood-shedding had nothing to do with a talent-gap. Rather, it was about execution, effort and strategy. It was about all of the facets of the game that a coach and his players have control over. Or, at least could have control over.

However, for the second night in a row Isiah Thomas showed that he has absolutely no control over this team. He doesn't intervene when they fight with each other and he cannot intervene when they have no fight in them. He is meaningless. The Knicks win when things break their way and they lose when things don't. Isiah brings absolutely nothing to the equation and his only noteworthy effect on the team during any given game is that his presence prohibits a different coach from having the opportunity to make a difference.

Isiah Thomas should be fired. Today

And, it best happen before he is allowed to make another trade. Before he can further bury this club by bringing in someone like Vince Carter. If he brings in someone else like that he makes the job that less desirable for replacements and potentially earns himself another few weeks reprieve to work with his "new" roster. He should be fired before that. He may not be. In fact, he probably won't be. But he should be. Even fans on the road chant for this guy to get sacked. They cheered for it tonight in Philly and they do it elsewhere. And, this is more than mere schadenfreude (which, obviously, is part of it). Fans of basketball want him to be fired.

Again, I repeat: Isiah Thomas should be fired. For the sake of the team. For the sake of the fans. For the sake of the league.

With all of the endless blathering about the Kidd trade that we've endured in the past week or so we've frequently heard the refrain that such a trade would be "good for the league." Forgetting that I don't think that should be a factor in such dealings, let's acknowledge that the removal of Isiah Thomas would be ever better for the league. And, if trades can be endorsed or rubber stamped because they help the competitive landscape then why can't coaching changes. After all, reviving the Knicks would do more for the league than adding another piece to one of many contenders in the West.

The Knicks are a charter franchise of the NBA and one of its marquee clubs. There are supposed to be a draw on the road. Just the same way that the Yankees are in baseball. However, fans in other NBA cities don't want to see this team. They don't want to (over)pay for tickets only to leave late in the third quarter because the game is either a blowout or a close contest that closely resembles the Thursday night game at the local YMCA.

Fire Isiah. It's Time. And, it's for the good of the league.

"Feistiness"

That's what Isiah called it. Some words were exchanged. Zach threw some water at Nate. Who, then, threw a towel back at Zach. It looked like bickering and childishness. But, I guess it could be called feistiness. What do you think?



You watch this and you just roll your eyes. Jokes are made. Or, rather, old jokes are re-made. This fits right into the season's story line. Except for the fact that it happened right smack in the middle of a great run of play in which the team stormed back to tie a game late and then broke the franchise record for most points (23) scored in an overtime period.

Usually, you watch a team over the course of a season, and, if you're really, really watching (meaning, you have little social life and spend too much time on the couch. Check. And Check.) then you get a handle for what a team is like. For how they interact. For who gets along. For who is in the doghouse. In other words, you know what to make of something like this little spat between Nate and Zach.

But, I must admit that on a fundamental level I still don't really know this team. From Isiah's maniacally wavering proclamations to the closed-mouth media policy that keeps the players from saying too much this is really an inscrutable group. I guess I have vague impressions of a few players that I feel are pretty accurate. I think I have a handle on Crawford, Lee, Rose, Richardson, Nate, Eddy and Zach. But, I have no idea how they really feel about each other. How they fit together. I'm at a loss as to how these guys really feel about this team. About staying in New York. About winning games. I'm sure some of them would like to get on the first train out. I think some of them could go either way. And, I'm sure other want to stay, provided they get to choose who is on the first train out.

I guess it's for the best that I don't know them because then I won't be too upset when this team looks radically different on Friday morning.

It Was Exactly the Same, Except the Opposite

I Have Deja Vu as the Knicks Comeback to Beat Wiz in OT

This was the same game that I sat and watched two Fridays ago. I remember it exactly. I was eating cereal and the Knicks were playing the Spurs at home. Last night's game against the Wiz in Washington was that game. Almost step for step. But in reverse. And I was eating cereal. Again. Weird.

In the Knicks/Spurs game the score was close after one quarter. Last night the score was close after one. In both games the home team built a lead that reached 9 points during the third quarter. Yet the road team clawed back to within three as the whistle sounded to start the fourth quarter. Two Fridays ago, the Knicks seemed to ward off the Spurs run to take an 81-72 lead with about seven minutes to play last time. Lat night, the Wizards seemed to ward off the Knicks run to take an 80-71 lead with about five minutes left. However, in each game, the road team (Spurs and Knicks) closed regulation on a blistering run (15-7 and 19-10 respectively) as the home teams (the Knicks and Wizards) couldn't hit a shot or get a stop. Manu Ginobli hit a three to force overtime at the Garden. The score was knotted at 88. Last night, Jamal Crawford hit a free-throw with less than twenty seconds left to force overtime at the Verizon Center. The score was knotted at 90. In both games the road team that had come back to force OT had all the momentum and stormed out the gate as the home team allowed uncontested buckets in the paint. The Spurs scored seven straight to start the overtime period. The Knicks scored eleven straight to start the overtime period. Both teams won.

It was the same game. Just the opposite.

What does this mean? Well, it means that the Knicks can win just as dramatically as they lose. It means that they have been, apparently, capable of winning some of the games they've dropped the last two weeks. It means that a basketball team is only as good as the last quarter it played. And, it means that we've got to be ready for anything the rest of the way.

Or, maybe it means that every regular season NBA game is essentially the same game. And, maybe, this is why most people don't care...

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Your name is Kal-El...


"... You are the only survivor of the planet Krypton. Even though you've been raised as a human, you are not one of them. You have great powers, only some of which you have as yet discovered."

Dwight "Supe" Howard is your 2008 Slam Dunk Champion. He leads the NBA in dunks so far this season and scored a perfect 50 on every dunk that he executed. He was "flying for real" according to Kenny Smith. Every dunk of Howard's was memorable and creative: there was the behind-the-glass-dunk, the Superman, the Volleyball and the Mini-Hoop. The only single-contest performance that even comes close to this is Vince Carter's from 2000. That comes close to this. But, for my money (and I did win a few bucks taking the 11-4 odds on Howard to win), this was a better performance. After all, Howard is almost seven-feet tall and a physical specimen the likes of which the dunk contest has never seen before. And, don't bring up Larry Nance, who was 6-10. He wasn't doing anything like this in 1984.

To go a step further, I actually think what Dwight did was more impressive than what the little guys (Nate and Spud) have done. To be that big and be able to hang and contort one's body like that is amazing. Like Superman.



And...

Gerald Green had a heck of contest too. He just picked the wrong year and ran into the Howard buzzsaw. The birthday cake thing was clever and would have been the biggest recipient of the Mutumbo face in most other years. Just not last night.

Karl Malone and Magic Johnson were both judges. Dr. J was the only one sitting between them and I'm going to imagine that this was not enough of a buffer zone for the Mailman. It was Malone who famously refused to play on the same court, or even in the same league, as an HIV-positive Magic. The cameras didn't catch them speaking to one another.

Jason Kapono won the 3-point shooting contest for the second time. Is he the next Craig Hodges? And, why did Miami let him go in the offseason?

Deron Williams won the skills competition, which I forgot about in my All-Star game preview. He beat Wade, Kidd (who now just looks hilarious in a Nets uniform), Nash and Chris Paul. Kidd dropped out because he couldn't hit the jump shot, which makes sense. Wade didn't last because the wheels just came off his bid, sort of like the season in South Beach. Fittingly, the Final Round was contested by Paul and Williams, who navigated the course perfectly. He won the competition and set a new record.

Friday, February 15, 2008

The NBA: Where Lee Happened

During the Rooks/Sophs game the topic amongst the TNT crew turned to David Lee and his 14 for 14, 30-point performance in last year's game.

"I call that guy shallow water because anything in the paint he's good at."-Kenny Smith on David Lee

"You put that guy on a good team and he'd be scary"-Charles Barkley on Davd Lee

Save the Date: September 6, 2008


It was announced today that my generation's Captain, Patrick Aloysius Ewing, is a Finalist for selection to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Akeem The Dream and Pat Riley are also up for selection in their first year of eligibility and all three seem like no-brainers.

Ewing, Olajuwon and Riley.

A weird combination with so many links and memorable moments shared between them. Also eligible are Chris Mullin, Adrian Dantley, Dennis Johnson, Don Nelson and a few other folks. The selections will be announced during the Final Four. And, the next day I'll start planning my trip to Springfield, MA for the ceremony.

Here's what the HOF website had to say about Pat:

PATRICK EWING - Player, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner (1984, 1992) and a three-time consensus First Team All-America (1983, 1984, 1985), led Georgetown University to three appearances in the NCAA Final Four and the 1984 national championship earning Most Outstanding Player recognition for his efforts. The 1986 NBA Rookie of the Year landed a spot on 11 NBA All Star rosters including ten in a row from 1998 to 1997. A member of the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, Ewing scored 24,815 points during his 17-year NBA career to go along with 11,607 rebounds. Named Parade Magazine's National High School Player of the Year in 1981, Ewing remains the New York Knicks, all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocked shots, steals and field goals made.

Sure sounds like a first-ballot Hall of Famer...

Check Your Local Listings: Rooks vs. Sophs

The best part of last year's All-Star Weekend was the Rookie/Sophomore game, where our very own David Lee won the MVP after going 14-14 from the field to score 30. That night was also the first time that the world (and by world, I mean the two dozen people who watch the Rookies vs. Sophomores game on cable TV) was introduced to Monta Ellis of the Warriors. This year's game is on TNT tonight and figures to be the most competitive part of the AS Weekend that ends up in your living room. If only that would just put the all-night-long, high stakes poker games and c-lo tournaments on ESPN News. Anyway, I recommend checking it out or at least recording it so you can turn it on Sunday night when the vets are missing ally-oops in the big boy game.

The Rookie Team:
Mike Conley
Kevin Durant
Al Horford
Jamario Moon
Juan Carlos Navarro
Luis Scola
Sean Williams
Yi Jinlian
Jeff Green

The Sophomore Team:
LaMarcus Aldridge
Andrea Bargnani
Ronnie Brewer
Jordan Farmar
Daniel Gibson
Rudy Gay
Paul Milsap
Rajon Rondo

My guess is that Rudy Gay will give us a taste of what to expect in the dunk contest while leading the Sophs and that Sean Williams will have a surprisingly good game for the Rooks just because he will run and rebound. And, I'm only 50% saying that because he sort of went to Boston College. Speaking of which, where's Craig Smith?

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Basketball 101: 48 minutes

This is the length of an NBA basketball game. The game is divided into four quarters of equal length. Each of these quarters is 12 minutes long. Between the second and third quarters players are allowed to return to their locking room for a brief rest before commencing the contest. This is called "half-time" as it occurs at the halfway point of the match. The winner is determined by comparing the total number of points that each team scores over the 48 minute span. The team with the most points after all 48 minutes have been played is declared the winner. A winner can only be declared after all 48 minutes have been played.

These are concepts that the Knicks do not understand. They seem to think that playing well for 45 minutes can lead to being declared the winner of a game. Sometimes they think that keeping the scores close in number might lead to a victory. Neither of these things are true. I'm not sure if they know.

Last night, the Knicks may have been under the impression that only a team's best three quarters counted towards the final score. Not true, unfortunately. The Knicks beat the Celtics by a score of 87-79 if you only tabulate the results from quarters 1, 2 and 4. However, due in large part to the fact that they scored half as many points (16) as the Celtics did (32) in the third quarter, the Knicks lost the game, 103-111.

Happy Valentine's Day

If you haven't already, go buy flowers. You can do all the planning you want - with the reservations and the chocolates and the hugging - but the first thing that she's going to look for is the flowers.
-Ancient Proverb

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

"Ain't No Party Like a Z-Bo Party"

Randolph's Still Got It, At Least in Portland

"It" being a penchant for ending up in situations involving the police and threats of gunfire. During the team's recent West Coast swing, Randolph was either throwing or attending (depending on who you ask) a party at a club or restaurant (depending on who you ask) where the cops were called going on 2:30 in the AM because of a fight involving our man. A bouncer called the coppers after hearing threats about guns and caps and the busting of the aforementioned caps with the help of those very same guns.

The basketball-angle here is that this took place the night before the game. Obviously it would be best for the team's winning percentage if Herb Williams was doing bed-checks at 11:00 PM every night, but since that is not an option it doesn't really bother me too much that Zach was out on the town. After all, he used to live there. And, he had a double-double the next night.

Eschewing the high-road, the two things I take away from this story are:

1. Does this make Randolph harder or easier to trade, from internal and external perspectives?

2. This line from the Portland Tribune's coverage of the story pretty much sums up why Zach is no longer a Blazer: "The only thing surprising about all this? The party didn’t occur at the strip joint Exotica, one of Randolph’s haunts of choice while living in our fair city."

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

"Xavier McDaniel, I Presume?"


(Since the Knicks continue to surrender second half leads and lose games I figured that we need to do something else with this space on occasion. With that in mind I've trekked through the Internets to find the latest news on some of our long-lost Knicks from happier times.)
We might need to pass the hat around this week to help one of our favorites. Former Knick Latrell Sprewell isn't doing so hot during this almost-but-not-yet recession. I'm not sure if it was because of a subprime mortgage, a copiously jeweled chalice or a luxury seafaring vessel, but somehow the catalyst behind the team's run to the 1999 NBA Finals is strapped for cash. His home is up for foreclosure and he had to sell his yacht at auction to help pay off the million+ that he owes to creditors. 

Sprewell played 13 seasons in the NBA for the Warriors, the Knicks and the T-Wolves, his hometown club. He was a 4-time All-Star, but hehasn't played pro ball in a few years. He famously turned down a $21 million contract extension from the T-wolves during the '04-'05 season, quipping that he wanted more money because he "has a family to feed." Being broke, I hope at least the irony is appreciating at a better rate than whatever assets he still has. 

All jokes aside, this sucks. I like Spree and I wish he would have just gotten himself back in the league after getting his bluff called a few years ago. He was the beating heart of a Knicks team unsure of itself as Patrick's injuries mounted. He was just like Renaldo Balkman, except 1,007 times better at basketball. He could defend anyone in the game, he could run the floor, he had a sense of the moment and willingly played out of position for the good of the team.  A team that he led to the Finals. 

I don't know if it's really his choice to stay away from the game or if he just can't get a gig. And, if he can't get a gig, I wonder how much of that has to do with that whole choking thing. Either way, the best part about Sprewell appearing in the news is a reminder that he he had named his luxury yacht "Milwaukee's Best." And, yes, he is from Milwaukee. 

Stay classy, Spree.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Weekend at Jimmy's

(or What Transpired w/ Lil Dolan’s Knicks this weekend)

Friday Night: Knicks vs. Spurs, Loss (93-99)
Unless you watched this game, which you probably didn’t because it was Friday night and you have a life, then you won’t likely believe this, but THE KNICKS OUTPLAYED THE SPURS. The Knicks were crisper, they were smarter, they were playing harder and they were just all-around better. Except when it mattered the most. Except in the last 2 seconds and the overtime period. Other than that, the Knicks were the better team. First, they built up a big lead by pushing the ball and helping on defense, going ahead by 18 in the third quarter. But, more importantly, the repelled the comeback bid by the Spurs early in the fourth. San Antonio took the lead and, though they previously would have wilted, the Knicks took it right back with Lee and Crawford starring. They seemingly had learned how to take a punch and led by 3 with 7 seconds to play. As the clock was about to hit zero Ginobli found an inexplicably wide-open Michael Finley in the corner. Of course, he drained the three and the Knicks were beaten before overtime even began.
This could have been the most deflating loss of the season. Only because it got your hopes so high before dashing them. I went directly up to my computer afterwards to try to put it into words but I couldn’t even figure out where to start. With the offensive execution down the stretch? With Balkman’s defensive lapse in the final seconds? With the way these guys are so snakebit? All I could do was take some pain medication and watch a western. Percosset and 3:10 to Yuma. Yes and yes. I tried again on Saturday morning to write something entertaining or enlightening about the game but was still at a loss. Just like the team.

Saturday Night: Knicks vs. Bucks (Win, 99-98)
I was dreading this game. I was thinking it would the away-loss to pair with last week’s home-loss to Clippers. In other words, the game against a lackluster opponent that we give away after a gut-wrenching loss to a quality opponent(s) that we should have beat. Everything looked on-book with the Knicks trailing big in the third. Even after the Knicks came back to tie late in the fourth the loss still seemed in the offing as the Bucks had the ball with about 7 seconds to go. Yet, they didn’t hit the winner in the waning moments. Shockingly. That gives us two wins over Milwaukee by a combined 4 points. So, no matter what happens the rest of the way, we can at least rest easy knowing that we seem to have this Milwaukee Bucks issue handled.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Suns Trade for Shaq, Knicks Looking at Mo Rivera

The Knicks Need a Closer More Than the Suns Need a Diesel

2/6
The Knicks led the Pacers by 7 points with 7 minutes left.
They lost by 3.

2/4
The Knicks led the Clippers by 11 points in the 3rd quarter.
They lost by 9.

2/2
The Knicks were in a tie-game with Sonics with 1 minute left.
They lost by 1.

2/1
The Knicks led the Blazers by 8 points with 7 minutes left in the 4th quarter.
They lost by 6 in OT.

1/30
The Knicks just got flat-out beat by Utah last Wednesday.
They closed within 3 with about 7 left in the 3rd, but never even tied it.

1/29
The Knicks led the Lakers by 9 with 9 minutes left in the 4th.
They lost by 11.

1/27
The Knicks led the Warriors by 4 early in the 4th.
They lost by 2 points.

This is the anatomy of a seven-game losing streak in which the free-falling team has actually been playing very well. They were in control of 6 of these 7 games at various points during each. Aside from the hiccup in Utah, where they came out flat, each game, looked at by itself, was filled with positives. Except for the ending. Because the Knicks cannot close out a game.

The Knicks, as constituted can go up and down the floor with almost anyone in the league for the first 40+ minutes of a game. They proved this by winning the early track meet against the Warriors. However, they cannot cope in the final minutes when the game slows down and you need to execute a half-court offense and stop an opponent's half-court offense.

The reasons that they can't stop the other team are legion and well-documented.The reason why their offense stutters is that they DO NOT HAVE A POINT GUARD in the game.

We were all quick to notice how well-adjusted and cohesive the team seemed to be without Stephon, but now we are seeing the downside. Crawford and Nate are shooting guards in point guard bodies who are struggling running the game in 24 second intervals as opposed to over the long haul. This is about not knowing what to do rather than not being able to do it.

Therefore, the Knicks consistently fritter away the key possessions even in games when they've shown that they can exert their will on the other team. In other words, they need a closer.

Or a point guard.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

"Xavier McDaniel, I Presume?"


(Since the Knicks continue to surrender second half leads and lose games I figured that we're going to need to do something else with this space on occasion. With that in mind I've trekked through the wilds of the Internets to find the latest news on some of our long-lost Knicks from happier times.)

When asked about by Mitch Lawrence at the News about the way the NBA has changed, Sam I Am Cassell recalled a manlier, brawnier and more violent time defined by, among others, our very own Charles Oakley:
"I won a long time ago, when there was the real NBA," he said. "When the league was all about men....The league is very soft now...I know a lot of guys, like Charles Oakley, LaSalle Thompson and Buck Williams, they couldn't play in the game like it is right now. The enforcer on the team, he'd be cut right now. The game was tougher. It ain't that tough right now. It's like they're protecting the quarterback."

...Although the Seattle Sonics are experiencing some growing pains in Kevin Duran'ts first year the one player who has been getting high marks from folks around the league is former Knick Kurt Thomas, who has been banging in the paint and hitting pick-and-roll jump shots in the great Northwest this season.
THOMAS TARGETED: The one player the Sonics are anticipating they will be asked about in coming weeks is center Thomas, who has an expiring $8 million contract and has shown he can still play at a high level. Thomas entered Thursday averaging 7.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game.
The Sonics may consider re-signing Thomas for next season because he has been such a positive influence on the younger players and he is the team's most legitimate center in years.

So, Kurt Thomas, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, is:
A) playing for a cap-friendly price
B) a valuable trade commodity
C) A positive influence on younger big men
D) Better than previous big men the Sonics have had, including Jerome James

Of course, the Knicks kicked Thomas to the curb, largely because Stepon Marbury and his negative influence on younger players didn't get along with Kurt's crazy eye. And, to replace him Isiah drastically overpaid for the guy that Seattle would never choose over Kurt. Looking back this may be the personnel carousel that most epitomizes the Isiah regime.

Anyway, I hope Kurt gets traded to a contender. I love watching him body-up on Duncan in the playoffs and would root for him most anywhere that he lands.

What Does Super Sunday Say About Super Tuesday?

Or, Do I Really Want Eli Manning to Be My President?

Walking to the PATH station this morning the streets were as electric as I've ever seen so early on a Tuesday morning. There were business men in grey flannel suits filing down Newark Street toward the train, volunteers in wind-breakers and jeans handing out flyers for their candidates, they were young children bundled up ambling to bus stops, they were older children with open coats, darting eyes and cigarettes and they were dozens of blue-shirted Giants fans who were skipping out on work to go see the victory parade downtown.

Being bound for work (as well as a Jets fan) I couldn't help but be a little jealous of those, like one of my roommates, heading down to the Canyon of Heroes. But, I'm not going to one of those parades until it's my turn. Whenever that is. Regardless, this was as bustling a Tuesday as the Big Apple is likely to see in some time. Not only is it a victory-parade Tuesday following on the heels of a memorable Super Sunday, but it is Super Tuesday when 24 states are holding primaries or caucuses to determine who be will be each party's nominee for President. In other words, it's kind of a big day in the City, especially with NY's very own second-term senator Hillary Clinton being one of the candidates on the block today.

Walking past the already drinking Giants fans I was wondering if the parade was a good thing or a bad thing for local voter turnout. Would people vote because they were out of the house and had called out of work? Or would they not vote because they usually vote on the way home from work and had been drinking all day long? I figured I would let someone smarter and with some numbers at their disposal figure out those answers. Instead, I am focusing on what, if anything, Super Sunday may reveal to us about Super Tuesday, what the players' performances may tell us about the candidates and what the postseason may have in common with the campaign trail.

For example, is Eli Manning football’s version Hillary Clinton? Hmmm....Both “New Yorkers” have been vying for the affection of the Empire State for several years now with mixed results. Hillary has gained vociferous supporters and attracted virulent enemies while Eli has sold a lot of jerseys since he scorned the Chargers although he has never been embraced on anything other than a monthly, pay-as-you-go basis. They have both had doors opened for them by their last names and both have looked like they may be undone by their last names at times as well. Their blessing is their burden as they look to form their own identities in the world.

Eli will never be Peyton and Hillary will never be Bill. Yet, at this point, both still have the chance to be just as successful in their chosen fields. Of course, no one seems to give either a chance of actually being better. Nevertheless, their more famous family members provide visible support. This is alternately a source of strength and a weakness. Peyton Manning could be seen (on television) pounding his fists and aggressively rooting for his kid brother during the Super Bowl and I don’t doubt that CNN has been full of images all day of Bill doing the same for his wife.

Both Hillary and Eli find succor in our collective inclination towards that with which we are already familiar, towards that which is dynastic and proven. Of course, both these two have seemed determined, at various points in their careers, to find out just how much leeway such a fondness for familiarity and a name-brand would get them. They have tested our limits and our patience but never outstayed their welcome.

So, if Eli is like Hillary does that make Tom Brady like Barack Obama? At first, it seems strange to equate the super-model dating, Hollywood-baby-daddying Golden Boy with the underdog senator from Illinois who in the span of two decades could go from teaching law to leading the free world. After all, Brady is the establishment at this point in his career whereas, no matter how far we think we’ve come as a country, Barack’s candidacy still hinges on whether or not white America will vote for a black man. Without reserves of political capital built up over years in the public eye, Obama is definitely not from the same establishment that Brady is. Brady is the Man while Barack would be wise to have a staffer keep an eye out so that The Man doesn’t sabotage his candidacy.

However, the two of them may have more in common than meets the eye. Both rose to prominence suddenly and without the obvious posturing and pomp of their peers. Eli and Hillary, I’m looking at you two. Brady was forced into duty after Jets linebacker Mo Lewis sheered a blood vessel in Drew Bledsoe’s chest during a week 2 tilt in the 2001 season while Obama took the Democratic Party by storm with his rousing keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Both exude confidence and engender belief with seemingly each professionally act. They have also each been paid that highest of (liberal, non Catholic-hating) American compliments, they have been compared to a Kennedy: Obama to JFK and Brady to JFK, Jr.

Brady and Obama were able to seize their respective moments (the ’04 DNC and the ’01 injury to Bledsoe) because they have that special something about them that makes the teenybopper and the pollster in all of us swoon. Maybe it’s the well-defined cheekbones. Maybe it’s the charisma. Maybe it’s the pedigree: Brady is one of the few to ever quarterback the Michigan Wolverines while Obama is the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review. Or, maybe it’s just the way they look in those finely tailored suits. I’m note sure, but both are uber-composed, smooth and seemingly at ease in every situation. Well, except, in Brady’s case, when Justin Tuck is charging him down. Meanwhile, Eli and Hillary can seem frantic, like they’re trying too hard. Maybe Obama is politics’ version of Brady, after all.

But, really, if you think about it, shouldn’t Hillary be the Patriots since she is the candidate who seems to inspire the most angst amongst detractors? Deserved or not, both Hillary and the Patriots are polarizing amongst neutral fans and undecided voters. People can’t deny their experience but can’t help but question how they achieved it. Was it spying? Or was it favors and nepotism? These doubts are likely based more on gut-reactions to each, something about a pantsuit or ripped sweatshirt, rather than any informed look at the bodies of work.

But actually, now that I really sit down and think about it, Mitt Romney should probably be represented by the Patriots in this matching game. Right? He could be Washington’s version of Bob Craft, since those two both feign All-American aw-shuckishness while actually being gazillionaire industrialists in the Mr. Burns mold. Both are also from Massachusetts but not actually of Massachusetts.

So, if Romney’s Mormon money train rides the same rails as that Coors Light train that so famously pulled through Kraft’s Gillette Stadium in that commercial then his challenger, John McCain, would be like Tom Coughlin of the New York football Giants. You can’t help but respect these two ornery old guys, even if you wouldn’t want them coaching your own team. Both are battle-tested veterans (one of them literally) with a wealth of experience. Their careers have had ups-and-downs and they’ve had to bounce back from failures that seemed like they were going to get the best of them right up until the moment when they prevailed. They’re not warm and fuzzy when you see them on television. In fact, they look like they would tell you to get a haircut and complain about the muzak in the elevator being too loud.

Speaking of seeing people on television, maybe Tiki Barber could be best described as football’s Howard Dean, currently figurehead of the Democratic Party, cautionary tale on YouTube and noticeably irrelevant person. There was a time, not too long ago, when you felt that both would be the man to take their team/party to the Promised Land. Dean was at the vanguard of the Internet revolution in campaigning and Tiki was the League’s most well-rounded player coming out of the backfield. It’s seems like yesterday that they were “young” and vital and at the top of their games but each liked the spotlight too much and couldn’t keep their mouths shut if you gave them a platform. Dean had too many states to conquer and Tiki too many morning talk shows to visit. Oh, well.

But, then thinking about Dean makes me remember how fickle the great mo’ (mentum) can be on the campaign trail. And, thinking about momentum, I can’t help but think that the easiest way to lose it in a football game is to have your quarterback throw a pick-six, which Eli did three times in a single-game this season en route to leading all quarterbacks in interceptions with 20 in the regular season. And, it is all those interceptions that makes me remember who Eli Manning really was all season long and who he has been during his entire career. I wonder, how did he beat Tom Brady and the Patriots? I don’t know, but he sure did it. We all saw it. It definitely happened. And, it was awesome.

But does that mean that he is a better quarterback than Tom Brady? Or that the Giants were a better football team in 2007 than the New England Patriots were during that same time span?

I don’t think that the result in the Super Bowl really changes what already happened, at all. It just means that the Giants won the Super Bowl and that winning the biggest game of the year isn’t necessarily the same as being the best during the course of that year. The NLF isn’t like the EPL where the final record is all that matters. This is America and we have playoffs. Well, except in college football, where we don’t.

Eli Manning was better on Super Sunday, but Tom Brady has been better overall. The Patriots lost on Sunday but they were the best overall. That’s why they were 18-1. Baseball fans have accepted this principle, that regular season is only a means of getting to the postseason and being the best is not a pre-requisite for winning the postseason tournament. In football too many people were prematurely crowning the Pats without realizing that.

Now what does this mean for Super Tuesday? Does that mean that the best candidates will receive their party’s nomination? Or that whomever travels to the most states today will? Does that mean that the best candidate will win the general election in November? Or will the one who plays flawlessly during the playoffs?

I don’t think I want Eli Manning to be my president. Even if I’m so glad that he won the Super Bowl.

Thankfully, today is also Fat Tuesday. That means that it’s Mardi Gras and that I can have drink to calm my nerves about the presidency and to toast 18-1 and the Giants. Well, after I stop off and vote. Of course. And, then tomorrow, once Lent begins, I can give up convoluted comparisons between sports and politics. I’ll give that up, for sure. That, and junk food. And, maybe the Knicks.

Monday, February 4, 2008