I've been meaning to punch out this blog several times, but other Knick-related news kept pushing it deeper into the pile...
During the summer league I asked the right people some questions about an offseason workout regimen that the Knicks provide for their players. I know some of you have been interested in this information, so here's what I know.
Each player is given a specific routine to follow throughout the summer. For some players who are recovering from injuries or surgery, the routine is obviously different than the usual run, lift, play stuff.
Here's where it gets a bit cloudy. I don't know how much a trainer can motivate a guy who does the bare minimum just to keep his physical stats where the team wants them. I'm sure they can report back to Isiah if he is blatantly out of shape. We know Jerome does work out, as do all of the players. How much he does to make himself "better" is what you have to wonder. I guess at his age, perhaps he feels there is no need to improve. Just be what he is: big.
I wish I could be that content in life.
I asked Isiah in Vegas about Jerome and if he was disappointed that Jerome didn't come out for the week to work out, especially because his first two seasons as a Knick were unquestionable disappointments. Isiah mentioned something about how we shouldn't jump to conclusions about people because we don't know about their family commitments, etc. He never specifically said Jerome James, but I did. Certainly everyone is entitled to family time in the offseason. But when your living is made playing basketball, your responsibility to your family is that you show up at training camp in shape and ready to play and be a difference-maker, not a sandbag on the payroll.
We've heard about the bearded Jared Jeffries practically living at the IMG facility in Sarasota (Jared also lives down there, so it's a convenient commute) and Renaldo Balkman putting in some work there, as well. We know Nate Robinson spent almost every day of the summer at the MSG Training Center. David Lee has been at the MSGTC in between his trips to Vegas for the summer league (where he worked out) and then for the USA Basketball training camp. Quentin Richardson and Eddy Curry do their thing in Chicago. Jamal has been back and forth between Washington and New York. Stephon does his workouts during his sneaker tour at whatever available gym there is and also spends time at the MSGTC.
Zach Randolph? All I ever hear are crickets when that dude's name comes up. Crickets.
It is belived he's doing his thing at his new offseason place near Indianapolis. The word on him in the past is that he's a summertime gym rat. But when you ask around the Knicks about Zach Randolph...?
Chirp, chirp, chirp...(crickets)
We'll see come Oct. 1 when they all arrive in Charleston, S.C. to open camp. Well, I'd love to see, but I'll probably only get to watch free throws. Then again, last year as they let us in the door to watch the end of practice, Isiah had the team running sprints for missed free throws. We just walked into the gym and there was Eddy Curry, doubled-over, gasping for air while Channing Frye, Lee, Richardson and mostly everyone else ran them upright. Nate ran them backward. But he's a physical freak.
Of course topping Eddy was Jerome, limping to the sideline with plantar fasciitis.
You can't blame plantar fasciitis on poor conditioning. It was a misstep, from what we were told. He landed on Channing Frye's foot, overstretched the ligament in his foot. According to Heathscout.com, "plantar fasciitis can be caused by a tendency of the foot to roll inward (pronation) upon walking. Other factors may be stress on the heel due to repeated hard pounding or quick turns, often from long-distance running, jogging, or basketball."
In order of importance, whose conditioning I will be checking out:
1. Eddy - Obviously conditioning will be his career-long burden, just like Shaq and any big man of that girth. The Knicks can't afford to have Eddy get himself into shape in November. They need him eating up opponents. It could be all he needs to clinch his first all-star bid.
2. Stephon - As he hits 30, I might advise him to look to shed some of his muscle weight and try to make himself more flexible and quicker. His joints -- knees, I mean -- are only going to continue to creak as he pounds out another 82 games.
3. Q-Rich - Admittedly put on a few pounds after his back surgery (he wasn't able to work out much) but had all summer to burn it off and get leaner. I'm interested in seeing his vertical - there was a lot of talk about his hops in Vegas - and whatever else he'll be able to do now that the back situation is fixed. Also curious to see if the back situation is really fixed.
4. Zach Randolph - As I said, the book on Z-Bo is that he's a workaholic in the offseason. No one I've spoken with about him has ever questioned his desire to play and get himself in shape. I have no reason to believe he's sleeping on a sofa somewhere among empty pizza boxes and ice cream cartons. But, again, you want to see that he's taking this trade seriously. That he will show up game-ready on Day 1. 20-10.
5. Jamal Crawford - He seemed to be reaching his peak just when the fractured ankle appeared out of nowhere. We know he's back to playing full-court, 100 percent. We're hoping his game returns to where it was when his season prematurely ended last spring.
6. Jared Jeffries - Hoping he keeps the beard. He showed up in great shape last season, too, so the workout routine wasn't his problem. Jared needs to find his niche on this team and find ways not to be such an obvious liability on the offensive end. Maybe the latter is Isiah's responsibility.
7. Jerome - I know this is high for someone who is likely the last guy off the bench, but there's a reason why he ranks up here: if he shows up even a little slow, he should be cut. Two uninspiring seasons after he was handed an unwarranted MLE, Jerome needs to start paying back. Say what you want about Jared Jeffries and his MLE, but at least this guy puts in the work. Jerome has a lot of proving to do because with his size and experience, he should be a useful weapon off the bench. Not just six fouls and giddy cheers from the bench when he scores. How is it funny that a $5 million a year player has become nothing more than a Stuart Gray or Greg Butler? Not to me.
8. Renaldo Balkman - Want to see where he is as a player after an intriguing showing at the Summer League, when he seemed to thrive on shutting down the likes of Kevin Durant and Yi Jianlian. Has he started to realize what he can be as an NBA player? Perhaps. Now to see if he learned how to make himself into that kind of player.
9. Nate - I want to see how much smarter he is. We already know his motor revs at NASCAR levels. I want to see how his brain was conditioned this offseason. I want to see how much mental time he's put in at the gym. I'm on this kid this season, right from the get.
10. David Lee - There's no reason to question his conditioning or his work ethic. Enough people have raved about his gym-rat personality and his determination. We wanted to see him beef up a little this summer because it was noticable how he wore down some during the season playing power forward. But after the injury trouble with his leg, all you want to see is that the leg is 100 percent and he's back to pogo-sticking in the paint D-Lee style. Be nice if he had more confidence in the jumper, too.
11. Malik Rose - He definitely talks as if he wants to play a bigger role. Malik has so much to offer, but he's only useful if he's ready to handle the minutes. Another guy you can't question for his intensity. I think if he comes committed it's up to Isiah to commit to him. If not, veterans tend to lay back.
12. Demetris Nichols - I'm admittedly rooting for this kid. I'll say it now. If you ask the other beat writers, I picked Mardy Collins as my favorite last year. There's something you see inside some guys that makes you tell yourself, 'This kid is a player.' I said it about Mardy and I'm saying it about D-Nick.
13. Mardy - The knee should be 100 percent. Want to see how much his game has grown since last season. Lots of comp in the backcourt. Minutes aren't easy to get.
14. Fred Jones - Dude is like Nate, a physical specimen. No worries there. Just want to see what kind of D he can strap on an opposing guard.
15. Randolph Morris - Just needs to be in good shape. Still lots of learning to be done and not many minutes to be had. Yet. Being ready is critical because you never know with injuries.
16. Wilson Chandler - Energy shouldn't be a problem for the rookie.
17. Dan Dickau - Gonna take a miracle for it to matter. Or a trade.
* *
The judge at the Isiah v. Anucha trial has gotten bored enough to point out that one of the jurors fell asleep and warned that the lawyers had better start moving things along. A taped deposition by James Dolan is expected for Wednesday. There was some thought that JD would be called to the stand. We can only imagine what that would be like:
JD: "We fired her because she was incompetent."
Lawyer: "Objection, your honor. It's the witness's opinion."
Judge: "Overruled. The court agrees Mr. Dolan's opinion is allowable because he is a noted expert in incompetence."
--
Filip Bondy of the Daily News wrote an interesting angle on Sunday regarding the prospect of David Stern suspending Dolan if this case proves true, but it was somewhat wishful thinking to believe Stern could easily rid the NBA of him as the owner of the league's flagship franchise. Dolan owns the Garden, which owns the Knicks and Rangers. That's not as easy as suspending a batty old owner of the Cavaliers and eventually getting him to surrender the franchise to new ownership.
* *
BERGER 2.0
Ken Berger and his wife, Melissa, welcomed into the world their second son, Zachary, on Sunday at 12:12 p.m. Z-Berg (too easy of a nickname) weighs in at 7 lbs., 11 oz. and is 19.5 inches long, which means he is almost as big as Daddy already!
Congratulations to the Berger family.
Comments (113)
Numero Uno!
With all due respect Alan, since you are not a trainer I dont know how you can advise Steph to lose weight and muscle. Since he is the baller I would think he would know how much weight and muscle his body can handle, he's only been doing this for over a decade. How come people tell you D. Lee is a gym rat and you believe. They tell you the same about Zach and you find it questionable. I guess Zach is just a naturally talented guy but D. Lee is a really hard worker right?
good post alan. been a while since you lead out the discussion, glad to see you're ready to go into training camp.
i agree with you about mardy last year, i was rooting for him and balkman more than any other knicks, especially mardy after the brawl. i also agree with you about nichols this year, but I'm not too sure of his future with the knicks since he's already defied isiah once by refusing to go to europe. I wouldn't be surprised if he is part of a package deal to trim down the roster going into the november.
i hope i'm wrong about that. like most of isiah's draft picks, the kid can play.
how many small forwards do the knicks have, six? Q, Jared Jeffries, Balkman, Lee (at times), Nichols, Chandler--I suppose you could also play malik there at times, too. although malik is more of a undersized pf.
Good point about James. It becomes very poignant considering that we are OVER-LOADED with talent. Yes, Frodo, I mean Dickau is gone one way or another. But keeping Nichols and Jones seems smart, which means someone else needs to go.
Ultimately we are a little thin at true center, James has value, but only if he's committed. Nichols has too much promise and Jones too much value (to this team!), I'd drop either James (unless he's nasty in camp) or Rose. I know great character, yudda yudda and quality defender. But the guy somehow gives up more than he gets over time..
Shamgod said:
"How come people tell you D. Lee is a gym rat and you believe. They tell you the same about Zach and you find it questionable. I guess Zach is just a naturally talented guy but D. Lee is a really hard worker right?"
I think that is so funny...
Shamgod, in case you haven't noticed..Lee and Alan Hahn both work in the same city, in the same industry where they actually have to interact with each other from time to time.
Alan doesn't have those type of connections out in Portland...at least I don't think.
Zach has been a gym rat since his days in college. Like I've said before he wasn't considered a serious NBA prospect when he was at Michigan State. To see him go from where he was to where he is...it's incredible.
He has no vertical and he's not quick..yet his moves are sharp and precisive. He knows how to score the ball..similar to Bird. Before you laugh...look at the #'s. Wasn't Bird a 20-10 guy? I'm not saying Zach is or will be better than Bird. I'm just making a comparison.
I agree about James..if he comes in out of shape even a little bit...he should be cut.
Dickau should be cut
That brings us down to 15..
We can either run with the remaining 15 or if Houston wants to come back then we'll have to cut someone else....or we'll have to make a trade to accomodate.
I ain't forget about your BARF....thanks again for the knowledge bro...
Let me see if I still remember how to do it...
It might not work cause I haven't been doing it much but check this story.. out.
I hope it works....if it doesn't so what lol.
out...
Alan,
Consider your debt partially paid as I've been asking for this inside scoop for EVER.
Shamgod...Write on!
DVJ, do you remember when Elton was coming out? He was an upstate NY kid. My cousin use to ball him and they were all in awe because he was not the best pickup baller in the gym. When they heard he was drafted, people were like, ELTON?
Cooleyhigh had already used the connects to tell us what's good with Z-bo. We Fixers help out each other here because we're NY like that...Kings of the F'n hill. I'm not surprised that some other writer picked up on your parody O&B. You too are on Top of the Heap and they don't say we've got the flagship franchise with knowledgeable fans for didly-squat.
KFL
AH,
You continue to distance yourself from your colleagues on the beat. Let's hope they will not receive you cloaked with the veil of hypocrates as you enter what appears to be a promising season for NYK and KFLs.
Peace and Blessings.
KFL
Fixers,
Here we go again. More punditry or highest form of flattery? I'm not sure if any of you saw this.
They're rehashing what Peaceman and Harlem or DVJ and Star have already posted in one way or another. That's what I mean by King of the F'n Hill.
KFL
Just to get you all ready for the season, I thought I would tell you why I think you're all Kings/Queens of the F'n Hill.
KFL
Ok guys, I've made this argument many times now in many different places. And everyone keeps stating the opposite opinion, nobody has bothered to tell me why I'm wrong. So let's hear it.
I say we should keep Dickau over Jones. The biggest argument against that logic is that Jones is the better more athletic basketball player. I'm not gonna argue with that, so if that is the defense, I concede.
But just look at need. It has been mentioned many times how man SF's and swingmen we have on this team. We have athletic defenders. Doesn't this make Jones somewhat expendable? Now how about PG's? We have Steph, and we have Mardy. I don't see anything else. Crawford and Nate have played the position, but are not really suited to do so for extended time.
So, why is everyone so gung-ho about Jones over Dickau? I admit, I think both could probably go and we'd be ok. Or both could stay and James and maybe Malik could go. But, if the decision has to be made between the two, which means we are talking about a little-used 15th spot on the roster, shouldn't that spot be used for need and a potential 3rd string PG than a 5th or 6th string wing man? If Steph goes down for any real time wouldn't we want a pass-first ball distributor like Dickau? But if Balkman or Jeffries or Chandler or Q go down we still have the other 3.
So what gives? The logic seems right to me. Am I the only one?
Adam L:
I haven't seen too much of Dan Dickau. If he's a good fundamental point guard, they could have some minutes for him, definitely, but the reasons I like Fred Jones are:
A) right after artest was suspended for the "malice in the palace," Fred Jones started tearing sh*t up for the Pacers. I was impressed to say the least with his basketball abilities. he earned my respect that year.
B) Fred Jones, from what I hear, can play good defense. Good perimeter defense is something this team has to strive to achieve for the first time in years.
If Dan D. can play "D" then I can see keeping him. If he's like nash in that he can run the offense well, but is not necessarily renowned for solid defense, then he might be the one isiah cuts.
here is hoping jerome will be sacrificed for the betterment of the team...
anyone still think jared jordan may be a knick in the future? if he's fresh out of the draft and Isiah really is interested in him chances are the kid has some skills.
H20. well, this tells me that they're still talking to him:
http://www.nba.com/knicks/news/houston_070918_interview.html
dickau is definitely a keeper,
but from what i saw in the vegas summer league..
nate robinson deserves more playing time than him this season at pg position.
maybe zeke can trade dickau to
Boston for a future 1st or 2nd round pick. cut james.
I believe that D dickau will never spend a moment in a Knicks Jersey. To answer Starbury's question about J Jordan, Jordan may end up a Knick buried deep on the bench only because a trade with multipe players will be made for Artest with Nate being the pawn, thus leaving us room for a backup-backup point guard!
Steady
good looking out with your links, and yes that prior link of Q&A was exceptional! That guy answered the same questons that Bronx/Harlem Md's, DJ and others have been saying all along about Artest! I wish Thomas would get it done before the season starts! Even with his 7 game suspension, this club will have swagger knowing we got Ron Ron covering our backs! I can see Artest on a mission right now! Can you see him on court whispering to Curry " E-city, I want you to slack on KG/Rashard Lewis/ Carter/Bosh...for just a moment, let them bring that shyt to the paint at me early in the game so I can set the tone! Once that happens, pick it up and cover your man, I'll make the rest of the game easy for you!" Thats Artest's style and also I'd love to see the faces of the Daily News reporters when pictures of Marbury/ZACH/Artest pose for the camera inside the locker room! I'll bet they will feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
ALAN:
Do you know when & where NYK would have their annual Open House practice/scrimmage? I've been checking the Knicks' website but no mention of it yet.
Kindly post it here if you happen to know.
MAK:
did you go last year in Jersey? I was there. it was awesome, great seats. got some good photos of D Lee, Channing, was trying to get francis when they called the players away.
The knicks have been doing zero of their promotions because of this horrible trial. i'm actually surprised how inept they've been while this trial takes place. they didn't even promote the annual wheelchair game AT ALL. I'm on their newsletter and I haven't received anything from them since August 21st, and season is starting soon. they're definitely sleeping on the fans. dolan,zeke,mills, ect. --they do not run a tight ship.
@Shamgod - Let me clarify (and thanks to DVJ for having my back): I know David Lee for an entire season and know firsthand about his work ethic. I don't know Zach well enough yet to have firsthand knowledge of anything he does, basketball-wise. But I made sure to mention that his reputation, which I heard from Portland people, is that he is a gym rat. I have no reason not to believe it, but I don't know it for myself yet. That's why he's one player I'm looking forward to seeing on a daily basis come Oct. 2. Curious as to why you would use David Lee as an example, when I also mentioned the unquestionable work ethic of other players, such as Jared Jeffries.
As for Stephon, I am offering an opinion based on experience and knowledge. The body breaks down as you get older. The more weight you carry on your frame, the more of a chance you will break down. And his body has taken a pounding over the past 10 years.
Alan,
This type of interaction with bloggers is what will get you the crown as King of the hill.
KFL
STARBURYFAN:
Yes, I went last yr. in Jersey but I did not stay long 'coz something came up.
The year before, I took my son to MSG's open house. This was with Larry Brown at the helm. Midway thru the scrimmage, we climbed down to much better seats and no one stopped us. Took lots of pix.
Sidenote: On one side of the court, Larry was lecturing and on the other side, Nate did some impromptu dunk show to Larry's dismay.
I've never been to the Greenburg/Tarrytown facility but I used to go SUNY Purchase a lot when it was NYK's training facility.
I'm sure you had a good time at the Open House last yr. Great seats = great photos.
Won't it be great if we have a website whereby we can share pictures (b.ball related of course)
MAK
all of us here could use flickr to share knicks pics. its free.
I went to the open practice at msg two years ago as well. we had crappy seats, but we could hear larry brown barking at stephon from way back. "hold up, hold up!" It seemed abusive at the time. too bad HE is not on trial for all the money he stole from the knicks. 23 wins is embarrasing, considering there were playoff expectations for that team. so is 33 wins last season for that matter, but we had injury "excuses" that I hope won't come up again this year.
i personally liked the jersey open practice better than the msg one. CLOSER to the court.
interesting blog:
http://www.stopmikelupica.com/
STAR:
So we were in the same Open House;
* Yup, Larry likes to micro-manage;
* Larry is/was a great coach but his tenure with NYK was atrocious. You're right, his payout tantamounts to embezzlement. What a shame.
* Boy, Steph really blossomed last yr. (when Larry was in exile LOL).
Alan - HOOPSWORLD has this current post linked under a NY Daily News Title.
AS far as too much bulk, and joint stress you are correct Alan. I thought Q was just too damn big when he came over from Phoenix too. Especially with the back being balky, weight is weight, no matter how you aquire it. Guys who can put on muscle can carry too much weight for their frames the same way fat guys do. Take a look at NFL players - many of them adjust their regimens to accentuate speed when they get too bulked up. Emeka Okafor is another guy who has changed his strategy from body building to a less-is-more approach.
There is a difference between power and muscle. Since the 80's, body building inspired weight lifting has taken over as the conditioning paradigm in virtually every sport. Though these super isolation techniques make for big, well defined muscles, it does not necessarily translate into real power. Yes, the guy who lifts gets stronger and increases the weight he can lift over time: "I bench X, and curl y" and becomes stronger at those exercises. But if the player does not integrate all those disparate pices of mass together as a unit, he won't be able to make that power come out on the court or field, as opposed to on the incline bench. A guy who is predisposed to put on muscle mass easily can reach a point of diminishing returns. I remember reading about Q before his first big free-agent contract being a gym rat and putting on tons of muscle. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't start the degenerative disk condition while doing squats or benching improperly.
One need only to look at boxers to see the dynamic of the trade off between mass and power. Too much mass, less speed, more superfluous muscle taking up oxygen, less endurance. Less endurance; fatigue. Fatigue; knockout. Put it in a basketball context; fatigued muscles mean the tendons and joints have to take up more of the job of stabilizing the knee joint. Unstable knee = tendonitis = sloppy patella tracking = wear and tear on joint cartilage, etc...There are all sorts of different types of strengthening regimens available now, especially good for the older gents that Steph and Q can get on.
Starburyfan, I've seen the stopmikelupica blog before but haven't read it in a while. Thanks for bringing it back to me. The second entry there about Bibby vs Steph is well-written and very interesting. I agree with all the points made in it.
@Steady
Nice video,wish I still lived in the City.
@Adam L
I'm like StarburyFan, I have not seen much of DD also. What I have seen of Jones is that has "D". The Knicks are POOR on "D" we can use all we can get. STOPPERS.......are needed.I do believe DD should have a chance to prove what he can do.I just think with the number of guards we have now someone has to go and he has a expiring contract which most team want.
Dan Dickau STATS.
Fred Jones STATS.
I'm sure many of you have seen it, but The Post has Isiah's video deposition up on its site.
http://www.nypost.com/video/?vxSiteId=0db7b365-a288-4708-857b-8bdb545cbd0f&vxChannel=NY+Post&vxClipId=1458_159250
The section about a white man versus a black man calling a black woman a b*tch, not surprisingly, comes across differently in the video than it does in the coverage the papers are giving it. The sentiment is still exactly the same, but the context, the qualifying statements, and the tone of voice give it a bit softer feel than what the papers are portraying when you see it in black and white. Again, this is not surprising, and yes no matter what Isiah did say those words, but its at least a little easier to see where he is coming from, even if you do totally disagree.
Hey, what do you know?! My favorite and most like-minded article thus far covering this whole fiasco comes from Newsday.
What a surprise.
Although utlimateknicks.com has it incorrectly listed under The Post. Alan, you might want to get on them for that.
One of writer Walter Matthew's better points:
"Frankly, I couldn't care less who wins this case and neither should you. Browne Sanders' allegations of sexual harassment leak like a sieve when you consider that this corporate android, so adept in obsessively memo-ing, e-mailing, texting and lecturing colleagues on every aspect of her mundane little job as the Knicks' senior VP of marketing and business operations, never got around to putting in writing any of her "concerns" about Thomas' alleged unwanted sexual advances.
And Thomas' protestations of innocence ring about as true as his promises that someday within our lifetimes, the Knicks will be an important franchise again."
Did anyone see the article in the post about Dolan ? They say that his underlings call him "triple" behind his back as in "He was born already on 3rd base but to ask him he hit a ......"
I found that hysterical.
It also alludes to his father preoccupying Jimmy w/ the Garden so he won't royally mess up the cablevision franchise. Another C student in charge of a major institution in the mold of GWB. As Don King would say Only in America !
I'M BACK..........
Fixers,
What's Up! *First and foremost, congratulations to the Berger Family on their new addition...Being a PARENT is the greatest role any man or woman can undertake and I wish the Berger Family all of the best.*
Alan H, you never cease to amaze me. Giving a shout out to the Berger Crew was Classy and very human, and I dig that about you AH, TRULY i do. I also tip my hat to you for keeping it real and being Saucy...LOL, Your post with an update on the TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More), the individual players, and their current physical conditions per your sources was timely, and AH I am digging your honest ENTHUSIASM for the upcoming season beginning with training Camp. Your the TRUTH AH!Good work AH!
Also, I was feeling you AH on the trial piece,and as I stated earlier, what a sad state of affairs, and in the end there will be no winners, only losers, because basic RESPECT and DECENCY was not a part of the NYK culture, and this is where such behavior drops you off after a long ride of foolishness. The stain and the stench was avoidable, but it is my hope that this situation teaches US ALL a valuable lesson. "Treat people the way you want to be treated." It is often called the Golden Rule, at the Cooley Family Compound it is the ONLY RULE...NO EXCEPTIONS...
Now that I have placed the proverbial Soap Box in the closet, FELLAS, I MISSED YOU, OUR INTERACTION, OUR MUTUAL PASSION FOR THE ORANGE AND BLUE, but most of all, THE GREAT HEARTS AND MINDS THAT BLOG HERE DAILY...We are the FIXER FAMILY and Alan is our Leader and this blog provides the ULITMATE ENVIRONS for those who bleed ORANGE & BLUE...Belive that!
Believe it or not, I have read every posting during my absence and you FIXERS were rocking and rolling, and unfortunately some were reeling (Everett, Mak, Police, Don), but dig this ya'll, this is a blog where you will earn your stripes with in-depth, sharp, concise, THOUGHTFUL, CRITICAL and HUMANE BBALL thinking and QUALITY EXCHANGE...There are some posters here that are TIME ENOUGH for anybody that are willing step UP and not just step on this platform...THIS IS ONE NEW YORK KNICK CRAZY BLOG OF BLOGS...So for those that want to Step Up you better come correct because these BROTHERS are on it, about it, and down with it, when it comes to OUR NYK'S...So check yourself before you wreck yourself...THAT'S A WARNING
Fellas I am so excited, even my TAN can't hide the blood coarsing through my veins full of hope and optimism about OUR TEAM, ABOUT OUR LEADER ALAN H, and my fellow COMRADES in arms on this blog.
WHEW! Nice & Nasty will take the NBA by storm, Steph, EC, Nate, Balkman, Mardy C, ZBO, DLee, Chandler, Crawford (I didn't forget about you BX N MD), JJ (not the fat one), Morris, my man Q Rich (and my sources concur with AH's assessment of his health)Freddy J (Who should stick because of D and athleticism), Dman, Malik, and the rest of the team...
Lastly, to the Vet's like Statesman, Peaceman, StarburyFan, Willis, General, DVJ, DLT Knicks, African, LIVES N NJ, HarlemBoy, BX N MD, Tranes, JohnQ (you've earned your stripes my Brother), My boy Orange & Blue, even Rush (you're my main turd I would never shyte you, on the real, got nothing but respect for ya Homie); and especially the pulse and the conscious ofthe MAINFRAME my BROTHER IN SPIRIT, STEADY. You've been keeping it real and insightful, and respectful, and I AM ON YOU FOR THAT...You guys are the BEST and it is my pleasure and privilege to post POST with such BBALL scholars and GENTLEMEN of the Human Family.
I know my POST is long and wordy, but it comes from MY HEART and I look forward to fellowshipping with all of you as we CELEBRATE THE RETURNED OF OUR BELOVED NEW YORK KNICKS...God bless you all and FIXERS,
Keep it POPPIN!
Can somebody re-post the link to renaming the links?
Much love to the High, welcome back!
A good story about 36 year old knees. I hope it ends well:
http://www.miamiherald.com/594/story/241525.html
fox sports takes on the knicks:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/7239558
for some reason, the dude's writing style was so off that it actually prevented me from finishing the article, but maybe you guys will get through it.
@HarlemBoyinMd
click here
isn't it just a little too coincidental that anucha's witness is an employment lawyer?
think perhaps he wants a slice of the pie should ABS win?
that's outlandish, isiah said she is easy on the eyes, i'm furious!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/sports/basketball/18garden.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Pat Riley is quietly having a good off season.
He signed Charlie Bell to an offer sheet after the Milwaukee Bucks spent the entire offseason playing footsies with Yi Jianlin. Here's to Milwaukee pulling him back and leaving the Heat without a back up PG.
Starburyfan,
I read the foxsports NYK coverage and I'm with you, this dud was just babbling on and on about nothing.
Don't worry, I have a gut feeling this TEAM will have plenty of pundits eating their words and flip-flopping during mid-season. I firmly believe, out of all this chaos surrounding this franchise, this KNICK will come into focused and prepared to prove all of the naysayers wrong. I believe this TEAM by shear WILL, FORTITUDE, and ATTITUDE will take it to the next level.
Keep it POPPIN!
SI's calling the trial a "Theatre of the Absurd".
I wish they would just stop the trial. Nuche got killed on the stand and the papers are still reporting silliness.
AH, nice break down in today's post. I can't wait for the trial to be done so we can see what Isiah's going to do with the roster.
Thanks for the clarity Alan, I guess that’s why you are the best at what you do. And a big up to your “body guards” as well!
Tony Allen wants the Big 3 in Boston to be updated to read Big Four...he thinks he's all the way back from his freak knee injury.
Shamgod, welcome!
Poor Mike Sweetney can't find a job. Phoenix took a look at him and it's being reported that he has no shot. Poor guy rotted on the Chicago bench.
To be honest with you I think its only a matter of time and losses before the city of Boston turns on their so-called big three especially KG. The big three will be a big dud! By the way no way R. Allen can guard Jamal. What do you think BARF?
Gilbert Arenas is launching his new kicks (which are incredibly hot!). Check them out at his blog here.
Dude is funny too. Here's what he said after explaining that his new shoes will be named GilIIZero:
"I just wanted to clear that up so you don’t get confused and think Boyz II Men has a shoe or something."
I think Boston will be a problem cuz I love KG so much I want to kiss him before I go to sleep at night (no homo). Paul Pierce is a problem. Rondo ate us up last year. Eddie House is an interesting talent but coming off the bench as a PG sounds weird. Doc Rivers says Pierce and KG will be running the offense from the high-post mostly so there is not much need for a conventional back up PG.
I think they will not only need practice time to figure that out but I won't count them out. These dudes are pros and have been at the top of their games for a long time.
The Knicks are much deeper but Boston will have arguably the 3 best players on the floor.
Add a healthy (mobile) Tony Allen, Eddie House (shooting) and an amped up Rondo...?
I know Eastern basketball will be much more entertaining.
But if Boston's guys get injured? I don't think that fanbase will be as forgiving as Portland is. Someone will hang if Boston implodes. Doc, first. Ainge next, rightfully so.
I had thought the heat had signed Charlie Bell...if they didn't maybe we can work out a trade with them so we can get rid of Dickau. I also think Isiah should try again for Artest. Dickau+Jones+N8+= Artest!
Srry if it came off like I thought Artest was on the heat...I know he's on the Kings, my thoughts ran together through excitment for the upcoming season!!!
KKFL
**KFFL..sorry in the car...rush hour
@BARF,
Thanks for the link to that SI article by CM.
I saw his attempt to be objective and looking at both side of the ABS all-the-time. He revealed his cloaked veil of hypocrates with this statement:
"The defense also attempted to discredit Browne Sanders' assertion that Thomas did not want players involved with many marketing campaigns because being an NBA player is "stressful." Right. Waking up at 10 a.m. to go to practice, flying on charter jets, staying in five-star hotels and earning seven- and eight-figure incomes to play basketball seven-to-nine months a year sounds like it can take years off your life."
The hypocrisy and jealousy overflowed in those words. I wonder if he's ever done bleachers at 5:00 am; or shot free throws with a semi-frozen ball with the Hudson Hawk over his back; or had a sweaty shirt frozen stuck to his body while working out outside; or being laughed at because he was too tall to fit on the bus with the rest of the kids; DVJ, Peaceman, AH, Cooley, Bronx/Harlem MDs, Tman, Willis, ya'll know what's good.
It takes a lot of effort to make it to the NBA and that is why some credible folks get frustrated with ballers who do make it and then squander it away from a lack of effort (a la JJ-big). To whom much is given (talent, height, skill, natural ability) just as much and more are required. But c'mon, CM lost me right there when he dismissed the rigours associated with being a multimillion baller. We each have our crosses to bear and we can't make light of the other's.
KFL
Just finished watching the Isiah DEPOSITION video. Did not know it was from Dec/2006.Thought with all the noise today about W/M calling B/W "b..." this was happening this week.I wish Zeke the best,
BUT he has a lot to explain.I just wish we can get back to PURE b-ball......and be Fixers again.
I'm with you guys on everything....
The sooner we get back to ball talk the better...
Everybody is saying we are a disastrous franchise and that we don't deserve to even exist.
In other words, their acting like we're not the NBA's cornerstone franchise and the capital of not only the country but the world. Yeah that's right I said it, NY is the money capital of the world.
The city so nice they had to name it twice.
You ever notice when you go out of town and people automatically know your from NY? Funny thing is we only have to say 1 sentence and they know LOL..
What I'm trying to say here is that we are so lucky to be from NY.
When we go far this year, I am going to talk so greasy to all the anit-Knicks fans....I might get arrested.
Oh yeah, I will be at the Nets Knicks games in NJ again this year in my same seats 3 rows from the Knick bench.
@Shamgod
Nothing personal bro...I didn't mean anything by singling you out...it just sounded like you were questioning AH's racial views...turns out I was wrong. Ask anybody here, I'm not a fighter and I hate to debate.....
I really want to see Q Rich and if he is really back to his old self. If he was really dunking like they say he was.....things could look really good.
That's why I think if we can trade for Artest and start Q at the 2....that would give us the perimeter defense we need.
We all know Jamal is better off the bench. He plays no defense but he is instant offense. Sometimes he's instant turnovers but he seems to have limited that the past few years.
Crawford, Lee and Balkman off the bench is what we neeeeeeeed!!!!!
Isiah can even go defense off the bench if he wanted to with Collins and Fred Jones. We are deep fellas!!!
I'm still hoping Isiah can make a deal for J Jordan. You guys are going to love his game. I don't want to hype him up to much to ya'll because he's only a rookie and he needs time to grow.......but when you see his upside this upcoming year....you'll love him. He's not fast but he gets to the hole whenever he wants.....it's kind of weird.
Anyway, I'm up tonight fellas for the graveyard shift.
yo DVJ--
how sure are you that JJIII (jared jordan) will be a knick this year?
DAVONN:
Mak here.
Graveyard shift? Dang, what do you do for a living?
I gotta admit, I'm not familiar with J.Jordan. I quickly goog'd it and nothing really came up.
Pardon me but who is J. Jordan?
Fixers,
I am so tired of hearing some reporters diss professional athletes. SI'S CM was way off base and if he had to undertake the rigors of training and the media scrutiny, he would bust like a pipe from the pressure (his article was a bit absurd...LOL).
Fortunately for US, we have AH, and although we may not always agree, we know he has some working knowledge.
Like DVJ, I look forward to our postings being more BBAll related and less discussions on the sensationalized news items that garner our attention from day to day. Don't get me wrong, you Brothers post some very serious stuff, and the MV situation is prima fascia evidence, but I think the NY media loves the circus and have a way of creating distractions. OUR KNICKS certainly don't need to be concentrating on the mess and neither should we.
Barf's critique of the Boston scenario is pretty interesting and timely, because all of pundits have Celtic fever and we all must admit, that trio is quite intriguing and with a little help from the Rondo's and Allen's and Posey's they could be a beast. I agree with BARF, we are deeper, I'll add longer, leaner, and more athletic, and we can overcome injuries because we are two and three men deep at every position (interchangable parts, in marketing that's called DIVERSITY...LOL) . Plus I think IT is a much better coach and motivator than Doc.
I am looking forward to our matchups with the Bulls and Raptors, because both teams are also very deep and athletic, but we have girth in the hole with scoring talent, which neither team can match. If our defense improves and I truly believe it will (defense rebounding being a key with addition of ZBO and a more agile QRich with hops,because we dominate the offense boards with the likes of DLEE, Balkman, JJ,and Mardy C), we can win are series with those teams split hairs with the likes of Detroit, Boston, New Jersey, and Cleveland (whom we always play very stuff, plus we should pulverize Orlando despite the addition of Lewis and Mr. Tin-Foyle)we will make lots of noise because we can dominate the midlle and lower tiered teams in West and split the games with the top tier teams by CONTROLLING OUR HOME COURT and dusting off everyone that comes into MSG.
It's time to get focused FIXERS and concentrate on BBALL...It should be blast!
Keep it POPPIN
"my same seats 3 rows from the Knick bench"
What you talking about Davonn? Really? How do you pull that off?
If you ever need someone to fill a seat, you know I got your back!
BARF
Looks like Frankie Ice got embarassed and censored the previous blog after The Beat Writer LEDGEND broke his story from the "Daily Views!" I wish I would have made a copy of that, because it made me laugh everytime I read it! I'm glad that Blog is history and now rivals the "Internets" for lack of posts! I've quit posting there for some time now, but I always read it to see if Ewings Curse,Vlad and Anti-NYsports(all MIA) need direction as to where to get a FIX!
Alan – once again, very nice work. Once again I’m glad I found Newsday, because there was nothing nearly as interesting from any of the other NY papers. Well done.
Question about camp: You’ve said before that press don’t attend practice. What about during training camp? Some of this may seem silly to you, but it would be interesting to have a better idea how all this plays out. Will you be with the team during training camp? How much access will you have to the players? Where? Only outside of the practice facility? Will you stay at the same hotel as the players? (Now it’s getting silly?) Or won’t Newsday pony up for a Luxe hotel? Are there official Q&A’s with players? With Isiah? I’d love to hear what the deal is, how it works . . . then I can spend a little time being jealous. Sounds like a cool part of the job.
Last thought – I don’t know who your favorite Knick is . . . or which player you’ve friendliest with . . . but is it absurd to suggest, when the time is right, you “invite” him to check out the blog? Good idea? Bad idea?
That’s all the news from your nation’s capital, guys. Where I’ve learned two things: 1. Can still pull an all-nighter, like college, when necessary. And 2. You can almost tell all the Republicans by the way they dress. Men AND women. Drab suits and print dresses and heels. I’m rambling. Need sleep.
Shamgod
To be frank with your question.....he's NOBODY!
He's ungoogleable! He played for the Powerhouse Marist! Don't feel bad though, Dickie V hasn't even heard of him either! lol
peace:
if George M. found knicks fix, hopefully Ewing Curse Lives, Vlad and Anti-NY Sports Media all find us here as well. those were some good knicks bloggers.
MAK / Shamgod:
i haven't seen jared jordan play either, but apparently isiah likes his game. here is his draft profile. he was taken by the clippers in the second round, but is still unsigned much like our d. nichols. jordan led the ncaa for the past two years in assists, playing for the relatively obscure marist college (rick smits also played there). like alan hahn wrote recently, not many minutes available in the backcourt these days, but if isiah thinks he can ball then he probably can.