The Knicks Fix

Alan, this is bad news. Marbury is welcomed back and the Knicks will continue to be putrid. Its too bad, because there was hope for awhile that the me-first, shoot-first, no defense, "point guard" would finally leave this team. And remember, teams get better when Marbury leaves.

What this episode has done is reinforce the fact that the Knicks franchise is a joke. And will remain so until Marbury/Thomas and Dolan are gone.

And anyone who believes that Marbury returning is a good thing, should look at this franchise's win-lost record over the past four years.

I hope these players are paying attention to how some of these people talk about them. I hope it puts some fire and tenacity in their game because they are getting (excuse me but there's no other word for it) shitted on by everybody outside of this team. This is when they need to come together and prove they can be a team.

I also hope Marbury apologizes to the team, one by one. Thats the first step in regaining his teammates trust.

Alan with the exclusive. Thanks, brah.

Brace yourselves people.

I bet the only reason marbs came back was so the Knicks can’t fine him anymore! They should'nt let him dress up and suspend him the leagues highest penalty! he is a cancer on this team and their is no Chemo that can stop this growth of a man!

Knicks can win without him now that ZBO is back.

You have to love a clown like Mark who spends his day typing long posts that no one reads while some poor fool pays him thinking he is working for him.

I'm very happy to hear Randolph is back!

That is the leadership I was hoping he would show but worried he might not show when he left for the funeral. He simply had to make it for this game.

I hope Marbury isn't back just to avoid the fine. The shame is that if he hadn't sent the text message or threatened Thomas this would all be over...almost...Thomas tried to keep in in house so that his return was possible. Marbury might have ruined that hope but we will see.

Everyone comes back on the same day

Randolph
Marbury
even Arod!

I just scroll down everytime he post.

Mark, I think divergent opinions on message boards are important and keep things lively. So I support your desire to rip the Knicks. However, the length of your posts probably prevents 99 percent of the audience from ever reading your ideas.

Alan - Any chance of an ignore button?

mark likes to hear himself talk so much even scrolling past his posts takes time.

If we add an ignore feature people like that will eventually leave and be replaced by people who want to talk basketball instead of people who get a woody when someone pays attention to them.

Alan - Ask your web guys if they can install an 'ignore' plugin in case people don't want to read a certain person's posts.

Not mentioning any names, but this cut and paste repetitive crap is a waste of freakin' bandwidth.

Having said that, DFTFT.

emac2 - GMTA.

Now Zach can shut up all those people on the radio who are questioning him.
People went way too far with disrespecting his family by implying he might be at a strip club while he his taking care of his family during a tough time, or at the very least taking too much time off.
Mad Dog did it over and over again yesterday.
It was not cool.
His commitment to this team can never again be questioned without REAL PROOF!!!!!!!!!!!

Randolph shows up to try and stop the bleeding. He is a baller - he'd show up if his boys at the park needed him on a saturday for a run. The exact opposite of Starbury.

Here's hoping the Knicks (Curry especially) comes to follow his lead. He is the best player on the team, and he works the hardest, and he loves playing the game. No better route to happiness.

Don - :)

Nate - I questioned Zach taking off that much time and would have been very disappointed if he didn't come for this game given the news.

Flying out for this game shows real leadership though and I'm impressed.

Strip club talk is just the haters

first of they aint going no where without marbury putting up 20+ second he's not a team player but he averages 7.8 assist for his career.itz just bad he gets put is bad situations phoenix was perfect for him.bottom line knicks aint going no where with curry 6'11 an can't block shots or rebound he is a waste i think morris can do better but zeke mentality is i'll go with my plan win or lose i can do a better job then zeke in both positions.u got to build with a players strength marbury is the best player on the team start collin an let marbury be the shooting.i know the bench can win more games than the starters..............the media is krazy alwayz trying to start drama...marbury just needs to be starbury 20+ an 8 assists...

MIchael Kay had to admit the fine meant "something was up" but can't get over the Knicks refusal to fight this out in the press.

Is it just people whose names start with M that don't have a clue?

First of all, it's great that Zach has come back at this time. His willingness to be there for the team while mourning is truly honorable. It shows a lot of heart. The Marbury situation though, remains a real problem. Whether or not Marbury should or should not have lost his starting spot is irrelevant. It's clear that Thomas handled the situation as poor as possible, alienating Marbury to the point that he took off. Now Thomas will have to deal with a splintered locker room as I'm sure many of his teammates resent Marbury's little escapade. I don't think anyone with a head on their shoulders can really assume Thomas is up for the challenge. He was a tremendous point guard and his good eye for talent, but has shown time and time again that he doesn't have the leadership skills necessary to coach a team, lead a franchise or build a league (ask the CBA how they're doing). In the past I've supported Thomas because it seems that the team really liked playing for him -- wouldn't you after Brown? But now the writing is on the wall. Thomas isn't able to do this job. Let's find someone that can. Now.

I hate Kay, he is nothing but a Steinbrenners asswipe.

Gentlemen -- I can't implore you strongly enough -- Just Ignore. Don't read. Don't respond. Just Scroll Past. And pick up the conversation where it interrupted. Don't even refer to him. (It's like Voldemort. He who shall not be mentioned. I don't even want to legitimize it by mentioning its name.) It's all just BEGGING for attention. So every mention of its name - whether negative or positive - satisfied that need. And encourages it to keep posting here.

Just Scroll Past. DFTT.

I, too, am very impressed that Zach sees his team in trouble and makes the effort to fly out to LA just for one game. And to think . . . he could have been kickin' it in strip clubs instead . . . .

By the way -- congratulations, Alan. You are the source for the breaking news on realgm.com.

I hope that despite inviting Marbury back, the entire organization realizes that he has to go ASAP. This is the kind of situation that is so bad, if you can trade him for a cold coffee and stale donut you jump at the chance. He's a gifted athlete, but his baketball IQ is semi-retarded. He doesn't make his teamates better the way a true PG should. He doesn't handle crunch time pressure well. He constantly makes poor decisions. Plus his behavior is often disgraceful and he's a huge distraction. Who cares about stats when the man is a LOSER!

wow
you guys are great. even mark, very funny. i thought that i was the only one left in ny that cared about the knicks.
bottom line:
marbaby's gotta go
eddie is lazy, yeah but it might be his heart
crawford is still improving, and he wants to win
zbo is a gamer, i'm gonna love watching him play
lee seems to have lost the ability to jump, maybe he's hurt. i still hope he becomes like a dave cowens kind of cat.
nate is still improving, so is balkman
q rich...... if he screws up this season he's gone, probably. i feel bad for him. he wants to win, but he's kinda in his own world, no?
i wish we still had oakley
peace
m

I am really eager to see what Knick team steps on the floor tonight. In terms of the rotation and thier attitude.
I will be suprised if Curry doesnt start. He looks like a different player when Zach is around.
How does them two dow low and Crawford, Jones and Jefferies sound?
I know Jefferies is a little unpopular right now but, He will play hard and defend well.
He got back to the court pretty quick. It looked bad when he went down. That shows me he wants to play. play him.

i hope marbury will play hard tonight and prove to zeke that he belongs to the starting line up, he is a veteran who has strength,speed and ability to drive into the lane.
without him the knicks look lost inside the court.

I'm watching the Nets game and I cant believe they are calling williams alastic man......so stupid

I think they mean a lactose intolerant man.

Nate - Count me as a jeffries fan. He should be starting until Balkman is ready.

Anybody know where Zeke spent the afternoon? It's an easy flight up to Sacramento. Done it dozens of times. He could have flown up without anybody knowing. Pounded his fist on the negotiating table for an hour or two: “I said, NO. No David Lee. No. No. No. Well . . . maybe. Throw in Bibby WITH Artest . . . and let’s get serious here.” And been back in plenty of time for the quick trip from LAX to the Staples Center.

I think I trust Zeke not to do a trade just to change the subject, and get the team’s psycho-drama out of the headlines. If he had that card up his sleeve . . . he would have played it already last summer. The day after the verdict came out. Or the day Stephon was on the stand. No, if Zeke wanted to, he could have manipulated the headlines easily enough. But we also know he’s not exactly shy about pulling the trigger on big trades. Maybe it’s fortuitous the team is in California. (WARNING: This blog contains total speculation. There’s not a shred of evidence supporting any of it. Still . . . a guy can dream, can’t he?)

guys check this out it will make you laugh i was so enraged by marbury that i wrote this song...enjoy it alan http://www.ilike.com/artist/NyKnicks33

fixers check this out i was so enraged by marbury that i made a fool of myself enjoy http://www.ilike.com/artist/NyKnicks33

sorry didnt mean to post it twice

Don't worry, I hear they got the rights to Milos Vujanic back. Everything is gonna be okay.

What's really interesting about the entire Marbury drama, is that its distracted Knick fans from the real story. For the fourth year in a row, Isiah Thomas has added pieces, but hasn't built a team. Zach R. is a nice player -- he doesn't play defense, and he really can't play well with Curry -- but he's a nice player. The problem is that the team has the same problems they had last year. No defense, guards who can't pass, and no perimeter shooting. Thus, once again, this is not a playoff team.

At one point do we all realize that the team needs a new leader and needs people who understand how to construct a team?

@- Winston

Nice reference.

I hate it when idiots use the word we in their inane rants

How is it an inane rant?

The Knicks won 33 games last year. Their biggest problem was defense, not scoring. Guess what their biggest problem is this year?

You might disagree, but why disrepect other posters?

first time post

knicks will win---i sense a renewed passion building and it will be prevelant on the court

Alan---

you have the ability to restore faith to knick fans, don't stop what you are doing---keep questioning, keep digging for the truth and all will be revealed

Once our fans believe so will our team

The thing is, even if the Knicks were able to dump Marbury and his contract, the only thing any respectable GM would offer would be his headache or bad contracts.

After less than 10 games there are some guys ready to tear it up and start over. How long did it take the Heat to rebuild into a winner after years of struggling under Riley? It looks like he'll have to do it again now. Another HOF coach is trying to make the Lakers revelant and that job will get much harder if Bryant is traded. Thomas has made the talent better and younger since he arrived and should at least get a chance to see if he can make this group into a team. If this team is still worthless after a half season I could see Thomas being fired, before that it's plain stupid.

Soloman – some would say even half a season is a quick trigger on Zeke. Conceptually, I agree with you. I don’t know if he deserves a year to show what he can do, but it’s probably the best thing all-around for the team. BUT ONLY IF he can quell the current chaos. One of the reasons I believe Zeke should have this year is that he did a good job bringing the team together last year, after Brown. A new coach would undercut a lot of that. BUT . . . If chaos still reigns at the end of this road trip, I wonder if it wouldn’t be more foolish to wait until the middle of the season to shake things up with a new coach. Maybe it would be better to get it over with now, so at least a new coach would have virtually an entire season to put his stamp on the team. If nothing else, it's an option that's got to be considered. And Zeke's smart enough to know it's being considered. Will that influence how quickly he makes a move? It could . . .

2-5 THATZ GREAT REAL GREAT.NO MORE THAN 38 WINS IF THEY ARE LUCKY Z-BO IS THE ONLY GUY BRING HIS A GAME.KNICKS NEED TO GET ZEKE OUT OF HERE THEY ARE GOING TO BE 4-10 MARK MY WORDS...

Tough, tough loss. One of those NBA games that could have gone either way. Knicks had their chances. Some really bone-head turnovers down the stretch. Just when they need to bear down -- what Magic used to call “winning time” . . . this team doesn’t know how to do that yet. I like what I’ve seen from Jones, but he didn’t take care of his inbound pass with about a minute to go. I think Steph threw one away. Surprisingly, Crawford had a big block AND got the ball back. In the last minute. Great move to keep the Knicks in the game.

But I really focused on Zach tonight. And I got so angry, thinking about the relentless abuse he’s taken, since draft night. (From only one source of course. It just goes to prove how irrelevant all that abuse has been.) I’ve never been an Isiah Thomas fan, but he deserves credit for a GREAT pick-up. Zach was a steal. You want to talk about character? All he’s done since getting here is play his heart out . . . on a mediocre team, no less – which must be twice as hard. Character ? Character is flying across the country from your grandmother’s funeral, suiting up and getting 16 points and 19 rebounds. THAT is a guy I want on my team. This kid can play.

One more point: I don’t have all the facts about what went on with Patrick. But apparently, he put out feelers to the Knicks and Isiah didn’t hire him as one of his assistant. If this is true . . . it could be a very costly example of Isiah letting ego get in the way of basketball decisions . . . again.? Patrick is EXACTLY what Eddy needs. Look at what LA did with Bynum. They went out and got one of their former centers. Some of you may have heard of him: Tall fella, wore goggles, and #33? And Kareem’s ONLY job is to work with Bynum. We have to remember that Curry is still young. It makes me sick to think how much he could learn from Patrick. It made me sick to see Patrick sitting with the other team. Major mistake.

Ken Berger isn’t the only writer to discuss show valuable Stephon’s contract could be to the right team – because it would take $21 million off the books after next season, right in time to make a run at the ’09 class of free agents.

We’re assuming Isiah understands this, right? The way he handled Hardaway and Davis’s expiring contracts . . .makes me a little worried.

Sorry, should read: Ken Berger isn’t the only writer TO DISCUSS HOW VALUABLE Stephon’s contract could be to the right team –

Chuckle.

"I think divergent opinions on message boards are important and keep things lively. So I support your desire to rip the Knicks. However, the length of your posts probably prevents 99 percent of the audience from ever reading your ideas."

Evidently Alan Hahn does not.

I could not stay awake for the end of the game, but it sounds like we had Marbury and Crawford on the floor together at the end of the game and they couldn't get it done. Again. Always. I don't care whether Marbury starts, plays the 2, sells popcorn, whatever. He is not competent enough, neither is Crawford, to be running the team in winning time.

That's the lame ass capitulation by Zeke. And also the hole he's dug for himself. By waiting all this time for Marbury to turn into something he'll never be, the losing seasons have mounted up, there is no pg ready to take the ball away from him, and Zeke is out of time to the point (vis a vis Dolan, because he's the "Decider") where a game in November is a must win. He has to win some of these games and he's down players, so he brings Star back. OK, let him box score, but then you give him and (hand me the inbounds pass, Zach???????????????) Crawford the ball at the end of the game when its time to win?

Huh?

Wilis, I could not agree more. Not only did Thomas totallly comprise his team and any last shread of moral dignity he had personally, but he also forgot why he wanted to bench Marbury to begin with. He is a lousy defender and passer.

The only good news is that this team is in a downward spiral that will likely result in both a change in management and a very high draft pick.

To all those who want to trade Marbury for a bunch of contracts, I ask you this: why?

Sure, Marbury is a cancer in the locker room, but if all you're getting in return is a bunch of stiffs with even longer contracts than he has, how does this make sense? Is it really better to deal him for someone who is just as incompetent on the court (probably even more so, if we're dealing with the likes of Kenny Thomas) just because this new guy won't be a huge jerk?

Then you're stuck with another horrible contract(s), extending our horrible cap situation into infinity, and for what? To save this obviously doomed season?

Let's get real here. It's not like Marbury's poisoning a championship caliber club. You're not saving your title aspirations by dealing him. Just stick it out, throw his pouting, no-good loser behind on the bench and free up some cap space of our own for once.

The only thing this move might accomplish is to get this team into the playoffs this year, only to be swept in the first round, thereby saving Isiah's job.

It's obvious why Isiah would want to do this, but why should the Knicks as an organization?

I'm a 50 yr old man.

Bottom line: The Knicks have won nothing since I was in high school in 1973.

No one speaks about over 30 years of a New York franchise winning nothing.

With all the great coaches we've had pass thru the Garden over the years, a few great players, a few outstanding role players, still no championship.

The Mecca of Basketball, the Garden of shame. I'm embarrassed to call myself a Knick fan of over 40 years. The ticket prices are out of control, the team is out of control.

The agenda of Stephon Marbury has been clear since he joined the league. Why is this such a surprise today?

This man was traded straight up for Jason Kidd.

It's a team of roleplayers, ala/Detroit Pistons of the 80s.

Isiah is trying to make this team a mirror of that team and it wont work.

Jamal Crawford, Marbury, Nate Robinson are not championship guards. They aren't even playoff material. Two have serious self control issues. The other is a plain chucker.

History will continue at the Garden with boos, overpriced food and tickets. People pay, Dolan could care less.

They've done a good job of taking this team to one of its all time lows.

At least Bernard King had "game" albeit a host of internal demons.

Ever wonder why ex-Knick Phil Jackson never entertained coaching here?....

Back to the bottom line...34 years, NO championship. PERIOD.