Fixers, we have apparently come full circle.
It was a year ago that the Knicks, led by Isiah Thomas, were complaining that the Garden faithful were too faith-less; that they treat the team too harshly when it has an ocassional stinker or two . . . or 10; that they just won't look past the ugly and love them for what they are, which would be, apparently, one of the most promising 14-loss teams in the NBA at the season's quarterpole. This a year after they were the best 33-win team in NBA history.
How can anyone work in this environment, where people demand results or, at the very least, an honest effort? How can anyone perform when they're constantly being held accountable for their performance?
Just imagine if the owner was so demanding.
"If you were a player or a coach, could you handle that every single night?" Jamal Crawford asked regarding the nightly boos and chants Thomas and the Knicks face at home. "Could you?"
Jamal should know not every Knick is directly booed. David Lee is greeted with cheers when he enters the game. Renaldo Balkman, as well. Even Nate Robinson, my little wayward son, still draws a positive reaction. Zach Randolph, when he's giving his effort like he did in the second half against Dallas, is another who will always hear appreciation.
But Eddy Curry? Not when he plays so uninspired. Jared Jeffries? Clearly the fans have made a decision on his signing. Stephon Marbury? Up until the sudden death of his father and the circumstances that surrounded it, he was considered the ultimate lightning rod for the fans' ire. I don't expect he'll receive that same treatment when he does return from his bereavement, but it might not take long for him to return to the front of the line.
All of the above, though, always have a shot at redemption. A solid performance, a gutsy, honest effort. A win.
Isiah, however, has already passed that point of no return. He's run through it as if it were tape at a finish line.
You'll be reading this morning all about Isiah's apparent exchange with fans behind the Knicks bench during Monday's 99-89 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. You'll hear about this woman who cut to the press table with more purpose than Curry on a pick-and-roll after the final buzzer to share what she heard Thomas saying to the fans who were heckling him from the not-so-cheap seats. You'll be informed that Thomas apparently told the fans that it was their fault the Knicks were making mistakes, missing layups and looking completely confused at both ends of the floor.
You'll need to know that this woman said Thomas was telling the fans that in Indiana, where apparently real basketball fans exist, the people there wouldn't be booing the team. That the Knicks get a more supportive crowd in New Jersey when they play the Nets. That it's the fault of you, the "Sixth Man".
You'll want to be reminded that only last week this same man said you as fans had every right to boo and chant.
Now, it's all your fault.
"Is that how it always is around here?" Randolph asked me after the game, which included the loudest "Fire Isiah!" chant so far, heavy boos for another lackluster performance by Curry and yet the usual roaring encouragement of "Let's Go Knicks!" and "Dee-Fense!" when the Knicks made a late surge to cut what was a 23-point deficit to seven in the fourth quarter.
Z-Bo finally got his act together in the second half, which was one of the few positive things that happened for the Knicks last night (there, I wrote something positive). But he seemed conflicted by the crowd reaction. He said he "ain't never been in a situation like that."
He said in Portland, the fans never got on the team that way. I had to explain to him: See, in Portland, like most other places, when the team sucks like you guys suck, they stop going to games. Here in New York, people keep coming. They sell out the Garden on a Monday night to see Dirk Nowitzki, the reigning MVP. They'll sell it out to see great players, such as Iverson, Kobe, Nash and Wade, but also just to see good teams, like the Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic and even the Golden State Warriors. And when the home team doesn't give them a show, they boo you until you're hiding under a towel and covering your ears.
Or until you give them a reason to cheer.
"You can't get caught up in that," Crawford said of the range of emotions that come from the Garden crowd. "I've seen that a lot in the four years I've been here. Fans don't come here to boo you, they come here to cheer you on. And amidst all of that, they do what's popular; the 'Fire Isiah' chant. We've just got to play through it."
Coincidentally, it was before the game that Isiah went on another one of his "Let me tell you how it is in New York" monologues.
"Every game is life or death. Every game is the season. There’s no 82-game season, it’s one game you’re on, one game you’re off. That’s the unique passion that New York brings because the people here are thirsty, they want it and they expect for you to give it to them every night . . . It really does bring out the best in you and you’ve got to give it here and you’ve got to bring it, whether you’re a coach, whether you’re a player, whether you’re a guy catching the subway to get to work every morning . . ."
The guy catching that subway in the morning probably makes more of an effort than Curry does on the defensive boards.
Comments (60)
%100 agree. Screw Dolan and Isiah,
Isiah talks about “New York” like an outsider looking in . . . certainly not as part of it.
If you don't count turnovers and fouls, Eddy managed a "double single"!
More seriously - if Isiah even cares a bit about winning a game, why was Eddy defending Dirk for a while last night? Isn't guarding tall skilled perimeter guys the reason why Jeffries was signed in the first place? How could anyone look at chubby Eddy Curry, a defensively challenged player who doesn't even leave the paint on offense and think having him chase Dirk would be a good idea? Inexplicable decisions like this are one of the reasons why Isiah is a lousy coach.
Oh, I forgot. The fans set the defensive assignments.
Actually, one more assist, steal or block, and Eddy would have had the coveted triple single!
Dallas shoots 58% in the 1st half Knicks shoot 28% ball game.... Those FACTS somehow translates to the clueless fans and even more clueless media that the issue was Isiah telling the fans his opinion of them. they get to chant their opinion of Isiah while he's trying to work so why not?.. He's supposed to stand there and take like a good little.... I've supported KNick teams that had no chance where the 'stars' were guys like Ken Bannister. I've supported teams that had Ray Williams and Michael Ray Richardson and Spencer Haywood. IN the end Michael Ray and Spencer's priority was getting the game over with to get back to the drugs available after. I also used to go to Pace College in the 70's when they practiced there. Not 'drinking the koolaid' or an MSG employee. Just a long time fan emabrassed by the team play but also by the fans who think they will accomplish something by being abusive idiots at the games. Stay home...donate your tickets to charity. The team may be playing badly, but the fans are becoming the laughing stock of the league. A story ran on the Web yesterday saying 'why would any professional athlete want to play in NY'? good question. They also said that the myth that NY Sport fans are the most knowledgable is now confirmed... I would include the media in that group. No game analysis just how and when the fans booed....
Hate to type I told ya' so.....
Nah, I don't.
I TOLD YA' SO.
40-42 and Jessica Simpson.
NY is the ultimate front-runner town.....Isiah took a calculated gamble....He again stepped out in front of the bullet for his team...He will get more criticism than ever now....But these players need to step it up...PERIOD! David Lee does not get booed for a variety of reasons, one of which is his complexion...Of course no one will mention his defense has been horrible...
The franchise has not won a title in 35 years! 35 years! They booed the EFFORT of Ewing and Oakley at times! Mark Jackson once called the fans rats bailing out on a sinking ship! They booed Derek Jeter! How the hell can ya boo Jeter??? It is what it is, a frontrunning town and firing Isiah will solve NOTHING!
I applaud him for going back at the drunken fools in the front rows, imagine if the so-called savvy NY beat writers had to deal with people who disagreed with what they wrote, EVERYDAY!
Alan, this is the ultimate. The Knicks fans are now responsible for four years of terrible basketball under the Isiah Thomas regime. The franchise has averaged 29 wins under IT, and this year they will likely even fall below that perch.
Of course, Isiah does not explain why the Knicks lose by 50 in Boston. There were not many Knick fans their to hurt the very sensitive feelings of this team.
What Dolan and Thomas don't understand is that it costs a fortune to attend a game at MSG. And all the fans want, is not necessarily wins, but sincere effort. We don't get that.
And Verne, Knick fans DID NOT boo Oakley and did not boo Ewing They hoped for more, but they did not boo. They never changed "fire Van Gundy," as Isiah alleged. And I don't remember Yankee fans ever booing Jeter.
Isiah is just doing what he does before he destroys a business (see Raptors, CBA), he points finger everywhere but where the true problem exists. In the executive offices of the team, and in the locker room, and ultimately on the gym floor.
At this point Isiah has two options either change the line up and hope that that can salvage the season or give up and wait for next year. He is hurting the team by not changing the starting line up and not giving a damn about their season. He is getting into it with the fans. Hey, Isiah your experiment with Curry failed. It's also confusing the rest of the offense. Not to mention Cirry is a sitting duck on defense because he non-athletic.
Since when Dirk Nowitski can be guarded by Eddie Curry? Coach please!!!
Verne, we are color blind when it comes to winning. The great players in the past got booed and had their down moments. But far less and few times as bad. But, they earned there spot with out hustling and playing the other teams and in the playoffs. Like Oakley, Starks, Ewing, Harper, King, Reed, and Frazier to name a few that stepped up their game to win here in NY. No doubt we got talent or else this would not be the NBA. It's how we use that talent to winning consistently. As coach Isiah has not found how to consistently win with the troops he has. Isiah is not the coach that is going to embarrass his team publicly. He wanted leadership and has not found an once on this team from anyone. A leader is one that is going to say enough is enough and I demand change. Not one person has done that. Not one.
Venom, excellent point. What kind of idiot enjoys booing as much as some of these so-called fans? Also, how is the booing, and not the game, the lead story? Here's how:
Isiah turns around and says a few things to some fans sitting behind the bench. He most likely recognizes the fans since they've been sitting there for decades. There is no claim that he speaks to the fans in a harsh, loud, or otherwise disrespectful tone. What he says to the fans is probably true. (If loud, supportive fans can assist a team's play, you would think that the inverse is true as well.) One of those fans, eager to make herself part of the story, rushes to press row to disseminate as broadly as possible a conversation (really a venting) that Isiah had intended to be limited to a few people. And somehow this brief, minor venting becomes "ISIAH BLAMES THE FANS".
Jeez. It's no wonder Isiah feels the need to keep his guard up all the time. You could tell by looking on his face at the postgame press conference that he was mortified that these innocuous comments by him were out there and likely to be national news.
Who in their right mind would want to coach this team and deal with the NY media? I know Phil Jackson has said he would never want to deal with the media here. Who would?
Are Dolan, Thomas and the players responsible for the woeful Knicks? You bet.
Is it their fault? Yep. Would the fans be cheering if they gave an honest effort? Of course.
Now that we all agree on these things, lets face reality: The Knicks as a rebuilding team, are always at a dramatic disadvantage to other teams in the league, and this disadvantage adds up. The disadvantage is New York and the vicious Garden fans. The Knicks don't have a home court. Everyone else does.
When things are going good, the Garden is an advantage - however, when the team is rebuilding on the fly, as it has been - this team is at a severe disadvantage because of the unique pressure and demands the market puts on its players, the unique microscope the players are under, and the unique propensity of the fans to totally give up on its team and boo them mercilessly upon the slightest miscalculation.
Should the players be above it? yes. Should the players play harder so as not to deserve it? Yes.
But when you've got a young team like the Knicks, it CANNOT be helping them, and I'm sure it hurts them. That's all there is to it.
AR, this city is fast becoming a place where NO player worth anything will want to play here.....Isiah has made a bunch of mistakes, but this team does deserve to play 82 road games...Am I saying to not be annoyed with lack of effort? NO! But I am saying that this NY booing has been going on for far too long....The vaunted NY media, especially NY beat writers would be the first to call on "security" if they were subjected to verbal abuse heaped upon these guys on a daily basis....To me its more than just being disenchanted with the team, Isiah gets beat up for other reasons!
Chris Mullin does not want the job, I wonder why???
Rebuilding? You call giving up two UNPROTECTED first round picks for an overweight, underachieving center rebuilding? You can't be serious.
We don't boo because we're ignorant, we boo because that's how this organization treats us. They think we can't understand what's going on right underneath our own noses.
I'm too angry to type anything coherent right now, but how can you possibly try to blame the fans for what has gone on with this sorry disgrace for a franchise.
Let me get this straight. If we hadn't booed, Clarence Weatherspoon would be an all star? If we don't boo, Curry will leave his feet on defense? If we don't boo, Jamal Crawford will start taking smart shots? If we don't boo, Zach Randolph will stop shooting through triple teams? If we don't boo, both of our low post starters will get more than 2 assists a game?
Anyone who believes the fans are in ANY way to blame for this mess is completely delusional. Somehow the Yankees and Mets have been at the top of their sport (not winning a world series, but legitimately competing) year after year with the same fans. What gives? Somehow the Devils and Rangers are playing well with the same fans. What gives?
I guess the Jets suck because their fans boo. Yeah, that's the ticket.
Verne, I am not sure if you go to many games, but I am a season ticket holder and do go. And have for many, many years. What happens is that the fans sit down, and are ready for a competitive game. If the team comes out and plays hard, and stays in the game, they get cheered. If they come out and dog it, and the team falls behind by double digit, they get booed.
Its the same in every city. The difference is, if a team is bad for many years in most other cities, the fans just stop coming. That is not the case here.
Also, it would really be okay with the fans if the Knicks were "rebuilding" but when you trade young players (Ariza, Frye) and draft picks for huge contracts (Francis, Randolph, Curry), then the fans have the right to expect more than excuses.
Finally, if you do go to games, you will know that a soda is $5, a pizza $10 and and cotton candy, $10. Its an investment, and all fans want in return is hard work and hustle.
Frontrunners? Verne, the only idiot here is you. Don't generalize NY sports fans. We have the greatest and most passionate fans. when the Knicks have sucked for long and the way they've been sucking now with all the turmoil, they deserve to get booed. Isiah doesn't deserve another chance and neither does Dolan. They have failed miserably and destroyed the Knicks franchise. They are a disgrace to the NBA and sports in general and they deserve to be verbally abused and pelted with tomatoes until they get the hell out of town.
Thank you.
I'll tell you why Chris Mullin doesn't want this job - the team is HORRIBLE. End of story.
Also, do you really want Chris Mullin as the GM? He'll just be another big name, under-performing acquisition.
VERNE-
Do you even attend the games? If you're not at the game you are in no position to criticize the fans for expressing their dissapointment.
So now booing has become an issue. And many of the same people who are quick to attack the so-called mass media, are now protecting our poor beleaguered coach and team from public criticism the same way they try to protect them from written criticism. As if the New York Knicks were the only sports team in the world that hears boos and jeers.
For the most part, it’s not the impressionable young players who are being boo-ed. For the most part, it’s the coach, Isiah. And I think fans have every right to voice their opinion of his job-performance. (It also proves it’s a lie that only the media is critical of Isiah’s job performance. Apparently, a LOT of people think he’s doing a bad job. When Newsday ran an informal poll a few weeks ago, over 80% said he should be fired.) This is the team he assembled, and said he could win with. It’s perfectly justifiable to boo HIM on this team’s performance.
If the Knicks were being boo-ed strictly because they’re losing, even losing badly . . . but were putting in a valiant effort (of the kind we often saw last season), I would be more sympathetic to those who think it’s a bad idea. But when the team is boo-ed, it’s usually for lack of effort more than for lack of winning. Let’s face it: When this team looks bad, they look AWFUL. Moreover, they look like they don’t care. For the most part, that’s what people are booing. (cf. “David” @ 11:37) Professional athletes, being paid more money than any other team in the league . . . who often look like they’re just going through the motions. That, too, is perfectly justifiable booing, as far as I’m concerned.
Lack of effort by a professional athlete is unacceptable. And if other professional athletes don’t want to come to New York because they’re afraid they’ll get booed for lack of effort . . . then I hope they stay away.
david-
I'm a seasonticketholder as well, and if you're saying that MSG fans aren't overly quick to boo, you're wrong.
The fact is, the team is booed during introductions. They're booed if they let an 11 point lead go down to a 1 point lead. The "fans" just seem to like to boo.
Dolan and Isiah are meant for each other. Too bad it has to come at the expense of the Knicks and their loyal fans.
Funny how my previous post was ignored by the BLOG-OWNER!
That proves my point, even writers have thin skin! LOL
I have been to more than enough games....David is on point, they boo just to boo! There is something wrong with that!
I am more than willing to attend a game with any one of you guys at any point this season....We will watch the game together and then we will have a civilized discussion about the mental state of the NY fan and its jaded media members!
Any takers???
One more thing Dave, they did boo Jeter, 2 seasons ago when he was in an early season slump! That's a fact! And if you dont remember them ever booing Oakley, Ewing and crew you must be a little younger than I am!
And no one has yet to explain why the fans threw Ewings poster on the court all those years ago!
would jared jeffries play on any other team in the league? he has got to be the highest paid pick-setter in the nba. guy is completely worthless
It's very simple...
They start winning, the boo-birds will stop;
They start putting forth the effort, the hustle, the booing will stop.
As we saw in the wins against the Jazz and the Bucks, the crowd is very eager to cheer on and support this team.
Zeke, the great master motivator and tactician is now resorting to blaming the fans.
I'm just glad I'm not a season-ticketholder. It sure looks like another season down the drain.
MAK....Isiah is doing what a coach always does, he is protecting his players, he is making it a US against THEM situation! I hope it works for him!
These fans are just as big a joke as the team is!
Hey Randon! Jared was drafted in the 1st round by Washington I believe....He was key component to a playoff team a few seasons ago! I guess you didn't know that!
Knicks deserve what they get, hiring "carpet baggers" like Larry Brown, Lenny Wilkins and Isiah Thomas. Thomas was over-rated as a GM and especially as a coach. And the owner, J.Dolan is a toad who owes his living to a successful father and who couldn't care less about this team. This is one of many "toys" at his disposal. When are Knick fans gonna wake up and understand this. Boycott the games and eventually, Daddy Dolan will see this and take away Jimmy's toys. Then, one day, the family will get out of the sports business. After about a decade, the team will be competitive again. Thomas is garbage. Find an old Knick player who really cares about the team and the fans, and knows how to coach.
Boycott the games.
For me, the reason we boo is that it is the only true commentary available about the Knicks. The spin is so thick over at MSG, there is never a real word spoken. I think it is clear after the Marbury benching (my crew thinks this fisaco occured at the beccause of Dolan) and then his being allowed to play after his teammates were polled and then ignored, that there are no consequences for anything in the Garden. Marbury is coddled, Curry is coddled, and all we hear is Garden Commintariat approved spin worthy of Dana Perino: "We want leadership and defense from that position and we believe that Marbury is capable of that." Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Until the propaganda minister ends the session and we are all supposed swallow, to go home and be good boys and stop asking questions. Thus when Marbury is booed when he goes Starbury, it is the only truth spoken at the Garden; your coach won't tell you, so we'll tell you - "YOU AINT PLAYING WINNING BASKETBALL"
The beauty of the Garden Crowd, though it doesn't have it ALL right, (I think Jeffries is one of the few guys still bringing it - its not his fault our "offense" ends up giving him 20 ft jumpers; real teams construct the game so a defensive specialist is never put in that position) is that they comment on CORRECT play as well. The chant of DE-FENSE in the Garden is unparalleled in sports, a weapon that can cow an opponent and you heard it last night, deafening, when the guys on the floor were playing correct and making their run on the Mavs. The fans are there for their team when their team is there. The problem is, the management has lost all credibility. With the team; Zeke has rewarded Marbury for his nonsense, never built a credible alternative to be able sit Marbury, coddled Curry to the point he's his therapist more than his coach, doesn't coach matchups (Jeffries should have started the 2nd half to guard Dirk and Curry should have sat). With the fans -- conspiracy theories abound - I personally feel that alot of this weirdness must be proof that Dolan is making decisions on playing time and Zeke is a puppet protecting his loot against the "Larry Brown Solution", something I think the players must have picked up on too - it aint the booing that has them down, its the fact the guy they all looked to lead them is turning out to be Dolan's B!#ch.
Look, alot of teams go down 20 to the Mavs ("who's guarding the german guy?") that's not why we're pissed, and booing. I like the squad, in a real basketball program, its a team that would make the playoffs in the East. The team is as much a victim here as we are (I never thought I could see Renaldo Balkman depressed, David Lee with no spirit, Malik Rose wrongly imprisoned in an insane asylum). No, we're not being unreasonable, we're merely offering the only honest comment available at the world's most famous arena.
So I propose opening a new line of conversation, one that will prove to the league and the world that NY fans aren't front runners, spoiled brats, sore sports; that we know the real deal, that we know the problem is alot bigger than a narcissitic point guard and the coach who loves him too much. Our problems will never end until Dolan is toppled from his throne. No sport franchise can survive a bad owner - it is the truest thing in professsional sports, and our hell is nothing but Dolan's grotesque psyche given life on the Garden floor. I will be in the Garden tomorrow night and I when I see the corruption of the game blooming like an abcess on the floor, I'll be chanting
DOLAN MUST GO, DOLAN MUST GO, DOLAN MUST GO
And when our boys play the game right, I'll be cheering them until my lungs bleed.
Does fostering an US vs THEM attitude teach this team how to defend the pick and roll, contest shots, or spread the floor on offense?
Who gives a sh!t what attitude is being fostered if you can't play. I can hate everyone on Earth and think they're all out to get me, it doesn't mean I'm going to lead an NBA team to the championship.
Get a grip.
Verne - if trying to create an us against them situation is the best strategy Isiah can come up with for trying to turn this mess around, then he is a worse coach than I thought. How about a substitution pattern that doesn't have Curry on Dirk? Is bitty ball level game coaching too much to ask? Apparently. Which leads to this question - is there any reason why Isiah might be tanking?
The booing issue is like the hostile media issue - utterly irrelevant to the real problem here. It is like pointing out that the neighbor isn't trimming his side of the hedge while your house is on fire. Sure, people should be more classy or gracious or whatever, but compared to a team culture without accountability, professionalism or even basic competence, that leeches off the passion of the fans like a vampire by happily taking our money, but dosn't give a rat's a&& about those fans, or winning games, or playing guys who give effort, or even being honest with the public, who cares? That last long sentence is the state of the current Knicks organization, an organization that we as fans do care about. That is our team right now. And some clowns are complaining that there is booing? Well whoop de damn do.
Having said that, it makes more sense to boo Dolan - he is the slimeball who keeps this whole sorry situation going.
Willis - your post came up while I was writing mine. I've been yelling that Isiah is a terrible coach for a while. I just want to say amen, brother and write on.
i think that woman is a little snitch
*shrug*
The idea that fans will not accept rebuilding is bogus. Fans will not accept players not trying, and fans will also not accept the pathetic mismanagement of this club. Give the fans something to cheer about and they will respond. Even if the Knicks stunk up the joint, as long as they played hard the fans would appreciate it. We wouldn't be happy that they stink, but we would still appreciate the effort. Ken Bannister was terrible, but people appreciated the "Animal" for what he was and that he actually tried.
Ahhh...well said Pete! A team and organizational culture! This team has been bad for at least 15 years....We never have drafted well, we have never gotten that "star" to compliment what we have....A new GM/Coach changes nothing around here! But dont let the facts get in the way of trying to make a point!
All I am saying is simply this, booing has never helped the Knicks and we have booed for YEARS! I watched last season as Isiah manipulated that Denver situation in his favor, I suspect he will attempt to do the same thing with this so-called fan revolt!
Say what you about him, but Isiah is a survivor and he will survive again!
Isiah says the Knicks will turn it around just like they did last season. Appearantely, going 33-49, not making the playoffs, and the team falling apart at the end is what Isiah is shooting for.
Just get rid of him already, Dolan! Then sell the team! By the way, his music stinks also!
You're right about one thing Verne. Isiah is a survivor. He'll eventually move on to another opportunity. And crap on that one too.
jared jeffries is like jafar from alladin, minus a jumper
Verne, you are right about Isiah's survival skills, and the sorry recent history of the team. However, the organization seems even less professional and more dysfunctional under Dolan than ever before.
As disgruntled fans then, what do you recommend?
Maybe so Pete, maybe he will screw up somewhere else. But he has done the improbable around here....We actually have expectations! By the way, I am not condoning Jerome's signing at all! LOL
I still say the booing is foolish and helps or solves NOTHING!
... i truly believe that Guitar Jimmy Dolan and Isiah are sexual partners ... how else can you explain their undying loyalty to each other, and the utter disrespect for women at MSG ? ... that would also explain Stephon's claim to have 'dirt on isiah' ("you have no IDEA what i know") ... Steph is his neighbor after all ... it wouldnt be a far cry for Steph to witness their clandestine, and immoral dalliances ... EEEWWWW ...
... i thought before the season, they said Curry was in such great shape ... he had lost 15-25 lbs or something of that nature ... that was a blatant lie ... he is fatter and slower than ever, he displays ZERO sense of urgecy at the defensive end, or on the glass ... and lately he has been exhibiting a disturbing trend of having his shot blocked by much smaller help defenders ... because he just flips the ball up into the air without any force, or using any lower leg strength ... can he please just jump? ... he has become the black Greg Ostertag on offense ... at least Ostertag played D ... he is the Knicks primary problem ... (after Guitar Jimmy's litany of lawsuits) ... its gotta be the lack of braids ... he looks more gully, therefore he plays with more gulliness when braided ... yo E-city, holla at Carmelo & A.I. and them's people ... and step your game up ...
... he has become the black Greg Ostertag on offense ... at least Ostertag played D ...
LOL
Pete, I actually think we are FINALLY bottoming out around here....It is a bad as it has ever been, which is a good thing. In my opinion, for YEARS we were under the illusion that filling the arena and putting out these flawed ass teams was good enough to win, I mean actually win a title! Remember Charles Smith at SF? I mean, these flawed teams have been around 4ever! I just think now we are at bottom, total bottom. No more delusional thinking, no more just wanting to make the playoffs...We now draft better, seem to be younger and the Marbury contract is about to end....Things are bad, but its always darkest before the dawn....
But the damn booing does not help this VERY fragile collection of players! And in actuality, it never has!
Isiah is a damn clown. Please, enough of his sorry ass already.
One last thing, our biggest problem right now is center and point guard in my opinion....It aint possible, but subtract Eddy & Stephon and add Felton and Okafor...and then put either Chandler or Balkman out there at starting small forward and I bet the atmosphere changes dramatically...
They are not that far away as some may think...
Verne, you are drinking too much kool aid.
You couldn't get a cup of chowder for Stephon and Eddy
Randon, you are killing me.
Nah Gary, I know really bad when I see it....I saw really bad and really flawed Knick teams....Those Grunfeld, Checketts years were exciting but very, very misleading! I think I read on this blog a week ago I believe....The team does have some real good pieces...A kick ass band without a lead singer! That best describes The Knicks!
VERNE:
"us against them mentality"
Come on, is that the best the Zeke could do? How about teaching the players basic fundamental skills like boxing out, pursuing the ball, playing D, screen rolls, find the open man, etc.
How about Zeke appealing to the player's pride and manhood. Maybe that'll be a good start.
In a convoluted way, this reminds me of the Denver-Knicks last yr. with Melo Yellow. As opposed to Zeke coaching & imploring the players to play D, his solution was: "don't go in the paint."
Lord Thomas is a consumate moron whom his mother disowned many times over.
has anyone noticed jared jeffries setting those fruity ass picks like prince's buddies on chappelle show. does this guy have any business being on the court. has he had 1 good night as the "defensive stopper?" last night against dallas he was setting picks for his teammates...during layup drills
I want to start this post by saying that I am a Knicks fan. And right now is the first time I've actually been ashamed to say that. Even throughout the last few years, I was still proud to say I was a Knicks fan because they had some promise, they played hard every night and at least looked like they wanted to play basketball. But now I will say that this Knicks team is the most pathetic thing I've seen on TV, not including any of the reality shows based on air headed women that frequent the airwaves now, like Girls Next Door, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Dr. 90210, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, and basically any other original VH1 or E! program.
People say firing Isiah Thomas will do nothing for the team. Certainly they won't suddenly improve if Isiah is gone, but this team is a pathetic joke of an athletic club and something needs to be changed. Since you can't fire the entire team, tossing the coach is the easiest and best solution.
Even the players that used to be good now suck.
Jamal Crawford - It's nice when you take 50 careless, poor shots per game and 20 of them go in. But that only happens about once a year. Maybe I'm the only one tired of seeing him fire up a shot within two seconds of touching the ball every time down the court. And it's good to see that you bulked up in the offseason, Jamal. Now you suck even worse at defense and think you can motor into the paint even faster to throw up your careless up-and-under shots that have a worse chance of going in than that "designed" three-ball Curry hit to win at the buzzer last year. But just like that shot, sometimes you get lucky.
And speaking of Eddy Curry - You are the Knicks' appendix. You just take up space on the court and no one really knows why you are there. You can't, and never could, play defense or rebound and now you can't play offense either. You're definitely worth the three years of draft picks it took to get you. You're the size of Shaq and you play like Lisa Leslie. And it's really fun to see you huffing and puffing midway through the second quarter every night. But then again, you don't have nine million reasons to get in shape.
Now on to Isiah Thomas. I don't even watch post-game interviews anymore because I don't want to see that stupid, you-know-what eating grin on Isiah's face, trying to explain how it's the fans fault that this team with the highest payroll in the NBA is the worst. I would rather watch the Hawks play the Pacers on loop than see this kind of garbage. Think about it; if you did this bad of a job at your workplace, you would be axed, not sharing hugs and kisses with your boss after work.
But James Dolan isn't much better. He's basically the reason why average Americans hate rich people - because he doesn't care at all about anything but his own pockets. And since his pockets are lined fairly well and the Knicks have almost nothing to do with his wealth, why should he care that this ship is sinking?
Remember when P Diddy wanted to buy the Knicks and everyone said what a joke it was? I will guarantee that he would have a better team in NY right now as owner.
It's laughable how sad this Knicks situation is. And it shows you something when every single Knicks beat writer shares the same loathing hatred of Dolan and Isiah. The excuses are running thin right now and everyone should be sick of hearing Zach Randolph whine about how he "ain't never seen nothing like this."
Zach, learn to speak English and then shut up.
What James Dolan is doing to the Knicks, and has done, is a total slap in the face to every single fan who pays money to go to the Garden, watches them on Dolan's precious MSG Network, or even reads about them in the papers.
The worst part is that nothing will stop this. Be prepared for more of this for a long, long time.
whats the only thing worse than people who write extremely long posts?
jared jeffries
i mean seriously, why would he ever be in the game.
Shoot the J! Shoot it!
FIRST OFF.KNICKS MIGHT WIN 22 GAMES ALL JOKES ASIDE.TRADES=CURRY N CRAWFORD FOR WILCOX WALLY N WATSON.CURRY N CRAWFORD FOR TINSLEY N J.O.ZEKE NEEDS TO GO START FRESH IF THE KNICKS RECORD BY THE ALL STAR GAME IS SOMETHING LIKE THIS.18-30.ZEKE HAS TO BE FIRED OR KEEP HIM SO HE CAN SELECT AN OTHER ROOKIE.LOL.JUST GET SOM1 WITH A B-BALL I.Q NO1 IN THE KNICKS ORGANIZATION HAS ANY.I WOULD LUV TO REBUILD THE KNICKS FOR FREE.SORRRYYYY KNICKS FAN THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE THE WORST YEAR(PLZ PROVE ME WRONG).MARBURY NEED TO BE THE 2GUARD..THEY GOTTA MOVE CURRY CRAWFORD Q.CHANDLER HAS TO GET SOMETIME.YALL SEE WHAT SEATTLE IS DOING WITH DURANT=PJ BUILDING A LEGEND DURANT TAKES AS MANY SHOTZ HE WANTS THATZ THE ONLY WAY YOUR GONNA BUILD A PLAYER UP BY LETTING HIM DO HIM.CURRY IS HIM=WANTS ALL O N NO D.IN THE NBA U GIVE A PLAYER BURN IS EITHER IS GREAT GOOD OR OK HARDLY BAD....STAY TUNED FOR MORE KNOWLEDGE
Verne: Trying to fix this mess needs action on a bunch of levels. The roster needs an overhaul (all I want for Christmas is a point guard who can manage the flow of a game and a center who can rebound and defend the paint), and the pieces that are there need to be used better.
Isiah has to go. It is clear that even the basics of coaching are beyond him, and if there are changes to be made, he is definitely not the one you want making them. I liked Zach the few times I saw him play with Portland, but now I see why we could get him for so little. That's why I'm not an NBA GM. If the Knicks are to rebuild, they need someone whose player evaluation skills go beyond looking up their scoring average last season.
But can anyone build a winner working under Dolan?
Larry Brown made a mockery of this team by changing line-ups too often. If he’s not careful, Isiah is also going to make a mockery of this team for the opposite reason – for refusing to change the line-up/rotations at all.
I’m convinced that Isiah is essentially afraid to make those changes because all of a sudden - after having the itchiest trigger finger on trades in the NBA for a few years . . . somehow he’s convinced himself that making a change would be an admission of failure. Especially one of these blockbuster trades for, say, AMiller and Artest. I know, I know . . . it doesn’t make sense. I agree. I’m just saying I think HE THINKS that. I think it’s stubbornness at this point – he’s decided not to makes moves to prove his roster is a good roster. (I just hope we don’t ever find out it was Isiah who turned down some of these big trades that have been speculated about. You wonder if there would be grounds for a malpractice suit????) But the point is, I think Isiah is making decisions based on ego and stubbornness at this point . . . not on what the basketball team needs. (Just like he kept playing Jeffries last year, even when it was clear he was hurting the team . . . so he didn’t have to admit it was a mistake to sign him. See – there is precedent for this theory.)
And this is where Dolan is Isiah’s soul-mate. Because Dolan, poor Dolan . . . . basically Dolal is in over his head . . . up the same tree . . . up a creek without a paddle . . . he’s all those clichés rolled into one. Think about how foolish that contract extension would look if he fires Isiah less than a year later. And poor Dolan doesn’t wanna look foolish. But like Isiah, this has become a battle of wills between Dolan and the media . . . and now it’s an ego-based decision, not a basketball-based decision. And because he’d also be acknowledging the big bad media was right. And that’s something Dolan could . . . would . . . never do.
Fellas, please. Dolan is strumming his guitar with his band and sensimilla pals in a penthouse somewhere, laughing his ass off, puffing. Once a toker, always a toker. Do you think he is in the office balancing the MSG books? Take a look at line item "Buy Outs" and see how much he cares.
Dolan is F*ing with us and living his alternative lifestyle whatever that means. If we are lucky to have him come down to earth one day, if for a nanosecond, he will see that a snake oil salesman has destroyed his great franchise.
Hello All Disgusted, Miserable, Die-Hard Knick Fans,
Sunday December 30th 2007
11:00 AM (Noon Game)
Protest in front of MSG to OUST ISIAH.
The time has come to raise our voices.
Knicks vs. Bulls (Sure to be another pitiful loss!)
email: joeyvworks@yahoo.com
Step up and push to get Isiah removed!