There's a dangerous situation brewing here, with Isiah Thomas having the ability to make moves when everyone knows he knows his butt is on the line if this team fails to make the playoffs.
Thomas was asked at Monday's practice iif he can do anything he wants to do with the roster, which includes taking on salary if that kind of deal presents itself?
"Yes," he said.
So you're not under any restrictions?
"No."
And with this in mind, Jason Kidd may have an impact on Knick history one last time as a Net. Isiah said he feels the Kidd trade to Dallas dramatically changes the climate in the East among teams vying for that last playoff spot.
"We’re sitting here today, if Kidd leaves Jersey, there’s still five-six teams that could move in," he said. "We’re one of those teams, so everybody in the league is still thinking and hoping they have a shot at it."
Be very afraid.
*
The more Isiah says he doesn't want to make any major trades, the more he seems to suggest he is hoping to make a trade.
Four days after telling us how the NBA's run-and-fun regular season game just isn't suited for 25-year-old Eddy Curry and his post-ups -- as if that was the real issue -- Thomas now says he's still in love with the "power game" concept, which includes Zach Randolph.
"I know Eddy is a much better player than he's shown thus far," Isiah said. "And Zach has played well for us."
And...
“I keep looking at our guys and for as much talk as there has been about Eddy and Zach, they’re still 25 and 26," Isiah said. "There’s a lot of good basketball left for them to play.”
You buying this?
Isiah tried to convince us that the NBA is the real reason for Eddy's bad season. That the guards can't touch each other on the perimeter, but down low you can pound the crap out of a guy.
Hold up. This apparent league-supported campaign against Big Men didn't seem to stop Dwight Howard from becoming a dominant big man. Didn't stop Andrew Bynum from emerging as a rock solid low-post scorer. Hasn't stopped Tim Duncan. Hasn't stopped Amare Stoudemire. And if big men were so useless in the new NBA, why would the Phoenix Suns take such a risk to acquire Shaq? Why would the Lakers feel they need Pau Gasol?
And how come, if this game is so difficult for big men to dominate, did Eddy Curry have a career season only a year ago?
“It’s a good question," Isiah replied. "But we do know he’s a better player than he’s shown. I think Zach, he’s still putting up big numbers. He’s still finding his way.”
Yeah. He'd love to find his way to the door, if only you'd get him the hell out of here.
Another question: Couldn't Eddy's problems be more related to Zach's presence? Not that Zach is doing anything deliberately, but sometimes it just doesn't work and Zach wasn't the right player for this team's needs.
"That’s possible," Isiah said. "However, umm . . ."
There was a long pause.
". . . you’re not just willing to throw it away just yet."
At least not until someone makes you a decent offer.
Comments (18)
Let me reiterate that as a Knick fan for the last 15 years, I will quit supporting this team if Isiah is still here next season and is also allowed to continue to destroy the franchise at the trade deadline. That's it. I've had enough. I am not a sadomasochist. I don't like to inflict pain on myself or watch painful events take place. I hope many other fans feel the same way and stop selling out the Garden next year if Isiah is still there. If not, be prepared for more crap for the next 5 years.
This is funny as hell, Alan -- love that image.
I feel you, George. I tried breaking up with the Knicks twice -- first, when Isiah signed Jared Jeffries, then when he traded Penny for Steve Francis. I caved both times. What can I say: I'm in love. I'm still in love with the Knicks of the 1990s, who gave their fans more joy than any franchise (in any sport) that didn't win a championship. I'm still in love with LJ's four-point play, Starks' kissing the Knicks logo at center court upon his first return as a visiting player, Xavier McDaniel saying "F--- Michael Jordan and F--- Phil Jackson!" to reporters during the '92 playoffs, Van Gundy grabbing Mourning's leg, Tim Hardaway trying to bait Chris Childs into a fight after NYK beat the Heat in another decisive playoff game as Childs laughs and walks towards the locker room, the JoJo English fight, Reggie Miller's 25-point fourth quarter, the Hue Hollins phantom foul on Scottie Pippen in Game 5 of the '94 series, and pretty much anything John Starks did from 1989-1998. On and on and on. It was an extraordinary time. As good as any fans have ever had it, in any sport, in any era.
I wish I could just let it go -- I even tried being a Rockets fan for a while so I could still root for JVG. Didn't work. Bill Simmons wrote, "You don't choose your favorite team. Your favorite team chooses you." And so it goes. Someday, Isiah will be gone. Someday, the Knicks will defend the basket again. Someday MSG will rock hard during a playoff game, Marv Albert will sit courtside, Stephon Marbury will be a distant memory, and life will be very good.
In the meantime, Alan, we're counting on you to keep us smiling! And if anyone is willing to share their favorite Knicks memories from the 1990s, that would make me very happy.
@Banjo -- how many times did Alan Houston's last shot bounce off the rim in Miami, before dropping through the net, winning the series for the Knicks? But you're right -- the greatest single image from that time? Gotta be JVG on the floor, clutching Mourning's leg. We're reduced to old men, remembering better times. Thanks, Isiah. On to new business:
Don’t worry, Alan – I am VERY afraid. I can’t believe there’s even a remote possibility Isiah Thomas is still allowed to function as GM of this team. We’re in desperate, desperate trouble if he makes a trade . . . and it means there's even a remote possibility he could still be around next season.
Can Dolan really be that stupid? That he’ll still allow Isiah Thomas to make trades for this team? If that isn’t as frightening a metaphor for the incompetence running MSG . . . it’ll do ‘till another one comes around. Or until Isiah makes another trade.
PS – Alan – take your own very good advice: Just ignore “Anonymous.” You were right to ban him. So was every other Knicks blog. He’s just a reminder that this really is a city filled with sad, lonely people. The question is: Eleanor Rigby? Or Travis Bickle?
Alan-the pic is hilarious. Thanks
Isiah,
Wan't to make Knick fans happy?
Please trade away Zach randolph & Eddy curry
and only bring back expiring contracts & draft picks
flybanjo - totally agree w/ u.
Someday our Knicks will bounce back and rule.
who cares if we move curry, zach or whoever.
Lebron, pls come home in 2010.
Trane- the answer is 4. it bounced 4 times and my heart stopped all 4 times.
Alan,
are u still looking at trade proposals ? I guess I was too late adding to that thread. great idea though.
I find it hard to believe Thomas has 'carte blanche' at this point. But it's always a contest as to who is more incompetent, he or Dolan.
Flybanjo, thanks for the walk down memory lane. What a treat those Ewing/Oakley/Starks years were. Even when they lost, there was never any question that they left it all out on the floor.
Someone should remind Isiah Moron what Mourning and Shaq meant to Miami 2 years ago. Of course Zo with one kidney and his hands tied behind his back is a better defender than Curry.
Perhaps Thomas meant it's not a league for pudgy big men who never box out, block a shot, or jump for a rebound and who get all their fouls on the offensive end.
Something tells me Dwight Howard is going to have a long successful career in this league.
LGM - watching Dwight Howard makes Curry seem that much more depressing.
It would be amazing if Isiah could trade Randolph for a defensive 4 with an overpaid expiring deal...unfortunatly any trade that Zeke makes will put us even further over the cap.
two cents:
Alonzo Mourning was the center that won the finals for the Heat that year. Every Mavericks run came when Shaq was on the floor and couldn't drag his carcass back to defend. And every time, Riley called Zo's number and he'd leap up off the bench looking like somebody just punched his mother. He'd hit the floor, hit some Maverick at random, block a shot; end of run.
Mind you I'm not especially a Mourning fan. I respect what he has done to play the game, but it is more an indictment of the where the league is today that a guy caring about the game and playing hard to win is heroic. I suspect Flybanjo and the rest of this crew of fixers would agree.
I also attribute his and Shaq's entry into the league as another turning point in the dumbing down of the NBA. Neither had any offensive game whatsoever upon entering the league, and as a result, the league began legislating the game to allow them to score. Much like the arrival of Iverson and other guards who took the one-man-off-the-dribble vs. the other team a la Jordan to its logical conclusion in the carry/crossover/travel world we have today, the rule changes required to abet these players have diminished the role of skill and team in the game. (Let the offensive player carry the ball like a plate of eggs and don't allow the defensive player to even breathe on him).
Shaq and Zo were allowed to bull over anyone in front of them - I can remember Zo literally tripping over defenders he had knocked to the ground on his way to the basket for dunks and never an offensive foul. Ditto for Shaq. I love the ridiculous meme out there we hear ad naseum from broadcasters about how much of a beating Shaq takes because he's so big, the refs can't call the game properly. As if they need PhD's in physics to understand Shaq's mass. Garbage! Look back at the way the game was originally played, you don't have to go that far back really, look at the way the game was called in the post. The defender had as much right to his space as the offensive player. Why do you think McHale had 6 different ways to fake and dropstep to the rim. Or Jabbar, or Parrish, or Bernard. Look at Wilt Chamberlain footage - talk about size difference - everyone was a child compared to him, but he could not slam guys out of the post with his ass, root them out with his arms, swing his elbows through the mans chest to clear a path. If he had gotten to play the way Shaq and Zo did, he would have scored 100 points every night! To this day, Shaq cannot convert in the post if he catches the ball with both feet out of the paint.
Its boring. It stifles innovation. These athletes are the finest in the world. If the rules called for them to calculate square roots on an abacus with their offhand while dribbling they could do it. Its why American ballers get beat by European teams.
Sorry for the rant, clearly I need too get out more.
Willis... you're 100% right!! i remember specifically the laker's first championship with kobe and shaq, when they played indiana. the way shaq bulldozed over smits almost every time. once, shaq literally threw an elbow into smits' jaw and he dropped to the floor holding his teeth in place. no whistle... shaq went up and threw down a dunk. and this was IN indiana. the crowd started booing terribly and i thought they were gonna start throwing stuff. the same exact thing happened against jersey, when Tumbo was guarding shaq. it was just disgusting.... it definitely wasn't basketball. the only great PF/C with true post-up skills and defensive tenacity has to be duncan. he never bulldozed his way to the basket. always relied on skill... and they complained about him being boring....
Bring back Tony Campbell damn it! Hell, bring back the Wolves' 1990 starting back court. Instead of hearing "BOO" at the Garden, at least we'd get a kick out of "POOOOOOOOOHH"
That's Jerome "Pooh" Richardson for those that don't remember.
B
This is the latest from Chad Ford on ESPN.com. When he says NYK will have $15-20M in cap room during summer 2010, I think that means if they don't take on any more contracts, which means don't re-sign David Lee or Nate Robinson.
New York Knicks
Isiah Thomas continues to say that it's unlikely the Knicks will do anything significant before the trade deadline, but chatter around the league suggests otherwise. Multiple sources say that Miami has interest in Eddy Curry. The Heat can offer Jason Williams' expiring contract in a straight-up deal. Or, if the Knicks want players back, they could try to work in a third team like New Jersey, which is trying to find a new home for Vince Carter.
If the Knicks do decide to break up the Zach Randolph-Eddy Curry tandem, which direction do they go in? If the Knicks were to erase Curry's deal from the books, they'd be staring at roughly $15-$20 million in cap room during the summer of 2010 -- when LeBron James and company become free agents. If they trade for Vince Carter, they lose that cap flexibility, but immediately get back a player who could help them make a late playoff push in the East.
If the Nets could work out this deal, and essentially erase Carter from their books, they'd be staring at around $15-$20 million in cap room this summer. It's a slam dunk for them. As for Miami, Curry isn't a great rebounder or defender, but he can score in the paint and, at 25, may still have some upside. If Pat Riley can't get anything out of him ... then no one can.
Also of note, it appears that a few teams have also broached the possibility of acquiring Stephon Marbury if the Knicks are willing to take back a long-term deal. Marbury's contract expires after next season and a few GMs say it's possible that a team might be willing to pawn off a bad long-term contract (like the Nuggets' Nene or Kenyon Martin for example) in return for Marbury.
Can we read anything into the fact that Dolan left the President of the team home and took Glen Grunwald to the All-Star game with him? You want it to mean that the Knicks owner is finally wising up. And looking elsewhere for intelligent advice. And yet I realize I don’t know anything about Grunwald. Does anybody? Is he any good? (Forgetting for the moment the obvious question: How much worse could he be?) Still, his background is a little troubling.
GG grew up in Chicago, went to Indiana and made a name for himself at his first NBA front-office job . . . in Toronto. Sound familiar? That’s why I always assumed he was just an IT flunky. I can only hope that’s wrong. Is he angling for isiah’s job? I guess we have to hope he’ll be more successful at stabbing Isiah in the back than Larry Brown was. (LB was clearly a snake when he was here – and trying to get Isiah’s job. It was a mess. And yet, I can’t help but wonder if the Knicks might not be better off today if Brown had won that power struggle? Could the Knicks be in worse shape? We have the exact same record today that we had at the All-Star break under LB. And Isiah is trying to WIN games. We have to assume LB was trying to make Isiah look bad.)
But maybe it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re stuck with Isiah for another season if the Knicks make a move this week. Maybe Grunwald’s running the front-office now. If nothing else it’s encouraging that he’s rumored to be willing to trade anybody on the roster. That could mean he’s at least marginally realistic about the mess his boss created. Like most fans, I’d like to see the Knicks keep Lee. But with the astonishing lack of talent on this team, the next GM has to have total flexibility . . . to keep who he wants . . . and move who he wants
Hey Alan,
I've been thinking this for a while but it may finally be validated, we may have found a GM who's met Zeke's match, Pat Riley! Word on the skreet is Riley is willing to take on Eddy Furry for Jason Williams expiring contract, are you kidding me? There are other reports which have the Nets involved, sending VC to the Knicks if Zeke wants a player back which sounds more like Zeke's speed, I am literally on my hands and knees praying the ladder doesnt happen. Zeke has an opportunity dare I say to save his job by simply swapping Furry for Williams.
I know on the surface it would look like he traded multiple draft picks and players and what have you for Jason Williams, but let's not look at the glass half empty, we can't turn back the clock now. Going forward, this trade sets this team up for the future, presumably getting us 15-20 mil under the cap for 2010 when superstars like LBJ will be available, you get under the cap enough with our resources in another year or so and LBJ may actually consider playing here.
Bottom line, making the playoffs this year should not be the goal, if winning the chip is not in the picture then what the hell do you play the game for? As far as I'm concerned making the playoffs is a dream and even if it happens it will be a moral victory because there's no way it happens with them any better than 10 games under .500. Start preparing for 2009, 2010, you have Steph's contract coming off the books next year, imagine having both Steph and Furry's contracts off the books come 2010 along with some other intangibles like Fred Jones and Malik, Zeke will finally look like an NBA GM for a change by actually building correctly.
You still have Zach, Lee, Crawford, Nate, Balkman, Chandler, this year's lottery pick (which we can use on a pass-first PG by the way if one is available), etc., some decent pieces to keep around for the future, and there's still the possibility although risky of adding Artest at a reasonable price come summer if he's not traded by the deadline Thursday. Look, we got a sucker in Riley right now, we must take advantage, the point differential with Furry on the floor is -11, he's not a good fit nor does he want to play here anymore. If anyone can get something out of Furry, its Riley. DO THE DEAL ZEKE, Furry for Williams straight up, forget Vince, it only continues to set the franchise back! This year is a wrap, prepare for the future for a change and try to salvage your name and the franchise, whether he's here or not this sets us for the future!!!!!!!