The Knicks Fix

YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME, THIS KID HAS NOT FULLY HEALED AND HE'S GOING TO PLAY IN ITALY. FOR WHAT? NO ONE WILL BEAT THIS YEAR USA TEAM. THIS KID NEEDS TO COME DOWN TO RUCKER SO WE CAN TEACH HIM ABOUT REAL BASKETBALL (MR.SORE BACK).

Alan
Why can't the knicks demand
that Gallo not play in the tournament?

isn't he the property of the knicks?

what if he makes his back problem worse?

i think that is a bad decision
and i hope he does not suffer any new injuries

i want this guy ready for the regular season

the knicks could of signed carlos arroyo instead of duhon

we stocked up with a whole bunch of bench guards

duhon starting over marbury is krazy
but marbury is a goner rite let's see what happens

we got no D in the middle so guys like mugsy will score in the paint

honestly i would play crawford at the point itz good to have a tall p.g.
no duhon isn't better than crawford at the p.g sorry foolz..

there are still some good role player out there to sign
we could of got gordon for 2 more mill
2 years 14mill he would of took it
he would of been our best shooter..

stayed tuned for more KnowLedge

This guy Knowledge sounds like a monkey with statements like these

"the knicks could of signed carlos arroyo instead of duhon"

"honestly i would play crawford at the point itz good to have a tall p.g.
no duhon isn't better than crawford at the p.g sorry foolz.."

Trust me...nobody is staying tuned for more Knowledge LOL....

Great chat today Alan.

I still don't think nobody knows what's going to happen until it actually happens. Yes Alan, that includes even you.

Your still on the outside looking in...even with your inside "connections".....

I know someone at the Garden in an executive role but I would never ask him what's going on. So does that mean, I have a "connection also"?

Didn't think so.....

Have a great summer Alan.

@ DaJoka, Your still on the outside looking in...even with your inside "connections".....

What does that even mean? Anyway, I missed the chat and the Bokomon love fest, but this Gallinari thing is a cause for concern. Any chance Alan that we can play him at the two so that he can avoid the pounding in the post until he beefs up a little bit. He seems to have the ball handling, passing, and court vision to be able to handle the role based on that brief showing I got to see in the summer league game. Plus I think you said he has a nice J. He could be a combo gaurd with Nate, Duhon or Crawford on the floor. A tall two like T-Mac, I think it might work.

@ Knowledge, we already tried Crawford at the point. As much as I would like to see it, he is too turnover prone right now. My hope is that by 2010 he will have matured enough to take over the role since we don't have a real pass-first PG now.

As for team USA being unstoppable, I saw them this morning. They looked great if unfocused at times because they were do much better than Lithiuana (sp?). Dwight Howard is an absolute beast. Makes me second guess my opposition to A. Randolph. Having a guy like that who can dominate down low and change the game defensively makes it easier for everybody else. Biig Up to Big Pat for grooming the kid the right way and Yao Ming too. J-A-M-A-I-C-A. Jamaica. . . . Jamaica (sorry had to do it). We need Big Pat to get on the the two fat boys we got.

@DaJoka

"Your still on the outside looking in...even with your inside "connections"

what the does that mean?

if you have inside connections
does that not give you a better insight
as to what is going on

of course Alan is not Walsh or Dolan
but if he is getting information
from a source inside the knicks
that would lead me to believe
he has a better grasp on what the knicks
are thinking
in contrast to some pedestrian blogger

that is a strange comment

i have a friend that writes for ESPN
and when he tells me info about the NBA
i take it to heart because of who he works for

a writer or blogger
is only as good as his connections or sources
wouldn't you say?

I agree 100 percent NYC but most of Alan's insight is wrong. Take me back to when Alan put us on to something that was going to happen BEFORE it happened. He usually let's us know after the fact, and by then we usually already know about the deal. He's still the best blog host in the Western hemisphere but I'm just saying that he is just like us as far as analysis and opinions so we can only take his word so far. Like I said before, he's a great host and he keeps us updated with things he see's not hears. My friend at the Garden is not closely associated with Walsh, he's more on the operations side for the Garden itself.
I LOVE THIS BLOG!!!!!!!!!!!!
Man I can't wait till training camp.

@DaJoka

okay cool...i understand your point now.

yeah training camp is going to be FUN.

i wish that MSG would do some reality tv stuff
on training camp
that would be good television...LOL

Heck yeah that would be good TV......
I hope Alan doesn't take that as an insult.
If it means anything Alan, your way better than Sperman or Assola....Don't even get me started on that 4 eyed weasel Lupica.
For example....Alan said Wilson Chandler doesn't have a handle....what Wilson Chandler is he talking about?
The Wilson Chandler I know has everything...shot making ability, ability to knock down a jumper, defense, rebounding and yes a handle. He can't handle the ball like CP3 or Derron Williams but for a 6 foot 8 guy...his handle is way better than average.
That's an example of what I'm talking about. He has opinions just like us.
Keep this stuff going.....excellent conversation guys.
Let's keep each other busy till the season starts.

read for yourselves (from the Fanatics)

The Honeymoon Will Be Televised…… & In Print

Viewers are accustomed to MSG-Network glass is half-full coverage of the New York Knicks. The Dolans contrary to Marv Albert’s beliefs, do not write checks to their employees to denigrate their product. If you are on the Dolan’s payroll, you either get with the program or you get going. This week Cablevision officially acquired Newsday and the Knicks’ relationship with the print media will never be the same.

Cablevision/Newsday becomes the Big-Dog regarding the Knicks. Ken Berger (a solid journalist), and Alan Hahn will have access to information regarding the Knicks before any of the other scribes in town. The Knicks will plant information with their own, (Newsday) to drop on the public as a trial run before it becomes official. Balkman was written out of the Knicks’ script before the first summer league game by Alan Hahn. Was this because Hahn is a prophet, or was he given information by the club to set the tone of the discussion about Balk’s low IQ, and how he does not fit in the offense because of his decision making, and his inability to run the point from the 3 in D’Antoni’s offense,(this was mind-boggling, Q can barely make 3-dribbles in a row, is he going to run the offense from the 3). This trial-transaction was initially attempted with David Lee before the draft.

Before the draft it was floated that Lee would be traded to free cap space in 2010, but when the fans protested against the trading of Lee, the Knicks backed down. Remember Lee is the most popular Knick, and when you are trying to sell season tickets after a 23 win season, you listen to the fans. The fans resistance to the trading of Lee forced the Knicks to move Balk, because a forward had to go to make room for the Roost-Ta. Although Walsh initially stated that Roost-Ta was a 4 (Lee’s position), Balk a 3, became the odd man out. It wasn’t that DLee suddenly developed a jump-shot. Alan Hahn set the table and Berger broke the story on the trade. Look for this process to repeat itself in the future. In addition look for Hahn to be less critical and show more reverence toward Knicks management this year, because he understands that you either get with it, or you get going.

In this current media environment that has newspapers downsizing and cutting cost, Hahn is now indirectly part of Cablevision’s PR-machine. Expect more of “Donnie is doing the right thing”, “Donnie is being patient”, and “the Knicks are more transparent” from Newsday. The tone has changed, and most will attribute the tranquility to the change in management. The truth is Dolan has bought the messenger.

Who will end the Honeymoon? Look for the guys at the Post and the Daily News to go negative, early and often. Vecsey, Berman, & Isola, will feel disadvantage by not being able to break news on the Knicks. Vecsy has positioned himself as Mr. Insider, and Isola Mr. Scoops. Their egos will not allow them to constantly get beat on stories by the Newday reporters. The guys will make McCain look like a puppy with the negatives. I look for Vecsey to start in November, and Isola to soon follow. I also expect the Post and News to give more coverage to the Nets and less coverage to the Knicks in the coming season.

Moral of the Post. Buy the Messenger and you Create the Message

Excellent post ......and I'm glad Jimmy Boy purchased the paper.

If you got the money.....you call the shots.

@read for yourself.

great post, though i doubt that alan will repost it as the blof of the summer. while i am i dedicated reader and contributer to this site, and i admire alan for his, hard work, writing skills and wit, i too suspect that all will not be the same now that his paycheck is dependent on the man who own the product alan is paid to report on and critique.

nobody reads stars and stripes to find out what is really going on at the pentagon.

nobody peruses disney magazine to learn about the appalling treatment of disney workers.

nobody looks to china's state run press to glean information about the struggle in tibet.

nobody scans the ny post to learn about the dark political machinations of rupert murdoch.

so should we expect newsday to be the place to turn for fair and frank reporting on cablevision, it's subsidiaries and employees?

history tells us otherwise.

sorry alan, just bloggin'.

@Sec 11

i was thinking tha same thing...

but i think alan will be alright
because he was fair and balanced with his
coverage.

if his name was frank isola
or mike lupica he might have a real problem..LOL

but seriously i don't think dolan
will bother him or make him adapt
to the MSG communist regime

also didn't walsh say they were relaxing
the press restrictions?
and they are allowing the
media to cover the practices?

so thats a begining to allowing
real unbiased coverage of the team
and that should trickle down...
hopefully that will allow alan
to do the blog the way he wants

I can't believe that the Knicks consider Danilo Gallinari a power
forward. As skinny ( at 6' 8" 210 Lbs.) as he is, it's obvious that
he has the frame of a shooting forward.
By having Danillo play against a monster power forward in the
first summer league game, Knick Management created this
( back injury) problem for themselves. Then I read that the
Knicks now have their doubts about Danillo.
The Knicks are making a big mistake in trying to mold Danillo
into a power forward. He has the ability to score 20 or more
points per game and the ability to become a good defender
against players his size.
I know the knicks want Lebron James in 2010 but I don't see
that happening. Danillo and Dwayne Wade sounds more
reallistic.

@ sanman. Keep the Danillo playing a 2/3 role alive. I love it.

Jackie J posted

Yo Alan Hahn,

What do you think of blog today over on Knicks Fanatics that basically paints you as Jim Dolan's puppet? I mean, granted anyone who publishes in italics and punctuates like this "Admin" can't be taken very seriously at all, but still, this is a blog yours links to.

Care to respond to any of their silly Nostradamusesque "proclaimations," that you are selling out?

Obviously, the Fanatics "Admin" is a bitter, hate-spreading worthless piece of garbage, but that is besides the point.

Just thought you should know what these Fanatics think of you.

Jackie,
i think Peace is the site administrator for the Fanatics. someone mentioned that already

Great posts guys and good points about cablevision. But don't you think we owe Alan a little more respect then what you guys are giving by questioning his angle on his stories? I would put my money on Alan just leaving and going to work somewhere else if he really thought he was being told how to cover the knicks. Maybe we don't "owe" him anything since we don't really "know" him but him along with maybe H-beck, Berger, and Doughtery, these are about the only writers in the NY area that don't appear to have some kind of bias before they write. Why are we here everyday looking for his latest posts if we question his integrity as a writer. Just bloggin...

i thought italy didn't make the olympics ??
you would think the italians would want roostah to heal up and show off his goods when the nba kicks off rather than some non-descrip tournament. i'm still confused as to what it is. is it a under-21 italian team tourney or the regular italian olympic team w/ bellinelli, etc. who knows anymore. d'antoni & gallo sr. need to put an end to this. this cat seems real fragile & suspect.

p.s - if i see somebody post saying 'would of' ONE MORE TIME i swear... it's would've!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@ BeefJerky

Yes, I am one of 5 Admin's @ the Fanatics.
And yes the above post( Read for yourself) is an intro from the Fanatics that Jackie J. (Joyner?) referred to! What's the problem
with that post? It doesn't demean Alan at all. Please change your handel to beef stroginoff, beefJerky don't cut it for you!

I don't blame Dolan for doing this with Newsday. DN and NYP are owned by people(corporations) with their own agenda as well. And I was always sure that one of their reasons for MSG bashing was because it was owned by a competing media company - Cablevision. Last year I even posted a suggestion to Dolan to start purchasing ad space in DN and NYP to become their client and thus lessen their criticism. He went beyond that and bought a whole newspaper outfit. Cablevision is big in LI so it makes total sense to improve their public perception there at least. Hey just business as usual.

"Eddy has a lot of work to do, especially after the knee surgery. It'll obviously be a story on media day, which I always love. Fat reporters asking an athlete about his weight and conditioning."

We'll start worrying about this when lazy, overpaid, selfish, self-centered, egotistical jocks start asking scribes about past participles, dangling prepositions, and the use of indirect objects.

Or what it's like to write about hockey.

Tell Fat Eddy to work (a new idea for him) and drop the excess baggage.

And be good to Mr. Dolan. He owns you now.

A re-post from the pertinent thread:

Alan

The week you're bought by MSG, out comes this "it doesn't matter what I think" type of post?

A clue for a Knick fans: It DOES matter what you think, especially if what you think makes it to David Stern's desk (which is how WE got Zeke reassigned to Siberia in the first place).

I'll add that it was clever to have it done by a fan, and not yourself. At least Cablevision is choosing to buy smarter people, normally I love the blog, but this is poor timing at best.

I might recieve vitriol here for reposting my reply to Bokonon's "Post of the Summer"

But I don't care,... and here goes.

My response after Lives posted Bokonon's "Post of the Summer!"

Lives

Great posting and toasting. Youv'e singlehandedly, (with the peach from your kitchen in the other hand) injected Knicksfanatics and the knicksblogosphere with a healthy dose of wake the F up!

You make many strong points about the importance of blogging critical, (not merely knee jerck skepticism (and or blind dissent)), on points of disagreement that are part of the essence (samiq) that has animated this fan inspired, created and animated blogosphere.

One point which you didn't touch upon, and perhaps you might disagree as to it's importance, is that the very nature of blogging on a object of passion, (the New York Knicks) is an activity which to some degree has reviltalized the many diverse voices of diehards who have gone underground digital online, and in there unconscious efforts have stirred reinvigorated interest and support for a team that might have merely rolled over and died in its slow painful downfall and disgrace.

This movement of the digital online underground has cast back the slings and arrows of shame and obscurity which would have been the fate and perhaps death knell of many a hardened knick fan, and in the process blogs, both commercial and indy, have been challenged to respond and produce an atmosphere conducive to fandom in its myriad of forms.

To that end, while Bokon's post was excellent in its form for capturing all that has been part and parcel of this Knicks underground movement- opinionated passion- the post suffers IMHO opinion from a defect which is the antethesis of what blogging, camraderie, fellowship, and community is all about. In essence Bok's post indirectly carries with the spirit of SHUT THE F UP.

Answer me this where would bloggers go if they couldn't express an opinion, entertain debate, take express and defend a position?

Would Blogs exist if bloggers were to succumb and fall in line with Bok's implicit calling for all to SHUT THE F UP?

Would the myriad of Knicks fans who have found that they are not alone in their passion for this team have at all contributed to sustaining interest in the Knicks as a product, a passion, a team- despite a decades worth of vitriol that has been beaten the Knicks worse than Nietzche's horse by many in the MSM- still have made their mark in keeping interest in this team sustained and revitalized?

Me I'd prefer a healthy dose of wake the f up anyday over a take that tells me and all who have builts these houses to shut the f up!

Holla at ya boyz later

Point is that all you bloggers here and elsewhere are the company that has kept me and many going throuhg way too much Knicks misery, all of you helped build this house and some of my brethern on the blogosphere helped build others. Censorship by any name is vile.

Where all here to talk, and when we take a different stance on some issues debate, rant, commiserate "blog"

So here's to free speech and wake the F up over shut the F up!

Amen to Lives and O&B.......

FYI.....This is what O&B responded to...... take a deep breath because this guy is no cloner!

MY OPINION MATTERS TO ME

PART I

I just read Bok’s comment which leads one of Hahn’s blog posts. I don’t know whether it is the best comment of the summer, but it certainly reflects the high quality of the comments Bok usually offers. It is also a reflection of the quality of the comments and reflections by a good number of Knicks Fans. But Bok, I disagree.

It does not matter that Dolan doesn’t care about whether I give the Walsh/Antoni regime a chance or not. First, Dolan’s thoughts have no bearing on how I express my fanaticism. Second, Dolan’s major personnel decisions are being guided by the NBA front office, not fan opinion, which has put the team under an unofficial receivership to insure that the flagship franchise is managed in line with the league’s international expansion and marketing plans. Third, the NBA doesn’t give a damn about my opinion so long as it is accompanied by a healthy expenditure on cable, NBA TV, game tickets, T-shirts, NBA merchandising and the like. That is the fan opinion that is counted in decision making.

So as a fan, I would never allow what Dolan and the NBA think, about my opinion, to dictate how I express my fan-ship. However, admittedly I would not totally give up on the possibility that my opinion along with those of like-thinking fans might help make my team better by forcing the truth (if we are right) to be revealed much faster.

Did Isiah receive a honeymoon period that Walsh deserves and is being denied by fans and the media?

Knicks Fans are diverse and they have never all walked in lock-step. Not everyone gave Isiah a long honeymoon period (some didn’t even give him a Magic Johnson kiss). I also recall the media generally receiving Isiah with cautious optimism – I also recall him being criticized for his breakups in Toronto and Indiana. I recall questions about whether he was the right fit for New Yorkers. But let’s say Isiah had a decent pre-tip off honeymoon period with the media. Walsh is still in his media honeymoon period and it appears to me that much of the major New York media has announced that Walsh will get the benefit of their doubt until 2010. Currently, the media remains very favorable to Walsh despite the questionable quality of his moves. Patience is the watchword: just watch and be patient.

Since, I don’t know which fans refuse to give Walsh the same benefit of the doubt that they gave Isiah, I can’t really address that point. But I know why Walsh, while he has my wishes for a better season, has lost the benefit of this fan’s doubt.

Personally, I think team management should be judged by the moves it makes even before their personnel selections hit the court for as members of the new team. I loved Riley as a Laker leader and was really excited when he came to the Knicks from day 1. I was skeptical about "inexperienced" Van Gundy but loved what he did with the team for the most part.

When Isiah came to New York, I was skeptical that he could make a difference with and to the roster he inherited, plus I was a Magic Johnson fan and was hoping Phil Jackson would take the job. But Isiah came and I was hopeful until he started making his moves. When Isiah brought on Marbury, I thought the move was very risky and that many New Yorkers were duped again into buying that made-in-New York garbage. At least those of us in New Jersey, remember a homesick Marbury returning with fanfare to the east coast and leaving after making more of a depression than impression. When Isiah brought in washed-up Lenny Wilkens, I believed I knew the end to that story. More made-in-New York stupidity. Then he brought in not-made-for-New York -impatience Larry Brown. Brown long ago was viewed by the media as a dishonest and disloyal but successful coach. His line of detractors rivaled Isiah’s. I questioned those moves when they were made. They looked bad to me before anyone bounced a ball on the court. Some fans gave those decisions the benefit of the doubt – they were wrong, but that doesn’t mean they were wrong to be hopeful or to ignore what some of us considered the obvious error in those moves.

But just because I thought the moves were bad didn’t stop me from hoping that I was wrong and wishing for the best. Of course none of us knows how any personnel move will turn out. We have no idea how individuals will work together and the role that “God’s will” will play in future developments. Injuries, for one, can destroy the best laid plans (We thought McDyess would turn us around and that Bernard King was done). You just never know. But that is not a reason not to have an opinion based on past history.

I became a bit more supportive of Isiah when the media became unbalanced, overzealous and inaccurate in turning Isiah into the poster child for perpetual New York Knick ineptitude. The press in its rantings violated several principles of objective journalism and resorted to cheap tricks, including racist pandering and a fire Isiah campaign, to sell papers. I still will support the good work done by Isiah and criticize the terrible job he did and results he achieved. As far as I am concerned the notions that Isiah was all bad or all good are wrong and based on emotions not fact. (That's my opinion and no one has disproved it yet.)

Ultimately being a Knicks fan is about winning, but it is about more than winning. Many of us follow the Knicks every move, from season tip-off to the next season tip-off, so we are apt to make judgments, rightly or wrongly, without a single game being played. Just as management is apt to make judgments as they make hiring and contract decisions, we are going to make judgments about their judgements. That’s what fans do.

Being a fan does not require me to watch management make moves I personally think are wrong and to remain silent or to clap as though I believe they will pan out. Being a fan doesn’t even require me to hold my breath until mid-season when the team will have a winning or losing record to prove or disprove my skepticism.. Being a fan does not require me to fall in line with other fans and blindly accept newness simply because it is the new regime and not the old regime.

I too Sing New York Orange And Blue. But I do it my way?

MY OPINION MATTERS SO MUCH TO ME THAT I WROTE A PART II

by LIVES

Whether Walsh deserves a chance or not is irrelevant because he already has a chance and will keep it as long as Stern and Dolan (My Daddy Charles that is) agree to this informal receivership, which was solidified by the “appointment” of Stern’s marketing exec to the Garden presidency. (Marketing precedes personnel moves, but sometimes a personnel move is marketing).

However, I believe that Walsh does not deserve to go without scrutiny just because he is not Isiah Thomas or that Layden guy. Walsh does not deserve to go unquestioned just because he is the new guy on the block. Personally, if the guy seems like the right fit, I’ll give him a kissy, kissy when he walks in the door, but once he starts doing his job, I will look at it critically. As a fan I got that right.

I don’t like being sold a bill of duds by anyone at any time. I didn’t like it from Isiah. I didn’t like it from our Beats. And I don’t like it from the “Stern-Walsh regime.” Unlike some fans, I refuse to cheer Walsh just because he is not Isiah. Change just because it is change doesn’t work for this fan. I question Walsh because his hire deserves to be questioned. He was damn near a retiree being ousted by the owner who preferred Larry Bird and publicly stated (without directly criticizing Walsh) that he should have taken over Walsh’s job personally a long time ago. Walsh got his job, not because of his recent successes, but his relationship to Stern and his reputation and tenure in the NBA. These are Dolan-Stern’s Knicks.

Walsh was hired as a marketing priority, not to turn the Knicks into a winner. Winning is secondary or tertiary and I don’t appreciate the lies that suggest winning is the prime objective for Knicks management and the NBA. I want the Knicks to have better management, but I want them to win, now. And I don’t buy that wait until 2010 line. There are those of us who fundamentally disagree with the notion that the Knicks can’t be turned into winners now. Walsh can and should be doing a better job.

I am all for being positive and singing Kuumbiya while holding hands with other Knicks fans, but expect me to drop your hand just for a second to get the cattle prod off my ass while they try to make me conform to all the other fans in the herd.

Walsh’s first personnel moves are all very questionable. Only the D’Antoni hire comes with a proven NBA winner pedigree. And the D’Antoni hire was undeniably better than hiring Mark Jackson and could possibly fit this collection of players better than hiring Avery Johnson. Good hire Walsh. And D’Antoni? The coach should get the benefit of the doubt until he starts doing his job.

Walsh however has already started doing his job. He could have extended the honeymoon by making better choices.

O'K, I'm done. See Ya Later.

Bok offers intelligent insights while Lives tries his best to sound intelligent.

Bok has substance.
Lives has no meat just words.

good comment "Orange and Blue"

i agree and will continue to speak my mind

diversity is a good thing
all opinions welcomed
keeps the points of view interesting

i am pragmatic by nature
and have always been a "show me guy"
i didn't cut isiah any slack
and i won't cut walsh any either

discontent is the spark of revolution...LOL

i just wish we could get back
to the "rough rider" knicks of the 90's
when we would knock you
on your Arse if you came into the lane

i miss the sprewells,the anthony masons
the oakleys,the tough talk
the swagger and the attitude

the knicks have become soft
and apathetic

i hope walsh can bring back that pride and toughness

@ NYC2infinity

I'm on the same page with you about getting some toughness on this team. At this juncture the Knicks have an emotionally delicate big man (curry), and no real enforcer or legit shot blocker to anchor the defense. Add to that the Knicks have a small legion of railthin or lileputian guards, and a rookie small forward who might have trouble with the grind and rougher play in the Eastern Conferene.

Some times I think Seven Seconds or Less might end up being Seven Seconds Finnesse untill the team sures up some areas of need. Can't run w/o rebounds, so Lee must at least stay.

OBTW

I really also hope that Walsh, D'antoni, and Gallinarri succeed in NY. I say it b/c I'm a Knick fan 1st and foremost. But as always I and everyone here is free to speak their mind when they find some moves to be questionable. The best thing is to articulate it and why it doesn't sit well with you.

Don't hold your breath for 2010 or for CableBlindness' rates to go down. 2010 will come but will the Knicks get better or get LeBron? I wonder.

Dolan owning Newsday makes way for one more asset that he can run into the ground -- as he did with the Knicks.

Yes I will give Walsh and Di'Antony the benefit of the doubt -- for now.

But there is no doubt about James "Baby" Dolan and how he has played with the Knicks since he owned the franchise and how he will play with his new toy, NY Newsday.

Alan, if impartial journalism is important to you, start packing your bags NOW! Learn from Marv Albert's and Latrell Speedwell's experiences. Nobody talks back to Jimmy D or says anything negative about his Knicks -- even if they speak the truth!

Now at Dolan-owned Newsday forget about journalism or even reporting facts about MSG or the Knicks. Here you are one of the "Baby's" propagandists, not even a PR man. He will dictate chapter and verse to you about what you can and cannot say. Even the great Walt "Clyde" Frazier is towing the company line and knows better than to criticize the Knicks or Baby Dolan. I fear that Newsday will become Pravda under Dolan's rule.

TRUE STORY ABOUT THE NEW OWNER OF THIS BLOG

the trailblazers were in town, and dolan wanted to meet paul allen (i suppose a suck-up-billionaire-to-billionaire urge). so he heads over to the visitors locker room but is prevented from entering by allen's bodyguards. jimmy throws a fit, threatens to have the bodyguards thrown out of the building, stamps his feet and screams about how he owns the building and can go anywhere he wants to in it, but the bodyguards tell him they don't know him from adam, and they don't budge.

so jimboy struts away in a fit of pique and does something that should tell alan all he really knows about his new boss:

he orders that his picture be mounted on the walls in the tunnels leading to the locker rooms, so that everyone will recognize him in the future.

this a true story.

Andrew Bogut suffers a slight ankle injury in an Aussie game.

This is a sign that these competitions are serious and maybe too serious for Gallo. If mike and Gallo's dad are friends they need to talk and he needs to rest. I don't expect too much this season but I remember the past injuries to Lee, Collins, and Blakman keeping them off the floor and developing sooner. I'd feel better with him resting but my team (USA) has it's best players on the team as well.

A few thoughts on the media issues that have been boiling here for the last couple of days.

Posters have shared some disturbing tories and well-reasoned concerns over the implications of Cablevision taking over Newsday. Media consolidation and the resulting loss of independent voices is a big problem in general - the integrity of the message is called into question. Given the way Dolan operates (classlessness, petulance and general douchbaggery) it is hard to believe that steady criticism of the company team from the company paper will be tolerated. The question then is so what? Or, to be more polite, what next?

Prior to the takeover, Alan posted his observations, things he heard and his opinions on the direction of the team. We readers have been free to agree or disagree, continue reading or move on, post a response or not. Personally, I come to this site because Alan has been an excellent blog host, and there is a solid group of posters who make good points without (for the most part) childish name calling or self-important melodramatic book-length manifestos. If the upbeat civil tone and open discussions are compromised, then the Knicks Fix will no longer be a place I feel comfortable, and I'll move on.

While it is ironic that some of the voices sounding the alarm over Newsday's sudden partiality are the same who have taken the NY media to task for being too critical in the past, there is a serious issue here. Some people will take any defense of D'Walsh and the rebuilding plan as just toeing the company line. But no matter where Alan's opinions are coming from, we posters are free to agree, disagree, tear them to shreds or just discuss something else, as per usual. I personally can't see Dolan et. al. censoring the comments section of a blog, but again, if posts are deleted, etc., I'll move on.

Finally, Newsday is reporting on something whose outcome is clear for all of us to see. What does it matter if Alan attests to Gallo's toughness if the kid spends the year on the injured list, or if he defends Walsh's plan and the Knicks are 20 and 62 next spring with Zach still on the roster. The point is most of us watch as many games as we can and study the box scores nd recaps of the ones we miss - we don't need someone to tell us if the team is disjointed, cohesive, well-structures, tough on defense, etc - that will be obvious. And any reporter who tries to soft sell a bad situation will watch his credibility go the way of Starburman. In fact, Alan has more to lose in this department since he works for the Dolan paper.

I'd prefer to see Gallo sit out this tournament, not because I believe he is extra injury prone, but that intense summer play often leads to nagging injuries the following season - and that's among veteran all-stars. It is also easy for a guy, especially a prospect, to fall behind the eight ball if he starts the season off hurt. Ideally he spends the rest of the summer recovering from any wear and tear and working on his strength and conditioning.

Alan - thanks for looking into the Security system - it seems to be working a lot better now.

@pete-

really nicely put, i agree with all of your points.

the most important aspect of this blog is that it attracts the insights of intelligent and passionate knick fans. after all, we are the ones doing 95% of the writing here. it is the synergy of alan's efforts to stimulate the dialogue and our thoughts that make fixer-nation the must read on the web for all knick fans. obviously it would be counter-productive of the company to do anything to damage what is clearly a good thing (having said that, dolan obviously suffers from a strong self-destructive bent).

in any case, the issues raised in this thread have nothing to do with alan's integrity. clearly he is a professional who puts his heart, intellect and soul into his work. it's not his fault that he suddenly finds himself working for the evil empire he now has to report about. it will be a delicate balance, and i think it is inevitable that he will have to temper his criticism of management, especially given the history of dolan's dealings with employees who fail to toe the company line.

my feeling is that as long as this forum remains a place of unfettered thought, i think we owe our host the benefit of the doubt (assuming he doesn't become a blind cheerleader, in which case we would all abandon ship).

he's a sportswriter with mouths to feed, not a martyr with a cause.

and yes, the security system does seem improved this past weekend, which is a good thing for those of us who post from iphones, which do not have cut and paste ability.

"Holla at ya boyz later ..."

O&B had to skate. P Diddy, Puff Daddy, or whatever the hell that chump's calling himself today needs O&B to pull a Glock and fire a round inside an Atlanta club .

Not much of a resume business, or a career, but it keeps O&B well-stocked in Cheetos and Red Bull.

"in any case, the issues raised in this thread have nothing to do with alan's integrity. clearly he is a professional who puts his heart, intellect and soul into his work. it's not his fault that he suddenly finds himself working for the evil empire he now has to report about. it will be a delicate balance, and i think it is inevitable that he will have to temper his criticism of management, especially given the history of dolan's dealings with employees who fail to toe the company line."

sec,

One cannot put on the line a quality (integrity) that one has never possessed.

Al, being the good boy that he is, has already loaded up on Vaseline, Chapstick, and a knee pad to serve Master Dolan's daily needs.

@pete-
Sorry in advance for the "self-important melodramatic book-length manifesto". It is a response and if further response is warranted, I will do so somewhere else. If you aren't interested, please skip passed.

@LIVES, etc.,

wow, some people are very sensitive it seems.

(I don't know if Lives still even reads this blog much less posts here, but since some of the fanatics have seen fit to post his reply to my post here even though he did not post it here and I did not know of it until now, I feel the need to respond. I usually enjoy reading what he has to say even if he is horribly wrong most of the time. Somehow I get the feeling it will get back to him);

You obviously misunderstood the meaning of my statement that it shouldn't matter what I or any fan think. If you read the entire paragraph;

"It doesn't matter if I am willing to give the Walsh/D'Antoni regime a chance or not. It's not up to me. Knicks management couldn't care less if I approve and that is the way it should be. They should be in it to contend and win for the long haul, not to appease some fans with a win now or else attitude."

Maybe I should have added that it was a fan’s right to have an opinion but I didn’t think I needed to. As the rest of my post followed, you can see that I myself have some opinions, that again, don't and haven't mattered to Knicks mgmt.

I never said that I or you or any fan has no right to disapprove or disagree, and if you know me by any of my past comments (which I think you do) I am the last person to try to silence debate. I welcome and many times initiate confrontation. As do you Lives.

What I said, and implied was that if management has a long range plan to rebuild an organization, they need to stick to the plan and not be swayed by vocal fans who may not agree with the plan, or even more so the fans who may agree with the idea of rebuilding but not the reality of it. Many fans do not want to take a step back to take two forward. This is where the idea of "you can't rebuild in NY" comes from. The fans won't take it. We are seeing some evidence of this now.

Also everyone seems to be hung up on this 2010 thing. The goal is to shed contracts and get under the cap BY 2010, yes. But I don't think Walsh ever mentioned LeBron by name and if he did I think the Cavs may have a pretty good tampering case against him.

There are many free agents available in 2010 and beyond and the three year plan seems to me to be a goal to shed all overpriced salaries and generally bad contracts by that time and also to add young talent and try to remain competitive in the meantime. The fan backlash is what management gets for showing a timeline for a long range plan. After that, people just ran with it. Why should Walsh limit himself and say our goal is to get one or more of these three guys in 2010? This example in itself is a good argument for Dolan’s media wall of silence. With Dolan’s media policy, Isiah was free to trash the plan and go in a new direction every two weeks because he never made anyone privy to “the master plan”. Oh my God, I must be a media shill talking like that!!!

The LeBron, Wade, Bosh thing if I recall correctly is a concept wholly brought up by and perpetuated by the media and the blogosphere. It is assumed that the Knicks will try to get Lebron James in 2010 by nearly everyone with access to a computer although neither Walsh, D'antoni, Dolan nor anyone else involved in the actual business of the NYK has stated that that was the goal for a salary purge. The whole LeBron in 2010 idea is a complete assumption. It may be a good assumption, but an assumption all the same.

It is also the assumption among many vocal fans that if the Knicks purge salary and shed unnecessary players then do not acquire LeBron James, the entire enterprise can be said to be a failure. To me, nothing could be further from the truth.

Purging salaries is a good thing for a long term plan. It is easier to start at ground zero than trying to build on a faulty foundation. Where is the problem in that logic? It is my OPINION that this team needs to rebuild, not retool. However, I don’t think I ever read about Walsh stating directly that he would definitely be getting rid of Zach. Boston had been shopping Manny Ramirez around since he arrived in Boston. Shopping someone doesn't mean you will take the first offer. It is yet another assumption. It may turn out to be a correct assumption but until then…

Many fans have been screaming "TEAR IT DOWN AND START OVER" for quite some time now. This, I believe is being done.

When a new coach and management team come in, they have the right to dump the players they do not want. This may include a few fan favorites like Renaldo Balkman. I liked Balkman. But Walsh has the right to put his stamp on the franchise just like every other before him. Fans may not agree. Again, if he based his business and personnel decisions on fan opinion, he would not be a very good manager. He may as well make all his decisions based on blog polls.

Also, I have opinions based on what I have seen, read, and heard. I make up my own mind and think for myself thank you very much. Just because I have formed an opinion that may coincide with some others does not mean that I have been brainwashed or that "the establishment" has duped me, or that I am a sheep or that I haven't thought for myself. In the same way that just because someone may automatically be contrary to everything mainstream, it does not make them insightful or individualistic or free thinking. It just makes them contrarian. Sometimes the mainstream is correct. Sometimes they are not.

I could just as easily call many regular bloggers your sheep Lives. Are they better or freer thinkers because they listen to and agree with you, Statesman, BARF and Peaceman and toe your line instead of the dreaded, hated MSM? I have seen you guys crucify those that don't agree with your herd. (Follymacher, African on his Curry vs. ZBO stance, etc., opinions all.) Is that any less wrong because you guys aren't the mainstream and are therefore implicitly correct?

Haven’t you and most of the others at Fanatics regularly fled every blog that dared disagree with your cores’ positions? Forgive me if I don’t take your lack of diversity of opinion charges seriously. This site has diversity of opinion. There are many who disagree with my take and I welcome it. It makes me think.

Show me two regular posters at Fanatics who agreed with my post. Where is your vaunted diversity? Drossman is your one regular voice of dissent. Drossman. As I said at the end of my post, “I may be wrong”.

You may not see it that way but I have read most of the posts when I wasn't commenting between the days of KD and Fanatics and for the most part since the hiring of Walsh the diversity of thought I have seen at Fanatics is the ongoing argument of just how bad is Donnie Walsh? Has Walsh done an awful job or is Walsh just an unforgivably dumb, possibly senile dribbling moron. You yourself the day after Walsh was hired posted a diatribe against him on how his hiring was a marketing ploy that would end in disaster. Was that a fair chance? Probably not, but you were entitled to your opinion, but as you once asked of the unfair vitriol directed at Isiah, “Why the hatred?”

I am all for free thought. I have begun heated arguments with folks based on posts that I mostly agree with. Including you.

Furthermore, I did not mean my post to imply “shut the F up”, as you say, but rather “be patient”. Again, the team hasn’t set foot on the floor yet under a real coach, and even you LIVES lamented last year what this team might become under a real coach. Why not see what they can do instead of throwing out all the players who didn’t work under a coach who didn’t have a clue? Say what you want, as will I, but I must also hope that Walsh doesn’t make even one decision based on what I say or don’t say. I also care about being able to voice my opinion. Aren't a good majority of your posts aimed at telling the Mainstream Media to "shut the F up"?

My point was that my opinion shouldn’t sway Knicks management from their long-term goal no matter how much the near-term losing may hurt. That was the moral of the story kids. Not “shut the F up”. But if that’s how you want to take it please feel free to.

@ bokonon

i'm not clear on you point, can you please expand on and clarify your thoughts?

i think you just set the record for the shortest interval between the-best-damn-post-of-the-summer to the-worst-damn-post-of-the-summer.

it's just a blog man, don't let it go to your head.

Can we talk about the Knicks again?

I'm not a big fan of these blog posts about the blog itself. Maybe you guys should set up a Gawker-style watch dog blog about blog commentors and then people could comment on those posts analyzing other blogs' comments, etc, etc, until it all becomes one big M.C. Escher-style staircase of blog comments turning in on itself.

Just sayin.

@Pete
"...we don't need someone to tell us if the team is disjointed, cohesive, well-structures, tough on defense, etc - that will be obvious. And any reporter who tries to soft sell a bad situation will watch his credibility go the way of Starburman. In fact, Alan has more to lose in this department since he works for the Dolan paper."

I like Alan and his blog. But, as Marv Albert learned you can't have BOTH your journalistic integrity and continue to work for James Dolan -- even if you try to pull your punches by sugar coating the truth. JD won't tolerate ANY criticism of him or his toys by his employees -- even if it reflects even a modicum of truth. Yes, I do sympathise because Alan has mouths to feed and he did not make a pact with the Dollan. He just wound up in hell when the devil bought Newsday. But trying to keep his job here and credibility at the same time realistically may not be possible, so I advise Alan to try to find a new job quickly -- or get used to the fact that you will be JD's hired stooge!

As for "...we don't need someone to tell us if the team is disjointed, cohesive, well-structures (sic), tough on defense, etc - that will be obvious..." Why do we read press coverage and commentary about games and the MSG management? and why have many (most?) of the press coverage in the past few years dealing with this?

For the fast few years, watching a Knick game on TV has been taking the bad with the worse. Bad play and worse company line propaganda. If you go to the game, you are paying Mr. Dolan for screwing Knick fans with the team's poor play and by financing his inept and underhanded practices. James Dolan is the worst owner in sports history!

Yes, we don't have to read it here, but with the Dolans and the Murdocks buying newspapers and TV stations it is harder to find the truth - that once was told daily on this blog.

Very interested in seeing what Donnie and Dan have up their sleeves for the next move.

@ sec11 - I hope I didn't give the impression that I was questioning Alan's professionalism or integrity - I agree with you on our host.

@ Bokonon - I wasn't taking a swipe at you, but more those huge posts that add facile critiques of the media to the poster's personal opinions regarding the Knicks and their coverage, stir in venomous attacks on opposing points of view and serve up with a whine about their opinions being stifled by disagreement. I generally just skip over those huge posts by people who rarely contribute here, especially when they include replies to people who aren't even posting here. You aren't one of these.

@ Across the Hudson - I'm not sure why someone would even care what or who is turning up on a blog they don't even post at. Or believe that posting on a sports blog has any deeper relevance beyond talking about sports. I'd much rather talk about the Knicks. Or even Team USA.

@sec11 and Across the Hudson,

Agreed, and point taken. This isn't the place for it. If I would've had a way to respond through e-mail instead, that's what I would have done.

I am surprised though that you read through the whole thing after I gave fair warning to everyone in advance to skip passed if they weren't interested. You knew what was coming.

@ Old Knick Fan - I think I acknowledged that working for Newsday puts Alan in an intractable position.

My point concerned how that affects this blog environment here.

Other than pointing out my typos (more ironic than condescending, coming from the copyist who refers to "Dollan" and offers up this pearl: "and why have many (most?) of the press coverage in the past few years dealing with this?"), what is your point? That Alan needs to seek a new job? That as a fan I can't ascertain whether the media reports are b.s. based on what I see? Had Marv chosen to spew the company line, would that have fooled anyone into thinking the Knicks were secretly really good?

I agree with your observations on both the state of the franchise, the quality of Dolan's ownership and the problems for Newsday. "Taking the bad with the worse" sums it up. But what do you suggest - stop posting here? Boycott the team? Critical postings?

@ Bokonon. No sweat buddy -- I'm just joking around. All in good fun.

@Pete. I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Are you saying I don't post on this blog? I might not post 5 times a day, every day, but I most definitely leave comments around here, and have been doing so for about a year.

Also, who said posting on a sports blog has deeper relevance beyond talking about sports? Didn't I say that I wanted us to talk about the Knicks?

Lastly, if you think I was being serious about the new blog about blog commentors, I suggest you check out this web site:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm

Anyway, now I'm breaking my own rule of not talking about inner-blog workings.

This Gallinari playing for the Italian team nonsense is garbagio. We need to get this kid healthy for the season. I know it's sensitive when you're talking about someone's country/patriotism, but can't we gently tell him that we aren't paying him millions of dollars to risk his neck for free in exhibition play? I wouldn't even mind if he were healthy, but he's already injured? Why push it? I just feel like the Knicks should take more of a hard-line stance with this situation.

@ Across the Hudson - Looking at my previous post I can see why you wouldn't understand - it isn't clear what I meant. I wasn't referring to you, but agreeing with you about the whole blogging about blogs thing. The not regular posters and deeper relevance comments were directed at those huge posts that sometimes appear and wordily critique both the media and the posters on this and other blogs. Basically I was calling those posts pointless and agreeing with you on getting back to hoops. If I had directed that at your earlier comments it would have been obnoxious. Sort of like your wikipedia link.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hypersensitivity

i think you guys need to cut
Alan some slack

i personally think that Alan's blog
will remained unchanged

Walsh has relaxed alot of the restrictions
on the coverage of the knicks
they are even allowing reporters
to attend practices

also as i have said before
Alan never bashed the knicks
he was positive even when
the knicks were at their worse

unlike the Post,The Daily News...even the NY Times

so it not like he will have to change
what he is doing

most of Alan's criticism
has always been tinged with optimism

unlike lets say frank isola...who obviously
had some kind of beef with the isiah regime

oh yeah...
i think Team USA will bring home
the gold this year
Kobe,Lebron,Mellow,and Wade
can't

be stopped.

sorry my comment got cut off.

i was saying Kobe,Lebron,Mellow and Wade
can't be stopped

@ bokonon

i'm not clear on you point, can you please expand on and clarify your thoughts?

i think you just set the recordr for the shortest interval between the-best-damn-post-of-the-summer to the-worst-damn-post-of-the-summer.

it's just a blog man, don't let it go to your head.

Posted by sec11rowH | August 3, 2008 14:33

LOL @Sec 11rowH,
That is the the most Hilarious post of the Summer! LMAO!
Just got home read your post and laughed so hard I damn near choked on my food!

@ PEACE

i often laugh at your posts too, but perhaps not always for their intended reasons.

but seriously, by our mere presence here, we are all on the same team. i think WILLIS (as usual) made the most salient analogy: it's like a pick up game, some elbows, some cussing, but at the end of the day, it's all about who's got next.

@ Sec11rowH,

I must steal the line from Cooley high.....at the end of the day,
it's our common bond= One Love ......The Knicks! We are all a few fries short of a happy meal to be bloggin all Summer for a team that is the league joke and has broke our hearts the last 8 years! I just commented on the Fanatics that you, NYC 2 infinity, Pete and Across the Hudson are "Blue Chip " bloggers....so feel free to drop some knowledge @ the Fanatics! We are sister blogs!

BTW...Hahn and Berger were never the Haters that Lupica, Isola, Lawrence and Berman are.
I went back and reviewed ALL of Hahn's articles from his begining and I see nothing that Dolan would be upset about. His friendly upbeat style was void of attacks on Dolan and MSG. ALAN doesn't have to change anything...just keep being Alan!

@ Pete:

I was not making fun of your typos. I just put "sic" into the quote to show that I did not miss-quote you. Why would I make fun of anyone when a trained monkey could probably spell and type better than I do?

Yes we are all Knick fans here and we long for their speedy return to respectability and competitiveness. Why else would we spend our time here?

And as I said I like Alan and would like to add that respect him greatly. He works so hard to constantly be optimistic about the Knicks and bring us the facts. And I do simpathize that he now finds himself in an incestuous situation where he is "reporting" on his boss's hobby. Yes I know that the Knicks are a serious business but James Dolan runs it like a hobby or at least so ineptly it seems that way. And by his past actions, it is obvious that JD hates criticism of any sort. Why else would he throw out paying fans who carried signs saying "Fire Isiah" when it was clear that Zeke failed at doing his job and helped bring shame and failure to the franchise.

You asked what is my point?

I have a few:

1. It is a shame that Alan Hahn will now be floating trial balloons by us in the name of journalism -- if we can believe that he used MSG's inside information about David Lee to see if fans would tolerate trading Lee as is alleged by other writers.

2. I wanted to warn Alan that he either has to chose to do Dolan's bidding, risk expulsion or find a new job.

3. I also want to say if you want the Knicks to get better and for JD to stop spreading propaganda on MSG TV and in NY Newsday, fans have to send him a strong message by NOT buying tickets -- until both issues improve. Although MSG is not even a drop in the bucket in JD's CableVision empire, a serious decline in attendance will make the message clear: Knick fans have the right a competitive team that tries hard to win. And when they don't do this on a consistent basis, the fans should express their feelings by staying home until the product improves -- especially when MSG ejects PAYING fans for expressing their opinions at the games by holding up signs.

4. Yes D'A and Walsh seem to be positive steps in the right direction and we should give them a chance to improve the Knicks. But they are long overdue and we have already waited way too long.

5. And I'd like to tell JD we will not tolerate Newsday being used as a PR/propaganda vehicle for MSG/CableVision.

. I also want to say if you want the Knicks to get better and for JD to stop spreading propaganda on MSG TV and in NY Newsday, fans have to send him a strong message by NOT buying tickets -- until both issues improve. Although MSG is not even a drop in the bucket in JD's CableVision empire, a serious decline in attendance will make the message clear: Knick fans have the right a competitive team that tries hard to win. And when they don't do this on a consistent basis, the fans should express their feelings by staying home until the product improves -- especially when MSG ejects PAYING fans for expressing their opinions at the games by holding up signs.
Posted by Old Knick Fan | August 4, 2008 00:18

I hope by 2010 reality bites you in the azz! Not buying tickets in NY?.....Maybe you don't realize that we who are bloggin this Summer are the exceptions that really care? There's ten's of thousands of people who are boarderline fans that will buy Season tickets because they can afford them, not because they are die hards like us! Wake the F up! We are few ..but Proud ..Knick die hard fan's. We are the Minority.....8 years and counting to a better day!

@ Old Knicks Fan - my mistake then - I misunderstood your post.

Thanks for answering my question - it was meant seriously. I agree with you that Dolan is arguably the worst owner in the league, and I only say arguably because I have no idea what its like to be a Clippers fan for the Sterling decades or a Hawks fan with that Spirit group that runs the team, but I doubt they could be less professional or a bigger buffoon as Dolan. I don't mention him much because he is an overwhelming problem - there is no way to get rid of him. I'd be behind sending a message though.

I don't know if Newsday is floating trial balloons or not (like a Lee trade) but I hope not - if management is relying on public feedback to make personnel decisions then there isn't much hope.

@Peaceman Yes we really do care. I hope you are right that in 2010 the Knicks will be much better. I am hopeful but sceptical.

Dolan, MSG and Isiah Thomas have been treating Knick fans like suckers for years. Why not? The foolish fans will pay to see whatever garbage they put on the court. "Eight years and counting."

In 2010, it will cost Dolan and MSG less than ever before because instead of the most expensive garbage in the NBA, the team will be under the cap. Will Dolan decide "Why pay for quality free agents then -- when the Knick fans will pay to see anything?" Will LeBron even come here if he is offered max money or go to Brooklyn to play for his friend and part Nets owner JZee (spelling?)? The Nets are making good moves now and then should be under the cap and have quite a team.

Two more years of waiting for a team owned by someone who has been cheating fans for over 8 years and laughing at us the world's biggest suckers!

Who knows if we will we get a competitive team with a franchise player in 2010 or just less-expensive garbage and more promises?

@Fixers - with the peanut gallery that looks like murderer's row, I think any instance when Alan spins or comes off as a home-er will be instantly gutted, flayed and filet-ed. My point being, BS won't fly here whether Newsday is owned by Dolan or Murdoch.

@Alan - can you find out the nature of Gallinari's injury? The actual injury? If its a bulging disc, or a herniated disc he is in big, big trouble. If its back spasms from overwork, or he really did do some soft tissue damage in that game, then "healing" can happen and he can get back to 100%.

So when Oriani is quotes 'He says the back is getting slightly better but it's not fully healed yet,"' I'm not reassured, in fact, there isn't really any information in that statement. Contracts are signed, we are not in a playoff series where intelligence on player injuries might prove advantageous to one side or another. Who's holding back this information? Is it Knick policy not to comment on injuries? If so, what is the league policy on reporting injuries? I know that in the NFL, the reporting of injuries is a whole game within the game. Can we get the actual injury reported?

@ Pete:

Touche.

May I suggest you visit:

http://www.wikipedia.org/whenyou'rerightyou'reright

But seriously, I'm always messing around with my friends, making fun of them, etc. so if I do the same thing here, you can all pretty much assume that I'm just joking around, unless I say something really vicious, which I try to avoid.

Just b-b-b-b-b-b-blooooogin!

@ Across the Hudson - no worries. I must have had too much caffeine or something yesterday because I kind of snapped at Old Knicks Fan too. In the end its all in fun.