The winning-est, and losing-est, coach in NBA history has resigned from his position as coach of the New York Knickerbockers. After the latest in a series of devastating losses Wilkens has decided he just can't take it anymore (seems familiar...) and walks away from the players before their performance, or lackthereof, gets him fired. Herb Williams has been named interim coach. Who will Isiah find to patrol the sideline and take the blame for the lackluster play of the team he's assembled?
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Friday, January 21, 2005
Knicks vs. Rockets: Knicker-Blogger Game Angles
A few things to keep in mind while watching tonight's game:
--Patrick's reception
--Van Gundy's reception; last time Van Gundy brought a team to the Garden his squad thoroughly embarrased the Knicks. That night heard the first chants of "Fire Chaney." If things go awry tonight (with Ewing and Van Gundy reminding us all of brighter days) do the "Fire Lenny" chants rain from the rafters?
--is there any way to stop Yao?
--can anyone D up on McGrady? does Lenny throw Ariza at him early?
-who gets the shots tonight? does Timmy Thomas take 10 first quarter shots compared to one by Houston?
--DEE-FENSE, is there any played by the home team?
--Patrick's reception
--Van Gundy's reception; last time Van Gundy brought a team to the Garden his squad thoroughly embarrased the Knicks. That night heard the first chants of "Fire Chaney." If things go awry tonight (with Ewing and Van Gundy reminding us all of brighter days) do the "Fire Lenny" chants rain from the rafters?
--is there any way to stop Yao?
--can anyone D up on McGrady? does Lenny throw Ariza at him early?
-who gets the shots tonight? does Timmy Thomas take 10 first quarter shots compared to one by Houston?
--DEE-FENSE, is there any played by the home team?
PAAAA-TRICK, PAAAA-TRICK
In case you haven't been paying attention, Patrick Ewing, in my humble opinion the greatest Knick of all-time, will be back in the Garden tonight. Get down there early, stock-pile a few beers under your seat, and just hope against hope that he's got kneepads on under those slacks.
Also, the Big Fella--always a man who let his actions do his talking--thinks Steph is great but should keep it to himself. story
Also, the Big Fella--always a man who let his actions do his talking--thinks Steph is great but should keep it to himself. story
A Rose By Any Other Name....Is Still Surly and Overpaid
With the team in freefall the Isiah rumour-mill has gotten into full swing and momentarily taken the back pages away from Omar Minaya and the Mets. The latest deal, allegedly in the offing, involves Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall of the Raptors. The Knicks would be giving up Kurt Thomas and Penny Hardaway. Aside from the fact that Jalen Rose was on the wrong side of the Knicks/Pacers rivalry, is a cancer in the locker room, and has a contract so unsightly you can't help but wonder if Scott Layden was involved, I don't like this deal because we can't give up Kurt Thomas without getting a big body that plays defense.
Marshall, quietly one of the better fantasy ballers around, is obviously the prize out of this deal, and Rose's contract the penalty. However, unless we can replace Kurt Thomas in this deal with Tim Thomas this doesn't make any sense. The Knicks don't need another oversized small forward who hovers around the perimeter, doesn't rebound, and can't guard players his own size. Moreover, this deal makes no financial sense because although Rose's contract is just as bad as Penny's, Rose's lasts for an extra year. This deal only serves to shake things up, but does absolutely nothing to improve the ingredients of this team, and, if anything, worsens them. This is the sort of reckless and vainglorious deal that will keep the Knicks from succeeding on Isiah's watch.
Last night on ESPN's Around the Horn, one of the topics in the Buy or Sell segment was the Knicks. All the commentators were in agreement that Isiah was making a mess of things, and this Rose deal, if consumated, would assuredly doom his tenure in the Garden.
Marshall, quietly one of the better fantasy ballers around, is obviously the prize out of this deal, and Rose's contract the penalty. However, unless we can replace Kurt Thomas in this deal with Tim Thomas this doesn't make any sense. The Knicks don't need another oversized small forward who hovers around the perimeter, doesn't rebound, and can't guard players his own size. Moreover, this deal makes no financial sense because although Rose's contract is just as bad as Penny's, Rose's lasts for an extra year. This deal only serves to shake things up, but does absolutely nothing to improve the ingredients of this team, and, if anything, worsens them. This is the sort of reckless and vainglorious deal that will keep the Knicks from succeeding on Isiah's watch.
Last night on ESPN's Around the Horn, one of the topics in the Buy or Sell segment was the Knicks. All the commentators were in agreement that Isiah was making a mess of things, and this Rose deal, if consumated, would assuredly doom his tenure in the Garden.
PAAA -- TRICK EWWW -- ING
The Big Fella will be back in town tonight with the visiting Houston Rockets. Patrick is currently assisting former Knick coach, and current Rocket coach, Jeff Van Gundy; Patrick was brought in to help tutor the 7-6 Chinese wall, Yao Ming.
Regardless of which bench he's on, Patrick will hear my cheers tonight. I've got my Ewing jersey tucked away in my desk drawer and can't wait to pull it on. With the current team's dismal play becoming increasingly hard to handle, the presence of Patrick is the real draw for tonight's game.
Regardless of which bench he's on, Patrick will hear my cheers tonight. I've got my Ewing jersey tucked away in my desk drawer and can't wait to pull it on. With the current team's dismal play becoming increasingly hard to handle, the presence of Patrick is the real draw for tonight's game.
Knicks vs. Raptors: Don't Look Back In Anger
Lenny sent out Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Tim Thomas, Kurt Thomas, and Nazr Mohammed to the start the game. So, it seems that Houston will be the 6th man (or 7th as foul trouble may dicate). In the early going it is clear that neither team's shot had thawed out, as everyone was missing open looks. Tim Thomas was being aggressive early on which is good (because this team becomes much more dangerous when he can score consistently) and bad (presently, he can't score consistently). By the time that Houston checked in, with a little under 2 and half minutes remaining in the 1st, Tim Thomas had already taken 8 shots (missing 7 of them). Houston's first shot is runner in the lane that he hit in a very Crawford-esque fashion after coming off a high screen. This turns out to be the last made basket of the quarter.
While I agree that Houston is not ready to play 35+ a night yet, and am aware that his defense is a liability (which seperates him from the rest of the team how?), I still have a hard time not starting him. There are just so many shots that are better off if they are taken by him. Tim Thomas does not need 10 shots in the first quarter of a game; especially if the majority are taken off balance as his body is moving away from the basket (which seems to be Tim's specialty as of late). I think that Houston needs to be on the floor as the game revs itself up because he cannot just jump in when the game is already at full speed. However, Jamal Crawford is young and spry and would create a great energy boost off the bench. I don't think that too many teams would have a better set of sparkplugs than Crawford and the JYD coming off the bench.
All of the pros and cons of Jamal Crawford’s game played themselves out over the course of a few minutes in the second quarter. He could seemingly drive to basket at will, victimizing anyone he chose with his outlandish cross-over yet he would intermittently become a black-hole sucking in every well-timed pass and churning out only awful perimeter shots. He is both mesmerizing and maddening. Now if Lenny (or whomever replaces him) could teach Crawford that he isn’t obligated to shoot the ball every time he touches it, then I think hewill eventually be able to take rightfully take the reins at the 2 spot. Likewise, a team could do much worse than to have one of the association’s deadliest perimeter shooters coming off the bench. I remember when Allan replaced Starks in the starting lineup and both players flourished in their new roles. Unfortunately (for the sake of this comparison), Crawford reminds me much more of Starks than of a young Houston.
During halftime MSG aired a promo for tonight’s game against the Rockets that began, "Friday night is a special night," and I was waiting for the Ewing highlight package to accompany the announcement that he would be back in the building. Alas, the commercial was for the most recent Hardwood Classics Night (meaning we all get another chance to buy those attrocious early 80s unis) that is sponsored by the History Channel. Adding insult to injury (or rather something to something else) was the fact that during the game, as part of the Hardwood Classic celebration, the Knicks will honor great centers of the past. Clearly, the event was scheduled to allow Patrick to participate, why don’t you at least mention his presence in the commercial? Other than Willis Reed, who would mind if Ewing got a shout, Bill Cartwright? Frederic Weiss?
Anyway, the second half started just like the first: neither team could make a shot. The only facet of this game that makes it even slightly watchable is the play of Chris Bosh. This young kid out of Georgia Tech can flat out ball. A little past the midway point of the third quarter he gets his 10th rebound which locks up his 9th straight double-double: the longest streak of double-dips in Raptors history. And this is a franchise which had a young Camby, Carter and McGrady. Bosh is explosive to the basket and has enough handle to beat just about anyone off the dribble. To top it off, the guy also has a jumpshot.
While I agree that Houston is not ready to play 35+ a night yet, and am aware that his defense is a liability (which seperates him from the rest of the team how?), I still have a hard time not starting him. There are just so many shots that are better off if they are taken by him. Tim Thomas does not need 10 shots in the first quarter of a game; especially if the majority are taken off balance as his body is moving away from the basket (which seems to be Tim's specialty as of late). I think that Houston needs to be on the floor as the game revs itself up because he cannot just jump in when the game is already at full speed. However, Jamal Crawford is young and spry and would create a great energy boost off the bench. I don't think that too many teams would have a better set of sparkplugs than Crawford and the JYD coming off the bench.
All of the pros and cons of Jamal Crawford’s game played themselves out over the course of a few minutes in the second quarter. He could seemingly drive to basket at will, victimizing anyone he chose with his outlandish cross-over yet he would intermittently become a black-hole sucking in every well-timed pass and churning out only awful perimeter shots. He is both mesmerizing and maddening. Now if Lenny (or whomever replaces him) could teach Crawford that he isn’t obligated to shoot the ball every time he touches it, then I think hewill eventually be able to take rightfully take the reins at the 2 spot. Likewise, a team could do much worse than to have one of the association’s deadliest perimeter shooters coming off the bench. I remember when Allan replaced Starks in the starting lineup and both players flourished in their new roles. Unfortunately (for the sake of this comparison), Crawford reminds me much more of Starks than of a young Houston.
During halftime MSG aired a promo for tonight’s game against the Rockets that began, "Friday night is a special night," and I was waiting for the Ewing highlight package to accompany the announcement that he would be back in the building. Alas, the commercial was for the most recent Hardwood Classics Night (meaning we all get another chance to buy those attrocious early 80s unis) that is sponsored by the History Channel. Adding insult to injury (or rather something to something else) was the fact that during the game, as part of the Hardwood Classic celebration, the Knicks will honor great centers of the past. Clearly, the event was scheduled to allow Patrick to participate, why don’t you at least mention his presence in the commercial? Other than Willis Reed, who would mind if Ewing got a shout, Bill Cartwright? Frederic Weiss?
Anyway, the second half started just like the first: neither team could make a shot. The only facet of this game that makes it even slightly watchable is the play of Chris Bosh. This young kid out of Georgia Tech can flat out ball. A little past the midway point of the third quarter he gets his 10th rebound which locks up his 9th straight double-double: the longest streak of double-dips in Raptors history. And this is a franchise which had a young Camby, Carter and McGrady. Bosh is explosive to the basket and has enough handle to beat just about anyone off the dribble. To top it off, the guy also has a jumpshot.
AT THIS POINT MY CABLE GOES OUT
After too many minutes spent waiting for the cable to go back on, I realize that it’s not going to happen for me. I go looking for my walkman. No batteries. Finally, I find a camping radio that is powered by either the sun (no good as it’s dark) or by turning a crank on the side. So, I cranked this pup up and tuned back into the game with 10:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Raptors lead 65-62. It seems (or sounds) like Jalen Rose has been heating up and is starting to will the Raptors past the Knicks. This is a bad development on two levels. First: it sucks because the game seems to be getting away from the good guys. Second: it sucks more because Isiah is undoubtedly watching this and plotting to bring Rose to New York (see Knicker-Blogger game angles).
Long story short, the Raptors, led by Marshall and Rose, hit a flury of threes to push the lead up to 95-81. I turn off my radio and sit in the dark for while with the following thoughts in my head...
Man, it sure is completely awesome and not in the least bit frustating to be a Knicks fan. At least I can look forward to the JETS playing in the AFC Championship game this weekend. Oh, wait...What? They choked and gave the game away last weekend. Whiskey anyone.....
SICK DAY
No, I haven't given up the pen after Wednesday's defeat in Canada. Yes, it was awful. Yes, I was made physically ill by the game (and the fact that my apartment maintains steady Hoth-like temperatures at all times), and was forced to miss work yesterday. And since, my frozen home isn't equipped with access to the internet there was no posts yesterday. While I'm sure that no one wants to re-live the game, I'll have a few thoughts on it later. But, seriously, lets get to the real important news of the day....
PATRICK EWING WILL BE AT THE GARDEN TONIGHT!
PATRICK EWING WILL BE AT THE GARDEN TONIGHT!
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Knicker-Blogger Game Angles
A few things to keep in mind while watching the Knicks take on the Raptors tonight (@7pm on MSG)
--Who starts? With Crawford and T. Thomas healthy again will Houston and JYD hold onto their spots in the starting line-up?
--Defense, do we play any? does Steph?
--Crawford's shot selection: has he learned anything while he's been hurt the last few weeks (I'm giving him an emotionally-induced pass for his heinous shooting performance, including an 0-7 mark from downtown, against his old mates on Saturday)?
--Houston's minutes: while it's good that a still recovering Allan won't have to play as many minutes as he had to while Crawford was hurt, it's NOT good to have him on the bench (or just off the bench and not warmed up) when the Knicks desperately need a basket in the waning moments.
--Jalen Rose, does he put up a big game in hopes of impressing his old boss, Isiah?
--Do they look like they mean it? There were glimpses of desire on Saturday, but at the end it was clear the Bulls just wanted the game more.
--Who starts? With Crawford and T. Thomas healthy again will Houston and JYD hold onto their spots in the starting line-up?
--Defense, do we play any? does Steph?
--Crawford's shot selection: has he learned anything while he's been hurt the last few weeks (I'm giving him an emotionally-induced pass for his heinous shooting performance, including an 0-7 mark from downtown, against his old mates on Saturday)?
--Houston's minutes: while it's good that a still recovering Allan won't have to play as many minutes as he had to while Crawford was hurt, it's NOT good to have him on the bench (or just off the bench and not warmed up) when the Knicks desperately need a basket in the waning moments.
--Jalen Rose, does he put up a big game in hopes of impressing his old boss, Isiah?
--Do they look like they mean it? There were glimpses of desire on Saturday, but at the end it was clear the Bulls just wanted the game more.
BREAKING NON-KNICKS NEWS: THERE IS A GOD*!
Although the Knicker-Blogger generally only deals with Knick-related news, this one is just too big for the city to leave be... PAUL HACKETT IS NOW ONLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE JETS AS A BAD MEMORY!
*I can neither confirm nor deny that the aforementioned god is a Knicks fan....
TONIGHT: Knicks vs. Raptors
Can there be must-win games in the middle of January? Can a 1st place team have their backs to the wall? Can the coach of a 1st place team be fired? Yes, yes, and most definitely if the team in question plays in the horrendous Atlantic Division of today's NBA. Although mired in a three-way tie with Philly and Boston for 1st place, the Knicks have clearly lost cabin pressure.
I know that it's still relativley early in the season, but I just feel like tonight is one of those games. If they win, right the ship, and make a run deep into the playoffs, you'll hear someone on the year-end highlight video saying how, "winning that game in Toronto really turned things around, got us back on track." If they lose, it'll be their 4th in a row, and 8th out of their last 9; Lenny will most likely be a goner, and with a few tough home games leading up to a foreboding foray out West, the season could be out of reach before the end of February.
A quick look at the schedule would seem to hint that the time for righting the ship is passing and that the Knicks have been stumbling through one of the softer parts of the schedule (New Orleans followed by a double-dip with Chicago). However, both the Hornets and the Bulls--undeniably awful to mediocre--are both surging and playing better than they have been all season (this is not an excuse, rather hopeful explaining away). Regardless, the past can only be prologue to the rest of the season, and if the rest of the season is going to look any better than the parts that have proceeded it the Knicks NEED* to win tonight.
*allow me to qualify NEED, a bit. Clearly it's January and the team is in 1st. They can lose tonight and still potentially be tied for 1st place. So, they don't necessarily need tonight's game to keep things going, this is just a game they SHOULD win and the type of game that they HAVE to win from here on out if they are going to become the team that we all think they can be.
Tonight the Knicks will take the floor in one of the few places that could possibly be colder than Manhattan is today: Toronto, Canada. The Knicks and Raps have split this season's previous two games with each team winning at home. The Knicks need to change this trend if they hope to alter their downward trajectory.Please fasten your safety belts and return all Knicks City Dancers to their upright position.
I know that it's still relativley early in the season, but I just feel like tonight is one of those games. If they win, right the ship, and make a run deep into the playoffs, you'll hear someone on the year-end highlight video saying how, "winning that game in Toronto really turned things around, got us back on track." If they lose, it'll be their 4th in a row, and 8th out of their last 9; Lenny will most likely be a goner, and with a few tough home games leading up to a foreboding foray out West, the season could be out of reach before the end of February.
A quick look at the schedule would seem to hint that the time for righting the ship is passing and that the Knicks have been stumbling through one of the softer parts of the schedule (New Orleans followed by a double-dip with Chicago). However, both the Hornets and the Bulls--undeniably awful to mediocre--are both surging and playing better than they have been all season (this is not an excuse, rather hopeful explaining away). Regardless, the past can only be prologue to the rest of the season, and if the rest of the season is going to look any better than the parts that have proceeded it the Knicks NEED* to win tonight.
*allow me to qualify NEED, a bit. Clearly it's January and the team is in 1st. They can lose tonight and still potentially be tied for 1st place. So, they don't necessarily need tonight's game to keep things going, this is just a game they SHOULD win and the type of game that they HAVE to win from here on out if they are going to become the team that we all think they can be.
Jerome Williams, is there anything he can't do?
He dunks, rebounds, plays defense, and has been the heartbeat of this arrhythmia-inducing team, but did anyone know that the Junkyard Dog is also an author? Honestly, I don't want to start anything crazy, but I've never seen Jerome and Philip Roth in the same room together. One walks in and then, all of sudden, you notice the other is gone......hmm.....
Check out Triple Threat by Eric Walters and Jerome "Junk Yard Dog" Williams.
Check out Triple Threat by Eric Walters and Jerome "Junk Yard Dog" Williams.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Still Hate Jordan? Studies Show It's OK:
If this weekend's double-dose of disaster didn't remind Knicks fans that they (I) hate Michael Jordan, then let Slate's Charles Pierce show you that #23 was always as soulless as you (I) thought he was. This is a great article, a great argument, and, unfortunately, very timely...
Matinee Idles
Weekend Recap: Knicks' Fall Apart in Final Moments Again, and then again. A home-and-home series of afternoon clashes with the Chicago Bulls leaves Knicks fans with an unwelcomed sense of 1990s nostalgia. (more to come...)
NY Times: recap
NY Post: recap; Lenny not gonna last; Gordon; Where is Allan?
NY Daily News: Deja vu all over again; Houston on bench; Lupica; No defending lack of defense
NY Times: recap
NY Post: recap; Lenny not gonna last; Gordon; Where is Allan?
NY Daily News: Deja vu all over again; Houston on bench; Lupica; No defending lack of defense
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