The Knicks Fix

Save your breath, Knicks fans. And maybe your money too. As long as Cablevision owns Madison Square Garden, you’re at their mercy. Most sports franchises are held accountable more by their fan base than by any media scrutiny. Fans can have a major impact with their voices, or speak greater volumes by simply not showing up to games.

But not at MSG.

Out of everything James Dolan said in his rare media address to the beat writers on Tuesday was a little nugget that the Knicks make up barely three percent of the billions in revenue generated by the Cablevision empire. Three percent!

So much for hitting them where it hurts. The fact that you have decided to boycott Knick games this season and litter the Garden with empty seats and unfound revenue is merely a pinhole in the Dolan family vault. DirecTV would have to infiltrate every bloody household in the tri-state area for the Knicks revenue to even be a minute concern of the Cablevision monstrosity.

Naively, and before he revealed the three-percent information, I asked Dolan if he feels he has to answer to his customers:

“They know what the story is and I don’t think it’s all of them, by the way,” he said. “I think there is a certain part of the fans that are already convinced that the season is lost and they don’t have the confidence in Isiah. And then there are other fans that do. You were all at last night’s game. Both sets of fans were there. At the end of the first half, we heard from one set of fans. At the end of the game, the other. It could have actually been the same, I suppose, but that would suggest that those fans were flip-flopping on their opinion.”

Another reporter later followed up on it and asked if attendance figures would be something that would be considered in his assessment of the season.

“I don’t think the attendance will figure into it. I think that we have smart fans, very enthusiastic fans, too. And I think they know when they see something real and when they see something not real on the court.”

Dolan did say, however, that the three-percent factor didn’t permit a lack for a sense of urgency.

“It’s never OK to lose business,” he said. “I don’t think that I would feel comfortable with losing business, no matter what.”

As long as the $3,000 courtside seats are selling and the luxury suites are booked, life is always good at the Garden.

* * *

Despite the abomination that was Monday’s 97-90 loss to the Celtics, who held a 30-point lead in the third quarter, you had to notice Jared Jeffries start to emerge as the game went on. By the fourth quarter, I thought he was making the exact impact that Isiah Thomas envisioned when he signed him to the mid-level exception over the summer. Excellent defense against Paul Pierce, great on the help-out, active on the boards.

However –

If I’m scouting the Knicks, Jeffries at the power forward spot allows you to double-team Eddy Curry with another big, because Jeffries isn’t much of an offensive threat (especially with the bum wrist). And if he gets the ball down low, it’s worth taking fouls just to put him on the line instead of giving up a layup. His free throw shooting is almost as bad, and potentially worse, than Curry’s.

It brings us back to the debate about where he best fits in the starting lineup. We say here that David Lee belongs at the power forward position, but needs to develop a 15-foot jumper that will keep defenses honest. Jeffries should be a lock at small forward. Q-Rich at the 2. Stephon Marbury at the point and, of course, Curry at the five.

Your second unit (with Steve Francis out with the knee tendinitis) would be Nate and Jamal, Renaldo Balkman, Malik Rose and Channing Frye, when healthy, on the post.

* * *

Farewell to the new NBA ball, made of whatever that synthetic/composite stuff Spalding came up with. I played around with it a few times and noticed a couple of things:

1. It feels like that microfiber material on a couch (or on Mike Fratello’s head)
2. It is a funky orange hue (like Brian Scalabrine’s head)
3. It sticks to the backboard and drops straight down (so maybe Eddy Curry should shoot his free throws off the glass from now until Jan. 1)
4. It’s lighter than a leather ball, which can throw you off (but not enough to shoot 55 percent from the line)
5. I can’t palm it off a dribble like I can a leather ball. It slips right out of my grip (like a good scoop)
6. It wears out very quickly. (A few of us noticed the balls the Knicks used for the shootaround in Denver were already wearing out around the lettering, and this was just two weeks into the season. There’s no snarky comment to this one, just an observation. Oh, and this one: LeBron James is overrated)
7. Steve Francis has never dunked one in a game (but he blamed his knee)
8. The seams seem thinner than a leather ball’s seams, and seams help you get premium rotation on your shot, baby (that seems to make sense)
9. Nate Robinson was able to block it back into Yao Ming's face (and the Knicks capitalized on the moment by capturing the moment into a poster and selling it to you fans....word is they also added it to the MSG 50 Greatest Moments DVD, coming soon this holiday season for only $99.95 plus the price of a season ticket!).
10. David Stern found it insignificant enough to let Billy Hunter believe his silly complaint on behalf of the NBPA actually made a difference. (and yet still there's a team in Memphis, go figure).