The Knicks Fix

Congrats on the baby girl. The Knicks are in for some destruction. I am hoping they lose all their games. It has come to praying for loses so this team can get better by firing Isiah Thomas. It's that sad.

This is only a guess...but I figure that Dolan despises the NY Sports Media so much that what ever they write in favor of (firing Isiah), he will do the opposite.

If this is true---the pit bull looking dogs like Lupica,Greenberg,Lawrence and the rest---are wasting their time writing what they do. Although they will continue, b/c obviously this is what their bosses desires or wants--- they pay these dogs to write these lies and rumors.

Another thing, if there's a person out there aspiring to replace Isiah if and when he's fired, then this person like Chris Mullen or whoever, should not allow or let their intentions known to the MSM, NYMSM, and it gets to the ears or eyes of Dolan. Because Dolan will do the opposite.

And I congratulate and encourage James Dolan to keep up the good work, what he’s doing is giving the dogs no bark. They are in fact, as they write their garbageness, just like toothless dogs that have a lot of bark, but no bite. Discerning readers are no longer fooled and mislead by their inane inks. Bring it on; they’re doing nothing but wasting their time. It makes me happy to see them not getting what they want!!!

Dolan would not make these NY Press Dogs happy by satisfying their desires. Making them win! James Dolan stays in control by not relenting to the NY Media; so by doing that, Dolan remains in control. He knows the sports reporters don’t like him. So I guess it pleases him to do the opposite of their desires. And to me that’s a good thing.
What James Dolan is in effect doing is not giving these writers a credible voice to stand on. How long have they been bashing IT, Dolan, this Knicks team? Forever, right? And where have it gotten them?
So far no where, and to me, that’s good sports related news worth reading.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
To see how bias and hateful these dogs who cover the Knicks… we don’t have to look that far for factual knowledge in their garbageness reporting.

A quick comparison we can see the difference:
After the Nets beat Sonics, Nets beat writer Julian Garcia opened up her article, “On Road, Nets Hot Stuff” with this paragraph: SEATTLE --- “Just days removed from a six-game losing streak, it doesn't matter what kind of wins the Nets get, as long as they get them.”

Wow!!! Did you read that? This NY Sports News writer is in fact not belittling the Nets win with a sarcastic or cynical remark---but instead mentioning any win is a good win.
Now take this lifetime resident dog in Anti’s Doghouse, Mike Lupica’s article on Sunday 11/25/07,”If Isiah knows hoops, Knicks’ fans know better”:“The Chicago Bulls did not have Luol Deng, a player good enough to be in trade talks about Kobe Bryant, at the Garden yesterday. Ben Gordon, somebody who usually kills the Knicks, at the Garden and everywhere else, combined with Kirk Hinrich to shoot 9-for-35 Saturday. Somehow the Bulls overcame all that and tied the Knicks at 75-75 in the fourth quarter before missing the last eight shots they looked at. You want to know who the Knicks can beat right now? That's who.”

Now why not write what Julian wrote about her team the Nets, that every win is a good win?

Answer: This dog Mike Lupica and Head Woofer in Anti’s Doghouse is incapable of saying anything positive regarding the Knicks. That's why.

What this Mike “pit bull” Lupica is inking is inserting a negative (Knicks beating an awful team), instead of emphasizing the positive (Knicks beat an awful team). Any win is a good win, right? In Lupica eyes, any win the Knicks win, is not good in his eyes. And he thinks he has the audacity to speak for us true Knicks’ fans when he’s write in such a way that shows he doesn’t speak for us true Knicks' fans.
This toothless dog has lost his bite, therefore he’s inane, and forever a member of the Dog Pack and rightfully belong in my Doghouse, that includes these other NY Sports Writers as well: Mitch “the grill” Lawrence, NY Post vulture looking, Jay Greenberg, Peter “the liar” Vecsey, Frank “not so credible” Isola.

Anti-NYSportsNews is my name, and you can find me at my home base here and at the world wide web Knicks' blog headquarters at

http://www.knicksdefense.com/.

Sigh…is there anything more amusing then the grammar impaired, delusional, conspiracy theorist, fanboy that hates the NY beat writers, yet reads them faithfully everyday?

That berates them for their alleged rumors and lies, yet spreads his own, in their very own blogs?

That belittles Allan, and this blog, from his home site, yet feels compelled to come here and post his insulting rant? This is typical of what you’ll find at knicksdefense.com. Where anyone who disagrees with this dogma is banned.

I was at the game Saturday, and it was not a well played or entertaining game. The most entertaining part of the game was the Knick’s Kid dancers, and the amazing Chinese acrobat on the unicycle at halftime.

It was two bad teams, slogging it out, missing lots of shots, missing free throws, turning the ball over, not boxing out, and in general playing uninspired basketball. The Garden was not really into the game, and the only time it came to life, was when it started booing the Knicks during the collapse in the 4th quarter. It didn’t give me any confidence the Knicks are going to turn it around and start beating better teams.

The one bright spot was Marbury’s play. But much like Curry’s inspired play at the end of the Denver win, one decent game is not a trend. Marbury needs to play like that consistently for this team to even have a chance.

LGM

It's Shocking that you would focus on Kids as being the Highlight
of going to a Knicks game! You sound like a pedophile.
Fixers watch your kids around this guy! He is already reported to the Child Protection Network. He will be monitored.

Your all straight tripping...

And I mean on acid, not hip hop

Anti-NYSportsNews,

The NY media IS negative, but the team really gives them little to be positive about. Chicago is terrible and Deng wasn't there. I was glad to see a win (I understand why some fans want to see the Knicks lose as a way of forcing changes, but I personally can't root against them), but beating this awful team at home when they are shorthanded really isn't much of an accomplishment. To let on like it was a win at San Antonio would be misleading.

You took the time to write a lot on this, so it is clearly important to you, and something you've thought about. I have a couple of questions - sincere, not sarcastic, and respectful, for now :-) - that don't add up. You must realize that at 2-9, the team was off to a historically bad start, and the win over Chicago (while infinitely better then another loss) was close and ugly against a patsy of an opponent. Do you honestly believe that this situation is a positive one? Are you satisfied with the performance so far? During Isiah's FOUR + seasons with the Knicks, the team has wallowed well below .500. What do you see in his coaching, other than generalities like "the players like him" (in-game strategy, exploiting match-ups, offensive and defensive systems, for example) that makes you think he's even above average at his profession? As a GM - I've asked this before, but no one has even attempted an answer - what team currently above .500, do you think would swap rosters with the Knicks, and why? I say none, but I'm wiling to argue.

This is a long post, but I get sick of people ripping the media, as if that is the problem and not the team's performance on the floor. If we were 9-3 and the coverage was all negative, then I'd be complaining too. But right now were getting chumped, and I do not see the point of pretending that we aren't or crapping on the people who call out those responsible. I enjoy insulting the trolls, but I don't fire insults at someone who wants to argue this situation. So come on man, you sling the accusations - back them up with specifics.

By the way, the Nets (as if that mattered) are now 7-7. If the Knicks were at .500, I'd be more positive about the season too.

I can't resist - you call your site knicksdefense and are concerned about accuracy? At least the Knicks defense exists somewhere, even if its only cyberspace, because it sure isn't played in MSG. Maybe "matadordefense" would be closer to the truth.

Pete,

Well said.

The Knicks have been a laughing stock the last few years, and the poor beat writers who have been forced to witness it, are just reporting the reality of that situation. Many of the local media were actually predicting a better team this year, only to see them get off to another horrid start, with little consistent effort from the players. Those are the FACTS.

But conspiracy theorists like Anti, believe the mainstream NY media are all part of some giant anti-NY Knicks, anti-Thomas conspiracy, and that they really should be gushing over every ugly win against a horrid team, or perhaps mentioning the one or two good plays in their 25 point blowout losses.

knicksdefense has plenty of folks like Anti who were all predicting 50+ wins for the Knicks this year...now they need someone to blame...so I guess it must be Lupica and Isola and Hahn and Vescey's fault...they should be running out on the floor and defending the three point line better!

Pete, the NY media was ruthless on the Knicks when the were perennial conference contenders. They ripped Patrick Ewing daily in the late 90's. It doesn't matter what happens they have a negative slant on everything. Right now, the Daily News has a blood lust for Isiah.

Anti-NYsports, that was a great post. I do get some satisfaction that the Isola's, Lupica's are just spinning their wheels with the vitriol they spew on a daily basis. I'll be checking for you on your blog.

The one thing I took from the Bulls win is that Zach Randolph has a finishers mentality. That's a good thing with this team that can be infectious. You don't need seven finishers just one. They would all fight for the ball in the last seconds and you would lose the game. But, Zbo doesn't care about anything but scoring and doing it with attitude and guts. Frye was never has that guy with the Knicks and Isiah would not want to wait when it arrived. Zach needs the ball in key situations. You may lose some games but I know we can win more often than not with that type of mentality.

Here's the difference between the Knicks and the Nets:

The Nets have been consistently good for the past few years and the Knicks have been consistently bad for the past few years.

When the Nets get off to a horrible start there is reason to believe they will improve because their performance in recent years with the same players backs that up.

However, when the Knicks get off to a horrible start there is little reason to believe they will improve because their performance in recent years with the same players backs that up.

Look, maybe Zach Randolph will emerge as an unstoppable force who carries the team on his back for long stretches, but if that doesn't happen, what reason is there to believe that this team will improve as much as it needs to in order to be in any sort of contention for anything (playoffs, division, conference, etc.)?

If anything, when all is said and done, they will be marginally better this year than last year. But who wants to root for a team that is only marginally better than below mediocre? That's why the sports writers get on this team. The ceiling is not very high, and the same people in this organization keep making the same mistakes. With no change, how can anyone expect the Knicks to improve?

The frustration of the fan seeps into the writing on the sports pages, and for the most part I think it's justified.

We have two Indiana products emerging as leaders on the court.
Zach is our best offensive player and does not shy away from the ball late in the game.(or at any other point in the game for that matter).
Jeffries looks like a line backer out there on defense. He is all over the place and directs the other guys. He has been bringing it and the other guys seem to step up thier defense when he is out there.

Thomas has been looking for a combination that works really well together. Our best 5 is Steph, Craw, Balk, Jeffries and Zach. I love seeing Balk and Jeffries out there making teams uncomfortable on offense.
Lee has been losing minutes because of his defense. He is really bad. He better balk up over the off-season. Forget about playing the 3 and get big. He is getting pushed around by opposing low post players.

We have two Indiana products emerging as leaders on the court.
Zach is our best offensive player and does not shy away from the ball late in the game.(or at any other point in the game for that matter).
Jeffries looks like a line backer out there on defense. He is all over the place and directs the other guys. He has been bringing it and the other guys seem to step up thier defense when he is out there.

Thomas has been looking for a combination that works really well together. Our best 5 is Steph, Craw, Balk, Jeffries and Zach. I love seeing Balk and Jeffries out there making teams uncomfortable on offense.
Lee has been losing minutes because of his defense. He is really bad. He better balk up over the off-season. Forget about playing the 3 and get big. He is getting pushed around by opposing low post players.

nate4prez,

What's up with Lee in general? I haven't watched any game tape or anything, but doesn't he seem a step-and-a-half slower than he did last year? You think his injury is still bugging him?

I mean I know the guy's white, but I seem to remember him jumping more than a few inches last year. Any insight, Alan?

Good point AR.

Zbo plays with a lot of emotion and pride, he's got a nice offensive game and he's a great rebounder, and he stays out of foul trouble. Frye isn't even close to his talent and passion. He's the most consistent Knick player so far this season.

Q Rich is in a complete offensive funk. He can't hit a thing, not even a foul shot, and he's starting to hesitate and overpass when he is wide open. He's lost all confidence.

If his elbow is the cause, he needs to be on the bench till he's healthy and can hit a wide open three. In the meantime, I'd rather have Jeffries/Balkman split the minutes at the 3, and focus just on defense, crashing the offensive boards, and filling the lane on breaks.

I think Balkman, Collins and Lee have nagging injuries. The team is improving, let's ride out the year and see what happens.

Honestly, I'd rather get Derrick Rose and/or Davon Hardin in the draft than make the playoffs. We still need talent on both ends of the floor and leadership. I'd rather see how much N8, Collins, and Chandler can improve than play Marbury and Q and just miss the playoffs.

I don't see free agents wanting to come to NY or teams trading to help Isiah out a la McHale/Ainge.

Miami's draft pick and cap space for Marbury is good for both teams.

I just want them to compete every night. Did you expect them to get that "shiny stuff" for real this year?

"Watch for the steaming piles in the hallway. Some of it may just be rhetoric. Some may also be blog entries."

Mr. Hahn you've got to stop being so hard on yourself. Most of us like or tolerate your writing. You just can't keep beating on yourself like this.

"As a GM - I've asked this before, but no one has even attempted an answer - what team currently above .500, do you think would swap rosters with the Knicks, and why? I say none, but I'm wiling to argue."

I'll take you on with your question. Respectfully, of course. I looked at your question and wondered if you looked at the teams that were above .500 before you threw it out there or if you actually researched it first. I can tell that you did look at the teams before you said that because of the 16 teams out of 30 that are over .500, only the Clippers, Bucks and Toronto have not been mentioned as possible championship ready teams. If you have a team that you believe is ready to challenge for a ship you wouldn't want to trade off with someone rebuilding.

However, I will throw out to you that half of the league is under .500 and that probably 80% of t h o s e teams would gladly trade rosters even if their w-l record is better than the Knicks. Do you really believe in the Pacers? Why does Larry Bird continue to get a pass? He has been in Indy long before Isiah took over the Knicks. What has he done that was so great? Took a team that Isiah built, with DWalsh given, that was playoff ready and completely ran it aground. The players Bird has drafted I wouldn't trade one of the guys that Isiah has brought in for them. As far as trade mistakes, J & J are comparable to Mike Dumbleavy Jr. and Helen of Troy Murphy. Except James makes 5.8 mil and Jeffries makes 5.6 compared to Dunleavy's 8.2 mil and Murphy's 9.2 mil. Bird knocked his team out of the playoffs and put Golden State in with that trade. Every GM makes trades or drafts that are busts. Some get to continue. Danny Ainge before PGA built a team that is now last in the league. Thanks Santa, I mean McHale *wink wink*.

While I am disappointed in the start, I am not disappointed in the coaching. Isiah has correctly identified what this team needs. Defense and moving the ball on offense. He needed to send messages to four people on this team. Crawford, Curry, Richardson and Marbury to play with more effort. By going after Marbury, the supposed teacher's pet; he sent a message to all of them. Marbury may have felt it was unfair, but the way he handled it was pathetic. If anything, he should've taken it like a man and did his best from the bench. Instead, he's text messaging the media. Be a leader Steph. It's not too late. Everybody hates the coaches' son being on the team unless he's diving for loose balls, defending the best players and hitting clutch jumpers.

Zach is the Dubba Dubba man we thought he was. Insert Denny Green's voice here and repeat. "He is who we thought he was!" Curry, coming off of a shoulder injury is still better than all the centers in the Eastern Conference except Dwight Howard and maybe Rasheed Wallace and better than every center in the Western except Stoudamire and Yao. The key will be chemistry and the key to chemistry is defense. Play defense and all shall be well.

Balkman is back. I wish he were back healthy, but I'm glad he's back. When Balkman plays consistent minutes, everybody "hustles harder".

I have 2 tickets to tonight's game in the 400 level, dead center, a few rows up. I only want face value for them, which is $40 each. Anyone interested?

my current starting line-up, as Coach-de-jour (yes, i know i would be a horrible coach, as far as x&o's, but...)

PG- Steph (for lack of better)
SG- Quentin (mostly for defense, but can hit from outside... well, I hope he gets his touch back, but he is a better all around player than Crawford, who just can't seem to D-up)
SF- Renaldo Balkman
PF- Zach Randolp
C- Curry

now, I almost put Zach as C and inserted David Lee as the PF... but Curry can score early and often, creating double teams. however, his inside presence can evaporated at times, so mix in Lee as PF, Zach at C (or vice-versa) to mix things up.

2nd squad has Craw, Nate, Lee and thanksgiving leftovers off the bench.

I still want to go to the game, but can't get anyone to go with me, and I don't think anyone would want to buy one ticket (which is why I'm offering the two). But if you're in the market for one ticket, we could do that too.

Jay Bee, to answer your question, Larry Bird hasn't done anything that 'great', other then being GM of a team that has consistently had a better record than the Knicks, w far less salary for the last several years.

Why would Bird trade his team with 3 more wins and 20 mil less salary for the Knicks? Of course he wouldn't.

Is Dunleavey overpaid? Yep...at least he can knock down an open jumper. Think Bird would take Q Rich or Crawford over him? Nope. Dunleavey's numbers are better across the board compared to Crawford this year.

Tinsley has the same numbers as Marbury, except he has 2.5 more assists per game, and costs less then 1/3 of Marbury.

I'd take the cheaper Foster over Malik at this point.

I sure would take Danny Granger over Lee, Nate, Balkman or Frye. Make sure and remind me when one of those 4 helps lead the Knicks with 25 points in a win over Dallas.

Zbo over Troy Murphy? Yep.

Curry over Jermaine O'Neal...nope

Speaking of "Dirty Jobs," and cleaning up the Garden, how about in a figurative sense? As evidenced by the trial and the subsequent 8-game losing streak, it's pretty clear the Garden is in need of some vigorous scrubbing...

Pete,

"As a GM - I've asked this before, but no one has even attempted an answer - what team currently above .500, do you think would swap rosters with the Knicks, and why?
I say none, but I'm wiling to argue."

I'm never one to shy away from a discussion, so I will be back tomorrow to answer you on the points you brought up.

But Question first: Have you read this,"The Book of Isiah - Unraveling The Biggest Myth in Sports”

http://www.cosellout.com/?p=128

If not read that first then build up your argument that's Isiah Thomas here have been a waste of time. And team on the floor is garbage.

NYKat,

Thanks, for the support----WriteOn!!!!!!

LGM,

Lets Go Mets, because it's sure is not Lets Go Knicks!!!

Some think it is Lets Go Mark, but he could be Mark himself.

in response to Anti-NYSportsNews, it seems that you think there is no place for critical reporting in the sports media. why should sports media be any different from news media. they are both the press, aren't they? isn't "sports" also "new"? (especially in this age of hundred million dollar contracts, billion dollar publically financesd stadiums, management guilty of sexual harrassment, and felonious athletes).

by extension, it appears that you would agree that the press, at the time our forefathers stood up to colonist england, had no business questioning the legitimacy of the royalist oppressors? and the press who questioned our illegal and morally indefensible conduct in vietnam had no business doing so?
i suppose woodward and bernstein had a lot of nerve for follwing the lead of deep throat too? finally, should the press have stood by (hmm...come to think of it, that is exactly what the press did do for the first 3 years) while our current administration blatantly lied about their real motivations for invading iraq? and wasn't it a shame how the press exposed the truth about the lying and ineptitude of out goverment during the hurricane that destoyed new orleans?

i for one, am grateful when the fourth estate actually does do their job, and serves the people in their quest for answers. if the ny sports reporting scene is too much of a downer for you, perhaps you should stick with usa-today, they play it very safe over there.

that last diatribe about the legitimacy of critical ny sports reporting was not intended to be anonymous, i wrote it.

Across the Hudson, you're right on. Suppose Zach is a great finisher, then what? They still have a 43-win ceiling.

That's why, in three or four years, we'll all remember Stephon Marbury with great affection: he'll be the one who caused the season to fall apart, giving the Knicks a chance to draft a legitimately great player in the '08 draft. If the Knicks lose the next five games (which I think they will), that puts them at 3-14. Then the debate begins: should they target Derrick Rose or OJ Mayo?

Whoever inherits conrol of the franchise next year has the sweetest possible deal. Getting rid of Marbury and removing Isiah's controversial presence gets you 8 extra wins right away. Then, you have a high lotto pick in a great draft, and a fan base that will be willing to tolerate years and years of rebuilding (if that's what it takes) as long as it appears to be getting done the right way.

Lee is struggling right now because the word is out on him. teams are making sure they box him out.
Lee has to get bigger. I think he held out hopes of being a guy who can play the 3 and the 4. So he didnt hit the weight room and sacrifice what little quickness he has. People were saying at the begining of the year that maybe Lee should start at small foward. It is now clear that he cant defend the opposing player at that position.
Lee has to build an NBA physique and realize that he is gonna make his money in the paint.
I still wouldnt trade him unless im getting all-star talent in return, even though he isnt an all-star talent. He can develope into a top level role player.

Anti,

Why do you claim to hate the NY press, and then spend all your time reading their articles, and posting on their blogs? Perhaps you should seek some counseling over that?

I root for the Knicks, I don't root against the NY Sports Media.
I don't break down in tears after every loss, and I don't have a picture of Ron Artest or Kobe on my nightstand, like half the losers over knicksdefense.com do.

Run along now...you've got your own website to pollute...

Isiah Thomas isn't the biggest myth in sports, he's simply been a failure as a GM and as a coach of the NY Knicks. That's all. No one cares. He's made a lot of ex-Knick coaches and players rich, by signing them to long term contracts, and then having Dolan buy them out.

He'll soon be gone, and then he'll never be a GM in this league again. He's cost his employer 11 mil with his boorish behavior, and made lots of enemies throughout the league. He can't even control his next door neighbor, his hand picked franchise superstar, the player he's been mentoring since he got here. He alienated the whole team in that fiasco.

Thomas has made some okay draft pics, but none of them are starting, and none are likely to, anytime soon, if ever. They are role players. His highest pic (Frye) has been traded, and the Knicks other top pics are now playing on Chicago. So the real myth is that Isiah is such a great drafting GM.

Hopefully Dolan, or Dolan Sr., comes to his senses and goes out and hires someone like Colangelo, and gives him total control to rebuild the team and it's laughingstock image.

Seems Newsday is allowing ticket scalping on this blog. That's against the law. The state Attorney General's Office has been alerted.

LOVE WATCHING MSG GAMES NOW.......MIKE BREEN HAS BEEN WARNED..THANKS MR DOLAN, ONLY WISH YOU COULD BUY THE NY PAPERS AS WELL...FANS BE PATIENT THE SEASON IS NOT LOST.....U SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE BULLS AND CAVS,,,THE KNICKS HAVE BALLERS THE COACH HAS TO FIGURE IT OUT, FORGET NEXT YEAR LETS ROOT FOR THIS TEAM NOW.

hey Darryl doesnt someone need to make a profit for it to be considered scalping.

Get a Life

hey alan,
your IT people failed to ban mark from posting, he's going under lgm these days, so his pollution is still corrupting the integrity of your otherwise good blog.

mark,
grow a pair and post under your real name.
okay you p*ssy?

I dont know if LGM is our old friend Mark......

But LGM what player did Isiah sign to a big contract and buy out?

Oh right, he never did that.

Alan, congrats on the girl.
It's hard to find Knicks onesies.

Alan,

What a shame some of the 'defenders' who slander you and your website, and the rest of the NY beat writers, from their own little blog, feel the need to still come here, and post under multiple names and slander me as well.

It seems anyone who disagrees with their tirades and tactics is labeled 'mark'.

Nate4prez...

Isiah has bought out the hefty contracts of Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor, players he traded for. I'm sure Jerome James is next.
He also bought out Chaney, Wilkens and Brown.

Hopefully, Dolan will be buying him out next.

Ok LGM,
The Taylor contract was a bad one to take on, but Thomas thought the team needed some scoring down low. So he got a guy with a bad contract. Didnt really cost the Knicks anything in terms of what they gave up for him. And I think they ended up just cutting him.
Jerome James. Well all I can say about that one is that the knicks didnt have anyone to play center. Thier starter at that point was going to be a rookie Channing Frye. How would have Larry Brown liked that? So they overpaid for size. A lot of teams have.
You know what they got in the Jalen Rose trade?
The pick that turned into Balkman. That buyout was well worth it.

As far as his coaching decisions, Cheaney he didnt pick and I really didnt have a problem with the other two, but they didnt work out. Now its his head on the block.....

Jay Bee, Anti,

Thanks for the comments. I admit the respectfully thing is a bit heavy – just looking for some real answers and dialog rather than the insults or empty Isiah is great/Isiah sucks stuff that gets flung around. I didn’t actually research the question, but I follow the league pretty closely and thought about it a bit. My beef is with the defense of Isiah as GM that praises the talent he’s brought in. I actually have a few of beefs about that.

The first has to do with my question. If at least half the league would rather keep what they have, then it is impossible for the Knicks to be considered a talented team relative to the rest of the league. I’ve read Modi’s piece over on Cossellout.com – and it makes some good points for sure. It’s just that my grounds for comparison are the rest of the league, not the Layden period that is ended over four seasons ago. That is ancient history in pro sports. So I admit that we are talented compared to Layden’s best squad, we are average at best compared to the 2007-8 NBA. That is a problem, and fair or not, that’s on the GM who has been running the show for four years. I’m also not sold on Bird as a GM, and unlike LGM, I’d advise any fantasy owner to wait on Dunleavy Jr. A decent month does not make up for the Funleavy era in Golden State.

The second beef is how the talent we do have fits together. I’ve written about that before and probably will again, just not now : ) Needless to say, I don’t think the team is put together in a way that maximizes the talent of the players. I think Isiah lacks a vision for the team, which is a bigger problem long term than winning or losing individual trades.

The last one is the record.

I don’t think the players are garbage or worthless, but I think only a few are keepers. I don’t think Crawford is a playoff quality starter, and while Zbo and Eddy can coexist, it takes away from Zach’s effectiveness. I think a really good GM recognizes this. So I don’t think Isiah is horrible (not like Rob Babcock as GM or Tim Floyd as coach) just mediocre. He’s just good enough for someone to make an excuse for him. Scratching our way towards a 40 win ceiling doesn’t cut it, so while I’ll cheer for a win over Chicago, what I really want is a rocking MSG that visiting teams fear. 50 + win seasons and deep playoff runs. I’m asking Isiah’s defenders to show me what he has done over his four seasons that makes them think that is in the future with him at the helm. We don’t need proof that he isn’t horrible – he isn’t – but that he’s really good, compared to the best in the league, not the odor of Layden.

lgm/mark:
an asswipe by any other name is still an asswipe.

Pete,

Good points, I'm not sold on Dunleavey, I'm just comparing Bird to Isiah...Bird has the better record the last few years, more playoff appearances and less salary.

I agree completely with you that Thomas is mediocre. A mediocre GM and coach. Unfortunately, the Larry Brown affair, and the harrassment lawsuit, and the latest Marbury affair, have just created a circus atmosphere around the team, and causes the team to lose focus. As far as Layden goes, yeah he might have been mediocre, but I seem to remember my 1999 Knicks losing in the finals to a pretty good team. When can we expect an Isiah Thomas team to get back there?

LGM: Fair enough. In the end, the record is the last word for me, so I can't argue Indiana with you. I hate the circus atmosphere - the whole organization seems unprofessional, but I put that mostly on Dolan. S**t floats. Man, the finals seems a long time ago.

when zach aka z bo is on the floor it makes Curry look expendable...he does everything that curry is suppose to do:rebound,and be a post presence...

just think if we could exchange curry for the net's sean williams...
make zach the 5 and put sean williams at the 4...great shot blocker

Police – I agree that Mark has come back under a different name. But if you look at the writing more carefully, it’s Darryl, not LGM.

Newsday: check it out. I bet I'm right.

Selling tickets for face value is completely legal. Look it up, genius.

And I'm glad I didn't "scalp" my tickets, because I saw one hell of a game.

ya damn right Hundson!!!