The Knicks Fix

Alan,

What you say is true. It is as hard to imagine the Knicks making the playoffs today as it was to imagine the current Knicks record this past summer. This past summer in Readers Digest, Reggie Miller picked New York as a surprise power in the East.

And, yes, scenes from Dumb and Dumber certainly apply to optimists who can imagine the Knicks playing better than five mediocre teams in the East.

To understand the winning vision you need to understand that optimists believe that the Knicks have two sets of assets. One, a core set of players who can win with an infusion of chemistry and another who are quite tradable for such supplementary players.

The Knicks are capable of a transformation from losers to winners only if Isiah Thomas becomes dispassionate enough to let go of players who clearly do not fit but happen to be personal favorites of his.

Curry and Crawford are clearly tradable assets whose value lies in the combination of utilitarian value and reasonable contracts. Nor do the Knicks need quadruple redundancy at the SF position.

The Knicks can win by acquiring either Kidd, Andre Miller, or Bibby. The playoffs run through the PG position. Secondly they need a center who is a defensive presence (goodbye Eddy). Dalembert, Okafor, Ben Wallace, and others fit the bill and are available.

Of course, an Artest, Marvin Williams, or other upgrade at the SF position would be welcome as well.

Some of us happen to think the Knicks have the horses but are simply missing a few ingredients that could work wonders. What is frustrating is that the Knicks should move quickly and decisively. They are stagnating.

I am also of the opinion that Isiah will pick better in the draft regardless of pole position than his peers. But it is a crapshoot and not something worth pursuing intentionally unless you're Chicago or the Clippers.

The knicks are not in the west why does everyone keep talking as though they are trailing the suns or something.

I dont see how it can be considered a huge leapfrog when those teams are juts as bad as the knicks they just didnt have to deal with MT fujibury erupting again at the start of the season.

Bobcast,Philly,Bucks ,Pacers,Bulls are ahead in non playoff spots and only the Bulls and Bobcats appear to be going in the right direction.

Hawks and Nets are in the 7th and 8th spots and they are struggling badly right now .

of those 7 teams ahead of the knicks 4 of them have records of 3-7 or worse and looking at their schedules the prospects dont look good.

Id just like the to see the knicks play hard and as a team until the end of the season whether they make it or not.I wouldnt count them out of the playoffs just yet though.

Fwkoo – I love most of the players you suggest bringing to the Knicks. But I don’t understand the logic. Kidd? Bibby? Wallace? Those are trades about this year. I think that’s a mistake. They’re much too old to play a significant role in a franchise that I believe is farther away than you seem to think. You talk about needing a starting point guard. A starting small forward. A starting center. I agree with you. But those aren’t tweaks to a roster. That’s franchise building. That takes time. Years. Especially with the meager talent (and trade assets in general) on this team now, you’re just not going to be able to wrangle a whole new starting unit. Or even three-fifths of one. Again, I love Kidd. But what good would it do to bring him here, now? And how much would we have to give up to get him? Especially when he’d be long gone before this team will be a serious contender for anything.

We have to think young. Develop the legitimate talent Isiah has brought to this team. (I agree that he has to stop playing those personal favorites, but it’s more complicated than you make it out. He’s also playing them because he has a fundamental conflict of interest. He has to win now to save his job. That’s also why we still see Q and Malik so much. And so little of Chandler and Collins. Even Balkman) I also believe the players we bring in should be young. I include Artest in that. He’s not quite 30, right? I’m exhausted talking about wanting to bring Artest to NY. But I don’t want to destroy the team to do it. There hasn’t been a lot of smart thought given to constructing a cohesive roster for a long time. Somebody’s got to start.

I’ve never advocated tanking games either. But I gotta believe that a top 5 pick is a LOT more valuable to this team in the long run than the privilege of being swept in the first round of the playoffs. That, too, is optimism . . . just focused farther down the road.

Very interesting on Jamal, thanks. It’s interesting that he was one of the few players who responded to Larry Brown, and even tried playing a little defense when LB was in town. More and more I wonder about the quality of coaching this team has been getting. I’m not just talking substitution patterns and Xs and Os. (We know that’s been a disaster.)
But are the young players being developed by the coaches? Are they working with Zbo on passing out of the double-team? With Curry on everything? Peaceman is right that a lot of Isiah’s trades tanked on him. They didn’t rise to the occasion, and develop their potential. But I also wonder if they could have gotten better help along the way?
(sorry for so much at once, don't get a chance to check in as often)

Maybe Jamal is an optimist, but at least he is being a LEADER. That's alot more than any other player on this team has attempted to be. You can't find any way to rip in to him for it. Its a little insulting to relate Dumb & Dumber to something a player says to inspire his team. Certainly, beat writer and everyone else in the NBA, including Knicks fans, find a way to minimize a step in the positive direction.

Too bad, Alan, you ommited what Isiah said in the interview..."His (Jamal's) teammates TRUST him and "and when he talks, he comes from a very safe place in terms of when he speaks with the players." Better than N8's highlight reel dunks, D Lee's hustle or Balkman zipping down the court or ahem, something Marbury obviously did not accomplish amongst his teammates.

Alan,

You underestimate the power of an 8TH seed! If games were won on paper you would be correct. I like the reality of the 2006-2007 8TH seed GSW vs Dallas and the 8Th seed 1999 Knicks.

If we were a team of older Veterans I would agree that making the playoff at 8th seed is pointless, but the average age of our core players is 24-25 years old! Any playoff experience for them can only help them in the future!

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/knicks/14304787.html

Crawford leads by exampleFriday, January 25, 2008
BY STEVE ADAMEK

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- As the Knicks prepared Thursday to embark on the second half of their so-far-lost season tonight vs. Philadelphia, Jamal Crawford took it upon himself to deliver his teammates a message.

Look at the standings, he told them. With 41 games to go, we can still make a playoff push.

Pipe dream or not, in that and other ways, Crawford now finds himself ordained the Knicks' primary leader, the teacher's new pet (Isiah Thomas' that is), filling whatever void Stephon Marbury left behind.

By the numbers, how he's done so is glaringly obvious: 25.4 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting (45.4 on threes) with a 2-1 assist-turnover ratio since Marbury shut himself down five games ago to undergo left-ankle surgery Tuesday.

Before that, Crawford averaged 19.1 points on 41 percent shooting (32.8 on threes) with a 1.6-1 assist-turnover ratio.

Although neither he nor any other Knick will say so out loud, that difference isn't mere coincidence. The closest he'll come to admitting that is, as Marbury's replacement at the point, he now can get better shots and make better decisions because he has the ball in his hands more.

"I think when more is expected of you, you've got to be more responsible," he said. "I've got to take better shots. I've got to make sure they're good shots. I've got to take smarter shots because more is asked of me."

Meanwhile, Crawford now has license to speak his mind off the floor, too, about such things as the Knicks' five-game deficit for the East's final playoff spot entering Thursday. Thus, he's talked to former Knicks captains Allan Houston and John Starks about how to go about that business.

"The players trust him," Thomas said, "and when he talks, he comes from a very safe place in terms of when he speaks with the players."

Left unsaid is that trust was a foreign concept between Marbury (like Crawford, a co-captain) and his teammates.

"I don't really know if it's been since Steph has been gone," said Eddy Curry, Crawford's best friend on the team. "He's been more vocal for awhile now and I think that's what we needed."

"I just honestly think it was the next progression in my career to step up and be a leader, lead by example and do all I could to help the team win," Crawford said.

It's taken awhile, for he's in his eighth NBA season, the first seven of which he missed the playoffs, the league's longest such streak.

But this is his first of four seasons in New York without Marbury setting him up for shots or dominating the ball or trying to lead off the floor, even though most of his teammates never took Marbury seriously.

Crawford they do.

"He's definitely become one of the leaders of this team," Curry said. "He's been a lot more vocal, he's been a lot more assertive out on the court [and] just being a guy who's leading by example."

"Just being a leader on the court, whether it's running the show or scoring or giving my teammates a better shot, I've got to be more responsible," Crawford said. "So I think that's helped my progression as a player."

Alan,

I'm not sure why you're dissing Thomas on his ability to draft. This is scary because your not on TNT - ESPN - you don't have to cover every team in the league. You of all people should have a better feel of the team.

1 - Why not consider our recent surge as a reason to hope.

2 - Why not consider the terrible play by other teams as a reason to hope.

3 - Why not consider the fact that Isiah has been the best GM the

Knicks have EVER had when it comes to the NBA Draft. His trades my be questioned, but not his ability to draft talent (Ariza, Balkman, your man Nate, DLee, Channing).

When you start assuming that we're going to have a terrible draft because of Isiah then you start to lose credibility with folks.

I really think the post-Steph era will work out in our favor. From everything I hear - it sounds like other GMs are frustrated with the Knicks because we refuse to make trades unless they clearly improve our team.

Please don't force me to go blog-shopping again.

Moody,

1. Knicks once won 6 in a row under Larry Brown. You are what your record says you are. Knicks are still a bad team.

2. I have to rely on 29 other teams sucking for the Knicks to be good?

3. Channing over Bynum?

Alan, Your credibility is fine in my cube!

How pathetic that we have to be talking about lottery picks; and getting all giddy about maybe having the #1 pick.....This was a team with the bankroll to be doing what the Celtics are doing right now; except for one astronomically huge difference..........Isiah Thomas !!!
Thomas, together with the ever present enabling hand of his spineless superior, Steve Mills; and the blind ineptitude of owner James Dolan;have ruined this once proud franchise for years to come. Absolutely, no doubt about it.

@Moody, JDB and others - I didn't intend to make fun of optimists, or Jamal, I was merely just having fun with it with the Dumb & Dumber reference. I said I respect the passionate optimists. As a fan, you want to see wins and good effort. I understand that. I'm just trying to give the alternative viewpoint, to generate discussion. I respect Peaceman's basketball-related points of view and always have. He has hoop knowledge, there's no doubt, and he loves this franchise. The blog sometimes is a good place to generate debate and throw in some good-natured ribbing. Maybe I tend to toss in a little too much satire. I'm just trying to keep it poppin.
In fact, I agree with Peaceman's post that an 8th seed could do wonders for a young team. But, to me, that young team this year is Atlanta or Charlotte. A playoff berth would do a lot for either of those franchises.
For the Knicks, getting spanked in four straight and winding up with a pick in the teens might be more damaging in the long-term plan than getting a lottery pick and starting fresh next season without the Marbury Factor. And perhaps without Isiah's erratic coaching (did I not write how little they actually worked during training camp? how short practices were? and now we see conditioning as an issue...go figure)
As for Jamal and his "leadership" efforts...a leader on a team like this doesn't just encourage, he also makes it a point to set a standard for everyone to follow. I like Jamal, but I've yet to see him demand anything out of his teammates. Match my work-ethic, etc. Stuff that greats like Jordan and Kobe and Garnett had done to establish themselves as leaders early in their careers. I've yet to see him tell those guys who waste their pregame routine by placing bets on three-point shots to take their butts into the locker room and stay there if they aren't out here to work. I've said these exact words to Jamal. He knows how I feel about that stuff.
Trust me, fellow Fixers, I'm not here to see the Knicks fail or mock your devotion for the team. I'm here to report what I see from my vantage point inside that television screen you watch. Right now what I see doesn't suggest enough has changed to result in a miraculous turnaround. Sure, the team is playing better, playing harder. But when you start applauding a team for actually giving an honest effort...that's when you're in trouble.

Alan, it shouldn't be hard to see that if the Knicks make the playoffs they can't exactly be the laughingstock of the league anymore, that's the short term motivation. People like you tell the team to tank and trash 'em while they're doing it. This is about pride.

The magnitude of Marbury's absence is just the thing that can catapult this team forward, winning 60% of the games we play here on out, the Knicks have the talent to do it.

I'm on the train of wait till the offseason, draft, dump salary and steal a free agent.

Kenny Smith said something interesting about Portland. He said it was usually hard to win with young guys because they are playing to a make a name for themselves and their next paycheck. I think that is why it's hard to bench someone on the Knicks or even decrease there minutes. They "think" they have a right to play on a bad team even though they're not doing ALL the things the coach is asking.

Did someone just post an entire article from another journalist in Alan's blog to validate his point?

To tank or not to tank?

My feeling: play to win and then let the chips fall where they may. For every "sure thing" pick, there's a lottery bust. Except for rare cases (LeBron) who aren't in this year's draft stock, there's just no telling what's in store for these guys.

Also, the better the team plays, the better the trade value of their players. (And as it's been said here before, it's better to make those trades from a position of power)

Lastly, the more experience the team has playing well together, the better. The more confidence and trust they gain as a team, the better.

So I say don't tank.

*Should be noted though that on the downside, if the Knicks turn it around and make the playoffs this year (which they'd do with a losing record), Isaiah will be here forever. An eternity of hopes for a .500 season. Ugh.

@ Matt B: Amen.

we dont need a pg of the future we got NATE ROBINSON!

keep tha team as it is now, stand pat & see what happens.
then on the night of the draft isiah MUST trade either fatso (curry) or bozo (zach) for a lottery pick. IT CAN BE DONE !!
then we are left w/ 2 of them. then we can select eric gordon for PG and isiah LOVES to surprise everyone and i was in favor of joey dorsey a month ago but he is undersized ..now i would LOVE for zeke to grab jarvis vanardo w/ the 2nd pick. the guy leads the nation in blocked shots and ALREADY has 4 games w/ 10 blks or more. that tells me he is a natural shot blocker who can only get better. he really has something you can't teach....& THAT is just what we need at center. i believe we are dead last in the nba in blocks again. grab those two cats & we are ballin' next year.

I don’t think anybody denies the value of “playoff experience.” But do we really think this team would benefit as much from getting trashed by the Celtics for 4 games . . . as they would from a top-five lottery pick? This team just needs talent too desperately. There are too many slots to fill. (And as great as Nate has been playing, I still have trouble envisioning him as the PG of the future. I think he’ll always be a 2nd unit sparkplug. The fact that he’s taken all aspects of his game to another level is just a bonus. But I believe we still need a starting PG of the future.) I also don’t think anybody will confuse this team with the ’99 Knicks. Somehow it’s difficult to imagine a Cinderella run through the playoffs here.

I haven’t read anybody advocating tanking games. But there’s a big difference between tanking and harming the team in the long run by trying desperately to get into the playoffs now. I would rather not worry so much about wins and losses at this point, and play the young guns until they drop. This is the time we should be using to get them invaluable on-court experience, which will also tell management (whoever that turns out to be come summer) what we’ve got and what we need.

All,

Artest is on his way.!!!

Over the last couple of weeks the Sac town paper had a few articles on the Knicks not wanting to give up Lee in a deal for Artest. This was a good move by IT. The longer he waits the better. Sac needs to get rid of Artest before the trade deadline or they risk letting him go for nothing. They tried to force the knicks hands by going public with the article but the knicks are holding firm to thier offer. The knicks have Jefferies in the package as the primary piece.

NYkat. Great post!
I totally agree! The playoff= respect no matter what happens after!

Can you imagine Trane's senario inside MSG?

Dolan: IT, last night the Pacers lost, putting us 4.5 L's out of the 8Th seed! I want you to play the young guys till they drop!

Zeke: OK Jim, we are 4.5 L's out of 8Th seed with 41 games left,
no way we make that up in 41 games!

Does this make sense to anyone else here?
If it does, please pull my coat on the logic?????

Peaceman,NYKat,

i want to be optimistic and i think that the knicks have the talent to be a 8th seed.

BUT DO WE HAVE THE HEART?
THE GUTS TO GET DIRTY WHEN THINGS ARE GETTING ROUGH?

the reason i have a hard time being optimistic is the character of the people isiah has on his roster.

isiah has not traded for players that have his personality.
I.T. was a killer on the court.a rip your heart out kind of player.

the players he has traded for are not known for that kind of tenacity.they are soft...

THAT IS WHY I WANT THEM TO TRADE FOR ARTEST CUZ HE HAS A CRAZY INTIMIDATION FACTOR TO HIS PERSONALITY THAT I THINK THE KNICKS NEED.

we have too many players who just nice guys.

BUT ON THE COURT LAST GUYS FINISH LAST.

I THINK JAMAL HAS WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A LEADER ON THIS TEAM.

i do think having the subtraction of Marbury's negative energy
will help them.

I JUST WANT THEM TO SHOW ME SOME HEART.

ESP CURRY....

I ACTUALLY LIKE RANDOLPH...I THINK THAT ISIAH HAS TO ADMIT THAT CURRY IS NOT THE CENTER FOR THIS TEAM AND MAKE SOME MOVES.

A TRADE FOR DALEMBERT AND ARTEST AND THIS TEAM WOULD BE ON THE WAY TO DOING SOMETHING....

Nyc 2 Infinity,

Great post! I 100% agree!

I feel BAD for Philly! There's no chance for them tonight!
LETS GO KNICKS!!!!!

The thing about Artest is that he only has a year left on his contract, unlike so much of our deadwood. If we can get him and he doesn't work out - he walks - no problem. Seems safe to me.

As for worrying about lottery position, the Knicks are not at the bottom of the league at the moment, and are not likely to bottom out below the likes of Miami, Minny, Seattle, etc. So the "sure things" will be gone when they are picking anyhow. Rose, Gordon, Beasley - they're going to the Heat, Sonics and Wolves, unless someone beats the odds like Portland last year. Not something to plan for.