Category: New York Knicks

It’s not often that Zeke can be credited with a good move so we’re screaming it from the rooftops. Although, a good Isiah Thomas move usually comes as a result of dumb luck, like when Sam beat Robin Colcourt in chess.

The Knicks have an insurance policy in case Brown has to resign from the club for medical reasons. However, the contract doesn’t preclude LB from going to another team. So both sides could get out of this situation relatively unscathed. The Knicks would be out of a disastrous $50M deal that hasn’t worked out for anyone and Larry Brown could be free to go coach a team that doesn’t have the albatross of Isiah/Marbury/Francis/Curry hanging from its neck.

Despite Larry Brown’s health problems, there will always be a suitor who will take a shot on the proven coach and Larry can stick to his claim that he’s never left a team in worse shape than he got it. Yes, their record is worse this year but terrible is terrible and it doesn’t really matter how terrible you are.

We’re not sure how serious Brown’s health problems are but he certain won’t get better by coaching the Knicks next year. Time to pull the ripcord, LB.

Links:
[NY Daily News]: Larry’s sick note

It’s not often that your team is so bad that they send a coach to the hospital twice in a season for things that most people just take over-the-counter medication for but Team Titanic has managed to do it.

During the third quarter last night of the Knicks’ loss to the LBJ-less Cavaliers, Larry Brown removed himself from the bench because he was feeling. He was taken to a hospital on a stretcher and kept overnight for observation and was diagnosed with “stomach acid reflix”.

Now, granted, LB is old … like even older than Sharon Stone, but he checked himself into the hospital for something those people in some purple van keep telling us will go away with one tablet. Earlier this season, Brown was taken to a Memphis hospital after suffering from indigestion. Neither Steve Francis or Stephon Marbury played last night so we’re going to blame Eddy Curry for this.

Needless to say, we hope that LB is ok and back in that rainbow sweater soon.

Links:
[NY Daily News]: Brown hospitalized

Comeback?

Jay Williams was the original Kellen Winslow Jr. Except that Kellen is a dick and, by all accounts, Jay is a classy guy. So we’re happy to learn that his rehab is going well and that he might be with the Knicks next year. (Although I guess being a Knick isn’t exactly wishing well on anyone.)

The Knicks desperately need a point guard since Stephon Marbury is probably on his way out and none of the other guards on the current roster are pure point guards. We don’t know how they’re going to fix Team Titanic, but a healthy (and cheap) Jay Williams is a good first step.

If Jay Williams somehow completes his comeback and gets a big contract in the future, he should repay the Bulls for buying out his contract following his motorcycle accident when they didn’t have to and donate a big sum to a Bulls charity.

Links:
[NY Post]: JAY ON WAY?

Larry Brown says that certain members of the team have quit on him, that he’s tired of “begging guys to compete”, and that over the summer, James Dolan and Isiah Thomas have to figure out whether to keep those players or him. Is there any question that he’s talking about Stephon Marbury?

I’ve been doing this forever. I haven’t had trouble getting guys to respond. Ever. You bang heads for a little while. But eventually they get better. I’ve never had a problem like this before. I’ve never heard anyone ever tell me my teams didn’t play hard.

The only problem is how can Isiah (who hasn’t exactly pulled off any smart trades in his tenure) going to get rid of Marbury and his salary? LB says he won’t quit but we don’t see how this is going to end up other than Brown handing in his resignation.

On a related related note, Brown criticized rookie Nate Robinson for showboating and Robinson responded by taking only 1 shot in 27 minutes against the Wizards. Who the hell is Nate Robinson? I realize he won stole the NBA dunk competition this year but he’s not Kobe Bryant. When he wins 3 national champ, he can refuse to shoot.

Links:
[NY Daily News]: LARRY WANTS QUITTERS OUT
[MSNBC]: Knicks’ Brown admits he could be fired
[ESPN]: Thanks, Larry, for the worst season in Knicks history

Misty water colored
memories…

If you’re not a Knicks fan, watching this team implode under Isiah Thomas is highly amusing. If you are a Knicks fan, you probably can’t believe it’s gotten this bad.

Let’s recap: First, Marbury said he wanted more freedom on the offensive side of the ball and that things weren’t working under Brown’s system. Then, Larry Brown responded by implying that Starbury wrecked teams.

Look, I’ve been coaching how many years? I never left a team in worse shape than I got it. Not one. Now think about that. Think about me and think about the guy who’s talking.

Those comments sent Marbury over the edge. He called LB insecure and said he was living in the past.

He’s speaking on things that he’s done. People in New York want to know, what is he gonna do as far as us winning? What happened in the past is in the past. New Yorkers relate to what’s happening now. They live more in the present.

I’m not a huge Larry Brown fan but he won the championship 2 years ago. What has Marbury ever won in his life?

[NY Post]: MARBURY FIRES BACK AT BROWN

Our win % is so low
you’d think I was insane!

How else can you explain James Dolan’s continued support of Isiah Thomas?

I can’t say it as plainer than I’ve already said it. I’m not making a change, guys. We’re going to continue on with the strategy. I believe in the plan. I believe in the strategy. I believe in the guys who are executing it. I fully expect you to kill me in the papers tomorrow with this, but I’m going to stick with it. I’m going to stick with it until we stop making progress. I think the course is to stay the course, not knee-jerk.

Dolan thinks that this is the first year of a 3-4 year plan to make the Knicks contenders again. He also says 15-42 isn’t a mistake, it’s a strategy. How did Isiah convince him this was a good plan of action?

‘OK, this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to lose a lot of games my first 3 years here and overpay everyone and ruin our cap space by stockpiling selfish overpaid players. Then we’ll call that Year 1. After that, I’ll continue to ruin the Knicks for 3 more years and then in 2010, we’ll just win the championship.’

Isiah must be the smoothest salesguy in the history of the world.

[NY Post]: DOLAN: SOME THINK I’M BRAIN-DEAD, BUT…

Stevie ex-Franchise

[Update] It looks like I was wrong about Isiah, he did trade away an expiring contract for dead weight. Trevor Ariza and Penny were traded to the Magic for Francis.

By the time you read this, it might already be a done deal. The New York Times is reporting that a deal to send Francis to the Knicks was “more likely than not” and the deal could be done by as early as Wednesday.

The Knicks would get Francis and Pat Garrity for Jamal Crawford, Maurice Taylor, and Trevor Ariza. Penny Hardaway’s expiring contract isn’t part of the deal. Maybe Isiah Thomas finally figured out that at least keeping some dead weight that’s going to expire is better than taking on more dead weight. Who am I kidding, the entire Knicks team is dead weight.

[NY Times]: Knicks’ Deal for Francis Is More Likely Than Not

ruining Knicks basketball
for next 10 years

I remember driving from Boston to Philly when it was announced that Isiah Thomas would take over the Knicks. It was the best news that I could get as a Sixers fan. (Although Billy King isn’t anything to be proud of either.) How is it possible that everyone on sports radio on the east coast knew hiring Isiah would be the biggest pigfuck in the history of the Knicks (except this idiot), yet MSG went ahead and gave him full control of the franchise?

As we head for the trade deadline, Zeke and the Knicks are scrambling to get a backup point guard (they just never got around to it I guess) and there are two names floating around, Earl Watson and Steve Francis. To get Watson, they’d have to package Channing Frye, who they say is untouchable and/or take a bunch of really bad contracts in exchange. It’d be typical for Isiah to trade an expiring contract in Penny Hardaway to get a huge contract like K-mart’s and his bad knees.

As for Steve Francis, this is a guy who wears out his welcome wherever he goes, who refused to go back into a blowout game. That’s going to work out great when the Knicks lose their 20th in a row. Marbury and Francis in the backcourt together would be must see TV. The Magic are saying it won’t happen, but I’d like to see this trainwreck take place.

I’m not sure how much more pleasure I can take in the Knicks being this bad. On one hand, it’s fun as hell. On the other hand, Isiah Thomas doesn’t deserve a job.

[NJ.com]: Knicks notebook: K-Mart could be part of deal
[NY Daily News]: FRANCIS MAY END UP IN NY