I started playing basketball when I was 6 years old. The last time I stepped on a basketball court was senior year of high school. Needless to say, a great majority of my childhood and adolescence revolved around the game of basketball. My winters were spent playing in my township’s rec league on Saturdays and traveling around the state with my travel team on Sundays. My springs were spent watching the New York Knicks religiously.

Believe it or not, I lived and died with the New York Knicks in the 90’s. They were my team. I didn’t get their channel on the 19-inch television in my room, so every night I would fall asleep with a Sony handheld radio under my pillow and I would listen to the soothing voices of Gus Johnson and Walt Frazier call the Knicks games on WFAN. I can’t tell you how many nights I was woken up by one of Gus Johnson’s frenzied calls when John Starks hit a game-winning three or Charles Oakley dove into the press row to save a loose ball. If I dozed off before the game was over, the first thing I would do before I brushed my teeth for school the next morning was turn the radio back on and try to catch the final score.

Although I wasn’t even 7 years old at the time, I can vaguely remember the 1994 Finals against Houston. Luckily, they made it back again in the spring of 1999. After a season shortened by the lock-out, my Knicks made an improbable run to the NBA Finals as the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. It was one of the best springs of my life. From Allan Houston’s runner in the lane to win Game 5 against Pat Riley and the Heat, to Larry Johnson’s 4-point play in Game 4 of the Conference Finals against the Pacers. I watched that play on my knees with my hands clasped together in front of the TV in my parents bedroom. When Johnson hit that shot over Dale Davis, I jumped so high that I came dangerously close to hitting my head on the ceiling fan. My parents thought that someone dropped a piano through the floor.

In the Finals, we were swept away in five games by a Spurs team that was at the beginning of a run that would bring them 4 titles in the next 7 years. As for us, it was the beginning of the end. After the 1999 Finals, we made one more run the following season, taking the Miami Heat to 7 games in another classic May battle before falling to the Pacers in the Conference Finals. Patrick Ewing was shipped off to Seattle the following offseason and the Knicks have made the playoffs only twice more since then and only posted a winning record once.

Over the next 6 years, I watched an incompetent front office and even more incompetent ownership run a once proud franchise into the ground. The decline of the New York Knicks this past decade has been such an epic disaster that it makes the Titanic look like a bath toy. Something else happened during that time though, something happened between the Knicks and I. We began to grow apart. Like they had done to so many fans, their organization had alienated me. The World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, a place that had seen NBA Championships and countless legends now houses a failing franchise and the laughingstock of the NBA. The mecca of basketball, a building that never stopped rocking in the city that never sleeps, now struggles to fill its seats.

This where you come in, Mr. James. I, along with just about every other person that still calls themselves a New York Knicks fan, desperately want you to come to New York next summer. In fact, it’s more than that — we need you to come to New York next summer. I know we haven’t won a championship in 36 years and that we haven’t even made the playoffs since 2003, but believe me when I say that New Yorkers are passionate about their basketball. You might not be able to tell at first glance, but we still love our Knicks. We still love our Knicks even if this past decade was like the sports equivalent of going through a messy divorce. Maybe we’re a little more distant now, but we’re still here. Maybe we aren’t as loud as we used to be, but it was them who took away our voice. It was the Jim Dolans and Scott Laydens and Isiah Thomases that took this team away from us, and now we want it back. We want it all back. If you want it too, this is where you’re going to find it. If you want to win a title, we are your best shot. We have cleared enough cap space for 2010 to put an actual supporting cast around you, not just Shaquille O’Neal. If you want to become the biggest superstar the NBA has ever seen, New York is the city that will let you become just that. Come on, I mean Spike Lee is even wearing a #23 Knicks jersey already. And it’s not Toney Douglas.

We need you to save our team, LeBron. We need you to bring basketball back to New York, back to where it belongs, back to Madison Square Garden. We need you to make us matter again. The days of intense April and May playoff battles against the Heat and Pacers are long gone now. Long gone is Patrick Ewing dunking over Alonzo Mourning to win Game 7. Long gone is Allan Houston hitting a jumper over Reggie Miller to ice a Game 6 in Indiana. Long gone is John Starks dunking over Michael Jordan, Jeff Van Gundy swinging on Mourning’s legs and Chris Childs taking a swing at P.J. Brown. It’s all a distant memory now.

LeBron, you can help us remember again. There’s so much history that’s been lost among the wreckage of this decade. With your help, we can start rewriting that history. Adding pages to the legends, and adding banners to the rafters. LeBron James, deep down inside you want to be New York Knickerbocker. So when we send you that invitation next July, come on in and make yourself at home.

Sincerely,

Every New York Knicks Fan Ever

*Because of the short week and the holiday weekend, no picks column for Week 12, but here are my picks:

Green Bay (-11.5) over DETROIT

Oakland (+13.5) over DALLAS

DENVER (+5) over NY Giants

Indianapolis (-3.5) over HOUSTON

CINCINNATI (-14) over Cleveland

MINNESOTA (-11) over Chicago

Washington (+9) over PHILADELPHIA

Miami (-3) over BUFFALO

Arizona (+3) over TENNESSEE

Seattle (-3) over ST. LOUIS

Tampa Bay (+12.5) over ATLANTA

Carolina (+3) over NY JETS

SAN FRANCISCO (-3) over Jacksonville

SAN DIEGO (-13.5) over Kansas City

BALTIMORE (-2.5) over Pittsburgh

New England (+2.5) over NEW ORLEANS

Last Week: 8-7

Season Total: 90-70

NBA: JAN 29 Knicks v Lakers

Originally uploaded by asdfsdwerwe

There was an Eddy Curry sighting last night in Indiana, and it wasn’t at a Cheesecake Factory buffet–it was in an actual NBA game.

Curry hasn’t played in, like, decades, and he remains one of the prime symbols of The Isiah Thomas Fuckup. Yet the buzz is that Curry slimmed down during the approximately 47 years of rehab he’s been doing since he got injured and that he’s almost–almost!–ready to be an NBA contributor again.

Curry put up decent numbers last night — 10 & 4 in under 12 minutes. But his appearance certainly has more to do with New York’s desire to showcase him for potential trade suitors.  And by showcase I mean proving that Curry actually exists, that he can still squeeze into an NBA uniform without special tailoring, and hasn’t been swallowed up for good in the Bermuda Triangle or made himself a permanent resident at a Fat Camp in Jersey.

Even if Curry actually did slim down during the offseason (big if), but no smart GM should want Curry. Fortunately for Knicks GM Donnie Walsh, the league’s GM pool is populated by many dumb execs. One will surely bite on Curry, right? (pun intended.)

Imagine a conversation between Walsh and Memphis GM Chris Wallace:

Phone rings in Wallace’s office. Wallace picks up.

Wallace: Hello?

Walsh: Chris! How are you?

Wallace: Who is this? If this is Mitch Kupchack, hang up right now! I told you to stop calling.

Walsh: Chris, calm down, it’s Donnie. In New York. We’ve got Curry on the block. I wanted to give you a crack before I shop him around the rest of the league. You know, do you a favor.

Wallace: I don’t know, we’ve already got Gasol and Thabeet. Plus we just got Zach Randolph to shore up the 4.

Walsh: That’s precisely why you need Curry! He and Z-Bo were so close–on the cusp–of doing great things here. Then Isiah and Steph screwed everything up! Can’t you see that?

Wallace: Well, Isiah and Steph DID screw everything up. And it would be nice to have two low-post scorers…let me think about this.

To be continued…

Simply put, NBAmate.com is one of the funniest and creative blogs out there. It is probably Australia’s best NBA blog. Here is the explanation of the Doubting Thomas Award:

Here at NBAMate, we love the underdog, the little “Aussie battler” (to use a colloquial term). So we thought, instead of turning our backs on the players who have tried so hard to fulfill our expectations and failed, why not celebrate them instead? In the spirit of Thomas the Apostle and Isiah Thomas, the most doubted NBA figure of the modern era, we proudly present the inaugural Doubting Thomas Award. An award to recognise the achievements of those who have achieved so little. An award to celebrate those players who have frustrated us beyond belief, yet leave us with a tinge of hope that maybe, just maybe, they’ll turn it around soon. Because let’s face it, no matter how many chances you’ve blown, there’s always the chance you won’t fuck up the next one.

You got to love “recognise” spelled with an S instead of Z.

Anyway, here is the rundown:

• Danilo Gallinari, New York Knicks by Tizzle – NBAMate’s resident Knicks fan
• Patrick O’Bryant, Toronto Raptors by Loscy – Loscy Celtics Blog
  Yes yes, I am an absolute sucker for players that used to dress in Celtic green. Patrick O’Bryant made a cameo for the Celtics in the 2008-2009 season and was seen as a possible asset coming off the bench with length, defense, and youth: three things the Celtics bench desperately needed to defend their title from 2008. So what if he POB had absolutely nothing in his offensive repertoire and couldn’t even keep in front of a glass door on defense? So what if POB was constantly hurt? So what if he was the first lottery pick to be sent into the D-League in his inaugural season? So what if his then coach/GM at Golden State (Donnie boy!) told POB that he wasn’t getting any better at all and that he was a long-term project and a disappointment? So what if Golden State could have had Rajon Rondo or Kyle Lowry or Paul Milsap or Sergio Rodriguez or even Shannon Brown? So what if he was picked up by the Celtics and then shipped to Toronto for a measly future second round draft pick? I’m pulling for you big guy. Why? Mainly because Don Nelson is a meathead of a coach/GM/person and since he hated you, I therefore have to atomically root for you. Let’s dedicate ourselves to good solid defense in the paint, crashing the boards, and finishing on second chances. This Bud’s for you, #13.
• Channing Frye, Phoenix Suns by Paul – Two Sides of the Hoop
• Roko Ukic, Milwaukee Bucks by Romy – Hip Hoop Junkies
• Corey Brewer, Minnesota Timberwolves by Anton – The Sport Count
• Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns by Chucko – The Frustrated Suns Fan
• Marco Belinelli, Toronto Raptors by Mookie – A Stern Warning
• Chris Quinn, Miami Heat by Jobba – NBAMate’s resident draft expert
• JJ Redick, Orlando Magic by Ryan – Two Sides of the Hoop
• Kwame Brown, Detroit Pistons by Robd – NBAMate Captain

I mean seriously… what a freakin’ list of players. Maybe Chris Wallace will sign all of them for a mega-bust team?!?!?

Final words from RobD over at NBAmate.com:

What an exclusive list of players that is. If after reading that you feel the urge to ram your head through your PC monitor, then don’t stress – that is the typical reaction of having to visualize these guys on a basketball court. It’s also quite a broad mix of talent. Some of these players find themselves within the regular rotation – or *gasp* even the starting line ups – for their respective teams. Others seem destined to be warming the bench, praying that a teammate of theirs will be severely injured so they can finally get some decent minutes. Whatever their situation, one thing is clear: the only way is up. So tune in for the first Doubting Thomas Rankings, near the end of the month, to see how they’re faring on their road to redemption.

It’s a great idea, and I’m flattered/honored/excited for the chance to join these other folks in a little underdog jostling. I’ll be sure to update you each month when we have our rundowns, but for now, peep at what others are writing– it’s good stuff.

Bar Bouncer gets Run Over By Jeep, Survives (Barstool Sports)
Good Lord!! Leighton Meester Sluts it up in GQ (Yeeeah)
Isiah Thomas is Bat Shit Crazy (Sports by Brooks)
Titans Owner Bud Adams Flips Off All of Buffalo (Busted Coverage)
10 Female Celebrities That Should Be Seen and not Heard (Guyism)
The Best Playboy Covers of the 80’s (Asylum)
Lots of Amateurs With Big Boobs (Spewf)
The 75 Sexiest Rolling Stone Covers of All time (Manofest)
The 10 Most Impressive Dating Resumes in Sports (Bleacher Report)
27 Hilarious Random Signs (I Am Bored)
The 17 Hottest Female Boxers (The Chive)
The 10 Best Movie Gunfights Ever (Unreality)
A Brief History of the Celebrity Sex Tape (Maxim)
10 Really Bad Celeb Lip Jobs (Hollywood Fail)
15 Things That Will DEFINITELY Happen at a Harley Festival (Uncoached)
2 Miss Universe Contestants in a Sex Tape (Drunken Stepfather)

by what you’d have left if you lost all your money.

If all I’m remembered for is being a good basketball player, then I’ve done a bad job with the rest of my life. ~ ISIAH LORD THOMAS III

In light of the regular season commencing tomorrow night (home versus Jacksonville at 7:00 p.m.), it seems appropriate to do a brief run-down of some key games on the 2009-10 schedule.

@ Florida (11/24): For obvious reasons (certain elitist, insufferable fans, anyone?), this game has special significance.  Last year the Seminoles beat the favored (at the time) Gators (57-55), here in Tallahassee.  This year, many things have changed, yet many remain the same.  We no longer have Toney Douglas.  They no longer have Nick Calathes (who cracked the top-five on my 2009 “people I would punch in the mouth if given a chance” list).  They are still overrated (16:1 odds to win the national title, anyone?).  We are still underrated (100:1 odds to win the national title, anyone?).  While this game will be played in Gainesville, I feel good about it.

@ Ohio State (12/2): Some prominent questions: Will FSU’s Big Ten struggles continue (losses last year against inferior Northwestern and Wisconsin teams)?  Will Leonard Hamilton inexplicably slow the game down, and limit Solomon Alabi’s minutes (played only 20 minutes in the first round of the NCAA tourney against Wisconsin) against a team that lacks athleticism and employs a slow-it-down strategy (yes, I am still bitter)?  Will Deividas Dulkys hit seventeen threes against that slow, pack-it-in Big Ten defense (and more importantly, will it be enough?)?  Something tells me more can go wrong than can go right, in this one.  I hope I am wrong.

vs. FIU (12/6): This is a rare opportunity; one that I especially will cherish.  We get to see Isiah Thomas, early in his college coaching career.  Zeke is a fascinating enigma.  For starters, he was one of the greatest point guards in the history of basketball.  He was also one of the most inept general managers to ever run a team (thankfully for Isiah, embattled former Celtics and current Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace takes the cake for the worst of all time).  Isiah is also the man that once said Larry Bird was only considered great, because of his skin color (although he did later claim that it was a joke… which very few people ever bought).  While he was right about White favoritism (Duke, anyone?) as a whole, his comments about Larry Bird were dead wrong.  All of this begs the obvious question: Will Joey Moreau (seemingly awkward White kid with an awful haircut, who wears the number 33…sound familiar?) channel his inner Larry Legend, and exact revenge?  I am starting a petition, mandating that Moreau grow a wispy mustache (see below… oh yeah, that’s the stuff… I hope you are one of the four people who read this blog, Joey).

@ Maryland (1/10): This will be a huge ACC matchup.  Greivis Vazquez is a stud (17.5 ppg, 5.0 ast, 5.4 reb, 1.4 stl in 2008-09), but does he have enough help?  Will it even matter?  Last year’s overtime thriller went the Noles’ way.  This year, we have no Toney Douglas, and play the Terps in College Park (the first time that these teams meet, anyway).  Needless to say, I am nervous, but I foresee this being a very close and entertaining game.

@ Duke (1/27): This will mark the rematch of last year’s ACC championship game (Duke won, as you well know).  The Seminoles went 0-3 versus the Dukies in 2008-09.  However, one of those losses was the senior night debacle at Cameron Indoor, in which the ACC refs handed Duke the win on a silver platter.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, let me put it this way:  The referees in that game made Fox News, the WWE, the moderator from the dance-off in Starsky and Hutch (see below), SEC football officials and Tim Donaghy all seem neutral, fair and unbiased.  You know what?  Screw it.  I am moving on before I get carried away, and start Googling “Kyle Singler’s home address” and “hitmen for hire in Durham, NC.”

@ North Carolina (2/24): While the reigning national champions lost a lot of talent (Lawson, Hansbrough and Ellington to name a few), they are still North Carolina (arguably the top recruit destination… unless you want a free car, someone to take your SATs for you, and an endless supply of hookers, which John Calipari can provide for you at Kentucky), and have obviously reloaded.  We get the fortunate opportunity of facing them in the Dean Dome, near the end of the season when they will have had three months for their young players to develop.  Saying I am looking forward to this game would be like me saying “oh yeah, I can’t wait to have surgery on my genitals.”

Wake Forest (3/3): Senior night in Tallahassee, against a Wake Forest team that lost its best player (Jeff Teague) to the NBA.  I picture Ryan Reid taking over this game (leading FSU to a blowout win… you heard it here first), followed by Leonard Hamilton giving Chris Singleton a Rudy-style “If you had one tenth the heart of Reid, you’d have made All-American by now!” speech.

All things considered, there are a lot of quality games on the schedule this year.  Unfortunately, a lot of those games are on the road (of the teams we play once: @ UF, @OSU, @ Duke, @ NC, to name a few), but I have faith our boys will come through.

…and if not?  Well, the Benkshot will have the (metaphorical) water needed to quench your thirst for incessant, irrational bitching.

Alright, the title probably isn’t true. I like Bill Simmons and won’t tear into him like Deadspin does. But it’s very eery that his 18th recommendation of 33 to improve the NBA — detailed on page 264 of The Book of Basketball — is precisely what I proposed in a May 2 post on this blog. It’s essentially that Isiah Thomas, due to all the horrific decisions he’s made during his career (ruining the CBA, ruining the Knicks), should have a reality show in which he operates various businesses.

Here is the idea from his book:

“18. I wish Isiah Thomas would be given his own reality TV show where he takes over businesses, stores and companies and runs them into the ground (like a cross between 30 Days and Wife Swap). In one episode, he could take over a popular Starbucks and immediately fire the most popular barista, raise the prices of chewy marshmallow squares and trade the store’s only espresso machine for a six-month supply of soy milk. The following week, he could become a casino pit boss in Vegas and immediately raise every blackjack table to $25, ban smoking, get rid of every American-born blackjack dealer and force the waitresses to wear more clothes. On and on it would go.”

You can read my post here:

http://kylestack.com/2009/05/02/the-isiah-thomas-show/

Odd, indeed. I’m sure Simmons came up with the idea on his own. He’s been torching the man for years (and rightly so). It’s just cool to see that people think alike on the ideas of embarrassing Thomas. Now an entire generation of young basketball fans knows him only from his failures and not from his greatness as one of the NBA’s best point guards and fiercest competitors.

P.S. It’s November 15, and I’m on page 265.

How about rookie point guard Brandon Jennings going off for 32 points and leading the Bucks over the Nuggets last night? I can recall reading so much garabge about this kid going over to Europe to play ball instead of staying here in America and attending school.  ”I just go out there and play with a chip on my shoulder.” said Jennings. The Bucks are in first place in the Eastern Conference Central division. Scott Skiles does a terrific job, regardless of what you think of him.

The Cavaliers put it on the Magic last night.  I loved listening to Hubie Brown and Jeff Van Gundy do the game.  Tonight Cleveland plays the Heat on TNT. Do not ask LBJ about free-agency.  Did you see his kicks last night?

I’ve been watching Orlando Magic guard Vince Carter for a few years and yes he is a great athlete and he puts a lot of points in the book.  But imagine if this guy, at 6′8″ went into the post and looked to score instead of hoisting up long, rainbow, Purvis Short-like jumpers?

Everyone tried to hype up the Hornets-Suns game last night mainly by using Steve Nash vs Chris Paul.  Well the bottom line is the Suns won by 20 and have a record of 8-1; which is all that matters. Tonight the Suns take on the Lakers in the second of a DH on TNT.  Nash played 22 minutes last night so he should be well rested.

Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports on Isiah Thomas’ mother doing ok after surgery.  Years ago, everytime you read something about Isiah while growing up in Chicago you always heard about how she kept her son away from all the gangs.  Let’s hope she is doing well with recovery.

“Ms. Thomas was deemed an extremely high surgical risk,” Dr. Duane Follman said in a statement. “Because of her age and multiple other health factors, an invasive open heart surgery would have been too high a risk for survival and recovery. This minimally invasive procedure was a better course of treatment.”

The Nets lost another one last night, they are now 0-8 on the season.

Earl Boykins is back in the league with the Washington Wizards.

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and you can follow me on Twitter: @CoachFinamore

The NCAA 2009-2010 basketball season is officially underway! Last night Isiah Thomas made his coaching debut with Florida International against a gritty North Carolina team. Deon Thompson showed up for the Tarheels last night with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Carolina dominated the whole game and won 88-72. The Tarheels were also wearing throwback jerseys as well.

~Signing Off~
AGE

Is it just me or does it seem like every major sports season is starting earlier and earlier these days?

Regular season college basketball gets underway tonight with four games on the schedule, highlighted by defending champion North Carolina tipping off the season with a match-up with Florida International and their new head coach Isiah Thomas. Top 25 teams California, Ohio State and Syracuse also get underway tonight in games against inferior opponents as a part of the Coaches v. Cancer event.

The last time Thomas was involved in a college basketball game, he also faced the Tar Heels, scoring 23 points in the 1981 NCAA championship game to lead Indiana to a 63-50 win. Thomas went on to a Hall-of-Fame career as a player for the Detroit Pistons, leading the Bad Boys to back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990.  But since he retired from playing, Thomas has had a bit of a checkered career as a coach and executive.  He became the head coach of the Indiana Pacers, but was let go after three uninspiring seasons.  Later, Thomas was an executive with the New York Knicks from 2003-08, coaching them for the final two of five straight losing seasons on his watch. Chants of “Fire Isiah” were ubiquitous during his final season on the bench with the Knicks.

But now, Thomas has reappeared as the coach at tiny Florida International.  He was hired because it is believed that he will be able to recruit top-notch talent to the struggling program because of his high profile, and that appears to be working as he has already received a verbal commitment from highly-touted Indianapolis forward Dominique Ferguson as well as well-regarded point guard Phillip Taylor.  But neither of those players will be able to help out Thomas this season, which figures to be a long one.

But if Thomas is successful this season, even marginally, it will be interesting to see how long he stays at Florida International.  DePaul coach Jerry Wainright’s job is believed to be in danger, and Thomas is a Chicago native.  It would not be a stretch to see him in the running for the Blue Demons’ job if he’s able to make Florida International respectable.

It’s heeeerrrrrrrree.

Time to tell all your football friends “Goodbye.” Time to say, “Hey, I’d love to stay at work a little longer tonight, but really, I can’t. It’s a 7 o’clock tip-off.” Time to jump around. Time to strategically wear Carolina blue clothing items on gamedays. Yes, ladies and gentlmen, it’s college basketball season.

The Heels take on Florida International tonight, though if Golden Panthers coach Isiah Thomas had his way, FIU would be playing Ohio State. As season openers go, the whole Isiah thing has given this one a little punch for me, a little extra pizzazz that playing FIU would not have had without it. Plus, it’s Isiah’s first game as a college head coach. I’m interested to see if he’s got game in regards to coaching college kids. That and the fact that this kicks off the 100th season of Carolina hoops.

I was going to take some time and post any local previews about the game, but TarHeelBlue has kindly done that for me, so let’s not let their diligent work go unnoticed. Check it out.

Three things I’ll be looking for:

1) Larry Drew II at the point: If (as some of those game previews suggest) the Heels really are a Final Four caliber team, they will need a strong point guard. Drew II did not play significant minutes last year and as such is a big question mark.

2) Cutting down on turnovers: From memory, I believe Carolina had something like 20 turnovers in the exhibition against Belmont Abbey. That’s unacceptable. UNC fans have been spoiled by the likes of Ty Lawson, who seemingly never gave the ball away. The turnovers didn’t just come from Larry Drew II, who dished out eight dimes to his three turnovers, however, they were spread out over the team.The whole group needs to focus on taking care of the basketball.

3) Post play: It’s what should be the Heels’ strength this year, so let’s see it in action, eh?!

It’s November 8, and I’m on page 160. That’s 131 pages from a week ago. In fairness, I’ve had an incredibly busy last few days with freelance stuff and studying HTML + CSS and, well, drinking.

A few thoughts (SPOILER ALERT)

I dug the section on Isiah Thomas and The Secret. I feel bad for Isiah in a couple ways. He’s known to an entire generation of younger sports fans as an aloof, ego-centric mess after completely tanking with the Knicks. (And some people might remember the scalding Sports Illustrated story almost a decade ago about how Isiah blew up the CBA.)

What people don’t realize is the guy was not just a great player but also a decent judge of talent. Remember, he drafted Tracy McGrady, Damon Stoudemire (a very solid PG for seven or eight years) and Marcus Camby (struggled out of the gate but became a dominant rebounder and shot blocker) when he was with the Raptors. And he chose, among others, Trevor Ariza during his Knicks tenure. A lot of people forget about that pick, since Ariza’s Knicks career was overshadowed by Larry Brown’s cantankerous handling of young’ns, which resulted in Ariza getting traded to Orlando.

Anyway, Thomas also was a great player. He’s probably top 25 at least, maybe top 20. I haven’t made it to Simmons’ top 100 player rankings, which I’m assuming is somewhere in the 500s. But Thomas was one of the seven or eight most important NBA players during the ’80s, the league’s Golden Age, and he deserves the proper recognition for being such an incredible player and teammate. (Though not an respectable opponent, as his walking out on the Bulls in ‘91 without shaking hands and myriad of other slimey tactics should have forewarned people with how poorly he would work as an executive. Because, you know, you have to actually communicate and get along well enoughwith people to get stuff done at that level.)

I plenty more thoughts but that’s enough for now. More along the way.

Los New York Knicks son probablemente uno de los equipos más conocidos tanto dentro como fuera de Estados Unidos. El mítico Madison Square Garden ha visto las hazañas y fracasos de un equipo poco laureada en cuanto a campeonatos (posee únicamente dos títulos). Nunca faltaban a una cita con los playoff, hasta que llegados a un día en el siglo XXI cambió la historia.

Pat Ewing, estrella de los Knicks en la década de los 90

Empezamos desde la temporada 98-99. Los Knicks llevaban mucho tiempo llegando a la post-temporada, aunque siempre caían en primera o segunda ronda. Este año iba a ser diferente. De la mano de la estrella del equipo, Patrick Ewing, y de otros jugadores ilustres como Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell o Marcus Camby consiguieron ganar la final de conferencia contra unos Pacers liderados por Reggie Miller. En la lucha por el anillo se midieron a los San Antonio Spurs, liderados por David Robinson y un joven talento llamado Tim Duncan. Demasiado equipo para ellos, otra oportunidad perdida.

A partir de aquí empieza la debacle. Al año siguiente decidieron prescindir de Pat Ewing que fue traspasado, y a esto se le unió seguidamente la renuncia del entrenador Jeff Van Gundy (hermano de Stan Van Gundy, actual entrenador de Orlando Magic). Pese a esos contratiempos consiguieron llegar a los playoff, eso sí con bastante sufrimiento, y ese iba a ser el último año que lo conseguirían.

Esos grandes jugadores que habían conseguido llevar a los Knicks a las finales poco a poco fueron abandonando “La Gran Manzana”:  Sprewell se fue rumbo a Minnesota para formar pareja con Kevin Garnett en busca del anillo, Camby cambió de conferencia rumbo a Denver, y Houston mermado por las lesiones se tuvo que retirar. Por aquel entonces  llegó Isiah Thomas (ex jugador de Detroit Pistons y entrenador de Indiana Pacers) a la franquicia para ejercer de general manager del equipo y comenzó el show de contrataciones de dudosa procedencia, dando una cantidad de dinero increíble a jugadores que aun no han explotado en la liga. Lo único decente que consiguieron traer fue Stephon Marbury y Zach Randolph, dos rebeldes en un equipo muy desestabilizado. Solo consiguieron ser el equipo con mayor presupuesto de la NBA que no conseguía acceder a los play offs.

En 2008 llegó Mike D’Antoni (ex entrenador de unos increíbles Phoenix Suns liderados por Steve Nash) para sustituir a Isiah Thomas como general manager y entrenador.  Él simbolizaba el cambio, venía para dar otro color al equipo y cambiar la forma de jugar. Y lo consiguió, aunque no como él quería. El juego rápido de ataque con muchos tiros como el que ofrecía con los Phoenix se volvió en su contra.  Los tanteos muy elevados no les favorecían en nada, ya que una defensa pésima les hacía perder la mayoría de partidos. Si a eso le sumamos que no gozan de un referente ofensivo claro no consiguen esa solidez para conseguir ganar más partidos. En la actualidad, los referentes son David Lee, Nate Robinson, Wilson Chandler y Al Harrington, jugadores muy irregulares e insuficientes para conseguir algún logro.

Parece que los Knicks sigue en busca del rumbo que perdió hace ya unos años. Y se aferran como un clavo ardiendo a la progresión de Danilo Gallinari y del agente libre estrella que puedan conseguir el próximo verano dónde jugadores de la talla de Lebron James, Dwayne Wade o Chris Bosh acaban contrato. Habrá que esperar a ver qué sucede y mientras tirar del carro con lo que tienen.

Isiah Thomas lost his coaching debut at Florida International tonight. To an NAIA team. By 10. Northwood, coached by Rollie Massamino who led Villanova to the 1985 national title, beat FIU 71-61.

Lester Hunte was Northwood’s leading scorer with 18, and Patrick Horstmann had 13.  Marvin Roberts and Phil Gary Jr. led FIU in scoring with 15 points each.

FIU opens the season next week against North Carolina. That should be fun.