Being a fan is pretty cut and dry.  You pick a team and root for that team to win.  The more the team wins, the better the odds are to win a championship. Not exactly rocket science. 

Well, what if winning is actually bad for your favorite team?  Do you actually root for your team to lose?  Do you hope they miss that last second shot?  Or that they get out rebounded?  Is it ok to wish for turnovers in key moments of the game?  As crazy as it may sound, that’s what all Knicks fans should be rooting for this season.

The Knicks would be better off without Isiah Thomas.  Everyone knows this.  There is no sense in rehashing the reasons why, they are well documented. As long as Thomas is the Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations, the New York Knickerbockers will not be a championship caliber team.  However, during a weird, rambling interview back in June, Knicks fans were given a glimmer of hope.  James Dolan stated that the Knicks have to make “significant progress” toward being a championship team for Isiah Thomas to keep his job.

If you understand basketball, then you know that the Knicks are more than a season away from making significant progress toward being a championship team.  The Knicks don’t defend, pass or rebound.   So it’s a foregone conclusion that by late spring, Knicks fans will be dancing in the streets at the end of this season since Thomas will be fired, right?  Well, it’s not that simple. 

The Knicks won 23 games last season. And while they have plenty of flaws, they do have talent.  There is quickness and scoring punch in the backcourt with Marbury, Francis and Crawford. Channing Frye has plenty of potential and while Eddy Curry will never be confused with Shaquille O’Neal, he has better tools than most starting NBA centers.  This is a roster that should win more than 23 games.  Think about it, even the Bobcats won 26 games last season.  So it’s not inconceivable that the Knicks could be in playoff contention this season. With a few breaks, the Knicks could get the 7th or 8th spot in the playoffs, playing in a weak conference where the Milwaukee Bucks made the playoffs last season with a losing record (40-42).  That could be just the “progress” Dolan needs to save face and keep Thomas around, which would easily be the worst thing for the Knicks and their fans.

No, success this season will not be a good thing for the long term health of the Knicks franchise or their fans.   It will just lead to more bad trades and free agent signings, continued changes in philosophy and odd draft choices. All of which, I can’t take anymore.  So I’m rooting for the Knicks to lose.  I want them to be terrible.  That’s the only chance they have to turn the franchise around.