It's quite possible that no other team is looking forward to starting the new NBA season more then Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks. The sexual harassment trial and the fallout from it has worn Isiah Thomas down to the point where he hardly smiles anymore and gives short vague answers in response to the media's questions. The team has had a year together under Isiah’s system but has had to readjust again this year due to the addition of Zach Randolph. Many question how the tandem of Eddy Curry and Randolph is going to work. Both are considered low post players who are explosive offensively but neither passes the ball well and both are very bad on the defensive side of the ball. It's up to Isiah to figure out how to get the most out of both of them. Several media members are predicting Isiah won't last the season and the Knicks will miss the playoffs once again. Only Sports Illustrated has the Knicks making the playoffs this year. I thought I would look through the Knicks' schedule and give my prediction on how well they will fare and whether they are good enough for the playoffs.

Last year the Knicks started off slow and eventually recovered to play slightly above .500 but then injuries decimated the team and caused them to fall well below .500. To get a better idea of how many games this team can win, we need to look at the games on a month-by-month basis. If you look at November, the schedule looks favorable for the Knicks to get off to a good start. They play 8 games at home and 7 on the road. Looking at their opponents, I see them going 9-6 in the month of November. More specifically, I see them starting off 4-1, going 2-2 on their West coast trip, and then finishing up the month 3-3 against some good playoff caliber teams. The game of the month in my eyes will be the Nov. 29th game with Boston on national television. This would be a great statement game for the Knicks if they could come out and play well and beat the revamped Celtics.

In December, they play 9 games at home and only 5 on the road. They have some tough games at the beginning of the month and I see them coming out of those games with a 2-4 record. Their next 8 are mainly against teams in the East and I see them going 6-2 to finish the month at 8-6. The game to look at in this month will be the first game with New Jersey on the road on Dec. 5th. New Jersey has owned the Knicks since Jason Kidd has been in town and this would be a huge boost for the Knick players if they could go on the road early in the season and beat the Nets.

In January, the schedule gets a little tougher. The Knicks have 7 games at home and 9 on the road. This will be the month that makes or breaks this team in my opinion. With a tough Midwest road trip and some tough games at home, I see them starting out the month at 3-4. After that, I feel like this is where the team will hit their stride and will begin to gel as a team. They will finish up the month going 6-3 and a record of 9-7 for January. The Knicks will play 6 games in 9 days from Jan. 13-21. They will play Boston on Jan. 21st to wrap up that string of games. Again, if they can find a way to win this game, it would be a great building block for the second half of the season. In February, they play 5 games at home and 8 on the road. I do see them struggling a little bit this month with the tough January and rust from the All-Star break. I think they will finish 6-7 for the month of February with back-to-back games with Toronto on the 22nd and 24th being the big games of the month.

In March, the schedule has them playing 8 games at home and 7 on the road. I see them going 7-8 during this month as things starting getting a little tighter and teams in the East will be playing tougher. On March 7th, the Knicks will host Detroit in what could be a good test for the Knicks to see where they stand with one of the top teams in the East. In the month of April, with 4 games at home and 5 on the road, the Knicks should be able to finish the month with a 5-4 record as they try to hold on to a playoff spot. I hate to keep bringing Boston up, but the next to last game of the season with them on April 14th could be huge. A win in that game could set the tone going into the playoffs and give the Knicks that extra push to make some noise.

If you add up the records for each month, you will see that the Knicks would finish at 44-38 for the season. This is about what I expected from this team before looking at the schedule on a monthly basis like this. With a 44-38 record, that should be good enough for a 7 seed in the playoffs. If the Knicks can do this and grab a spot in the playoffs, maybe then Isiah can smile again and get some of his critics off his back...for a little while anyway.

As usual, NBA fans rolled their eyes when they heard the Knicks had offered Jared Jeffries their mid-level exception over 5 years.

"Another ridiculous signing by Isiah."
"When factoring in the luxury tax penalty, this will cost the Knicks over $10 million next season."
"What where they thinking?"

It has become the chic thing to do these days in the media. Bash Isiah and the Knicks regardless of the deal. Some of it is well deserved given the Knicks record on and off the court the past few seasons. But this is one signing that makes sense for three good reasons.

1. This signing would make the Knicks better. Jared Jeffries is 6-10 and can play 4 positions on the court. He is not worried about offense and has proven himself to be a very good defender in his first 4 seasons in the NBA. Some have compared his game to Tayshuan Prince and say he is has the potential to be as good as Prince. This is exactly the player Isiah needs if he intends to have the Knicks defending better and getting up and down the court more. He can plug Jeffries in at different positions and doesn't have to worry about him taking shots away from the other players. Jeffries is another player that has looked up to Isiah while he was growing up, so Isiah gets a guy that will heed his advice and give 110% on everything Isiah asks of him. Some say the Knicks overpaid as usual, but that is not the case. Washington offered Jeffries $33 million over 6 years just a few weeks ago and he turned it down. $30 million over 5 years is a reasonable contract for Jeffries given his versatility and potential.

2. It is never a bad thing to stockpile versatile defensive-minded young players. Even if you think Jeffries will not help the Knicks, he is a player that will give the team more flexibility if a trade for a superstar becomes an option at some point. The Knicks now have several players that can play multiple positions. Not only is this valuable for them as a team but it also would be helpful if they had to move several players in a blockbuster trade. If the Knicks can play close to .500 ball or better by February, you know Isiah will be looking around to see who might be able to put them over the hump. This signing would help make such a trade a little easier to do. Jalen Rose and Quentin Richardson are already available for the taking. Rose is a valuable piece with his expiring contract and Richardson will be next to impossible to move with his history of back problems. But with the savings Rose would bring a team, maybe Isiah is looking at packaging Richardson with Rose in a trade. This is now possible with the signing of Jeffries.

3. As some media sources have reported, Jeffries agent is Andy Miller. Yeah, that Andy Miller. The agent that represents Kevin Garnett. Let the conspiracy theories begin. But in all seriousness, it doesn't hurt to be on the good side of as many agents as possible. I mentioned earlier that Jeffries turned down Washington's first offer and was looking at accepting their qualifying offer for one year. Isiah may have done Miller a favor by giving his client a guaranteed 5 year deal. But if Garnett ends up angling for a trade, you can now put one more stack of chips in Isiah's pile. It's a move that doesn't hurt because of the first two reasons I just wrote about. The best case scenario is Isiah gets a versatile player that will help his team and he also gets on the good side of Miller. The worst case scenario is Washington matches the offer, but even then Isiah will be in Miller's good graces for forcing Washington to give his client a 5 year deal.

This would be a win-win situation for Isiah and the Knicks. Obviously, the Wizards have 7 days to match and reports indicate that there is a good chance they will. If they do, Isiah still has done Andy Miller a favor. If they don't match, Isiah adds a defensive-minded versatile player to a team that finished 27th in points allowed last season. With Jeffries in the mix and Isiah's new gameplan, defense is one area where the Knicks should improve next season.

AFP (Associated Fabricated Press) , November 1, 2010

The New York Knicks kicked off the 2010 NBA season with an impressive victory over the Boston Celtics as Lebron James had the Garden crowd on their feet most of the night. The game was never really close as the Celtics looked overwhelmed by the energy in the building from the start. James led the Knicks with 31 points, 8 assists, and 9 rebounds. Channing Frye picked up where he left off last season and registered a double double with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Knick fans arrived early for the game, a game they had been anticipating for 4 years. It was clear the last two seasons, that the Knicks were at least going to position themselves to make a run at Lebron when his contract was up.

Lets take a look at how the Knicks arrived at this point. They finally did what everyone had been screaming for and allowed some of those ridiculous contracts of the past to expire. Last summer, the Knicks allowed Steve Francis' and Stephon Marbury's contract to expire, cutting their payroll by a third and getting them 7 million dollars under the salary cap. With Mardy Collins and Jamal Crawford coming into their own, the Knicks were content to let Francis and Marbury go. Marbury ended up resigning for 2 years at the veteran's minimum as he didn't receive much interest from any other teams due to another knee injury that kept him out most of the season. Other then Frye, the Knicks were able to lock up all their young players at a reasonable price the last 2 years as well. Frye with his all star play the last few seasons, deserved the max deal he got in 2008.

Give credit to Jim Dolan and Isiah Thomas for staying the course and allowing several big contracts to expire over the past few years. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on who you ask, Isiah's luck finally ran out after two seasons as coach. After a promising first year run into the playoffs, the Knicks took a step back in the 2007-08 season and missed the playoffs. Isiah made a quiet exit as he took the coaching job at Indiana St. University after the season was over, avoiding being officially fired by Dolan. This opened the door for Dolan to start over and he finally has been recognized for making a smart move by bringing in Mark Jackson as coach and Kiki Vandeweghe as GM. Jackson in just two years in the hot seat, has shown that he knows how to run a basketball team and guided them into the playoffs this past season.

Finally, Vandeweghe made the move that Knick fans were looking for by putting a package together that Cleveland would agree to. James had indicated that he would sign with New York, but wanted to go via sign and trade so Cleveland wouldn't be left empty handed. In the end, the Knicks traded all-star Eddy Curry and his expiring contract, their 2011 and 2012 first round pick unprotected, Nate Robinson, and 3 million in cash. Curry and Robinson were vital parts of last season's playoff team, but were expendable when Lebron's name popped up. Cleveland likely could have gotten a much better deal elsewhere but Lebron made it clear to Cavs management that his preferred location was New York, otherwise he would sign with the Knicks straight up. Now, on this cold, rainy night in the city, people walked out of Madison Square Garden with high hopes. It was as if they could already smell a long overdue championship coming back to New York. If tonight was any indication, 38 years of frustration may come to an end next June.

In case you missed it, David Stern announced a big surprise coming up on draft day. At 11:30 am, he will unveil whats in this black box. Many speculate that the box contains a new official basketball that will be used in the upcoming season. But I'm not so sure about that. I started thinking about what may be in the box and came up with a few possibilities. Feel free to add anything I may have left off.

1. Stan Van Gundy.

2. James Dolan's brain.

3. Larry Brown's suitcase(full of money, courtesy of James Dolan).

4. A  golden pacifier trophy for Mark Cuban and his whiner nation.

5. The remains of Jimmy Hoffa.

6. Spud Webb.

7. The Patrick Ewing frozen envelope from 1985.

8. Shaq's game.

9. Michael Jordan's DNA.

10. Dirk Nowitzki's heart.

11. Dikembe Mutumbo's anti-aging juice.

12. A one year hour glass for Isiah Thomas.

13. Rasheed Wallace's championship belt.

14. David Stern approved tights with Stern's picture on them.

15. Pat Riley's hair gel.

16. A  Dwyane Wade action figure. Whenever you pick it up, the figure falls over and a whistle goes off.

17. Kobe Bryant's hotel shampoo from Eagle, Colorado.

18. The Karl Malone and Jalen Rose draft day suits. 

19.  A Jason Terry/Reggie Evans NBA approved protective cup.

20. A horse's head.

Tune in Wednesday morning on nba.com to find out whats in that black box.

 

 

I wrote an article when all this speculation begin over a month ago that Brown would be bought out or fired. I think the only reason it took this long to announce it is the league requested James Dolan wait until after the finals. They didn't want to deal with a Phil Jackson redux as we saw last year when Jackson come back to the Lakers during the Finals. It took some of the focus away from the Pistons and Spurs. I actually like this move by Dolan. Isiah has made some questionable moves as the gm, but with the makeup of this team, Brown was just butting heads with everyone. Isiah will at least try to come up with a game plan that utilizes some of the players talents. I imagine he will implement something similar to Chicago or Dallas, ala Phoenix lite. Below I list a few reasons why I think Isiah will be able to significantly improve the Knicks next year. This is a reprint of what I wrote on May 14, 2006.

A Brownout in NYC?

Well, that didn't take long. About three weeks ago, Knick fans were finally put out of their misery when the regular season ended. We all waited with anticipation to see what Marbury had to say at his exit interview about this train wreck of a season. He had promised two weeks before that he was going to let everyone know what he thought of Larry Brown. Instead, Marbury revealed to everyone that Brown had made him a better man. Wow. Did we miss something? I think we did and now we are hearing the full story. Reports out of New York Sunday morning had the Knicks on the verge of buying out Larry Brown's remaining four years. Apparently, management realized in order for Brown to be happy, they would have to change over half of their roster or risk having the same problems next year. It doesn't appear that it will be easy to move many of the players, so management likely decided that buying out Brown was the easiest route to take.

There is also speculation that Isiah Thomas would be his successor. I find this interesting as maybe Dolan has had it with Isiah too and this is his last chance to prove his worth to Dolan. Larry Brown is a great coach but I don't think he is able to adapt to the players he has, they have to adapt to him. With several young players and veteran players with ridiculous contracts, it would be difficult to get Brown the players he needs. Dolan and Isiah have done a terrible job up until this point, but if Isiah takes over for Brown, the Knicks will improve. Isiah has proven to be a horrendous executive, but he had a very underrated coaching stint at Indiana for three years with a collective record of 131-115. He took over at a time when Indiana had lost in the finals the previous year and the team was entering a transition period. They lost Rik Smits and traded Dale Davis for a young Jermaine O' Neal. During this time, the Pacers acquired Ron Artest as well. They made the playoffs and improved each year. O' Neal and Artest blossomed under Isiah and became all-star players. Isiah was replaced once Larry Bird decided to come back as president in 2003. If it was anyone but Bird, Isiah may still be there today. The next season the Pacers won 61 games under Rick Carlisle and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. You could argue that Isiah built that team and Carlisle simply inherited a good team that was ready to take the next step.

Unfortunately, I don't believe Dolan would be making this move for that reason. I won't give him that much credit. He is likely giving Thomas one last chance to right the ship. It might just work. Thomas has acquired most of the players on the roster because he felt he knew them and thought they could succeed in New York. If he comes down to the bench, the players will work harder and play harder for him because they know he is the reason they are there. He is younger and very close to many of the players, so they would likely be able to relate to him better then Brown. He would be comfortable with giving Frye and Lee big minutes unlike Brown. He would be comfortable with Marbury being Starbury again. Whether thats good for the team or not remains to be seen. History has proven that its not.

With the ending contracts of Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor, two first round picks, and Steve Francis as trade bait, the Knicks need to acquire a good shooting forward and rugged rebounder to go alongside Eddy Curry. A shot blocking center would be beneficial as well. Al Harrington, Reggie Evans, Kenyon Martin and Theo Ratliff are a few players that would fill these needs. If they can accomplish these tasks this summer, Thomas would be in a position to significantly improve the team's record from this season. I say give Brown his money and let the Isiah watch begin.

The Miami Heat completed their amazing 2006 playoff run by finishing off the Dallas Mavericks in six games last night. They did it with great defense again and timely contributions from a supporting cast that had been scrutinized all season. A look at who now has that #### off their back...

Career .657 free throw shooter, led the league in turnovers one season, never shot better then .430 from the field in any season, 4 teams in 10 seasons, dancing and gyrations made him a poster boy for everything that was wrong with the NBA. He once said the reason he shot so many threes was "because there ain't no fours".

14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 turnovers

Antoine Walker - now just call him 2006 NBA Champion.

       

Suspended from college team for breaking team rules, a showboat, too careless with the ball, turnover prone, not a leader, shoots too many threes, known as White Chocolate for his style of play. 3 teams in 8 seasons.

3 points, 7 assists

Jason Williams - now just call him 2006 NBA Champion.

     

Known as a trash talker, accused of not being able to win the big game, has second most technical fouls of all time, labeled as egotistical, volatile, and difficult to deal with through the years, 5 teams in the last 4 seasons.

2 points, 2 assists

Gary Payton - now just call him 2006 NBA Champion.

   

Accused of forcing a trade and waiver for two different teams due to contract issues and not being happy with the team record, known for disappearing in big games, couldn't win the big games, 3 teams in the last 3 seasons.

8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 blocks

Alonzo Mourning - now just call him 2006 NBA Champion.

   

Too fat, too lazy, doesn't play hard in the regular season, past his prime, terrible free throw shooter, can't win the big one without guys named Phil and/or Kobe, accused of breaking up the Lakers by asking to be traded, has to be the first option on a team, accused of being responsible for Stan Van Gundy's resignation.

9 points, 12 rebounds

Shaquille O' Neal - now just call him 2006 and four time NBA Champion.

    

Went 18 years without another championship, known as Pat the Rat in NY for his abrupt departure, known for pushing his players too hard, accused of setting up Stan Van Gundy for failure and conveniently taking the coaching job back when the team was good again, responsible for bringing "thug" basketball to the forefront in the NBA in the 90's, criticized for trade that brought questionable players to the Heat this year. Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, and Gary Payton.

Rallied his team to come together and play as one and showed why he won 4 championships with the Lakers.

Pat Riley - now just call him 2006 and 5 time NBA champion coach.

    

Reporter: Just how does this championship compare with the other ones that you've won?
Riley: I said it, I mean it, I'd give up six of them for this one. I just would have. I would have traded them all in for this one. Not that it's not disrespectful to any of them that I won. But after 18 years, and chasing, you know, you keep chasing it, you keep chasing it, you get tired. So this gives me a sense of absolute freedom from having to chase it, desperately chase it. So it's very special.

Fifteen strong runnin' down a dream.

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald is reporting in this article that an impeccable  source informed him that Cuban yelled to Stern after Game 5, ``[Bleep] you! [Bleep] you! Your league is rigged!''. No one on either side has confirmed or denied this took place. If it did, what should be done if anything? By suggesting the league is rigged to the commissioner even if its the heat of the moment, aren't you setting yourself up for a very big penalty? Or does Stern let it slide because of the circumstances?

This wine is too good for toast-drinking, my dear. You don’t want to mix emotions up with a wine like that. You lose the taste.
---Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961),  Count Mippipopolous, in The Sun Also Rises (1926).

I suppose I shouldn't judge people when they are put on a stage and are asked very tough questions immediately after a devastating loss.  A loss mind you, that had two questionable calls at the very end that went against Dallas. But to watch Avery Johnson publicly humiliate a reporter for asking what he thought of the foul call for Wade at the end of the game was just disappointing. The reporter was just doing his job and asked a fair question. Johnson should have done what most coaches wold have done, which is to #### your tongue and say "No comment" or I don't agree with the call". Johnson basically belittled the reporter and made him feel like a fool for asking such a question. The reporter was so caught off guard that he was barely able to ask his second question. To which Johnson retorted, "don't stutter". I understand he was upset, but he had 30 minutes to gather himself before facing the media.

As I have said before, I went into these Finals not sure who to pull for. I have been leaning with Miami simply because they have two UK alumn on their team(Antoine Walker and Derek Anderson).  I had watched Dallas throughout the playoffs and actually had become a fan of the team and coach Avery Johnson. I always thought Avery was very charismatic and seemed to be born to lead. But throughout these playoffs, I have grown tired of the constant whining that has come from Dallas, coach and owner included. I think Mark Cuban is great for the NBA and has had a great impact on the city of Dallas and even the league as a whole. His constant monitoring of referees and their calls over the years is something that he should be commended for. The inconsistency from game to game is something that can turn casual fans off and lead them to form unfair opinions about the NBA. Unfortunately, I think Cuban's whining has trickled down to the coach and the players and has really become a crutch for them to lean on everytime a game doesn't go their way. I will agree that the foul call was questionable, and there should have been no call made. The way I see it, Wade had been attacking the whole game and was drawing alot of contact. For many years, with all the great players, they have gotten the benefit of the doubt on the calls. Is that because the refs favor them or because they reward these players because they also happen to be the ones that are the most agressive on the court? I believe its because they feel they should reward them for being aggressive and playing hard.

As far as the timeout is concerned, I fully expected Avery to tell the media that it was his fault that Howard called the timeout. If you want the timeout after the second free throw, you don't motion the timeout sign to a player in last seconds of a critical Finals game in a loud hostile environment. You call him over and tell him and make sure there is no confusion. The fact that Avery wants to blame the ref for that because everyone assumes and knows that we want the timeout after the second free throw is just bad sportsmanship. A ref has no choice but to call the timeout if a player is blatantly signaling and calling for the timeout. Instead of whining about the refs, why didn't he talk about the missed free throws by Howard and Dampier and the fact that he couldn't come up with a plan to stop Wade from making shots and penetrating. I genuinely like Avery and I think he is good for the NBA. Maybe its wrong to judge him for the way he took last night's loss, but like Hemingway wrote, the w(h)ine mixed with the emotions has left me with no taste for the Mavs and Avery Johnson. 

The NBA playoffs have been amazing this year. Being a Knicks fan, I went into the playoffs with no real favorite to root for, so for the most part, I have watched all the games just as an objective NBA fan. With no interest in the outcome, I can not remember being this surprised time and time again by the games. For each of the four games in the finals, I ended up shaking my head in confusion and disbelief as the game came to an end. In Game 1, I kept asking myself how Shaq and Alonzo got so old so fast. I knew they had looked slower this season and in the earlier rounds of the playoffs, but all of a sudden they both looked like dinosaurs out there. At the same time, I felt like the Heat had a chance to steal Game 1 and by not doing so, may have lost a golden chance to possibly win this series. By the end of Game 2, I was saying to myself, "Wow, Dallas really is the superior team here and the Heat don't stand a chance. How did the Heat even make it this far with this rag tag group of has beens?" I was convinced there was no way the series was coming back to Dallas. My Knicks' '99 series kept coming to mind. They were just overmatched from the start against the Spurs. They were able to steal a game in Game 3 at the Garden, but once the emotion of the first home game was gone, San Antonio got back to business and promptly closed the Knicks out in 5 games. I felt like this was were this Dallas-Miami series was headed as well.

By the middle of the 4th quarter of Game 3, I was convinced that Dallas would be celebrating a Finals victory on Thursday. Again, Shaq looked old, Dallas looked poised and confident as they were up by 13 with 6 minutes and change to go. I shook my head as I watched the forever confident Mourning look gloomily out on the court. I saw a quiet Miami crowd look resigned to the fact that their Heat had just run into a much better team and they were content that they had at least made it to the Finals. Being in the Eastern Time Zone, I was ready to go to bed, too late to be watching a blowout when I gotta get up and work in the morning. But....I watched anyway. Then I started seeing weird things unfold. Wade started to exude a certain "Airness" as he made shot after shot, Shaq made two perfect free throws when it was absolutely necessary that he do so, Dallas started missing shots, Dirk missed a free throw, and just like that, its 2-1. Wow. At that moment, I realized that this is exactly why we sports fans watch sports. This is why I didn't go to bed with the Heat down by 13. This is why I start each season hopeful, that this is the year the Knicks start their rise back to the top. This is why, with my team down by 9 with 30 seconds to go, I analyze in my head exactly what needs to happen for my team to get back into the game. I can never remember turning of####ame cause I thought it was over, I have just always watched them to the very end. Its because I feel like anything can happen and a game is never over until the buzzer sounds. I thought Dirk was clutch, I thought Dallas was ready to take this series, I thought Shaq was too old and a choker, I thought Wade was hurt or incapable of carrying his team. I thought wrong.

Even after all this, my feeling was that the Heat stole one, and Dallas would refocus and finish them off in Game 4 and Game 5. Nope. Thursday night I found myself shaking my head again as the Heat played excellent team defense and made Dallas look like the inferior team. Shaq and Alonzo look 3 years younger, Wade has me thinking about Jordan, and the Heat look like they may win this in 6. Yeah right. I am done thinking or predicting what will happen next. I have no idea what will happen Sunday or the rest of the series. But guess what? I will be on the couch Sunday night with the dial turned to ABC, waiting and ready for this great game we call the NBA to take me on another ride. And I am sure I will be shaking my head again in amazement as I turn the tv off at a much later hour then I would prefer. I love this game.