Relieved

Yesterday Isiah Thomas was relieved of his coaching duties which, IMO, is too bad. I felt the same way about Larry Brown's departure. Both of these guys need no "second chance" because they have a lifetime of accomplishment that speaks to their abilities and entitles them to a certain degree of benefit of the doubt. In both cases, the record has nothing to do with their abilities. The Knicks under Dolan are a quagmire.

The fact of the matter is that while not all of Isiah's trades and maneuvers have worked out as we might have liked the Knicks roster is exponentially better than the one he inherited as is the cap situation.

The fact of the matter is that the roster's problem is not talent but chemistry and to confuse the issue is to underestimate how close Zeke was to putting together a contending Knicks team.

In the case of both coaches, it was Stephon Marbury who remains a central figure of controversy. So much has been expected of him and so little has been realized. Donnie Walsh has asked Marbury to return healthy for another go. It is hard to imagine that another year of Stephon Marbury in a Knicks uniform will end well.

The devil's bargain being struck in retaining Marbury is removing his contract from the books at next season's end for a pie-in-the-sky cap-space pursuit of the mythical free agent down the road. As I've written before, the Knicks have yet to sign a free agent who has become a championship cog and of the free agents the Knicks have missed out on, none have gone on to create winners where they have signed. IMO, this is a lamentable fool's errand. Every summer's free agent hype is little more than the high-powered marketing of brand-name merchandise. The expensive bobble-heads acquired soon lose their luster by February when the GM realizes that the chances of unloading the over-priced cosmetic jewelry is near zero.

In many ways I think Isiah Thomas understands this unique big city paradox as well as anyone since Dave Checketts. New York is not Indiana. The salary cap restrictions are intended to befuddle big city teams whose expectations are big ticket items. For New York (of all teams) to run a bargain basement team to acquire a big name who can't win elsewhere is a bit silly. The free-agent market is a manufactured illusion sold to small market teams that a recognizable name player can sell more product in Podunk than in IwannaBeSomeplace.

Nobody wins a thing with free-agency except the agents.

Isiah's greatest flaw is one that I talked about at the beginning of the year. As GM, he personalized the talent pool in dangerous ways. The players who most contributed to his demise were Marbury, Curry, and Crawford - all spectacular underachievers and dysfunctional as teammates. Subtract these three and replace them with even marginal position players and the Knicks would be in the playoffs today.

Larry Brown's frustrations of two years ago came to disastrous fruition this year under Zeke. It is Thomas' inability to cut bait with these players who poisoned the Knicks chances of succeeding that ran the Knicks aground.

What Larry Brown needed is precisely what Zeke needed and that is a GM who would look beyond the sincerity of personal relationships and assemble and reassemble the roster create a winner. Brown was victimized by Isiah who refused to move personnel who he was too ingratiated to. And Zeke's inability to step outside his personal relationships with players and family undid everything he had hoped to accomplish.

All Knicks fans feel as though they've been led on a death march punctuated by a mirage of hope that is annually snatched away by harsh realities.As a fan, my frustration lies no so much with the coaches who have come and gone, but with the bleak indifference of players being paid ungodly ransoms to play a game they are expected to win. The concept of guaranteed contracts is a failure.

In the end maybe there is nothing left of my childhood allegiances than an empty uniform. There's a new man in town expected to right the team and like Brown, Isiah, and an army of good men before them I want to believe in the best.

Personally, I think Isiah had one thing right, you have to continuously upgrade the talent. But Brown's criticism is also true. You need the right kind of players. No one I respect believes that a top ten pick (with minor exceptions) can change the fortunes of a team. You not only need to win a lottery but win in the right year by acquiring a once in a generation talent.

I hope Walsh does not give up on these Knicks. Remove Marbury, Curry, and Crawford and add some complimentary players. We don't need miracles or saviors or five year plans. First, get rid of the deadwood.