Goodbye Isiah

I wish Isiah good luck in taking the coaching position at Florida International University.

The beat writers can't flog Isiah often enough or severely enough for the transgressions they attribute to his tenure with the Knicks. Isiah had his faults for sure and I disagreed with his handling of Larry Brown.

But Isiah is responsible for cleansing the stench of the Layden regime and for bulking up the roster with youth and potential. I thought that Isiah's trades and signings were no worse than many other GM's across the league.

Isiah's reputation was further sullied by Stephon Marbury and Eddie Curry's dual professional meltdowns. Isiah deserved better, much better.

The Knicks chapter is closed. I suspect Isiah will do well in Florida.

Becoming the New York Knicks

The cap-space odessey that the Knicks are pursuing for the free agent class a year from now is not something I have a lot of faith in as a strategy to build a winning team. As JVG stated during tonight's game against Orlando, unless you're landing a Duane Wade or Lebron James - who are you counting on to be a difference maker? Chris Bosh already has a decent team around him - so what?

The very idea of once again throwing oodles of money at 'star' players who will inevitably disappoint is not something I look forward to.

Where I vociferously disagree with JVG is in he assertion that the Knicks are a team of second-stringers.

Although the season has been a disaster, the Knicks are making slow, steady progress. The team has fewer albatross contracts than in many years. And, like tonight, the Knicks are capable of winning against the best of the league.

Yes, we do have to get better at two positions to make the playoffs and at least three to be competitive. But this isn't contingent on the salary cap or the draft. It appears obvious that teams whose players look to be free agents in 2010 will be wheeling and dealing long before they lose a talent for nothing.

Walsh needs to take his time and not blink. We have a nice core of complementary players who can be mined in the right trade into a much more effective unit than we see today. I look forward ro the summer.

Oh, my aching back

I had back surgery in the late seventies - herniated disc, just what Gallinari's prognosis seems to be.

I've been fine since but I'm not a pro athlete. My guess is that Gallinari comes back fine but never quite develops into anything more than a nice role player. Not sure how long he'll last. i remember being in a hospital room with repeat customers. They told me at that time the back could be strong for a long time but that a simple trigger event like getting into a car or bending the put a log on a fire could re-injure the original disc.

Of course, Gallinari will be smart enough to strengthen his back and stomach muscles to do everything to prevent re-injury.

I hated the decision to choose Gallinari. Mostly it reeked of legal but questionable insider trading, D'Antoni being so close to Gallinari's dad. D'Antoni and Walsh probably thought it was no big deal - draft picks are all a crapshoot anyway.

But for long time Knicks fans, it hurt being just the next insulting thing in the seemingly endless parade of misfortune to plague our team. Knicks fans are seriously wounded. The NBA rules and conventions are designed to never let a NY team win again. For years the NBA was an elephant's graveyard for players with bloated contracts, injury, and ethical challenge to expire their contracts without lifting a finger.

Eddie Curry remains a poster-boy reminder of what it means to be a Knicks fan;

NY will offer a risky player the opportunity to shine and that player will visit the food court and never return.

Brutal. Guaranteed contracts must never again be agreed to. Ever. No play - no pay.

That brings us to this year's draft. I hope Walsh is smart enough to give Isiah a prominent seat at the table when decisions are being made draft and trade-wise. IZWT is still intact on this board. What others hated about Isiah's moves I have always applauded - he takes reasonable risks. Some pan out, others can be found at the food court but all are talented individuals.

There are a lot of players out there who deserve consideration. Steven Curry and Ty Lawson are high on my wishlist although I'm not sold on anyone.

I am NOT a Hasheem Thabeet nor A.J. Price fan. I follow UConn sports and I'm not impressed by either. Kemba Walker, OTOH, looks like gem in the rough. To hell with the free agent classes, trade for some picks in the next two years and target Walker as a must-have draft pick.

That's my $.02.

My Wish for a Summer League Invite

Well, my thoughts are drifting toward summer league invitations and my darkhorse candidate this year is the Belmont PG who tore up Duke last year in the NCAA tourney, Alex Renfroe.

This kid has zero chance of getting drafted but I clearly remember a very talented athlete, quick, fast, and with a nice wingspan. I'd love to see him get in a few summer league games just to see what he's got.

Yeah, I know - I'm crazy. But last year when nobody thought much of Russell Westbrook, i was promoting him despite what all the critics were wagging about. He moved up so far, he wound up out of reach.

Alex Renfroe, remember the name.