Kenny Smith asked the question of the season for the Mavs tonite, "If they can't beat Boston without Garnett - how do they expect to beat them with Garnett?"
The answer is that the Mavs have played out their run as contenders. Nowitski and company will tease their fans for a while longer but the Mavs have a fork stuck in their behinds already.
Expect a February fire sale in Dallas at the trading deadline. The Mavs are carrying more dead weight than any team out west.
That brings me to my observations about the ESPN rumored trade of Kidd to the Mavs; ARE YOU ALL JOKING? The guys at ESPN must go out at night, get smashed, and play with the trade checkers while ignoring the results.
Let's see, Portland gives up all their tradable assets to NJ fooooooooooooor... ...um... Devin Harris. And they do this so that the Mavs get Kidd and Thorn gets a #1 pick and a rebuilt Nets team.
Even drunk, I wouldn't buy this lanker rumor. It not only smells funny, it is funny.
Aside from the absurdity of dozens of players changing uniforms, where exactly does Dallas go with Kidd? I mean at some point Cuban must realize that he has to start over and not dig deeper. The Mavs hit their highs as long as two years ago and are running on fumes these days.
If all those Portland youth are available, Cuban would be smarter trading for them rather than Kidd.
No, Kidd isn't going to get you four former first round draft picks plus a #1 this year. On the other hand we are talking about Portland.
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Groundhog Day...
Artest up for grabs? C'mon already - the guy's a Knick - can't we just admit it and make a deal?
Geezus key-ryst... I can figure this one out.
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Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Why Kidd?
A lot of fans have reacted to the possibility of acquiring Jason Kidd as either impossible or as the biggest blunder in basketball history.
I don't think such a trade is impossible. The latter assertion is more interesting.
Detractors of Isiah and critics of acquiring a 35 year old point guard have one argument in common. That is, that Kidd is too old for a youth movement. The reason they're wrong is simple. A balanced team doesn't need to be exclusively young or seasoned or superstars.
If the Knicks were loaded with young, developing talent such an argument would not only be true but compelling as well. after all, long suffering knicks fans are not masochists nor do they deserve any more pain.
Unfortunately the Knicks are not loaded with young developing talent but they are loaded with trade bait. A number of Isiah's calculated risk trades have run their course.
Curry, once expected to blossom into a top five center for the Knicks, has not developed as expected and, more disturbingly, a fan sitting close to the NY Knicks bench observed Curry mockingly rooting for his teammates after being asked to do something, anything to contribute to the team.
Curry is not yet a bust nor is his contract prohibitively unreasonable for someone to take a chance on him.
Likewise, Jamal Crawford has become a teaser in New York - showing an occasional flash of greatness only to vanish on the defensive end of the court and then for games at a time on the offensive side as well. Lots of teams would love having Crawford as a pseudo-superstar who will provide a weekly video clip that amazes but in NY he cannot and will never have what it takes to lead the team up the standings.
The rest of the team consists of largely tradable assets. Players who border on being starters, most just role players.
Given the reality of the situation, only David Lee,Nate Robinson, and our first round pick would be hard to part with. And in the right deal even these assets aren't untouchable.
So why the crocodile tears about trading youth for some older players? IMO, there is a contingent of fans who believe that the lottery guarantees a quality player pick. Never mind that it doesn't and never mind that quality players can be acquired as well as drafted, these fans believe that a Knicks crash landing will assure the firing of Isiah as well.
The truth of the matter is that Mardy Collins is a few years away from becoming a starting NBA point guard and there's no other real relief in sight. Jason Kidd would be an excellent trade for NY. Yes, he's 35 and yes his best days may be behind him but the Knicks are not entirely hopeless and a player like Kidd might provide the missing spark and leadership the Knicks so desperately need. And remember I'm saying it could be an excellent trade. I'm not saying its an ideal trade - personally I prefer Andre Miller to Kidd.
As I wrote yesterday, any such blockbuster trade will involve more players than just Kidd and my guess is that Carter and his contract will have to come in tow. The very idea of a NJ/NY trade of this magnitude today seems impossible but it might be exactly what is needed to resuscitate interest in two moribund franchises.
I feel, like most Knick fans, that neither Lee nor the #1 pick would be part of any such deal. Kidd, Carter and the other Nets in play aren't spring chickens nor are their contracts all that desirable per se.
It is delusional to think that the Mavs and Nets have any trade possibilities that would trump what the Knicks can offer. If Thorn traded Kidd for Dampier and Jason Terry's long term contract he'd lose his job. The Mavs will need a third team far more ignorant than the Nets to acquire Kidd.
As you look around the league, few teams are in the market for a huge contract. Thorn will have his hands full trying to get value. All the Knicks have to do is offer good value.
It may cost the Knicks Balkman or Morris but the cost must be weighed against the alarming drift toward chronic mediocrity both teams are experiencing.
If Dave Checketts were still running the Knicks he would not be sitting around like a happy camper. The Knicks need a defensive center and a point guard and his phone would be ringing off the hook.
I don't think such a trade is impossible. The latter assertion is more interesting.
Detractors of Isiah and critics of acquiring a 35 year old point guard have one argument in common. That is, that Kidd is too old for a youth movement. The reason they're wrong is simple. A balanced team doesn't need to be exclusively young or seasoned or superstars.
If the Knicks were loaded with young, developing talent such an argument would not only be true but compelling as well. after all, long suffering knicks fans are not masochists nor do they deserve any more pain.
Unfortunately the Knicks are not loaded with young developing talent but they are loaded with trade bait. A number of Isiah's calculated risk trades have run their course.
Curry, once expected to blossom into a top five center for the Knicks, has not developed as expected and, more disturbingly, a fan sitting close to the NY Knicks bench observed Curry mockingly rooting for his teammates after being asked to do something, anything to contribute to the team.
Curry is not yet a bust nor is his contract prohibitively unreasonable for someone to take a chance on him.
Likewise, Jamal Crawford has become a teaser in New York - showing an occasional flash of greatness only to vanish on the defensive end of the court and then for games at a time on the offensive side as well. Lots of teams would love having Crawford as a pseudo-superstar who will provide a weekly video clip that amazes but in NY he cannot and will never have what it takes to lead the team up the standings.
The rest of the team consists of largely tradable assets. Players who border on being starters, most just role players.
Given the reality of the situation, only David Lee,Nate Robinson, and our first round pick would be hard to part with. And in the right deal even these assets aren't untouchable.
So why the crocodile tears about trading youth for some older players? IMO, there is a contingent of fans who believe that the lottery guarantees a quality player pick. Never mind that it doesn't and never mind that quality players can be acquired as well as drafted, these fans believe that a Knicks crash landing will assure the firing of Isiah as well.
The truth of the matter is that Mardy Collins is a few years away from becoming a starting NBA point guard and there's no other real relief in sight. Jason Kidd would be an excellent trade for NY. Yes, he's 35 and yes his best days may be behind him but the Knicks are not entirely hopeless and a player like Kidd might provide the missing spark and leadership the Knicks so desperately need. And remember I'm saying it could be an excellent trade. I'm not saying its an ideal trade - personally I prefer Andre Miller to Kidd.
As I wrote yesterday, any such blockbuster trade will involve more players than just Kidd and my guess is that Carter and his contract will have to come in tow. The very idea of a NJ/NY trade of this magnitude today seems impossible but it might be exactly what is needed to resuscitate interest in two moribund franchises.
I feel, like most Knick fans, that neither Lee nor the #1 pick would be part of any such deal. Kidd, Carter and the other Nets in play aren't spring chickens nor are their contracts all that desirable per se.
It is delusional to think that the Mavs and Nets have any trade possibilities that would trump what the Knicks can offer. If Thorn traded Kidd for Dampier and Jason Terry's long term contract he'd lose his job. The Mavs will need a third team far more ignorant than the Nets to acquire Kidd.
As you look around the league, few teams are in the market for a huge contract. Thorn will have his hands full trying to get value. All the Knicks have to do is offer good value.
It may cost the Knicks Balkman or Morris but the cost must be weighed against the alarming drift toward chronic mediocrity both teams are experiencing.
If Dave Checketts were still running the Knicks he would not be sitting around like a happy camper. The Knicks need a defensive center and a point guard and his phone would be ringing off the hook.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A Kidd with Baggage
Although Jason Kidd is intimating that he'd love to play for dallas, Dallas hasn't got anything but albatross to send NJ's way.
Thorn may be smart enough to be wrapping Kidd and carter as a package deal, a hard deal for many teams to accept.
But the Knicks can send Marbury, Jeffries, Rose, and Balkman across the river to rid NJ of their most expensive contracts, eliminate their longterm commitment, and in the process refreshing NJ's roster.
For the Knicks, the question is a bigger one - the kind of tradeoff Pat Riley accepted when trading for Shaq. Can the addition of Kidd and Carter make enough of a difference to compete and make it worthwhile?
A lineup of Kidd, Crawford, Carter, Randolph and Lee certainly sounds intriguing.
But it can backfire as well and Carter's contract is a whopper.
Thorn may be smart enough to be wrapping Kidd and carter as a package deal, a hard deal for many teams to accept.
But the Knicks can send Marbury, Jeffries, Rose, and Balkman across the river to rid NJ of their most expensive contracts, eliminate their longterm commitment, and in the process refreshing NJ's roster.
For the Knicks, the question is a bigger one - the kind of tradeoff Pat Riley accepted when trading for Shaq. Can the addition of Kidd and Carter make enough of a difference to compete and make it worthwhile?
A lineup of Kidd, Crawford, Carter, Randolph and Lee certainly sounds intriguing.
But it can backfire as well and Carter's contract is a whopper.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Warriors Beat Knicks
Loss #29 - a damned shame.
Five out of eight. Four out of seven. Three out of six. Two out of four.
However you slice it - still a nice run of games all things considered.
Five out of eight. Four out of seven. Three out of six. Two out of four.
However you slice it - still a nice run of games all things considered.
Isiah: Pick Up the Courtesy Phone! Jason Kidd Wants Out
Thorn needs not get ripped off. Crawford, Rose, and Jones work nicely and seem like fair value given the talent/fiscal considerations.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Knicks Beat 76ers
Win #14. Six out of ten. Five out of seven. Four out of six. Three out of five. Two out of three.
However you slice it - a nice run of games.
However you slice it - a nice run of games.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Isaiah Processor
That's right. It's come to this. Computer chip maker, VIA, has announced the Isaiah processor.
Looking at the specifications, this fan can only come to the conclusion that someone has finally embedded an NBA trade checker on a chip. This one features a special cache for Eddy Curry trade congestion.
Looking at the specifications, this fan can only come to the conclusion that someone has finally embedded an NBA trade checker on a chip. This one features a special cache for Eddy Curry trade congestion.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Albatross With a Capital 'A'
Chip Stern has offered the following Knick Rule to our trading habits; NO DEALS THAT SUCK!
I like it. And to understand where the Stern-ster is coming from let's examine where the league's worst albatross contracts are and what kind of albatross contracts might be acceptable without violating the Stern Ultimatum.
New Jersey is a team entering the NBA ring of hell known as the Laydenzone. A team enters the Laydenzone when their star contracts no longer play like stars but get paid like Middle Eastern arms dealers. Kidd, Carter and Jefferson comprise a Big Three albatross cluster that makes your head hurt thinking about. It is no wonder all the NJ trade talk is about Carter whose contract stretches on for four more long unproductive years.
Even god is scratching his head about Carter's contract.
Boston, too, will be joining NJ shortly should they not win a ring this year or should Garnett get hurt. Pierce is not a winning hand, Ray Allen is breaking down, and Kendrick Perkins was suffering from planar fasciatis early this year. For now Boston's albatross cluster is in a holding pattern but come playoff time, Boston may well dip into the twilight of the Laydenzone.
Another team that is lowering itself into the Laydenzone is Phoenix. Although Shawn Marion's contract is soon expiring, the Suns have large long term commitments for Stoudamire, Diaw, Nash, Barbosa, and Marcus Banks on the books for years. And the Suns are unlikely to win anything this year either. Looking beyond Marion's contract most observers believe Stoudamire will be moved. Let's come back to this shortly.
Milwaukee, without competing or even winning has managed to constipate its roster with long term contracts that aren't even their best prospects; Redd, Williams, Simmons, and Gadzuric represent large amounts of misinvested salary.
The Laydenzone whirlpools will soon threaten to swallow all of Milwaukee's hopes for a brighter future unless they jettison a few of these contracts.
The burping sound coming from the everglades is the wholesale swallowing of the Miami Heat into the Laydenzone gullet. Riley's unholy pact to secure one more ring leaves in its wake a team so saddled with dead weight that it threatens to humiliate the one player who looked like hope a year or so ago, Dwayne Wade.
On a much smaller scale Memphis too is wallowing in overpaid underacheiving players. Gasol, Miller, Millicic, Cardinal, and Swift all make too much for too long for too little.
Denver, still imbalanced, is carrying KMart, Camby, and Nene inaddition to Carmelo and Iverson. They either win this year or by inertia of entropy become Laydenzone bound.
Any trade for a Carter, KMart, Redd, Dampier, or other wholesale NBA long term albatross just for the sake of moving bodies would be a huge mistake aside from violating the Stern Ultimatum.
On the other hand a careful examination of the teams at risk invites trade possibilities that may not be obvious when examining the obvious albatrosses.
The Knicks still need a stabilizing point guard and three who come to mind are Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, and Bibby. All three have two to three productive years left and assuming the cost is not a lottery pick nor overbearingly one-side, the Knicks would be silly not to pursue these guys.
Earl Watson, Marcus Banks,
The second position where we have a distinct need for immediate change is at the SF position. A Ron Artest deal would be ideal but other possibilities exist as well.
A trade for Wally Szczerbiak Could bring home an expiring contract and a fan favorite.
Boris Diaw's production has dropped in Phoenix and his contract might be more accessible than Stoudamire or Marion's.
Rudy Gay is another worthy target. Would Memphis do a blockbuster trade to rid themselves of bad contracts by bundling Rudy Gay with Milicic, Miller, and Cardinal for Curry, Crawford, Rose, Chandler and Collins?
Tracy McGrady, the geriatric, long-suffering and highly priced Rocket can also likely be had on the cheap. Another player who would be an instatnt fan favorite is only a worthwhile addition if New York sheds redundancy and mid-grade talent.
Would Detroit trade Prince and Hermann for Curry and Balkman and would such a trade finally yield the missing chemistry the Knicks are searching for?
Would trading Curry and Rose for Ben Wallace and Victor Kryappa create the chemistry?
I like it. And to understand where the Stern-ster is coming from let's examine where the league's worst albatross contracts are and what kind of albatross contracts might be acceptable without violating the Stern Ultimatum.
New Jersey is a team entering the NBA ring of hell known as the Laydenzone. A team enters the Laydenzone when their star contracts no longer play like stars but get paid like Middle Eastern arms dealers. Kidd, Carter and Jefferson comprise a Big Three albatross cluster that makes your head hurt thinking about. It is no wonder all the NJ trade talk is about Carter whose contract stretches on for four more long unproductive years.
Even god is scratching his head about Carter's contract.
Boston, too, will be joining NJ shortly should they not win a ring this year or should Garnett get hurt. Pierce is not a winning hand, Ray Allen is breaking down, and Kendrick Perkins was suffering from planar fasciatis early this year. For now Boston's albatross cluster is in a holding pattern but come playoff time, Boston may well dip into the twilight of the Laydenzone.
Another team that is lowering itself into the Laydenzone is Phoenix. Although Shawn Marion's contract is soon expiring, the Suns have large long term commitments for Stoudamire, Diaw, Nash, Barbosa, and Marcus Banks on the books for years. And the Suns are unlikely to win anything this year either. Looking beyond Marion's contract most observers believe Stoudamire will be moved. Let's come back to this shortly.
Milwaukee, without competing or even winning has managed to constipate its roster with long term contracts that aren't even their best prospects; Redd, Williams, Simmons, and Gadzuric represent large amounts of misinvested salary.
The Laydenzone whirlpools will soon threaten to swallow all of Milwaukee's hopes for a brighter future unless they jettison a few of these contracts.
The burping sound coming from the everglades is the wholesale swallowing of the Miami Heat into the Laydenzone gullet. Riley's unholy pact to secure one more ring leaves in its wake a team so saddled with dead weight that it threatens to humiliate the one player who looked like hope a year or so ago, Dwayne Wade.
On a much smaller scale Memphis too is wallowing in overpaid underacheiving players. Gasol, Miller, Millicic, Cardinal, and Swift all make too much for too long for too little.
Denver, still imbalanced, is carrying KMart, Camby, and Nene inaddition to Carmelo and Iverson. They either win this year or by inertia of entropy become Laydenzone bound.
Any trade for a Carter, KMart, Redd, Dampier, or other wholesale NBA long term albatross just for the sake of moving bodies would be a huge mistake aside from violating the Stern Ultimatum.
On the other hand a careful examination of the teams at risk invites trade possibilities that may not be obvious when examining the obvious albatrosses.
The Knicks still need a stabilizing point guard and three who come to mind are Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, and Bibby. All three have two to three productive years left and assuming the cost is not a lottery pick nor overbearingly one-side, the Knicks would be silly not to pursue these guys.
Earl Watson, Marcus Banks,
The second position where we have a distinct need for immediate change is at the SF position. A Ron Artest deal would be ideal but other possibilities exist as well.
A trade for Wally Szczerbiak Could bring home an expiring contract and a fan favorite.
Boris Diaw's production has dropped in Phoenix and his contract might be more accessible than Stoudamire or Marion's.
Rudy Gay is another worthy target. Would Memphis do a blockbuster trade to rid themselves of bad contracts by bundling Rudy Gay with Milicic, Miller, and Cardinal for Curry, Crawford, Rose, Chandler and Collins?
Tracy McGrady, the geriatric, long-suffering and highly priced Rocket can also likely be had on the cheap. Another player who would be an instatnt fan favorite is only a worthwhile addition if New York sheds redundancy and mid-grade talent.
Would Detroit trade Prince and Hermann for Curry and Balkman and would such a trade finally yield the missing chemistry the Knicks are searching for?
Would trading Curry and Rose for Ben Wallace and Victor Kryappa create the chemistry?
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Milwaukee Mixes
The common wisdom is that Portland is this year's poster child team for succeeding at rebuilding itself. The evidence is that Chad Ford's advice for rebuilding the Knicks is to do what Portland did.
I happen to disagree. Cynics point to the trading of Zach Randolph as a key. But they fail to mention that Portland got incredibly lucky in landing a franchise rookie in Aldridge who is playing way above anything anyone expected.
So the magic recipe that simple minds on the East Coast seize upon is that trading Randolph and creating cap space are desirable. They fail to mention the trading part of the equation and being the lucky side of a rookie for rookie swap.
The minute Portland fades back into the pack all the magic will disappear.
There are no magic formulas to fix the Knicks. The eternal hope to sign the dissatisfied small-market superstar is a pipe dream. The idea that a number 1 lottery pick is a panacea ignores the track record of #1 lottery picks.
In truth, Isiah is doing a damned good job. The answer to rebuilding is continuous improvement.
Today, ESPN is promoting a Milwaukee/NY trade that would send Randolph AND Balkman to Milwaukee for Gadzuric, Villanueva, and Simmons. The authors fail to recognize that NY sends great talent and reasonable contracts to Milwaukee for bench talent and bad contracts. NO DEAL.
Now. Gadzuric and Simmons for Q and Jerome James makes sense talent-wise and is a fiscal bargain for Milwaukee today and in the long run. Such a trade simply reorganizes the pine for both teams - hopefully for the better.
But the idea that NY should just give away Randolph is insane. Randolph is an ideal piece of the puzzle for many teams and Milwaukee makes sense. Milwaukee sipmly doesn't have the talent to send back. So let's speculate about three team scenarios.
Let's include Sacramento in the mix. Something that works nicely for all teams might be Randolph to Milwaukee, Simmons and Gadzuric to Sacto, Bibby and Kenny Thomas to NY. Malik Rose to Sacto.
Milwaukee gets Randolph, Sacto gets a Brad Miller and Artest replacement and loses a year of Kenny Thomas' contract. New York gets their point.
Let's try Philly instead of Sacramento.
Say, Milwaukee sends Redd and Gadzurik to Philly. Philly sends Dalembert and Andre Miller to NY. Ny sends Randolph Jerome James and Randolph Morris to Milwaukee and NY sends Mardy Collins to Philly.
Again, talent and fiscal relief for Milwaukee and Philly as they acquire needed pieces and some youth for need pieces in New York.
I happen to disagree. Cynics point to the trading of Zach Randolph as a key. But they fail to mention that Portland got incredibly lucky in landing a franchise rookie in Aldridge who is playing way above anything anyone expected.
So the magic recipe that simple minds on the East Coast seize upon is that trading Randolph and creating cap space are desirable. They fail to mention the trading part of the equation and being the lucky side of a rookie for rookie swap.
The minute Portland fades back into the pack all the magic will disappear.
There are no magic formulas to fix the Knicks. The eternal hope to sign the dissatisfied small-market superstar is a pipe dream. The idea that a number 1 lottery pick is a panacea ignores the track record of #1 lottery picks.
In truth, Isiah is doing a damned good job. The answer to rebuilding is continuous improvement.
Today, ESPN is promoting a Milwaukee/NY trade that would send Randolph AND Balkman to Milwaukee for Gadzuric, Villanueva, and Simmons. The authors fail to recognize that NY sends great talent and reasonable contracts to Milwaukee for bench talent and bad contracts. NO DEAL.
Now. Gadzuric and Simmons for Q and Jerome James makes sense talent-wise and is a fiscal bargain for Milwaukee today and in the long run. Such a trade simply reorganizes the pine for both teams - hopefully for the better.
But the idea that NY should just give away Randolph is insane. Randolph is an ideal piece of the puzzle for many teams and Milwaukee makes sense. Milwaukee sipmly doesn't have the talent to send back. So let's speculate about three team scenarios.
Let's include Sacramento in the mix. Something that works nicely for all teams might be Randolph to Milwaukee, Simmons and Gadzuric to Sacto, Bibby and Kenny Thomas to NY. Malik Rose to Sacto.
Milwaukee gets Randolph, Sacto gets a Brad Miller and Artest replacement and loses a year of Kenny Thomas' contract. New York gets their point.
Let's try Philly instead of Sacramento.
Say, Milwaukee sends Redd and Gadzurik to Philly. Philly sends Dalembert and Andre Miller to NY. Ny sends Randolph Jerome James and Randolph Morris to Milwaukee and NY sends Mardy Collins to Philly.
Again, talent and fiscal relief for Milwaukee and Philly as they acquire needed pieces and some youth for need pieces in New York.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Hilarious
ESPN's Sheriden is complaining that Isiah is too smart to fall for the lousy trade offers being dangled.
RealGm reports a Carter for Randolph offering. Puh-leeze. Another cap choking contract is the last thing the Knicks need. If NJ is offering Carter they better throw in two #1 picks and make room on their roster for Q, Jerome James, and the eternal rights to Frederick Weiss.
Oh, Cleveland is crying because the Knicks don't want Hughes. No kidding. Let me guess they want David Lee in exchange.
Ditto for Sacto. They won nothing, win nothing, yet expect the Knicks to trade off all the up-and-comers for tread-weary vets looking for a retirement court.
Uh-uh. Zeke, stick to your team. Trade when the deal is right. I can wait.
RealGm reports a Carter for Randolph offering. Puh-leeze. Another cap choking contract is the last thing the Knicks need. If NJ is offering Carter they better throw in two #1 picks and make room on their roster for Q, Jerome James, and the eternal rights to Frederick Weiss.
Oh, Cleveland is crying because the Knicks don't want Hughes. No kidding. Let me guess they want David Lee in exchange.
Ditto for Sacto. They won nothing, win nothing, yet expect the Knicks to trade off all the up-and-comers for tread-weary vets looking for a retirement court.
Uh-uh. Zeke, stick to your team. Trade when the deal is right. I can wait.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Knicks Beat Nets - But You Already Knew That!
Win #12. Three wins in a row. Pretty soon I'll need another hand to count them all on.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Isiah, A Wiser Trader?
Today, a Q&A session with a Sacramento Kings writer started a conversation on a number of blogs as to whether or not Isiah was turning down "fair" deals.
Isiah is being very patient about making deals... downright cautious. Now this is maddening for those of us who would love to see some change for the better but what is interesting is watching so many teams choke on their bad contracts now that the Knicks aren't easy targets for their disposal. I get kind of a gleeful chuckle out of watching the bastards squirm after all the years the Knicks put up with getting hosed with bad contracts.
Sacto fans want a fire sale. So does Miami, Cleveland, Houston, Milwaukee, Memphis, and others. So much dreck, so few possible trades!
Everybody demands our youth and talent because they're entitled to dump their aging, overpaid star contracts here and Isiah is not playing nice, nice. I must say, I love it.
I hope when Isiah does deal, he gets us fair trade value or better. But Artest isn't worth trading Lee for. Sacto would have to be winning something for that to happen and they aren't going anywhere.
No, McGrady, Bibby, Artest, and a few others on the block are nice pieces but past their prime. Maybe worth a premium in the day but not these days - not for their age, health, or expense. The Knicks do have some youth to offer and some team will make out well. But nobody's taking us to the cleaners this year and I'm good with that.
Question: Has there been conjecture about an Artest/Shareef (Abdur-Rahim)/(Kenny) Thomas trade to New York for Stephon Marbury with David Lee and/or a first round pick? This would free-up $21 million after next season.Knicks fans are often criticized for speculating on deals that seem unfair to the other team. These days the shoe is on the other foot.
A:...Numerous league sources have informed me that embattled Knicks coach Isiah Thomas has been turning down decent deals left and right, meanwhile driving those around him in Knicks Land batty and, according to the New York Daily News, possibly pushing owner Joe Dolan to fire him. They have been dangling Jamal Crawford in discussions, but I'm told they still won't give up David Lee. That much is bad news for the Kings, who have shown an interest in Lee in the past and would certainly want him in any Artest deal.
Isiah is being very patient about making deals... downright cautious. Now this is maddening for those of us who would love to see some change for the better but what is interesting is watching so many teams choke on their bad contracts now that the Knicks aren't easy targets for their disposal. I get kind of a gleeful chuckle out of watching the bastards squirm after all the years the Knicks put up with getting hosed with bad contracts.
Sacto fans want a fire sale. So does Miami, Cleveland, Houston, Milwaukee, Memphis, and others. So much dreck, so few possible trades!
Everybody demands our youth and talent because they're entitled to dump their aging, overpaid star contracts here and Isiah is not playing nice, nice. I must say, I love it.
I hope when Isiah does deal, he gets us fair trade value or better. But Artest isn't worth trading Lee for. Sacto would have to be winning something for that to happen and they aren't going anywhere.
No, McGrady, Bibby, Artest, and a few others on the block are nice pieces but past their prime. Maybe worth a premium in the day but not these days - not for their age, health, or expense. The Knicks do have some youth to offer and some team will make out well. But nobody's taking us to the cleaners this year and I'm good with that.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Knicks Beat Pistons
Win #10. Marbury didn't play because of a sprained ankle but one cannot feel that something is up with that. Isiah and the team are no longer depending on Marbury this season and almost inevitably a trade or retirement looms.
Revisiting McGrady, Considering Bibby
In mid-Dec I blogged
Roster-wise, we open up the team to lots of interesting possibilities.
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On a whole 'nuther note, Artest may be untouchable in Sacto but Bibby is in play. Let's speculate. Bibby is being bundled with Kenny Thomas. That means we're shipping Malik Rose, Sacto gains a year of relief there in a swap of carbon copy players. That leaves the rest of the trade to be worked out.
I come up with Crawford, Rose, Jerome James, Nate and Collins for Bibby, Thomas, and Garcia.
Sacto gains some nice young talent in Collins, Nate, and Crawford (Crawford replacing Bibby) and they clear out some expensive contracts for shorter and smaller contracts.
The Knicks get that elusive PG, a young SG in Garcia, and Kenny Thomas who either thrives or becomes a garbage time PF. Again, the Knicks open up the roster a bit, lose some young talent but hopefully gain some chemistry and balance.
Key to any good Knick trade will be Isiah's willingness to see beyond his personal relationships with Crawford and Nate to transform the under-performing Knicks.
McGrady is on the block and IMO this would be a nice acquisition assuming we give up what we want to give up and not youth.I still like that trade. Jones and Mike James take over the point position, Marbury slides to the two as a power guard, McGrady shares SF with Keith Van Horn (who fills that extra roster spot, becomes an instant fan favorite and has some fun), and we talk about the rest of the front court later. Snyder's contract is a nice further trade chip.
McGrady is on the downside of his career and is no longer in the superstar category. Nor will he help our defense. but what he is good for is moving some of our bottlenecks out. And Houston could get some nice, playoff push talent back. A win-win trade.
Here's my Christmas wish trade.
Crawford, Rose, James, and Jeffries for McGrady, James and Snyder. We gain a roster spot, McGrady at the two or three. James gives us another PG candidate (maybe more 'D') , Snyder gets one more chance to show something or be cut outright.
Crawford and Rose go to a contender, Jeffries and James can a chance play on a winner. They are no worse than Snyder and James.
Just thinking aloud.
Roster-wise, we open up the team to lots of interesting possibilities.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a whole 'nuther note, Artest may be untouchable in Sacto but Bibby is in play. Let's speculate. Bibby is being bundled with Kenny Thomas. That means we're shipping Malik Rose, Sacto gains a year of relief there in a swap of carbon copy players. That leaves the rest of the trade to be worked out.
I come up with Crawford, Rose, Jerome James, Nate and Collins for Bibby, Thomas, and Garcia.
Sacto gains some nice young talent in Collins, Nate, and Crawford (Crawford replacing Bibby) and they clear out some expensive contracts for shorter and smaller contracts.
The Knicks get that elusive PG, a young SG in Garcia, and Kenny Thomas who either thrives or becomes a garbage time PF. Again, the Knicks open up the roster a bit, lose some young talent but hopefully gain some chemistry and balance.
Key to any good Knick trade will be Isiah's willingness to see beyond his personal relationships with Crawford and Nate to transform the under-performing Knicks.
In Praise of Isiah
In the past two weeks I have read Isiah's statements to the press that express his commitment to rebuilding the Knicks and restoring the franchise to something worth being proud of.
The press and a sizable number of fans mock these assertions. I take them at face value and I believe he's sincere and I also admire his perseverance against all odds. Should he run the media gauntlet long enough to survive, this man will become a sports legend beyond his playing years legacy.
Surviving while losing is an improbable proposition in NY. In my memory, only Casey Stengel comes to mind as someone who managed the feat in a different sport with a much different personality.
Admiring Isiah is an acquired taste. He is attacked for not being an emotional bench coach, yet great coaches can be quiet leaders whose words resound in practice and their lessons get quietly exercised during games.
He is attacked for being a lousy General manager despite having inherited a terrible mix of players and being saddled with a Collective Bargaining Agreement that designates big city teams as dumping grounds for expensive contracts gone bad. Isiah has navigated these waters too with dignity, occasional success and occasional failure. There are more gifted GMs in the league for sure but there are also much worse franchises. Assembling character and chemistry is not an easy task.
Fans spend endless hours (myself included) wondering what if this player or that were traded instead. It's the curse of being a sports fan.
And finally, Isiah is attacked for his drafting by fans who inevitably ask why he didn't select all the players who are succeeding instead of players who are merely human. I admit my guilt here as well. I wish Isiah had drafted a young point guard capable of leading the team.
Nonetheless, Isiah's draft record is brilliant considering the profound odds of coming up empty handed.
I'm beginning to admire Isiah Thomas because he embodies a quality that is rare in American business today, he won't quit until the job is done right. I tip my hat.
The press and a sizable number of fans mock these assertions. I take them at face value and I believe he's sincere and I also admire his perseverance against all odds. Should he run the media gauntlet long enough to survive, this man will become a sports legend beyond his playing years legacy.
Surviving while losing is an improbable proposition in NY. In my memory, only Casey Stengel comes to mind as someone who managed the feat in a different sport with a much different personality.
Admiring Isiah is an acquired taste. He is attacked for not being an emotional bench coach, yet great coaches can be quiet leaders whose words resound in practice and their lessons get quietly exercised during games.
He is attacked for being a lousy General manager despite having inherited a terrible mix of players and being saddled with a Collective Bargaining Agreement that designates big city teams as dumping grounds for expensive contracts gone bad. Isiah has navigated these waters too with dignity, occasional success and occasional failure. There are more gifted GMs in the league for sure but there are also much worse franchises. Assembling character and chemistry is not an easy task.
Fans spend endless hours (myself included) wondering what if this player or that were traded instead. It's the curse of being a sports fan.
And finally, Isiah is attacked for his drafting by fans who inevitably ask why he didn't select all the players who are succeeding instead of players who are merely human. I admit my guilt here as well. I wish Isiah had drafted a young point guard capable of leading the team.
Nonetheless, Isiah's draft record is brilliant considering the profound odds of coming up empty handed.
I'm beginning to admire Isiah Thomas because he embodies a quality that is rare in American business today, he won't quit until the job is done right. I tip my hat.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Is Marbury Actually Maturing?
In the first sign of becoming a responsible teammate in a long time, Marbury finally understands who he is and what he can do. In a Daily News article by Ian Begley, Marbury tells us,
The article is being spun in New York Sports blogs as yet another Marbury moment of embarrassment. In fact, Marbury is not only lucid but eloquent. The Knicks for far to long have attempted to transform Marbury, one of the game's most dangerous backcourt offensive weapons, into a classic pass-first point guard.
Marbury is expressing a personal epiphany here and the press doesn't get it and the haters don't understand and won't forgive.
For Marbury, this may reawaken his better game assuming that he is allowed to exercise it within the current Knick configuration. That, however, is hard to imagine given that the overstocking of offensive players is already causing haertburn for Isiah.
The answer to this remains the exact prescription I've been offering for months, get Andre Miller in here even if we overpay slightly.
No, do not send a draft pick. But if Delambert is available then ship Curry and Rose and Balkman to Philly in a heartbeat for Miller and Dalembert.
"I didn't get paid the money I got paid to do what I'm doing now," said Marbury, who is the NBA's fourth-highest paid player at $20.1 million. "I got paid to be a scoring guard. ... Now I'm playing more of a passive role."This is precisely what this writer has been pointing out for months.
The article is being spun in New York Sports blogs as yet another Marbury moment of embarrassment. In fact, Marbury is not only lucid but eloquent. The Knicks for far to long have attempted to transform Marbury, one of the game's most dangerous backcourt offensive weapons, into a classic pass-first point guard.
Marbury is expressing a personal epiphany here and the press doesn't get it and the haters don't understand and won't forgive.
For Marbury, this may reawaken his better game assuming that he is allowed to exercise it within the current Knick configuration. That, however, is hard to imagine given that the overstocking of offensive players is already causing haertburn for Isiah.
The answer to this remains the exact prescription I've been offering for months, get Andre Miller in here even if we overpay slightly.
No, do not send a draft pick. But if Delambert is available then ship Curry and Rose and Balkman to Philly in a heartbeat for Miller and Dalembert.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Concrete Sneakers - Sue the NBA
For many years now I have advocated the elimination of the NBA draft.
The reasons are obvious as the NBA's season is once again a bi-polar set of races. Teams who drafted the right superstars are racing ahead. Teams whose management participate in incestuous buddy practices charge ahead.
At the other end of the spectrum, big city teams who in other sports are allowed to compete for talent enrich the respective sports with competitive play.
In the NBA we have teams essentially mailing games it to acquire a seat at the lottery. And so the ruse of sportsmanship and competitive play is dutifully manufactured to cover-up the humiliating truth that the NBA is no longer a game but a money-laundering scheme that dictates winners, losers, and who will place or show.
The distortion of play puts the NBA squarely into the realm of post-modern sport fabulations such as a number of the high-profile wrestling venues. The mediocrity of play in the NBA is profound. It is not the athletes who are on steroids but the game itself.
Developing young talent is the lifeblood of all sport and yet in the NBA the combination of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the newly eligible player draft create a policy of contrived malfeasance for sport.
Under the CBA, teams are charged a luxury tax for spending more on player than a yearly calculated team spending threshold. Fair enough. This means that in a sport where teams desire to compete, they can spend what they deem fit to put together a competitive team.
No team in the NBA is allowed to simply acquire the talent they want in this way (which, btw, is fair). Assuming the big-spending teams are taxed by 100% of their overspending (which they are), teams in poorer markets would be financially compensated to allow them to spend more freely as well as they deemed necessary.
Cynics will insist that small market teams will still be at a disadvantage but one need look no further than the Memphis Grizzlies to see that the current policies still produce financially crippled franchises.
Today, all franchises have to make a hard choice - attempt to compete in a rigged game or choose to lose in the hopes that "winning a lottery seat" will ensure a brighter future. Franchises who operate on the fringes of financial stability regularly step down rather than step up. They measure success by staying in business than by any competitive virtue. Their fans know it and the public knows it. Unlike other sports in which such a team can trade player rights for cash considerations - no such thing exists in CBA rules.
In other sports, small market teams have no reason to tank games nor are they doomed to be exposed as financially struggling. These teams not only compete but manage their resources as assets that are convertible in either talent swaps or money exchanges.
The question becomes, could the Grizzlies be any worse off in an open talent market than in a manipulated one?
I believe they would fare far better. And the same is true of big market teams whose fans have big market expectations. The second CBA component that perverts competition in the NBA are the absurd trade restrictions placed on team management. Teams desiring to compete must attempt trading talent that match such rigid dollar for dollar exchange rates that talent for talent trades rarely take place.
Big market teams have different compensation ranges than small market teams. The asymmetry ensures that big market teams who are struggling can never get out from under the dual poison of guaranteed contract obligations and trading that asset for someone else with a similar salary with better assets. In other words, a struggling franchise (35 years and ticking) cannot exchange a contract and cash to a small market team for talent except in rare instances. So the paralysis of the inability to improve from the outside perpetuates a competitive status quo that prevents real sport competition to ever be introduced.
Teams who try to circumvent the system by risking trades are more often than not doomed to eternal mediocrity by being denied a high lottery choice and being locked into CBA salary hell. The Knicks are a prime example of this. They can afford to spend more to acquire talent but they cannot acquire the right talent. They are relegated to the under-performing, big salary swap risk pool.
The fans are relegated to being laughing stocks because no matter who runs the team, undoing losing is harder than being draft lucky.
Players are more likely to earn a ring by laboring for a losing team and finally playing as a bench player for an anointed franchise than being groomed within a developed team without a superstar talent. The Jordan/Duncan/Shaq effect is the antithesis of competitive sport. It fixes the sport in ways that prevent others from assembling challenging teams to take on the status quo.
And let's stop pretending that records in the NBA mean anything when a dozen teams are playing to lose.
Once again I call upon deaf ears to modify the policies to broaden competition.
Do some combination of modifying draft rules so that every team participates in the lottery, not just those who race to the bottom.
Eliminate trade restrictions - allow cash transactions and asymmetric contract valuation trades.
Eliminate the top three winning teams from receiving luxury tax compensation. This will strengthen the other franchises.
Finally, fans would be better served by suing to eliminate the CBA. Here are the grounds for dismissing the policy.
The issue of collusion can certainly be applied to this year's Garnett trade between Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale. If the NBA cannot even the playing field for talent acquisition then it should be shut down.
Secondly, fans should sue to get certain uncompetitive CBA policies thrown out. The NBA is either a sport or entertainment. If it is no longer sport then the Sherman Act need not apply because fans are being duped into believing it is a sport.
The reasons are obvious as the NBA's season is once again a bi-polar set of races. Teams who drafted the right superstars are racing ahead. Teams whose management participate in incestuous buddy practices charge ahead.
At the other end of the spectrum, big city teams who in other sports are allowed to compete for talent enrich the respective sports with competitive play.
In the NBA we have teams essentially mailing games it to acquire a seat at the lottery. And so the ruse of sportsmanship and competitive play is dutifully manufactured to cover-up the humiliating truth that the NBA is no longer a game but a money-laundering scheme that dictates winners, losers, and who will place or show.
The distortion of play puts the NBA squarely into the realm of post-modern sport fabulations such as a number of the high-profile wrestling venues. The mediocrity of play in the NBA is profound. It is not the athletes who are on steroids but the game itself.
Developing young talent is the lifeblood of all sport and yet in the NBA the combination of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the newly eligible player draft create a policy of contrived malfeasance for sport.
Under the CBA, teams are charged a luxury tax for spending more on player than a yearly calculated team spending threshold. Fair enough. This means that in a sport where teams desire to compete, they can spend what they deem fit to put together a competitive team.
No team in the NBA is allowed to simply acquire the talent they want in this way (which, btw, is fair). Assuming the big-spending teams are taxed by 100% of their overspending (which they are), teams in poorer markets would be financially compensated to allow them to spend more freely as well as they deemed necessary.
Cynics will insist that small market teams will still be at a disadvantage but one need look no further than the Memphis Grizzlies to see that the current policies still produce financially crippled franchises.
Today, all franchises have to make a hard choice - attempt to compete in a rigged game or choose to lose in the hopes that "winning a lottery seat" will ensure a brighter future. Franchises who operate on the fringes of financial stability regularly step down rather than step up. They measure success by staying in business than by any competitive virtue. Their fans know it and the public knows it. Unlike other sports in which such a team can trade player rights for cash considerations - no such thing exists in CBA rules.
In other sports, small market teams have no reason to tank games nor are they doomed to be exposed as financially struggling. These teams not only compete but manage their resources as assets that are convertible in either talent swaps or money exchanges.
The question becomes, could the Grizzlies be any worse off in an open talent market than in a manipulated one?
I believe they would fare far better. And the same is true of big market teams whose fans have big market expectations. The second CBA component that perverts competition in the NBA are the absurd trade restrictions placed on team management. Teams desiring to compete must attempt trading talent that match such rigid dollar for dollar exchange rates that talent for talent trades rarely take place.
Big market teams have different compensation ranges than small market teams. The asymmetry ensures that big market teams who are struggling can never get out from under the dual poison of guaranteed contract obligations and trading that asset for someone else with a similar salary with better assets. In other words, a struggling franchise (35 years and ticking) cannot exchange a contract and cash to a small market team for talent except in rare instances. So the paralysis of the inability to improve from the outside perpetuates a competitive status quo that prevents real sport competition to ever be introduced.
Teams who try to circumvent the system by risking trades are more often than not doomed to eternal mediocrity by being denied a high lottery choice and being locked into CBA salary hell. The Knicks are a prime example of this. They can afford to spend more to acquire talent but they cannot acquire the right talent. They are relegated to the under-performing, big salary swap risk pool.
The fans are relegated to being laughing stocks because no matter who runs the team, undoing losing is harder than being draft lucky.
Players are more likely to earn a ring by laboring for a losing team and finally playing as a bench player for an anointed franchise than being groomed within a developed team without a superstar talent. The Jordan/Duncan/Shaq effect is the antithesis of competitive sport. It fixes the sport in ways that prevent others from assembling challenging teams to take on the status quo.
And let's stop pretending that records in the NBA mean anything when a dozen teams are playing to lose.
Once again I call upon deaf ears to modify the policies to broaden competition.
Do some combination of modifying draft rules so that every team participates in the lottery, not just those who race to the bottom.
Eliminate trade restrictions - allow cash transactions and asymmetric contract valuation trades.
Eliminate the top three winning teams from receiving luxury tax compensation. This will strengthen the other franchises.
Finally, fans would be better served by suing to eliminate the CBA. Here are the grounds for dismissing the policy.
The issue of collusion can certainly be applied to this year's Garnett trade between Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale. If the NBA cannot even the playing field for talent acquisition then it should be shut down.
Secondly, fans should sue to get certain uncompetitive CBA policies thrown out. The NBA is either a sport or entertainment. If it is no longer sport then the Sherman Act need not apply because fans are being duped into believing it is a sport.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Manufacturing Bowl Games
I went to college in Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska briefly for some graduate Art courses. I love the state, Doane college, and the University.
Today, a former college roommate and I reconnected for a holiday chat.
"Frank, I was thinking of you when I read this article in the JournalStar ("Painful bowl season for Husker fans");
Long after teams have died - their times expired into the retrospective absurdity of misguided priorities - they come back, like resurrected messiahs, healing the longing and loneliness and painful withdrawals caused by a dependency on the vicarious thrills of big media sports. We are hooked on the surreal belief that there is an eternal #1 sports franchise, that it matters, that the Ether-man provides what reality denies.
Today, a former college roommate and I reconnected for a holiday chat.
"Frank, I was thinking of you when I read this article in the JournalStar ("Painful bowl season for Husker fans");
Last week, Kevin Kugler and Mike’L Severe, hosts of the radio show “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” on 1620AM The Zone, put together a fake bowl game for their audience.The blending of the virtual world with the real world is uncanny. The Prozac high that a virtual Mom and Pop Bowl featuring battling pixels of wishful sports heaven fulfillment is an amazing new avenue for denial.
The game pitted Nebraska against Notre Dame, another proud program that fell on its face in 2007.
Fans were invited to DJ’s Dugout in Omaha to watch the game, simulated on a PlayStation 2.
Kugler was skeptical about how many people would show up to watch a video game. Severe kept telling him the event would be big. It was.
About 550 people showed up, most wearing red. Herbie Husker was there. Fans screamed for touchdowns and did “Ruuuuuuud” chants when Bo Ruud made a tackle. Some came from as far as Scottsbluff, one of them telling Kugler and Severe that Nebraska had better win or “I’m kicking your butts.”
A back room had to be opened up. More waitresses had to be called in for work.
“It was a unique thing,” Kugler says. “It could never happen again. You couldn’t do it next year if Nebraska didn’t make a bowl. You could never have the same sort of passion.”
Call it sad. Call it a desperate fan base. Call it a Husker victory.
Nebraska rallied from a 28-10 deficit. Larry Asante intercepted a pass and ran it back. A game-winning field goal followed for a 34-31 Nebraska win.
Long after teams have died - their times expired into the retrospective absurdity of misguided priorities - they come back, like resurrected messiahs, healing the longing and loneliness and painful withdrawals caused by a dependency on the vicarious thrills of big media sports. We are hooked on the surreal belief that there is an eternal #1 sports franchise, that it matters, that the Ether-man provides what reality denies.
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Ye Newe Glory-torium
Here, dear readers, is the final resting place of all weary Knicks fans. Yes, here is where one comes when the Triangle refuses to have three sides, when biting one's lip from losing to win later is one loss too far,or when said fan simply hits 'rock' bottom. In short, "the ship be" eternally "sinking" here. Welcome aboard, rearrange the deck chairs as you please.