The Official "Knicks to the Lottery" Thread - Page 5 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

MavKikiNYC · 05-23-2004, 09:17 AM

No draft picks. No head coach, no big-name scout at the draft workouts.

Sounds like Zeke runs a tight ship.

Quote:

NYKs' Draft Prospects Meager, Thanks to Thomas' Trades

May 23, 2004 -- Though the Knicks have no first-round pick, they began pre-draft workouts last week, with Seton Hall point guard Andre Barrett the headliner. Isiah Thomas has one second-round pick — 43rd overall. The explosive 5-10 Bronx product out of Rice (typo?) should be available when the Knicks pick, and Thomas has an affinity for small point guards. Barrett, who averaged 17.6 points, 5.9 assists and 4.0 rebounds, led Seton Hall to an at-large NCAA berth but the senior is considered a mid-to-late second rounder because he didn't do well at the Portsmouth pre-draft camp. "He knows how to run a team, but he's a streaky shooter and some coaches don't like small point guards," Jazz scout Walt Perrin said. 

The Jazz, in a trade with Phoenix, have the Knicks' first-round pick — at No. 16 — and could have a crack at Lincoln's Sebastian Telfair. How ironic would that be, as Stephon Marbury would then have been indirectly traded for his cousin.
Other notables who worked out at the Knicks' Westchester practice facility last week were Miami's Darius Rice, Xavier's Lionel Chalmers and Florida State's Tim Pickett.

One notable absentee from last week's three workout sessions was Knick coach Lenny Wilkens, whom Knick brass believe is hiding out at his Seattle home. Isiah was joined by his scouting staff, including assistant GM Jeff Nix, Willis Reed, Scott and Dick McGuire and assistant coaches Herb Williams and Mike Malone.

Isiah has worked out a total of 12 players that also included Andre Brown (DePaul), Desmon Farmer (USC), Bernard Robinson, Jr. (Michigan), Jamar Smith (Maryland), Jackson Vroman (Iowa State), Mike Williams (Western Michigan), Nate Williams (Georgia State) Terrence Woods (Florida A&M).

The media machine Isiah spent Thursday donning a navy blue Giorgio Armani suit and shooting a fashion spread for Men's Health. (Remind me to skip that magazine, as usual.)

Knicks will hold their summer basketball camps for kids ages 8 to 18 June 27 to July 1 at Island Garden in West Hempstead. Sessions also are at Pace (July 12-16) and Chelsea Pier's Basketball City (July 26-30, Aug. 9-13, Aug. 23-27). Marbury, Allan Houston, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, John Starks and Willis Reed will be guest speakers. Call 877-NYK-Dunk.

Kurt Thomas has decided to have pinkie surgery after his June 2 "Kurt Thomas Investment Challenge" stock-market tournament in which the winners will be announced at Merrill Lynch headquarters. The high-school students will win a paid internship to Merrill Lynch. The Knicks are still deciding on the doctor to perform the surgery that could keep him off the basketball court as much as three months.

Knick scout Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was not at the draft workouts but he'll be at America Restaurant in Manhattan tomorrow plugging his World War II book, "Brothers In Arms" at a Knicks' Read-to-Achieve program for high-school students.

MavKikiNYC · 08-01-2004, 08:57 AM

Fugazy Zeke. In NYC hoops, ain't nothin' goin' on but the rent.

CITY GAME'S LAME

By MIKE VACCARO
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August 1, 2004 -- DID you ever think you'd miss "fugazy" so much? That was only three months ago. For once, after all these years of false starts and fake promises, we'd gotten ourselves a Knicks-Nets series with a little heat attached to it, a little juice. The Nets looked like they were ready to sprint back to the NBA Finals. The Knicks were in the playoffs for the first time in three years.

In New York City, the once and forever capital of basketball, it was enough to make a guy dream a little bit of what could be possible across the next few years. Then Tim Thomas went up at the Meadowlands, and Jason Collins took out his legs, and Thomas missed the rest of the series, and then decided to engage in a little social commentary.

He called Kenyon Martin "fugazy." A fake tough guy, borrowed from the movie "Donnie Brasco." It was plenty good to fill up the back page for a couple days, not good enough to fire the Knicks up to avoid being swept, but, hey, there was always tomorrow we figured.

There would always be next year, right? These rivals were just getting started, weren't they? The Nets were still the Nets, full of young stars in their prime. Isiah Thomas was tinkering with the Knicks. He'd come up with something, wouldn't he?

That was only three months ago.

Now, if you happen to be a basketball fan in New York City, you wake up in the morning and you cringe before snapping open your newspaper. Every day, the Nets allow one of those stars to waltz away for a song. Every day, we see Isiah going after another name - Jamal Crawford! Erick Dampier! - that doesn't exactly inspire visions of DeBusschere-for-Bellamy.

And suddenly, it's clear that "fugazy" - or its memory, anyway - is all we're left with. That may be the high point of what we really thought was a burgeoning basketball renaissance in a city that would have known how to enjoy it better than any other.

Now, when the Nets move to Brooklyn, if they move to Brooklyn, they will arrive as a glorified expansion team, stripped for parts and foisted upon the Borough of Churches in serious need of last rites. Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles are already gone. Jason Kidd is sure to stomp his feet until he's sent on his way. And Richard Jefferson will undoubtedly play for food somewhere, anywhere, rather than re-sign with this basketball ghost town.

Brooklyn has waited 47 years for the return of major league sports. Now, more than ever, it's clear the wait will continue long after the Nets ever hand out change-of-address cards.

And the Knicks? Well, the Knicks have reclaimed their spot atop the New York basketball firmament, but it's been a hollow victory, sort of like the way the old Soviet premiers used to win by landslides in unopposed elections. The Knicks are, essentially, the same as we left them three months ago:

Stephon Marbury is the one legit All-Star.

Allan Houston's knee still howls at him.

Kurt Thomas is at home, dreaming up new ways to draw technical fouls.

And other than that, you have a blurry batch of pedestrian players lugging around a bunch of untradeable contracts. Which means Knicks fans, in a lot of ways, are entitled to be even more frustrated than Nets fans (all six of them).

Because as the summer has progressed, every few days, you hear of another blue-chip star that longs to play for New York. First, it was Vince Carter. Then Antoine Walker. You have to think that Shaq would have been intrigued at the prospect of bringing his act to New York, but his contract would have been a financial impossibility even if Isiah had decided to woo Shaq.

And none of this is even remotely do-able.

So we get those daily updates on Jamal Crawford (lifetime shooting percentage: .397) and Erick Dampier (whose career-best 2003-04 numbers of 12.3 points and 11.9 rebounds were either the sign of an epiphany or a contract push), and you know, you just know Isiah Thomas dreams daily about the kind of roster he could put together if he were playing under baseball's rules.

Knicks fans can dream that way too. Which gives them something, anyway. Around the city's basketball landscape, that makes them runaway winners. Nets fans don't dream, because they don't dare close their eyes for fear the baskets and the balls will be next on the fire-sale block. Even St. John's fans, who have reason to be hopeful long-term under Norm Roberts, understand there's going to be a lot of agony between now and then.

Yeah. We should have enjoyed "fugazy" while it lasted.

EricaLubarsky · 08-01-2004, 03:33 PM

MavKikiNYC · 08-11-2004, 07:26 AM

DIKEMBE REFUSES TO DISCUSS ISIAH

By MARC BERMAN
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August 11, 2004 -- Former Knicks center Dikembe Mutombo couldn't say enough nice things about owner James Dolan and Garden prez Steve Mills as they supported his attempts to build more hospitals in Africa.
But when the subject turned to Isiah Thomas, Mutombo stopped in his tracks.

"I have nothing to say about Isiah," Mutombo told The Post in a telephone interview yesterday. "I don't want to discuss him. What am I going to say? We haven't even had a conversation."

Last Thursday's finalized Jamal Crawford trade ended a cool relationship between Mutombo and Thomas, who began shopping the 7-2 shotblocker soon after taking over for Scott Layden Dec. 23.

Thomas was unable to move the Layden acquisition at the trading deadline but instead dealt for center Nazr Mohammed to supplant Mutombo as the Knicks' starting pivot. Thomas felt Mutombo was too old and slow to be a big part of his retooled Knicks.

"It's very sad. I'm very sad to leave the city of New York," Mutombo said. "I built a personal relationship with Steve Mills and James Dolan, not just on the basketball court but off it."

Mutombo, who returned from a family vacation to the south of France Tuesday, is unsure he wants to play for the rebuilding Bulls but won't retire. He planned to speak to his agent David Falk last night about their strategy. Falk likely will try to force a trade to the Rockets.

"I still feel I have three, four years left in me," said Mutombo, 38. "A lot of GMs want me on their team. It's not like Mutombo's done. My age has nothing to do with what I want to accomplish. I know what it takes to win and that's one of the things left is winning a championship."

*

Report out of Minnesota stated T'Wolves have shopped Long Island's Wally Szczerbiak to Knicks for Kurt Thomas. Problem is Knicks need big men . . . Nets plan to announce Ron Mercer signing today.
__________________________________________________ _______________________________________________

Nets ought to be looking at Wally World to draw Long Islanders.

MavKikiNYC · 08-19-2004, 06:58 AM

Quote:

ISIAH MAY WANT CARTER TO TEAM UP WITH BAKER

By ANDREW MARCHAND
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August 19, 2004 -- After officially announcing the Knicks' re-signing of Vin Baker, GM Isiah Thomas vowed yesterday that he would continue working to make the Knicks more athletic. "We'll always continue to try and upgrade our team," Thomas said. (Sounds like Scott Layden.)

With the Knicks' salary cap lacking flexibility, Thomas' job is difficult. The most appealing name out there is Vince Carter's. Asked specifically about the chances of Carter becoming a Knick, Thomas declined to rule it out. "We have a lot of players that are interested in playing for our team," Thomas said. "I am not in a position where I can discuss players on other teams. However, we are flattered and honored that they would want to play for our team." (Sounds like John Kerry.)

Could the Knicks, with their tight salary cap, even put together a package for a high-profile player?

"I've been known to be creative," Thomas said. "We definitely can put together creative deals here. Our owner gives us the flexibility to do that here. If we need to get creative in a package, we do have the means."
(Translations:
1) "I've been known to be creative." ----->"I've been known to overpay."
2) "We definitely can put together creative deals here." -----> "Other teams are always willing to take advantage of me."
3) "Our owner gives us the flexibility to do that here." -----> "Dolan hasn't figured out yet how badly I've run this team into the ground.")

Thomas reiterated that he would not trade Stephon Marbury in such a deal.

Thomas said the Knicks didn't have the salary-cap space to land Erick Dampier, who was traded from Golden State to Dallas.

"He is a player who is going to make 11 or 12 million bucks a year," Thomas said. "Dallas gave up an awful lot to get him. I think it is a win-win for Dallas and for Dampier." (Sounds like he's eating sh*t.)

Thomas said it said a lot about where the Knicks are headed that Dampier even considered coming to the Garden for less than $5 million. (Yeah, what it says is that the NYKs are still the whores that Free Agents screw when their other-team girlfriends won't put out.")

The Knicks did not announce terms of Baker's contract.

__________________________________________________ _______________________________________________

He's wrapped up a 33-year old with a history of recurrent substance abuse problems who's also coming off heart surgery, along with a cast-off from the bottom-feeding Bulls. And he thinks he won't be losing for three more years?

Plus, the NY press keeps talking about "The Package" that the Mavs had to SURRENDER to get Dampier. Not to underestimate Eddy or anything, but Nájera and L8 and a couple of future late 1st rounders are hardly an exorbitant talent "package".

Mavs get renewed, NYKs get screwed.

Quote:

Unable to Acquire Dampier, Knicks Settle for Baker
By STEVE POPPER

Published: August 19, 2004

Isiah Thomas tried, but neither trade possibilities nor the midlevel salary exception nor the allure of New York City could put Erick Dampier in a Knicks uniform. So with Dampier on the verge of finding a new place to play, heading from the Golden State Warriors to the Dallas Mavericks yesterday, Thomas, the Knicks' president, settled on his backup plan for a backup center, re-signing Vin Baker.

Although Dampier may not have been the top priority for Thomas in a summer when he has flirted with players like Kobe Bryant and traded for guard Jamal Crawford, the acquisition of the 6-foot-11 Dampier, an eight-year veteran, would have been significant for the Knicks. Even though they have the highest payroll in the N.B.A., the Knicks still have only one true center - Nazr Mohammed - and he, like Baker, may be better suited to play power forward.

With Shaquille O'Neal now in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks could use more heft up front. Dampier, a true center with muscle, would have helped.

"It's difficult to acquire a quality big man in this league,'' Thomas said in a conference call yesterday. "We'll continue to try and do that. At the same time, speed does negate size. If we can get a fast enough team and a quick enough team, we'll be able to play against the plodders. At the same time, we still would welcome and look for a big presence. But I'm very happy with Nazr and Vin, and I'll emphasize again we made the playoffs with both those guys.''

But Baker had little to do with it, making little impact after joining the Knicks on March 12 and averaging 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 17 games. He was hardly the player he was in the past, when he was an All-Star and an Olympian.

Baker, who will turn 33 on Nov. 23, had a minor surgical procedure in the off-season to correct an irregular heartbeat. But with Dikembe Mutombo having departed to Chicago in the Crawford deal, Baker, who signed a two-year deal worth about $3.2 million a year, will be counted on to play behind Mohammed. That is unless Thomas can find a way to pull off a deal for a big man, a notion he did not dismiss.

"We'll always continue to try and upgrade our team,'' Thomas said. "The difficult process that we're trying to do is restructure our team and not necessarily lose for three years while trying to do it. We're trying to get younger and more athletic. We got to continue to keep getting better. I'll keep working hard this summer to try and make us better and see if there are other pieces that we can add to make our team better.''

Still, Thomas came up short in his efforts to acquire Dampier, unwilling to give up the sort of package that Dallas appears ready to surrender. The Knicks are convinced that the deal with Dallas is done; otherwise, they would have held off on signing Baker, hoping instead to use the midlevel exception for Dampier.

MavKikiNYC · 10-08-2004, 06:43 AM

KNICKS SLIDE CONTINUES

KNICKS TAB MARBURY AS CO-CAPTAIN

By MARC BERMAN
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October 8, 2004 -- CHARLESTON — Call him Captain Steph now.
Lenny Wilkens has bestowed the Knicks' captaincy on Stephon Marbury after the Coney Island Kid walked into his office Monday before the team flew to South Carolina and told the coach he was ready for the role, The Post has learned.

Allan Houston will remain co-captain.

Marbury, whose leadership had been questioned in some circles, (Editorial note:" ...and continues to be, ..." will be the Knicks' more visible captain. Houston had been the sole captain since 2000. The decision was a no-brainer, since Houston hasn't played a game since March and often is apart from the team during his knee rehab.

Marbury returned from the Olympic disappointment with a newfound maturity and perspective and he grabbed the bull by the horns Monday.

"I went into the coach's office and told him I felt I was ready to be captain, ready to lead the team," Marbury told The Post. "I wanted to have the honor being the captain and that was bringing it every day in practice and every day in the games. Coach basically said, "All right, if you feel you're ready for that, I'll honor you with that.' "

Wilkens confirmed the meeting but said he was considering naming Marbury captain before the Nov. 3 season opener anyway.

"It wasn't like I didn't expect it," Wilkens told The Post. "It was something I had in mind and thought about this summer. That he's at a point in his career where he's maturing. He needs to step up and be a part of running this show. I felt it's be great to have him as captain. He's going to be more vocal [than Allan]. We already know that."

Marbury believed he needed the title to feel more comfortable in leading the troops. Knicks president Isiah Thomas felt Marbury wasn't able to instill his full "personality" on the group last season since he joined in midseason. Marbury follows in the footsteps of Willis Reed, Earl Monroe and Patrick Ewing.

"To be the captain on this team, and growing up in New York and all the things I've experienced, to be captain, it's kind of everything is conforming into my dreams and that's winning a championship here," Marbury said. "And these are basically all the steps that have been taken to reach that goal."

With the Nets, Marbury was criticized for rubbing some mates the wrong way, with oncourt tongue-lashings. Marbury is not afraid to get into somebody's face but he feels it's better perceived when the club wins.

"When you win, people look at you totally different," Marbury said. "When you lose, people don't value you in the same way. If we're winning and I'm screaming telling somebody what to do, then, 'oh, he's great leader.' If you're losing, it doesn't look as good."

NYCdog · 10-08-2004, 12:10 PM

I know this is bound to generate a negative answer here but..........

The Knicks will be the 3 seed in the East this year.

MavKikiNYC · 10-08-2004, 12:22 PM

If by "East" you meant "Atlantic" I think your exuberant optimism isn't that far off base.

NYCdog · 10-08-2004, 05:50 PM

Quote:

If by "East" you meant "Atlantic" I think your exuberant optimism isn't that far off base.

No I meant East.

And my optimisim still isnt that far off base.

Why?

All they need to do is win their division, which is really weak to begin with. The division winners under the new alignment will get the top 3 seeds, which I'm sure you already knew.

MavKikiNYC · 10-10-2004, 11:42 AM

Former Mavs-malcontent/current Isiah-lackey Mark Aguirre is high on one of Scott Layden's draft pics. Imagine!......Layden snagged a good one!

SWEETNEY'S PUSHING KURT

By MARC BERMAN
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October 10, 2004 --
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Knicks assistant coach Mark Aguirre, who's made Michael Sweetney his pet project, proclaimed the rugged power forward is an All-Star in the making.

After five days of training camp here, Sweetney appears to have the edge over veteran Kurt Thomas for the starting power forward job, but that ferocious battle will be decided during the eight-game preseason schedule.

"Sweetney's going to be one of the best power forwards in our conference," Aguirre told The Post. "There's no doubt in my mind. There's no stopping Sweetney. You can't stop Sweetney form turning into what he's ready to turn into."

When camp opened Tuesday, Thomas was supremely confident he would repel Sweetney's bid. But after Sweetney's dogged rebounding in scrimmages and Thomas' wayward jump shot, Thomas admitted he's in for a dogfight.

Two days ago, Sweetney made one spin move off the post for a reverse layup that Thomas couldn't even do when he was the NCAA scoring champion at TCU.

"I don't feel I had that great a camp," Thomas said. "Sweetney's playing great. We'll see. [The camp] was not up to my standards. I'm in great shape but not as far as shooting the ball."

Thomas' deft mid-range jumper is his biggest edge over Sweetney. But if he's erratic during the exhibition season, Sweetney will crack the starting lineup in his second year, completing a stunning turnaround.

Sweetney was selected ninth in the 2003 NBA Draft by former GM Scott Layden, but incomprehensibly, the old regime had him on and off the injured list.

When Isiah Thomas came aboard, one of his first moves was to activate Sweetney. The Knicks president was stunned a lottery pick on a substandard club hadn't been activated.

Aguirre and George Glymph were brought in by Isiah Thomas as developmental coaches last January and their chief assignment was Sweetney, who became a vital role player over the final 21/2 months.

"I'd like to see how he pushes Kurt," Aguirre said. "In our situation, we need them both. Eventually Sweetney is going to be that power forward. No question. But I'd like to see him get more established. He can take the position if that's what happens. But Kurt is very valuable to us."

Aguirre worked with Sweetney all summer and the former Georgetown star shined at the Long Beach summer league, scoring 20.3 points on 57-percent shooting, hauling in 10.8 rebounds. Banging with Sweetney this summer, Aguirre developed a herniated disk, and actually was bed-ridden here until yesterday.

"What Mark and George did with Sweetney, you should bottle it," Isiah Thomas said.

Male30Dan · 10-12-2004, 01:19 AM

Not that I want to get into this AGAIN, but the Knicks have a very good chance to get a high seed in the playoffs and advance as a result...

MavKikiNYC · 10-12-2004, 07:33 AM

IF you're correct, they will expose (yet another) grave flaw in the seeding process for the playoffs.

The competitive level of the Atlantic conference looks absolutely skankola.

Male30Dan · 10-12-2004, 08:36 AM

I must agree Kiki...

It is definitely flawed in that regard regardless if NY wins the division, because WHOEVER wins that division will have a MUCH worse record than the 4th seed team...

MavKikiNYC · 10-27-2004, 11:55 PM

They'd still need a GM.

JAX WILL LISTEN IF KNICKS CALL

By MARC BERMAN
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October 27, 2004 -- Phil Jackson, back on Broadway yesterday to sign copies of his new book, said he would listen if the Knicks offered him their head coaching job next summer.
"I'd have to think about it," Jackson told The Post during his book-signing appearance on Wall Street. "But I don't want to preclude the fact that Lenny Wilkens is the coach and they have a team and they're going forward."

Indeed, Jackson, tied with Red Auerbach with nine NBA coaching titles, does not want to be accused of lobbying for the Knicks job, as he was in 1999.

Several patrons yesterday told Jackson they'd love to see him back as a Knick.

"I tell them I appreciate their sentiments," Jackson said.

Last week, Jackson made an appearance on FSN's "Best Damn Sports Show, Period" and said if he felt the Knicks had enough talent to win, he'd be intrigued.

"Well, if they had a really talented team, I haven't looked at their personnel this year," Jackson said. "But if the Knicks were competitive, I would have to look at them. You have to look at a team like that. You say, hey, they've got a chance to win. It's a team you've played for. It's a team you've had a lot of blood that flows toward that direction."

Isiah Thomas has built the franchise around point guard Stephon Marbury. As for Jackson's opinion on Marbury, Jackson said the Athens Olympics demonstrated he still has work to do.

"He has to grow and still has to improve," Jackson said. "That's something kids have to understand in this game — that they have to get better. His experience in the Olympics taught him where he can improve a lot in his game."

Jackson, who played 11 seasons with the Knicks, was on the roster for their only two championships (1969, 1973). Few realize Jackson has appeared in more games as a Knick (732) than all but four players. And Jackson always mentions Red Holzman as his coaching mentor.

One close friend of Jackson's believes he won't coach the Knicks next season because his ego would clash with Isiah's. However, it's known Thomas respects Jackson immensely as a coach for making players better. Isiah values that attribute more than X's and O's.

"Isiah's got great political acumen and can be a great force as an executive," Jackson said.

Wilkens is in no imminent danger, and Thomas has already taken the heat off early by saying the Knicks will be "lucky" to be .500 after 20 games. However, if the Knicks don't make the playoffs, it's highly unlikely Wilkens will be brought back.

Jackson says he is yet to miss coaching, but admits the true test will be after a full season away.

Drbio · 10-28-2004, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: NYCdog

Quote:

If by "East" you meant "Atlantic" I think your exuberant optimism isn't that far off base.

No I meant East.

And my optimisim still isnt that far off base.

Why?

All they need to do is win their division, which is really weak to begin with. The division winners under the new alignment will get the top 3 seeds, which I'm sure you already knew.

As recently as last week, you "KNEW" the Yankees were going to be the 2004 champs as I recall. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

MavKikiNYC · 10-31-2004, 08:31 AM

Sounds like an unpleasant situation for Shandon Anderson---Isiah is such a punk-bitch.

Thought: I wonder if that's what it's like for TAW.

Houston Nearer to Return; Anderson Isn't
By STEVE POPPER

Published: October 31, 2004

GREENBURGH, N.Y., Oct. 30 - Allan Houston stood on the edge of the court at the Knicks' practice gym Saturday, pleased after another step toward his return. On the court, Shandon Anderson was the last player remaining, shooting jumper after jumper, trying to immerse himself in the action he can get at no other time.

The two were connected, at least for the moment, by the injured list. Houston conceded that he would be content to start the season there, and that may save Anderson yet another battle with Knicks management because he says he wants no part of it.

"I'm not injured, so there's no need for me to go on the injured list," said Anderson, who played fewer preseason minutes than any player still on the roster. "That's a decision that has to be made on their end.

"If I go on the injured list, I'm basically stuck there for the year. That's not a situation I'm trying to put myself in."

With three years and nearly $24 million remaining on his contract, Anderson is not a part of the plan, but he is also tied to the Knicks as they weigh options, including a buyout.

He said that no numbers had been discussed and that he had heard nothing from the team president, Isiah Thomas, or Coach Lenny Wilkens.

"There's no communication whatsoever," he said. "I'm not going to sit up here and lie to you all and make it seem like it's daisies and flowers all in the valley or something like that. It's not that. I'm just in a situation, let's be realistic, where I'm pretty much an outcast."

Anderson added: "I stay happy regardless of the situation, but when I come in, it's that vibe you feel. People walk by you and don't speak. I don't want to do that seven months out of the year, man."

A healthy Houston would push Anderson farther down the roster, although it would be difficult for him to be any lower. Houston moved closer to a return, joining the team for shooting drills on Saturday.

"I feel good," Houston said. "I just try to build every few days. I didn't expect to do that, I was just trying out. It felt good, so I went in and stayed with it.

"I'm smart enough to know when not to try to do too much. That's why I left. In the past, I would've kept going until my leg fell off."

He has not done any contact drills, and Houston said he still needed at least a few days of scrimmages, but he insisted that he was close.

"I'd want to have at least a few days to see if it feels as good as I think it's going to feel," he said.

NYCdog · 11-07-2004, 01:46 AM

Wow, Im shocked no one here has resumed this thread, in light of tonight's home opener debacle versus lowly Boston.

*puts bag back on head and hides*

EDIT: As you can tell by my new sig, I have temporarily changed my allegiance.....cause losing like this sucks a*s. I just cant freakin take it anymore. A man can only get drunk after horrible games for so many amount of times....

MavKikiNYC · 11-09-2004, 01:35 PM

Punkbitch Zeke is squirming a bit to save his own loser hide. Watch your back, Lenny.

With Little Noise, Knicks Send Loud Message in Dropping Wilkens's Top Aide
By HOWARD BECK

Published: November 9, 2004

GREENBURGH, N.Y., Nov. 8 - Without a victory after two games, and humiliated in their home opener, the Knicks dumped the top assistant on Coach Lenny Wilkens's staff on Monday and replaced him with one of Isiah Thomas's closest confidants.

Dick Helm, Wilkens's longtime friend and unofficial assistant head coach, stepped down at the team's request. He has been replaced by Brendan Suhr, who is also the Knicks' director of player personnel and a close friend of Thomas, the team president.

The team disclosed the moves quietly Monday morning but did not issue an official announcement. Players were unaware of the change until they walked into practice and saw Suhr in the gym. Wilkens informed them that Helm had resigned.

Team officials characterized Helm's departure as voluntary, but they offered no specific explanation.

"He has some personal things, some things he wants to do right now," Wilkens said. "He just doesn't feel that he can focus on it."

Asked if Helm's departure was related to the Knicks' 0-2 record, Wilkens interrupted, saying: "Not at all. It had nothing to do with it."

Asked if it was Thomas's decision, Wilkens said: "Nothing to do with it. I can't tell you more than that."

The decision to let Helm, 71, go had been considered for some time, according to a person familiar with those discussions. As Wilkens's top aide, Helm sat closest to Wilkens on the bench and advised him on game-management issues, from foul situations to substitution patterns.

Thomas was dissatisfied with those areas even before the team lost its first two games, including a 34-point rout by Boston in the home opener.

Team officials recently asked Wilkens to move Helm behind the bench, but Wilkens refused.

A coaching veteran with 40 years of experience, Helm had been a member of Wilkens's staff with Seattle, Cleveland, Atlanta and Toronto.

Sunday's practice was Helm's last. Wilkens said Helm would occasionally work with the team as a consultant, but the details of that arrangement have yet to be worked out.

Reached by telephone Monday afternoon, Helm declined to comment, saying questions should be directed to Thomas.

"I will let Lenny and Isiah be the spokesmen for me," Helm said.

A team spokesman said Thomas would not be available.

It is expected that Suhr will assume responsibility for game management and become the lead assistant. Wilkens said a specific role had not been discussed.

"Hopefully, Brendan will fill that for me," Wilkens said. "But Dick and I have been together for a long time."

An assistant on the Detroit Pistons' championship teams in 1989 and 1990, Suhr is by far the most seasoned member of Wilkens's staff. Each of the others, Herb Williams, Mark Aguirre and Michael Malone, has less than three years of experience on an N.B.A. staff.

Helm's departure also leaves Wilkens with a staff constructed by others. Suhr and Aguirre, a former Piston, were brought in by Thomas, as was George Glymph, a part-time assistant. Williams and Malone are holdovers from previous Knicks staffs - Williams was hired by Don Chaney, Malone by Jeff Van Gundy.

"I've known Brendan a long time," Wilkens said. "He's like Dick. He's knowledgeable, he's been in this game, he understands talent, he teaches, he does all the same things."

Suhr had been based in Orlando, Fla., and had not been around the team since early October, when he attended training camp in Charleston, S.C.

When he showed up Monday morning, and Helm did not, it caught players by surprise. Players were not offered an explanation.

"He was like his right-hand assistant coach," said Jerome Williams, who also played under Wilkens and Helm in Toronto.

"He always did a good job coming to work every day, really kept the players upbeat. I'm sorry to see him go, definitely."

Two players who were asked to speculate about the change declined. They offered shrugs and stares and, in one case, a knowing smile and a raised eyebrow. The move looked like a warning shot, and was treated as such.

The Knicks are already on precarious ground. They have two more home games this week - against Philadelphia Tuesday night and against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday - before they embark on a four-game trip beginning Saturday that features games at Indiana, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston.

It would be awkward, to say the least, for a team with a $100 million payroll to come home with an 0-8 record. But no one is thinking that way just yet.

"It's a marathon, I'm not worried about it," said Jamal Crawford, who added that the Knicks had two "really competitive" days of practice after Saturday's debacle. "The good thing about it is, there's always another game."

EricaLubarsky · 11-09-2004, 01:39 PM

Opening-week reviews: UGLY STARTS
By Steve Kerr

New York Knicks. The Knicks were blown out at home on opening night by the Celtics and booed out of the building. The team hasn't defended or rebounded well through two games – both losses – and with a four-game road trip through Indiana, Houston, San Antonio and Dallas coming, it appears that Lenny Wilkens' squad is in for a rough start.

Hitman · 11-09-2004, 06:36 PM

This thread has conistently been on the #1 page of the "Around the NBA" section for almost a year.

I think that is a testament to.....

me

and Kiki, the only NYer who hates the Knicks more than I.

EricaLubarsky · 11-09-2004, 08:20 PM

Quote:

I think that is a testament to.....me

I wouldnt be so vain. I think Thomas' "vision for the future" has something to do with the success of this thread. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

MavKikiNYC · 11-11-2004, 11:38 AM

Man, Knicksville sounds like a nightmare organization to work in, and the responsibility is all Zeke's.

You watchin', Dolan?

If all you want is perpetual churning chaos, Zeke's your boy.

If you want to ever begin to build any sort of stability in the organization, you're going to have to think about getting someone who knows what he's doing.

BEDLAM ON KNICK BENCH

By MARC BERMAN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 11, 2004 -- Minutes before tip-off Tuesday night, Knick assistant coach Mark Aguirre went for his customary seat on the bench only to find new hire Brendan Suhr already seated there. After an icy staredown, according to accounts, Suhr kept the seat and Aguirre moved to the row behind the bench.
It was another example of the chaotic state of the Knicks bench in the wake of Isiah Thomas' whacking Monday of Lenny Wilkens' most trusted aide, Dick Helm.

None of the assistants on Wilkens' staff was selected by the Knicks coach — an odd hodgepodge. During Wednesday's victory, assistant Michael Malone sat in Helm's seat next to Wilkens to start the game. Suhr, whose job title went from director of player personnel to assistant coach Monday, also sat next to Wilkens.

"I had Mike Malone sitting next to me because I wanted to pick up on what the other team was running, so I know right now," Wilkens said. "I had Brendan sitting there because I want him to remind me who's in foul trouble, who's not, how many minutes this guy's played."

Wilkens, to whom Thomas forgot to give a vote of confidence in Tuesday's press conference, has no clear-cut top assistant and his substitution patterns came into question in the first two losses. Wilkens seemed uncomfortable discussing the issue yesterday.

"I'll handle all that," Wilkens said. "So don't worry about it. To me, that's not important. What's important is everyone contributing and doing what they're supposed to do."

Fair enough, but remember former Knicks coach Don Chaney, on his way out, griped about the factions among the assistants, his guys vs. Isiah's guys (Aguirre, George Glymph).

Wilkens said it's his decision who sits where. The weird bench dynamics didn't distract Wilkens from coaching a solid game, paring his rotation from 11 to essentially eight men (9 counting three minutes from Jerome Williams). Wilkens benched point guard Moochie Norris and center Vin Baker.

"It's a long season," Wilkens said. "Everybody wants to make a judgment right away. We needed to win a game. And we had a good rhythm going with that rotation and I stayed with it."

Wilkens rode Stephon Marbury for 44 minutes and had Jamal Crawford play the point when Marbury was out. That's the goal when Allan Houston gets back in a few weeks, Marbury and Crawford the sole PGs. "I don't want him to have to play that many minutes," Wilkens said. "But we wanted the game."

MavKikiNYC · 11-11-2004, 06:48 PM

I think this was a much better move for Anderson than for the NYKs. Would like to see him end up with the Heat so he can kick the NYK ass in the same conference.

It's amazing that Thomas is so focused on jettisoning Layden acquisitions,.....

Finally, the Knicks Waive Anderson
By HOWARD BECK

Published: November 11, 2004

Shandon Anderson got his freedom yesterday, and the Knicks got some roster flexibility. All it cost the team was about $40 million, give or take a few million.

Under a buyout agreement reached late yesterday afternoon, Anderson will receive between $17 million to $20 million - a marginal pay cut from the $24 million he was owed for the three years left on his contract. Because the Knicks are also paying a dollar-for-dollar luxury tax, the amount spent to make Anderson go away essentially doubled.

That the Knicks were willing to swallow such a large sum speaks to how desperate they were to dump Anderson, a 30-year-old swingman who fell out of favor last season with Isiah Thomas, the team president, and then forever alienated the organization by failing to show for a postseason exit interview.

"It just wasn't the best fit, and we decided it was time to separate," Anderson's agent, Dan Fegan, said.

Thomas spent months trying to trade Anderson, but teams were unwilling to take on his hefty contract. Only a month ago, Thomas said that an expensive buyout was "not an option,'' but the organization changed philosophy when it became clear it was the only option.

A few weeks ago, the Knicks offered to buy out Anderson for a fraction of what he was owed. Anderson balked, saying he would rather be stuck with a team that did not want him than surrender so much money. Talks resumed about a week ago, according to a person close to the negotiation.

Thomas was not available for comment yesterday.

Anderson was immediately placed on waivers and will become a free agent if no team claims him in 48 hours. The amount of the buyout will decrease if another team claims him, but given the size of his contract, that is unlikely.

Anderson should be free and clear late tomorrow afternoon. Among the teams expected to pursue him are the Houston Rockets, the Miami Heat, the Denver Nuggets, the Golden State Warriors and the Chicago Bulls. The veteran's minimum for a player of Anderson's experience would be about $1 million.

In Houston, Anderson would be reunited with Jeff Van Gundy, the former Knicks coach. The Rockets need a steady veteran to back up the All-Star swingman Tracy McGrady, who has a history of back problems and who missed part of practice yesterday with hip and groin injuries.

Releasing Anderson leaves the Knicks' active roster at 11 players and gives them some needed flexibility. They could sign another player, possibly Eddie Robinson, who was recently bought out of his contract by the Chicago Bulls. Robinson is holding a workout today in Chicago, and the Knicks are among the teams who will be watching.

Alternatively, the Knicks could choose to activate one of their injured players when they become eligible this weekend. Given their need for size, the Knicks might consider activating Bruno Sundov, a 7-foot 2 center.

They could also leave the spot open until Allan Houston is ready to rejoin the team. Had Anderson still been on the roster, it would have forced the Knicks to deactivate a player they valued when Houston returned.

Long term, waiving Anderson actually saved the Knicks between $8 million and $14 million - the millions they will not be paying him, plus the luxury tax on that sum.

Anderson's release nearly completes the 11-month purge of players tied to Scott Layden, the former Knicks general manager. Of the players acquired by Layden from 2001 to 2003, only the young power forward Mike Sweetney, a first-round pick, remains.......
___________________

......and they're still losing.

MavKikiNYC · 11-12-2004, 08:47 AM

NYKs sound about as organized as a junior high team. Note the Artest reference in the closing blurb......gotta wonder if his record company/promoter is NY-based

AGUIRRE NOT AWAITING HEAD-COACHING CALL

By MARC BERMAN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November 12, 2004 -- It has been speculated that Knicks assistant coach Mark Aguirre could be Lenny Wilkens' successor as head coach because of his childhood friendship with Isiah Thomas. But Aguirre said while he expects to be a head coach one day, he thinks it's unlikely it will be in New York.

"I teach," Aguirre said. "I'm going to get my opportunity somewhere. New York would be a hard place to get it. To be head coach of the New York Knicks, I don't expect it."

None of Wilkens' assistants has head-coaching experience, discounting the one game Herb Williams piloted last season after Don Chaney was fired. Brendan Suhr and Mike Malone could be viable interim candidates if the Knicks falter and Thomas makes a change.

If the Knicks lose at home to the surprising 3-2 Clippers tonight, they could return from their vicious four-game road trip that starts tomorrow in Indiana and traverses through the Texas Triangle at 1-7.

Aguirre said no hard feelings existed between him and Suhr regarding Tuesday's tense seating snafu. Aguirre, Suhr and Wilkens chatted together at midcourt for several minutes after yesterday's practice.

The incident occurred when Aguirre went to sit on the bench next to Wilkens, but Suhr had occupied the seat. The two assistants exchanged words and some angry stares before Aguirre took a seat behind the bench, where he normally resides.

"It was just a simple two-second miscommunication," Aguirre said. "I looked at it as, geez, that's fine. Brendan has been here 100 years. If he says that, that's what it is. I didn't know. Brendan had just gotten here. He didn't know a lot of the different terminologies and offenses. I thought Coach would need that."

Aguirre admits he and Thomas, best friends growing up on Chicago's impoverished West Side, speak often, but says the Knicks president could just as easily fire him.

"We have to talk as friends," Aguirre said. "I'm also employed by him too. You do what he's got to do if you grew up like we grew up."
_______________
If troubled Ron Artest is put on the block, expect Thomas to be in first in line to go after him. Thomas and former Pacers assistants Aguirre and George Glymph love Artest . . . Allan Houston said he's not just rehabbing his left knee but building strength in his whole "left side" that got out of whack from overcompensation for the ailing knee last season. He said he's "very close" to participating in practices but did not say when he would scrimmage.

GP · 11-12-2004, 02:09 PM

I think Knicks fans and the New York Media are getting just what they deserve right now. They ran Layden out of town when he had a plan that included a solid foundation of youth and athleticism. They had just drafted some promising young players when he got the axe. Now what do they have? A complete mess is what. I am not saying that Layden shouldn't have been fired; however, sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don't. They need to fire Thomas and blow the whole damned thing up right now. I can't believe that ownership allowed this nutcase to trade away all the young players for this load of crap. Even if Houston were healthy, how would Marbury, Crawford and Houston mesh. They basically have no center, two or three average powerforwards and no true point and no small forward. Oh, and they are in Salary Cap Hell. The only way possible for them to field a decent team in the next couple of years would be to develop young inexpensive players, but they traded those. This could get very ugly very quickly. They are a Marbury injury away from being the worst team in the league. He seems to be this teams only saving grace and even he has his warts.

MavKikiNYC · 11-12-2004, 11:44 PM

Saw the NYKs tonight against the Clips in a game that the NYKs dominated from start to finish. The NYKs didn't impress me as spectacularly good so much as the Clips looked completely listless and inept---really surprising since they seem to have some talent on the team in Brand and Magette.

Will be interesting to see in a couple of months against the Mavs if the NYKs are as good at pressuring the ball and playing the passing lanes as they appeared to be tonight. LACs couldn't make an entry pass at times. Was really surprised at how ineffective Jaric was. Wilcox was something of a disappointment as well. He started, but other than a few nice dunks off feeds from Brand didn't show anything other than a knack for making bad passes; not much of a rebounder or shot-blocker tonight against the shorter, earth-bound NYKs. Didn't get much from Shaun Livingston either--if he was the Mavs choice over Harris, then they appear to have lucked out. Livngston plays a little more under control, but doesn't have anything like Harris's frenetic warp speed.

I'll also be interested to see Harris defensively against Marbury, after Harris has a couple of months of seasoning. Always had the feeling that Marbury could take Nash anytime, anyplace, anyway he wanted, and Marbury had close to a triple double tonight. But Harris and Terry should b able to apply better defensive pressure, and the Mavs have the ability to have at least one shot blocker on the floor at all times. Marbury was good tonight, but the Clippers didn't really seem to have much of a scheme to for defending him.

A couple of other players who showed something:

Mike Sweetney looks like he could turn into an Unseld-type player

Trevor Ariza who looks like a cross between Michael Cooper and Tyrone Corbin---bigger body than Cooper, but better flexibility than Corbin. Ariza still doesn't have any kind of outside shot, so it seems kind of odd to hear Lenny Wilkens talk about wanting to start him, but he is a wiry scrapper on the boards kind of like JHo, and can provide some high-flying finishes in the transition game.

Nazr Muhammad's days in a NYKs uni are numbered.

NYCdog · 11-13-2004, 03:25 PM

Quote:

This thread has conistently been on the #1 page of the "Around the NBA" section for almost a year.

I think that is a testament to.....

me

and Kiki, the only NYer who hates the Knicks more than I.

Ahem.......how about me, the Knick fan that never lost hope like true fans do, even in bad times.....

(although I would like to note I am slowly beginning to agree with Kiki's assessment of Zeke's handling of the situation and lose hope....)

Hitman · 11-13-2004, 05:38 PM

Isiah Thomas will leave the Knicks in much the same way he left the CBA, the Pacers and the Raptors....

In MUCH worse shape than when he got there.

And, like the rest of them...the Knicks will be better off when he is gone.

EricaLubarsky · 11-13-2004, 08:29 PM

The Knicks have the possibility of being a really competitive team in 2010

MavKikiNYC · 11-18-2004, 12:08 AM

Gotta love Tim Thomas's loser attitude.

Let's see.....Isiah traded KVH for Tim Thomas, who is running Lenny Wilkens's team into the ground. But it will be Wilkens who goes when the wheels fall off.

Paging Mr. Dolan.....

Van Gundy's Rockets Look Too Much Like the Knicks
By HOWARD BECK

Published: November 18, 2004

HOUSTON, Nov. 17 - In one wing of the Toyota Center, the Knicks were reviewing their mistakes and trying to soothe their nerves. A short walk up a ramp and an elevator ride away, Jeff Van Gundy sat on a desk in the press room and verbally agonized over his team's shortcomings.

In another time and place, the two scenes would have been part of the same broader picture. It was only by virtue of the schedule that on this rain-soaked Wednesday in downtown Houston, the Knicks and Van Gundy shared their pain in the same building for a few hours.

The Knicks, dragging along at 2-4, play Van Gundy's underachieving Houston Rockets (4-5) Thursday night.

Van Gundy is nearly three years removed from his time with the Knicks, but escaping the pressure of New York has not given him much relief. He is as emotionally wrought, and emotionally honest, as ever, whether the subject is his new team or his old one.

Van Gundy was dismayed at the dismissal of the longtime Knicks announcer Marv Albert, whom he counts as a friend. But he was even more troubled by the Knicks' decision to fire Dick Helm - Lenny Wilkens's top assistant - after the team lost its first two games.

"Dick Helm is one of the most wonderful guys you'd ever want to know, a very good basketball coach,'' Van Gundy said. "It's unfortunate that it was him to take the burden of one bad game.''

Van Gundy added: "When you're the head coach and you're in charge of it, that's one thing. If we lose tomorrow, should our video coordinator be gone? Was it the tape that was wrong? Come on. I felt bad for Coach Helm.''

When the Knicks replaced Helm with Brendan Suhr, a close associate of the team president, Isiah Thomas, it left Wilkens with a staff chosen entirely by others, including one assistant, Mike Malone, who was originally hired by Van Gundy.

"As a coach, you should have total control of who's on your staff, if you're going to be judged on the result,'' Van Gundy said.

As he wound down, Van Gundy said he was not necessarily referring to the Knicks. "That happens a number of places,'' he said. "Lenny Wilkens has gotten good results since he's been there, with an ever-changing hand that's being dealt to him. I think he's done a fantastic job.''

Later, Van Gundy sounded as if he were still coaching and critiquing the Knicks, mentioning a number of themes that his old team was also dealing with.

He said teams usually do not lose because of less talent, but because of inferior effort and intensity. He said the teams that win the most are the ones that do not beat themselves.

"But most teams play a huge part in their own demise,'' Van Gundy said.

An hour later, in another part of the Toyota Center, the Knicks echoed that sentiment.

On Tuesday, they let a close game become a 99-81 rout to the Spurs in San Antonio. Afterward, Stephon Marbury criticized his team for breaking out of offensive sets.

Wilkens replayed the film for his team on Wednesday and gave the same speech.

"We've got new people, but they've got to learn and understand that you just don't be impulsive, you don't break it off, you don't try and do it by yourself,'' Wilkens said. "You're not going to win if you do.''

Although Wilkens preached that the Knicks must player smarter and Marbury reiterated his feelings Wednesday, the issue was treated almost disdainfully in other corners of the room.

Tim Thomas, who forced several shots and committed five turnovers on Tuesday, sounded as if he were the main target of the criticism. He at once accepted it and dismissed it.

"Hey, if y'all want to put it on my shoulders, I've got broad shoulders,'' Thomas said, pulling back his shirt sleeve to support his point. "If we're losing and it's because of me, then I've got to do something right.''

But Thomas, who shot 5 of 15 against the Spurs, rejected the suggestion, floated by Wilkens, that he was pressing in order to snap a slump.

"I just need to be more aggressive,'' he said. "And if forcing it or pressing it or whatever you want to call it is the issue, then so be it. I just know with myself that I have to be more aggressive.''

Jamal Crawford admitted that the Knicks need to play with more discipline, but he was wary of the second-guessing about the team's struggles.

"It's amazing, because if we win and everything is not going as smoothly, it's kind of hidden in the win,'' Crawford said. "But you lose a couple games and everybody starts nit-picking. We've just got to play. Stop pointing fingers at everybody and just play.

"There are teams like Sacramento, who are really good teams, who have the same record or less. It takes time to jell; we'll do it.''

NYCdog · 11-18-2004, 12:50 PM

I Know Kiki and some other here will get a kick out of this piece by Charley Rosen.

ANALYSIS: Zeke's always been a sneak

Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com

There's no doubt that Isiah Thomas was a truly elite player. Just look at his bona fides: A 12-time All-Star in his 13-year career. Named to the All-NBA Team in 1984, 1985 and 1986. Led the Pistons to a pair of NBA championships (1989, 1990). In 1996, was officially named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. And in 2000, Thomas entered the Hall of Fame.

Too bad he was, and still is, such a jerk.

Despite his incredible skills, Thomas was universally despised by opposing players. The cheap-shot antics of Bill Laimbeer garnered the headlines, but Thomas was the baddest of the Bad Boys. The little man was forever buzzing around the big men's knees, making contact after a whistle had sounded, and blindsiding opponents.

But Thomas' favorite, and most despicable, nasty trick came into play when he found himself playing defense in the paint. As an opposing guard planted a foot and began to rise toward the basket, Thomas would stretch a hand to the ball to distract the referees —then he'd simply step on the guard's floor-bound foot. Just for a moment. Just to disrupt the opponent's balance and rhythm. The guard would appear to stumble and, more often than not, the resulting shot would go astray.

A clever, fool-proof maneuver that also endangered the careers of numerous opponents.

It was stunts like this that moved Michael Jordan to issue an ultimatum as the make-up of the 1992 Dream Team was being discussed. MJ would stay home if Thomas was invited to participate.

With his angelic smile and soft-spoken testimonies whenever he's approached by the media, Thomas has cultivated an all-around-nice-guy persona. In truth, however, he's always been involved in shady enterprises. MJ's gambling addiction was always well-publicized — so much so that Thomas' close associations with notorious gamblers got lost in the bright lights that were focused on Jordan.

From 1994-1997, Thomas was vice-president and part-owner of the expansionist Toronto Raptors. Because Thomas is a control-freak, he constantly insists on being the center of attention — so he frequently undermined the authority of Toronto's coach-of-the-moment by donning a sweat suit and assuming a supervisory role during practice sessions. (During their initial three seasons, the Raptors went through a like number of coaches — Brendan Malone, Darrell Walker, and Butch Carter.)

In 1999, Thomas raised an estimated $9 million to become the majority owner of the Continental Basketball Association. Visiting every extant franchise, Thomas swore that the league's new ownership would augment everybody's operating expenses, and that he'd personally make unlimited appearances in each city to further promote the league. The CBA's owners, fans, and players greeted him as a savior.

During my own nine-year tenure as both an assistant and a head coach in the CBA, it was axiomatic that a sure-fire way to wind up with a small fortune was to start out with a large fortune, and then buy a CBA franchise. So why would Thomas do something as foolish as buying the whole league?

Simply because the NBA was poised to initiate its own minor league — which turned out to be the National Basketball Development League. Thomas figured that because the CBA already had arena leases and front office personnel in place, he could induce the NBA to buy him out for a huge profit. When the NBA only offered him an estimated $10 million for the whole kit-and-caboodle, Thomas lost all interest in the CBA — reneging on both his promotional and financial promises.

The resulting lawsuits and counter-suits will keep attorneys from Rockford to Yakima busy for decades.

From 2000-2003, Thomas coached the Indiana Pacers. The team's record improved from year to year (from 41 wins to 42 to 48), but never got past the first round of the playoffs. NBA insiders felt that Thomas failed to provide effective leadership and, consequently, the Pacers were classic underachievers. And through it all, Thomas acted as though he was always the Pacers' star attraction while the players were merely overpaid hirelings.

Then, just about a year ago, the Knicks hired Thomas to run the show in New York. Thomas started off with a pair of turnovers — totally mishandling the firing of Don Chaney, and replacing him with Lenny Wilkens, who is hopelessly out of touch with today's hip-hop hoopsters. Now that Wilkens has confirmed his malfeasance, Thomas can't fire him without admitting that hiring him was a mistake to begin with. In lieu of installing another new coach, Thomas isolated Willkens by canning his main man and long-time assistant, Dick Helms — replacing him with one of his own henchmen from the Pistons' glory days, the infamously Machiavellian Brendan Suhr.

Already the New York media is rife with rumors concerning Wilkens' replacement. Suhr? Assistant coach Mark Aguirre (one of Thomas' childhood buddies, as well as an ex-teammate? Or Thomas himself?

Meanwhile, Thomas has made wholesale changes in the Knicks' roster with the aim of making the team more athletic: Bringing Stephon Marbury back home (in exchange for some future draft picks and a benchful of warm bodies) was a good idea — although Marbury is a scoring guard in a point guard's body and can't handle the reins of a legitimate championship contender. Nazr Mohammed is an adequate back-up center who's frequently overmatched as a starter. Tim Thomas is a career underachiever and whiner. Even in his prime, Vin Baker was selfish and defenseless. Jamal Crawford is talented, but erratic and undisciplined.

"I like reclamation projects," says Thomas.

Too bad he's running a professional basketball team and not the Father Flanagan Home for Wayward Boys.

The cynical New York media is just beginning to discover that Thomas's feet are really water soluble. But he seems totally immune to criticism. That's because ex-players and coaches who knew him well swear that Thomas only cares about media attention and money. As long as he commands the spotlight, and continues to cash fat salary checks every two weeks, Thomas couldn't care less about what's left of his reputation.

The biggest picture is that Isiah Thomas is a phony, and under his guidance the Knicks are destined to be only good enough to break the hearts of their devoted fans. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

MavKikiNYC · 11-18-2004, 01:47 PM

More on Zeke as GM and his coaches:

CHANEY WANTED SHOT WITH MARBURY

By MARC BERMAN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
November 17, 2004 -- POST EXCLUSIVE

SAN ANTONIO — In breaking a nearly 10-month silence, Don Chaney says he has one regret from his Knick coaching stint. He wished Isiah Thomas would've given him a legit chance to win with Stephon Marbury as his point guard.

Last season, nine days after Marbury made his Knick debut, Chaney was fired on Jan. 14 in a messy split that drew citywide sympathy. Chaney told The Post yesterday he does not want to finish his head-coaching career on that note and will actively seek a head job this summer.

"The one regret, I wanted to see how we would have developed with Marbury," Chaney said. "The biggest regret was I finally got a quality point guard, an All-Star. Charlie Ward and Howard Eisley competed hard every night. But Marbury was an All-Star point guard. It's hard to get guys of that caliber."

Added Chaney, "I made a statement before I got fired. We'd definitely make the playoffs. I felt positive I would've made it once Marbury got there."

Tomorrow, the Knicks face the Rockets in Houston, pitting Chaney's successor, Lenny Wilkens, against Chaney's predecessor, Jeff Van Gundy. Chaney, who lives in Houston's outskirts, will not attend.

Chaney can't fathom why Thomas so quickly determined they couldn't work together. Though Thomas is a hands-on GM, Chaney said he's not opposed to that.

"He's a different type of general manager," Chaney said. "He's one that's involved. I knew that when he came in. It all depends on the relationship. They figured it out right away they wanted to make a change. We could've worked it out. They decided differently."

The Knicks are paying off the final year of Chaney's contract, about $3 million. Last May, Paul Silas offered him an assistant's job in Cleveland, but Chaney declined.

"I'm looking for a head-coaching job," said Chaney, whose Knick record was 72-112. "I don't think I'll have a problem coming back as an assistant. I'm still going to pursue being a head coach."

Chaney avoided phone calls from Knicks owner James Dolan in the aftermath of his dismissal. Chaney showed up for that night's game, was fired two hours before tip-off and escorted out of the Garden.

Chaney called the way it was handled "bothersome" but has since forgiven Dolan, once his biggest supporter.

"I wanted to remove myself for a while. And I did," Chaney said. "I have a great deal of respect for [Dolan]. I consider him a friend. We've had great conversations during my time there."

Chaney said Thomas never called. "I didn't expect him do," Chaney said. "It's not who he is."

As for Wilkens, Chaney said, "I think he's going a great job, he's good for the team, very experienced. I respect him a great deal."

This is the first time in 35 years, since entering the NBA in 1969, that Chaney's missed a season. "I've been spoiled I've been in the league since I joined," he said. "I miss it."

MavKikiNYC · 11-18-2004, 01:51 PM

I will not be surprised if Wilkens is gone by New Years. I think Thomas is looking at the schedule, trying to find a stretch of hard games (with a heavy dose of road) followed by a home stretch against weaker Eastern Conference opponents.

He'll fire Wilkens if the NYKs come back to MSG with a weak record (or maybe period). Then he'll replace him as the NYKs hit intra-conference play against lesser teams. It'll help make it look like the coaching change was the thing to do.

You'll be spending Valentine's Day in Seattle, Lenny.

MavKikiNYC · 12-10-2004, 09:26 AM

Warning: This is not satire. It is from the NYTimes, not The Onion.

Even at age 41, the bruising Malone would be an asset to any team with championship aspirations. He could make the Knicks contenders in the East just by signing a contract.

Fairy Tale or Not, Knicks Call Malone
By HOWARD BECK

Published: December 10, 2004

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 - In the fairy-tale version of the Knicks' season, Allan Houston gallops triumphantly back from his extended vacation, lifts the spirits and play of his teammates and rekindles a dormant love affair between New York and its beleaguered basketball franchise.

In the fairy tale, Houston is still the shooting ace whose clutch play put the Knicks in the N.B.A. Finals in 1999. He is the leader they need, the anchor they have lacked.

But the Knicks do not really do fairy tales, Willis Reed notwithstanding, and no one knows what Houston has to offer after spending eight and a half months recovering from knee injuries.

They do expect Houston to make his season debut Friday night against the Wizards in Washington. And they will soon know if the man with the $100 million contract is still their best player, or merely their highest paid.

Yet even as they welcome Houston back and brace for repercussions throughout the lineup, the Knicks are exploring more dramatic changes.

Isiah Thomas, the team president, continues to pursue Toronto's Vince Carter, monitor Chicago's Eddy Curry and explore any and all moves that might push the Knicks, who are 9-9, beyond the ranks of the mediocre.

To that end, Thomas made a call Wednesday to the agent for Karl Malone, the disillusioned former Los Angeles Lakers forward. A free agent, Malone is nearly ready to play again after recovering from off-season knee surgery. But because of a recent publicized rift with Kobe Bryant, he no longer wishes to play for the Lakers.

"Isiah was very forward yesterday," Dwight Manley, Malone's longtime agent, said in a telephone interview.

Even at age 41, the bruising Malone would be an asset to any team with championship aspirations. He could make the Knicks contenders in the East just by signing a contract.

Of course that, too, is probably a fairy tale. As Manley admitted, Malone's joining the Knicks "would be a long shot."

Malone's priority has been to win a championship before he retires, and a number of true contenders, including San Antonio, Minnesota and Miami, are courting him.

The Knicks would become infinitely more attractive to Malone if they acquired Carter or another player of his caliber. But that's the fairy tale again.

In reality, the Knicks may have to stand pat for a while. They have offered Houston to Toronto, but the Raptors are not intrigued by an aging shooter with a history of knee problems and a hefty contract. Toronto has instead asked for 24-year-old Jamal Crawford, whom the Knicks will not part with.

Indeed, while half the Knicks roster has been mentioned in trade speculation, only two players - Stephon Marbury and Crawford - have been deemed untouchable by the Knicks, according to a prominent player agent.

So the Knicks will place their hopes and their faith in the players they have and hope Houston can approximate his old self. But his presence will force adjustments and potentially bruise some egos.

By the time Houston steps on the MCI Center court Friday night, the Knicks will have played 31 straight games without him and 48 of the past 57 games, counting playoffs.

Since Houston succumbed to knee injuries, the Knicks have reworked the offense around Marbury and Crawford and have sent away most of the teammates Houston had known. He has barely played with Marbury, Tim Thomas and Nazr Mohammed and has never played with Crawford.

"Allan's a big part of what we do," Coach Lenny Wilkens said Wednesday. "I'm anxious to get him back. Listen, I also understand it's going to take a few games. He can't step out there, and all of sudden you've got the same Allan that you had three or four years ago."

The Knicks surely need the Houston of old who routinely scored 20 points a game and was one of the best 3-point shooters in the league.

For months, the Knicks have boasted about the firepower of a three-guard rotation of Houston, Marbury and Crawford. Now comes the difficult part: making it work.

Crawford and Houston have said they will not quibble over who starts, but Crawford has been a starter throughout his pro career and Houston is a former All-Star who has started 582 games for the Knicks since 1996.

Once Penny Hardaway recovers from a hamstring strain, the Knicks will have a three-position logjam, from point guard through small forward.

"You know how guys are: everybody wants to play," Marbury said. "No one wants to sit on the bench, despite what people say. I wouldn't want to sit on the bench. So I don't think anybody else would want to. Guys get paid a lot of money, but guys also want to play."

Sacrifice will soon become the Knicks' buzzword. Crawford, Marbury, Hardaway and Tim Thomas will all have to sacrifice minutes. It is possible that Crawford or Thomas will eventually have to sacrifice his starting job.

Crawford has already declared that he will focus more on playmaking and defense than scoring, although he said it was not because of Houston's return. Crawford has, however, become mildly irritated by the speculation about his role and suspicious of questions he believes are designed to provoke controversy.

Marbury said there should be no debates.

"Allan's one of our best players, if not our best player," he said. "When Allan comes back, if he wants to play 40 minutes and he can, he's going to play 40 minutes, period. I don't even know why we're talking about this, to really be honest. I mean, that's just how it is."

MavKikiNYC · 01-19-2005, 09:20 AM

Not Everyone Thinks the Knicks Stink; Just Ask the Knicks
By DAVE CALDWELL

Published: January 19, 2005

GREENBURGH, N.Y., Jan. 18 - Lenny Wilkens sounded on Tuesday as if he planned to be coaching the Knicks for a while. He said that he told his bedraggled players to keep paying attention to him, and that they were improving.

"I'm going to do my job," Wilkens said, "and whatever happens, happens."

The Knicks (17-20) have lost seven of their last eight games to fall three games under .500 for the first time this season.

But there were no hints at the Knicks' practice facility on Tuesday that the team's president, Isiah Thomas, might replace Wilkens before the Knicks plunge out of contention.

Wilkens said he showed the Knicks film of the Philadelphia 76ers' 32-point loss last week to the Chicago Bulls, to whom the Knicks have lost twice since Saturday. There was a point.

"We have made some progress," Wilkens said.

It is hard to tell, of course, because the Knicks are backsliding in the anemic Atlantic Division. Monday's loss to the Bulls left them in a three-way tie for first with the 76ers and the Boston Celtics.

The division is so bad that were the season to end today, only the winner would make the playoffs. But the Knicks see a chance to snap back on Wednesday against Toronto (16-23), an even worse team.

"We always knew that the title didn't mean anything when you look at our record," Allan Houston said, referring to the division lead. "But we also know we're not that far away."

The Knicks have had bad luck this season with injuries.

"If you'd have a full team and things are going bad, then you can put most of the blame on the coach," Stephon Marbury said.

Marbury said it was not fair to pin the blame for the Knicks' slide on Wilkens. The Knicks, he said, are actually playing better now than they were a month ago. He cited a Dec. 21 game in which they fell behind Dallas by 16 points after the first quarter.

"When we did have our horses, we were winning," Marbury said.

Wilkens said the injuries had made it difficult for the team to find its rhythm. With a weak chuckle, he said Monday's game was unusual because "we had guys back for a change."

Houston has played 19 games since returning from a sore left knee, and he is so tired of talking about his medical condition that he now refuses to answer questions about it. "I'm not talking about my knees anymore," he said Tuesday.

Houston played at least 30 minutes in the last seven games that Jamal Crawford missed. Crawford played Monday against the Bulls after missing 10 games with a sprained right big toe. He scored 8 points in 27 minutes and missed all seven of his 3-point shots.

"That tells me my legs aren't there," Crawford said.

Neither, apparently, are Houston's. Monday's game was only the second in his last nine games in which he made at least half of his field-goal attempts, and he was only 5 for 10.

"What everybody forgets is that he was off for a long time," Wilkens said with an edge in his voice.

Penny Hardaway is out indefinitely with a strained right hamstring, and Tim Thomas, who started the Knicks' first 33 games, missed three games with knee and calf injuries before playing four minutes on Monday. He plans to play against the Raptors.

The Knicks are mildly encouraged with their defense; they have held their last three opponents to 88, 86 and 88 points.

"The defense has been fine," forward Kurt Thomas said. "We just have to get the stops we need."

If anyone can put a positive spin on back-to-back last-minute losses to the Bulls, who are still a sub-.500 team, the Knicks can. At least they were in a position to win, Marbury said. At least they are slowly getting healthier.

"We haven't made it halfway through the season," Crawford said. "We're not going to quit yet."

MavKikiNYC · 01-22-2005, 09:39 AM

Zeke the Punk claims another scalp.

Clearly, the Dolans aren't paying attention.

LEN THROWING IN THE TOWEL

By MARC BERMAN

January 22, 2005 -- Knick coach Lenny Wilkens will resign this morning after a 40-minute meeting with team president Isiah Thomas following last night's heartbreaking 92-91 loss to the Rockets at the Garden, according to sources.

"Lenny is doing some thinking," Thomas told The Post and two other reporters following the meeting. "We'll see where he is [this] morning. This is a tough situation. I would imagine he's in the thought process where Hubie Brown was in his thought process."

Brown quit as Grizzlies coach in November, citing health reasons and loss of passion for the game.

Thomas is heavily considering appointing assistant coach Herb Williams as interim, The Post has learned.

Williams is the only one of the assistant staff with head-coaching experience — one game.

Williams is 1-0, guiding the Knicks last season to a win against Orlando the night Don Chaney got axed. It's not totally clear if

Williams will finish out the season or is a stopgap.

Thomas did not specify who might take over for Wilkens but it looks like he'll pass on his buddy Mark Aguirre, Brendan Suhr and young coaching stud Mike Malone.

The Knicks have lost five straight and nine of 10 games to fall five games under the .500 mark.

"Nobody got fired," insisted Thomas, who will keep his promise and not head to the bench himself.

However, the Knicks also claimed assistant coach Dick Helm resigned in November — but Helm actually was fired.

During the interview, Thomas assigned no blame to Wilkens, indicating it was totally his call, indicating Wilkens may not want to be part of a newfangled rebuilding process at age 67.

Wilkens has at least one more year guaranteed on his pact at about $5 million. The next year after may be non-guaranteed.

"It's tough and it's painful, but this is what you've got to go through," Thomas said. "My job is to make sure I think long term. Not only do we have a team good enough to compete this year but next year, too. What's happened so many times, you always want short-term quick fixes. This is not a short-term quick fix. This is a long, slow, steady, painful climb. We're in a transition. That's how it is. Don't make me do anything rash."

Wilkens lasted a little more than a year on the job, and Thomas revealed the Knicks may be entering a new rebuilding phase.

Last night, Jeff Van Gundy and the Rockets got payback on the reeling Knicks with a desperation game-winning buzzer-beater by Scott Padgett — though this loss was caused by the mindless possession right before, when the Knicks committed a 24-second violation.

The Knick backcourt of Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford combined to mess up what could've been a turn-around evening. It seems like eons ago that Crawford was a hero in Houston in November when he stunned the Rockets with a game-winning banked 3-pointer.

Last night, both guards ran scared in the last seconds, declining to shoot the ball with the Knicks clinging to a 91-90 lead. The Knicks had control after Yao Ming's attempt to save a ball from going out of bounds landed in Marbury's hands with 34 seconds left. Marbury dribbled upcourt and worked the shot clock down as he stood near midcourt.

With five seconds left on the shot clock, he drove to the top of the circle, pulled up and lifted for a jumper. But Marbury decided to suddenly drop the ball off the Crawford on the right wing with two seconds left.

Crawford claimed he wasn't surprised but never got a good handle, so he passed it back to Marbury, who caught it as the buzzer sounded, giving the Rockets the ball with 10.2 seconds left. On the game's final play, Padgett drove just inside the free-throw line, past Crawford, as Marbury stepped up on him. Padgett flipped up an off-balance 10-footer that rattled in as the buzzer sounded.

MavKikiNYC · 01-22-2005, 09:47 AM

"It's tough and it's painful, but this is what you've got to go through," Thomas said. "My job is to make sure I think long term. Not only do we have a team good enough to compete this year but next year, too. What's happened so many times, you always want short-term quick fixes. This is not a short-term quick fix. This is a long, slow, steady, painful climb. We're in a transition. That's how it is. Don't make me do anything rash."

This is the funny part to me. Was Zeke "thinking" long-term 12 months ago when he axed Don Cheney and tried to paste Lenny Wilkens' legacy over his own gaping credibility hole?

Fire Zeke now.

sike · 01-22-2005, 07:01 PM

link
Wilkens Resigns as Head Coach

NEW YORK, January 22, 2005 – New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Isiah Thomas announced today the resignation of Head Coach Lenny Wilkens and named Assistant Coach Herb Williams the new head coach.
“There are very few people in the sports-world or in society that combine great talent with class, dignity and humility. But these qualities have been Lenny’s trademark throughout his Hall-of-Fame life and career. He agreed to come to New York last season during an extremely difficult time, and his presence played a major role in reconnecting the Knicks to the pride of this city,” Thomas said. “On behalf of everyone in the entire Knicks organization, I want to thank Lenny for his commitment to this team and express our deep disappointment we are losing a great coach.”

Wilkens, the winningest coach in NBA history finished his Knicks career with a 40-41 mark since his hiring on Jan. 15, 2004 last season. After taking over a team with a 16-24 record during 2003-04, the 67-year-old Brooklyn, NY-native guided the Knicks to a third-place finish in the Atlantic Division and its first playoff berth in three years. Wilkens, a Naismith Hall-of-Fame inductee as both a player and coach, has an all-time coaching record of 1,332-1,1155 (.536).

“We are pleased to give Herb Williams this opportunity to be the head coach of the New York Knicks, and we’ll do everything we can to help him succeed. We are confident that we can continue to give our fans the kind of competitive basketball they expect and deserve,” added Thomas.

Williams, an assistant on the Knicks bench since Dec. 29, 2001, is the senior member of the team’s coaching staff and has been with the organization since his playing days, starting in 1992. Now in his fourth season as a coach and 11th season overall in New York, the 46-year-old Columbus, OH-native was the head coach for the team’s entry in the 2004 Summer Pro League in Long Beach, CA and the co-head coach on the team’s two entries during the 2003 summer league sessions. He is also credited with a regular season win on Jan. 14, 2004, one day prior to Wilkens’ arrival in New York.

“While it is an honor and privilege to be named as the head coach of this storied franchise, there is still a lot work that needs to get done to continue to point our team in the right direction,” Williams said. “The opportunity that has been given to me by Isiah is one that I will cherish for the rest of my career.”

Originally signed as a free agent on Nov. 15, 1992, Williams spent seven seasons in the blue and orange – and as a member of the 1994 and 1999 Eastern Conference Championship teams - until his retirement following 1998-99. As a force in the Knicks locker room as a true leader, the 6-11 center had the distinction of being named Knicks captain for three seasons from 1996-97 through 1998-99, along with Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and Larry Johnson. Also as a member of the Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors, Williams played for 18 NBA seasons and was one of just eight players in NBA history to appear in a game following his 41st birthday.

EricaLubarsky · 02-01-2005, 01:31 AM

just lost to the Clips.

which means they've won 2 of their last 15.

sike · 02-01-2005, 01:41 AM

boy they suck.....I need Marbury to help my fantasy team and he's been tanking the past two weeks.