Knickerbocker Nation

Midseason Report Part 1: The Team

2011-01-12T13:55:00.000-08:00

What We Know:

The Knicks can win basketball games. Staring off the season with a 3-8 record and a 6 game losing streak including losses to Philly, Golden State, and Minnesota might have been the best thing that happened to this team. With the exception of the 2003-04 season (when he was a sophomore) Amar’e Stoudemire has never been on a team with a loosing record, and he brought that swagger to New York, a city whose basketball team desperately needed some swag. Amar’e exerted his leadership potential and along with Derrick Rose has become a favorite for MVP. He proved that he was not simply a product of Steve Nash. The Kicks are now

a team with warriors. STAT, Felton, and Turiaf are guys who go to war every night. The play hard and expect to win every night. Gallo, Douglas, Fields, and Chandler are all under 24 years old and given the right environment can keep growing. The Thunder have formed a core of young talent that are growing together as a team. The Knicks don’t have the raw talent of the Thunder, but if they aren’t broken up they could become the East Coast Diet Thunder. They are more or less a lock for the 6^th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and with the shellacking they gave the best-record-having Spurs, they showed they are going to be a hard out for any team in June.

What We Think:

The Knicks might be better off not trading for Carmelo. Donnie Walsh has made a few missteps (whiffing on Brandon Jennings, giving up to much for T-Mac) but on the whole he has been a really terrific GM. He has stated multiple times that he isn’t going to gut the team for Melo, which seems to be the right move. The Knicks have no trouble scoring the ball, which is basically the only thing Melo can do. With an Amar’e-Melo frontcourt the Knicks are going to

have trouble stopping penetration for even the most rudimentary slash-and-kick guards. Defense wins championships and when your two best players are defensive sieves your team isn’t going very deep in the playoffs. Landry Fields and Wilson Chandler, the two players most likely to be shipped out in any Melo deal, are exactly the kinds of role players needed to win championships. This summer Kendrick Perkins, Marc Gasol, Tyson Chandler, Greg Oden, Joel Przybilla, and Samuel Dalembert are all going to be restricted or unrestricted free agents and any one of them would make a nice defensive frontcourt complement to Amar’e. Blowing all of the Knicks depth recruiting Melo when we can wait and build a team that makes championship sense isn’t smart. Which Core Would you rather have in the long run: A STAT, Melo, Gallo scoring trifecta or a STAT, Fields, Gallo, Gasol, CP3 staring 5?

The NBA Bio Pic Game

2011-01-12T12:07:00.001-08:00

The winter season means a few things for movies fans. The icy wind of winter usually brings with it a wonderful Nicolas Cage movie that a studio is dumping into theaters in January hoping no one will notice, but it also means awards season, and nothing says awards season like a prestigious bio pic. This year the front runner for most bio pic-y of the awards season is The Kings Speech, which also has the advantage of beinga period piece starring English people (three things the Academy Awards voters get huge boners for). There are, however, a few Biographical filmsflying under the radar sure to be dark horse candidates in theoscar race.

1. Il Mago: The Andrea Bargnani Story starring The Situation as Andrea Bargnani

2. Rockin' Steady: A Guide to Basketball and Cool THE MOVIE starring Wyatt Cenac as Walt Frazier

3. Raj Hour Starring Chris Tucker as Rajon Rondo

4. Filp Fest starring That guy from Beerfest as Flip Saunders

5. Avatar starring Chris Bosh as Himself

Recap-Game 1, 10/27/10-Knicks 98, Raptors 93

2010-10-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

The return of Knicks basketball was like that hot cup of cocoa you sip on after all the presents have been opened on a snowy Christmas morning. Except this cup of cocoa is actually cocoa and not Marbury-brand vinegar or Isiah's morning urination. This first victory was the marshmellows.

Mr. Sub Starting Lineup
PG-Raymond Felton
SG-Landry Fields
SF-Danilo Gallinari
PF-Amar'e Stoudemire
C-Timofey Mosgov

Actual Game Notes:
-Mosgov showed flashes of his quickness here and there, but his brief time on the floor was mostly characterized by fouls, getting boxed out, and looking generally confused. He's a long term project, so I won't fault him for Game 1 troubles. But he's got to find a way to go 5 minutes with getting 2 quick personals.

-The Nate Robinson role agrees with Wilson Chandler. Chandler had a team-high 22 points coming off the bench, and scored effectively from both the perimeter and at the basket. The good thing about Mosgov hacking everything that moves is Chandler replacing him in the lineup and instantly increasing the speed on the D'antonimeter. He led a great second unit effort that was the difference in the game.

-Felton didn't shoot that well, but it was so refreshing to see a point guard that enhances the speed of D'antoni's system insteading of strapping a Winebago to it (I'm looking at you Duhon).

-Amar'e played ok with a 19-10, but also had 9 turnovers. That's not going to fly against most other non-dinosaur teams. Same for Danilo, who got his points but didn't shoot all that effectively.

-Ronny Turiaf was solid tonight, including a nice bounding whale rebound and putback. There were points tonight where it looked like Bill Walker forgot how to dribble.

-Overall, a pretty solid opening. Some things definitely need improvement, such as beefing up a nonexistent interior defense, but they'll get there.

Drink the cocoa, eat the marshmellows.

Yes!

2010-10-27T01:26:00.001-07:00

NBA opening night has come, and we are one day away from the start of a new Knicks season. Get friggin excited!

Who's Gonna Be Right? Take 2

2010-10-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

The second take in our series of point-counterpoint. Today, we discuss:

Which is the Player You're Super Psyched to Watch This Season?

Blake Griffin (Bach)

Sure, I'm excited to see Kevin Durant take that next explosive step in his development and, yeah, I'm really, really looking forward to Amare Stoudemire bringing the Knicks from the "Bring back Oakley!" column over towards "Hey, I can watch this team without hugging my tear bucket!" But no player's potential gets me more excited than Griffin. He was even more of a no-brainer #1 pick than John Wall was coming into this season, dominating the college game in his last season at Oklahoma. His skills are incredibly dynamic; he's 6'10'', yet can handle the ball like a point guard and run the floor like a caffeinated Looney Toon. He's lighting it up during the preseason with a 17-12 average through the first 6 games, showing few ill effects from the injury that cost him his first attempt at a rookie season. Most importantly, he's got the rest of his teammates excited to be Clippers. Of course, that may also have something to do with Vampire Mike Dunleavy removing his life sucking fangs from Chris Kamen's neck, but still. Blake Griffin is going to be awesome.

Kevin Love (Matt)

While Blake Griffin, John Wall, and Kevin Durant are all going be super fun to watch this season, they are all more or less sure things. They are all going to be great, but we know what we are going to see. Durant is going to score on anyone. Griffin is going to fly around the court like a wild man. Wall is going to run circles around slower guards. Minnesota PF Kevin Love is a bit more of a mystery. Because of injuries and lack of playing time I still don’t know what his ceiling is. He might lead the league in rebounds this season. He might grab 14 rebounds a game while leading all centers in three-pointers made this season. I don’t know and that is why I’m more psyched to see him than any other player.

The Douchebaggary Rankings: Week 1

2010-10-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Many sports blogs and websites employ a system of ranking teams based on their performance and prospective performance. Most sites call this system “Power Rankings.” We here at Knickerbocker Nation employ a similar system, only our ranking system is not put in place to value the competence or talent level of a certain team, but to measure the levels of douchebaggary in and around the NBA as a whole. So without further ado we present the first ever Douchbaggary Rankings. (This is how they fall during the first week of play of the regular season)

10. Carmelo Anthony
Don’t get me wrong, I am super excited about the inevitable sight of Melo in a Knicks jersey. I just don’t like any superstar who thinks he can force his way out of a city. Forcing trades is bad for the league, and the small market teams need to stay successful for the league to be.

9. Gilbert Arenas
He was saying all the right things, what happened? Even if you were faking an injury to get your buddy more playing time, why the hell would you announce it to the world? Are you that insane to think that that might not have been a great idea? Gilbert, you don’t have to act on every impulse that shoots through your head. (Forget I said shoot)

8. Sports Illustrated’s NBA preview Issue
Are you serious Ian Thomsen? The 76ers, Nets, Bobcats, and Pistons are better than the Knicks? The Pistons? Really?

7. Chris Bosh
I just don’t like followers. Bosh is like the kid being extra mean to the nerds just so the popular kids will accept him. He pretends he’s a superstar yet has never won a playoff series. Toronto is a cool city, way cooler than Cleveland, and I feel bad for them.

6. ESPN.com
Never have I been so addicted to a website that is so repetitive and redundant. I need help.

5. Sasha Vujacic
How the hell is THIS guy married to Sharapova?

4. The Haters
More specifically the racist haters. There’s a lot to be upset about regarding “The Decision.” If you have to resort to tweeting racial slurs at Lebron, then not only are you racist but also cowardly and more then a little bit of a huge loser. Tech racism is the lowest form of racism there is. Other racists think you’re lame.

3. Rudy Fernandez
Never has a player sunk his trade value so low so fast without using a firearm before.

2. Lebron James
Four words… Nationally Televised Cleveland Steamer.
And our number 1 douchebag is…

1.James Dolan!!!
Who else would it be? He will remain number 1 until he dies, sells the Knicks, or both.

Sneaky Signings

2010-10-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

Everyone's talking about the Amar'e and Felton signings and the spoils of the David Lee trade. Rightfully so, those three things helped change our fate, but a signing that flew under the radar is the Roger Mason signing.

Last year he completely lost his shot and his 3P% dropped from 42% to 33%. If he can get back to the form of his last season in Washington or his first season with San Antonio. This will prove to be the sneaky good signing of the Summer.

Who's Gonna Be Right?

2010-10-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Starting right now, we here at Knickerbocker Nation will be starting a series of posts. My co-writer Bach and I (Matt) will be arguing a different point for every post. Then it is up to the universe to decide who will ultimately be right. The first question we will be debating is:

Who will be the most underwhelming team this season?

The Milwaukee Bucks (Matt)– The Bucks were the big surprise of the year last year. They were a revelation after the John Salmons trade, and almost upset the Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. Everyone from ESPN to SI to the guys on the Free Darko podcast seem to have the Bucks finishing 4th or 5th in the East. The Bucks were a pretty good tem last year, and I think they will be a pretty good team this year, but I just don’t see them making the leap that everyone else does, and if anything I see them getting worse. Remember when the Bulls traded for Salmons? He kicked it up a notch, and the Bulls had one of the best playoff series ever against the Celtics. The very next year Salmons slumped. The same thing could very well happen to him in Milwaukee. He has a fat new contract and does tend to get upset when he is not the focus of the offense, which he will be even less with the development of Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut. Bogut’s injury could also be a problem. His arm got hit in a preseason game and immediately started to swell up. It’s the kind of injury that can nag a player all season, and without Bogut the Bucks would be lucky to make the playoffs. The other big difference from last year is their acquisition of Cory Maggette. Maggette doesn’t play defense, and doesn’t know the meaning of the word pass. I can see him driving Scott Skiles out of his mind. The Eastern Conference got a lot stronger in the off-season, and a team like the Bucks needs to win with hard work and chemistry. I can see the Salmons-Maggette duo ruining the great chemistry they had last season. The Buck may very well be the team that a lot of people think they are, but they would need a lot to go right. Jennings and Bogut would need to make the jump to the star potential they’ve only flashed, and Salmons and Maggette would need to buy into Skiles system. I just don’t see all those things happening.

The Charlotte Bobcats (Bach)-The Bobcats played to expectations last year. They made the admittedly big leap of making the franchise’s first playoff appearance, and were quickly dispatched by the Orlando Magic in four games. It would stand to reason that this performance would serve as a building block for greater things (such as winning a playoff game). Instead, the Bobcats will be lucky if they get to the postseason. They boasted an offense that ranked 28th in scoring and 2nd in turnovers, and that was before they lost their facilitator and biggest post presence in Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler, respectively. DJ Augustin will be asked to fill in where Felton left off, which means he’s going to have to get back in Larry Brown’s good graces. Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson are going to have to do the bulk of the scoring, which will keep Jackson happy for a little while. Then he’ll realize no one cares about what’s happening in Charlotte, and he’ll return to his petulant ways until he gets shipped out of town. Really, the only interesting storylines for this team heading into this season will be playing the “When Will Larry Brown Bail?” game and seeing how MJ does in his first season as majority owner. One of his first moves was bringing back the prodigal son, Kwame Brown. Oh boy, this team is going to be boring.

Five Knicks Related Things I'm Excited About In 2011

2010-10-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

Having a point guard – I know Raymond Felton isn’t going make anyone shit their pants, but you know what? He’s a starter. (Wait we have a Starting PG? I actually just did poo a little). I can’t remember the last time we had a starting point guard. We no longer have to pretend that Duhon can run an offense for 30-35 min. We can finally forget the jostling between has-beens like Duhon, Stephon Marbury, Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, and a washed up Mark Jackson like we’ve done over the past ten years. We have needed someone who can run the offense and who actually likes when an assist is added to his box score.

The Front Court – This is such a weird sensation for me. I’m so used to having a line of overpaid out of shape SGs and SFs stretching from MSG to Hoboken. All of a sudden we have more than just one undersized power forward and two white guys battling for starting center. Aside from Amare, the Knicks have their pick of Turiaf, a good shot blocker and scrapper, Mozgov, who impressed a lot of people this summer at the FIBA Worlds, Randolph, who can jump out of the building, and the 41% of Eddy Curry that’s not body fat. Choices? At Center? I just pooed again.

The Rooster – Many people have been touting the under-the-radar star potential of Anthony Randolph. Yes, he’s athletic. Yes he’s got the tools. But here’s the thing: he spent the last two seasons getting mind fucked by Don Nelson, then playing a little, then getting mind fucked again. I’m talking serious mind fucked. I’m talking Don Nelson is Mickey Rourke and Anthony Randolph’s is mind is Kim Basinger in some serious 9 ½ weeks shit. I’m talking Playmate of the Apes as hard as softcore can be mindfucking. I’m talking what the sisters did to Andy Dufresne but the movie had too much tact to show you, mindfucking. That’s all been very well documented, but what hasn’t been nearly the story it should be is how god damn good Danilo is going to be. He may not be as athletic as Don Nelson’s mind-bitch, but he’s got the tools. Everyone knows he can shoot the lights out, but this kid can ball. He can put the ball on the floor, and he’s way stronger than Dirk was at this point in his career. The rooster is willing and able to play defense as well. With a couple years of maturation I don’t see why he can’t be the third best player on a title team. In fact, if he is, you have one good team.

Run and Gun – This ties in to point number one. Now that we finally have a PG (actually, now that we have an actual team), Mike D can finally run an offense. Felton is not Nash, but he’s young, likes to run and he has a lot of weapons to chose from. The Knicks are finally going be an exciting team again. I can’t wait to see them run.

Isiah Tomas getting eaten by an Alligator, ensuring he will never return - Hey, we all got to have a dream right? Although I’m sure stupid James Dolan will find a way to play Reanimator and then Zombie Zeke will be the GM, Coach, Trainer, and every other position in which he can fail.

Listen to Darko...Don't be Darko

2010-10-07T21:16:00.001-07:00

I never thought I'd say this, but Timofey, please, please, please listen to Darko: “I tell (Mozgov) to do the opposite like I did,” Milicic said. “I don’t know how it will be for him, if he plays a lot. When I didn’t play, I stepped aside. You need to work a lot and I didn’t do it. If he doesn’t play, practice hard.”

WTF???

2010-10-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

Okay i'm all for using one's body as a from of expression, but is this really how we want to start off the "STAT City" era??

http://www.sportsgrid.com/nba/amare-stoudemire-nude-pool/

Amare Chuckles at Terrorists

2010-10-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

Amid terrorism warnings across Europe, Amare Stoudemire promised to have fun while the Knicks spend the next few days in Paris as part of their preseason tour. "We know where to go and the places to visit and again, you have to cherish the moment because it's not often you get a chance to play an NBA game in Paris," Stoudemire said. That's fine, Amare, enjoy yourself. Paris is a wonderful city, full of art, culture, and history. Check out the Eiffel Tower, Napolean's Tomb, and, of course, the Louvre. Make sure to partake in world class shopping along the Champs-Elysees, and enjoy an espresso at one of the Montmartre district's finest cafes. Take a ride along the River Sennes, and get a snapshot of yourself in front of Notre Dame. Just remember that pesky suicide bombers have a special knack for targeting surgically repaired knees worth $100 million. They're uncanny.

Just in case you didn't catch the strong whiff of sarcasm, don't get yourself fucking killed, Amare.

We have Returned!!!!!

2010-09-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I woke up naked next to a half eaten Rhino. In unrelated news I have received a lifetime ban from the San Diego Zoo.

I needed it recounted to me but, apparently after The Decision I went on a two-month bender and I received 178 counts of public drunkenness, exactly 3 more than Snooki. So we didn’t get Lebron James? He teamed up with Wade and Bosh? CP3 and Melo are now demanding to be traded? Scalabrine isn’t a Celtic anymore? The WNBA still hasn’t folded yet?????? What the hell happened while I was blacked out?

Oh well. Never fear devoted readers. I have returned to help both of you get out of your depressed stupor. After a long hiatus Knickerboker Nation is back!!!!

We have much to be excited about this coming season. Our staff has doubled. So we have as many writers are readers, which you know…is cool. Eventually we will be adding a podcast to the articles posted here. I know what you’re thinking. “KBN you have only posted like 5 articles in the last 6 months aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself?” The answer is no... you shut up!

Check back soon for training camp is upon us and this proves to be a very interesting season.

Lebron Watch 2010:

2010-06-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

I hate to be one more voice talking about Lebron but I have a real problem with the way people were talking about Lebron and his presumed Knicks supporting cast. How is the Cleveland supporting cast any better? "All-stars" Jamison and Williams only play well when Lebron is playing well, and if Lebron is playing well they're probably gonna win anyway. Now that there is a chance that Lebron is leaving everyone, from the guys on PTI to Dan Patrick from Sports Illustrated, is saying they'd be lucky to win 25 games without Lebron.

I'm gonna sound like a big homer but, the Knicks won 29 games with David Lee as their best player. You're telling me that if we bring back most of the same rotation guys and upgrade David Lee to Chris Bosh that wouldn't be a better team than the Cavs? At least they'd be able to hit their threes.

With the obvious exception of Chicago, the Knicks can offer a better supporting cast than any other team with cap space. When are people gonna start saying it?

Five Favs

2010-06-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I wrote a post that challenged the idea that Lebron would be able to win me over as the greatest knick right away. The first ring since 1973 would go a long way in doing that, but if there’s one thing I pride myself on it’s my sense of NBA history. I love how story lines and narratives develop in this league. I love reading about rivalries and players’ journeys to the pros. The storylines are what make the NBA great. With that said I’ve decided to list my top five favorite Knicks of all-time. As I am still relatively young this list will be slanted to the more recent Knicks who I have seen play (sorry Pearl and Clyde). These are the guys who Lebron will have to compete against to win my heart over.

5. Larry Johnson

No player has ever been more defined by one play in my eyes. After a decade of torturous losses at the hands of Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers (the most dramatic are shown in the great ESPN documentary Winning Time) the Knicks finally pulled off a dramatic last minute miracle play of their own. I was in fifth grade when the 1998-99 Knicks made their run to the finals, and they are still the only 8^th seed to ever reach the NBA finals. On no day of school that I can remember were my classmates and I united in a single gesture. The day after Larry Johnson’s amazing four-point play every single kid in school put his left fist on his right elbow to make the “L” symbol that LJ flashed to the crowd after every big shot. LJ may have been overpaid and he may have been a disappointment considering his potential, but he was an undersized cubby power forward with a sweet stroke who shined in one of the most memorable moments of my basketball watching career.

4. Charles Oakley

Everyone loves hockey for the fights. The bruisers and bashers and goons are always my favorite players. Charles Oakley was a goon. If anyone messed with Gretzky they would have to answer to Dave Semenko when the Bad Boy Pistons implemented the Jordan rules Oakley was there to serve and protect. It’s safe to say that Oakley was one bad motherfucker. Just a few random thoughts on why I love Charles Oakley.

the only NBA player I’ve ever heard be compared to Shaft.
best friends with Michael Jordan.
At age 44 he was still playing hardball with teams. Trying to make an NBA comeback, he said he’s "not coming back cheap." He called out specific teams in 2007 (Dallas,New York) saying they need him to solve their softness issues.
The only guy who stood up to Shaq and who I would take in a cage match between the two.
One of the best mug shots of all-time.

3. Patrick Ewing

Out of all the great players never to win a ring (Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Elgin Baylor) I feel the worst for Ewing. None of those other players had to deal with the same scrutiny or the same level of blame that Ewing had to deal with. Part of it was that he didn’t have as charismatic a personality as Barkley, and part of it was that next to Philadelphia, New York is the hardest city to play in. If he didn’t have the injury problems, or if John Starks hadn’t sucked it up so bad in game 7 of the 94 finals, we would be looking at his career much differently. Patrick Ewing in his prime could stand next to any center in NBA history. He had great moves around the basket, a great face up game, and was one of the best defenders of the 1990’s. His biggest problem was this guy who wore #23. His roles in Space Jam and the Exorcist 3 are two of the great NBA cameos. I’ll leave you with this.

2. Willis Reed

The Captain is the only player on this list who I have not actually seen play in a real time game. But like I said I have a deep love for NBA history, and anyone who knows anytime about Knicks history has to appreciate the Captain. He was the MVP of the only two Knicks titles ever, and he was at the center of the greatest moment in NBA finals history, limping out on the court scoring the first basket of the game and then shutting down Wilt for the rest of the game. Willis Reed is probably the greatest Knick of all-time and it’ll take Lebron at least three rings to oust him from that position.

1. John Starks

Starks is far from the greatest Knick of all-time, but he is by far my favorite. He had to work for everything he got. Despite his legendary horrid shooting in game 7 of ’94, which probably cost Ewing his ring, he still gets my vote as my favorite Knick. No one ever played harder or had more fire. He was bagging groceries in Oklahoma for years before he played basketball at community college. He went undrafted, played in the CBA and the WBL, and the only reason he didn’t get cut from the Knicks was because Ewing laid him out and the team was legally forced to keep him. He was one of the best at guarding Jordan and The dunk will go down as one of the great Knicks playoff moments. He wasn’t as skilled as the other players on this list, he just wanted it more, and that’s something I respect.

The Arguments Against Lebron

2010-06-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

I am a Knicks fan. I would not have a blog entitled Knickerbocker Nation if I did not think that America would have a better reputation around the world if they would just stop pussyfooting around and change the name of the country from The United States of America to The United States of Patrick Ewing. I, like many Knick fans, have suffered untold sleepless nights haunted by visions of Isaiah Thomas and Scott Layden standing over Willis Reed’s bloodied and beaten body holding billy clubs labeled “Alan Houston’s Contract” and “Eddy Curry’s whole life.” Obviously as a Knicks fan I want them to do anything they can do to win a championship before I die, but in the constant pursuit of Lebron I’ve started to have doubts as to whether or not the King is what I really want. Let me explain.

Lebron James is arguably the best basketball player in the world. He’s won back-to-back MVPs, has been a finals runner-up, and a fantasy league stud since his rookie year. Bottom line: Lebon James is a great-fuckin-ball player, and anyone who says they don’t want them on their team needs to have their head examined. I’m not saying I don’t want Lebron James to be wearing the Blue and Orange this fall, but all I’m saying is there are some (sort of) compelling cases against him.

1. The 2008 Celtics Argument.

I am a fan of certain players in the NBA. I love watching the Spurs, because I can’t help myself; I love the Big Fundamental. As much as I hate the Celtics, I love Rasheed Wallace. I love seeing Gilbert Arenas do just about anything. I love some individual players on other teams, but as it should be: the team always comes first. Emotional connections to the team will always overrule connections to a player, which is why as much as I love all those players I mentioned, they will never hold a place in my heart next to the likes of John Starks, Patrick Ewing, or Charles Oakley. These guys all spent time on other franchises but no one in their right mind would call them anything other than New York Knicks. They were bread by the Knicks and they look weird in anything other than Blue and Orange, which brings me to the 2008 Celtics argument.

I’ve always complained about Baseball, (for many reasons but) specifically the fact that because of the lack of a salary cap, big market teams simply go out and buy players. That’s fine. Those teams use their resources as best they can to build a winner, but how much of an emotional connection do Yankees fans have to Johnny Damon? It’s an inherent problem with free agents in general, they are essentially mercenaries, and mercenaries will never be as lovable as home bread players. In the summer of 2007 the Celtics completely remade their team. Trades brought Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Free agent signings brought in everybody else. Out of the fifteen roster spots on an NBA team only six were filled by returning players in 2008. At the start of the 2007-2008 season nine out of fifteen players were brand spankin new. Sixty percent of the Celtics were new faces. As much as I’m sure Boston fans loved seeing them hoist the trophy at the end of the finals, apart from Paul Pierce, how emotionally connected were they to those players?

I would love Lebron to come to NYC, and if he does come, along with a Bosh or a Boozer and they go far into the playoffs I will be more happy than I’ve been since June of 1999, but it won’t feel the same. I’ll feel kind of dirty like I just went out and paid for a hooker. In 1999 I felt like I had drafted a hooker in 1985 and she was finally giving me that blow job she’d been promising me (of course she’d leave me with blue balls, but that’s another story). What I’m saying is this, I would love to have Lebron come in and save New York basketball, but even if he comes in and wins a title right away, he’s gonna have to earn the label of greatest Knick of all time, because the Captain’s shadow isn’t going anywhere. (Lebron’s elbow? Pah-leeeese! Reed took Wilt Chamberlin out of the game on a broken foot!)

2. The Villain Argument

Cleveland… oh Cleveland. This video can sum it up way better than I ever could. The thing is I, like most people, just feel bad for Cleveland. At least other dying industrial cities have some bright spots. Detroit can look back on history. They have the bad boys, the 2004 finals upset, Motown, Eminem. Cleveland has…Drew Carey? Their history is filled with depressing sports collapses, Michael Jordan miracle shots, Brad Daugherty’s back, and the fact that it’s fucking Cleveland.

All that said, I’m just not sure I’m ready for New York to be vilified in the media once again. It would simply be a BS story about how the big bad city shat on the sad pathetic people of Cleveland and yet again destroyed their only hope of having a reason not to kill themselves. Wherever Lebron goes is going to be the enemy of the state of Ohio for years to come, and if it’s New York the media will pay no attention to the scores of Knicks fans that have been in pain since 1973. New York is supposed to be a basketball mecca, yet it can’t seem to put a winning team together. We’ve spent enough time being the doormat of the NBA, I don’t want us to spend the next ten years being the villain.

3. The Winner Argument

This argument is a weak one so I won’t spend too much time on it. Many people stated questioning Lebron’s competitive spirit after these playoffs. I’ve heard commentators call him the second coming of Dominique Wilkins. Bill Simmons said that Lebron is more like Dr. J than Jordan or Magic. They say maybe he just isn’t a “winner” like Jordan, Magic, Bird, or Kobe. This argument seems like it might be true considering how Lebron’s playoff trips have turned out the last few years. But all you have to do to debunk this argument is to look at his supporting cast. When Lebron is not carrying his team single handedly who can pick it up? Mo Williams? I don’t think so. The Cavs have no one else. Jamison is a classic big numbers on a bad team guy. Shaq and Big Z are clinically diseased. Varejao can’t shoot. Lebron’s team sucks. The 2004-2005 Lakers had a comparable team. Kobe had two “all-star” talents in Caron Butler and Lamar Odom, a bunch of role players, and over the hill vets just like Lebron. They won 34 games and missed the playoffs altogether. Lebron just needs to find his Pippin. Kobe has found his. Once Lebron joins forces with a real second banana, this stupid argument will die.

Conclusion: After all is said and done I will still gladly fight any member of the Cleveland City Hall in a thunderdome two-men-enter-one-man-leaves cage fight to the death for the right to have Lebron on the Knicks.

The Knicks of 2010-11:

C- Earl Barron
F- Chris Bosh
F- Lebron James
G – Ray Allen (mid-level exception)
G – Tony Douglas
Bench: Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Bill Walker

This may not be a championship contender, but it’s a damn good start, and once Eddy Curry’s contract comes of the books in 2011 we’ll be able to fill this team out with the Horace Grant/Derek Fisher/Robert Horry players that LBJ has never had, and then everyone can shut the door on Isaiah Thomas forever, and all the posers who live in Middle America, but are still Yankees fans can start buying Knicks gear and making it all the more inevitable that the Knicks stop caring about luxury tax altogether and Chirs Paul, Lebron James, and Chirs Bosh all play in NYC in 2013.

March Sadness: An NBA fan reacts to the College phenomenon

2010-03-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

The NCAA Tournament is usually a good time, however this year I can't help but feel sad every time the name John Wall is mentioned. All I think about is how the spirit of Isaiah is still haunting me. If we somehow got the number one pick only to see John Wall back up Deron Williams in Utah. The thought terrifies me.

Another reason that March Madness leaves a bad taste in my mouth is the fact that as fun as it is to watch, It's not the NBA finals, and that's all I want to see all day every day.

Google “college basketball” and you will find thousands of message boards claiming that college basketball is the only “real” basketball and vilifying NBA players as spoiled brats. The NBA finals has been getting lower and lower ratings since Michael Jordan retired, while the NCAA championship game has been getting higher and higher ratings. Over the past seven years the average Nielsen Rating for the NBA finals has been a 9.0, while the NCAA finals has been over twice as high with a 23.4. Yet, despite the apparent superior popularity of college basketball, the NBA should be acknowledged and respected as the superior display of basketball as well as entertainment. (continue this at the original post)

First Post of the New Era

2010-03-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

So it's not technically the new era in any real way. In fact it's the middle of the NBA season, but now that I have a blog I feel like the world is as it should be. Now finally the thoughts of a 22 year old, with no organized basketball experience and no connection to anyone in the media or on the "inside," can finally be heard.

It's true I have never played basketball in any organized setting, but just because I'm a short, white, unathletic kid from New Jersey, doesn't mean i'm not entitled to my opinion, and I have plenty of them .

I started this blog because I felt there just weren't enough people blogging and i'm trying to make up for that lack by adding one to the thoroughly underutilized internet world.

I have been a Knicks fan for as long as I have known what basketball is. In the 5th grade i was swept up in the glory as Alan Houstan and Latrell Sprewell led the Knicks to become the first ever 8th seed to make the finals. I thought, "hey this basketball thing is awesome, and these Knicks are really cool." If only I could see into the future; to see how much pain and suffering they would put me through over the next ten years. Then maybe I would have become a Yankees fan instead.

As thing have started to look up for the Knicks and I have graduated college with no prospects, I thought since i'm going to have all this free time in my parents' basement, why not start an NBA blog. One from the fan's perspective. From someone so out of the loop he had to steal his roommate's ESPN insider password. Someone who gets his information from the same place as all of you. I cannot provide any insight that Chad Ford or John Hollinger couldn't provide much better. But as a unconnected uneducated fan, what I can do is let the world know what we fans think. So brace yourself world. Brace yourself for the 1,002,324,987th blogger to clog the series of tubes that is the Internet. For I have arrived. Welcome everyone to,

KNICKERBOCKER NATION!