Ball don't lie: Knicks suck

You know it's not easy being a knick fan. We used to be strong and fruitful back in the 90's. We all felt we were right on the court because we had teams that over achieved and brought the pain every night. At the end of the year, even after the Starks nightmare game, Charles Smith botch layup attempts, PJ Brown flipping Ward, Ewings finger roll, and all the lost wars against Chicago...(take a breath)...we always felt excited and ready to go to war again because next year was going to be better. We've been through Alot since those days. The Scott Layden and Isiah Thomas years corrupted the whole city of New York. We used to be a strong basketball town, Gangsta actually. Now we come across as forgotten vets from a history long forgotten. In it's wake the city is filled with Alot of corny bandwagon fans that live to suck the life out of the remaining knick fans out there. Since when are there so many fans of our historic rivals? Indiana, Miami and Boston of all teams? It makes you a ashamed to be a new yorker let alone a knick fan. It's so corny how bad it's gotten. Not for nothing the knicks have to take the Blame for this as an organization. Even with the Nets moving to Brooklyn, Alot of fans are repping Brooklyn just to spite the knicks. It's not easy being orange and blue.

What's also not easy is sitting through this Indiana series wondering what the hell was going on.

The team came off a superb season finishing 2nd in the conference. They had a series of ups and downs with injuries and slumps. Those slumps had to do with injuries and had nothing to do with effort. These knicks lost before their time due to lack of effort. That's something that stings more than anything I've seen in the 30 years since I have been following. That's 30 years of memory. There was 10 years that we sucked, but we legitimately were so bad that no amount of effort would have made a difference. This team simply buckled and had no answer for a team with inferior talent. Effort? We talking about EFFORT in my best Ray Lewis voice. That just doesn't sit well with me. I'm a knick blogger....I'll admit it I'm a lazy ass knick blogger, but whatever post i put on here it's me putting forth the time and effort to speak on a subject that doesn't have any benefit to my everyday life. In fact it's detrimental because I could be doing something else constructive with my time. I actually gave up blogging this season out of sheer superstition. I truly believed that my thoughts and words effected the outcome whether it be on the court or injury. That is very psychotic. At the same time guys like Starks, Oakley, Ewing...even Greg Anthony were border line psychotic when they played for us. I don't feel that our current mix of guys are on that same level. Maybe Shump, KMart and Maybe Carmelo....but what about the other guys? We've seen it in spurts from A'mare, Felton, Smith but we need it every night. Even the coach doesn't seemed as locked in as he should. He was thoroughly out coached against a young guy with not even a fraction of the experience that he has. Its just shameful.

Diehard Knick fans from my observation are in a state of shock. We're all demanding that we get rid of everyone that let us down, and bring in guys here that want to walk the line of a psychopath like the rest of us. I have some ideas....I'm back bitches. Read on like the preacher says....

Amar'e and a Dream

Carmelo Anthony takes the heat for all of the teams misfortunes since being traded to the Knicks. Can he play with A'mare? Can he fit the D'antoni system? Can he pass or play defense? Is he really Jeremy Lin's father?  Its pretty much unfair but that's New York and pretty much the main reason Patrick Ewing was the hard ass he was towards the media. When it comes down to it, you play basketball. Watching the Olympics you realize how good Carmelo really is. He's on par scoring wise with the two big dogs Lebron and Durant. He's a great teamate and he is a willing teacher as proven in the video footage of him schooling Blake Griffin. My theory is you can't ask Melo to do much more than that. Can he do much more? Yes and he does, but the root if his game can't change because that's when you run into problems.

This is where A'mare comes into play. A'mare is a man that likes to think he its an alpha male. He wants to be the best. He gave himself the nickname Stat. He went out of guys way to show he had Jewish roots. He wants to be seen and he wants to be great. Problem is he is not great. He is a one trick pony with a history of injury. His success rest on the shoulders if his coach and point guard. He's always been a pick and roll player. If he's not receiving the ball in a high percentage area he is useless. His jumpshot, rebounding and defensive abilities are directly related to him getting successful oppotuitues in the pick and roll. Glen Grunwald went out and got A'mare 3 proven point guards in Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, and Pablo Prigioni. The best gift of all is the challenge his new head coach Mike Woodson presented him. He said A'mare needed to develop a back to the basket game. He prescribed Hakeem the Dream as the remedy. Mike Woodson said the ball will go back inside...essentially that is where it belongs.

Ewing was the last true post presence the knicks have had. Why did Ewing fail to win a championship in New York? It wasnt because he missed a finger roll, got hurt at the wrong time, or the victim of the NBA's leaving the bench rule. It was because in his prime, he never had a guy to give him a break from the scoring load. Bernard King wasn't allowed to prove he can still produce as a Knick. Its one of the a great what ifs in franchise history. Thing is now, history has seemed to come full circle. A'mare in fact needs to assume his role as Patrick Ewing. He already has his Bernard King in Carmelo Anthony. He also has his Charles Oakley sidekick in Tyson Chandler. The stage is set to receive the greatness he desires. The pressure should be on his shoulders to put everything in place because everything should start and end with him.

So we have a Dream. Can A'mare not only learn, but master some post moves to get everything going? In comparison Lebron James took what he learned from Hakim and raised his game to the next level. At the same time, Dwight Howard had the same teachings and applied nothing to his game. In my opinion, A'mare needs a drop step, a spin move with either hand, some pivot moves and Ewings patented fall away after driving across the lane. Can it be done? A'mare is already a gym rat. Could be the biggest offseadon of guys career....and it really needs to be. The knicks time is now.

There are no champions here

In the realm of sports, as soon as you lace up you're sneakers, cleats, or skates you are subjecting yourself to judgment. "You suck", is probably the first thing you hear in the fields of action. What separates the strong from the weak is the determination to get better. What separates that from all else is the heart of the individual. Success is not judged by the pay check. It's judged by your peers, fans and spectators. Your hardest critics should be your family. My son for instance, is trying to destroy me at anything he can. He's only 8 and we have a great relationship but he understands the unwritten rule of sports. Kill or be killed.

Where is the killer instinct with todays basketball players? Im not only talking about the highest paid guys. Just players in general. The greater majority have to be in almost perfect situations to succeed. Alot of times it's opportunity and fit. Alot of times it's lack experience. There comes a time when you have to question a persons heart and how they stand for this thing called pride. It doesn't have anything to do with how many shots a guy puts up in practice or how many rounds of p90x they did in the off season. What matters is, when the sneakers are laced and the ball is tipped, who is going to walk off the court victorious? If the team sucks, each individual has to take that with them. All championship squads had hall of fame talent. That hall if game talent would be nothing without cold blooded role players. Robert Horry, Mario Elie, Derek Fisher, Steve Kerr, John Paxson....Even the clubs that came close had guys that had the heart of a champion just the short end if the stick.

Knick fans out there are out there crying. At the short end of our stick the Knicks have names like X-Man, Oakley, Mason, Starks, Harper, Lj, Sprewell....you know the names. Guys never won a thing but earned the respect of a fan base and their peers that will never be taken away. 
Check the knicks roster after their playoff loss to Miami. Where are your champions? Can you name 3 with a straight face? No matter your opinion of this team....i challenge you to pick out 3 warriors. Not guys that you hope to one day become warriors. Be realistic and you will see what we have to do to improve this team. We are not as close as we thought we were.

Still...the motto is always "go knicks". Show us the pride on the court and the fans will show respect on and off the court.

Off-season starts now for the Knicks

Nothing on the basketball court mattered as soon as Shumpert went down with a torn ACL in game one. That moment was just a testimony for how horrible our team is. It was like the basketball God's smitted the Knicks for thinking they had a "Mobb Deep" bench. Then Stoudamire swings and accidently slices his hand, like he was going walking in the gym dropping 25pts and 10 rebounds a game. It didn't matter if he played or not. Game 3 proved that for the last time. To add insult to injury (baddum bum), Baron completely shatters his knee on a simple drive to the basket. Baron was crowned the savior at the begining of the year. Anyone remember that? Even if Baron stayed healthy...did anyone believe he was going to all of a sudden put on a Golden State Warrior jersey and carry the Knicks on his back (baddum bum)?!?!?

Numero Uno...Landry Fields is a bum. When guys start getting hurt, other guys need to step up. That guy should be Landry Fields. 15pts a game is all I ask. He should already be walking in the gym dropping 15pts a game even with Melo and Stoudamire out there. You just watch him looking for someone to pass it to. You look at him cringe at the sight of contact. You see his broken jumpshot. You see is horrible beard. How can you expect the team to have heart when a major rotation player, a starter, has the heart of a slug. If the Knicks had Mike Dunlevy, Jamal Crawford or anyone else with comparable size and skill to Landry the Knicks would have had a better chance. The Knicks must replace him. The Knicks are not in a position to give guys another chance. We know what we have in him. I would give him a qualifying offer for a million and nothing more. You do not lock him up for more than that. It's roster suicide, unless you plan to trade him.

Numéro deux...Amar'e Stoudamire can't rebound the basketball. He doesn't control the paint unless guys are letting him bully them to the basket. Effort kills Amar'e. Every team has thrown an effort guy at Amar'e and he continued to get killed on the boards. It really doesn't matter who it is. New Oreans, the Bucks....they throw no oame guys out there and they make Amar'e look washed up. I hear alot of excuses from Amar'e, from injuries, to coaching, to the death of his brother. He's got to play his position and control the paint. That's his job. He has to do his job, period. If he can't? They he shouldn't play. How do you fix that? The Knicks must find a back up power fwd that the Knicks can lean on to produce when Stoudamire disappears. You can't put this on the fact he doesn't have a point guard since Jeremy Lin went down. Will a point guard help him rebound? That's the point I'm trying to make with him. Knicks might already have the answer in Josh Harrelson, but they have to play him more minutes.

3號...The Knicks can't go into the year with the future resting on Jeremy Lin's back. Shumpert is going to come back strong. That kid has the heart, determination and confidence to do it. What he doesn't have is the ability to play point guard when Lin is not in the game. His rightful spot is at the shooting guard spot next to Lin. With this said, the Knicks need a proper backup. Mike Bibby deserves brought back after not laying down against Miami. Still the Knicks need a guy that could start on any team in the league if they had to. The Knicks don't have the cap space, but they do have shot at getting guys like Johnny Flynn, JJ Barea or Kyle Lowry due to their injuries, etc. It doesn't have to be them but it has to be someone that could start. I would try to move Landry and the chicken without a head Toney Douglas to get this point guard.

That to me is it. The Knicks need to find Amar'e and understudy, aka a spot starter that can clean up Amar'e's shortcomings. Carmelo Anthony needs another guy to help take the scoring pressure off him. The Knicks need to solidify/strengthen the point guard situation. They simply can't continue on with the limited players they have now.

In Grunwald we trust...

Knicks need to cash in reality check

A'mare Stoudemire was "stat city"....he put the city and the team on his back and said "the knicks are back". It was all good just a year ago.

A'mare ruined his back trying to touch the top if the back in last years series against Boston. This year he punches a fire extinguisher case and almost bleeds to death. He might have seriously ruined his hand in the process. Was he mad because he disappeared against Miami? Is he mad because he can't seem to grab rebounds? Is he mad that Haslem, Bosh and the rest were beating him to every ball? Was he mad he wasnt getting touches?

This is where we are. The reality now is this is Carmelo  Anthony's team. This is not a bad thing. The bad thing is the team is not functioning properly around his talents. Landry Fields is the hands down X factor in this series but the man is scared to death to make an impact on the game other than moving the ball. Knicks need him to drop double figures attacking the rim and making shots. He's been a like a basketball wife, a non motherf'in factor. Poor Chandler has been sick but has been giving more effort than anyone not named Carmelo. Baron Davis had been horrible and the guy everyone has written off in Mike Bibby has been steady at point guard. Jared Jeffries is playing his best basketball right now in short minutes.

With A'mare now out with Shumpert, perhaps the knicks need to utilize a bully in Dan Gadzuric. Dan has a mean streak and will protect the rim and rebound. Toney Douglas needs to be used at shooting guard finally. Shump going down is a sign to play Toney in his natural position as a chucker. Knicks need someone to get hot. Knicks need someone that is going to put someone on the floor when they drive the same way Miami is doing it to them.

Bottom line: Start Melo at the 4 no matter if A'mare its healthy or not.  Landry at the 3. Chandler at the 5. Start Baron and Jr Smith in three backcourt. Put Toney back out there in an instant offense role off the bench. Utilize Bibby more. Let Gadzuric and Jared foul out rebounding and defending.

Protect our house and beat the Heat....we'll deal with A'mare after the series.

Knicks vs. Miami: its only right

I'm to nervous to give an in depth analysis of this prophesied playoff meeting between Knicks and the Heat. Not nervous in my confidence that our Knicks can win the series in 6 games ;-) ....I'm more worried that my words will somehow cause a reign of bad luck and it would be my fault! Ah such is the life of a fan of sports.

I got my gear on and I will be gathered in front of a TV like the rest of you. Let no negative thought cross your mind my good people. Our boys will be ready.

The 5 year season

What a year we've had! Its great to be finished with it and exhale a bit as we prepare for the playoff showdown with the Miami Heat...its almost like it was meant to be. Its only right that the Knicks face off against the three queens(lower case on purpose). After the season we've had? Man listen....

This year was suppose to be D'antoni's year. He was a coach that had a rep for being an offensive genius. He is the offensive coordinator for team USA and had a book written about his philosophy for crying out loud. He was made to play babysitter all these years with the promise that he would eventually get the talent he needs to succeed. 2010 was the year son! Knicks didn't get the biggest prize but they did get A'mare Stoudamire and eventually Carmelo Anthony. To his credit he never had a real training camp with players that were actually in the plans for the future. Kinda hard to win like that. Fans and "experts" killed him daily about his approach especially on defense. The knicks held him down though and brought in Mike Woodson this year as an assistant coach to handle the defense. Its sad though....cuz Carmelo Anthony threw D'antoni under the bus by not playing his hardest. Melo did not want to play D'antoni's style. A'mare, Chandler kept hinting that guys weren't buying in. The only player that could possibly be the culprit was Melo because the rest of the team proved they can win in D'antoni's system.

Anyway, D'antoni was sure to get fired and his body language and babbling in pre/post game interviews suggested that he have up as well. Then came the emergence of Jeremy Lin like a Phoenix rising from the Ashes....Phoenix? How ironic? All of a sudden the system worked again. Is it a coincidence that Melo was hurt at the time? 7 game winning streak...Melo comes back? 6 game losing streak. Disgusting if you ask me. Bam down goes Frazier...I mean D'antoni. Enter Mike Woodson as coach. That was destined to happen as soon as he was brought in. Since he has been the cook stirring the pot, the knicks were 19-8. That's good for second best during that stretch....in the league.....sigh.

What can we do now? Finally we can focus on the task at hand....winning this championship. Knick fans have seen it all. The last 10 years have been hard on the soul. This past season seemed to be the worst yet because we finally have all world talent yet we saw then underachieve. We lost a good 4-5 years to the 2010 plan. This year was suppose to be ours straight out the gate. Everything seems to be in place now. The Knicks are a 7th seed that should be the 3Rd seed at least. We have that lightning in the bottle. We do have the worlds most famous arena....and yes we have the best basketball fans on the planet. We got this....we damn sure deserve it.

Go Knicks!