Back so soon with a Knick commentary? Yeah. Sadly.....yeah.I hadn't intended to write so much about the Knicks at East versus West, but they have turned into the most intriguing disaster since Katrina, and it isn't getting better anytime soon. I mean ANYTIME. Decades.
Why the extra-adrenaline-induced burst of pessimism? Well, it's become so obvious that the players don't care that I don't expect any of them to take the season seriously this year, next year, or anytime for the rest of their Knick lives. Evidence?
1. They've lost 20 of 22.This just doesn't happen in the NBA to teams with former All-Stars. It's not like Marbury and Francis have lost limbs. It's not like they have had microfracture knee surgery. On sheer talent alone on of those guys should have gone off for a 40 point night and single-handedly won ONE game. Even the worst teams win a fluke. I think the saying goes...every dog has his day.
2. They have never shown any guts.When you think of guts you think of guys like Iverson, Jordan, Stockton, Payton, Kidd, Duncan. You don't even have to look that high up on the ladder of NBA greats. Try Oakley, Starks, Terry Porter, Vinnie Johnson...hell...Shane Battier, even.
On a team in turmoil the only way to settle the ship is to get floorburn. A couple of guys have to will victory or suffer death. It's as simple as adopting the warrior mentality. We are not going to f&%ing lose as long as I can walk. If one guy does it, the rest of the team is embarassed not to. When two guys do it you start to compete. When three or more do it, you win. Damn simple. No guts.
3. No leadership either.Stephon Marbury's idea of leadership is cursing out his teammates, questioning their heart, and then coming to practice late. He's a terrible leader. Francis is no better. The report coming out of the press says that a fan heckled Francis and asked him where he was going next. He said, "The bank." which on the surface is a clever-ass line, but hardly the kind of thing a mature ballplayer would say. The malcontent label fits. Jalen Rose has always had leadership potential, but he's far from being the man on this team and his voice will only go so far. Eddy Curry? No comment. Channing Frye? Maybe in a few years when the veterans are either out the door or broken down. Teams with no leadership have cashed it in before they even start the season.
4. Chicken McNuggets an hour before gametime.It sounds like a joke. It sounds a lot like Rickey Henderson playing cards in the Mets' clubhouse. Actually the Knicks are a lot like the high-priced 1993 Vince Coleman Mets, save a firecracker or two. What's more, apparently I'm not the only one to make this analogy.Two unnamed Knicks were eating greasy-ass Mickey-D's before a game. Strictly unprofessional. Top athletes, not named Babe Ruth, regard their bodies with more respect than that. Before a game you need to be focused mentally and physically and you can't do that when you have a stomach full of toxic waste churning your Gatorade into battery acid. Idiots.
5. The Coach has lost his players.Does it seem like anyone is listening? He shits on the players in the papers and then expects them to kiss his ass for the 13 minutes of playing time they get. After a missed shot and a turnover your night is through. If coach would settle on a 7 man rotation and stick with it, the law would be layed down, a few guys would re-focus and start playing, and you'd limit the malcontents to a handful of has beens. I suggest:
Marbury
Francis
Rose
Frye
Curry
plus: Lee and Crawford
Out of the mix are Q.Rich, Woods, Taylor, M.Rose, Nate, Jerome James
Live or die with it. Let them run. They're losing anyway. Let them form a bit of cohesion as a unit. Let the young guys get in the mix. What's the worst thing that could happen? You're giving your lottery pick to the Bulls anyway, right?Where's this kind of fight when you need it?
Mr. East
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