Anybody else watching the Knicks....

[Déjà Bru]

Are the Knicks on a shopping spree or what? In the space of maybe a week to ten days: Rose, Noah, Lee, and now Brandon Jennings. (Plus, they are re-signing their own free agent, Lance Thomas.)

Don't care that Kevin Durant went to the Warriors. (Well, I do, but the Knicks were never in real contention for him. So, the best thing to say is "don't care" which is the equivalent of saying "nyah, nyah" to make oneself feel better.)

I'm . . . looking forward to this upcoming season? Howzzat?

[Déjà Bru]

Great sports writing:

Not every game has to be a nail-biter. Knicks fans ought to get a blowout. They ought to have a chance to enjoy watching their team romp over a pretty bad team like Sacramento. They should be able to leave the television for a few minutes to tuck their kids in bed without returning to a potential disaster. That day may come, but for now, Knicks fans will have to be content with the fact that their team pulled it together last night in time to defeat the Kings, 106-98, and avert what would have been a colossal collapse.

You would think so, wouldn't you? But not if you are a Knicks fan.

[rudel.dietrich]

Why do the Knicks still have Carmelo? You have a top 15 prospect in Porizingis. Trade Anthony for picks or another young piece and build around him as your center.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

Why do the Knicks still have Carmelo? You have a top 15 prospect in Porizingis. Trade Anthony for picks or another young piece and build around him as your center.

You have my vote! (But, strangely enough, I have never received a ballot from the Knicks . . . ) I would have done that years ago, before Porzingis. Speaking of whom, it might be a bit too soon for Porzingis to be a center, but they'd better not be depending on Noah for much.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

You have my vote! (But, strangely enough, I have never received a ballot from the Knicks . . . ) I would have done that years ago, before Porzingis. Speaking of whom, it might be a bit too soon for Porzingis to be a center, but they'd better not be depending on Noah for much.

There best lineup by far is Kris at center and Carmelo at PF

Rose is looking average and with the way NBA contracts are these days he could be okay. Noah looks completely shot and done as a player.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

Noah looks completely shot and done as a player.

Oh, why would you say that?

Just because people are already starting to talk about his four-year, $72 million contract as the latest Knick "disaster"?

Just because he seems to be always coming down with or recovering from something?

Just because when he does play, is not much of a factor defensively, supposedly the reason why the Knicks signed him? [As of a week ago, "the Knicks were 24th in scoring defense (106.6 ppg), 19th in field goal defense (.454) and 29th in opponents’ offensive rebounds (11.82)."]

Just because the man cannot even shoot free throws, to the point where the team is worried about "Hack-a-Noah" tactics? [As of today, "Noah is shooting an embarrassing 24 percent (6-for-25) from the free-throw line this season."]

Just because people have noticed that a couple of guys named Kyle O'Quinn and Willy Hernangomez play better than him in his absences and that the Knicks are 4-0 in games that he has missed completely?

It's still early in the season but there are Chicago minutes and New York minutes. Noah better start playing better in a New York minute or else Knicks fans are going to be in an uproar. Knicks fans don't have patience anymore, if they ever did, given what has happened in recent history.

Like signing broken-down ex-stars for major money.

[Déjà Bru]

Ho hum. Just another day at the New York Knicks office.

• The Knicks are currently 25th in Opponent Points Per Game.
• "One of the worst weeks under the stewardship of Phil Jackson ended with a no-show performance against the Toronto Raptors as Jeff Hornacek benched his starters midway through the third quarter after they had fallen behind by 38."
• Carmelo Anthony revealed on Sunday that if Phil Jackson doesn’t want him in New York “that’s a conversation we should have.” (Good. Will you go already?)

So the Knicks are halfway through the season and the wheels are coming off even though Phil Jackson spent millions putting this sorry crew together. Kristaps Porzingis is the only thing that he's done right.

Just another year at the New York Knicks office.

[rudel.dietrich]

They need to have a sit down and discuss which teams Carmelo would waive his no trade clause for and then ship him out for whatever they can get.

[Déjà Bru]

The Knicks beat the Celtics last night, 117-106. The lead-in to the article on the game was as follows.

With all the drama and the losing that has engulfed the Knicks, Jeff Hornacek asked the players whether they believed they could get back in the playoffs. Hornacek said their answer was a resounding yes and then the Knicks followed that with one of their best games of the season, and a rare complete one.

I am naive in that I have never played for or coached a professional sports team. Yet, I find that I must ask this question: Why is it that players must be "motivated" to put out their best effort? So, if they are not so motivated let's say 80% of the time, do they lose because they are stupid and lazy?

[Déjà Bru]

I think Jackson is trying to maneuver Anthony to asking for a trade. This whole thing about a Jackson "confidant" writing an article deeply critical of Anthony smells.

Sometime back, Jackson let loose his own critique of Anthony as a ball hog. You don't do that to a star player whom you want to keep in town.

While I'm not very much of an Anthony fan, he deserves better treatment. I admit that I dumped on him myself in the past (see three posts up), I do realize that expecting Anthony to make winners of the parade of bozos that team management has saddled him with since he came to the Knicks (exception Porzingis) may not have been realistic.

Damn, the guy scored a franchise record 25 points in one quarter against the Wizards the other night. Yet, the Knicks lost the game. For whatever reason, THAT is the story of Anthony's career with the New York Knicks.

[Déjà Bru]

The Knicks are reportedly trying to move Carmelo Anthony but are having trouble. Anthony would probably waive his no-trade clause to go to a good team but the Knicks have waited too long. Anthony is over-priced, starting to move past his prime, and now has a reputation as a loser and team non-motivator.

[Déjà Bru]

These are selections from just one newspaper article on one New York Knicks basketball game played last Monday. What is remarkable is that, with all these observations and quotes, there was not much space left to talk about the game itself. Probably, nobody cares very much about that at this point.

The way the Knicks have been playing, you can’t blame Carmelo Anthony if he waives his no-trade clause or blame management if it chooses to explore shaking up the team.

Playing against one of the worst teams in the NBA last night, the Knicks put forth their worst performance of the season. They played with little effort or energy and were humbled by the Lakers, 121-107, at Madison Square Garden.

“That was embarrassing,” Brandon Jennings said. “You can’t coach effort and energy. That’s something we should all have. We all make millions of dollars playing this game, so the least we can do is go out there and play hard every night.”

The Knicks (22-31) were booed loudly several times because of their lack of passion and interest in competing.

“You’ve got to play for some pride,” an angry Jeff Hornacek said. “If you’re just going to come out and just play basketball, then you’re at the wrong level. These teams come in — it’s New York, so they’re going to be ready to play. If you don’t match their effort and their energy, you’re not going to win. Right from the start they outhustled us.”

“That’s the worst we’ve looked all season,” Jennings said.

“I think our mentality, our attitude, throughout the course of the game, approaching the game, I think that has to change,” Anthony said. “Overall, the effort just wasn’t there from the beginning to the end. This was a bad performance.”

“Pride, effort, however you want to put it, it just wasn’t there,” Anthony said. “My word is effort. Coach’s word is pride. It just wasn’t there.”

My opinion is, this is nothing new. This has been a problem with the Knicks for several years now, despite changes in rosters, coaching, and management. It's not about Anthony, as much as it's tempting to pin it on him.

I wonder what it is about the Knicks? Year after year after year of this.

[Déjà Bru]

Heh, Charles Oakley had a meltdown in the Garden last night.

Charles Oakley arrested after altercation at Madison Square Garden | Newsday

The article does not say, but one wonders whether Oakley lost it after having witnessed too many crappy Knicks games. Oakley played his heart out and it must be tough for him to witness these lazy, no-heart pretenders wearing his old uniform.

Rather than escorting him out, the Knicks should have suited him up. Maybe he couldn't play much, but he could still administer some sorely needed teammate butt-kicking.

EDIT: I re-read the end of that article and felt a bit of sadness. Oakley has wanted to get more involved with the organization but for one reason or another, he has not been welcomed to the extent he thinks he is entitled. Whatever chances he had for inclusion are now down the drain with this embarrassing incident. Sad.

[TheMaus2]

When I was listening to sports talk radio, I heard Colin Cowherd talk about how great NBA players are split up into two categories: Players and Scorers. Carmelo fits into the latter.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by TheMaus2

When I was listening to sports talk radio, I heard Colin Cowherd talk about how great NBA players are split up into two categories: Players and Scorers. Carmelo fits into the latter.

Yes. And one scorer is not enough to carry a team. Not even two. Not when your team is scoring, say, 110 and the other team ends up with 125.

[Déjà Bru]

Another thing that is irking me about the Knicks is their zen-president Phil Jackson. He may have been a genius as a coach but as a team executive, he is a Jackass.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Yes. And one scorer is not enough to carry a team. Not even two. Not when your team is scoring, say, 110 and the other team ends up with 125.

Or even when your team scores, say, 123 and the other team ends up with 131, as in the Knicks-Nuggets game last night.

Knicks games are starting to resemble All-Star games!

[Déjà Bru]

Well, the one solace that the New York Knicks have is that they are not as bad as the Brooklyn Nets, who lost their twelfth straight game last night.

Whatever happened to New York City as the Mecca of Basketball?

These are dark decades for Big Apple basketball fans. The other day, Jeff Hornacek said something about other teams being fired up for playing in Madison Square Garden.

The question is, why anymore?

[CONN CHRIS]

Dolan, when asked what he has to say to disappointed fans says "Ask Phil Jackson" and this after he had a day to think things through and still poured more gasoline on the Oakley fire on the Kay show. Man, what a dumpster fire. I feel bad for Knicks fans; this franchise makes the Browns look like a well-oiled machine.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Another thing that is irking me about the Knicks is their zen-president Phil Jackson. He may have been a genius as a coach but as a team executive, he is a Jackass.

A Newsday writer said this:

The Knicks' wild week might have sent up red flags to potential free agents about the direction of the franchise. Until something changes drastically, quality players might be deterred from considering the Knicks. We’re talking about what happened with former Knick and fan favorite Charles Oakley, who was banned from Madison Square Garden on Friday after his physical altercation with security officers during the first quarter of Wednesday night’s Knicks game. Potential free agents have taken notice of team president Phil Jackson’s treatment of Carmelo Anthony as he tries to trade the Knicks’ best player.

I don't think anybody cares about the Oakley incident, but players around the league, I am sure, have noticed the snide comments about Anthony uttered by Jackson himself or planted in blogs by associates. The fool is shooting himself in the foot in the free agent market with his mismanagement.

Much as it's tempting to bring James Dolan into the blame game, I don't think we can do so. He recently and repeatedly stated that he does not involve himself in team management, having yielded it to Jackson when he hired him.

Dolan also said he will honor Jackson's contract to the end, which will be in 2019. If this lethargy punctuated by chaos continues until then, Dolan will look like a genius when he lets Jackson go and hires somebody who knows how to run a basketball team. Hopefully.