Anybody else watching the Knicks....

[Déjà Bru]

Some people, many people, say that the only constant through all these years of mediocre to terrible basketball is James Dolan. He is to blame for all ills.

But that's overlooking the fact that the Knicks have been owned by the Cablevision/Dolan family since 1994 and that was a time when the Knicks were consistently good. Also, it must be remembered that they won the division title only five years ago, so they have not always stunk under the Dolans.

If I had to put my finger on it, I would say it is due to the presidencies of Isaiah Thomas (2003-2008) and Phil Jackson (2013-2017). In both cases, Dolan hire former legends who had little or no team executive experience and who were very incompetent, to say the least. It was these two who have given the impression that the Knicks have been bad for a long time even though, with Carmelo Anthony, they did have a winning time in between the terms of these two presidents.

Now we have two men who are not legends, not limelights at all. Perry and Mills may actually be very good at managing this team, now that they will be allowed to quietly take over and run it efficiently. Too bad for Anthony that they were not in charge all along during his tenure, because he may have enjoyed his stay in New York much more than he has.

[Déjà Bru]

At first I was saying "No, No" to a trade of Porzingis for Irving but I just looked Irving up - he's only 25 and a genuine star - I don't know. If the Cavs throw in taking Noah and his stupid salary with him - I don't know.

[TonyJ]

No no no. Kyrie is a shoot first point guard who can't play defense.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by TonyJ

No no no. Kyrie is a shoot first point guard who can't play defense.

OK, thanks for the moral support. I'm with you!

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

At first I was saying "No, No" to a trade of Porzingis for Irving but I just looked Irving up - he's only 25 and a genuine star - I don't know. If the Cavs throw in taking Noah and his stupid salary with him - I don't know.

Originally Posted by TonyJ

No no no. Kyrie is a shoot first point guard who can't play defense.

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

OK, thanks for the moral support. I'm with you!

So, I'm glad the Knicks passed on this opportunity. The envisioned result if they had traded Porzingis for Irving, based on past results: Porzingis develops into a superstar while Irving never again lives up to his potential, does not adjust well in NYC, becomes injury-prone, and/or fades away into mediocrity and obscurity. This way, for once we will see how our own draft decision and investment turns out over time.

[Déjà Bru]

Carmelo is finally gone. Now that it's over, I am surprised to find myself with mixed feelings. Not that I don't think the trade should have been made; far from it. The phrase that keeps coming to mind is, "It should have been better." His career with the Knicks, that is. How this did not work out should be a case study for future general managers.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

How this did not work out should be a case study for future general managers.

Like most of us, I'd say, I am guilty of making pat statements like this without really knowing what I am talking about. Still, it stands to reason and intuition to say what I did. If I were a general manager, I would want to study this history to see what went wrong. It's contained somewhere in this summary:

[Déjà Bru]

Reading more today about the trade and the Knicks' future, I had a flashback of something I will never see again and will not miss at all: Anthony in a Knicks uniform, facing his defender, both hands on the ball, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he decides what fancy maneuver to use while his teammates stand around and watch. All game long, over and over again, perhaps ending with a "swish" but many times with a "clung." Either way, usually not enough to win the game. Nope, I will not miss that scene, ever.

[BaseballMan]

It seemed like the Knicks could never decide what to do with Carmelo on the team. Whether to build a team to fit him or have him fit the team. And Melo didn't seem to adjust much. They should have parted ways a long time ago if it had been possible.

[Déjà Bru]

Well, it's going to be a rebuilding year for sure but you know what? It will be more enjoyable to watch even as they lose more than they win. The expectations will be much lower, of course, and the eye will be to the future.

But above all, as you allude, BaseballMan, we will not be seeing Carmelo Anthony in a Knicks uniform anymore. Nor we will be waiting for mythical basketball god Phil Jackson to magically produce a winner in New York while in reality bungle and mismanage his way out of town.

For those two reasons ALONE, it will be just a bit more pleasant to be a New York Knickerbockers fan this season. Not enough to start up a season-specific thread for them however. This retread thread will continue to do nicely, thank you.

[Déjà Bru]

I know that it's absurdly too early to draw any conclusions but . . . this guy Ntilikina seems to be getting hurt a lot. One thing after another. Plus, he's only 19. Do the Knicks seriously think that he's going to be an effective starting point guard this year?

So, if they have a chance to get Eric Bledsoe in a trade, they should definitely go ahead and do it. I would trade anybody on the Knicks roster right now for him with the exception of Porzingis.

What about trading Ntilikina for him, as a matter of fact?

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

What about trading Ntilikina for him, as a matter of fact?

Of course, it seems no sooner do I say that then this headline appears:

NTILIKINA IS RIGHT AT HOME IN MSG DEBUT

Look, I don't blame myself. Like every other Knicks fan, I am frustrated by years of futility. I'm so hungry for basketball excellence in New York (don't talk to me about the Nets) that I grab onto news like this like a drowning man clutching driftwood:

[Déjà Bru]

Uh, what just happened? I thought I saw a headline about the Knicks beating the Cavaliers by 19 points, in Cleveland. Is it October Fool's Day?

[TribeFanInNC]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Uh, what just happened? I thought I saw a headline about the Knicks beating the Cavaliers by 19 points, in Cleveland. Is it October Fool's Day?

Cavs are the exact opposite of a regular season team. They showed what they can be when LeBron blows it out on Opening Night against the Celtics. But LeBron doesn't do that except on very rare occasions in the regular season. I suspect they will end up like last year sniffing 50 wins-ish.

You shouldn't feel too good. The Nets blew us out too.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by TribeFanInNC

You shouldn't feel too good. The Nets blew us out too.

Was it just LBJ by himself vs. the Nets that night? That would be 50-50 normally - could go either way. Same for Knicks.

[rudel.dietrich]

Porzingis is really good at the whole professional basketball thing.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

Porzingis is really good at the whole professional basketball thing.

It shows you how bad things were getting in that Phil Jackson wanted to trade him.

[Déjà Bru]

Heh, I guess when you are 7-foot, 3-inches, when you dunk the basketball, you look like you are standing flat-footed on the floor, not bothering to jump!

[Déjà Bru]

And no, I am not getting excited yet. Not even close. Sure, three good wins in a row is impressive. Sure, Porzingis is playing lights-out. I am peeking, but not getting excited. Nope, nope, nope.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

And no, I am not getting excited yet.

Hmmm. Trying to remember, though. When was the last time that I read a paragraph like this about the New York Knickerbockers?

EDIT: I just finished the rest of that article. Two additional thoughts:

1. For the last time in this thread, I will mention Phil Jackson's name. What a fool that man was to be thinking about trading KP for various no names just because he felt disrespected. Why ELSE would he have been doing so? My gosh, I am so glad he is gone.

2. It's like a strong breeze has blown through Madison Square Garden, blowing away a poisonous atmosphere that had plagued the place for years. MSG is alive and exciting again.