NBA Team Previews: Knickerboxing

New York Knicks Preview

The quest in search of sublime mediocrity after nearly a century of damned disappointment and mockery, the New York Knicks are sluggishly progressing.

 

New York, Madison Square Garden, the epitome of a well-recognized and respected basketball franchise. But the tragedy immediately emerged on September 20th, 2000. The Knicks were a force to be reckoned with in the East-side throughout the 90’s, hitting the playoffs each season was mandatory. The only opposing cancers that prevented the team to form a dynasty were Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller. There was that one season where Jordan was absent from spoiling another Knick’s post-season, New York went on to crawl into the Finals that same season, to then blow it in Game 7 against Houston. These numerous seasons who all ended in turmoil were lead by personal heroes such as Allan Houston, Sprewell, Larry Johnson, Starks, Ward and most notably, Patrick Ewing. Ewing was eventually traded away from the Knicks in September 2000, ending his era in New York, in hopes of finding an alternate roster to push the city further. Ewing’s departure lead to the Knicks never getting past the first round of the playoffs to this day. The root of the seemingly unavoidably dispair wasn’t merely because of the Ewing-trade, but the Knicks front office. With endless erratic headlines surfacing throughout that time regarding coaching swaps (Pat Riley, Jeff Van Gundy, Don Chaney, Lenny Wilkins, Larry Brown, Isiah Thomas) and senseless player transactions (Shandon Anderson, Eisley, Marbury, Francis, Crawford, Eddy Curry, Jerome James, Jalen and Malik Rose, Penny Anderson, Zach Randolph).

The Jabs

All of these moronic moves certainly leave permanent cuts and bruises to the franchise, turning many fans against the organization. But the franchise isn’t completely knocked out of its feet, slowly recovering from Isiah Thomas’ anarchy. The first rebound jab from the Knicks organization came in April 2, 2008, when the team owner James Dolan, signed former Indiana Pacers’ CEO and president Donnie Walsh, to take over Isiah’s role as team president. The second jab came when Walsh fired Isiah Thomas from his head coaching job after the 07-08 season. The firing of Isiah was widely approved by fans of the dying Knicks fanbase. Thomas’ mistakes included his generous contract signing that generated frustration among everyone besides the money-hungry players themselves. Thomas managed to bring expensive players to the team such as Marbury, Crawford, Francis leaving the payroll over a whopping $160 million, while still carrying one of the worst records in the league.

The Hooks

Through all the chaos, there were a few positives that should have Knick-followers attatched to what the future holds. First is, David Lee. Lee is the sole original hustler of this team. His stats have progressed through all three years, last season he averaged 10.8 point and 8.9 rebounds per game, while only starting 29 games. Some other honorable mentions in that nature include, Nate Robinson and Renaldo Balkman. In the 2008 Draft, the Knicks shocked their desperate crowd by selecting 6′9” forward from Italy, Danilo Gallinari. This was a severe thing to grasp for the fans, considering they don’t follow overseas ball, and they wanted a player more reassuring. But it appears that the Italian rookie isn’t going to be such a bad fit for the team after all, adding more athleticism to the stiff players they already have on the floor. Another good hook comes in with the rumors swirling about Stephon Marbuy leaving New York to go play overseas. If true, this clears up some headaches and any distractions for the Knicks. The third hook isn’t major but has its separate tap on history for the traditional Knick fans, the recent acquirement of Patrick Ewing Jr. The Knicks’ trade to bring in Ewing Jr. grabs a healthy amount of positive vibe and some limited happiness for the New York hopeful. The 24-year-old forward stands at a steady 6′8”, 240 pounds, with some small essentials to his game, Ewing Jr. could have his lasting effect on what was his father’s franchise at one point. The strongest hook comes in with the addition of Chris Duhon to the roster. Duhon, a strong floor general with great range and defense will tremendously help this team for the following season.

The Uppercut

The concluding uppercut for the Knicks is the signing of former Pheonix Suns head coach, Mike D’Antoni. The deal leaves D’Antoni as the Knicks’ coach for 4 years for $24 million. The Knicks, a franchise known for they’re attraction towards high-profile head coaches, pulled the trigger quickly, allowing D’Antoni to set up some pieces (Duhon, Gallinari) for his offense before heading into the season. D’Antoni, like many previous coaches, isn’t in the best position for success when trying to encourage this deadbeat roster into a winning attitude before heading into the 2008-2009 season. But his unbelievably strong and strict showings in the past is sure to change everything in New York and give the Knicks the change the franchise craved.