SB Nation - Mardy Collins

10 YEARS OF STIFFDOM: A Decade Retrospective...

Andrew Feinstein — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:04:03 -0000

Who knew that at the beginning of the '00s - with none other than Dan Issel in charge - that the Nuggets would end up having a successful and often thrilling decade? Here's a look back at the last 10 years of Denver Nuggets basketball...

At the conclusion of the 1990s, the Nuggets were in utter disarray. As documented in detail here at Denver Stiffs, this once proud and respected franchise had been turned into an NBA laughingstock thanks to a lethal combination of ineptitude, incompetence, and ignorance. Between 1990 and 1999, the Nuggets made the playoffs just twice and Nuggets fans were forced to endure seasons with win totals under 40 games eight times (including the lockout shortened 1998-99 season in which the Nuggets would likely have "won" about 25 games had an 82-game season been played out). We witnessed five seasons in which the Nuggets won less than 24 games, and in 1997-98 the 11-win Nuggets won less games than the Broncos that year.

Making matters worse throughout the 1990s, the Nuggets never caught a break. Even though they participated in eight NBA Draft lotteries, twice sported the worst record in the NBA (1990-91 and again after that infamous 1997-98 campaign) and had a bottom-four record five total times, the highest pick they were ever rewarded was third (which Issel promptly screwed up by drafting Raef LaFrentz over Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki and Antawn Jamison). We missed out on all the game-changing draftees of the 1990s: Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Webber and Tim Duncan. And a freak knee injury sustained by rising star LaPhonso Ellis in 1994 would prove to be the undoing of the Nuggets only good team of the decade: the 1993-94 squad that had just stunned the NBA world by beating the number-one seeded Seattle Supersonics in the playoffs before taking the Utah Jazz to seven in Round 2.

But make no mistake about it, the Nuggets problems throughout the 1990s were self-inflicted. Cartoonish figures such as Peter Bynoe, Bertram Lee, the Comsat "Corporation," Paul Westhead, Bernie Bickerstaff, Allan Bristow and finally, Issel, made every wrong/bad decision possible, leaving the Nuggets organization in tatters until Stanley E. Kroenke rescued the franchise in 2000 with his purchase of the team. Upon arrival, Kroenke made it clear that he wanted to win and win now, and thus set in motion a series of events that produced one of the better decades in franchise history...

2000-2001 (40-42, no playoffs)

In an increasingly tough Western Conference, the Nuggets remarkably won 40 games but were still seven games off the eighth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. While a 40-win season would normally be a good thing having come off a 35-win season, team "president", "head coach" and dictator Dan Issel had already mortgaged the Nuggets future by sending away numerous first round picks in order to build that 40-win team.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Antonio McDyess

Coming off a gold-medal winning performance in the Sydney Olympics, McDyess was a stud in 2000-01. The quiet, dignified power forward averaged 20.8 ppg, 12.1 rpg and 1.5 bpg and even made the All-Star team.

Stiff of the Year: Dan Issel

The aforementioned Issel had previously (and foolishly) traded away the Nuggets own first round picks for 1999, 2000 and 2001 - all lottery picks, mind you - and after an assortment of complicated, even more stupid deals, for those picks he essentially brought back Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Kevin Willis (on the very wrong side of his career), Voshon Lenard and Tracy Murray. But that was just off-the-court. On-the-court, Issel was a tyrant with his players and the refs. At one point, his players were so fed up with the way he was treating Raef LaFrentz (a draft bust of Issel's own making) and others, that point guard Nick Van Exel led a player boycott of practice.

2001-02 (27-55, no playoffs)

After years of overpaying for mediocre players and parting with valuable first round picks in exchange for nothing, the wheels finally came off the Issel Administration and the Nuggets fell apart in 2001-02, precipitated by a major knee injury to McDyess that caused him to miss all but 10 games of the season. Prior to the season starting, Kroenke - either sensing that Issel had too much power, was too incompetent or both - astutely hired Kiki Vandeweghe as GM to a five-year contract.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Kiki Vandeweghe

After Issel "resigned" the day after Christmas (more on that shortly), Vandeweghe gutted out the roster and made a controversial move that would put the Nuggets on the path of success they still enjoy today. Knowing the Nuggets were going nowhere with the expensive roster he inherited, Vandeweghe boldly shipped out Van Exel, LaFrentz, Abdul-Wahad and Avery Johnson (another overpayee thanks to Issel) to Dallas in exchange for Juwan Howard, Tim Hardaway, Donnell Harvey and a future first round pick. When the Nuggets eventually met the Mavericks in the 2009 playoffs second round, I detailed how that major trade actually brought the two once dormant franchises together.

Stiff of the Year: Dan Issel

"Go drink another beer, you Mexican piece of shit!" Those nine words - uttered by Issel towards a heckling Hispanic Nuggets fan after a December 10th loss to the Charlotte Hornets - were exactly what Kroenke and Vandeweghe needed to kick Issel out the door. Issel, a Nuggets legend as a player, had built up so much great PR in the community (he still has some...note Woody Paige's ludicrous suggestion that the Nuggets bring Issel back to the organization last year) that he would have been tough to fire otherwise. After serving a four-game suspension, Issel "resigned" on December 26th, 2001 and unfortunately for Issel, things haven't exactly worked out for him since.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: Tim Hardaway

Unlike Howard who - knowing playing in Denver would be a brutal, losing situation - accepted the trade to the Nuggets and behaved like a total professional during his time here (it helps when you're getting paid $18.8 and then $20.1 million per season!), Hardaway was a petulant, angry brat who never got over leaving Dallas where he was hoping to gravy train his way into an NBA Championship. After starting 14 games for the Nuggets, Hardaway unleashed his anger on a TV monitor by throwing it onto the floor and getting himself suspended two games.

2002-03 (17-65, no playoffs)

Entering the 2002-03 NBA season, Vandeweghe purposefully compiled the worst roster in modern NBA history in hopes of tanking enough games to win the first pick in the draft (knowing that on the horizon was one of the better drafts in NBA history). The Nuggets starting back court of Vincent Yarbrough and Junior Harrington couldn't crack a 14-man roster the following season, and the rest of the roster was littered with names you already don't remember. Armed with two lottery picks - thanks to a great trade that sent McDyess to New York in exchange for Marcus Camby and the Knicks lottery pick - Vandeweghe drafted Nene and some skinny kid from Georgia, and I'm not talking about the university (more on him shortly).

Non-Stiff of the Year: Jeff Bzdelik

In spite of being dealt the worst hand ever dealt a coach in modern NBA history, rookie head coach Jeff Bzdelik refused to make excuses, worked his ass off and was able to get 17 wins out of our Nuggets. I'd argue that was 17 more wins than they should have had and Bzdelik should have gotten Coach of the Year consideration. The Nuggets were awful talent-wise, but they played harder than their opponent almost every night.

Stiff of the Year: Nikoloz Tskitishvili

Drafted fifth overall out of the Republic of Georgia, "Skita" has since gone down in history as the worst fifth overall pick of all time (and believe me, there have been some bad fifth overall picks). Given ample opportunity to succeed in his first season, Skita - listed at seven-feet tall - shot 29.3% from the field as a rookie. At a game in Los Angeles against the Lakers, I once saw Skita shoot a wide open shot in which the ball hit the shot clock first before getting anywhere near the backboard or rim.

2003-04 (43-39, 1-4 in the playoffs)

A full 10 years after upsetting the Sonics in the playoffs, the Nuggets finally got their act together and Coloradoans cared about basketball again. Unable to shake the Nuggets streak of bad luck with the Draft Lottery, Vandeweghe got lucky nonetheless thanks to Detroit GM Joe Dumars' stupidly drafting Darko Milicic (i.e. Skita 2.0), leaving Syracuse star/stud Carmelo Anthony available with the third overall pick. And with Howard's giant contract coming off the books, Vandeweghe was finally able to spend Kroenke's money. Free agent signees Andre Miller, Jon Barry and Earl Boykins joined Melo, Nene and a healthy Camby. Under Bzdelik's stewardship, the Nuggets won 43 games and put up a respectable fight against the Timberwolves in the playoffs first round. As fans, we were happy just to be in the playoffs!

Non-Stiff of the Year: Carmelo Anthony

For the first time since Alex English last donned a rainbow jersey, the Nuggets had a perennial All-Star caliber player in Melo. As a rookie, Melo averaged 21 ppg and 6.1 rpg while giving fellow rookie phenom LeBron James a run for the Rookie of the Year Award. But more importantly, Melo led the Nuggets back to the postseason in a hyper-competitive Western Conference, whereas LBJ couldn't do the same in Cleveland in the weakened Eastern Conference.

Stiff of the Year: Rodney White

Playing for his next contract after his rookie deal was due to expire in two seasons, White gave the Nuggets next-to-nothing in 2003-04 even though he appeared in 72 games and received 14 minutes of playing time per game. Just a few years removed from being the ninth overall pick to Detroit (ahem...Joe Dumars again), White would be out of the NBA completely after the 2004-05 campaign. But hey, at least he was nominated for the Denver Stiffs Hall of Fame!

2004-05 (49-33, 1-4 in the playoffs)

Wanting to build upon the Nuggets newly found success (and at Kroenke's alleged insistence), Vandeweghe spent the entire 2004 offseason shopping for a big name free agent to bring to Denver. After being turned down by Manu Ginobili and Brad Miller, Vandeweghe panicked and got duped into sending three number one picks to New Jersey for Kenyon Martin in a sign-and-trade deal. K-Mart's price tag? $90 million over seven seasons. Under immense pressure to win more games, Bzdelik and the Nuggets floundered out of the gate, starting out 13-15 before Bzdelik got sacked and replaced by a former WNBA coach (Michael Cooper) who went 4-10 as coach of the team.

Non-Stiff of the Year: George Karl

Inheriting a 17-25 team loaded with talent but without any direction and big egos to boot, Karl's no-nonsense, "my way or the highway" approach immediately turned the Nuggets fortunes around. With only 40 games to work with, Karl guided the Nuggets to a 32-8 record (the best in NBA history after a mid-season coaching switch) and had the Nuggets playing the best basketball in the NBA down the stretch of the regular season.

Stiff of the Year: Kiki Vandeweghe

By acquiring K-Mart, Vandeweghe essentially panicked while throwing away all of the salary cap flexibility he had worked so hard and smartly to cultivate. But worse than that, Vandeweghe was eerily silent while Bzdelik was left to twist in the wind as the Nuggets struggled early in the season. Vandeweghe never publicly defended the one man willing to coach the dreadful 2002-03 roster that Vandeweghe had assembled, and Kiki made matters worse by bringing in Cooper to take over as head coach. The Cooper hire cost the Nuggets a higher playoff seed.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: Carmelo Anthony

Melo couldn't stay out of trouble in 2004. First, he was cited for marijuana possession at DIA that his cousin conveniently took the blame for (the old "that wasn't my pot!" excuse). Second, he feuded with Olympic coach Larry Brown in Athens and found himself benched on the 2004 Team USA that embarrassingly finished with a bronze medal. Third - and perhaps the worst/dumbest - Melo was caught on a "Stop Snitching" DVD in which alleged drug dealers explain what happens to people who cooperate with the police. Melo didn't improve much on the floor, either, and found himself (rightfully) in Karl's doghouse early and often.

2005-06 (44-38, 1-4 in the playoffs)

Unable to build off the team's incredible run under Karl to conclude the previous season, injuries ravaged the Nuggets and they limped their way to a 44-38 record. K-Mart and Camby missed 26 games apiece and most tragically, Nene succumbed to the Nuggets power forward curse and was lost for the season with an ACL and MCL tear after just one game. At the time, the Nuggets marketing and PR team spun the season as as success under the guise of "Northwest Division Champs" and that the Nuggets were a three-seed entering the postseason. But this was before the NBA properly seeded division winners who have mediocre records. The Nuggets were such a weak three-seed, that the Clippers purposely tanked games to face them in the first round...and when they got their wish, the Clippers clocked the Nuggets in five games. Oh, and that was the Clippers only playoff series win since becoming the Clippers in 1978. Overall, the season was a mess from from the top down (as chronicled in detail at the time by the Denver Post's Thomas George). Vandeweghe would be let go at season's end and was replaced by Mark Warkentien (and eventually Rex Chapman, too). Dysfunction, egos and injuries had set the Nuggets back a few steps.

Non-Stiff of the Year: (tie) Carmelo Anthony and Andre Miller

Melo and Miller played in 80 and 82 games, respectively, and carried the Nuggets in 2005-06. Melo improved his scoring average by over six points per game and his field goal percentage went up, as well. Miller - the modern day NBA "iron man" even if he doesn't condition well in the offseason - was a steady hand as always, starting in all 82 games and dishing out over eight assists per game.

Stiff of the Year: Kenyon Martin

Recovering from microfracture surgery and frustrated by knee tendinitis, K-Mart was pretty surly for much of the season and was morphing into a locker room cancer. He allegedly didn't get along with coaches or teammates (according to George's article, K-Mart's teammates questioned his commitment to recovery and work ethic) and it all came to an ugly head during halftime of Game 2 at Los Angeles, when K-Mart went at it with Karl and several teammates. K-Mart was benched for the remainder of the game and eventually su spended for the duration of the series.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: Reggie Evans

As perhaps a microcosm of the dysfunction and lack of respect for the game that was taking over the Nuggets, "The Joker" grabbed Clippers center Chris Kaman's testicles while fighting for a rebound during Game 1 of the Clippers series.

2006-07 (45-37, 1-4 in the playoffs)

In spite of it being K-Mart's turn to succumb to the Nuggets power forward curse (he would play just two games all season) and losing their first three straight games by a total of five points, the Nuggets would win 12 of their first 21 games with Melo playing the best basketball of his career. That all changed abruptly on Saturday, December 16th, 2006. In New York facing the Knicks (who had embarrassingly beaten the Nuggets in Denver in Game 3 of the season), the Nuggets found themselves up 19 with 75 seconds to go. Karl - alleged by some to want to rub the victory in Knicks coach Isiah Thomas' face (Thomas had recently sandbagged Karl's good friend Larry Brown) - left his starters on the floor, prompting Thomas to send in his "goon squad" and make the Nuggets pay. What began as a hard, unnecessary, dangerous, around-the-neck foul on J.R. Smith by the Knicks' Mardy Collins erupted into a full-scale brawl...culminating with Melo's cheap shot punch on Collins. Melo would be suspended 15 games and Smith 10, prompting Nuggets management to attempt to salvage the season by bringing in super star guard Allen Iverson from Philadelphia in exchange for Miller, Joe Smith and two first round picks. Little did we know that the fun was just beginning.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Allen Iverson

Welcomed with open arms by Nuggets fans and his new teammates, Iverson made an immediate impact on the Nuggets (on and off the floor, in good ways and bad). But with Melo out 15 games, Iverson was able to keep the Nuggets afloat and competitive almost by himself. When Melo and Iverson finally got to play together for a long stretch, the Nuggets reeled off nine straight wins and 10 of 11 to finish out the season strong as the hottest team in the NBA.

Stiff of the Year: Isiah Thomas

In addition to sinking the Raptors as an incompetent vice president, sinking the CBA in a summer as an incompetent commissioner and sinking the Knicks as an incompetent president/coach/alleged sexual harrasser (hell, Isiah was an incompetent broadcaster, too), Isiah would sink the Nuggets season in one fell swoop by commandeering his players to take out the Nuggets starters in that game.

Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: (tie) Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith

Even though Isiah "started it," Melo and J.R. were unable to keep their heads cool and unnecessarily exacerbated an already ugly situation, ruining the Nuggets entire season as a result.

2007-08 (50-32, 0-4 in the playoffs)

Entering 2007-08, the Nuggets would finally have a training camp with their full roster participating from the get-go. With Melo and Iverson having ample time to play together, optimism in Denver was higher than it had been since entering the 2004-05 campaign. So high was the optimism, in fact, that Kroenke had over $83 million invested in the team's payroll (second or third highest in the league at the time) and Melo and K-Mart started floating out "60 wins" as a realistic goal. But even with Iverson appearing in all 82 games, Camby playing 79, Melo 77, K-Mart 71 and vast improvements seen in the games of bench players J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza, the Nuggets weren't able to secure a playoff spot (an eighth seed no less) until the 79th game of the season with a big win at Golden State. As an eighth seed, the Nuggets got worked over by the Lakers in an embarrassing four-game sweep: a series which saw Melo bark at Karl "don't just sit there!" and the benching of Iverson early in Game 3 that didn't go over well. Prior to the Nuggets final regular season game, Melo would get arrested on suspicion of a DUI. It became evident that the A.I. experiment was an expensive failure.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Nene

After being diagnosed with testicular cancer and undergoing surgery to remove his right testicle, Nene remarkably returned to play again on March 27th against the Mavericks, giving the Nuggets a much needed emotional boost that helped them secure a playoff spot down the stretch.

Stiff of the Year: George Karl

Stuck in an admittedly tumultuous and difficult situation, Karl spent much of the 2007-08 sitting on his hands during games while the Nuggets unraveled on the court. While the Nuggets head coach got called for just one technical foul all season (second to last in the NBA), his players finished in the top two in personal fouls, technical fouls, flagrant fouls and ejections. The inmates were running the asylum as Karl's coaching record in Denver got extended to a paltry 3-16 over four years. Karl would later admit to SI.com that "...the last couple of years, I was confused." Watching Karl's Nuggets routinely take nights off that season, so were we.

2008-09 (54-28, 10-6 in the playoffs)

Disappointed with his lack of return on investment, Kroenke gave an edict to management to slash payroll during the 2008 offseason. Camby would be shipped out to the Clippers in exchange for a trade exception, coach and fan favorite Eduardo Najera would not be re-signed, Iverson's contract wouldn't be extended and things were looking grim entering the 2008-09 campaign. But what loomed as a disaster instead became a season of reformation and rejuvenation. Karl came into training camp as "Fiery George" again, Melo won a gold medal with Team USA and learned a thing or two from Kobe Bryant on what an NBA work ethic really is and K-Mart, fully healthy, came into camp with an apology to his coach and teammates and a vow to work harder and play better. With former NBA castaways Chris "Birdman" Andersen and Dahntay Jones added for next-to-nothing (by NBA salary standards) and Nene in real basketball shape for the first time ever, the Nuggets were quietly confident that they had a special season on their hands.

The lone chink in the Nuggets newfound armor would be Iverson who, upset by not receiving a contract extension, showed up to camp out of shape and several steps slow. Remarkably, Nuggets management was able to pull off one of the great trades in Nuggets history by shipping Iverson to Detroit for Chauncey Billups. By adding Billups to a roster primed to take off, the Nuggets would shock the basketball world by tying a franchise record with 54 wins and going toe-to-toe with the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Simply put, it was the greatest full season of Nuggets basketball since the 1984-85 Nuggets made it to the conference finals and hopefully a sign of more good things to come in the decade ahead.

Non-Stiff of the Year: Chauncey Billups

The Denver-born Billups - who had been cast off by Issel years earlier without ever given a fair hearing as a Nugget - immediately proved to be the perfect leader for the Nuggets. Coming off six consecutive conference finals appearances with the Pistons, Billups would make it seven when he led the Nuggets there.

Non-Stiff of the Year Runner-Up: (tie) Nuggets Management and George Karl

After years of placing talent over character, the Nuggets GM "troika" of Warkentien, Chapman and team adviser Bret Bearup had assembled a roster stocked with good character guys and also deserve credit for not panicking after the 2008 playoff debacle. Warkentien would be rewarded with the NBA's Executive of the Year Award, but it should have been shared by all three guys. Karl, meanwhile, turned in one of his finest performances as an NBA head coach while bridging whatever gap had existed between him and his mercurial stars Melo, J.R. and K-Mart.

Stiff of the Year: Allen Iverson

The NBA will soon be announcing their "All Decade Team" and it will be fascinating to see if A.I. makes the squad. One of the greatest players of the decade, Iverson ultimately proved to be a bad fit for the Nuggets and a bad influence on Melo and J.R. This became painfully clear when the Pistons imploded after bringing Iverson on board in exchange for Billups.

Overall, the '00s were a great decade for Nuggets basketball: six straight playoff appearances, two 50-plus win seasons, All-Star players and thrilling performances (how many game-tying and game-winning shots has Melo made?!). And while it would have been nice to see a few more playoff series victories prior to last season, the memories of the Bickerstaff and Issel Administrations are still prominent enough for me to appreciate what's been going on recently.

Fortunately for Nuggets fans, four of our best players - Melo, J.R., Nene and rookie Ty Lawson - still have many seasons ahead of them and hopefully will remain in a Nuggets uniform into the next decade. At the very least, we're guaranteed that the new decade starts out reasonably well and it will be fascinating to see where this franchise is standing in 2020.

Thanks for the memories and Go Nuggets!!

Photos courtesy of AP and NBAE/Getty Images

Why the NBA isn't Tough Anymore

aramnath — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:31:07 -0000

More photos » by David Liam Kyle - NBAE/Getty Images

Don't blame Lebron for dancing, blame David Stern and the excessive suspensions in place if players tried to police the game themselves. (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)

Browse more photos »

"If a guy was doing the Riverdance like that, coach would come over and say, 'Who's got the fewest amount of fouls of my big fellas?' " said ex-Celtic and TNT analyst Kevin McHale. "If you raised your hand, he would say, 'We will let him drive and then we will throw him on the ground.'

"When he is laying there we would say, 'Do you feel like dancing now?'

"And that pretty much solved the dancing problem."

Let's imagine that what McHale said would happen back in his day took place today. To begin with, both teams would pretend to actually want to fight, but since since fights never happen in the NBA nobody would actually do anything. The reason why a fight has almost no chance of happening is because of the heavy suspensions that is now imposed on any sort of slightly physical play.

Any time there's any kind of physical play, there is an immediate reaction that a flagrant foul needs to be called and then announcers usually will say something like "there's no place for that in the game". Well if there's no place for that in the game then you can't really complain about guys showboating and you should expect Lebron to continue his "Riverdance" (Kevin McHale you were a horrible GM, but that was slightly redeeming).

It's gotten to the point where a guy like Kendrick Perkins is considered a tough guy. Bitch please. Oakley would slap Perkins silly and not one player on the Celtics would be man enough to step to him (I'm looking at you wannabe thug Paul Pierce, throwing up the B against the Hawks). If you think I'm joking go watch some clips of the early 90's Knicks. Yeah, we never won a championship, but if you had to choose one team in the history of the NBA in a fight, you would choose that team because we had Oakley and Mason. Do you really need anybody else?

When players could settle things on the court like that, you didn't have these problems. That's why you never saw Jordan, Bird, Magic, Dr. J or any other great player dancing around on the court. Back then if you were talking trash and trying to show a player up, you better believe your ass was going down hard whenever the opportunity presented itself.

The league was obviously tougher when you allowed the players to police it themselves. Ever since the Malice in the Palace the league has become excessive in its punishments of players involved in fights or any physical play that could lead to confrontation. Remember the last "fight' in the NBA between the Knicks and Nuggets?

There were maybe 3 punches thrown, followed by Carmelo's bitch slap and run (seriously just look). The suspensions in comparison to the fight were insane. Melo got 15 games for his slap and both Nate Robinson and J.R. Smith were hit with 10 game suspensions for their wrestling match. Then after the fight we had to hear about how this was such a disgusting act that tarnished the game and that "there's no excuse for behavior like this".

If the blame should go anywhere for Lebron's dancing and the less physical brand of basketball we watch today, look at David Stern and the league office.

So, I guess Donnie Walsh was serious about that 2010 thing.

Seth — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:15:47 -0000

Sweet Buck Williams' britches, what a day. In one rotation of the earth, Donnie Walsh swiftly and mercilessly cut payroll and changed the face of our team. The most recent news is still fresh out the oven, but here's a quick look at what seems to be the case:

New York Receives: Al Harrington, Cuttino Mobley, Tim Thomas

Golden State Receives: Jamal Crawford

Los Angeles Receives: Zach Randolph, Mardy Collins (maybe)

That's over $25 million dollars of cap relief in the summer of 2010. It's also the team's two leading scorers (about 40 ppg combined), and one of the league's best rebounders both out the door. Tomorrow will be dedicated to saying farewell to Crawford and Randolph, two players with mixed legacies in New York- both deserving some attention as they board planes to California.

Meanwhile, what does this mean for this season's Knicks, who are a respectable 6-5 heading into tonight's contest in Milwaukee? Well that's two starters scratched. Stephon Marbury has been activated for tonight's game, but I doubt we'll actually see him. For the time being, expect Quentin Richardson to slide down to the 2 spot while David Lee steps into the starting lineup. Or Robinson/Roberson may plug the string-bean shaped hole vacated by Crawford for the time being.

That's the near future. What are the other, long-term implications?

- The Knicks are even farther away from having a frontcourt. Al Harrington's game is Randolph-esque, but with more threes and far less rebounding. The Knicks may need to start Herb Williams at center for the next two seasons.

- On the other hand, David Lee fans can rejoice that our hero's resigning has become more feasible. Or we can live in fear that Walsh is ready to pull the trigger on anybody, and that Lee is an asset to be packaged as the cherry on top of a foul contract later this year.

- Cuttino Mobley is a decent basketball player, but has nothing to contribute besides some shooting, and may never sign another NBA contract.

- Walsh's pickup of Tim Thomas represents some degree of ignorance for Knicks history. If he was trying to erase the legacy of Isiah Thomas, then resurrecting one of Zeke's most perverted acquisitions wasn't the way to go. I understand that he's an expiring deal, but I'd rather just pay the Clippers $12 million for some Universal Studios gift certificates or something. I don't need Tim Thomas back in my life.

- Last, and far from least, is the fact that Donnie Walsh has unmistakeably made his purpose clear. This team is within an Eddy Curry deal away from being legitimate players for the free agent class of 2010. Quincy Douby is within our sights!

The game has changed my friends. Say goodbye to those above-.500 Knicks who were just starting to convince you. Say hello to a team of young studs and expiring contracts that may drive Mike D'Antoni off the deep end before the dawn of 2010. Get ready for many, many losses interspersed with the occasional runaway win (this team just got much more trigger-happy from downtown, if that was possible), prepare for a few more high draft picks to come, and brace yourself for more idle speculation every time LeBron James eats a slice of pizza for the next 2 years. We're rebuilding in earnest, my friends. This is what we wanted, isn't it?

Mobley and Thomas for Randolph

Steve Perrin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:55:39 -0000

The details, according to Ramona Shelburne, are more or less as we suspected. Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas to the Knicks in exchange for Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins.

When you begin the season 1-9 and are scoring 90 points a game, it's not unusual to make a move. It's what most franchises would do, and frankly, there's a part of me that's very happy that the Clippers were unwilling to accept their slow start. You don't want to panic, but as a long time Citizen of Clips Nation, panic is preferable to their usual ineffectual complacency.

Having said that, I think that the trade value would only have increased for Mobley and Thomas as 2010 got closer. And I'm just not sold that the team got maximum value in this deal. I was pretty convinced that the Knicks were going to have to package the guy with a pick or an asset like David Lee to get rid of him. They said over the summer that they thought they could raise his value by showcasing him in D'Antoni's offense. If that was their plan, it worked perfectly, with the Clippers playing the part of 'yokel rube.'

Zach Randolph is a statistical monster. But he's never been a winner. Of course, Elton Brand's never been a winner either. EB managed to miss the playoffs every year but one, but he was a nice guy, volunteering in the community and making movies in the off season. Z-Bo spent most of his time volunteering in strip clubs.

Here's what's really interesting: the Clippers now have four players on their roster that have, at one point or another, put up all star worthy numbers. In addition to those four, they have second year player Al Thornton and rookie Eric Gordon who both appear to have star potential. There's no lack of talent on the roster.

Obviously we were concerned about chemistry before. There are two ways to look at this trade in that context. Maybe it makes the chemistry experiment all the more likely to blow up in the test tube. Or maybe the situation was already so volatile, that it doesn't much matter that were tossing in another radioactive element. Only time will tell on that one.

Mardy Collins? They guy who laid out JR Smith setting off the Knicks-Nuggets brawl? Really? Why is he in this deal?

Last thought: bearing in mind, as Citizen John R has always pointed out, that mega super stars (like LeBron James or Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire) are unlikely to sign with the Clippers - partly because of their reputation, deserved or not, partly because they are unlikely to look much like a title contender as soon as 2010 - maybe this isn't such a bad idea, even from a forward looking standpoint. Before, you had Thomas, Mobley, Camby, Ricky all expiring in 2010 - you get a ton of cap space, but can you use it? Now, you still have Camby and Ricky (combined $13M in salary) expiring in 2010, and Z-Bo ($17M... ouch, that hurt just typing it) expiring the next year. Basically, you've got major trade chips for a year longer.

Wizards vs. Knicks Game 4 Blog: Analyzing the New York Three Point Attempts

Truth About It — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 21:27:14 -0000

Two things we know: The new New York Knicks like to run under the direction of coach Mike D'Antoni. Second, the Wizards, evident from past history, have epic trouble with guarding the three-point line.

So, this game blog (that I'm watching on DVR today as I went to the game last night) will concentrate on the 32 three point shots the Knicks took last night, and the 13 that they made.

BUT....before I get to that, some very quick observations:

Andray Blatche played fairly well (and under control) at the end of the 1st and into the 2nd....Had a couple nice passes, something we know he can do, some strong rebounds. I especially noticed him being communicative on defense and giving direction to Nick Young....not sure what happened to him in the 2nd half.
Antonio Daniels was not happy about being taken out with about 5 minutes left in the 4th....his body language was clear as he flipped the ball away. I know he's got some pride, but when AD is sucking as much as he is, there isn't much of an excuse for all the negative body language.
Darius Songaila is the only Wizard who did not play.....good, because I don't know if I could have taken the sight of him trying to flap-jack up and down the court, arms flailing, struggling to keep up with everyone else.

Q1

Attempt #1: 11:45: Chris Duhon and Zach Randolph set a double screen off the ball for Jamal Crawford in the corner. Crawford doesn't even come tight off the screen, and cuts right to the 3-point line. DeShawn Stevenson leaves so much space that he is forced to go behind both screens (I don't know why you'd do that against a shooter). Crawford open, pass from Wilson Chandler, MAKE (1-1) 3-0 Knicks.

Attempt #2:11:00: Duhon makes a quick drive to the FT line against Antonio Daniels. Caron Butler steps in to help, but leaves too make space and can't recover to a shooter, Quentin Richardson, MAKE (2-2) 6-2 Knicks.

Attempt #3: 10:33: Duhon drives inside against Butler, Etan helps and the Wiz play good D to stop Duhon, so he makes a bailout pass to Z-Bo beyond the 3-point line, he fires and drains.....can't do much about that. MAKE (3-3) 9-2 Knicks.

Attempt #4: 7:26: The Knicks get the ball in the paint. Randolph is hanging out in the corner for some reason. He gets the ball and fires, and misses....Butler was in the area, but couldn't exactly get out there. Guess the big man has the green light, but the Wizards really can't be concerned with guarding Randolph way out there. Miss (3-4) 13-10 Knicks.

Attempt #5: 7:00: Knicks push after a Wizards make. For some reason, Etan is slow to get down the court, so Butler has to help on Randolph down low....this leaves a lot of space between Caron and Q-Rich.....luckily he misses an attempt three seconds into the shot clock. Miss (3-5) 13-12 Knicks.

Attempt #6: 5:05: Wiz press a little in the backcourt after a made Butler FT....Etan gets caught having to pick up Crawford in the half-court. Chandler makes a brief dribble drive, Crawford fades behind him gets the pass....Etan is in the lane, Butler is there to contest, but....MAKE (4-6) 20-17 Knicks - mismatches are what happens when you press.

Attempt #7: 4:31:Off ball screen by Lee for Crawford...but DeShawn fights through and recovers fairly well...Crawford gets ball from Duhon. Caron steps back off Duhon to help on a potential Crawford drive, but I don't think it was necessary. Ball back to Duhon, and.....MAKE (5-7) 23-17 Knicks.

Attempt #8: 1:59: Wilson Chandler gets a look, but Antawn is in the right position to contest. Miss (5-8) 29-23 Knicks.

Q2

Attempt #9: 11:11: Nate Robinson brings it up court, passes the ball, goes behind the recipient, receives the hand-off....Dominic McGuire leaves too much room and the little man elevates and drains. The Taser contested to no avail. MAKE (6-9) 34-30 Knicks. After the shot, Robinson did the "I Can't Feel My Face" move.....seems like every team is doing that against the Wiz these days...I know Richard Jefferson did it.

Attempt #10: 10:37: Mardy Collins drives baseline. Dominic McGuire turns his back on his man in the corner, Anthony Roberson.....McGuire also fails to play the passing lane....easy pass to Roberson. MAKE (7-10) 37-32 Knicks.

Attempt #11: 5:22: Nick Young gives slight help on a Chandler drive, but leaves himself in position to contest Crawford in the corner from three. Good effort by Young in this instance. Miss (7-11) 47-45 Knicks.

Attempt #12: 4:16: Bad assignment communication in transition....luckily Duhon misses a wide open three from the top of the arc. Miss (7-12) 49-47 Knicks.

Attempt #13: 3:35: Jamison helps on a Duhon drive down the middle, but turns his back on Wilson Chandler. AJ was there to contest Chandler.....no matter. MAKE (8-13) 55-51 Knicks.

Attempt #14: 1:31: Crawford fires from the corner, Jamison is there with a good contest. Miss (8-14) 56-56 Tie.

Attempt #15: 0:02: Dixon is guarding Crawford who stops on a dime and drains a trey in Juan's grill. MAKE (9-15) 64-58 Knicks at the half.

Note: Halftime stats show that the Knicks were 9-16 from deep....I must've missed one.

Q3

Attempt #17: 10:38: Crawford gets a look, but Stevenson is there to make a good contest....airball. Miss (9-17) 66-59 Knicks.

Attempt #18: 10:26: The Knicks have good spacing, the Wizards have bad spacing.....dribble penetration and they forgot about Quentin Richardson....wide open trey. MAKE (10-18) 69-59 Knicks.

Attempt #19: 8:29: Daniels misses. Stevenson goes for an offensive board. Crawford leaks out. Knicks run immediately off the Daniels miss. Butler and Daniels are back. Duhon passes across half-court to Richardson from the 1/4 court mark, ball doesn't touch the floor, Q-Rich hits Crawford unguarded in the corner. MAKE (11-19) 72-63 Knicks.

Attempt #20: 6:22: Crawfod dribbles left to right on Young. McGee is there to help....but Dixon also sinks too far and leaves Duhon wide-open. Miss (11-20) 76-67 Knicks.

Attempt #21: 5:52: Nick Young has a great contest against Nate Robinson in the corner....airball. Miss (11-21) 76-67 Knicks.

Attempt #22: 0:38: Roberson fires in transition, but Dixon is there with his man and a contest. Miss (11-22) 89-86 Knicks.

Attempt #23: 0:00: Robinson misses an open attempt from half-court at the buzzer. Miss (11-23) 89-88 Knicks after three.

Q4

Attempt #24: 9:41: Nick Young gets caught going behind a David Lee off ball screen...Robinson gets a good look, Young makes a decent recovery, Nate misses. Miss (11-24) 95-90 Knicks. Still, Nick needs to go over the screen in that situation.

Attempt #25: 7:45: In transition, Young lets Roberson sneak into the corner, but he misses. Miss (11-25) 99-95 Knicks.

Attempt #26: 7:15: Roberson is hanging in the corner again, this time in the half-court. The Wiz get confused in their zone, or are insistent that McGee protect the basket...so instead of Young going to pick up Roberson, Nick goes up towards Lee at the elbow. The ball changes sides and gets to Roberson...McGee, even with his length, can't get out there in time. MAKE (12-26) 102-97 Knicks.

Attempt #27: 6:41: Roberson in corner....again....Nick Young is kinda there to bother him with a chest tap as he shoots. Miss (12-27) 102-99 Knicks.

Attempt #28: 6:24: Coming down the court, Caron Butler isn't as aware as he could be, gets caught behind a David Lee screen....Duhon misses a wide-open shot (The Wiz are lucky Duhon can't really shoot). Miss (12-28) 102-99 Knicks.

Attempt #29: 5:45: Butler misses a tough layup, Knicks run, have 3 on 2 numbers....Nate Robinson misses a wide open three in the corner. Bullet, dodged. Miss (12-29) 102-99 Knicks.

Attempt #30: 5:11: Randolph sets a ball screen for Crawford. Nick Young goes over the screen and is able to contest the long three attempt. Airball Miss (12-30) 102-101 Knicks.

Attempt #31: 4:39: Then again, keep leave Duhon open and he'll make you pay. Dixon and McGee communicate that JaVale is assigned to Duhon in the corner. Young is assigned to Chandler who cuts in the lane near McGee. Young and McGee both get caught on Chandler and everyone has forgotten about Duhon who moved up from the corner to the wing and nailed a hugh three. MAKE (13-31) 105-103 Knicks.

Attempt #32: 1:45: Crawford pulls up in Nick Young's face off the dribble. Miss (13-32)

FINAL: Knicks 114 - Wizards 108

Uhh....at least the Wizards made the Knicks shoot worse from deep in the 2nd half....4-16. But overall, even Stephon Marbury should smile at the shooting of the Knicks for the game.

Unfortunately, the Orlando Magic are a top 5 NBA team in threes made per game....tonight may not be good for the Wiz.

Knicks 120, Heat 115

Seth — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:26:17 -0000

ESPN won't put up any pictures of people playing basketball, so here's Phil Collins. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

1-0! The Knicks are above .500 for only the fourth time in the last 4 years (thanks Mase). It was very nearly a full-on, feel-good win, but it's never that easy. Some notes on the win:

- Clyde kicked off the season in style, with a full-body black leather outfit. Word has it was borrowed from the "Friday Night" drawer of Mike Breen's wardrobe.

- Our starting lineup is now the "T-Mobile Starting Lineup". What does that mean? Does Mike D'Antoni text "im strting qrich 2nite...lol oopz!" to the MSG producers?

- David Lee is already showing that he's more committed to playing defense. Udonis Haslem's preposterous 10-14 would lead you to believe otherwise, but I promise Dave's getting it together. He put up a workmanlike 16,11, and 5 of his own, too.

- Danilo Gallinari made his rather surprising debut late in the first quarter. He looked pretty shaky and rimmed out a few jumpers, but what do you expect from a man who hasn't played organized basketball since July? The debut lasted only four minutes, but it was terribly exciting to see him on the floor.

- Speaking of terribly exciting, Jared Jeffries was interviewed in a tight-fitting gray and yellow sweater Jared Jeffries shops at Aber-Camby & Fitch.

- Wow, I'm really rusty.

- The first half set the bar for a half of D'Antoni basketball. The Knicks dropped 60 by playing pretty solid defense, pushing the ball, and staying in motion on the offense. Granted, the Heat were pretty cold, but it was a great start to the season.

- The second half was a bit of a drop-off, but in a different way than you might expect. In the preseason, we got accustomed to first-half excitement giving way to second-half drudgery and poor shooting. The third quarter tonight was a refreshing departure from the norm. Save for a few bonehead threes, the Knicks responded to defensive adjustments by pounding the ball inside and utilizing the multiple talents of Lee and Randolph to get looks around the hole. It was in the fourth quarter that things fell apart. Towards the end, Crawford was heaving premature threes, Robinson was over-dribbling, and nobody got back on defense. Miami was able to cut the double-digit lead down to as little as three.

- I don't want to give this too much attention, because we're sure to get some sort of "BENCHBURY!!11" headline from the Post, but Stephon Marbury didn't play a minute in this game. Not one. The likes of Mardy Collins and Malik Rose preceded him off the bench. I trust D'Antoni, but when the team is collapsing in the fourth quarter, Marbury's cool head and sure hands might steady the ship.

- Jill Martin's halftime interview was with Phil Collins and his two little kids. Future poll: Mardy or Phil?

- My girlfriend thinks Donnie Walsh looks like the giant evil booger from the Mucinex commercials. I think he looks more like the grumpy lizard secretary from Monsters Inc.

There can only be one.

- "The one thing you like about Mardy Collins is his size"- Gus Johnson. Don't ever tell me what I like, Gus. Especially if it's Mardy Collins.

- Eddy Curry spent the entire second half icing his knee in the locker room. How he injured his knee on the bench, I can't explain.

- Q-Tip performed pre-game and at halftime. Here's an analogy. '93 Knicks are to Knicks now as '93 Q-Tip is to Q-Tip now. I love Tribe, but...oy.

- Wilson Chandler was everything we want him to be and more. He had a very quiet 17 and 8, canned a couple jumpers, and scrapped all over the glass to get putbacks and loose balls. "Wilson is my homeboy" t-shirts coming soon.

- Dwyane Wade got his 26 points, but was held to 9-24 shooting by a carousel of Knick defenders. Duhon, Richardson, and Chandler all got looks, and Wade looked off the whole night. The fact that he still manages to put up near-triple doubles on awful nights speaks to his greatness. I'll take the win, though.

- The Knicks as a team shot 9-25 from downtown. The number really should've been about 8-21. As I mentioned, Crawford went into his glassy-eyed shooting seizure, jacking up any ball he caught and throwing away a handful of crunchtime possessions. So, Jamal's fourth quarter late-game gaffes aside, the downtown numbers were both reasonable and respectable.

All that said, Game 1 of '08-'09 was a solid glimpse of things to come (hopefully), though there were understandably some kinks in the machinery. It felt great to kick things off with a win. The next game's on Friday, so more on this one tomorrow. Leave your post-game thoughts in the comments.