According to ESPNews, D'Antoni has accepted Walsh's offer, and will become the new head coach of the New York Knicks.

Wow...

OK, my official prediction: This deal is going to fall flat in the face of Walsh, D'Antoni and the Knicks. There's NO way D'Antoni is going to last in the Eastern Conference. I'd LOVE to be proven wrong, but the fact of the matter is, he's an offensive coach, and he's going to try and coach an offensive team in a defensive minded conference? It's not going to work, at all. I dare anyone to try and tell that ragtag bunch of guys that they need to shoot MORE! Ugh.

http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/knicks/archives/2008/04/jax_walsh_meet.html

"Walsh is acting a lot like Scott Layden did in his covert operations. And we know how well that reign went."

Umm... yeah, keep up the good "journalism" skills, Marc.

You know, it's not just the fact that he freakin' compared Donnie Walsh to SCOTT LAYDEN, but it's also just that, wow, he gets paid to write this crap?! Him and Peter Vescey both are embarrassing, but at least Vescey is hilarious in his lunacy.

My apologies for the negativeness of the rant below.

But man, FUCK Erick Dampier. If anyone saw the game before, the Hornets were already losing the game by 10, and Paul went up to go for a lay-up, with barely any time to go, and Dampier feels the need to start shit and SHOVE Paul to the ground. Dude, your team is about to win the whole damn game, why the FUCK do you need to shove down a point guard who is a foot lower than you?! You're fucking seven feet tall, why do you want to start shit with a little point guard? Dude, you're not strong, you're not tough, you're not even a fucking good basketball player. You're seriously the fucking worst starting center in the LEAGUE right now. Jason Collins owned the crown of super suck before getting benched this year, and now it rightfully belongs to you, you foul prone, lazy, bad shooting, piece of shit. Learn how to play basketball, you asshole.

I mean dude, your team was fucking winning, why do you feel the need to start something with a guy ten years younger than you, and one foot shorter than you? Fuck you, man. Fuck off and leave. I'm sure Dallas will readily miss your five points, five rebounds, five fouls, and piss poor playing skills.

*Rant over*

Simple, just post your predictions on each first round series. I love these kinds of things.

Eastern Conference:

Celtics/Hawks: Celtics in 4. This is going to be a VERY easy series for the Celtics. The Hawks will not have any sort of way to stop the Celtics. I will be SHOCKED if they can even win one game.

Pistons/Sixers: Pistons in 5. The Sixers will probably snag game 3 at home, and then the Pistons will zombie their way through the Eastern Conference Finals.

Magic/Raptors: Magic in 5. Dwight Howard is going to wallop poor Rasho Nesterovic. The Raptors can only hope that Calderon plays like it's the first half of the season, and that Chris Bosh picks up his game. Other than that, they have no chance.

Cavaliers/Wizards: Wizards in 7. This is going to be a WAR. These two teams will push each other on the brink. If any team wins in less than 7 games, the games will be decided by 4 points or less. LeBron James is all the Cavaliers have. Can LeBron carry a team into picking up four wins against Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas? Not to mention, there's DeShawn Stevenson, and while he didn't show it in game 1, he can DEFINITELY bring big numbers to the table. Keep an eye out for Roger Mason, as well.

 

Western Conference:

Lakers/Nuggets: Lakers in 4. Merely a formality for the Lakers. I feel really bad, because I like the Nuggets and all, but unless they play ANY defense, they won't even get a pity victory against the Lakers.

Hornets/Mavericks: Hornets in 7. Another tough series, and it could really go either way. The inexperience of the Hornets might lead to the Hornets losing, but as Chris Paul showed in the 2nd half of game 1, he may very well be playoff ready.

Spurs/Suns: Suns in 7. Another tough series, and it also could really go either way. I just believe the Suns finally get their revenge on the Spurs.

Jazz/Rockets: Jazz in 5. No Rafer Alston, AND Yao Ming? Sorry Tracy, maybe next year.

 

So what do YOU think, what are your predictions on how the first round match-ups will go?

This should be fun. Pretend you're on the NBA's awards committee, who would you pick for the following awards?

Here are my choices:

 

Coach of the Year: Stan Van Gundy. Come on, who expected the Orlando Magic to be ANY good this year? I mean sure, Hedo Turkoglou has been just fantastic, but do you know of any other coach who would have the balls to call out Dwight Howard in public, enough that Howard would change the way he played for the rest of the season? Stan has been robbed of things one too many times, this time the Coach of the Year award should be his.

 

Defensive Player of the Year: Kevin Garnett. Major no brainer. Marcus Camby doesn't get consideration because no one else on his team plays any defense, making him the odd man out. Garnett makes everyone around him play better, even did the same in Minnesota. Remember when Stephon Marbury WASN'T as criticized as he is now?

 

Sixth Man of the Year: Travis Outlaw. I don't like Manu Ginobili. I hate him actually. Can't stand the guy. Just can't stand his dumb flopping, his clutchiness, just everything about him.

That being said, it's not because I hate him that I didn't pick him.

He's not a real sixth man. Come on now, how many sixth men do you know of that come into the game FOUR MINUTES into the game? He's not a sixth man if he plays more minutes than most of the starters.

Leandro Barbosa's numbers this year have horribly declined, so he's not in the running to me, either.

That being said, Travis Outlaw is great. He is instant offense, great defense, and brings tons of energy to the floor. His amazing play this year also helped the Blazers turn into a .500 squad, imagine that! That's why he's my pick.

 

Most Improved Player of the Year: Hedo Turkoglou. It's a toss-up between him and Mike Dunleavy, but the fact that Hedo averages more fourth quarter points than any other player in the NBA really gives it away. Hedo might not be like this next year, but he has certainly soaked up his moment in the sun. This year, the Magic will be a scary force in the playoffs.

 

Rookie of the Year: TIE: Al Horford and Kevin Durant.

Up until March, my choice was Al Horford. Horford has averaged a consistent double double for the season, and will be a monster on the boards in years to come.

But something happened, Durant finally figured out his role on the team. Up until March, all he did was shoot long jumpers. He is a god-awful three point shooter, watching him shoot and brick four three pointers a night was painful to watch. However, over the past two months, Durant has found his groove. He takes mid-range jumpers, drives to the basket, and rarely ventures outside of the three point line. His shooting percentage has gone up to a decent 42%, good enough for government work. All he has to do is work on his pitiful rebounding skills, and he'll be a major star for years to come.

 

Most Valuable Player: Chris Paul

Just because Kobe Bryant got robbed out of the award in the 2005-06 season doesn't mean he should win it this year. That excuse alone is a joke, and makes the whole thing look like a big sham, if that is seriously your argument.

Kobe really shouldn't win it this year. How different is he from last year? He's no different. The reason why the Lakers are in first place is NOT due to Kobe Bryant. It's because of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

Let's look at the 2002-03 season. Remember when in the beginning of the season, Shaq was hurt for a while? The Lakers played with just Kobe as the star, and were just abysmal. It wasn't until Shaq came back, that they picked up again and were a force again. Kobe can't carry the team by himself. This year, where do you think the Lakers would be if not for the powerful centers they have?

Would we even be having this MVP discussion with Kobe's name in it?

The defense rests, your honor.

With two games left in the NBA season, and the Knicks trying to finish one of their worst seasons they've ever had, Donnie Walsh has a lot of work ahead of him. Walsh has promised a lot of things, most importantly, progress. Something the Knick fans have been clamoring for for years now. Now almost five years into the Thomas regime, it's obvious that Walsh's first big decision is to get rid of the man who is still desperately hanging on to the notion that he'll still be around after this season. Walsh has promised that he'll have a "talk" with Isiah before he makes his decision, although the common theory is that Walsh is only doing this out of courtesy for Thomas.

So, when/if Isiah is gone, who will take over the coaching slot for the Knicks?

Let's play pretend...

Well, it's easy to figure out who the Knicks need. All you have to do is be even a slight improvement over Isiah and Knick fans will be happy. Take the team to the playoffs, and the coach will be treated like the messiah. Now though, who will be the coach of the franchise? Let's take a look at some candidates who might be in the running:

http://bp2.blogger.com/_V4YRQ48iVuw/SAO0GLcxfAI/AAAAAAAAAAs/fD110kOZLWI/s1600-h/322134.jpg

Rick Carlisle: Probably one of the best candidates based on how he's been with other teams. He's taken the Pistons to back to back 50 win seasons, taking them to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003 (Fired only because Larry Brown came calling.) Another big plus is that he's a former Walsh guy. He was hired by Walsh, and was very likeable with the franchise. Then he takes the Pacers to 61 wins, making them an Eastern Conference powerhouse for the first time in years, and taking them to the Eastern Conference Finals. Then, the Brawl happens, and Carlisle still somehow gets whatever's left of the team to manage 44 wins, including a miracle run that almost takes them to the Eastern Conference Finals again. After a 41 win season, which was the first season without Reggie Miller for the team, Carlisle is somehow blamed for the Pacers downfall. Then, the Pacers have a disastrous year in 2006-07. Stephen Jackson, Jamal Tinsley, both have odd incidents that happen off court, embarrassing the once proud franchise. Bird trades away Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington for Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy, whom both flop under pressure. The Pacers finish the season 35-47, and somehow Rick Carlisle is blamed, and fired. Umm... OK? But anyway...

Carlisle would be a fantastic coach for the Knicks. Although anything is better than Isiah, the best case scenario would be for the Knicks to get Carlisle. Carlisle is a stickler for defense, something the Knicks desperately need and are lacking in. Carlisle is a great player's coach, and would probably be able to handle the ego's of various Knicks very easily. Plus, it'd be good news for Freddie Jones!

Chances: I'd say the chance of Carlisle becoming the coach is pretty likely. As I said before, Walsh is a big fan of Carlisle's style, and has seen the results Carlisle can bring to the table. Carlisle would more than likely give us the best shot of making the playoffs, and becoming legitimate in the East again. Of course, he wouldn't give us overnight results. It's going to take more than a coach to turn this team around. But I digress...

http://bp1.blogger.com/_V4YRQ48iVuw/SAO0S7cxfBI/AAAAAAAAAA0/-FpAPDaYnPU/s1600-h/Mark+Jackson.jpg

Mark Jackson: An interesting candidate, nonetheless. Patrick Ewing fully endorses him, most fans say they would love to see him have a go, and Donnie Walsh is known for picking guys that have never coached before, especially players. Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas both come to mind, with Bird having MUCH more success than Isiah did. However, there are some things that hold "Action Jackson" back from being the coach:

1. He's unproven as a coach. While Walsh, as I said before, loves to hire guys who have never coached the game before, a lot of people like this have tended to flop as NBA coaches. Johnny Davis, Keith Smart, and Garfield Heard come to mind, among others.
2. Jackson might instead get a front office job with the Knicks. It has been rumored that him and another Knick alumni, Greg Anthony, could get the job as Knicks General Manager. It all depends on what Walsh does over the summer. My personal opinion is that Anthony would be a better job as General Manager, but Jackson would surely not do an awful job.
3. Jackson would more than likely be a player's coach, which could mean one of two things. Jackson will either be able to relate to the players very well, making the players motivated, or he'll be TOO lax, letting the players take advantage of the way he is. Maurice Cheeks is the PERFECT example of this. He was the coach during most of the infamous Portland "Jail Blazers" run, and let Chris Webber walk all over the franchise during his times in Philadelphia. Now, don't get me wrong, Cheeks is a damn good coach, who else could somehow lead the current Sixers to a mind-boggling 40 wins?! But he's a major pushover, and proof of that is in the way he's treated his players.

Jackson's going to go either one of two ways. He's going to either be a Nate McMillan, who takes no crap from anyone, or a pushover like Maurice Cheeks. Is the gamble worth it?

Chances: Jackson's chances, based on nostalgia factor, are also pretty decently high. Really, it all depends on if Walsh wants to lead the team to success right away, or wants to rebuild first. As compared to Carlisle or Skiles, however, I don't think he'll make it. And of course, if he does get hired, his success depends on how he treats his players.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_V4YRQ48iVuw/R_-ffhjfj1I/AAAAAAAAAAU/g3m7RLPYb0Q/s1600-h/Larry+Brown.jpg

Kidding!

http://bp2.blogger.com/_V4YRQ48iVuw/R_-fxhjfj2I/AAAAAAAAAAc/zCYaXWwT13Y/s1600-h/2001-05-01-silas-ins ide.jpg

Paul Silas: My personal hopeful for the job. Silas has had two successful runs as coach, first in Charlotte/New Orleans, and then in Cleveland, being LeBron James' first NBA coach. Silas is very good with coaching young guys. Silas, a MAJOR stickler for defense (Being named to the NBA's All-Defensive Third team three times, and even being named to the First Team once, as a player,) would be perfect for the job. Silas is also very good at coaching young guys. He helped mold Baron Davis into the quick, defensive energy point guard that he is today. And while Davis may be trigger happy, his good defense is a surprise to many NBA followers. Silas can very much be accredited to that. Silas also brought the Hornets their most successful run as a playoff contender since the Bristow era of the franchise. He was oddly fired from his job with the Cavs during his second year, leading the team to a 34-30 record (Brendan Malone, his interim successor, only went 8-10.)

Silas is my personal favorite for getting the job. Silas would be great at teaching the young guys on the squad how to play defense, something players like David Lee and Nate Robinson desperately need to be taught properly.

Chances: Admittedly, Silas' chances at becoming the head coach are more than likely pretty slim. He's not as name-worthy as Rick Carlisle or Scott Skiles. However, he's my personal choice as to whom would do the best job as the coach of the Knicks. He brings excellent championship experience as a player, and his great job working with young guys to the table. However, expect him to be hired elsewhere, if the Knicks don't get him.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_V4YRQ48iVuw/R__Lxhjfj3I/AAAAAAAAAAk/VZ7ZNQDMEaM/s1600-h/herb-thumb.jpg

Herb Williams: The old standby. Herb is the only man remaining from the Jeff Van Gundy/Don Chaney era of the Knicks. Herb has always done a decent job when it came to coaching the squad. He also did surprisingly well with the team after Lenny Wilkens resigned. The latest news has stated that he is staying with the Knicks in the long run, more than likely still an assistant coach, though. Williams serves as an excellent mentor to the Knicks, and has been noted to have good relationships with every player on the roster.

Chances: Herb's chances, to me, are also very high. His experience after Wilkens resigned in 2005 will play a big factor in Walsh's decision on hiring ol' Herb or not.

http://bp0.blogger.com/_V4YRQ48iVuw/SAO0ircxfCI/AAAAAAAAAA8/_4Pfq--PgQk/s1600-h/skiles-thumb.jpg

Scott Skiles: The ultimate disciplinarian, Skiles has had two very successful, but one highly controversial, coaching stops in Phoenix, and later Chicago. He did admirably well in Phoenix, resigning after 2 and a half seasons, and later on accepting the job as head coach of the Bulls, replacing Bill Cartwright. At first, Skiles struggled, before the team made a complete turn-around, winning 47 games and finally looking legitimate again. Skiles' Bulls teams always were near the top in defense specific categories, even leading the league in opponent's field goal percentage in 2005-06. After a season that started off poor, and ended hot, the Bulls finally became an elite force in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning 49 games, and even sweeping the defending champion Heat in the first round of the 2007 NBA playoffs. Everything looked great, and a lot of analysts were picking the Chicago Bulls to become a contender for the Eastern Conference crown, and even NBA championship.

However, Skiles is, like I said above, the ultimate disciplinarian, and that reared its ugly head just one too many times during his time in Chicago. From banning headbands, to getting into shouting matches with players during practice, to being brutally honest about the performance of his guys (He was once asked what Eddy Curry could do to improve his rebounding, Skiles replied "Jump.") And of course, if you're going to be brutally honest, some egos are going to get hurt, meaning some players are going to be sick and tired of you ripping them in the media, in practice, and during games. After a while, the Bulls just collectively stopped caring, stopped listening to Skiles, and just played like a bunch of zombies, starting off horrendously to begin 2007, before Skiles was mercifully fired on Christmas Eve.

Skiles is, to be honest, a good coach... sort of. Think about it, Doesn't Skiles sound so much like Larry Brown in so many ways? Yeah, remember how that worked out?

Skiles going to New York has "disaster" written all over it. Just imagine how Larry Brown used to feud with players, it'll be just as bad with Skiles. And the New York media, lovers of controversy, "he said she said" tomfoolery and fighting, will eat it all up with a spoon.

Chances: Unfortunately, Skiles has the greatest chance of landing the coaching position for the Knicks. He brings tons of experience, a great defensive mindset, and a no nonsense attitude, precisely the reason why he'll be the one hired, in Isiah's place. This is also precisely the reason why he'll be a complete disaster in New York.

One thing we know for sure, is that Donnie Walsh will definitely do whatever it takes to find the right man to coach this team in the 2008/09 season. That is, of course, unless Dolan forces him to stick with Isiah. In which, he'd be getting the last laugh, wouldn't he? But alas, it's fun to guess and see what's going to happen. My opinion is that Scott Skiles will be your head coach of the New York Knicks next year, although I would prefer to have Paul Silas, or even Rick Carlisle. Either way, this is going to be an interesting summer.

From today's New York Post... the article is about a campaign to give Walt Frazier a shot at helping out in coaching the squad for defense. One part says, in reference to his commentary job:
"Frazier sensed three years ago the club was trying to phase him out but heard Thomas stood up for him."

Rest of the article here:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04012008/sports/knicks/clyde_to_the_rescue_104414.htm

Then again, it's written by Marc Berman. I refuse to believe it's an April Fools joke, because the perfect Berman April Fools joke would be for him to write a professional article like a professional journalist.

"Donnie Walsh's expected arrival at Madison Square Garden might not guarantee Isiah Thomas' exit as New York Knicks coach.

The New York Daily News, citing an unnamed source, reported Thursday that owner James Dolan's preference is to keep Thomas on the sidelines, even after he hires a successor to Thomas to run the organization."

Rest of the story here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3314942

... shit.

Oh well, not like it was a surprise or anything.

The Indiana Pacers announced a press conference today, announcing the exit of Donnie Walsh as GM of the Indiana Pacers, leaving Larry Bird in full control of the team.

Let the "He's going to take over the Knicks' job." rumors commence, again!

Breaking story is here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3309745

Read it and weep:
"Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh, who has reportedly had discussions with the New York Knicks about possibly replacing Isiah Thomas as team president, is leaning toward staying with Indiana, according to a published report.

"Barring something crazy happening, Donnie is staying," an unnamed source told The New York Daily News. "The players all got a sense on Friday that Donnie would be around." "

More here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3307780

So, who else is in the running, now?

Via Ken Berger of Newsday:
"It was no surprise that when Jerry West was reached at his Los Angeles home Thursday night, he was watching basketball. Southern Cal and Kansas State were playing on his television screen, but as usual West's active mind was racing with other possibilities.

West, 69, the architect of the Lakers' dynasty whose silhouette famously adorns the NBA logo, somehow has been overlooked as Knicks executives begin the process of evaluating their options if they decide to remove Isiah Thomas from power.

Three people with ties to West told Newsday Thursday that the Hall of Famer would be interested in running the Knicks if the job were offered to him."

Full story here:
http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-spknix0321,0,1092565.story

I don't know, in the short time West ran the Grizzlies, they made the playoffs three times, and were a respectable team before the meltdown in 2006-07. Anyone have any opinions on this?

Via Yahoo Rumors:
"In another indication that Isiah Thomas' days with the New York Knicks could indeed be numbered, there are veteran players disturbed by the notion that Thomas has gone into all-out tank mode.

"It's obvious we're not trying to win now," one Knicks veteran told Newsday."

Read more here:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Is-Isiah-quot-not-trying-to-win-quot-;_ylt=Aut1XUxNW9PaKg0Gk RpLiN2ezIx4?urn=nba,72485

Interesting stuff... but really wouldn't surprise me.

Editor's Note: Thanks to JoshL for doing the recap. I'll be back in action tonight for the Knicks-Pacers tilt.

Hey guys, sitting in for Seth again. I was supposed to be courtside at this game, but the guy that we bought the tickets from flaked out on us, refunding our money. Bummer, would've been fun to see. Oh well, so anyway:

This game was, at times, a chore to sit through. I was antsy throughout the game... I'm guessing because it's the Knicks vs. freakin' Hawks. I must say though, some guys gave great performances:

Joe Johnson, for one, was fantastic. 28 points, 11 assists, and 5-9 from three point range. Marvin Williams heated up later in the game, going off for 25, while Josh Childress scored 22 points and snagged 9 rebounds. After a hot first quarter, Josh Smith cooled off, while Al Horford had an average game (8 points, 10 rebounds).

On the Knicks side... the best I can go with is David Lee getting 12 points on 6-7 shooting, with 9 rebounds. The Knicks played some SLOPPY basketball last night, and the only reason they even got as close as they did was because they had an easy time on the offensive glass. Nate had 23 points in 22 shots, which is not good at all.

Some game notes:

David Lee was rockin' the mustache! He looks so hilariously awkward with facial hair.

On the court at one time, all at the same time: Robinson, Chandler, Balkman, Morris, Lee. Wow.

Nate had one of the laziest games I've ever seen him play. All he did was lazily hoist up shots at every opportunity. After a while he began to heat up, but he missed his first six shots, all piss poor attempts.

Speaking of which, whenever Nate shoots from catching an inbounds pass, he never hits it. He should stop trying.

Barnesgasm with the fantastic nickname for Bob Wischusen "The awkward white guy who isn't Mike Breen".

Was the Knicks bowling event televised? Something about Balkman with LONG dreadlocks owning everyone in a bowling alley is just amazingly hilarious to me. I'd love to see some footage of that shit.

Mardy Collins hit a three pointer. Yeah.

Jared Jeffries attempted a three pointer. Someone has to remind him he can't shoot them anymore.

Morris show great talent in the minutes he played, but man he was lovetapping everyone left and right, fouled out in only 18 minutes.

Jamal Crawford, Wilson Chandler, Fred Jones and Nate all had bad shooting games. Worst was Crawford, because really, after a while you get sick of that ice cold routine he goes through. Atleast I can understand why Chandler was hoisting them up, he's young and doing anything for minutes. Crawford's just... Crawford.

Renaldo Balkman was 3-10 from the free throw line. And he really hoists three pointers? I think it's fantastic that he was driving to the hoop and all, but damn man. Atleast if it were like, 5-10, it'd be excuseable.

The Hawks are now tied for 8th place... we cannot live in a world where the Hawks, as shitty as they are, can make the playoffs. I love the Eastern Conference!

Catch ya' later guys.

Editor's Note: Eddy Curry is officially hitting the scope. Thanks to JoshL for posting this in the diaries. Consider this your thread to discuss the decision/the Knicks' big man situation/river otters.

According to Mike Dougherty's blog at Knicks Knacks, Curry is out for the season due to a cartilage tear. Full story on his blog here:
http://knicks.lohudblogs.com/2008/03/14/curry-is-done-for-the-season/

Good, that means the young guys will get decent playing time. Curry's been garbage this year anyway. Thoughts?

From Marc Berman's blog:
http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/knicks/archives/2008/03/heres_to_the_kn.html

"Stephon Marbury and Flip Saunders spent several minutes in the back room of the locker room conversing. If Marbury is bought out, Detroit may beckon. Marbury loves Saunders and vice-versa."

... How does he come to THAT conclusion from them talking to each other for a few minutes? First of all, Marc, they umm... kinda have a point guard right now. And he um... kinda signed a contract extension over the summer. And um... Marbury kinda doesn't like coming off the bench.

What kind of journalism is THAT?!

It's too bad too, the first part of that blog was nice. But then Marc has to go into total tabloid mode with that final part. There's a reason why so many people look at the Post as a joke of a newspaper, Marc. Thanks for contributing to that reason.

Editor's Note: Thanks to JoshL for doing up the recap. I'll have a Blazers game thread coming your way shortly.

Hey guys, I'm sitting in for Seth today. Great game played by the Knicks, they really put up a gasp great effort and kept it close down the stretch. I like seeing efforts like this. Anyway:

Anyone else find that stupid T-Mobile starting line-up thing to be confusing? It's too... unorganized for me.

Glad to see Chandler get another start. He made a few poor shot choices, but he has tons of potential.

'DOLPH SIGHTING! No points, but he did get one rebound in 9 minutes. Really, Morris? That's all you could do in 9 minutes? You get your freakin' chance and you don't even capatialize! Oh well, there's more chances.

It seems like Eddy Curry has gotten the memo that some people are going to be gone after the off season, because he played like a beast tonight, 23 points and 7-9 from the free throw line!

Marbury was out there watching the team, looking like he'd rather be anywhere but there. Wouldn't blame him. It must suck knowing that Fred Jones was starting in the spot you'd be at normally.

Speaking of Freddie, he had a great shooting night, getting key shots in the 4th, including a big three pointer to keep the Knicks in the game.

Rasheed Wallace was out for the Pistons tonight, so Theo Ratliff started in his place, and proved why he never deserved any of those big money contracts that he got. He blew EASY shots, made stupid turnovers and even got some bad goaltends. Way to impress, Theo. I'm sure Flip Saunders is glad you're his one back-up when 'Sheed gets hurt.

David Lee had a nice double double, 12 points and 15 rebounds. He really has begun to pick it up a lot more lately. Nice to see him playing well, considering he's one of the few Knicks that gave a shit early on.

Crawford made a nice shake and bake move in the 2nd, only for Lee to get his lay-up blocked. Damn, that would've made Sportscenter highlights too.

I'm too used to Amir Johnson having long hair. He looks off without his dreadlocks.

Speaking of off, Tayshaun Prince was anything but that, hitting huge shots down the stretch to put the game away for good. He had a nice night, shooting 9-17 and hitting a huge runner to put them up by 4 with 19 seconds to go.

No idea how he did it, but Richard Hamilton got two quick technicals and got tossed. Jeez, who shit in his Trix? Methinks someone wanted a night off. He also had the same temper tantrum in the triple overtime thriller from 2006, and it cost them the game that time, and almost did tonight.

Renaldo Balkman had one of his worst games in a long time. He had two straight fast breaks, got called for a charge on both of them. He was later called for a goaltend, too. Ouch. Isiah got rid of him after that for a while.

In a funny moment, Mike and Clyde were discussing how the MAAC tournament was continuing on MSG at 10 P.M. live, which I agree is WAY too late for those poor kids. Clyde said, in typical Clyde fashion "When do those kids study?!"... on second thought, you had to be there.

Both Crawford and Nate got banged up in the game. Crawford left for a short while due to something involving his shoulder, and Nate was limping for the final few minutes of the game. Let's hope it doesn't mean anything bad...

The Knicks kept getting SO close to tying the game and overtaking the lead, but then they'd fall apart again. They'd go on 10-0 runs, but then go ice cold. It's frustrating, a bit in a way.

Malik Rose scored 9 points in 8 minutes, including a three pointer! WTF?!

No Walter Herrmann sighting, therefore JoshL is not happy. I need my three point shooting Fabio fix, DAMNIT!

All in all, the Knicks played great, just fell apart at the end and could never fully gain momentum. Oh well, one more extra chance at gaining Derreck Rose, so no complaints here. See you guys later!

Editor's Note: This gets main-pageified because I completely agree. My own thoughts on this. Also, check out Frank Isola's piece on the same subject.

This would qualify as a rant.

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed how pointless of a pick-up Randolph Morris has become? I bet you didn't even know that he actually PLAYED in two games this year, let alone the handful he played in last year. I mean, seriously Isiah, what the hell is wrong with you?

Morris showed in the Summer League that he has nice potential to be a nice role-player... so why does Isiah refuse to give him the minutes? Why does he keep putting him in garbage time every once every 20 games, and why does he keep putting 'Dolph on the inactive list, while total garbage like Mailk Rose sucks up his minutes? Rose has shown that he can put up good numbers every once in a while, but he's an absolute shell of his former self. The guy who had a chair pulling reputation with the Spurs is now the guy who looks old and fat.

In fact, why is Wilson Chandler even there?

Why is anyone even there?

I just can't understand why Isiah doesn't just say "Screw it" and call it a season. It's blatantly obvious that the Knick's aren't making the playoffs this year, plain and simple. What's wrong with playing all the young guys, like Balkman, Lee, Chandler, MORRIS?! And plus, why waste the chance of getting a GOOD point guard in the draft? It's obvious that Stephon Marbury is gone over the summer, Isiah. Your continued proverbial crap you take on him in the media has proven that countless times. Why not just call it a season, let the young guys get some good playing time, and hope for the lottery balls to work in your favor?

Is there something about getting a 35-47 record and sneaking into the playoffs as the eighth seed, only to get SLAUGHTERED by the Celtics in four painful for the fans games, that's just so appealing to Isiah? We can't even say that he's doing this to keep his job, anymore. If he wanted to keep his job, he would've shopped around harder during the trading deadline. We would be seeing new faces on the squad right now, not Eddy Curry playing 15 minutes, on 5 fouls, with 0-6 shooting. We wouldn't be seeing Jamal Crawford take a mind boggling 25 shots, make 8 of them, while going 1-9 from downtown. We wouldn't be seeing Mardy Collins take the point guard position and make it look like the hardest thing in the world.

I mean, the team would probably still suck if they made the deals, but we'd see SOMETHING. Some sort of progress.

Progress.

That's certainly a word Isiah Thomas has a hard time proving that the Knicks have made this year.

Listen Isiah, I'm BEGGING you: Call the season a wash. Give up. Play the young guys. Give them tons of minutes. Tell Eddy Curry to take a damn hike, his fat ass should be GONE after this year. Try and hope the lottery balls work in your favor. It's flat out obvious that if you try and make this team work hard to gain victories, all you're going to get is a higher draft pick, more disgruntled fans, more people begging for the young guys to take the floor as the old fat asses chug up and down the lane for 30/40 minutes a time.

Then, Isiah, maybe James Dolan won't throw down such a hard hammer when he announces that you've been relieved of coaching and managing duties. Then again, Dolan will probably let Isiah keep his job. It wouldn't surprise me.

Just another day as a disgrunted Knick fan...

Editor's Note: Thanks to JoshL for jumping on this one. Pretty interesting. Do you buy it?

"February 29, 2008 -- Stephon Marbury has been instructed by Isiah Thomas not to attend Knicks home games - another indication of the continuing feud between the former pals, The Post has learned."

Read the rest of the article here:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02292008/sports/knicks/keep_out__marbury__99750.htm

This is VERY interesting... Then again, two things:

1. Not surprising, since it seems Isiah's been dropping hints left and right lately that Marbury is gone in the Summer.
2. It comes from The Post, so take it with a huge grain of salt.

Editor's Note: From the diaries, JoshL breaks the news we all saw coming.

Marbury's out for the rest of the season:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3238243&campaign=rss&source=NBAHeadlines

... are we honestly surprised? I just hope we can still shop the guy around, or just get rid of him in any way. Either way, we need a point guard now. Either draft one, or trade for one. Either way, we really do need one.

For my next blog post at my blog page, I am working on a post listing my ten favorite NBA broadcasters. These will be play by play guys, and analysts. For fun, I thought I'd see what you guys think are your favorites, and compare them to my list of ten. So, who are your favorite announcers/analysts, and why? Thanks!

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/basketball/nba/blog/2008/02/cassell_rips_knicks_for_not_tr.html

Good points, all around. Interesting read.

My favorite bit:
"They want effort," he said. "They want guys diving on the floor for loose balls like the early `90s. They want guys getting at it, making it a tough basketball game. That's what New York is all about - battling, like the Giants in the playoffs. But when they don't see that, they tend to get discouraged. Tickets are very expensive in New York. If you're paying $1,000 a seat, you want to see effort every night."

Hey guys! I'm here to sit in for Seth on today's recap. Ugh... not a good game again. The Knicks just continue to frustrate me.

The game aired on NBC today, which was pretty awkward for me, I was half hoping that someone would screw around and bring in the old NBC graphics and music, but alas, no luck.

Nice to see that MSG brought in the weird camera shots just for the NBC game. The trailing to Al shot in the beginning was quite an awkward experience.

Kendrick Perkins had 15 of the first 17 points, it was ridiculous. He looked unstoppable out there. Pierce and Allen were kept quiet in the first half, however.

Zach Randolph had an awesome dunk tip in that really got the crowd going for a bit. In fact, Zach had a good game in general. Too bad it's all for nothing.

Nate had three fouls early, probably what led to the Knicks falling apart in the first half early.

Jared Jeffries threw an AWFUL pass to Jamal Crawford at almost the backcourt. And Jamal was being covered by Allen, who would've been MORE than happy to steal that ball if Jamal hadn't noticed so fast. Just another reason why he's useless.

Note to Balkman: Stop trying to shoot three pointers, you're not going to hit them.

Today's episode of Maury didn't involve a paternity test.

Mike Breen with the great mental image, "When his players don't put out, Doc gets on top of them." Thanks, Mike.

Kevin Garnett blew an easy alley oop, so Jared Jeffries felt the need to blow an EASY lay-up alley oop on the other end of the floor. Did Jared think we were playing horse for a second, or something? Maybe that's why he sucks. He has no idea what game he's playing.

David Lee didn't contribute much today, which also didn't help.

Eddy Curry didn't contribute much offensively, but at the line he was great. The big fella' went 11-13, kudos to him.

The Knicks just got lazy with a few minutes to go into the second and totally fell apart. It was pretty sad to watch. They just started taking bad shots and making horrible turnovers.

What was with the cheap MSG studio that Al was in at the half?

Q and Pierce got into a fight in the second half. I thought it was hilarious. Pierce actually PLAYED in the game, and Q played for all of ten minutes, and he somehow got Pierce to leave. Kudos to him, but even with one of the big three missing, Boston still creamed us.

Nate Robinson carried us in the second half, making big steals, shots, and assists, all the while giving us great defense.

The Knicks got close in the fourth quarter, getting it down to as little as eight points, but they just randomly got COLD in the span of a few minutes. They couldn't find anything. KG then just drilled a few shots in a row with a hand in his face. That pretty much ended any sort of comeback.

Eddie House also drilled two huge three pointers, which were the final nails in the coffin.

BIG SNACKS SIGHTING~! Jerome got two rebounds in a minute or so of "action", the first one even got him a mock standing ovation.

The game was just another case of the Knicks stinking it up after making a huge comeback. Usually fourth quarter comeback rallies are their friends, but today the Celtics just squashed any chances they could get. Let's hope that next time they are able to collect themselves as a team... no, why bother? Seeya around.

Editor's Note: Thanks to JoshL, who had the unfortunate task of sitting through Knicks-Kings in his first live game at MSG.

Hey everyone!

I went to the game yesterday, it was quite an interesting experience, and the first time I've ever been to Madison Square Garden. I went with my younger brother, who is also a big Knicks fan. Our seats weren't too bad. We were behind a net, and a few rows up.

$4.25 for a water bottle?!

We got there earlier than anyone usually should and saw Marbury out there shooting jumpers with a bunch of kids. My brother was wearing his brand new Starbury's just for the occasion, hoping to get them signed (And never have to wear them ever again,) but alas, we had no luck. Assistant coach George Glymph was also out there, and I was half tempted to run onto the court and run right past Marbury, and over to George to get HIS autograph. I didn't feel like getting kicked out of the Garden to get George fucking Glymph's autograph though, so I passed.

Also saw Mike Bibby out there, doing some shooting. He looked good. Glad to know he's returning soon.

Mikki Moore is a twig out there. He was practicing before the game, and his legs looked like twigs from a branch.

I saw Walt out there on the court, his suit was just... so Walt-ish. Mike Breen is PUNY out there. He looks like a shrimp compared to... hell, even Al Trautwig.

First thing I said when the Knicks came out? "Wow, Eddy Curry is fatter in person"

I knew this was going to be a long night when John Salmons scored the first eight points for the Kings. Oddly enough, those eight of his thirty two were the only ones I noticed him scoring.

Eddy Curry scored the first ten points or so for us. Crawford looked atrocious, like he came back way too early. His shot was rusty.

Jeffries in the starting line-up: bad idea. He did nothing but let everyone run past him.

Q-Rich  "                                                                                                              "

Randolph was HOUNDED all night. Double teamed each time he got the ball, which led to some embarassing turnovers and piss poor shot selection.

You know it's going to be a long night when Brad fucking Miller hits a three pointer.

Stephon came in about a few minutes into the game, and got the loudest cheers of the night. He didn't do much right away, it was all "feed the ball to Curry" for the first quarter.

Randolph left the game for David Lee later, and god was Lee awful. He did get a double double and all, but his defense was atrocious. He also lost the ball quite a few times.

What I said to my brother "Where the hell is Fred Jones?" "Sitting over there with Balkman, probably not even going to play"

Hard to believe Garcia was 5-15. He was all over the place.

The Knicks showed promise in the first quarter, just played atrocious defense. Business as usual it seems.

Man, when Bibby and Artest are out, the Kings have nothing for their bench. And they still beat us.

Overhead more than once "BRING OUT THE LIBERTY!"

Thought it was cool to see Wilson Chandler out there. He made a lot of rookie mistakes, and attempted a few questionable shots and lost the ball a few times, but he still showed some potential. Loved the steal he made.

Fred Jones also got a few minutes of playing time, and didn't do much, besides blow some wide open shots.

The "Fire Isiah!" chants got amazingly loud at the end of the first half, and the boo birds were loud as ever at the end of the first half buzzer. After the piss poor performance we all saw, I wouldn't blame a single one of those boo birds. That was just garbage out there.

Second half was interesting. Randolph was still struggling to find his shot all night. I think he was trying to get out of the game early. He got a technical for complaining about a foul that he really didn't have to complain about, and then threw off his headband, and knocked down something off the scorer's table (A cup, possibly?) and ran off to the lockerroom. From how fast it all happened, I think he just wanted to leave. Wouldn't blame him.

Curry got quiet after a 20 point first half. He sat out a lot of the time. Chandler ate up some productive minutes, and so did Lee.

There's no way Jeffries was only playing for like 16 minutes. It felt like he was out there for 25-30.

The "Fire Isiah" chants got more and more frequent as time went on. Especially in the 3rd quarter.

People began to leave 2 minutes into the fourth. It was weird seeing a very empty looking Madison Square Garden.

A lot of us were chanting for Balkman to come into the game. The chants got louder in the 4th, and we were all very glad to see him out there playing for the final few minutes. Good to see him hit a jumper, too!

Kudos to Nate and Stephon for providing energy and a small glimmer of hope in the 4th quarter.

The game was pretty sad to watch. Other than the chanting, everyone was pretty quiet. It was eerie hearing Mike and Clyde sound so quiet and somber when I got home and watched the tape of the game that I recorded.

Yay!

I'm going to my first Knick game, it will be the January 2nd game against the Kings. I already have a few things that I will bring on hand (Including an awesome "Fire Isiah" hat that I bought in a mall,) but I just wanted to know if anyone wanted to give me any advice on what to expect, recommendations on what to do and such.

And Seth, would you like a recap/notes from someone who is actually going to the game live? Well, you can still do yours (Because god knows I'll forget to do my notes...,) but I'd like to try it out. Sounds fun.

Thanks everyone!

Just a question for everyone...

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