Here’s an effective strategy for Knick opponents. Sit in your lockerroom for the first 3 quarters. Smoke a Phillie, drink a couple of 40s-- enjoy yourselves! Then send out 3 or 4 players in the last quarter and kick the Knick’s collective ass. Easy-peasy.
So I was listening to an interview of Sprewell the other day. He was asked what was the main problem with the Knicks last year and he said that the different off-court cliques never gelled together on court-- there were the religious guys and the non-religious guys and the two groups never played like a team.
When asked to comment on this, Alan Houston said, “That’s not true. We invited Spree to bible study.”
Is it me or is there something lacking in offense all around the league? Some sample scores from all over: 86 to 79, 84 to 75, 71 to 76, 75 to 68(this game here was just my beloved Knicks sucking so much they sucked all the points out of Orlando). What kind of scores are these? Maybe basketball needs the equivalent of a batting coach. I could be nice and say how great the defense is around the league, but I’d be lying. It seems the pros have forgotten how to make baskets.
I’m not sure it’s the pros so much as the Knicks forgetting how to make baskets. And the other team can’t rack up the scores against them because they grind the clock down with their incompetence and inability to run a fast break. After all, of the 20 teams that played last night - only 4 didn’t manage to crack 90. And no one really expects Atlanta or Cleveland to do it.
But seriously, what do you expect when your point guard is so slow my grandma could take him off the dribble, your best player is a tall white guy with no spine, your highest paid player isn’t even in the top 10 at his position and your center is an aging giant with knees that crackle every time he sits down. To rub it in more, the Knicks have 5 guys that are 6’10" tall - two don’t exactly inspire fear on the inside (Van Horn, Doleac), one is an old fogey who can barely walk (Mutombo), and the other two are injured rookie Europeans (Lampe, Vranes).
And the coach is decidedly mediocre as well.
Thank God, I’m a Lakers fan. Four future HoFers in the roster. And still able to play. Plus, an actual inside presence.
Jump shooting from inside the three point line. Interior passing. Check that, passing. Check that, making open jump shots from anywhere. Free throw shooting. Interior defense. Check that, defense. Team cohesion. Just knowing the plays. Making open jump shots from anywhere. Avoiding turnovers. Oh, and making open jump shots from anywhere.
Dunks: A-OK!!! Take loads of those. You are probably over 60%.
Or, am I just watching the Magic too much?
Somehow this season has turned T-Mac into a lousy jump shooter. I think it’s solar flares. For a really athletic player, he’s as good a shooter as I’ve seen – until now. I think always having a bad back makes him shoot the J a lot during rehab, or something.
Darryl Armstrong is on a mission from God to prove we were idiots to get rid of him. God: 1 / Magic: 0. Now, mercy please.
Houston has to be the worst team leader in history. Spree had to go, you can’t have your 2 best guys playing the same position. I thought the addition of Mutumbo and Van Horn was going to help a lot, we’ll see, I guess. Maybe McDyess can actually suit up for a regular season game this year :rolleyes:
Regarding the scores, I hear scores are way down this year. One of the ESPN guys said it was because of the zone defense and bad shooting skills. Everyone knows that you defeat a zone by shooting from the outside, but NBA players don’t have the skill anymore to do it. They’re all trying to beat guys off the dribble and drive the lane, where the shot blockers are hanging out.
You’re right, I just browsed through ESPN and it’s pretty ugly. Half the teams aren’t even averaging 90 points a game yet and a quarter of them haven’t cracked .400 FG% yet and a third haven’t cracked .300 from the outside. That’s some ugly, ugly basketball being played right now by a nice chunk of teams.
Ugh. That’s bad. I’m hopting it’s just a slow start and the season will pick up. But I’m not optimistic.
Whoa! Miami won a game. I hope there is some nice wine in the cellar this year. Knicks, Heat, Magic – The Battle for Least in the East!!!
We have the T Wolves at home where we are 0-4. I can’t wait to see Kevin Garnett. Hopefully the Magic will start a West Coast road trip soon. :dubious:
Ugh the Knicks, where to begin. I suppose it all started when they bid against themselves to give Houston <pinky to lip>ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS!</PTL>. From there it’s all downhill.
Frederick Weiss? How’s he doing?
Nine Hilaro? Good move there, trade a nice young stud.
McDyess? He’s our Grant Hill, who replaced Camby, our other Grant Hill. He’ll be out for the season by the end of December.
Luc Longley and Larry Johnson are still on the books, nuff said.
Layden? He should should be taken out to the alley and shot. I literally think pretty much anyone could do a better job then him, even my mother.
Dolan? He has already come out and said, even if they don’t make the playoffs, no one is in danger of losing their jobs or being traded.
Chaney? Don’t make me fucking laugh. Everytime he talks that “we just didn’t have enough intensity, but we still have a good team” bullshit I want to smash him in his ugly fucking face.
Keep in mind that they have the higest payroll in the league. So they could swap teams with the Lakers or the Spurs, and they would save money
We need Steinbrenner to buy this team. NOW
*No smilie or string of curses here will suffice at my utter contempt to the Magic front office that lowballed Shaq right after Alonzo signed for 16.8. Not that it’s burned into my memory banks or that I’m bitter. No. Maybe I can catch a Lakers game next time I’m in LA… *
Remember “Brian Williams”? He left and was murdered by his brother out in the Pacific. Bad move there. Sorry, double entendre is irresistable.
We had Ben Wallace. See above Shaq comment. Personally, I liked Bo Outlaw. The Magic can’t get rid of tough interior guys fast enough, it seems.
I’m telling you, that contract has provided me and some other folks a few years of amusement and will continue to do so. My roomie and good friend is a huge Knicks fan - naturally, every time we watch Houston brick a shot everyone makes comments about his worth while he just shakes his head in disgust. Good times.
To be fair, the only notable people the Knicks missed out on in that draft were Artest, Kirilenko and Posey. Posey is basically a poor man’s Houston and Kirilenko didn’t start to pay off until a little while ago. Really, the only person they skipped that would have helped them is Artest - and he’s insane.
The thing that cracks me up is that if McDyess has even a decent season, they’ll resign him to a huge contract ala Houston in some vague hope he’ll lead them into a title. They really need to blow up the team and not sign anymore big contracts for a few years.
Yeah, but that’s not really anyone’s fault. Well, not Johnson at least. They didn’t sign him to that contract, they just took it on in 1996 before the back really became a problem. He did have two strong seasons in 1995 and 1996.
Doesn’t Steinbrenner already have a stake in the Nets? And I don’t think Steinbrenner would be what the Knicks need. While he would bring a bit of accountability to the front office (which is, admittedly, much needed) he can’t spend his way to a championship as with the Yanks. And the Knicks would still be stuck with all their crappy contracts. Plus, remember that when the Yanks built the foundation for their dynasty, it was when Steinbrenner was suspended from baseball, so the front office had time to work free of his interference.
What the Knicks need to do is blow the team up and build through the draft. And they should have started doing that two years ago. And they need to stop making “just getting to the playoffs” their goal and make it “to win a championship.” That means they need to not resign McDyess or any other big contracts. They’ve got a good base to build on in the next few years - with Sweetney, Pietrus and possibly Williams. They made a huge mistake trading Nene. They should try and collect more picks by trading away Thomas and the like.
Hey, I get to bask in the mismanaged and apathetic glow that is the Atlanta Hawks. How badly do things suck in Hawktown?
The big offseason activity included:
Hanging in for sale limbo, and after courting one owner for a year, rapidly deciding he couldn’t afford it and then selling to a multi-person management group. Because, what the Hawks desperately need are more cooks to paralyze decision making. Of course, management issues led to
Coaching issues. Lots of good, available coaches. But, with ownership up in the air until all good coaches were signed, we get Terry Stotts. He’s either our coach or a style of bath towel.
Player issues. We all know that good free agents love to sign contracts with a team with no owner and no coach. The Hawks did manage to trade the carcass-like Glenn Robinson for the piece of paper formerly known as Terrell Brandon. Considering Terrell is never able to play again, the move was done solely for cap space. Cap space that no decent player will fill. But, even if the coach put’s four players and Terrell’s contract on the court at tip-off, team defense will improve without Glenn Robinson.
The Hawks also have no playoff history successes, no solid fan base, and no real future. Based on ESPN The Magazine player ranking, the Hawks’ Dion Glover is the worst starter in the league at the most important position. The longest tenured player on the team, Alan Henderson, is there because his contract is untradeable. Feel the excitement.
Slight hijack, everyday there seems to be a couple of teams struggling to score 60 points; this really is a sad period of NBA basketball, where we’re looking to an 18-year old to save the league. sigh
Minnesota: 100 – on a late uncontested jump shot. Magic: 17. That’s about right. I hope someone in Minnesota got free food for this one.
Doc Rivers, gone? Season, over? Magic perverted by some kind of evil magic that has the rings of power (Lakers)? All of the above? I’m thinking the latter.
Before the season, I talked up Malone and Payton. Jump on the bandwagon now. C’mon, there’s plenty of room. Lakers in five over NJ. Pencil it in now. Yawn.
Oh no, he’s quite useless I agree… I meant Horry in another context, though: the last 10 NBA champions have had either Steve Kerr or Robert Horry on their teams. Kerr retired and it would be terrible if the streak snaps this season
Lakers in five over NJ. Pencil it in now. Yawn.