by Stop Mike Lupica on October 15 at 11:54AM
1. Stephon Marbury
There are several reasons to root for Stephon Marbury. One, you already know about his Starbury sneakers. Like them or not, they are a movement. The success of his low-cost sneakers have attracted other athletes to join the cause - Ben Wallace has a line of Starburys, and other athletes are considering similar deals. Even Kevin Durant has announced his intention to keep his line of sneakers "affordable" (namely around $64.99).
Secondly, his good work hasn't stopped at selling or giving away low cost sneakers. He donated $4 million last year to various community charities in NYC, including ones that benefit cops, teachers, and firemen. Who can't get behind that kind of charity, the kind that seeks to benefit public workers? He also donated $500,000 to help Katrina victims after the hurricane struck.
What about the negative stories about his extramarital affair with a Garden intern? Doesn't matter - he's a Christian now. He's born again. What about his reputation (well-earned) for being brash and arrogant (the KG split up, the "best point guard in the NBA" comments)? Again, it doesn't matter - he's a Christian now. I'm going to have to pull the born-again card on ya'll... nothing he did in the past matters anymore. He's given himself to God, and spent the summer touring 75-cities giving away sneakers. You can't hold his past sins against him anymore; he's repented and started again. No one in the press calls the POTUS a cokehead alcoholic, right? That's the beauty of being a born-again Christian.
Say what you want about the old Starbury, but the new one is a religious man who is arguably the most charitable athlete in the NBA. He's also the most entertaining interview out there - his guest-blog column for the NY Post (!) was more entertaining that anything Gilbert Arenas has written, sparking headlines nationwide when he declared his intentions to "do like Beckham" and play ball in Italy when his contract expires next season. In fact, given Gilbert's arrogance, one can argue he's become the quirkiest and most entertaining player in the NBA. He's transformed his game from a stat-obsess shot-heavy point guard to a team-first point who has promised to be okay with "5 points and 12 dime a game". There is no good reason to not support that.
2. Eddy Curry is a nice guy with bad luck
Eddy Curry is generally considered one of the nicest guys in the NBA by almost every player or coach or media person that's ever talked to him. He has no enemies in the league, not even Scott Skiles. He's generally perceived as a good fellow, and this "good guy" has had some major bad luck.
He and his family were the victims of a terrifying home invasion/robbery by masked armed robbers earlier this summer.
The test they wanted Eddy to take? It's approximately 10% efficient at detecting DNA irregularities. And illegal in most of the US. DNA testing as a whole for employment purposes is illegal, violating multiple state privacy laws and federal employment laws. It was at the suggestion of one prominent specialist (Barry Maron) after several other prominent cardiologists cleared Curry to play. In the end Barry Maron also cleared Eddy Curry to resume playing, and just "suggested" the DNA test, never actually demanding it. The Knicks came in, and made a trade with the Bulls for Curry and paid him an appropriate contract, and in doing so prevented the establishment of a precedent for illegal DNA testing of employees in America. The irony is this all happened at the same time when big companies, like IBM, were announcing a policy that "it would never use genetic tests make employment decisions". The federal government even introduced "The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act" (GINA passed the House, but is being held up in the a Republican Senator from Oklahoma named Tom Coburn in the Senate).
3. Larry Brown
Nothing would irk Larry Brown more than to see the Knicks succeed without him, after his failed attempted coup in 2004-2005 led to the worst Knicks season since before Patrick Ewing. After being signed by Isiah Thomas to a 5 year, $50 million contract to coach, Larry Brown immediately got fed up with his team and tried to force Thomas out of the job as GM. He tried to work trades with other teams, and used his connections in the NY and national media to turn the pressure on Thomas. Thomas managed to hold on to his job, but it cost the Knicks $27 million for Brown's 23 victories. Never as so much been paid for so little - those numbers make Roger Clemens look like a bargain.
Larry Brown spent this past offseason doing what he does best - trying to get the best deal. He interviewed or considered positions with the Celtics, Grizzlies and Bobcats, but when they all lost the lottery (and a chance at Greg Oden and Kevin Durant) he promptly lost interest. Too bad - maybe he should have taken that Celtics job seriously, even after they lost out on a top two pick.
4. Chicago and Boston fans would be pissed
Have you read Bill Simmons lately? Could he be any more obnoxious? Bragging about his Sox, Pats and Celtics... do you really want him to pen another three columns a week about how great it is to have the Celtics back during the NBA season? Wouldn't it shut him up just a bit if the Knicks were to beat his beloved Celtics (who are, btw, the Nets without the same level of depth right now - a very good team, yes, but not world-beaters just yet)?
On a sidenote: Two things Bill Simmons wrote last week that annoyed me - one, that "the two teams in the NLCS has no history". Yes, they are expansion franchises that are less than 20 years old. Of course Arizona might not having the "history" of Boston, but they do have the same number of championships over the past 80 years. And the Rockies might not interest Simmons, but what they are doing right now, winning 17 of 18 (note: now 20 of 21) is historically unprecedented. It's the most underrated story of the year, and everyone is sleeping on it because of attitudes like Simmons. We are in the midst of what could turn out to be one of the greatest stories in sports history ever - a team that wins 95% of its games going down the stretch and into the playoffs? This is possibly even tougher to do than a perfect season in football.
But then again, this is the same guy who wrote that Cleveland's closer, Joe Borowski, would cost the Indians at least one game in the series since he's the shakiest arm in the series. Um, this coming from a guy who's team has Eric Gagne (note: I wrote this draft on Friday, before Gagne blew Saturday's game - it really wasn't that hard to see coming, was it?).
And Chicago Bulls fans are almost has bad as Boston fans. Losing to the Knicks would be a welcome shot in the gut of humility to two of the most annoying fanbases in American sports.
5. Isiah Thomas is much maligned
Along those lines... think of how much redemption it would be if Isiah Thomas proved he was right all along. Not only would that be pie in the face to jokers like Mike Lupica (he would be the most pissed) and his ilk, but it might also set the record straight on Isiah Thomas' job once and for all.
You have hopefully read Cosellout's excellent compilation of of The Myth of Isiah Thomas. He breaks down how Isiah's moves have been mocked and ridiculed by a media that has had hidden motivations all along. For example, here are some of the reasons Isiah Thomas has drawn so much heat from the media, none of which have to do with his transactions:
-the Knicks strict media policy offends the local beatwriters.
-Jame Dolan's political involvement, particular his objections to the Jets Stadium on the west side and the Olympic 2012 bid, have created backlash from those writers who are friendly to the Bloomberg office (i.e. the NY Press, which doesn't write about sports other than to bash the Knicks).
-Isiah's past beefs with Michael Jordan led to a feud with super agent David Falk, who has lots of media connections.
-The Larry Brown disaster led to more anger from local scribes (like Lupica), who were very disappointed to see their golden boy dismissed.
-James Dolan's Cablevision owns the Knicks, and is a media company that often gets heat from the local print press.
With all these things in the media going against Isiah Thomas and the Knicks over the past two seasons, it would be nice to root for him to get a fair chance to redeem himself. All the ridicule he endured for trading for Eddy Curry? That trade stands now as Eddy Curry, Renaldo Balkman and Wilson Chandler for Tyrus Thomas and Joe Kim Noah - it's too early to say how it's going to turn out, but that never stopped the media from jumping the gun and calling it one of the most lopsided trades of all time. Indeed, there might be plenty of crow to go around in the media if Isiah Thomas and the Knicks do well this season. And who doesn't like to see such full-of-themselves types like Mike Lupica eating a big fat crow?
6. Renaldo Balkman... from mistake to great
Great is an exaggeration. But after all the ridicule that Isiah got for drafting Balkman... and still gets, even as Balkman has shown himself to be a legit high-energy player with potential coming off the bench (one comment on FreeDarko noted that the myth that "he would have been available later", and shouldn't have been taken at #21! - this irks me so much... like, one, how do you know for sure the Suns wouldn't have taken him, and two - so what? If he's the best available, and fits your needs, why should you risk it?!?)... it would be beautiful to see Balkman continue to grow as a player, and make those boos, those snickers from the wisemen of ESPN ("Renaldo who?") and the blogsphere get even quieter. Fans love the story of the underdog who everyone doubted who proved them all wrong - just see Wayne Chrebet, or Invincible, or Rocky, for examples. Well, here's another real life example. I think we can all get behind him.
7. David Lee, the hard working fan favorite
Hard to knock Mr. Lee. He works hard on grabbing those rebounds, hustles up and down the court, and is generally well liked by fans, even opposing fans.
8. Herb Williams and Brendan Suhr
Two of the classiest coaches in the league. They have been working with the Knicks since the Van Gundy era, and have alway earned strong praise from their peers.
9. Quentin Richardson - Smile Through Adversity
A fun, yet mature, presence in the locker room. He's made himself known as a funny guy through the years.
And while other players, most notably Tracy McGrady, get credit for being victims of bad luck, it's hard to see someone having it rougher than Q-Rich: his mother, a former high school basketball player who introduced her son to the game, died of breast cancer in 1992, when he was only 12 years old. He also lost his grandmother and his brother that same year. His father, a Chicago transit authority employee, raised him alone. Another brother (Lee Richardson, Jr - his eldest brother), was murdered in Chicago in 2005 during a robbery. Despite all the setbacks in his life, he's managed to maintain his focus, and is one of the most respected veterans on the Knicks team.
And one reason not to:
James Dolan
Leave a comment
There are several reasons to root for Stephon Marbury. One, you already know about his Starbury sneakers. Like them or not, they are a movement. The success of his low-cost sneakers have attracted other athletes to join the cause - Ben Wallace has a line of Starburys, and other athletes are considering similar deals. Even Kevin Durant has announced his intention to keep his line of sneakers "affordable" (namely around $64.99).
Secondly, his good work hasn't stopped at selling or giving away low cost sneakers. He donated $4 million last year to various community charities in NYC, including ones that benefit cops, teachers, and firemen. Who can't get behind that kind of charity, the kind that seeks to benefit public workers? He also donated $500,000 to help Katrina victims after the hurricane struck.
What about the negative stories about his extramarital affair with a Garden intern? Doesn't matter - he's a Christian now. He's born again. What about his reputation (well-earned) for being brash and arrogant (the KG split up, the "best point guard in the NBA" comments)? Again, it doesn't matter - he's a Christian now. I'm going to have to pull the born-again card on ya'll... nothing he did in the past matters anymore. He's given himself to God, and spent the summer touring 75-cities giving away sneakers. You can't hold his past sins against him anymore; he's repented and started again. No one in the press calls the POTUS a cokehead alcoholic, right? That's the beauty of being a born-again Christian.
Say what you want about the old Starbury, but the new one is a religious man who is arguably the most charitable athlete in the NBA. He's also the most entertaining interview out there - his guest-blog column for the NY Post (!) was more entertaining that anything Gilbert Arenas has written, sparking headlines nationwide when he declared his intentions to "do like Beckham" and play ball in Italy when his contract expires next season. In fact, given Gilbert's arrogance, one can argue he's become the quirkiest and most entertaining player in the NBA. He's transformed his game from a stat-obsess shot-heavy point guard to a team-first point who has promised to be okay with "5 points and 12 dime a game". There is no good reason to not support that.
2. Eddy Curry is a nice guy with bad luck
Eddy Curry is generally considered one of the nicest guys in the NBA by almost every player or coach or media person that's ever talked to him. He has no enemies in the league, not even Scott Skiles. He's generally perceived as a good fellow, and this "good guy" has had some major bad luck.
He and his family were the victims of a terrifying home invasion/robbery by masked armed robbers earlier this summer.
"It was definitely hard to be
in the house after that," Curry
The test they wanted Eddy to take? It's approximately 10% efficient at detecting DNA irregularities. And illegal in most of the US. DNA testing as a whole for employment purposes is illegal, violating multiple state privacy laws and federal employment laws. It was at the suggestion of one prominent specialist (Barry Maron) after several other prominent cardiologists cleared Curry to play. In the end Barry Maron also cleared Eddy Curry to resume playing, and just "suggested" the DNA test, never actually demanding it. The Knicks came in, and made a trade with the Bulls for Curry and paid him an appropriate contract, and in doing so prevented the establishment of a precedent for illegal DNA testing of employees in America. The irony is this all happened at the same time when big companies, like IBM, were announcing a policy that "it would never use genetic tests make employment decisions". The federal government even introduced "The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act" (GINA passed the House, but is being held up in the a Republican Senator from Oklahoma named Tom Coburn in the Senate).
3. Larry Brown
Nothing would irk Larry Brown more than to see the Knicks succeed without him, after his failed attempted coup in 2004-2005 led to the worst Knicks season since before Patrick Ewing. After being signed by Isiah Thomas to a 5 year, $50 million contract to coach, Larry Brown immediately got fed up with his team and tried to force Thomas out of the job as GM. He tried to work trades with other teams, and used his connections in the NY and national media to turn the pressure on Thomas. Thomas managed to hold on to his job, but it cost the Knicks $27 million for Brown's 23 victories. Never as so much been paid for so little - those numbers make Roger Clemens look like a bargain.
Larry Brown spent this past offseason doing what he does best - trying to get the best deal. He interviewed or considered positions with the Celtics, Grizzlies and Bobcats, but when they all lost the lottery (and a chance at Greg Oden and Kevin Durant) he promptly lost interest. Too bad - maybe he should have taken that Celtics job seriously, even after they lost out on a top two pick.
4. Chicago and Boston fans would be pissed
Have you read Bill Simmons lately? Could he be any more obnoxious? Bragging about his Sox, Pats and Celtics... do you really want him to pen another three columns a week about how great it is to have the Celtics back during the NBA season? Wouldn't it shut him up just a bit if the Knicks were to beat his beloved Celtics (who are, btw, the Nets without the same level of depth right now - a very good team, yes, but not world-beaters just yet)?
On a sidenote: Two things Bill Simmons wrote last week that annoyed me - one, that "the two teams in the NLCS has no history". Yes, they are expansion franchises that are less than 20 years old. Of course Arizona might not having the "history" of Boston, but they do have the same number of championships over the past 80 years. And the Rockies might not interest Simmons, but what they are doing right now, winning 17 of 18 (note: now 20 of 21) is historically unprecedented. It's the most underrated story of the year, and everyone is sleeping on it because of attitudes like Simmons. We are in the midst of what could turn out to be one of the greatest stories in sports history ever - a team that wins 95% of its games going down the stretch and into the playoffs? This is possibly even tougher to do than a perfect season in football.
But then again, this is the same guy who wrote that Cleveland's closer, Joe Borowski, would cost the Indians at least one game in the series since he's the shakiest arm in the series. Um, this coming from a guy who's team has Eric Gagne (note: I wrote this draft on Friday, before Gagne blew Saturday's game - it really wasn't that hard to see coming, was it?).
And Chicago Bulls fans are almost has bad as Boston fans. Losing to the Knicks would be a welcome shot in the gut of humility to two of the most annoying fanbases in American sports.
5. Isiah Thomas is much maligned
Along those lines... think of how much redemption it would be if Isiah Thomas proved he was right all along. Not only would that be pie in the face to jokers like Mike Lupica (he would be the most pissed) and his ilk, but it might also set the record straight on Isiah Thomas' job once and for all.
You have hopefully read Cosellout's excellent compilation of of The Myth of Isiah Thomas. He breaks down how Isiah's moves have been mocked and ridiculed by a media that has had hidden motivations all along. For example, here are some of the reasons Isiah Thomas has drawn so much heat from the media, none of which have to do with his transactions:
-the Knicks strict media policy offends the local beatwriters.
-Jame Dolan's political involvement, particular his objections to the Jets Stadium on the west side and the Olympic 2012 bid, have created backlash from those writers who are friendly to the Bloomberg office (i.e. the NY Press, which doesn't write about sports other than to bash the Knicks).
-Isiah's past beefs with Michael Jordan led to a feud with super agent David Falk, who has lots of media connections.
-The Larry Brown disaster led to more anger from local scribes (like Lupica), who were very disappointed to see their golden boy dismissed.
-James Dolan's Cablevision owns the Knicks, and is a media company that often gets heat from the local print press.
With all these things in the media going against Isiah Thomas and the Knicks over the past two seasons, it would be nice to root for him to get a fair chance to redeem himself. All the ridicule he endured for trading for Eddy Curry? That trade stands now as Eddy Curry, Renaldo Balkman and Wilson Chandler for Tyrus Thomas and Joe Kim Noah - it's too early to say how it's going to turn out, but that never stopped the media from jumping the gun and calling it one of the most lopsided trades of all time. Indeed, there might be plenty of crow to go around in the media if Isiah Thomas and the Knicks do well this season. And who doesn't like to see such full-of-themselves types like Mike Lupica eating a big fat crow?
6. Renaldo Balkman... from mistake to great
Great is an exaggeration. But after all the ridicule that Isiah got for drafting Balkman... and still gets, even as Balkman has shown himself to be a legit high-energy player with potential coming off the bench (one comment on FreeDarko noted that the myth that "he would have been available later", and shouldn't have been taken at #21! - this irks me so much... like, one, how do you know for sure the Suns wouldn't have taken him, and two - so what? If he's the best available, and fits your needs, why should you risk it?!?)... it would be beautiful to see Balkman continue to grow as a player, and make those boos, those snickers from the wisemen of ESPN ("Renaldo who?") and the blogsphere get even quieter. Fans love the story of the underdog who everyone doubted who proved them all wrong - just see Wayne Chrebet, or Invincible, or Rocky, for examples. Well, here's another real life example. I think we can all get behind him.
7. David Lee, the hard working fan favorite
Hard to knock Mr. Lee. He works hard on grabbing those rebounds, hustles up and down the court, and is generally well liked by fans, even opposing fans.
8. Herb Williams and Brendan Suhr
Two of the classiest coaches in the league. They have been working with the Knicks since the Van Gundy era, and have alway earned strong praise from their peers.
9. Quentin Richardson - Smile Through Adversity
A fun, yet mature, presence in the locker room. He's made himself known as a funny guy through the years.
And while other players, most notably Tracy McGrady, get credit for being victims of bad luck, it's hard to see someone having it rougher than Q-Rich: his mother, a former high school basketball player who introduced her son to the game, died of breast cancer in 1992, when he was only 12 years old. He also lost his grandmother and his brother that same year. His father, a Chicago transit authority employee, raised him alone. Another brother (Lee Richardson, Jr - his eldest brother), was murdered in Chicago in 2005 during a robbery. Despite all the setbacks in his life, he's managed to maintain his focus, and is one of the most respected veterans on the Knicks team.
And one reason not to:
James DolanLeave a comment
|
5 Comments
Comments
3) is definitely the best reason to root for NY, immediately followed by 7)
stopmikelupica
said
Ouch, Rickhouse... that was cruel. But yeah - not all Bulls fans are terrible, and they're not as bad as Boston fans. However... they are second. And even you have to admit you have some fans that you are embarrassed by.
But I am glad you guys are done rooting against the Knicks.
Prezs2ReprsntMe
said
Another season of WALT CLYDE FRAZIER ANNOUNCING should have been one of the reasons to root for the knicks...especially after 166 games of michael kay and the like.
stopmikelupica
said
Damnit, Prez! Did you know that was actually in my draft, and tied for 10th on my reasons to root for the Knicks (note the title of the URL - I originally had 10 reasons)? I dropped it because I didn't really have much to say beyond "I like listen to Walt Clyde Frazier. Especially when he's teamed up with Gus Johnson".
The other 10th reason: Allan Houston. But I'm acively rooting against him making the team, since it would (probably) cost Nichols or Jordan a spot on the roster. Still, if he makes the team, I have to admit it's hard to root against him. He's a veteran, a nice guy, Christian, responsible for one of the most clutch shots in team history, and possess the most beautifulist jumper in the world.
"Bulls fans are almost as bad as Celtic fans,"
I mean, I respect your opinion and all, but come on. The Celtics? You nailed it with Simmons, he couldn't be more of a cocksmoker lately. It's almost impossible to finish an entire column. The Bulls don't have a fan nearly as high profile or obnoxious as him.
Also, now that the Eddy Curry trade is finished and done with, we Bulls fans can stop rooting against the Knicks so viciously.
It's all good man, no hard feelings, I'm just going to go watch my VHS tape of the Charles Smith game now.