by Stop Mike Lupica on December 2 at 6:13PM
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Knicks Rally to Save Isiah's job:
Indeed, the Daily News is quoting "a source" that says that "two assistant coaches" on the Knicks said before the game on Friday that if the Knicks lost they were sure they were all getting fired, including Isiah Thomas.
I'm sure that assistant coach wasn't Herb Williams! He's going to be on the Knicks bench, where he has been found for like 15 straight years now, long after Isiah Thomas is gone. Unless, of course, Herb finally gets another chance to be the head coach.
That man is a legend. And a fixture.
But the point is we all knew Isiah's job was in trouble after that embarrassing outing in Boston. Whether you think the Knicks players quit on Isiah (I've gone on record as such, as they never even stopped the bleeding, even against the Celtics' second team), or you think Isiah gave up on the game. To be fair, here's the comments from Knicks fan "Barf" over at Cosellout, and why he believes that Isiah might have given up the game:
In the Boston game, Isiah pulled ZBo after 18 minutes, Curry after 22 minutes, Steph at 21 minutes, QRich played 29 and Crawford played 28.
Isiah quit on his team…not the other way around.
He took both Zach and Curry after one quarter and neither of them saw time until the start of the third. When they went to the bench in the third, it was for good.
It's an iffy strategy, since you want the Celtics to play hard, even if you "concede" the game, so that their Big Three might be a little tired for their game the next night on the road in Miami, or their game on Sunday afternoon at the Cavs... they had a rough schedule, so you don't want to do them favors. But regardless, here's the deal: The Knicks faced a must-win against the Bucks, or Isiah was in serious danger of getting fired. For real.
The Bucks aren't a bad team - they were 7-6, with big wins already this year at Cleveland, and at home against the Lakers and Dallas.
They came out and opened up a big lead on the Knicks, despite the early production from Zach Randolph. The offense was still inept, scoring only 44 points in the first half (thanks to a last second three by Zach), and trailed 55-44.
19 points in the first quarter. After a game in which the Knicks did not top 18 points in any quarter against the Celtics. 19 points.
We will quickly break down how poor they played in that first quarter, offensively: Marbury hit a quick three; Zach charged; Crawford misses a drive going one on one on the defense; Zach hits a nice 7-footer, Eddy Curry gets fouled in the paint (1/2 FTs), Zach misses a long jumper with a hand in his face, Richardson loses the ball, misses a long open three, Marbury rebounds and misses a layup, Crawford misses another long three with the clock running down, Randolph misses another long jumper with a hand on his face. It's 14-6 Bucks, 6:00 to go in the first. Knicks are on pace to score 48 points. For the game.
That's how they opened the game, and you get the idea. They once again played with poor ball movement, and failed to work together as an offensive unit.
The game was looking like the end for Isiah. Down double digits, poor effort all around. Then Marbury went down midway through the third period, with a shoulder spasm.
Instead of using Nate Robinson or Mardy Collins (who?), Fred Jones came in. With Jones and Balkman on the perimeter, they were able to lock up Mo Williams and Michael Redd, both of who were killing the Knicks to that point.
Jones also contributed big offensively, going 4/4 for 10 points, thanks to his driving and fast breaking (Balkman-esqe). David Lee was once again David Lee, rebound and outstanding. And Jamal Crawford, for what seems to me like the first time since the Marbury AWOL saga, asserted himself offensively in the fourth, scoring when needed (including a three after Mo Williams hit one to give the Bucks a lead).
Some thoughts:
"Oh, no... it's shooting Jamal... come on, pass it to Curry... oh, nooo, that's a horrib.. wow, that sh*t actually went in!"
Repeat 10 times, and you've enjoyed the experience of watching Jamal Crawford play.
It should be noted that I think he's actually a good player, and he's definitely not the first player I've seen that does things wrong, but still gets it right.
Isiah Watch, December Prognosis:
The Knicks open up December tonight with a game against the Suns. While it seems a likely "L", it's also the hardest game they have all month.
We predicted a 7-8 month for the Knicks in November; they were actually 5-10 (though had they beat the winless Heat and Kings, we would look like geniuses right now).
December should be better (or Isiah might really be in trouble). There are only two back to back series of games - one next Friday & Saturday against the 76ers (it's a home and home), then the following weekend it's at Chicago, then home against the Nets.
The Knicks have two "very likely L's" this month: The Suns tonight, and at he Magic on the 26th. Both are teams that are too quick and athletic for the Knicks, and too perimeter oriented. Unless the Knicks focus on perimeter defense, they are going to lose.
There are two other "tough games" - home versus the Lakers and Mavs. Both are teams that the Knicks played tough last year, including sweeping the season series against the Lakers. They are good matchups for the Knicks, and so the Knicks might surprise you and win one of these games.
There are four "very winnable games": The 76ers are tied with the Knicks in terms of record; they play twice. The Bulls come to the Garden on the 30th. The Sonics are at the Garden on the 12th. The Knicks have to win at least three of those.
They also play at Chicago and Charlotte, both also winnable.
There are also games against the Cavs on the 19th, Pacers on the 17th, and Nets twice.
8-6 is realistic for this month.
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"To Isiah Thomas -- for making it all possible"
Speaking of tonight's game against the Suns... Mitch Lawrence was at it again today, once again crediting "the Suns turnaround" in 2003 to Isiah Thomas' bad GM skills.
I'm really tired of this stupid sh*t, but here we go once again. Like we do every time the Knicks play the Suns.
First off, there was no "Suns turnaround". That's a f*cking myth perpetuated by lazy hack writers. The Suns were hurt in Marbury's last year, hence their bad record. But previous to that, the Suns were one of the winniest teams in the NBA. In fact, since 1990, I think no other franchise has matched their success in terms of regular seasons wins in that period (maybe the Lakers).
"The Suns still have not advanced to the NBA Finals, but they have shown that when properly dismantled, teams can quickly rebuild and become championship contenders."
Properly dismantled? Quickly rebuild?!?
They had Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion already on the team. Oh, and Joe Johnson. The two best finishers in the league, plus on of the best perimeter guys and passing SGs that nobody watches. The haven't rebuild or dismantle sh*t. They made a switch in point guards. They traded Marbury, cleared cap space in the process, and used it to sign a very risky guard, Steve Nash.
That's it. In fact, aside from drafting Barbosa and trading for Diaw (at the cost of Joe Johnson), the Suns haven't done much but trade away picks the last four years. Which is fine, because they are smart team with enough talent (but not enough toughness). Next week I'll get into why the Suns trading picks, despite the bad press it sometimes gets, is actually a very sound strategy that other good teams (i.e. teams drafting in the 20's with lots of talent, but not enough money) might want to emulate.
But let's stick to the point. Isiah did not build the Suns with this move, and this move did not build the Suns, either. The shrewd talent evaluations - STAT and Marion, but also finding Barbosa (with a late draft pick), getting Diaw as part of the Johnson deal... even (supposedly) having Renaldo Balkman on their radar with the pick that was after the Knicks' pick in 2006 (how nice would Balkman have fit in Phoenix? He's fills a big need).
This might have built Steve Nash's Hall of Fame resume, though. Despite Mitch Lawrence semi revisionist account of the trade, no one thought it was a bad trade that Isiah made in 2003. The Knicks needed talent badly (their most talented healthy player was Kurt Thomas), and had the expiring contracts to make a move (around half the teams in the league would have rolled the dice for Marbury if they could). They would never have been able sign a Steve Nash as a free agent, though - even if they hadn't traded those expiring contracts, they Knicks were going to be over the salary cap for the next three seasons. Even if Isiah Thomas made no moves. Remember that Allan Houston, Shannon Anderson, Howard Eisley and assorted company were all on the books for another three years at over $45 million.
Also remember that Marbury was considered the better guard. He was a 20/10 guy, without the injury problems that scared off the Mavs from re-signing Nash, preferring to go after the healthier Jason Terry. Think about that for a second... Mark Cuban thought Steve Nash was too much of a risk to sign to long contract. The same Mark Cuban that has guys like Eric Dampier on his cap from now until...
I'm happy for the Suns. I like Amare, and I think Shawn Marion is among the most underrated players in the league. They are truly fun to watch, and I was hoping to go the game tonight (The Greek Prof will be there, so hopefully we'll get a recap later).
But I'm tired of them being used as another strike against Isiah. Seriously, not even Mark Cuban gets as much sh*t about Nash go to the Suns as Isiah.
The media tried this with the Bulls, too. They credited the Bulls "turnaround" to the Curry and Crawford trades. You don't hear much talk about that right now, though when the Bulls pull off their annual comeback, you'll probably hear the talk again. It's hack writing, and it's gotten old a long time ago. Mitch Lawrence needs to find a new way to talk sh*t about Isiah and the Knicks....
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Knicks Rally to Save Isiah's job:
Indeed, the Daily News is quoting "a source" that says that "two assistant coaches" on the Knicks said before the game on Friday that if the Knicks lost they were sure they were all getting fired, including Isiah Thomas.
I'm sure that assistant coach wasn't Herb Williams! He's going to be on the Knicks bench, where he has been found for like 15 straight years now, long after Isiah Thomas is gone. Unless, of course, Herb finally gets another chance to be the head coach.
That man is a legend. And a fixture.
But the point is we all knew Isiah's job was in trouble after that embarrassing outing in Boston. Whether you think the Knicks players quit on Isiah (I've gone on record as such, as they never even stopped the bleeding, even against the Celtics' second team), or you think Isiah gave up on the game. To be fair, here's the comments from Knicks fan "Barf" over at Cosellout, and why he believes that Isiah might have given up the game:
In the Boston game, Isiah pulled ZBo after 18 minutes, Curry after 22 minutes, Steph at 21 minutes, QRich played 29 and Crawford played 28.
Isiah quit on his team…not the other way around.
He took both Zach and Curry after one quarter and neither of them saw time until the start of the third. When they went to the bench in the third, it was for good.
It's an iffy strategy, since you want the Celtics to play hard, even if you "concede" the game, so that their Big Three might be a little tired for their game the next night on the road in Miami, or their game on Sunday afternoon at the Cavs... they had a rough schedule, so you don't want to do them favors. But regardless, here's the deal: The Knicks faced a must-win against the Bucks, or Isiah was in serious danger of getting fired. For real.
The Bucks aren't a bad team - they were 7-6, with big wins already this year at Cleveland, and at home against the Lakers and Dallas.
They came out and opened up a big lead on the Knicks, despite the early production from Zach Randolph. The offense was still inept, scoring only 44 points in the first half (thanks to a last second three by Zach), and trailed 55-44.
19 points in the first quarter. After a game in which the Knicks did not top 18 points in any quarter against the Celtics. 19 points.
We will quickly break down how poor they played in that first quarter, offensively: Marbury hit a quick three; Zach charged; Crawford misses a drive going one on one on the defense; Zach hits a nice 7-footer, Eddy Curry gets fouled in the paint (1/2 FTs), Zach misses a long jumper with a hand in his face, Richardson loses the ball, misses a long open three, Marbury rebounds and misses a layup, Crawford misses another long three with the clock running down, Randolph misses another long jumper with a hand on his face. It's 14-6 Bucks, 6:00 to go in the first. Knicks are on pace to score 48 points. For the game.
That's how they opened the game, and you get the idea. They once again played with poor ball movement, and failed to work together as an offensive unit.
The game was looking like the end for Isiah. Down double digits, poor effort all around. Then Marbury went down midway through the third period, with a shoulder spasm.
Instead of using Nate Robinson or Mardy Collins (who?), Fred Jones came in. With Jones and Balkman on the perimeter, they were able to lock up Mo Williams and Michael Redd, both of who were killing the Knicks to that point.
Jones also contributed big offensively, going 4/4 for 10 points, thanks to his driving and fast breaking (Balkman-esqe). David Lee was once again David Lee, rebound and outstanding. And Jamal Crawford, for what seems to me like the first time since the Marbury AWOL saga, asserted himself offensively in the fourth, scoring when needed (including a three after Mo Williams hit one to give the Bucks a lead).
Some thoughts:
- I hate scapegoating Marbury, but come on... it's becoming my theory that the team has quit on Marbury, not Isiah. Which makes more sense, really.
- Anytime Jamal Crawford shoots, it's not a good shot. That worse the shot, however, the higher the likelihood of it going in. Seriously, I was watching the game with my boy E from BK (a former catholic high school player who played with some very talented cats, and could have been a D1 player), and we both had the same reaction every single time Crawford touched the ball:
"Oh, no... it's shooting Jamal... come on, pass it to Curry... oh, nooo, that's a horrib.. wow, that sh*t actually went in!"
Repeat 10 times, and you've enjoyed the experience of watching Jamal Crawford play.
It should be noted that I think he's actually a good player, and he's definitely not the first player I've seen that does things wrong, but still gets it right.
- Fred Jones was the X-factor. He's gone from throw-in to actually serious starter material. I could even see him getting big minutes at the point again. Or at the three.
Isiah Watch, December Prognosis:
The Knicks open up December tonight with a game against the Suns. While it seems a likely "L", it's also the hardest game they have all month.
We predicted a 7-8 month for the Knicks in November; they were actually 5-10 (though had they beat the winless Heat and Kings, we would look like geniuses right now).
December should be better (or Isiah might really be in trouble). There are only two back to back series of games - one next Friday & Saturday against the 76ers (it's a home and home), then the following weekend it's at Chicago, then home against the Nets.
The Knicks have two "very likely L's" this month: The Suns tonight, and at he Magic on the 26th. Both are teams that are too quick and athletic for the Knicks, and too perimeter oriented. Unless the Knicks focus on perimeter defense, they are going to lose.
There are two other "tough games" - home versus the Lakers and Mavs. Both are teams that the Knicks played tough last year, including sweeping the season series against the Lakers. They are good matchups for the Knicks, and so the Knicks might surprise you and win one of these games.
There are four "very winnable games": The 76ers are tied with the Knicks in terms of record; they play twice. The Bulls come to the Garden on the 30th. The Sonics are at the Garden on the 12th. The Knicks have to win at least three of those.
They also play at Chicago and Charlotte, both also winnable.
There are also games against the Cavs on the 19th, Pacers on the 17th, and Nets twice.
8-6 is realistic for this month.
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"To Isiah Thomas -- for making it all possible"
Speaking of tonight's game against the Suns... Mitch Lawrence was at it again today, once again crediting "the Suns turnaround" in 2003 to Isiah Thomas' bad GM skills.
I'm really tired of this stupid sh*t, but here we go once again. Like we do every time the Knicks play the Suns.
First off, there was no "Suns turnaround". That's a f*cking myth perpetuated by lazy hack writers. The Suns were hurt in Marbury's last year, hence their bad record. But previous to that, the Suns were one of the winniest teams in the NBA. In fact, since 1990, I think no other franchise has matched their success in terms of regular seasons wins in that period (maybe the Lakers).
"The Suns still have not advanced to the NBA Finals, but they have shown that when properly dismantled, teams can quickly rebuild and become championship contenders."
Properly dismantled? Quickly rebuild?!?
They had Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion already on the team. Oh, and Joe Johnson. The two best finishers in the league, plus on of the best perimeter guys and passing SGs that nobody watches. The haven't rebuild or dismantle sh*t. They made a switch in point guards. They traded Marbury, cleared cap space in the process, and used it to sign a very risky guard, Steve Nash.
That's it. In fact, aside from drafting Barbosa and trading for Diaw (at the cost of Joe Johnson), the Suns haven't done much but trade away picks the last four years. Which is fine, because they are smart team with enough talent (but not enough toughness). Next week I'll get into why the Suns trading picks, despite the bad press it sometimes gets, is actually a very sound strategy that other good teams (i.e. teams drafting in the 20's with lots of talent, but not enough money) might want to emulate.
But let's stick to the point. Isiah did not build the Suns with this move, and this move did not build the Suns, either. The shrewd talent evaluations - STAT and Marion, but also finding Barbosa (with a late draft pick), getting Diaw as part of the Johnson deal... even (supposedly) having Renaldo Balkman on their radar with the pick that was after the Knicks' pick in 2006 (how nice would Balkman have fit in Phoenix? He's fills a big need).
This might have built Steve Nash's Hall of Fame resume, though. Despite Mitch Lawrence semi revisionist account of the trade, no one thought it was a bad trade that Isiah made in 2003. The Knicks needed talent badly (their most talented healthy player was Kurt Thomas), and had the expiring contracts to make a move (around half the teams in the league would have rolled the dice for Marbury if they could). They would never have been able sign a Steve Nash as a free agent, though - even if they hadn't traded those expiring contracts, they Knicks were going to be over the salary cap for the next three seasons. Even if Isiah Thomas made no moves. Remember that Allan Houston, Shannon Anderson, Howard Eisley and assorted company were all on the books for another three years at over $45 million.
Also remember that Marbury was considered the better guard. He was a 20/10 guy, without the injury problems that scared off the Mavs from re-signing Nash, preferring to go after the healthier Jason Terry. Think about that for a second... Mark Cuban thought Steve Nash was too much of a risk to sign to long contract. The same Mark Cuban that has guys like Eric Dampier on his cap from now until...
I'm happy for the Suns. I like Amare, and I think Shawn Marion is among the most underrated players in the league. They are truly fun to watch, and I was hoping to go the game tonight (The Greek Prof will be there, so hopefully we'll get a recap later).
But I'm tired of them being used as another strike against Isiah. Seriously, not even Mark Cuban gets as much sh*t about Nash go to the Suns as Isiah.
The media tried this with the Bulls, too. They credited the Bulls "turnaround" to the Curry and Crawford trades. You don't hear much talk about that right now, though when the Bulls pull off their annual comeback, you'll probably hear the talk again. It's hack writing, and it's gotten old a long time ago. Mitch Lawrence needs to find a new way to talk sh*t about Isiah and the Knicks....
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I hate the Suns turnaround story, and I agree that it's lazy writing. These are facts that can easily be verified by just going to the Suns website and looking at the team history page. I've done it numerous times. I hate sportwriters sometimes.