LOL@Isiah and the Knicks

[JS]

Isiah likley to be fired either today or by week's end. Zeke has ben told to cancel his scouting trip to Europe and report to Dolan's office in Texas.

[JS]

New York should sign Darvin Ham - he's a reputed team chemist isn't he??

He can't sign with NY they can't give him a 5 yr 50 million dollar deal to meet team contract standards, maybe we should offer them a S&T for an unprotected 1st?

[Fool]

Isiah likley to be fired either today or by week's end. Zeke has ben told to cancel his scouting trip to Europe and report to Dolan's office in Texas.

Damn, there goes John Hammond.

[Anthony]

LOL. The Hawks can do what the knicks do on 1/1839874398741th of the payroll.

[Fool]

http://www.nj.com/knicks/ledger/inde...l=1&thispage=1

Dolan calls for meeting of the minds as Knicks woes continue
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
BY DAVID WALDSTEIN
Star-Ledger Staff

SAN ANTONIO -- The Alamo is a long way from Paris and Barcelona, but when the boss calls and says he wants you in Texas, you drop everything.

Isiah Thomas, who planned to fly to Europe on a scouting trip yesterday, instead was summoned here by team owner James Dolan for a high-level meeting with Larry Brown and the rest of the Madison Square Garden brass to discuss the debacle that is the Knicks.

Finally, Dolan appears to have recognized his team is in crisis mode. While Dolan sat glumly in the second row and watched the Knicks get crushed, 121-93, by the Spurs for their 41st loss of the season, Thomas found a spot to stand by himself at the entrance to the tunnel, similar to where he stands at the Garden, to watch the team lose.

Today in Memphis, it is assumed Thomas will meet with Dolan, Brown, team president and COO Steve Mills, and vice chairman of Madison Square Garden Hank Ratner, where they can discuss last night's demolition -- in which the Spurs scored 100 points and shot 72.5 percent through three quarters -- and the performance this season that has resulted in a 15-41 record.

"We cut it to seven," Brown said of the Knicks little run early in the third quarter, "and then I don't remember us making a pass, except to them."

After that, San Antonio scored 12 consecutive points, and another embarrassing rout was on. Following the game Dolan and Thomas spent a few moments in the locker room and then headed to Memphis in Dolan's private jet.

Brown was disconsolate about the Knicks' lack of effort and team concept, but vowed he would not quit.

"Everywhere I've been, every place I've ever coached, I always felt we were getting better," he said. "I ain't giving up here. But it's embarrassing; every game to go out like this and I don't see one change in the effort or the enthusiasm or unselfishness."

It is a topic that is sure to be discussed with the owner.

Dolan makes regular visits to the team's training facility in Westchester, where he meets with Thomas, Brown and Mills. But apparently he didn't want to wait.

Although the meeting with Thomas was hastily arranged, there are no indications the GM's job is in jeopardy at this point. A spokesman for Thomas said he changed his plans himself because he wanted to be with the team in its time of desperation, but another MSG official said Thomas' presence was requested by Dolan.

Dolan had planned to join the team on this trip for several weeks, and today he plans to address the state of the club.

The last time he spoke was during training camp on Oct. 8, when optimism was high in the wake of Brown's hiring and the trade for Eddy Curry. There was no specific mention of the playoffs at the time, but several times Dolan said the ultimate "truth" would come out on the floor.

Here's the ugly truth:

The Knicks have lost 20 of their past 22 and despite the league's highest payroll at $125 million and despite having a Hall of Fame coach, they share the NBA's worst record with the Bobcats.

It will be interesting to hear what Dolan has to say about the jobs Thomas and Brown have done. In October, he raved about Thomas' work.

"As far as I can tell, he's done a spectacular job," the owner said that day. "A lot of the $120 million payroll is legacy stuff. I just think he's done a very good job, particularly in this off-season. We're ahead of schedule in terms of bringing on talent and youth and making the team more exciting."

Clearly, that assessment needs an adjustment. The comparison between the two teams on the floor last night didn't help matters for Thomas. The Spurs won the championship with a payroll half that of the Knicks at roughly $62 million.

[Anthony]

What is that man sniffing?

[Glenn]

I wonder if Indiana University is looking to ruin their basketball program?

I hear they have a head coaching vacancy.

[Vinny]

Come on now, haven't you learned anything from Joe D.? Talent's great but chemistry, hard work and teamwork are the key. That's the problem with the Knicks. I can't think of a bigger collection of ballhogs, lazes and attitude problems in the recent NBA.

I really don't get it. Zeke hires LB and then goes and puts together the biggest collection of anti-LB types I've ever seen. He's got like 5-6 key pieces of a winner but they each belong to a different jigsaw puzzle, they just don't fit together.

A coach is supposed to help chemistry though. understand that. LB ain't doing a damn thing in New York.

Besides, do you really think that Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Jalen Rose, Channing Frye and Eddy Curry sounds like that dysfunctional of a starting line-up? To me that sounds like a pretty solid line-up, and they'd have some pretty damn good players coming off the bench in Steve Francis and Nate Robinson.

No GM can make the players work hard, No GM can make the players compliment each other's game. He can make predictions on who would fit well, but that isn't a sure thing. Considering that Zeke started in the worst possible position that a GM can be in I don't think he has really done badly.

When you consider depth the Knicks are probably the most talented team in the league at the 1 and maybe even the 2 position as well. They weren't going to get a good big man, because no one has a big to give away. They got Eddy Curry, Jerome James and Channing Frye though... so i don't see how Zeke could have done better.


The truth is that Isiah seems to be trying, and LB doesn't. Now his players aren't trying either, and he doesn't care. The Francis move was more of an LB move then Zeke though, and that's the one that made the least sense to me so far. LB was constantly complaining about not having a true point guard, even though he had Marbury and Robinson he wanted another one. Like we already know though, LB doesn't even know what the hell LB wants. So you just ignore everything he says, because he's crazy. How can a dude like that be considered a great coach though?

I couldn't disagree more. I'm not saying LB's done a great job or anything, but seriously now: Eddy Curry and Jerome James are 2 of the laziest players in the game. Crawford, Francis and Marbury are 3 of the most selfish players in the game. Channing Frye is a sieve on defense and Robinson's athleticism doesn't help him when he get's posted every time he's on the court. Any one or two of them could be an effective piece of a contending team but put them all together and this is what you get. No coach could save that group.

[Black Dynamite]

A coach is supposed to help chemistry though. understand that. LB ain't doing a damn thing in New York.

The Coach is supposed to help it. the GM is responsible for building it with the right players. You dont just stick any talented player at the position and expect the coach to work it out fot them all as a group.

[acman1]

Thomas is either trying to field a team of just guards, dumb or is planning to make a huge amont of trades this offseason, but for a team that has a 140 payroll man do they blow.