Knicks and Johnnies Bring Life Back to World’s Most Famous Arena

After the Golden State Warriors visited Madison Square Garden on November 10th and beat up a defenseless Knicks squad that saw its record drop to 3-8, it seemed as if the faithful were in for another terrible season of basketball on 32nd St. and 7th Ave.  Making matters more painful was that this was the year that Knicks’ brass had targeted for a turnaround.  But, they’d failed to land either LeBron James or Chris Bosh during the offseason and, worse, were floating the idea of bringing back Isiah Thomas; the very face of the debacle that had been the last decade.  A playoff berth, let alone a championship run, seemed like a fantasy.

Around the same time, I was discussing the decline of the St. John’s basketball program with Nolan Adams, assistant men’s basketball coach at the College of Mount Saint Vincent who opened my eyes with a comment that was both obvious and unbelievable at the same time.  When I suggested that the downfall of both Mike Jarvis and Norm Roberts was their failure to recruit kids from New York city, he pointed out that there was now, “… an entire generation of players that has never known St. John’s as a basketball power.”  It was a sad realization, but true nonetheless.  No one under the age of 20 would have seen the legendary Big East battles between the Johnnies and Georgetown, Syracuse or Villanova.  None would have watched them in a NCAA tournament game and, certainly, never have followed a St. John ’s alum through the first round of the draft and into the NBA.

Since then, however, both the Knicks and the Red Storm have turned everything around. Amar’e Stoudemire has carried a cast of solid role players into playoff contention in the Eastern Conference while Steve Lavin has overseen the rebirth of the Red Storm.  The renaissance was never more apparent than last week when the Knicks knocked off James and the Heat only to have that feat surpassed by the Johnnies’ thrashing of nationally ranked Duke on Sunday afternoon.  Yes, kids, that’s exactly how the Garden used to rock.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of both stories is that the best is yet to come.  Lavin is working his magic with ten seniors he inherited from Roberts and has already signed six recruits rated in the top 75 high school players by ESPN.  The Knicks still have plenty of cap room, certainly enough to sign Carmelo Anthony this summer; a much more prudent course to follow than parting with Landry Fields and/or Wilson Chandler in order to get him now.  Add the Nuggets’ All Star to the existing cast of characters to begin next season, however, and now we’re talking a true return to glory.  Maybe then, finally, it’ll be your father’s Madison Square Garden once again.

by Eddie Mayrose

Was actually encouraged by the way the New York Knicks started the season.  Not that I had any expectations about a championship or even a playoff appearance, for that matter. Rather, I was just happy that the roster was now populated with players that I could actually root for; a stark contrast to the band of miscreants that wore the uniform over the course of Isiah Thomas’ reign of error.  Gone were Stephon Marbury, Nate Robinson and Jerome James, replaced by hard-working players like Toney Douglas and Ronny Turiaf, not to mention A’mare Stoudamire,the biggest talent to hit the Garden floor in a long time.  However, my optimism was dashed very quickly last week after I sat through Knicks-Warriors.

In a display of basketball that would give a men’s over-40 league a bad name, the defenseless home team surrendered the whopping total of 74 points in the paint; a total you wouldn’t expect if Golden State were playing in an empty gym.  The Knicks complete inability to get a stop at any point in the game, coupled with their relentless brickfest from behind the three point arc made it abundantly clear as to the real problem at MSG: Mike D’Antoni.

Brought in as what was supposed to be a lure for LeBron James, D’Antoni received a free pass over his first two seasons as Donnie Walsh rid the team of the terrible contracts that were Isiah’s legacy. Forced to go to battle with a band of selfish misfits, D’Antoni was rarely held accountable for the team’s poor performance.  Now, however, with a team that is much improved, we’re seeing the results of the coach’s “offense first and always” philosophy.  Looks like it’ll be another quite spring on 32nd and 7th.

New York Jets On a Roll

After becoming the first team in NFL history to win two consecutive road games in overtime, it seems as though the Jets may have finally stumbled on to a winning formula: Spread as many former Jets across the rosters of their opponents and wait for them to act as if they were still in the Meadowlands.

Each of Gang Green’s last four wins has been a nail-biter that was in doubt until the final gun.  In  the first, old friend Brett Favre, gearing up for a game winning drive, instead threw an interception that Dwight Lowery returned for a game clinching score.  Then, on Sunday, former Jet receiver Chansi Stuckey fumbled away an opportunity for a game winning field goal before Eric Mangini mismanaged the clock and gift wrapped one final scoring opportunity for Mark sanchez.

Don’t know how the rest of the season will pan out for Big Rexy and his boys, but, as long as there’s an ex-Jet on the other sideline, maybe they have a chance.

Jeter Contract No Walk in the Park

Got a good laugh from Yankee fans this week; indignant at the thought of Derek Jeter having to go through the same process of negotiating a contract that everyone else is forced to endure.  Many feel that GM Brian Cashman should issue a blank check for Jeter to sign as an homage to his career accomplishments.  A nice thought, sure, but a very stupid thing for Cashman to do.  I wonder how many of those same fans would be interested in signing an aging shortstop with little pop, a weak arm, limited range and coming off of the worst offensive season of his career.  The fact of the matter is that Jeter will be overpaid at any price as there is no market for him anywhere else in Major League Baseball.  That he’ll likely be paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 million dollars for three years is incredibly generous.  Think about that, Bomber backers, when your boy is 38 and you’re complaining about the pitching staff .

By Eddie Mayrose

Each year, around the feast of St. Joseph (March 19th) the famous cliff swallows of San Juan Capistrano return from their winter vacation spot 6,000 miles south in Goya, Corrientes, Argentina. While it is truly one of nature’s wonders, it isn’t as unique as many might think. Here in New York, we annually celebrate the return of our own type of swallows; loony birds with no capacity to remember past failures who are destined to perpetuate their own suffering.

New York Jet Fans Return to Capistrano

My heart goes out to Cheap Seater Lou Ricciardi. He’s been mentioned before in this space as a long suffering Jet fan that can’t stop himself from being sucked into the hype. Perhaps in an attempt to conceal his gullibility, Lou sent me a blurb that he found on a Jets blog, rather than put his own name to the same, misguided optimism. Anyway, some poor slob submitted a long post about the death of the “Same Old Jets” and mocking Gang Green’s naysayers. As if his heart won’t be broken once again.

I have to admit, these New York Jets have me stumped. I had predicted a standard, garden variety collapse; to the tune of a 6-10 season. However, as I’ve watched them dominate both sides of the ball on their way to compiling a 3-0 record in the AFC East as they welcome back three Pro Bowlers this week, I am at a loss to discern from which direction disaster will eventually strike. Now, I’ve been a Jet fan my whole life and carry the scars to prove it. They’ve crushed my spirit so many times that I’ve developed a keen sense of impending doom; but it’s failing me at the moment. Don’t get me wrong. I’m still completely convinced that, somewhere down the road, the season will go terribly wrong. Not only that, the longer it takes, the more it will sting. For now, though, I’ll enjoy the ride, right up until it runs me right into the brick wall that’s always waiting for Jet fans. However, unlike poor Lou Ricciardi, I’ll be wearing a seat belt.

New York Knicks Return to Capistrano

Can’t imagine that any of the Knicks’ brass was shocked to find that Eddy Curry had, once again, reported to training camp overweight and out of shape. In an unusual twist, Curry has become the team’s longest tenured player; mostly due the waning skills and obscene contract that make him completely untradeable. Just another example of how the gifts of Isiah Thomas just keep on giving. And, in this case, eating.

New York Mets Return to Capistrano

Here they go, again. Fred and Jeff Wilpon in search of two or three thousand opinions on the best way to return their franchise to the top of the NL East while completely missing the point that their indecision is the very reason the Metsies are floundering. Let’s try this, Freddy. Go find a solid, established baseball lifer (Sandy Alderson?) and then LEAVE HIM ALONE. Keep sonny boy away from him, too. Say all you want about the failings of Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya, there’s no disputing that they were always hamstrung by your lack of commitment to a long-term direction for the team. I don’t know who may be on the radar to fill either position, but the notion being floated around that Wally Backman is somehow ready to handle a major market franchise has disaster written all over it.

We’ve seen, courtesy of YouTube, Backman’s over-the-top volatility when things don’t go his way. Not exactly the demeanor necessary to handle a sometimes combative press corps. Besides, word out of the NY Penn League is that Backman hasn’t necessarily expunged all of the demons that caused the Diamondbacks to withdraw their managerial offer a few years ago. Get it right this time, guys, or your brand new ballpark is going to be empty for a long time.

Now that they’re finally here, after sacrificing two full seasons, the New York Knicks‘ chances to win the LeBron James sweepstakes seem as slim as their hopes to win an NBA title at any point since 1999.  While President Donnie Walsh has done a miraculous job to clear the salary cap room required to pursue two premier free agents, he’s only had two years to repair what Lil’Jimmy Dolan has had a decade to destroy.

No matter how convincing the pitch to the king might have been yesterday, the Knicks have nothing to offer but Manhattan. Sure, it’s the greatest city in the world, but not so much when you’re losing every night and getting killed on the back page.  If only the Knicks had paid even a little attention to the NBA draft instead of annually whiffing on productive players, James might have a different view of the team’s existing roster.  Ironically, David Lee, the only good pick New York has made since the Lincoln administration, is now being completely disregarded by management, as if guys who get twenty points and twelve rebounds every night are a dime a dozen.

To look at the other clubs pursuing LeBron is to realize that the Knicks are, actually, the least attractive of the bunch. Chicago already has one superstar in Derek Rose and young studs in Luol Deng and Joakim Noah.  In Miami, there is room to sign both James and Chris Bosh, then retain Dwyane Wade.  Hell, even the 12-70 Nets have better returning players than the Knicks and a new arena on the way.  Sadly, things don’t look good for Lil’ Jimmy.

Terrence Mayrose of CollegeSportsView.com and NY/NJ High Hoops is a lifelong Knick fan starving for something to cheer about at Madison Square Garden.  “I remember John Starks and “The Dunk”. I remember the ’94 run and Ewing’s tip-in”, said Mayrose. “I remember fights with the Heat, Charles Smith and Reggie Miller’s eight points ruining my First Communion gift. I remember despising everything about Michael Jordan’s existence, LJ’s four point play,and, of course the incredible run in ’99.  Those were all a very long time ago and I’m dying for them to give me something new to remember.”  Unfortunately for Terrence and a city full of basketball fans, it doesn’t look like new memories will be made anytime soon at Lil’ Jimmy Dolan’s MSG.  However, I’m hoping like crazy that I’m wrong.

By Chris Ippolito

Since Donnie Walsh’s first day as president of the New York Knicks, he made it clear that the best way to end the team’s streak of futility was to get under the salary cap for the first time since 1996.  Although it has been two painful years since his April 2008 proclamation, Walsh has executed his plan.  Today the Knicks are approximately $35 million under the salary cap, an enviable position considering the plethora of talent in this year’s free agent class.  Only the Miami Heat, who essentially dismantled their team for this purpose, have more money to spend this off season than the Knicks.

Apparently, fair weather fans of the Knicks, who probably spent the last five years or so denying their orange and blue affiliation, look at this cap space only as an opportunity to sign LeBron James, by far the most coveted free agent on the market.  This idea is not a far-fetched one.  In my opinion the Knicks should do everything they can to recruit James to New York.  He is a physical specimen who I believe will end up averaging a triple double for a season at some point in his career.  The problem is that Chicago, Miami, the L.A Clippers, and James’s former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, all want the King as badly as the Knicks do.

To me, it is pointless to predict where James will choose to play.  People have been trying to do this for months, yet, I honestly don’t believe that even LeBron himself knows what the outcome is going to be.  However, I will admit that I am not nearly as confident in Walsh’s ability to bring in James as I was a year ago, when the New York media made it seem as though it was a formality.  With this said, I think it is important…extremely important…for the Knicks to have a back-up plan.

People seemed surprised that James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Joe Johnson are discussing their future plans with one another.  To me, this just shows that these players are serious about winning.  Ask LeBron James (probably the second best player in the game today to Mr. Bryant in L.A) how easy it’s been to win a championship with the likes of Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams as Robins to his Batman.  Ask Chris Bosh how easy it’s been for him to even make the playoffs with Andrea Bargnani as his primary running mate.  The obvious point is that since these guys are serious about winning (and they all seem to be pretty tight because of their USA basketball affiliation) they are going to attempt to relocate so that each has a great chance to be successful.

Let’s assume that what everyone thinks is going to happen will happen: LeBron chooses PF/C Chris Bosh as his running mate for the next 5-7 years and they go to Chicago, L.A, or even Miami.  What should the Knicks do?  I’ll tell you what they should not do, and that is panic.  Undoubtedly, the Knick fan base will feel as though another 10 years of infamy is inevitable.  However, it will be up to Walsh construct a team capable of beating the James/Bosh squad.  Unfortunately for Knick fans, it will probably be a two year process.

First and foremost, the Knicks need to put together a formidable front court.  Even more so than a point guard, interior defense and center play is essential to winning NBA basketball.  With Bosh off the table, the Knicks would have to choose between Carlos Boozer, Amare Stoudemire, or David Lee as lynchpins for the Knicks front court.  I would go with the former Dukie,  Boozer.  He is a much better rebounder and defender than Amare and also is less likely to be distracted by New York’s bright stage.  In my opinion, Lee needs a change of scenery anyway.  Perhaps the incessant losing has made winning in New York unimaginable for him. Offering Boozer a max-contract is something that Walsh will have to think long and hard about, yet I may oblige Boozer in the end because of his tenacity, effort, and relative durability.  However, at 6’9, despite the fact that he is very thick, Boozer will have trouble guarding the NBA’s larger 5’s.  Thus bringing in a Brad Miller or Brendan Hayward on a one or two year deal would make a lot of sense.  Nonetheless, the Knicks need to make it a point to improve their front court drastically this offseason, especially from a defensive perspective.  To me, this is a bigger priority than bringing in a superstar scorer not named James.

If you can’t tell by my last sentence, I do not want the Knicks to feel the need to overpay for anyone, let alone a player who is injury prone.  In other words, Mr. Walsh, be very weary of Dwyane Wade.  I love watching him.  He plays with reckless abandon, and nearly every game he makes a play that the common fan has never seen before.  He’s one of the best scorers in the game and is as clutch as they come.  The problem is, that in his seven years in the league, he’s only played in 75+ games four times.  Compare that to Lebron who has done it in all seven of his NBA seasons and Dirk Nowtizki who has done it in every season since the 99-00 campaign.  I would be really tentative to sign Wade to a max contract, while also keeping in mind how frequently Wade dives, crashes, and bounces on the floor.

This said, the Knicks need to add to their team offensively.  Adding Nowitzki would be silly, since they have the big German reincarnate in Danilo Gallinari.  I would go after Joe Johnson, but only if he would accept a deal worth less than the maximum.  I look at Joe Johnson, a former Mike D’Antoni disciple himself, as the Ray Allen of this potential Knick dynasty.  His scoring would be essential, and his court sense and veteran presence would help win a lot of games, yet on a championship team, he can be no better than the third best player on the squad.  I feel like Johnson would be the perfect fit for New York; a quiet killer who goes about his daily business without setting off any fireworks.  He knows how to succeed under Mike D’Antoni and would help to teach his younger teammates the system.  Without assuming any of the other pieces, a team with Johnson, Boozer, Gallinari, and Wilson Chandler is a .500 basketball club, easily.

I feel as though the point guard is overrated in the D’Antoni system to begin with.  Half the time, when the Knicks are pushing the ball up-court, the point guard is not the first or second person to touch the ball anyway.  Sure, if Raymond Felton or Rafer Alston want to come play in Madison Square Garden for the right price, I’m all for it.  However I feel that the Knicks should have their team in place, then find their floor general, not the other way around.

I understand that if the offseason plays out this way, many a Knick fan will be somewhat disappointed.  My advice is to do your best Donnie Walsh impression, and be patient and realistic.  Don’t feel that the offseason is lost because LeBron didn’t come.  More importantly, don’t feel as if you need Wade to battle the hated LeBron. Basketball is a team game and it will take a lot more than doling out money to Wade to beat a James/Bosh combination.  Instead, understand what it takes to win an NBA championship.  Realize that interior defense is the be-all, end-all in the NBA.  Understand that on championship teams, former superstars sign on to become role players and in certain games, become superstars again.  Just ask Ray Allen about game two of the NBA Finals.  And lastly, realize that next summer, when Eddy Curry’s fat ass and fat contract leave New York for good, know that Carmelo Anthony and potentially Kevin Durant will be free agents.  Those are two guys who are comparable to LeBron and are probably better than Wade.  But that topic is for next summer, after a 2010-2011 Knick playoff run.

By the way, how many championships has LeBron James won in his career?  I forgot.

New York Mets Moving in Wrong Direction. Again!

It can’t be too hard to be a GM, can it? Assuming Omar Minaya is not being directed (like George used to do with the Yanks), and realizing that the new Citi Field is a cavernous, pitcher’s park, why would the first free agent signing be Jason Bay? Typical Mets blunder. Get a pitcher!! John Lackey would’ve been perfect, since he comes from that real league (the AL) and would basically be pitching against minor leaguers in the NL. Oh, sorry, Minaya did sign Kelvim Escobar, who may have to pitch left-handed this year.

John, Paul, George, Ringo and The Bachelor. The Bachelor?

Don’t you wish you were “The Bachelor” (right), even for just a month or so? What kind of women cry within an hour of meeting a man? Yes, the women that attended the Beatles concerts started crying as soon as the Fab Four stepped on stage. But, c’mon; they were The Beatles. These “Bachelor” ladies, however, were saying things like, “I was picturing our lives together.” What?!  I’d toss any girl that a)said the word “like” more than once per sentence; b) was from California (they’re all nuts) or c) had made “poor male choices” for 8 years in a row.

What A Difference A Decade Makes

Tiger Woods is so 2009!  Randy Johnson retired. He is so 1999.

Naturally Unnatural

Speaking of Johnsons, I read today that Casey Johnson, the 30 year-old heiress to the Johnson & Johnson fortune, died of natural causes. Natural causes? Sorry, it’s not natural to die at 30 years-old. Please!

New York Knicks Achieve Addition By Subtraction

Is Stephon Marbury still playing basketball? After a quick check on nba.com, he’s nowhere to be found. I guess the Knicks made more good moves than we initially thought. They’ve won a few games and play exciting ball; they kicked Marbury and his nasty attitude to Beantown and they have all this salary cap room. Break out the Knicks jersey from the closet, I’m buying back in.

Broadway Blues Land A Top Dog

The NY Rangers’ Marion Gaborik is really, really good. Reminds me of a mixed-breed dog. Sort of a Jaromir Jagr/Pavel Bure/Mike Gartner combo, except, you won’t find him in a shelter.