Friday, March 04, 2011
Knicks find a pothole
Former Syracuse star, Andy Rautins, breaks it down for Knick teammate, Landry Fields. That's right, Stanford, it snows here, in New York. Snow, ice and salt breakdown roads. Yes, Long Beach, this leads to gaping potholes. Apparently Fields, with Rautins in the front seat, hit a huge pothole getting on the Major Deegan Expressway. Ouch.
Labels: Knicks, NBA, Pop Culture
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Not sold on the new Knicks
This was Knicks alpha dog. Now?
An expanded look to follow on the main page soon, but let it be heard that the Sports Editor is not sold on the new look New York Knicks. Sure Melo and Amare were both All-Star starters, but they play the same position and neither plays defense.
Anthony's first two games with the Knicks, twenty-five shots and twenty-two shots to score twenty-seven points each time, as the Knicks split games with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not exactly impressive.
There are those that will say Coach Mike D'Antoni style is the problem. The Clarion Content certainly agrees it is a problem, nobody has ever won playing Loyola Marymount ball in the NBA. Having Melo and Amare together couldn't solve that conundrum even if Dog Moe were running the offense.
The Knicks are no closer to a title today than they were a week ago and apparently they could have had Deron Williams for half the price.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
The Knicks
An email we received in the office from the Clarion Content's Sports Editor...
We have yet to reply to him.
Reviewing the LeBron decision and the changing NBA landscape, with a fellow aficionado last night.
We agree on two things, the balance of power hasn't shifted, and LeBron's staying in Cleveland. (I think for a shorter than the max contract~3 years.)
He is a Seattle guy with family in Oklahoma, may be the least pissed off Sonics fan I know. We both liked the way KD handled his business today. I'd lay odds that he wins more titles than LeBron.
Close to the end of our exchange, texted my friend this question: "Knicks; tragedy or farce?"
His reply, "Farce."
My new unavoidable query, "When rooting for a farce, is the joke inherently on you?"
We have yet to reply to him.
Labels: Knicks, NBA, sports, thought
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Gallinari is a flop
We warned the Knicks that selecting an Italian blue jeans model was a mistake. Danilo Gallinari is approaching flop status. He has taken the second most three point attempts of any player in the league. Unfortunately, he does not rate in the top 40 players for three point fieldgoal shooting percentage. He is shooting an abysmal 42.7% from the field overall and a slightly more respectable 38.2% from three point land. He averages almost as many turnovers a game as assists. At 6 foot 10 inches, he can't pull down even five rebounds per game (4.9/per) despite Mike D'Antoni's run and gun offense and the myriad of missed shots it creates. He is awful.
Thank goodness, King James arrives next year. Hopefully, this is the last brutal Knicks year. The Knicks have not had a winning season since 2000-01.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Nate gets out of jail
Nate Robinson was finally freed from Mike D'Antoni's doghouse yesterday and he exploded for 41 points and eight assists as the Knicks beat the Hawks in Atlanta in OT. Coach D'Antoni let go his grudge and Robinson blew up. After weeks and weeks of ignoring Nate, he let him play. Robinson had fourteen games in a row of, "Did not play, Coach's decision." D'Antoni had paid no mind to the "Free Nate" chants in the Garden as the Knicks ground out an 8 win and 5 loss December, their best month in ages. But following a defeat at 3 and 30 New Jersey, with no rhyme, reason or explanation Robinson was paroled.
Robinson, one of the Knicks leading scorers last year at 17.2ppg, and their second best player, wasted away while D'Antoni stubbornly played the retread, he'd be a has been, but he's a never was, Larry Hughes. D'Antoni followed this same pattern in Phoenix while he screwed up the peak of Steve Nash's career. He shortened his rotation like he was a Mafia Don and these were the only 6 or 7 guys in the whole world he could trust. At the Clarion Content, we have disliked the D'Antoni hire from the beginning, and we can only hope Nate stays in his good graces. Next up, the Knicks return to the Garden to face the Pacers Sunday.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The Knicks are so awful
Cool enough by itself?
The Knicks are terrible. As the Clarion Content warned preseason this Knicks team could challenge for the worst record in franchise history. They are already off to the worst start in franchise history, an ignominious 1 up and 9 down. They are so bad, Knicks fans can hardly gain any pleasure in smirking at the even more putrid Nets, who lost last night on a D-Wade buzzer beater to fall to 0 and 10.
So the Nets suck worse. But when one's team hardly tries, plays no defense, and lacks a cohesive plan on offense, it is hard to watch. The Knicks allow opponents to shoot better than 50% from the field. They have yet to have a single game where they have topped the 50% mark for their own shooting percentage. The Knicks are getting stomped by more than ten points per game. Mike D'Antoni has been an unmitigated disaster as coach, General Manager Donnie Walsh should have seen that coming. D'Antoni rode Steve Nash's coattails in Phoenix, and was consistently overmatched and outcoached in the playoffs.
The tragedy is that the Knicks, without a first round pick, are pinning their hopes for the future on their ability to recruit free agents. When your franchise stinks to high heaven, how are you going to talk the best people into coming there? Strictly because the Garden is the coolest arena in the league? And New York City is the coolest city in the land? We hope so.
It is a tough time to be a Knicks fan.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A Knicks flop
In the immortal words of Nancy Kerrigan, "Why? Why?" Why couldn't the Knicks braintrust see that Danilo Gallinari was a flop waiting to happen? A soft, nineteen year-old, Italian jeans model was going to play in the NBA? This is the franchise that brought us Frederic Weis! They couldn't see this coming?!? After an awful rookie season that ended with back pain, a six point per game average and a mere 28 games played, Gallinari has been stinking it up this pre-season again. He is shooting a scintillating 21% from the field.
Gallinari is one more reason why we doubt Knicks Coach Mike D’Antoni. He was the primary endorser of this pick. The Knicks could have had the electric point guard D.J. Augustin, the guy we at the Clarion Content wanted, or the goofy, but hugely effective center the Nets found, Brook Lopez. At least Lopez has height, and had played competitive college basketball. Modeling Italian jeans and being a heartthrob were Gallinari's primary qualifications.
We were very glad that the Knicks re-signed David Lee and Nate Robinson. We think Coach Mike D'Antoni road Steve Nash's coattails for years in Phoenix. D'Antoni found ways to lose in the playoffs. This year, he and the Knicks will miss the playoffs even in the pathetic Eastern Conference.
Labels: Knicks, NBA, Predictions
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Cleveland worried?
Uh oh Cleveland...
Is the city of Cleveland worried? LeBron just got a lot closer to being a New York Knick last night as the Orlando Magic again defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Clarion Content believes that King James is not leaving Cleveland if he wins the championship for the city. If. If? If! At the start of his series we were predicting the Cavs in a sweep. After Game 1 we were predicting the Cavs 4-1. Even this morning, we would not rule out or even bet against a Cavs miracle comeback from 3 games to 1 behind.
Last night James had spectacular moments offensively, but little help from his teammates again. His coach, Mike Brown, an embarrassing Coach of the Year winner, let the team down, too. How can he have slow, old, Ben Wallace assigned to chase Rashard Lewis through screens on the biggest play of the game? Why were Wallace and Varejao both on the court? And subsequently, why didn't Cleveland double Dwight Howard who killed them in overtime? Coach Brown? We have seen repeatedly the Howard has no game if he catches the ball further than six feet from the basket. In OT he torched the Brazilian Sideshow Bob catching the ball repeatedly two feet from the rim, and Coach Brown gave him no help.
Cleveland, no help, is becoming a recurring theme. The Knicks have plenty of cap room for 2010, they can bring in LeBron and help (D-Wade, Nash, etc.) Cleveland are you getting worried?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Knicks season is ending
2008-09 felt empty
The Knicks season is drifting ignominiously to an end. They made it a five game losing streak last night, blowing a ten point fourth quarter lead to the Orlando Magic. They did it in front of a fired up home crowd at the Garden celebrating a Knick of the decade for each of the last six decades. Quite an illustrious group, including Orlando assistant coach, Patrick Ewing, the five others were Richie Guerin, Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Bernard King (a little date fudging, but not too bad.)
Reports also had Earl "the Pearl" Monroe in the building, along with legendary player, coach and scout Dick McGuire and Larry Johnson, too. Unfortunately none of them can help the 2008-09 Knicks who are about to tie a franchise record with an eighth straight losing season.
The big positive of the season has been the shedding of salary cap money looking ahead to 2010. The team and its supporters never felt like the Knicks were going to make the playoffs. The Clarion Content was and is against the Mike D'Antoni hire. Rookie first round draft choice Danilo Ginardi was just the soft Italian jeans model we thought he was. There were seven first rounders picked after him who are making significant contributions for their teams. That means two of the four biggest moves Knicks President Donnie Walsh made weren't exactly great shakes in the Clarion Content's view. Dealing Zach Randolph was good work. Ditching Jamal Crawford, it had to be done. But 2008-09 ends like it started, another non-playoff year, waiting, hoping for LeBron to save us.
At least the Nets, who are never moving to Brooklyn, aren't making the playoffs either.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Addition by subtraction
The new the theme in the NBA seems to be addition by subtraction. There are litany of teams suddenly starting to succeed minus a superstar player or at least a key cog. The best example is of course the Houston Rockets, who are 9 up and 2 down since the whining prima donna Tracy McGrady called it a season.
The Lakers are 12 and 3 since young center Andrew Bynum went down with an injured knee. People had intially said the Lakers would be limited, and they may be in the playoffs. However, until just very recently Lamar Odom had been stepping up in a huge way, putting numbers all over the stat sheet.
Even slumping Detroit got into the act. Coming off of an eight game losing streak with Allen Iverson in the line-up, the Pistons have gone 4 up and 1 down without him. Addition by subtraction!
Finally, the New Yorks Knicks have been pursuing this them all year long, exiling point guard Stephon Marbury. The Knicks are ten wins ahead of last year's pace. The Celtics have sputtered since adding Marbury who is averaging nearly as many turnovers as assists.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Marbury motive
The Clarion Content saw an interesting note in a Los Angeles Times article discussing the Knicks buyout of Stephon Marbury and his subsequent move to Boston. Did the Knicks player personnel guru Donnie Walsh have an ulterior motive? The writer suggests an interesting benefit that accrues to the Knicks if they help the Celtics win the championship again, presuming Starbury makes them better. If in the process, the Celts beat the Cavs again, it decreases the chances LeBron stays in Cleveland. And he is not going to New Jersey ni Brooklyn. Bill Simmons suggests in his latest column that the chances are greater that the Nets are moving to Pittsburgh.
Labels: Knicks, NBA, sports, Sports Economics
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Knicks rumors hot and heavy
There are all sorts of rumors swirling about the New York Knicks. Several of them were in the air last night when the Knicks met the Phoenix Suns. Newsday reports that Shaq is very excited about his relationship with Knicks coach, Mike D'Antoni. Like LeBron, Bosh and D-Wade, Shaq will be a free agent in 2010. Perhaps the Knicks could pair a young LeBron with an old Shaq? Speaking of LeBron, the New York Daily News reports that it is no done deal for the Knicks and the Global Icon in 2010. LeBron was quoted grousing in GQ about how D'Antoni's teams don't play any defense.
Finally of course, it is all over the press that the Athens based team, Olympiakos Piraeus, the very team that signed Josh Childress from Atlanta, could be in the market for Stephon Marbury. The Knicks would be more than grateful to have somebody take Starbury off of their hands. He has refused to give them a break on the $20 million he is owed. He is acting as his own agent. The Knicks haven't budged either because they surely do not want to see him go to an Eastern Conference contender and succeed. If Marbury is released after March 1, he would not be eligible for the playoffs. Olympiakos is interested in part because Childress is sidelined with a hernia.
The Knicks, by the by, beat the Suns and have now won four out of six. They remain only two games out of the eighth playoff spot in the East.
Labels: Knicks, NBA, sports, Sports Economics
Monday, November 03, 2008
Knicks hope
As Knicks fans we will continue to hold out hope for at least a few more weeks...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Knicks Undefeated
The New York Knickerbockers won their season opening game at Madison Square Garden last night. They defeated Dwayne Wade and the improving Miami Heat. The Clarion Content knows that this is likely going to be a long season for our beloved Knicks. We weren't a fan of the Mike D'Dantoni hire, nor the Danilo Gallinari pick. But for one night, all is well in the Garden.
Why D'Antoni wouldn't even let self-interested team killers and shirkers Stephon Marbury and Eddie Curry off of the bench. Hooray!
Three other quick NBA notes: one from the Knicks game, how about Heat rookie, Michael Beasly, a selfish, score first, cancer if we've ever seen one, who isn't fit to be compared to Alex English, let alone Dominique Wilkins managed a measly 9 points and 4 boards. He was outscored and outrebounded by rookie point guard Mario Chalmers!
Two: Can anyone believe Greg Oden? One game and he is out two to four weeks with a foot sprain? There is no way to avoid the Sam Bowie comparisons now.
Three: Isaiah Thomas. Whoa. Let us take pause and recognize that this is the world of sport. We wanted Isaiah out of the Knicks hierarchy as much as anyone, but let us hope the man is not so despondent as to hurt himself or anyone else. This is a trainwreck we have advance notice of, someone had better make sure the man is getting counseling. We hope his former coach and mentor Bob Knight has reached out to Isaiah. The Clarion Content sends get well wishes to Isaiah the human being.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
The Knicks Draft
Why couldn't they just take University of Texas point guard, D.J. Augustin? Why did they have to get cute? Does Knicks Coach Mike D'Antoni really believe he can somehow turn Starbury into a productive point guard? Pul-leeze the guy is either completely off the deep end or has to be so heavily medicated that he can't play.
Danilo Gallinari, it just roles off the tongue, sort of like Frederic Weis once did. And don't forget Gallinari dominated the Italian League. Which is sweet, because there is nothing that really toughens a kid up for the NBA like being an Armani jeans model in Milan. Plus Coach D'Antoni played with his Dad in Italy 30 years ago, so he brings that to the table. Maybe the Knicks can hire Dad as an assistant coach.
D.J. Augustin, though, ya say? Isn't he too short to play the point in the NBA? Yes, well, the 5'10" Augustin has been hearing the too short rap his whole life. However, as real sports guys know, you can't measure heart. Ask Dustin Pedroia another guy who heard that same critique his whole life, until he was finally accepted as the 5'8" All-Star talent he is. Augustin oozes character. Last year the draft took the best player off of his Texas squad, the NBA rookie of the year, Kevin Durant. Coach told Augustin, a pure point guard, he was going to have to shoot more for Texas to win. Kid went and worked on his jumper all summer, improved his scoring average by five points per game. This was after having the 10th best Big 12 assist season ever his freshman year. And Texas, well, they won six more games without Durant.
And...
On court, is only the beginning of where Augustin's character and skills shine. He was the first, first team, NCAA All-American to also be an Academic All-American in 15 years. My man, got a 3.7 at UT. Oh, and he grew up playing his high school ball in New Orleans, Louisiana, which as your mental timeline might remind you, got housed by Hurricane Katrina, when young D.J. was in the middle of high school. His family lost everything, including their home. Augustin had to transfer schools in the middle of his high school career, assimilate, make new friends, be a good student, play for a new coach, with new teammates, and take care of the family.
The other day he was asked on Mark Packer's syndicated radio program about playing for a tough coach like, Larry Brown (the Charlotte Bobcats took Augustin three picks after the Knicks took the Italian Jeans model.) While he didn't scoff, and managed to sound humble, Augustin made it clear, after the road he has traveled nothing a basketball coach says to him on the court is going to be tough compared to what he has seen and lived.
Hey Donnie Walsh, in the Knicks fans' mind you are already 0 for 1. (The Clarion thinks Mike D'Antoni is wildly overrated and Walsh is 0 for 2.) You had just better be saving all the cap space you can for LeBron.
Labels: college basketball, Knicks, NBA, NCAA, sports
