Clarion Content

The excitement is back in the world's most famous arena...Is winning next?

The Clarion Content is an institution run by Knicks fans. It speaks to our quixotic nature. The Knicks are on what feels never-ending quest to recapture the zen magic of egalitarian champions of 1970/1973, when Earl the Pearl shared the ball with Clyde the Glide, when Dave DeBusschere worked along side Bill Bradley.

Did the Knicks get closer with the acquisition of Carmelo Anthony?

There is no doubt we were against the trade from the beginning. Time has softened our opinion, but only the tiniest bit. The wound was cauterized early when the Nets threw salt in it, stealing Deron Williams for a half of what it cost the Knicks to get Melo.

Why were we against the trade and why are we still worried now?

Here is the litany.

Melo and Amare play the same position, the four, power forward. They basically like to get the ball in the same place. They are both used to being the alpha dog. Neither likes to play defense or do the dirty work on the defensive boards.

The argument we keep hearing is that the Knicks have two of the ten all star-starters. This would be a lot more relevant if all the games were played with the same level of defensive intensity as the All-Star game. The Knicks and D'Antoni system would crush with in that style of game.

As is? Not so much.

Who knows how well the Knicks will even mesh? If you read our tweets, you know we are on this vein before the crash and burn in Cleveland the other night. Before Charlotte bailed on Gerald Wallace, we thought there was an outside chance that the Knicks could miss the playoffs completely while waiting for Melo and A'Mare to jell.

Chauncey Billups, while more than a throw-in, is well into his thirties. Is he an improvement over Felton? Definitely on paper. But Billups can no longer run the court in seven seconds or less style of D'Antoni, Felton eight years younger was a better fit. Billups will be helpful in a slow it down, halfcourt, grind it out playoff series. Here's hoping the Knicks can win one of those before he retires.

Moreover, most reports indicate the Knicks G.M., the savvy Donnie Walsh, who built this team out of the scorched earth that Dave Checketts and Isiah left behind, opposed the deal. Walsh knew the Knicks could have Amare for nothing next year as a free agent. Why give up two solid starters, (trading the Italian Jeans model was addition by subtraction) Felton and Chandler, plus a first round draft pick? Especially knowing, the Knicks were not going anywhere in this year's playoffs? Walsh's contract is over after this season. Odds are, unless the Knicks pull of a first round miracle against the Heat or the Magic, Walsh leaves, and then this deal cost the Knicks their front office leadership as well.

So two power forwards, both whom want to be the alpha dog, neither of whom play a lick of defense or like to rebound, no first round draft picks until 2050 or so, missing out on Deron Williams... Unless D'Antoni gets fired, its says here that he plays Doug Moe to Melo and Amare's, Alex English and Ernest "Kiki" Vandeweghe.

One good thing about the deal, it has finally stopped the short-sighted D'Antoni from burying the hardworking, talented Toney Douglas on the bench. D'Antoni might be the worst judge of young talent, this side of Kahn, employed in the NBA.

Forgive us, NBA gods, if we Knick fans aren't excited about the prospect of 50 win seasons and first round playoff losses.

Labels: NBA, Predictions, sports, The Knicks

"Wait, we suck, and our future depends how these two guys hit it off?" --- Knicks Fans

How bad are the Knicks?

It may be difficult to plumb the depths of that question this early in the NBA season. To try to put it in perspective, the Knicks lost last night to a Charlotte Bobcats team that scored a brutally awful 59 points in their season opener against the Celtics. This team beat the Knicks! And they, Charlotte, beat the Knicks despite their star player Gerald Wallace going a putrid 4 for 20 from the field.

The Knicks are so bad that this year's squad will bring back memories of those Knicks teams where Bernard King blew out his knee and Patrick Ewing was first drafted, the very nadir of the franchise, back to back 58 and 59 loss seasons. Worse yet, the Knicks are still being held hostage by the Isiah Thomas debacle. The Knicks might have the worst record in the league this year, but they won't reap the draft day benefits, Isiah traded their 2010 first round draft pick. (Without getting it lottery protected!)

Knicks fans knew this season was going to be a lousy. Donnie Walsh was given leeway to deconstruct the mess that Isiah made with plans to land a big free agent (LeBron) at the end of this campaign. Now even that ray of light appears to depend on whether or not the NBA approves the sale of the New Jersey Nets to a Russian oligarch. The Knicks need LeBron, the second fiddle free agents this off-season are not LeBron's caliber. Chris Bosh, pul-leeze. D-Wade is in LeBron's vicinity on the talent scale, but his body has absorbed years of beating already and the Clarion Content believes his statistical fall-off will be precipitous and not that far distant.

Despite re-signing the dynamic young duo of David Lee and Nate Robinson, the Knicks could be staring the worst record in the conference in the face.

Oy, another tough year in the Garden.

"Let's go Rangers!"

Labels: NBA, sports, The Knicks

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: NBA, sports, The Knicks

"Fantastic"


A few quick thoughts on the top prospects in the NBA Draft. This is in the order that we would rate their talents.

One note, this is an exceptionally weak draft filled with overrated future back-ups.

1. Derrick Rose, Memphis- Looks like a super solid point guard in an era of point guards. If Chicago takes him number one, how will they break up their logjam in the back court? Kirk Hinrich has value. Larry "Hustle" Hughes is just happy to cash the checks. Ben Gordon can score off the bench. Chris Duhon quit on the team last year. Only Hinrich and Gordon are tradebble.

2. O.J. Mayo, USC- He survived a year in California with those initials, he has to get some credit for that. Seems a bit demented, but hey cameras have been following him around since eighth grade. He has more in common with a childhood Hollywood star than most of his fellow draft picks. He can score, but is he big enough or quick enough to defend two guards?

3. Kevin Love, UCLA- Perhaps the best passing big man since Bill Walton. Sure, yes, he needs to get in the weight room and lose the baby fat. He is a great teammate. He hustles every night. He is as fundamentally sound as they come, what a basketball IQ! Is he too slow too defend in the NBA? Maybe.

4. Russell Westbrook, UCLA- He is an excellent defender who hustles and plays hard. He is totally unselfish and happy to make the guys around him better. No question about his ability to play NBA defense. He was a winner at the college level.

5. Joe Alexander, West Virginia- A bright, athletic kid who hasn't been playing basketball nearly as long as most of these guys because his dad was a diplomat and he grew up in Taiwan. Word is he speaks some Mandarin, so there's that. Also, word is when the Nets worked him out last week, he put his elbow on the rim, several times. They say he can reach 12 feet from a standstill jump.

6. Michael Beasley, Kansas State- Shawn Kemp's personality and work ethic without the body. Beasley measured two full inches shorter than he was listed at K-State. On his way to one year living at a college, he was kicked out of approximately 11 high schools, give or take. He has a better chance of making the all-penitentiary team than the All-Star team. He is too small to player power forward and too slow to play small forward. Glenn Robinson ring any bells? He, too, lit up the NCAA on team with a bunch of scrubs in a big time conference.

7. Darrell Arthur, Kansas- He is very athletic, but needs to bulk up. He looks like a smooth shooter. He played a lot of big games in college and came up big in the biggest of them all, the national championship.

8. Brandon Rush, Kansas- The question is where does fit in the NBA? He is heady, he is quick, he's a great defender, he can score a little, he's a character guy. What's not to like? A sixth man, perhaps? Clarion fave Bill Simmons compares him to one of the keys to the Celtics run, multiple ring owner, James Posey.

9. Roy Hibbert, Georgetown- Don't all Georgetown centers come with a guarantee of at least ten years in the NBA? Yes he is slow, slower than slow, but he is a 7' 2", fundamentally sound and plays good defense. He won't be a star, but he will be a contributing role player.

10 D.J. Augustin, Texas- This is the guy, after Kevin Love, the Clarion would most like to see our beloved Knicks take. He has great speed, he's a tremendous dribbler and his heart can't be underestimated. Seriously. His Texas team got better in the best conference in the NCAA last year, after Kevin Durant left. Yes, we know, he's too small. (Note that was the rap on the real MVP, CP III, and the Celtics Rajan Rondo, too.)

A few more notes...

We have no opinion on Danilo Gallinari, a young kid from Italy. We have never seen him, but we hear he is slow. We are praying he is not the Knicks pick, but Coach Mike D'Antoni reportedly played with Gallinari's Dad. Uh-oh.

Eric Gordon is terrible, awful, overrated, fat, slow, selfish and he can't shoot. ESPN's Chad Forde who gushes about everybody says, "I'm scared of this kid. He collapsed in the second half of the season. He has no handle. He's undersized."

Mario Chalmers of Kansas will be a contributing member of somebody's NBA rotation for a long time. He plays at NBA speed. He is an intense battler.

Chris Douglas-Roberts from Memphis will play and score points in the NBA. Will have a better career than at least 15 guys who are drafted ahead of him. Ditto for D.J. White of Indiana.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute of UCLA has the best name in the draft and the talent to replace Bruce Bowen as the Spurs designated defender.

Labels: college basketball, NBA, sports, The Knicks

Welcome to the Clarion's NBA East playoff preview. We will not be featuring the Knicks prominently, or mentioning them at all after this paragraph. They again missed the playoffs, for the fourth straight year, and tied the franchise record for losses in season. This record was also originally set in the Isiah Thomas era, (thankfully over) under Larry Brown, a whopping 59 Ls. So if you are keeping score at home, that is two 59 loss seasons in the Isiah era, the 3rd worst overall record in the NBA, zero playoff wins, and going forward a salary cap situation that is screwed for at least the next two seasons, plus the Knicks still have to give up another first round pick in 2010.

Fortunately, the Nets missed the playoffs, too, this year, the suckatacious Vince Carter leading them in forced early shot clock jumpers, and finishing a close second to the recently departed Jason Kidd in most self serving whining. Neither of them for all their talk and self promotion have ever won a championship, college or pro. The Clarion was also most gratified to see no less of a basketball maven than Bill Simmons declare a long held conviction of ours to be NBA wide, Antawn Jamison is better pro baller than Carter. The bottom line for the Nets, Brooklyn or no, their whole roster has to be reconstructed. But no more dallying on our New York-centric perspective, on to teams that qualified for the playoffs...

The Clarion firmly believes this is the best NBA season since Michael Jordan was finishing a three-peat (argue amongst yourselves about '92-93 vs. '97-98.) The Eastern Conference Playoffs hold less intrigue than the Western Conference. No doubt. Hey the West is faaaantastic, but give the East some love. There is the incomparable LeBron James, the Pistons, who have already won one with this core and added a bench, and the most intriguing story of all, Kevin Garnett, and the resurrection of Celtics basketball. Can KG, teamed with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, finally get over the mountain he never saw the other side of in Minnesota? Perhaps even by beating his old coach Flip Saunders? Is Saunders the Pistons' kryptonite? But these are all questions for later rounds, let us take you through our view of the first round series, one by one. If you remember our NBA picks from last year, and the Clarion's general philosophy on predictions, you will know better than to use these picks as the basis of wagering anything more valuable than matchsticks.

The #1 seed Boston Celtics vs. the #8 seed Atlanta Hawks

This is the Hawks first playoff appearance since the 1998-99 strike shortened season. Perhaps you might think the city of Atlanta is starved for playoff basketball, or if you have ever watched an Atlanta Braves playoff game, you'd know better. The Celtics seasoned crew will put the Hawks out of business quickly(read: sweep) and no one in Atlanta will be any the wiser. Garnett looks like a dominant force, but it is important to remember that Doc Rivers in awful game coach, and this team would have been battling for a 4-5 seeding if they played in the West. (Pounding the scrubs of the Eastern Conference was a huge schedule advantage.)

The #2 seed Detroit Pistons vs. the #7 seed Philadelphia 76ers

Philly hoops fans couldn't be any more opposite of Atlanta non-fans. Philly fans care deeply and passionately about their Sixers. They loved their old A.I. and they love their new A.I. The Clarion loves the steady eddie game of coach on the floor Andre Miller. A good point guard and a enthusiastic crowd will help the 76 get one, maybe even two games from a far deeper, far more playoff seasoned, Pistons squad.

The #3 Orlando Magic vs. #6 Toronto Raptors

Even this series holds intrigue, and not because of the reportedly rampant fervor of what Raptors fans there are. Dwight Howard is a beast on both ends, though he has tailed off as the season has worn on. Hedo Turkoglu is a baller. Stan Van Gundy is a excellent coach. This team might be able to win a series in the West. Here they will handle Toronto and the talented, but skinny Chris Bosh with relative ease. The Toronto supporting cast, especially the starting guards are suspect. The Clarion would be starting and playing Jose Calderon over T.J. Ford.

Yes, we have been saving the best for last...

#4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. # 5 Washington Bullets

(note: the Clarion does not recognize the p.c. mutilation of a once proud franchise's name.)

Washington has lost in the first round to the Cavs both of the last two years. This year Washington played most of the season without their uber-loquacious star, the Hibachi, Gilbert Arenas. Not totally surprisingly, since Gil is a little self-centered, it didn't hurt le Bullet. Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler played at an All-Star level. Brendon Haywood is a stiff, but can Cavs center Ben Wallace have anything left in the tank? He is who he is, but Arenas has got to be an upgrade over DeShawn Stevenson. If Arenas is healthy...well the bottom line is no matter what le Bullet do LeBron James is on the other side. Yes, his supporting cast looks like it be hard pressed to win the D-League title. Wallace on the downside. Ditto, but worse for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Joe Smith. We like Delonte West and Daniel Gibson but do they scare you? Ditto Wally Szczerbiak (career under 30% from 3 pt. land in the playoffs.)We like Washington better in the half court. The Clarion can't believe we can really pick against LeBron. Can we? Says here le Bullet in six. They don't even let'em take it back to Cleveland.

Bizarrely this might hurt the Knicks chances of getting LeBron in 2010, because if he loses in the first round this year, he could be so motivated next year that D-League supporting cast or no, he wins a title. That'd make it real hard to ditch Cleveland for Madison Square Garden. Hmmmm...should Knicks fans root for the Cavs? At least in round one?

Labels: NBA, Predictions, sports, The Knicks

2007 was a lousy year for New York sports. In so many ways, it was crummy, bitter and less than glory filled. Worse yet for New Yorkers, their arch-rivals in Boston were enjoying the best sports year in their history. Moreover the larger sports world was filled with stories of disgrace and criminality.

The Mets perpertated the worst collapse in baseball history, wiping the ignominous 1964 Phillies and Gene Mauch from the record books. The Mets, who led all season long, blew a seven game lead with only seventeen to play, and ironically handed the N.L. East to those Phillies.

To the casual, outside observer the Yankees season might have seemed a damn sight better, after all they at least made the playoffs. But for Yankees ownership and fans, making the playoffs is the baseline, not the peak. The Yankees seemed set to take out the Cleveland Indians, their most favorable first round opponent. An epic battle with the Red Sox would have ensued, but instead a swarm of bugs departed Lake Erie meandered over to Jacobs field and descended on the mound and Yankees ace reliever Joba Chamberlin. Chamberlin beyond rattled was quite literally, bugged. It wasn't quite locusts and the Egyptians, but it was the kind of thing that empitomized New York sports in 2007.

It led to the firing of the biggest icon in the current New York sports pantheon, the beloved Yankees skipper, Joe Torre. Torre had led the Yanks to 12 straight post seasons, but it wasn't enough for the son of George and the toadying minions running the organization while the original Steinbrenner ages. So class and past glory were swept aside, now the Yankees are eight years removed from a championship and starting anew again. On top of that, the Red Sox put the final nail in the coffin of the "Curse of the Bambino" winning the World Series yet again.

The Yankees ownership ignoring ominous signs of a "Curse of the A-Rod" resigned baseball most overpaid star to a contract worth more than the value of several current franchises. The Yankees despite bidding against only themselves, set faux deadlines, only to renege on their own public statements and take the full dozen eggs to the face. A-Rod may break Bonds' home run record, but through 2007 they have brought their franchises exactly the same number of championships in a combined thirty-six seasons, zero. Things haven't looked this bleak for the Yankees since the Winter of 1982 when Steve Kemp was their big free agent signing. A signing that marked the beginning of a 15 year drought between World Series appearances. It was the drought that Joe Torre and crew ended.

The Knicks. The Knicks. Could it go any lower was the 2007 mantra for the Knicks. They missed the playoffs for umpteenth straight year. They are saddled with bad contracts through at least 2010. According to guru Bill Simmons the Knicks have five of the twenty-five worst contracts in the NBA. Fire Isaiah chants are ringing through the Garden nightly. Owner James Dolan does he care!?! Is he deaf and dumb? We know one for sure. What can Knicks fans do? You can't fire the owner. Well, at least their arch rival, the Celtics, didn't pull of a miracle winter trade (thanks McHale-once a Celtic, always a Celtic, eh?) and start the season 20 up and 3 down...cause that, that would hurt, worse than say drafting Fredric Weis.

The Nets? The Nets are irrelevant on the New York sports scene. Hofstra basketball generates has more cache. But FYI the 2006 Nets faded. The 2007 Nets made no changes and suck worse, though not as bad as the Knicks.

The Rangers at least made a run. In fact, the 2007 playoff run epitomized the history of Ranger-dom. It started with low expectations after seven straight seasons missing the playoffs. It was a surprisingly good regular season, followed by an early round playoff push, and just when New York started to pay attention...wham, they got beat. Ahhh, the NHL, and their historic champions of recent vintage, the Mighty Ducks, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Carolina Hurricanes, none of these teams existed in their current iteration twenty years ago and only the Hurricanes are even money to exist twenty years from now. Ranger fans over the age of twenty-one remember the singsong torment of "1940" and can take solace that the team won a Stanley Cup within our memory. We're immune. You can't hurt us now. It'll be thirty more years before chants of "1994" start to sting!!

The New Jersey football teams, the Giants and the Jets are spinning their wheels. The Jets have regressed massively from year one under the Man-genius. Follow this link for the Clarion's fuller thoughts on the franchise's direction. The Giants have yet to face that Eli Manning is a flop. After collapsing to miss the playoffs down the stretch two years in a row, it tells you all you need to know about this Giants season that the highlight of the year will be a close loss to the Patriots in week 16. (Another Boston based champion. Poised to be the best NFL team ever.)

At least the news from the rest of the sports world wasn't uniformly bad...Pacman Jones, Michael Vick, NBA refs fixing games, cheater Barry Bonds breaking records (but not the real home run record,) the Mitchell report, the Tour de France (whose last real champ was Greg LeMond.)

Yup, 2007, well that sucked.

Here's to a fresh slate in 2008!!

Labels: baseball, hockey, NFL, Pop Culture, sports, The Knicks

What's it like to be a Knicks fan these days?

Here's a snippet as the new NBA season gets underway. Flip open the sports page of one of the Clarion's various and sundry hometown papers, and they have leading into the season articles about each of the local NBA franchises. These franchises were once looked at as one: glorious, stupendous, and famous, playing under the marquee of the "World's Most Famous Arena" and the other: the lost, little sisters of the poor, playing in a humongous parking lot on Route 3, in scenic Secaucus, New Jersey.

Yesterday's headlines in the local fish wrap reveal how much things have changed in the last twenty years. Those once obvious characterizations are dated, only the arenas remain the same. The Knicks, who open tonight against LeBron and his supporting cast, the hapless Cleveland Cavaliers, were previewed under the headline, "Unhappy Stern (NBA Commissioner) Chides Knicks as Season Starts." As for the formerly the little sisters of the poor, who haven't done squat in three years to change their now, rapidly aging, starting line up, they got the headline "A Closer Look Reveals a Stronger Nets Team."

Ugh!

Labels: NBA, The Knicks

An audible groan arose from Knicks fans everywhere this week, as if it wasn't bad enough that degenerate coach, Isaiah Thomas, and enabling co-owner, Jimmy Dolan, were in court exposing what an awful, unprofessional, (we'd say frat house atmosphere-but that would be a denigrating insulting to fraternities everywhere) gutter mentality, front office they run. Zeke has to go down in the all-time Hall of Shame for his attempts to explain why it is okay for a black male to call a black female a bitch. "It's different for us." Oh, right? How's that again, Isaiah? Why don't you stand there quietly next to your Mom while her African-American employer calls her a bitch and makes sexual innuendos?

So as if all that wasn't bad enough, Knicks fans have to stomach Isaiah's awful personnel decisions, too. This week he decided to bring back the guy, who started the franchise current collapse, Alan Houston. It was Houston's ridiculous megabucks contract that killed the Knicks on the salary cap for years while Houston didn't even play. This contract was handed out by the man who owned the title of worst G.M. in the NBA when he was let go, Scott Layden. The man, the myth, the moron, that drafted Frederic Weis of France with the 15th pick in the first round. Houston hurt his back shortly after idiot Layden gave him the $100 million contract. (For a standstill shooting guard, who couldn't move his feet on defense and made exactly one successful drive to the basket in his Knicks career-a big one, it was, beating the favored Heat in Game 5.) Now Zeke wants to bring Houston back after three years of retirement??!

Unbelievable. Reggie Miller is more likely to be effective, and like the Knicks don't have enough shoot first guards, Marbury, Crawford, Nate Robinson? Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh. Worse Dolan extended Isaiah's contract for the magnificent accomplishment of almost making the playoffs last year! Jimbo this is the guy that killed the Pacers and the CBA which had been the NBA's minors over 50 years. More pertinently he has mauled our franchise for years. Last year was a flicker, the Clarion felt a pulse. There are players on the roster we like, sort of. The are parts, pieces, its not the disaster Larry Brown made it out to be. But there is no plan; Starbury is heading to Italy, Curry and Randolph are redundant, no one wants to be the past first point guard. Etc. Etc. A seven seed is the tip-top scenario.

Just in case one thought their might be hope, the Knicks are trying to squash it and its only preseason. There was a brief moment of light in the off-season, we got rid of another shoot first guard and perennial loafer, Steve Francis for nothing. We gave up the promising Channing Frye, but got an interior banging scorer back in the aforementioned Zack Randolph. Randolph has been splattered across the entertainment pages to the extent they have them in Portland, he has serious tabloid loaded, character questions to face in the city that never sleeps. Sure there was no coherent plan for how Randolph and Eddie Curry might co-exist, but in the all but center-less East, they were going to be dominant. Heck, Washington keeps making the playoffs with scrub centers like Brendon Haywood and Etan Thomas. (Yes, the Hibachi and his work ethic are a million miles from Starbury.) But before Knicks fans could even get to visualize this supposed dream pairing, Curry got hurt. Sure enough, the Knicks front office spun it. He was going to miss the next preseason game against the Sixers for sure. Gee thanks. He has a tear in his shoulder. No duh, he is going to miss the next preseason game, sounds like a call Dr. James Andrews moment to the Clarion. Says here we're lucky if we see Curry by Xmas. Extra glad to have Zach Randolph now, word is he's a beast. His numbers prove it out, but the Clarion hasn't watched a lot of his games since he was a mighty raw freshman in his last year at Michigan State.

Labels: NBA, sports, The Knicks

It was bad for the NBA that the compelling story of Round 2 was the suspensions and league rulings, rather than the action on the court, what if, not what was. But the worst may yet be to come, the Eastern Conference playoff’s have been, and a deeply indifferent “Meh.,” at best.

The bruising slugfest beeween the Nets and Cavs in Round 2 was dullsville. Are the Cavs world beaters? Has LeBron been unstoppably awesome? No and no. Dominique was way more compelling and never even made the Finals. The late ‘80’s Cavs, of Brad Daugherty, Mark Price and Ron Harper would have cleaned these Cavs clocks. (A squad that despite numerous 50 win seasons never made the Finals, either.) What of the Nets, with ostensibly three superstars? Jason Kidd fills up a stat sheet, but he is a step slow defensively, and they don’t have the post help defense, the shot blocker, to compensate. Kidd hustles, but is reaching the point in his career that Gary Payton did when he bolted first for LA, then Miami. You know the, “Get me somewhere, anywhere, that I can win big, contribute to winning it all, while I still have at least a little something in my legs,” vibe.

In Richard Jefferson, the Nets have, now possibly, the most valuable of the three. He is an ace role player. Good offense, good defense, athletic. Not so, so good, he can’t be guarded, Jefferson needs to be a number two offensive option, but not on a team, with all show, no dough, shooter and black hole extraordinaire, Vince Carter. Despite his bizarre double digit assist performance in Game 5, which was almost like the one half of basketball last season where Kobe passed every time, refused to shoot. Don’t these guys get it? We’re not that studid, passing every single time to pout and mope that it is not working your way is a transparent 3rd grader move. Your selfish behind didn’t suddenly turn into a sharer in one half. We know this is your babyish way of saying, you're mad with the way things are going, and also, look, coach, fans, media, it’s not my fault, I also pass.

In reality, Vince is a ball hog, who settles for guarded fall away jumpers waaaaay too often. He and Kidd are not quick enough to play the kind of run and gun offense that Jefferson would thrive in. Jefferson would be great on the Suns. The Nets have peaked and Rod Thorn needs to blow the thing up while the pieces still have some value.

Speaking of all show and no dough, where is Mr. Big Shot and the rest of the Pistons? Meaning we know, here at the Clarion, 'Sheed is “other worldly” in the most literal sense, since Dennis Rodman and before that, Bill Murray in Caddyshack, but he has the stones. 'Sheed does not shy away from the ball at the big moment. The Pistons have, except for Webber, have all won previously. How did 3-0 counting their money, getting ready for Bron-Bron and the Cavs, become 3-2 with the Baby Bulls, who look good, but are clearly a year away? The Pistons can’t stand prosperity. Do they really misss Larry Brown that badly? Are they concerned that the Cavs took them to seven games last year? Or that Coach Flip Saunders has never won squat?

On a different and certainly not parallel track, how bad are the Knicks comparatively? What is Eddie Curry? Something like the fourth best player on a Nets’ squad that won't even make the Conference final, a team that the Clarion just advocated blowing up. How bad are the Francis and Starbury contracts? ($15 million plus each) How much of a jinx are the Knicks on decent coaches? Not just Larry, whom the Pistons are, as yet, not the same without, but also Don Nelson. Who this year was great in Golden State, but with Knicks despite a .576 career winning percentage was gone after 59 games. What about Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens, in one year he went from Isiah calling him to the perfect hire to going 40-41 and being gone. A guy who was career 177 games over .500 for his career. Did not Pat Riley win the championship with every other team he coached? And Pitno, well Pitno's not a NBA coach, he shouldn't count, even if he some day wins a the state of Kentucky another NCAA title at Lousiville.

Summary, the East ain’t great and the Knicks aren’t close to as good as the best of the East. As far as this columnist knows they don’t have a Ruthian or even a Billy Goat curse, the City is behind them. Must be Jim Dolan’s karma.

Out West it is hard to know what to make of the Jazz. It seems they are the kind of team that would be world beaters at the Olympics. It is not that it could happen, because they are a mini U.N. with guys from all over the globe, but rather because their style of play and notion of team ball would be perfect for the international game, the wide lane, the pace. In the NBA, they very easily could have lost to Houston in Round 1, they got a perfect match-up in small, undisciplined, Golden State in Round 2, and seem a staggeringly unlikely bet to put up much resistance against the Spurs in the Conference Final. The Jazz are playing great, which means they might win two games.

The NBA better hope the Eastern Conference suddenly becomes compelling.

Labels: NBA, sports, The Knicks

A brief word about the Knicks, ugh. Oh we know, promising rookies and second year players, and yes, we were willing to take Zeke for the Indiana Hoosiers coaching job last year. The Clarion likes Isiah Thomas as a coach. We like him as the Knicks coach. But when owner Jim Dolan extended him as the General Manager with twenty games to go in the season we, as Knicks fans, were very concerned.

Isaiah has done a solid job making draft picks with mid-round selections. Even so, this year’s lottery pick is gone! Eddie Curry is a good scoring center, but a soft defender and a poor rebounder. Could the Clarion possibly see a starting front court of David Lee (uber rebounding, hustling, garbage man) and Channing Frey alongside Curry making it to the playoffs?? Not with Steve Francis and Stephon Starbury in the backcourt. Unfortunately, their contracts are untradable. We agree with Dolan’s contention that in a lot of ways last year, under carpetbagger, negativist inconoclast, Larry Brown was a wasted year. We know that all around tool shed Dave Checketts was who screwed this thing up to begin with, terrible draft picks, the Ewing debacle, the Allan Houston deal. The Clarion heard on WFAN that Checketts was recently whining the the Garden didn't give him enough free tickets to a hockey game. Awwwwww.

However. Be all that as it may be, in the Knicks' now; there is so much dead weight on the payroll. The Knicks' young guys include no guards better than NBA back-ups, Crawford is not good enough to start for contender. He would be excellent as the third guard to back up both spots. But the Knicks are not contenders, they plan to build around a soft center. How with no salary cap room? Where to then? Isaiah? Mr. Dolan? The high side expectations, the highest hopes Knicks's fans can have is first round playoff losses. Which is tough drafting, coupled with several years of being capped out and without enough offense. They can cut Francis loose the way they did with Jalen Rose, but fat lot of good that will do them.

There is too much young talent in the East. Detroit. Washington. Cleveland. Toronto. When is Lebron a free agent?

Labels: NBA, sports, The Knicks

The collective “Noooooooooo!” heard around the globe earlier this week, but most loudly in New York City was a reaction to New York Knick owner Charles Dolan’s extension of President, General Manager and Head Coach Isiah Thomas. There is no doubt in the Clarion’s eye Thomas has made significant progess from the mess carpertbagger Larry Brown left.

Incidentally, says here Brown is overrated. The Clarion saw his ways many years before the Pistons, some of the close-ups on his vagabond run included the Nets and Clippers. What folks always forget is though Larry improved these franchises while he was there, he then left them, often abruptly, always in disarray. So when he screwed the Pistons by becoming a disruptive force, it was no surprise around this office. His tenure with the Knicks was atrocious. FUBAR incarnate.

Thomas is barely more than half way through the season Dolan said he was going to evaluate. The Knicks are hanging on to the 8th playoff spot and would not be odds on favorites to win as much as a single playoff game this season, let alone a series, at this point. Oh and Zeke traded next year’s draft pick. This is symbolic of the verdict on Thomas here, the Clarion likes him as a Coach and loathes him as President and G.M. He is a terrific motivator, a decent teacher and can empathize with today’s players. No easy trick, but something he was reknown for in Indiana. Note the Pacers immolation has coincided with the Knicks slipping into the 8th spot. While the Knicks have gone 6 up and 4 down in their last 10, the Indiana Pacers have gone a splendid 0 and 10.

So we like Zeke as a Coach yes. Heck we wrote in this space last year, that we’d a let Isiah coach the Indiana Hoosiers. Though as things have turned out, Kelvin Sampson, provided he keeps his nose squeaky clean, looks like a good choice. Sampson’s style of defense, his tenacity and fundamental sound philosphies fit today’s Big Ten. As for today's Big Ten Bill Simmons says the Big Ten has much in common with the WNBA. (Hilarious. It’s right at the beginning of his column and it is spot on...)

Isiah might be a good recruiter, the case is still out. There is no doubt he is a losuy GM, Jalen Rose, Steve Francis, the Larry Brown hire, Jerome James, Penny Hardway, plus overpaying for Curry and Quentin Richardson, giving away Nazr Mohammed for nothing. The litany of mistakes is endless. A few good draft picks do not undo this, they might mean that Isiah would make a good scout. Just because Dave Checketts was perhaps the single worst basketball executive ever, does not make Thomas’s performance excusable. The Knicks are 33 years removed from their last championship. Two days in eighth place in the Eastern Conference is not a balm for that kind of wound.

Thomas has put some youth on the roster, he has gotten some motivation out of them, but for goodness sakes they haven’t won more than two in a row in a month. They have the league’s highest payroll by far. (Which matters to the Clarion only insofar as it limits their flexiblity to deal.) They are playing in one of the worst conferences in memory. Splashing out for a new contract for Isiah at this time was asinine. The Clarion would like to say, “No surprise, really, Dolan is clearly an ass.” But every time we think things have bottomed out, he shocks us again. We didn’t see it coming. We thought sure he’d at least wait to see if the team even made the playoffs. If it were up to the Clarion, huge Knicks fans, even if they did squeak in, we’d a thought long and hard before extending Isiah.


Other people’s takes

Glen Grunwald has helped Thomas

NY beat reporter

NY Daily News

Healthy New York cynicism

Labels: NBA, sports, The Knicks