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tkf
Posts: 36487
Alba Posts: 6
Joined: 8/13/2001
Member: #87
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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/01/sports/basketball/01knicks.html?pagewanted=print
Thomas Hopes Knicks Will Be Able to Get There From Here
By HOWARD BECK
GREENBURGH, N.Y., Oct. 31 - From the draft in June, Isiah Thomas drew excitement. After he hired Larry Brown in July, he inspired hope. With his acquisition of Eddy Curry in October, he raised expectations.
For five months, Thomas not only revamped the Knicks roster but recast the entire spectrum of emotions and assumptions about the franchise he runs. In a relatively short period, the Knicks were transformed from old, slow and underachieving to young, athletic and too new to judge.
They are still weak in spots, too inexperienced to contend anytime soon, and in some corners of the locker room, still vastly overpaid. But when the Knicks open the season Wednesday night in Boston, they will be granted one description that has eluded them for at least four years: on the right track.
So Thomas, the Knicks' president, is upbeat if not necessarily exuberant just yet. The team has a new coaching staff, only two returning starters and 11 players added since their opening game last season, so the Knicks' identity is a mystery even to Thomas. On Monday, he again shrugged when asked if the Knicks should be a playoff team.
"I'm being honest with you, I really don't know," he said. "I know the type of talent we have and I know the type of players that we have and the coach, but until you actually see them play, you really don't know."
With 48 hours left before opening night, Brown was still not ready to announce his starting lineup. And Thomas, despite changing 70 percent of the roster in a year, could not say that this group would last the next six months together.
"We want the best players," Thomas said, "and if we can get a better player than the one we have now, yeah, we'll do that."
Long term, the Knicks' hope lies in their 2005 draft class (Nate Robinson, Channing Frye, David Lee), in their younger veterans (Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson) and in project players like forward Trevor Ariza.
For the first time, however, Thomas stated unequivocally that winning would take precedence over developing the prospects. Robinson, Frye and Lee, in particular, will have to earn their minutes, which could be difficult given the Knicks' across-the-board depth.
"You always win now," Thomas said. "I think you develop by learning how to win. I don't think you develop by losing and learning. You win and learn.
"I know this about Coach, and any other coach: At the end of the day, they're going to put the five guys out there who they think are going to win the game for them. And I hope that's what he does. This is not about developing young players and all of that. This is the pros. You're in the pros, and you learn how to do it, and if you can't do it, then we find somebody else who can do it."
It seems most likely that Brown's 9- to 10-man rotation will initially be made up of veterans, including guards Crawford and Stephon Marbury; swingmen Quentin Richardson and Matt Barnes; power forwards Antonio Davis, Malik Rose and Maurice Taylor; and centers Curry and Jerome James. The Knicks on Monday designated three players to start the season on the inactive list: Penny Hardaway, Lee and Jackie Butler.
The caveat: everything is subject to change, and Brown's rotation could be in flux for weeks.
Brown and Thomas are bracing for a potentially rough start to the season. Brown's teams usually start slowly, and the Knicks have the added challenges of adjusting to each other and a daunting early schedule. They are on the road for 13 of their first 19 games. The Knicks close the season with 7 of their last 11 games on the road.
Although he has declined to state specific goals, Thomas said he would be disappointed if the Knicks did not make the playoffs. But the vision is more long term.
"I think after this season, after we watch them, then I think next year we can say, 'O.K., I think we should be here, we should be there,' " Thomas said. "But all these guys really have just gotten together."
REBOUNDS
Isiah Thomas essentially ruled out any pursuit of the free-agent forward George Lynch, who was waived by New Orleans on Friday. Lynch played for Larry Brown in Philadelphia and is a rugged defender. But he is 35 years old and has been slowed by a foot injury. Signing him would mean releasing Matt Barnes, who has shown great promise since signing with the Knicks last month. ... Antonio Davis, who left the team for a day to take care of personal business in Chicago, was back at practice Monday. ... Quentin Richardson will be available Wednesday night, but Brown said he would be cautious with him after Richardson missed most of October with a hamstring strain. ... Seven days after saying that Eddy Curry was not in game shape, Brown said, "He's better." Asked if Curry was ready to play 30 minutes, Brown said: "I don't know. I would hope so." Curry's weight and conditioning were a constant issue in Chicago. Curry would not reveal his weight, but said with a grin, "I'm comfortable where I am right now."
I hate that lee and butler will be on the inactive lise I know this is a game to game thing, but shouldn't lee be rewarded for outplaying malik rose in the pre-season?
Anyone who sits around and waits for the lottery to better themselves, either in real life or in sports, Is a Loser...............
TKF
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11/1/2005 1:36 AM
