plus we got layden...LOL funnny

you can be a middle of the road team and get better but year it's tougher, in 95 the lakers rebuilt a 7? seed and got shaq and kobe

it can be donebut it reqiures vision,

lakers had nothing more to offer shaq than the knicks have to offer lebron now.

last year phoenix got a guy at number 9 that may be a franchise type of guy.

we could of gotten him.

but i wish they would of bottomed out last year. i will take the knicks sucking if i can watch at least one exceptional talent like a young lebron.

no matter how you scracth it thats the bottom line
it starts with dolan

we assume dolanis even a basketball fan and even gives a damn

he most likely is a typical ceo he only cares about a profit.

olajuwon,drexler,cassell
kemp,payton,Schremp,
Barkley,KG and anybody you want to name.
Even weaker teams like the spurs had sean elliot and rod Strickland

Ice - It all depends on how far back you wanna go. Also, note that I did say that in the second half of the 90's the pendulum did start swinging decidedly towards the West. Your naming teams that belong to that era. I'm going farther back.

You can now look back and say these teams weren't this or that, but at the time they were guaranteed 45 win teams (minimum), were teams that went deep into the playoffs and had a more-than-legit chance at the title.

Pacers - Reggie,Smits and Davis
Hornets - LJ (Pre-1993), Zo, Curry()
Bulls - Jordan, Pipsqueak, Paxson
Cavs - Daugherty, Price, Nance
Detroit - Isiah, Laimbeer, Dumars
Bucks - Sikma, Pierce, Cummings
Orlando - Shaq, Penny, Grant
Philly - Barkley, Dr. J, and someone else...

and i cant believe you said CURRY

JAZZ - You get what I'm saying. The cycles have been set in place, and they will certainly swing back and forth ad infinitum.

On the whole East - West thing, I don't really care to speculate on the abstracts of which conference was 'better' during the 80's and/or 90's...It's a game, fellas. In any series, a good team has a chance to win.

And you must admit, whether you like Ewing or not, that EVEN with Chicago out of the picture, NYK would have had a reasonable chance to beat the Western Conference finalists from 91-97. And Indiana certainly did not suck with Mark, Reggie, Rik and Davises at their peak. Shaq is only in the west due to free agency, or else Orlando would be the current beast of the east, and would have won a title in 96 or 97...so the original point about conferences being perpetually disparate is addressed here. Draft picks mature, and if they remain with their original teams, as opposed to pulling a Malone-Payton, the eastern squads will have their say in a matter of years.

[On the whole East - West thing, I don't really care to speculate on the abstracts of which conference was 'better' during the 80's and/or 90's

No offense, but then... don't. We're just having a little fun cuz, quite frankly, talking about the CURRENT state of the Knicks (and the East in general) blows.

But when you get right down to it, except for stats, EVERYTHING about sports is abstract. Heart, will, desire, all those cliches, can't be measured.

Ice, I see your point but I agree with pike that is more coincidental that the balance is heavily tipped in the west, and that it is more of a thing between weak and strong. Look at these examples..

Orlando: Grant hill gets hurt, if he is healthy, he and Mcgrady are as scary a Duo as there is..

Toronto: They were onto something good with vince carter, and Mcgrady. If Tracy stays who knows?

Nets: Kidd is leaving, but the nets were 1 player away from beating a west team, and they put that team together with one trade and 2 drafts..

Indiana: Youth is their problem, but that team is good in a lot of positions..

I think right now the east has a lot of rebuilding going on, including the knicks( eventhough they won't admit it now). If these guys pan out and I mean, Lebron, Bosh, Sweetney, Lampe, and Mcgrady gets a sidekick, the east can and will be back... And not to forget, Detroit, if Milic is the real deal, he could bring them to that next level, and with Brown as coach... wow..

correction.. I forgot that Mourning will sign with the nets. Maybe Kidd will say.. If so, the nets again will be dangerous...

knix phan i disagee with you and everyone outside of the NEw does. the knicks could never win a championship back then, and they proved it. the fact is they had chances and they loss, you guys keep saying the knicks could of would had this

they didn't point blank

the west has won just about every title with out michael so the bottom line is the west is stronger period. and indiana doesn't suck but they just aint good enough to beat the best of the west

just like the nets are a very good team but just cant win the finals against the west

from reading the post yall proved nothing but you guys are bias,you guys are east coast guys and prolly watched little west coast ball. i guess satellite and cable were less diverse then but when the west win all the title to say the east was stronger is a falsety


I wont even comment on the guy that said the Cavs.

piston, celtics they were great they won 5 titles in the 80 and 90'1 between them

The lakers won 5 by them damn self.

do the math.

that should read i disaree with knix phan and every one outside of new york does as well.