Posted by Knight:

Posted by Rich:

I think that Larry, now that he is elderly, has no patience to continue to coach kids who make the same mistakes, and would rather have a team full of veteran role players who will need less instruction.

I had a grandpa who was actually nicer and more patient the older he got.

Aha. See, Larry went and got the younger wife and had another kid. Now he can't just grow older and mellower in peace. He has to STAY YOUNG. It's causing strife for him. Take heed fellas!

Posted by BRIGGS:

how is jalen rose playing 40 minutes going to help the young players? by making sure they escape floor injury?

Yeah! Briggy with the funny!

My thing is thing is this...

This so-called rebuild is mucho-bizzaro for a few reasons. The Knicks version of "rebuilding" is very much hindered by the fact that we are without assurances that we get our own picks. That in effect creates a significant problem where we have to "rebuild" (aka develop young guys) AND have major pressure to win at the same time. This is unique to the "rebuilding" process, I think. We have to both win and develop young guys because losing's only reward is the potential of the players we currently have and some the somewhat low draft picks we have this year. Other "rebuilding" teams have always relied on multiple factors in losing, which could mean soon getting under the cap + the high draft picks that involve a greater chance at stopping losing.

If Knick fans knew a top 5 pick was coming from this disastrous season, in the W-L column, we could have good hope of landing a future star, which is the area of the draft they most often derive from. But since Isiah has traded this year's pick, and maybe next year's and owes a future pick to Utah, by 2010 which keeps losing protection, the pressure to win now keeps growing as each game passes.

I agree that if we are truly "rebuilding" more of the young guys would play. I know Curry, Crawford, Frye & Woods are young and in the rotation now, but only Frye is the one without much NBA experience. In fairness, the other 3 could still improve, since Woods has not had much chance in his career, but you have to wonder about the ceilings for these guys. Are Curry and Crawford going to get much better after 5 years in the NBA, especially defensively which is where we need the most help? I think that question is a MAJOR issue of contention for the fans that have hope and those that see nothing but disaster ahead. I am not sold 100% one way or the other yet, and see more fog than anything else in the future.

Hopefully these players' B-Ball IQ improves, if they stay with us, but then again it is beginning to sound like Crawford and some of our other young guys we are supposedly "developing" are being offered in trades to get a more "established" player who the Knicks organization thinks can help us win now (like Ratliff, Francis & K-Mart). That doesn't sound like the kinds of moves that represent rebuilding, unless the faith in developing the "young" guys is dwindling, AND the pressure to win is increasing since we have no hope of getting compensation in the draft for losing, and fan unrest increases towards Isiah and the Knicks in general.

It's a major dilemma and why I do have some problems with labeling this a "rebuild." It's an extraordinarily unique situation, that can only be defined as "The NY Knicks under Cablevision version of rebuilding" because no one else, to my knowledge, has tried to rebuild in this fashion before.

[Edited by - PresIke on 02-07-2006 10:36 AM]

[Edited by - PresIke on 02-07-2006 10:38 AM]

Hm, I think it's difficult to say if we are necessarily "showcasing" anyone. It sounds logicial because Isiah is probably active in trade talks, but I think the pressure to win games must come into play with our abysmal record, and fear of giving a high draft pick to the Bulls (which much exist as well so that the Knicks don't look so bad).

Jalen Rose, who played 40 minutes, surely he isn't being showcased because he can't even be traded. Is Mo Taylor or Q-1 being showcased? I can't imagine that being the case, since no one really wants them with their contracts (Mo, next year will be more valuable). Why are they getting more burn than say a David Lee if we are truly "rebuilding?"

I think we are trying to win games. That seems like the bottom line at this point.

[Edited by - PresIke on 02-07-2006 12:01 PM]

[Edited by - PresIke on 02-07-2006 12:01 PM]