This is what I dont understand. Its ok for Greg Anthony to make us look like fools about picking Balkman when he hasn't played a single minute in uniform, but Isiah should wait? You would say that after 10 regular season games! Or you would say, he has only played as a rookie and wasn't even in the rookie game! You are being biased. You are giving Greg Anthony a chance to call out Zeke but Zeke can't respond after the guy has played a few preseason games? Its better than PURE speculation that Anthony was doing.
Other than the fact that Anthony wasn't the only one to crap on this pick, I am not also not criticizing Isiah for firing back. I am criticzing Isiah for taking a personal cut at Greg Anthony and for assuming that in order to be a "former Knick" you can't be realistic about the team.
Isiah said this-
Then Thomas went after Anthony, calling him "a so-called former Knick who on draft night, with millions of people watching, had the audacity to take me to task on a player that I'm pretty sure he had never seen before in his life.
"Greg Anthony should never, ever be in a position to question myself on anything about basketball, because I do remember the kind of player he was," Thomas said. "I'll leave it at that."
But he didn't.
"I know a Piston never would do that," Thomas said. "A Celtic never would do that. A Laker never would do that ... That just goes to show you what we're dealing with."
A simple "I thought Balkman was best for the team I am going to mold, Anthony is entitled to his opinion" at least doesn't make him sound like a dictator. Isiah, Oak, Ewing, Mase are all ex-knicks who had something bad to say about this organization on the way out-especially Oak who has called out alot more of Isiah's moves AND Isiah's players being ****ies than Anthony.
You were talking about right and wrong when you brought up Marcus Williams. You were saying Anthony was right cause Balkman would've dropped. Not in those words but thats what you meant.
Once again, Anthony is not the only one who suggested this. Someone said there is something more to this than just Balkman, and I have to agree with that.
Also, I would have happily taken Rondo instead of Marcus.
Of course he had to make sure Balkman played a few minutes in uniform! Unlike Anthony, he waited to have atleast some evidence not just pure promise. He let Balkman play 3 preseason games and look pretty good in them before he said anything to the doubters. But I am sure he defended his pick 5 months ago too. Just not as brashly. I guarantee you he said Balkman will be a good player. So its not like he abandoned his player then. Its just that Balkman getting an ovation gives him a good feeling and when someone asks him about it, he calls out the people that made him look stupid.
Come on, Silver. What evidence? Preseason? Balkman looks good. He don't look great, he isn't doing anything astonishing (unless you count playing defense on this team astonishing-which it may be).
Fish stated my opinion best when he stated his. It isn't about the player, it never was. Balkman is the type of player this team needed. So were Rondo, and Marcus, and Bobby Jones, and PJ Tucker.
It is about the fact that he was taken at 20 when he could have been there at 29 and we could have gotten something this team sorely lacks a good, young PG(not SG in a PG's body, not shoot first PG, not a shooting PG)that is a distributer and may actually make his teammates better.
