December to Remember? Nope!
By Tommy Beer
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Dec 22, 2005, 18:36


This time of year you hear constantly that Santa Claus is coming to town. Well, if he stops by Madison Square Garden, the Knicks would probably get blown out by him and his reindeer. (Actually, due to the transit strike, Santa may not be able to visit those homes south of 96th street this year - unless he is able to pick up three more people to ride in his sleigh.)

The Knicks now find themselves 12 games below .500, having started December off by losing five straight home games. They have been non-competitive in three of the last four, including the debacle against the Spurs last night. The Spurs made the Knicks look like a JV team all night. The Knicks trailed by 13 after one quarter, 21 after two and were down by 31 heading into the fourth. The Spurs were allowed to shoot a blistering 56% from the field. While there is no doubt that the Spurs are better basketball team, the same can not be said of the Hawks or Magic, who have also beat up on the Knicks recently. While certain losses can be accepted and missed jump shots are understandable, the complete lack of effort and desire the Knicks have exhibited lately should not be tolerated by management or the coaching staff. Knicks fans did not expect the Knicks compete for a championship this year, but they did expect the team to compete.

The Knicks are lost right now; their confidence dropping faster than the temperature outside. They never had a chance last night, as Tony Parker dissected the sub-par defense right from the opening tip. Parker ran circles around Marbury last night. The self-proclaimed "best point guard in the NBA," was clearly out-matched against the quicker, more cerebral Parker. If fans and players in the league made a list (and checked it twice) of the best points in the NBA right now, Marbury would have a tough time cracking the top 10. Among the Knicks innumerable problems this season has been the rapid regression of Marbury. When he was yanked in the third quarter, he walked to the bench and was treated to a holiday chorus of boos. Marbury explained that he was unfazed by the boos because "That's New York. I understand New York." Well, if Marbury continues to sulk up and down the court and drag the team down with his dour mood and demeanor, he should understand that the reaction will become even more vociferous.

Another persistent cause for concern during the Knicks recent slide has been their utter disregard for defense. The Knicks have now allowed opponents to score at least 100 points in five straight games and 12 of their last 14. The Knicks had started the year playing solid defense for Coach Brown. They kept opponents under 100 points in nine of their first ten games. Since that point, it seems their fundamentals have broken down. They have been victimized by constant defensive breakdowns and have allowed countless open looks. Larry Brown writes the three-letter acronym "KYP" on the team's message board in the locker room before each game. It stands for Know Your Personnel. But the Knicks have failed miserably in this simple assignment, as one-dimensional, spot-up shooters such as Pat Garrity and Kareem Rush have scorched the Knicks in recent losses. I thought this was a telling quote from Hedo Turkoglu after the Magic spanked the Knicks last week: "They had like miscommunication out there. They didn't help each other," Turkoglu said. "They left really good shooters really, really open all the time. I think they have a bunch of young guys there and they're still learning, so that's why they messed it up. You can't leave guys who are making shots in a row like that, you have to do something."

However, it's not just the players who are at fault for this disastrous start. Some responsibility has to fall on the shoulders of the head coach. To his credit, Larry Brown has been quick to accept blame, but the fact is he should have gotten more wins out of this limited, but still somewhat formidable collection of talent. His constant shuffling of the lineup has left players unsure of their roles and unable to develop any semblance of cohesiveness or chemistry. The Knicks have played 24 games and it seems as if Brown is still just as confused about who should play as he was on opening night. On the other hand, many of the players he inherited are polar opposites of what he looks for - very few "Larry Brown guys." This brings us to another guilty party.

Today, December 22, marks the two year anniversary of Isiah Thomas' tenure with the Knicks organization. In these two years he has received credit, rightfully so, for purging the roster of the over-paid stiffs that Scott Layden had collected. However, Isiah needs to re-examine this group and decide if he can go forward with the roster as currently constituted. His drafts have been a hit, but his free-agent signings have been horrendous. (I hope Isiah has a gift-receipt for that $30 million center he bought over the summer.) In an interview with local radio host Mike Francesa last week, when asked to grade his performance over the past two years, Zeke answered that he would give himself "an incomplete." He explained that time would tell whether his moves will prove successful or not.

One thing is certain: the Knicks need to play with more effort and heart or Isiah may not be around to celebrate his third anniversary.



Baseline Banter: How could someone as athletic as Trevor Ariza be such a poor one-on-one defender. I love the energy and hustle Trevor brings to the game, but he needs to improve his perimeter defense...So let me get this straight, Kenny Smith: Knicks fans are not allowed to boo? Really? Since "The Jet" constantly reminds everyone that he is a native New Yorker, he should understand that fans who pay exorbitant prices to come to MSG, and watch in anguish as the Knicks suffer blow-out loss after blow-out loss, will let the team know they are dissatisfied with the product on the floor. According to MSG Network guest announcer Kenny Smith, fans had no right to boo the Knicks last night because, "the Spurs are a great team." The Knicks have the highest payroll in the league, the highest paid coach, and the highest paid GM - yet the fans are not allowed to boo during another brutal defeat? Smith came up with endless excuses as to why the paying patrons should keep quiet. Apparently he wasn't aware that the Knicks were riding a six game losing streak, which included the aforementioned embarrassing home losses. At one point he excused the Knicks poor play by commenting that once the Knicks got down by double-digits to a team like the Spurs, it is understandable that they would become easily discouraged. Mike Breen was then quick to point out that on Tuesday night the Milwaukee Bucks were down 14 to the Spurs before they came back to beat San Antonio in overtime. In my humble opinion, Kenny Smith was out of line when he repeatedly bashed Knicks fans for voicing their displeasure last night. I understand MSG wants to diversify its announcing lineup, but think I will listen to the underrated Gus Johnson do the game on the radio next time Kenny Smith doing the color on TV. Rant over....

Well I agree Kenny Smith was awful, but then, it was tough first game.

Btw, my girlfriend isn't a big basketball fan, but she looks in on the games from time to time. She said the Knicks players looked drugged.

Something in the water at MSG?