Posted by HARDCOREKNICKSFAN:

Posted by djsunyc:

i would be surprised if qyntel is on this team next year. and if jerome is on this team, i'm not sure how many minutes butler will see. i think some players minutes will take a hit (and that's not including any summer trade).

I think Q2 can stick around, and if Jerome James screws up (usually leading to fouls), Butler will get decent PT anyway.

Posted by Marv:

i predict a whole new big game this year. that crossover was just a hint. a hint folks. an in-shape and focused game is going to have the garden eating out of his hands (no fat knick jokes inserted here).

hey look any of us would have overreacted to being set loose in nyc with 5 or 6 mill in our pockets and we were young single and loved to mingle like the game. '07 is the yeat of the game!!!!

Isiah will be demanding bench boss for Knicks


Jun 23, 2006


Larry Brown's departure is not a surprise, based on what we have heard over the last few weeks.

Out of respect for Mr. Dolan's position, he was not happy with how Larry dealt with the team last year in certain areas of communication. The team was brought down, in management's opinion, by the comments made from time-to-time by Brown. As we all know, management -- and ownership -- in all cases of every business, has the right to make their own judgments and execute them as they feel should be executed.

It's unfortunate and it's sad that Larry couldn't make it work here in New York, considering his successful record as a coach, and I'm sure it was very saddening for Mr. Dolan to execute this change.

Nevertheless, that brings us to Isiah Thomas, whose career is very well known throughout the basketball world. Isiah has had major positions including one in Toronto, where he had success with personnel decisions like he had with the Knicks' rookies last year -- all of whom showed considerable success as individuals and for the future.

Isiah's head coaching experience at Indiana has prepared him significantly for this new challenge that he's taking on, and his energy and passion for the sport is going to help him greatly in trying to turn the franchise around in the right direction.



Thomas' coaching experience from Indiana could help him in New York. (AP)
DEADLY DUO

It could've been inevitable that Brown and Stephon Marbury's Knicks relationship ended this way, given reports of their rift during the 2004 Summer Olympics. But there were so many instances last year where Stephon appeared to be very much in line with Larry's thinking. Certainly at the beginning of the year, it was that way.

I think Stephon saw the benefit of listening to Larry, who spent much of his career defining the point guard's role and how the point guard should perform. Brown had that experience as a player, as a coach and had success on both ends, and there were many instances where Stephon and he were indeed on the same page.

Somehow they got off that page, and kept doing so throughout the season. But it could've had a more peaceful flow as the year went on. There were obviously just too many public instances where the two were in disagreement. And it clearly just didn't work out.

SO NOW WHAT?

There's no question there is expected to be considerable improvement with this team, whether roster changes are rampant or not under Thomas' dual role as coach/GM.

I don't think Isiah is going to be looking for a five-game improvement, and he'll attempt to make this team better defensively. I happen to think he will. His greatness as a player was his ability to willfully -- much like we saw with Dwyane Wade in the Finals -- impact a game, which was so intense and I think the players will feel that intensity.

It's not going to be, 'Let's have a light conversation about what we have to do out here.' I mean Thomas is going to be dishing out fire to his players and maybe that's what's needed for the team to execute what the coach is saying.

Many times throughout even a great career, a successful coach reaches a point where players are looking at him, saying the right words, but not hearing him to the point of execution. And it's not a matter of brains, necessarily by the coach with his ability, but rather a matter of whatever the formula is for the players to respond to and do what he's saying.

It was puzzling this past season when you would see the Knicks on defense under one of the most highly-regarded defensive coaches in the entire NBA -- and the players not doing it. That's when Larry would say, 'I don't understand, I'm telling them what to do and they're not doing it.' That's a situation that happens from time-to-time with great coaches.

I'm sure Pat Riley has gone through it and I'm sure Phil Jackson has gone through it in certain situations. It just so happened that in the fish bowl of New York, Larry Brown -- thought of as one of the greatest of all time -- wasn't being heard for most of last year. That undoubtedly frustrated him and maybe resulted in him making the remarks he made that further developed into a void between management and the team.

Folks, this is all the human equation at work.


Frye and Robinson are two young and exciting players for Thomas to work with. (AP)
So now with Isiah, who is crazy about winning, it's conceivable that his fire and presence and passion could spark a reaction on a nightly basis that the team was unable to do this past year.

Now, I don't expect and I don't think anybody would expect the Knicks to double their win total to 46 games next year. But I think what's going to be expected and expressed within any future wins will be noticeable improvement.

There's Channing Frye, from whom much will be expected, and much attained. Frye showed this year that he can be an NBA star. He's a 6-foot-11 jump shooter who can be the next Allan Houston for this team, plus four or five more inches. Who's going to deal with him?

David Lee, and Nate Robinson also showed that they can be impactful.

I'm sure there's going to be changes between now and November that are going to hopefully add to the strengths of the Knicks. I'm also sure that the two first round picks, even though they're late, are solid selectionsthat can bring depth.

If anyone doesn't contribute or play at a high enough level in the eyes of Isiah, changes will be made quickly.


FIRST THING'S FIRST

Isiah's first order of business, following the Draft, will be visiting and speaking with each player, and to get them in the right mental frame of mind for the coming months. He's going to make it extremely clear what he expects and I would expect that they will listen as they did with Larry one year ago when they all announced how thrilled they were to play for him.

Isiah, having witnessed what happened last year up-close, will know very fast if the players' hearts are into this. Isiah has proven with his actions that if he doesn't feel that he's going to get a full commitment, those players will be gone.

When training camp opens, there are no excuses, there are no misunderstandings. That's a big thing. It's all going to be business, and that's what it's going to take. That's what Thomas will demand -- and frame of mind will be key.