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4949
Posts: 29378
Alba Posts: 0
Joined: 4/25/2006
Member: #1126
USA
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The Good:
Balkman
Lee
Collins
And the newer few other potentials
They certainly had a great summer league season going 5-0
This, I think, is were someone like Malik Rose comes in handy. Stern discipline on the court among the young guys can be a good thing.
The Bad. We have to judge on what we already know:
Although Lee is a great player, his health is still in question. That's normal, except now, we find out that Collins had a secret surgery, that got leaked to the media. So what's going on there? Why are the young guys already having injury's?
Frye at the time was a promising pick up, but ended in a major flop (and yet another young'n with a major injury)
Because Isiah has chosen to surround himself with chicago people, he's also borught more controversy to the knicks. Examples being the Quintin Richardson tradgedy and then Curry being tied up, gagged and robbed at gun point in his own home. Main point, I sight this relationship as a mistake.
Not to mention the fact that the jury is still out as to whether Curry has finally matured (after 6 seasons now), is getting kind of old. This is one example of the move 'you don't make', which resulted in losing two first round draft picks two years in a row. So far, the bulls got the best of Isiah.
Just to dip into the Celtics as an example, how they already had a star in Pierce and then picked up Allen and the Garnett? You gotta ask yourself 'why couldn't Isiah have made moves like those'? Celtics are certainly in the drivers seat right now and the team to beat.
As good as Zach is, as a player, he brings heavy baggage and I'd like to remind you's that 'he is just one incident away from embarrasing Isaih once again. We already had one' unstable player in starbury, now we have two. And to think, Isiah was trying to get Artest in NY also.
Speaking of starbury, this is one deal I would have loved to take back and to think, we're still stuck with the dude for two more years.
I think it's still fair to ask 'are these young cats we picked up in the drafts really diamonds in the rough'? With the Frye bust and the major Lee injury, we are still unclear as to whether these guys are going to turn into something special. Balkman is the only one so far that fits the mode of legit and reliable. It's just interesting that there's controversy there too. We'll see.
I have to question the contracts. Why has the last two GM's been signing these long term, expensive contracts? Why has Isiah followed the fine tradition of Scott Layden? Is it just a matter of the way the system is now, or was there a choice of signing guys like starbury and francis to huge contracts vs. reasonable one's? I know Allan Houston didn't need to be signed to what he was signed to, but that's another story.
And speaking of Steve Francise, why did he sign him, when we already had a starbury. Another bad move, just like the one when.........
..........he put Larry Brown and starbury together. The worst move of them all. Just to be fair, I don't want to totally trash starbury. I like what he's been trying to do with the shoe thing and helping the kids out. That's cool and legit stars should follow suit to really make it worth it. But a Brown-starbury marriage was a disaster. And then having to fire Brown, after one season and having to pay him 28 million as a buyout? Disasterous! Going back to the 'some of the best deals you make are the one's you don't' make' scenario is an example. Not to mention, the 28 million wasted, that could have brought us a couple of legitimate defenders from somewhere in the league.
Signing Jeffries to five years was another example. He was a defensive bust!
Signing Jerome to five years, for millions was another horrible move. Where else can you make that kind of money, for high school level production?
I'd like to put Nate on the good list, but his attitude's been a problem. He's a hell of a lot better than that. Hopefully he'll get rid of it. Just wanted to add that one to.
And then there's the personal problems that Isiah himself brings to the team, with the unavoidable sexual harrassment suit filed against him, which he'll have to go to trial for and the accusation of having cheerleaders hitting on the refs thing? Could be internal **** going on just simply to try and get Isiah fired, but still, it's more baggage we didn't need.
And now the Randolph Morris violation. I suspect someone is not doing they're job to protect some of these young guys. If anything else, it's just more trouble we don't need.
I also want to shoulder some of the blame on Dolan, for letting this happen and even going as far as re-signing Isiah again! He's trying to salvage his image, by wanting this to work. But how much longer can he rip his image up, in the image of Isiah?
I'd like to add a third heading
What can Isiah do to remedy the situation?:
I just can't see that happening, based on what we know about Isiah moves. I'll bring the Kobe thing us again, but unless we can somehow land someone like him, this team is close to a .500 team at best for next season. And keep in mind, as observed last season, especially towards the end, we are 'one key player disaster' away from not even making .500. We are a 'keep your fingers crossed' team right now.
I can't say that I know of any other team that has had these many mistakes, with this kind of payroll. Look at Boston. They're payroll is suddenly up there, not too far from what we pay, but they made the most of it. And look at the bulls. 48 million? And they been beating the pants off us the last couple of years, took two 1st rounders from us and gave us a questionable Curry? Maybe our payroll is just too high. Maybe we need to work with a smaller payroll, to force a GM to make better deals, including the waiting game. Something Isiah hasn't been very good at either. That's my take on it.
How can we look outselves in the face and say 'we did it right', when we know it's been all wrong. I can live with the Morris violation, I can live with the Lee and Collins injury, I could probably even live with the Curry and Q unfortunate situations, but everything esle beyond that has just been way too much for me as a Knicks fan. Sorry to be so critical, but our situations been critical. For the last ten years.
I'll never trust this' team again.
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8/13/2007 11:56 PM
