I understand that we havent been able to purge on players this year but if this is the bets DW can do in two years--than I don't expect much in FA. What is going to happen is we are going to be a laughing stock and scare players away---of course we still have to owe up to the no pick and that will further deteriorate the situation.

I think that there has to be some accountability and you cant just say wait until 2010 if you cant even be competitive with 9 guys who know who to play nBA basketball

DW has to take the hit for the shtty drafting trades--what else as a fan can you say--this is not an acceptable situation that has gotten out of hand quickly--we should not be worse than last year but we are and this can not go on.

BRIGGS wrote:

Elite wrote:your really trying to blame D'Antoni for this? Get real. We have been through 10 different coaches same result. Please. We have a ****ty team its just what it is.

If anything you have guys who are in contract years who should be giving it their all. Put 8 guys out there who want to play basketball and let the other sit. If that is 4 young guys--then let them play. If it's 4 guys not on this team --then let them play and start realizing players. This team needs a severe culture change without excuses about everything except the bottom line.
Were down 20-30 points every game--there is culpability for that--even after 6 games.
Someone joked about Van Gundy but lets be real would Pat Riley or Van Gundy let this happen? No they wouldnt. Since Riley left and then Van Gundy---every person involved with coaching or putting the team together has been well below the standards set when we were good. This 2010 thing is an excuse and the owner or GM should never except this. Donnie Walsh is in his own world collecting a fat check with court side seats. Speak out--Coach D get someone to have a pulse in the first half. Guys who pad stats down 30 are made to be saviors--let these guys go from the beginning of games if you believe in them.

We know Jeff wouldn't allow it to happen - that's why he quit on us and left after what, 20 games?

franco12 wrote:Briggs- I agree this is a disaster area- but I don't think I agree about much of your argument.

I'd also add in addition to patience, that 2010 won't fix it either.

Honestly I would start the young guys and let them develop. I would also look at what we can get for Chandler Lee Nate Harrington et al on the market or if we can combine Jefferies with a Chandler to get rid of him. If we have to *overpay* to get rid of Jefferies --then do it --I dont think Curry is viable to trade. Maybe Jeffries and Chandler + Nate to a team for depth for an ending contract and a young player. Sit down with Mike D and put his arse on the hot seat--he has to be accountable for the energy and erratic play--he has to shore it up. An embarrassing season does us know good--we have regressed from last year.

Walsh has to take blame for NOT picking a PG or getting someone serviceable in FA this year (even JWill would have been a better option than this roster).

D'Antonie definatly has to take the blame for this horrible appproach to games. Being destroyed in first quaters REGULARLY is NOT an option. This happens, you change your course!!! It is HIS job to translate the aspect of accountablitiy to the players!!! I now, nobody here knows what hes saying behind the scenes and what he is telling his players after losses like this, the players have to understand, their bad play leads to problems for them!!!

And finally, the players have to step up... no they have to show up first of all!!! They have to bring the right attitude and if they dont... they sit!!!! Benching Duhon was the right signal (Toney playing well makes this easier!), but next time Duhon steps on the floor, he better brings his A game or he should be out errased from the starting lineup!!!

To me the biggest problem concerning accountability, or moreover the loss of it with the Knicks is, that characters like those FAs we are looking to get understand the value of it VERY well! Nobody will want to come to an organization with such a bad attitude!!!

Now on paper going back a couple of weeks ago, no one thought it'd be this bad. I honestly thought we be slightly better than last year with a shot at the playoffs by season's end. You know that's what Donnie was thinking as well and I don't blame him. Like most, I believed Walsh had fielded a good enough team that was capable of staying competive until we got to the next phase in our rebuilding process. That still could be the case, but a lot of things will have to change quickly...Next year however is a whole different ballgame. Money fixes a lot of problems. Even if we don't get Lebron, I still love where we'll be at in terms of overall cap flexibility for the next two off-seasons. Provided we disperse the funds properly, there's no question in my mind that we'll be on the road to recovery starting next year. In the meantime, D'Antoni and a majority of the players deserve ALL the blame so far for this year's debacle, not Walsh.

Finestrg wrote:I don't see how you can blame Walsh here. How is this bad start his fault? Most of us were talking 38-40 wins and the playoffs only a couple of weeks ago before the season started. Now only after a handful of games, the situation suddenly looks grim I'll grant you, but to blame Donnie Walsh? Where's the logic in that? I've heard this argument before and for the life of me, I don't see it....The man cleared a ton of cap room and along the way picked up some stopgap players who, on paper anyway, should be able to help this team stay competitive in the interim. His plan has been solid so far. He's put enough interim talent out there right now where we should at least be a halfway decent team. Now for whatever reason (and there appear to be several) it's just not clicking right now. No way I saw this coming - I don't think anyone did. Also just to address the other big knock on this guy again, there's been nothing he's passed on so far that was worth compromising his plan IMO, including Ramon Sessions. Sessions is a nice little player, clearly a step up from Duhon, but you can't convince me that he was really our answer at PG. The PG has a lot to do with a team's success, but I bet if we had Sessions right now I doubt we'd be doing that much better. Sessions is no savior. He's not magic Johnson. For one thing, Sessions is limited and not a particularly good offensive player himself. Sure he's a good passer and assist man, but I'd bet anything that if Sessions were here right now, he'd be willing to dish out the rock but all we'd be seeing would be more of the same thing -- guys would still be bricking way too many threes and taking stupid shots all over the place. I still say that unless there's a better plan to add a PG right now, there's always the draft where even with our 2nd round pick we should have a good opportunity to add a decent playmaker late such as Sherron Collins, Jerome Randle, Nic Wise or Grevis Vasquez -- these guys are all talented, maybe more talented than Sessions...You wanna blame anyone for this rough start blame the players and the coach, not Donnie. Certain players have regressed badly, while others have played selfishly or have not performed as advertised. And to boot, they're not being coached properly right now. Our coach is a mess right now -- Mike's playing this like it's his first year coaching this team, as if he wasn't even here last year. He's got guys playing out of position all over the place and he hasn't instilled any sense of structure. They're not running and not getting anything easy in transition like I thought we'd be seeing, they're not taking good shots, they're overly-reliant on the 3 ball to a fault and they're playing non-existent defense.

Now on paper going back a couple of weeks ago, no one thought it'd be this bad. I honestly thought we be slightly better than last year with a shot at the playoffs by season's end. You know that's what Donnie was thinking as well and I don't blame him. Like most, I believed Walsh had fielded a temporary though competent enough team that was capable of pulling that off -- 38-40 wins and possibly the playoffs. That still could be the case, but a lot of thing will have to change...Next year however is a whole different ballgame. Money fixes a lot of problems. Even if we don't get Lebron, I still love where we'll be at in terms of overall cap room for the next two off-seasons. Provided we disperse the funds properly, there's no question in my mind that we'll be on the road to recovery starting next year. In the meantime, D'Antoni and a majority of the players deserve ALL the blame so far for this year's debacle, not Walsh.

Fin--ultimately someone has to do something here. We cannot accept what is going on. Its great that we are going to get to FA but I think it is now vital that we do what we can to see if we can get two pots--and I want to see our GM finish the job even if we have to bundle away a Lee to make it happen.
As much as anyone can say what we have here in terms of youth Lopez and one of the more promising PGs would have made this team better imho. They are the one' who gave Duhon 12mm--they couldve upgraded with Iversen this summer for example--there have been a lot of choices that have been made--some perhaps not the best and it is showing.