Posted by playa2:

Moreover, Wilkens an older version of Chaney? Good guy, respectful of players, but not a threat to confront problems or light a fire under guys. And that's what the Knicks - exempting Marbury and Kurt Thomas - crave. They need a coach to drive them, someone who has them ready to kill coming out of the locker room. "We hardly ever practiced," an ex-Raptor testifies, dumbfounded by the hire, "and when we did practice we hardly did anything. We'd be in the gym an hour and do nothing. We had to do extra stuff just to stay in shape." NY

"Wilkens is known for his mellow personality, which resembles Chaney's, and his light practices. Wilkens was accused by insiders of running a "country-club atmosphere" in Toronto. Charles Oakley was said to be a big detractor and, ironically, showed up for last night's game. Vince Carter also ripped Wilkens when he was fired."


And you guys think I will get hyped over a guy like this!!!!!!!

Why not, you loved Chaney! 2 -face.

Posted by Bobby:

Outlook is bleak for Lenny

By BILL HARRIS

Predicting disaster for the New York Knicks is like shooting fish in a barrel. The basketball marriage between Knicks president Isiah Thomas and new coach Lenny Wilkens will end horribly, of course. Why? Because things always end horribly in the NBA. It's incredibly rare that GMs and coaches live harmoniously for more than short periods.

But exactly when it will end horribly for the Thomas-Wilkens partnership -- which officially began yesterday with a news conference in New York -- is open to debate.

"When Isiah talked to me, I hesitated a minute," Wilkens said. "I almost wanted to say, 'Are you sure?' "

That's a question a lot of people are asking. But given the Knicks already are eight games below .500, it's tough to gauge what will be perceived as success.

Wilkens certainly inherited a more talented roster when he took over the Raptors in the summer of 2000. And while this has been wilfully forgotten by many Raptors fans, Wilkens was not an immediate disaster in Toronto. In fact, the Raptors enjoyed their best season in 2000-01.

The Raptors veterans initially responded to Wilkens' calmness, which served as an antidote to the Butch Carter regime. It was when the Raptors became less talented that Wilkens' shortcomings contributed to franchise paralysis.

Asked about his Toronto tenure, Wilkens said, "The thing I learned is, don't get that many players injured. That was the most frustrating experience I ever had."

No one asked the follow-up question, "If injuries were the only thing that went wrong in Toronto, why were you fired?"

On the day Wilkens was let go last spring, Raptors guard Vince Carter said the club needed a coach who understood today's game. Wilkens replied yesterday that he didn't "pay it any mind because many players will say things to distract from themselves."

In any event, Wilkens' most important task in New York will be to mentor, if not coddle, Thomas' first marquee acquisition, Stephon Marbury. It was amusing to see Marbury wander into the news conference yesterday. "Here comes another Brooklyn guy," Wilkens said as the two embraced.

Raptors fans will wince as they recall the last time they witnessed such an "unscripted" scene, when Carter sauntered into the news conference to announce Hakeem Olajuwon's signing. We all know how that turned out.

But being objective, there is one major organizational difference between the Raptors' hiring of Wilkens and the Knicks' hiring of Wilkens: The cash-rich Knicks won't be afraid to fire him if things go wrong. This is regardless of the fact Wilkens reportedly signed a four-year deal at about $5 million US annually, which, fortuitously for the Raptors, essentially wipes out their remaining financial obligation to him.

The mistake the Raptors made was not their decision to hire Wilkens, but rather their decision to keep him for three full seasons even though it was clear midway through the second year that things were going downhill. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., was too cheap to buy out Wilkens, so Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald's hands were tied. The Knicks will have no such monetary reservations, so they can tie the can to Wilkens -- and Thomas, too -- the split-second they don't like what they see.

Many have condemned Thomas' sloppy dismissal of coach Don Chaney on Wednesday. But, for the record, on Late Night with David Letterman on Tuesday, Thomas did not make light of Chaney's situation, contrary to what has been reported.

It was Letterman who asked Thomas about Chaney. Thomas gave a non-answer answer. Then Letterman said, "So, in other words, Chaney's finished." The audience laughed and Letterman gave Thomas a playful nudge. Thomas smiled uncomfortably.

There will be more uncomfortable moments for Thomas and Wilkens in the future. Things will fall apart eventually. They always do. That's the NBA way.

But remember, Wilkens' first year in Toronto went fairly well. So as he starts anew with yet another team, there may be more of a grace period than some observers think.

what a dumb article. the person who wrote this obviosly doesn't know basketball and what it's all about. he perdicts that the knicks will fall a apart because it always happens in the nba. what kind of a retarded perdiction is this. he shows no real facts to back-up his perdiction. what an idiot writer. he doesn't know what a team needs to be a winner and what good coach does when he knows he has a good team. those years in tronto, lenny had carter and mcgrady together so they showed their skill level by beating the knicks in the first round. lenny had a injured carter the next year and still managed to take his team to the playoffs with a 13game winning streak. last year, the raptors had an injured carter for the majority of the season and a team that really lacked a main scorer. we all know what happens to a team when guys like alvin williams, gerome williams, antonio davis, even old veterans like oakly that lack skills at their old age, are expected to step up their game to create a winning team. the team had no good second option scorer next to carter and a recipe for a losing record was inevitable. there was no way that any coach in the nba could make that team a winner.
do you remember what lenny did with guys like steve smith, allen henderson, mutombo, etc.. in atlanta. that team wasn't that good of a tema talent wise but he still made that team out to be a winner.
lenny's resume speaks for itself, he has won whereever he has gone and has only lost when there is no real chance for the team to win.
as for practice, who cares, if the team wins, wouldn't it be considered a good idea.
and for the team falling apart, this team has core of good player for at least the next two years - barring any injury, they should be fine with lenny. and you must remember that this guy in 66, so he will be gone after the 4 years of his contract. be then the thomas and the knicks most probably will have one of the best teams in the east and isiah could make a smooth transition into a coaching position with the team.
this writer doesn't tell me any real point of why this team will fall a-part, so, fi-re ha-rr-is.
what a writer!