Progress?? Look What We Have Become!!

SteveH

Rookie
The news of Isaiah Thomas's contract extension should not come as a surprise to anybody who has been following the Knicks during the Dolan era. I have been quietly watching the Knicks roller coaster ride over the past few years, but nothing ever provoked me to speak up until today. This news is extremely troubling to me for a few reasons which I am about to get into. I would appreciate any feedback on my comments.

OK, lets analize Isaiah's tenure in NY a little bit. Ready? Here goes. First came the signature move to get Stephon Marbury a player who has proven to be talented enough to pique the interest of teams but has never proven to be a winner. The reasoning was that Steph is a NY guy, and what better place to prove that he can win than NY? Surely his move back home will inspire him to become the player that he is capable of being and most importanly it will inspire him to learn how to win right? WRONG! Isaiah started off on the wrong foot by jumping to bring in a player who has never won anywhere. Steph is the type of player who really drives fans crazy by flashing his tremendous skills at times while most of the time proving that his critics are correct in saying that he is a shooting guard in a point guards body. Starbury has once again proven that he is incapable of leading a team to victories on a consistent basis and he has certainly done nothing to show that he is a true floor general.

Jamal Crawford was a streak scorer in Chicago. With the Bulls, Crawford has never shown an ability to be anything BUT a streak scorer and to this day Crawford is still the same streak scorer that he always was. These types of players can be extremely useful when coming off the bench and playing 15 minutes a game while getting the occasional start when injury strikes. As a matter of fact, most great teams have a Jamal Crawford. However, problems start when you expect consistency from Crawford types. You REALLY can run into problems when you need Crawford types to carry much of the scoring load on a nightly basis. This is exactly what Thomas expected when he picked up Crawford and he is paying the price as we all are.

Eddie Curry was supposed to become the next Shaq when he was drafted by the Bulls straight out of H.S. Everyone excused Curry when he wasn't producing, saying that he is raw and needs a few years to develop...fair enough. Then Curry started to show his potential during his final season in Chicago promting Isaiah to gamble yet again on a player who has proven NOTHING during his few years in an NBA uniform. "But Curry is starting to emerge as a franchise player" you say. "Look at all of those 20 point games, this guy is going to be awsome" Right? Well maybe, but most likely it is all down hill from here for Curry. I know that many of you will disagree with me on this one, but hear me out for a second. As soon as the league started to take notice of Curry, the double teams started to come at him. How has Curry responded? By proving that he has absolutely ZERO court vision, a quality that every great center must have in order to exploit the double team and discourage defenses to employ it while facing you. Moreover, this is one of the most difficult qualities to teach since natural basketball instincts are a must in order to perfect the art of passing out of a double team. Unfortunately, Curry does not have much in the way of natural basketball instincts as evidenced by his 3 and four rebound performances which we have almost come to expect from him. Sure Curry has the token double digit rebound games once in a while, but can someone explain to me how a huge guy like Curry can ever have a 3,4,5 rebound game?? Obviously Curry does not have much in the way of natural ability and court smarts.

One more thing about Thomas that I feel is worth mentioning (and no I don't mean Jerome James which is not even worth getting into), is his drafting skills. The draft is where most Knick fans believe that Thomas proves his critics wrong. After all, Channing Frye showed so much promise during his rookie year. Nate has shown the ability to pump up the teams at times whith his amazing energy, and David Lee is a bona fide double double guy on a nightly basis. As for Balkman? Well he has shown some energy as well and he seems like a real team guy, so maybe Thomas was correct about him as well. OK, lets cut to the chase over here. Until further notice, Frye is a decent shooter who can't defend 90% of the power forwards in this league and has proven that his predraft critics were correct about his lack of toughness. Nate has proven to be nothing more than a side show and most teams wouldn't even project him as a decent backup point guard in the NBA. Lee is a solid contributor who is one of the only bright spots on the team, Thomas can give himself a pat on the back for that one. The worst pick however was Balkman. When the Knicks turn came to make their pick that year, I was sure that Marcus Williams was going to be the guy and I was elated. A projected lottery pick before his off the court problems at UCONN, Williams was a Big East guy with a penchant for the big moment. If you want to talk about court instincts, Williams has shown that he is tremendous in that area during his time at UCONN. What did Thomas have to lose by picking Williams? Why stretch for a guy like Balkman when you had Marcus Williams a potential future all star available?

The jury is still out on both Balkman and Williams. I think that most would agree that Williams has shown a real knack for finding the open man and running an offense during his rookie year in NJ. Balkman has spent most of his time on the bench but may become a really nice roll player/defensive specialist. However, the question begs to be asked; Why is Thomas so quick to gamble on guys like Marbury, Curry and Crawford and not willing to gamble on a guy like Williams? The 3 afformentioned failures were failures on other teams as well and should not have been looked at as gambles but rather they were dumb moves as most people said that they would be.

The jury is NOT out on Thomas anymore. As the Raptors and Pacers can also tell you, this guy is an incompetent GM/Coach and can only dig the Knicks into a deeper hole. I hope to be proven wrong on this as I love the Knicks, but this contract extension seems to be a horrible move from an owner who has not made anything BUT horrible moves during his time in MSG. As a Knick fan I feel nothing but despair when I hear that our owner gives a vote of confidence to the coach who has "amazingly" led the Knicks from the cellar to playoff contention. The best thing about being in playoff contention is that we don't have to suffer through another draft lottery watching another team picking in our place. Other than that....what have we become?
 

datruth

Your Best Bet is B Ez
holy shyt u a hater, i read the marbury, crawford and curry paragraphs and i completely disagree wit u.....when everybody talks about marbury and him not winning, does anybody remember when he was wit that young and unexperienced phoenix team against san antonio and almost defeating them, in NJ, stephon was by him self, only player he had was van horn and he didnt like em

Now wit jamal crawford, in my opinion jamal crawford is best player at the clutch, yes jamal is streaky but he does make curry better and he can knock down open shots

and now wit curry, curry has done wonders this year and has been a low post presence and a main reason why the knicks attempt 31 FTs a game cuz the opposing team is usually in the penalty early, yes curry sstruggles in double teams but damn he has taken huge strides this year, give em some more time to develop that part of his game
 

datruth

Your Best Bet is B Ez
One more thing about Thomas that I feel is worth mentioning (and no I don't mean Jerome James which is not even worth getting into), is his drafting skills. The draft is where most Knick fans believe that Thomas proves his critics wrong. After all, Channing Frye showed so much promise during his rookie year. Nate has shown the ability to pump up the teams at times whith his amazing energy, and David Lee is a bona fide double double guy on a nightly basis. As for Balkman? Well he has shown some energy as well and he seems like a real team guy, so maybe Thomas was correct about him as well. OK, lets cut to the chase over here. Until further notice, Frye is a decent shooter who can't defend 90% of the power forwards in this league and has proven that his predraft critics were correct about his lack of toughness. Nate has proven to be nothing more than a side show and most teams wouldn't even project him as a decent backup point guard in the NBA. Lee is a solid contributor who is one of the only bright spots on the team, Thomas can give himself a pat on the back for that one. The worst pick however was Balkman. When the Knicks turn came to make their pick that year, I was sure that Marcus Williams was going to be the guy and I was elated. A projected lottery pick before his off the court problems at UCONN, Williams was a Big East guy with a penchant for the big moment. If you want to talk about court instincts, Williams has shown that he is tremendous in that area during his time at UCONN. What did Thomas have to lose by picking Williams? Why stretch for a guy like Balkman when you had Marcus Williams a potential future all star available?

The jury is still out on both Balkman and Williams. I think that most would agree that Williams has shown a real knack for finding the open man and running an offense during his rookie year in NJ. Balkman has spent most of his time on the bench but may become a really nice roll player/defensive specialist. However, the question begs to be asked; Why is Thomas so quick to gamble on guys like Marbury, Curry and Crawford and not willing to gamble on a guy like Williams? The 3 afformentioned failures were failures on other teams as well and should not have been looked at as gambles but rather they were dumb moves as most people said that they would be.

The jury is NOT out on Thomas anymore. As the Raptors and Pacers can also tell you, this guy is an incompetent GM/Coach and can only dig the Knicks into a deeper hole. I hope to be proven wrong on this as I love the Knicks, but this contract extension seems to be a horrible move from an owner who has not made anything BUT horrible moves during his time in MSG. As a Knick fan I feel nothing but despair when I hear that our owner gives a vote of confidence to the coach who has "amazingly" led the Knicks from the cellar to playoff contention. The best thing about being in playoff contention is that we don't have to suffer through another draft lottery watching another team picking in our place. Other than that....what have we become?

u critisizing isiahs drafting abilties, isiah has an eye for talent

Vince Carter, Marcus Camby, Damon Stoudamire, Tracy Mcgrady, discovered jermaine oneal, Trevor Ariza(43 pick), i mean why would isiah draft marcus williams wit a team that has 4 guards already and the knicks really dont have a player like balkman, this draft isiah went for defense, thats why u see collins and balkman
 

nyKnicks126

Go 1990s New York Knicks!
Yeah this Steve guys a hater. And if he was a real knicks fan he would know how to spell Isiahs name correctly.
 

GetRealistic

Starter
The news of Isaiah Thomas's contract extension should not come as a surprise to anybody who has been following the Knicks during the Dolan era. I have been quietly watching the Knicks roller coaster ride over the past few years, but nothing ever provoked me to speak up until today. This news is extremely troubling to me for a few reasons which I am about to get into. I would appreciate any feedback on my comments.

OK, lets analize Isaiah's tenure in NY a little bit. Ready? Here goes. First came the signature move to get Stephon Marbury a player who has proven to be talented enough to pique the interest of teams but has never proven to be a winner. The reasoning was that Steph is a NY guy, and what better place to prove that he can win than NY? Surely his move back home will inspire him to become the player that he is capable of being and most importanly it will inspire him to learn how to win right? WRONG! Isaiah started off on the wrong foot by jumping to bring in a player who has never won anywhere. Steph is the type of player who really drives fans crazy by flashing his tremendous skills at times while most of the time proving that his critics are correct in saying that he is a shooting guard in a point guards body. Starbury has once again proven that he is incapable of leading a team to victories on a consistent basis and he has certainly done nothing to show that he is a true floor general.

Jamal Crawford was a streak scorer in Chicago. With the Bulls, Crawford has never shown an ability to be anything BUT a streak scorer and to this day Crawford is still the same streak scorer that he always was. These types of players can be extremely useful when coming off the bench and playing 15 minutes a game while getting the occasional start when injury strikes. As a matter of fact, most great teams have a Jamal Crawford. However, problems start when you expect consistency from Crawford types. You REALLY can run into problems when you need Crawford types to carry much of the scoring load on a nightly basis. This is exactly what Thomas expected when he picked up Crawford and he is paying the price as we all are.

Eddie Curry was supposed to become the next Shaq when he was drafted by the Bulls straight out of H.S. Everyone excused Curry when he wasn't producing, saying that he is raw and needs a few years to develop...fair enough. Then Curry started to show his potential during his final season in Chicago promting Isaiah to gamble yet again on a player who has proven NOTHING during his few years in an NBA uniform. "But Curry is starting to emerge as a franchise player" you say. "Look at all of those 20 point games, this guy is going to be awsome" Right? Well maybe, but most likely it is all down hill from here for Curry. I know that many of you will disagree with me on this one, but hear me out for a second. As soon as the league started to take notice of Curry, the double teams started to come at him. How has Curry responded? By proving that he has absolutely ZERO court vision, a quality that every great center must have in order to exploit the double team and discourage defenses to employ it while facing you. Moreover, this is one of the most difficult qualities to teach since natural basketball instincts are a must in order to perfect the art of passing out of a double team. Unfortunately, Curry does not have much in the way of natural basketball instincts as evidenced by his 3 and four rebound performances which we have almost come to expect from him. Sure Curry has the token double digit rebound games once in a while, but can someone explain to me how a huge guy like Curry can ever have a 3,4,5 rebound game?? Obviously Curry does not have much in the way of natural ability and court smarts.

One more thing about Thomas that I feel is worth mentioning (and no I don't mean Jerome James which is not even worth getting into), is his drafting skills. The draft is where most Knick fans believe that Thomas proves his critics wrong. After all, Channing Frye showed so much promise during his rookie year. Nate has shown the ability to pump up the teams at times whith his amazing energy, and David Lee is a bona fide double double guy on a nightly basis. As for Balkman? Well he has shown some energy as well and he seems like a real team guy, so maybe Thomas was correct about him as well. OK, lets cut to the chase over here. Until further notice, Frye is a decent shooter who can't defend 90% of the power forwards in this league and has proven that his predraft critics were correct about his lack of toughness. Nate has proven to be nothing more than a side show and most teams wouldn't even project him as a decent backup point guard in the NBA. Lee is a solid contributor who is one of the only bright spots on the team, Thomas can give himself a pat on the back for that one. The worst pick however was Balkman. When the Knicks turn came to make their pick that year, I was sure that Marcus Williams was going to be the guy and I was elated. A projected lottery pick before his off the court problems at UCONN, Williams was a Big East guy with a penchant for the big moment. If you want to talk about court instincts, Williams has shown that he is tremendous in that area during his time at UCONN. What did Thomas have to lose by picking Williams? Why stretch for a guy like Balkman when you had Marcus Williams a potential future all star available?

The jury is still out on both Balkman and Williams. I think that most would agree that Williams has shown a real knack for finding the open man and running an offense during his rookie year in NJ. Balkman has spent most of his time on the bench but may become a really nice roll player/defensive specialist. However, the question begs to be asked; Why is Thomas so quick to gamble on guys like Marbury, Curry and Crawford and not willing to gamble on a guy like Williams? The 3 afformentioned failures were failures on other teams as well and should not have been looked at as gambles but rather they were dumb moves as most people said that they would be.

The jury is NOT out on Thomas anymore. As the Raptors and Pacers can also tell you, this guy is an incompetent GM/Coach and can only dig the Knicks into a deeper hole. I hope to be proven wrong on this as I love the Knicks, but this contract extension seems to be a horrible move from an owner who has not made anything BUT horrible moves during his time in MSG. As a Knick fan I feel nothing but despair when I hear that our owner gives a vote of confidence to the coach who has "amazingly" led the Knicks from the cellar to playoff contention. The best thing about being in playoff contention is that we don't have to suffer through another draft lottery watching another team picking in our place. Other than that....what have we become?


What exactly is progress my man. In my opinion progress is improving. The Knicks as of now are 6 games better than last year, and barring a complete clapse will win around 12/15 more games then last year. Now don't get me wrong i'm not one of the posters who thinks were a championship quality team, but i deffinately feel this team is 10 fold better then we've been in the past 5 years. We're young, athletic and for the first time in years we seem to actually have pride and play with heart.

Obviously alot of improvements need to be made, specifically on the Defensive side. But you have to also look at the fact Francis, Jefferies, Q, and now Crawford and Lee have missed significant time with injuries and we've still kept our heads above water. Subtract the first month and a half of the season and we've been a plus 500 team. Considering last year could any fan ask for me at this point.

Now to your points about some of the players.


Marbury my opinion or lack of opinion of Marbury is well documented on these boards. I've brought up the fact he's never one. And taking San Antonio to six games is far from a great push people... subtract that pray of a half court shot and its a 5 game series. He's deffinately overpaid and has a bad track record but if you've watched him play the last 2 months you've seen the old agressive Marbury with a mix of the intelligence and decision making Isiah has been preaching to him. Now It may have taken him 3 years but he seems to be getting him.

Crawford. Crawfords a streaky shooter? god damm you must be a genius to see that, any 8 year old kid can see that. But who else on this team would you want the ball in their hands with under two minutes left in the game. I don't know the exact number but i'd estimate he's made 10 game winning shots since he's been a Knick. Not to mention him and Curry have a good bond. I have no problem with Jamal as my 6th man.

Curry- God everybody bashes Curry. He's looked mentally and physically tired the last few games but aside from that he's be amazing for us. He doesn't defend well (then again remember the block on Ray Allen) his rebounding needs to improve, and his passing out of double teams are awful. But nobody looks at the positives. He scores, get the opposing front court into fall problems, draws double teams that opens everything up for Marbury and Francis. Also i know he had his problems in the paste being out of shape and what not but i think thats behind him and i expect him to work on his faults in the off season and continue to improve.


The Draft- Marcus Williams is not that good. He plays no defense and has a medicore jump shot. We didn't need a guard but we did get one, one that fits the needs of this team much better. We drafted two hard working defense first players. I don't know about you but that seems like good additions to me.
 

rady

Administrator
Staff member
Also, something that most of fans missed, the knicks improved their record by the month!
Just count the wins and losses from each month starting with november and compare.
If that's not progress, then i don't know what it is ;)
 

MSGKnickz33

The Gold Mac
I'm up and down with curry i partially see what you're sayin but how u gonna criticize balkmen like that? I think hes the next scottie pippen, not wuite as good but he'll be a damn good player. Do you watch the knicks? We did not need Marcus williams when we already got marbury francis and nate robinson. I cant defend channing frye to well but i do think eventually he'll step up his game. If you dont watch the team or at least the highlights or maybe even look at the boxscores you dont belong on here.
 

metrocard

Legend
I love people start their debates with "you're a hater." Just shows who really won the debate.

SteveH, your points are well presented, but I don't agree with all of them.

First, let me bring my ideology as a Knick fan, so you can understand where I'm coming from. People here just call others haters if you shun Isiah for mistakes, as if Isiah is an untouchable god to some.

Making the playoffs would be nice, but extending Isiah's contract is too early. Isiah hasn't accomplished anything yet.

The only reason why Isiah is still here is because how he talks to the media.

Isiah should be coach, cause the players love to play for him. Thats it. Keep him away from GM or making any business decisions.

Knicks were at a situation before Isiah came as GM with no hope of winning. A GM who just drafted the same players as Isiah and did none of his trades would be 2 years FURTHER ahead than where Isiah is now.

I'm probably being harsh on Isiah, but the past still matters, it affects the future.

If I was Isiah in the start, I would of have never made these transactions.

Marbury/Penny trade for Cap space/draft picks (This is debatable, Cap space with a pool of talented players where New York is a hot and desire city for talented NBA players?)

Curry for cap space/draft picks deal

Vin Baker signing

Trading Penny/Ariza for Francis

Jerome James signing

Trading for Maurice Taylor

Trading for Tim Thomas

Trading for Jalen Rose


We would of been under the cap this SEASON

I wish Isiah followed this concept more often. It pains me to see Isiah makes trades that help the other team.
-Don't trade expiring contracts
-Don't trade draft picks
-Only trade for contracts that will get under the cap before 2008.
-Or another option can be trading for contracts with the same ammount of years, but for additional draft picks
-No huge signings to average players or below average players like Jerome james and jefferies

The Knicks biggest problem is the strangle hold that their cap situation has on them as a franchise. Then, the next problem is the mix of talent that they have. The Knicks have very telented players but as a group, they are inconsistent and their styles clash. What is going to help the Knicks is minimal moves that go against the cap (long term contracts to ailing veterans). Good drafting and slary dumping (the latter being the hardest task). If they are to take on a contract, it MUST be a needed player! Like a dominate defensive 4. KG, Gasol or Brand's contract is worth the hit but impossible for NY to get because of the lack of talent to give back. I believe we must subtract to get better.



Marbury is one of the most talented PG's we've seen in the last 10 years. Marbury does not have a winning resume. You are RIGHT. No one can deny you of this fact. But recently Marbury is not padding his stats and he's playing team ball. Marbury hustles for loose balls, plays defense on the best scorer on the opposition team, makes extra underrated passes that generate our offense. His penatration creates opportunities for guys like Curry, Richardson, Crawford, Francis and etc. Marbury is the best penatrating PG in the NBA because of his combination of strength, quickness and his fancy NYC style handles that make his opponents helpless. We can WIN with Marbury, Marbury just needs a better supporting cast, and guys like Curry, Francis and Crawford do not fit this role.

^ Isiah and his cult worshipers will realize this 3 years from now, just like they just realized the cap problem a year ago when people like me been speaking of how important cap was years ago.


I sorta agree with you about drafting. In my opinion the only good draft picks Isiah has made was David Lee and Trevor Ariza who's no longer here.

Nate is the worst back up PG and one of the worst PG's in the NBA. His game belongs in the circus and he has an inflated ego where he acts like a punk at the age of 23. Grow up bro, its the NBA, not HS. We drafted him over Jarret Jack, Petro, Head, and Garcia. Lame move Isiah, lame move.

Channing Frye has been a disappointment. I find it humorous Knick fans said they wouldn't trade Fyre for Artest. That they would only trade Fyre for Garnett or Duncan. They most likely assumed Frye was a top 3 NBA player in his rookie year. This was the time when Frye averaged 15 points and 5 rebounds. We need to realize and I'm going to indicate this clearly. Fyre is one dementional. His best strength is his jumpshot. Fyre shoots a low FG% for a big man. Even Kurt Thomas shoots a higher FG than Frye, Kurt Thomas took mostly jumpshots. The thing is, Frye doesn't give you alot on rebounding and defense. His post game isn't affective. The most annoying thing is, Frye is capable of improving, and this year he hasn't shown it. Fyre is Juwan Howard without the rebounding and post game.

So Isiah drafted Frye over Bynum, May, Granger, and Green? Please, that isn't GOOD. Fyre should be a 74 rated player on NBA2K7. Bynum is like a 78, May 76, Granger 79, Green 77. Frye wasn't worth that 8th pick over the guys I just listed.


Even recently, everyone knows Rando and Williams will have sucessful NBA careers as NBA PG's. We needed real young back up PG, and we blew it. Hell, even Sergio Rodriguez or Lowry would be a better option than Francis and Robinson as the back up.


Can'tGetRealstic, who cares if Curry blocked Ray Allen? Curry is the worst shot blocking big man in the NBA. Nate Robinson blocked Yao Ming, I guess Nate Robinson is a defensive specialist for 7 footers now, huh?

Marcus Williams is that good, you obviously don't follow around the NBA. Jose Calderon and Marcus Williams are some of the two best young PG's in the NBA.


But, honestly I hope we make noise in the playoffs and I hope Isiah stops making stupid ass trades and starts trading for defense and young players who fit what we need.

Its just waaay too early to give Isiah this gift. We're not even officially in the playoffs yet. Damn, I hate Dolan.
 

datruth

Your Best Bet is B Ez
so u dont like the selection of balkman either?? Frye is a good player, i just think he doesnt fit this team, he also thinks too much
 
Last edited by a moderator:

George M.

Benchwarmer
The news of Isaiah Thomas's contract extension should not come as a surprise to anybody who has been following the Knicks during the Dolan era. I have been quietly watching the Knicks roller coaster ride over the past few years, but nothing ever provoked me to speak up until today. This news is extremely troubling to me for a few reasons which I am about to get into. I would appreciate any feedback on my comments.

OK, lets analize Isaiah's tenure in NY a little bit. Ready? Here goes. First came the signature move to get Stephon Marbury a player who has proven to be talented enough to pique the interest of teams but has never proven to be a winner. The reasoning was that Steph is a NY guy, and what better place to prove that he can win than NY? Surely his move back home will inspire him to become the player that he is capable of being and most importanly it will inspire him to learn how to win right? WRONG! Isaiah started off on the wrong foot by jumping to bring in a player who has never won anywhere. Steph is the type of player who really drives fans crazy by flashing his tremendous skills at times while most of the time proving that his critics are correct in saying that he is a shooting guard in a point guards body. Starbury has once again proven that he is incapable of leading a team to victories on a consistent basis and he has certainly done nothing to show that he is a true floor general.

Jamal Crawford was a streak scorer in Chicago. With the Bulls, Crawford has never shown an ability to be anything BUT a streak scorer and to this day Crawford is still the same streak scorer that he always was. These types of players can be extremely useful when coming off the bench and playing 15 minutes a game while getting the occasional start when injury strikes. As a matter of fact, most great teams have a Jamal Crawford. However, problems start when you expect consistency from Crawford types. You REALLY can run into problems when you need Crawford types to carry much of the scoring load on a nightly basis. This is exactly what Thomas expected when he picked up Crawford and he is paying the price as we all are.

Eddie Curry was supposed to become the next Shaq when he was drafted by the Bulls straight out of H.S. Everyone excused Curry when he wasn't producing, saying that he is raw and needs a few years to develop...fair enough. Then Curry started to show his potential during his final season in Chicago promting Isaiah to gamble yet again on a player who has proven NOTHING during his few years in an NBA uniform. "But Curry is starting to emerge as a franchise player" you say. "Look at all of those 20 point games, this guy is going to be awsome" Right? Well maybe, but most likely it is all down hill from here for Curry. I know that many of you will disagree with me on this one, but hear me out for a second. As soon as the league started to take notice of Curry, the double teams started to come at him. How has Curry responded? By proving that he has absolutely ZERO court vision, a quality that every great center must have in order to exploit the double team and discourage defenses to employ it while facing you. Moreover, this is one of the most difficult qualities to teach since natural basketball instincts are a must in order to perfect the art of passing out of a double team. Unfortunately, Curry does not have much in the way of natural basketball instincts as evidenced by his 3 and four rebound performances which we have almost come to expect from him. Sure Curry has the token double digit rebound games once in a while, but can someone explain to me how a huge guy like Curry can ever have a 3,4,5 rebound game?? Obviously Curry does not have much in the way of natural ability and court smarts.

One more thing about Thomas that I feel is worth mentioning (and no I don't mean Jerome James which is not even worth getting into), is his drafting skills. The draft is where most Knick fans believe that Thomas proves his critics wrong. After all, Channing Frye showed so much promise during his rookie year. Nate has shown the ability to pump up the teams at times whith his amazing energy, and David Lee is a bona fide double double guy on a nightly basis. As for Balkman? Well he has shown some energy as well and he seems like a real team guy, so maybe Thomas was correct about him as well. OK, lets cut to the chase over here. Until further notice, Frye is a decent shooter who can't defend 90% of the power forwards in this league and has proven that his predraft critics were correct about his lack of toughness. Nate has proven to be nothing more than a side show and most teams wouldn't even project him as a decent backup point guard in the NBA. Lee is a solid contributor who is one of the only bright spots on the team, Thomas can give himself a pat on the back for that one. The worst pick however was Balkman. When the Knicks turn came to make their pick that year, I was sure that Marcus Williams was going to be the guy and I was elated. A projected lottery pick before his off the court problems at UCONN, Williams was a Big East guy with a penchant for the big moment. If you want to talk about court instincts, Williams has shown that he is tremendous in that area during his time at UCONN. What did Thomas have to lose by picking Williams? Why stretch for a guy like Balkman when you had Marcus Williams a potential future all star available?

The jury is still out on both Balkman and Williams. I think that most would agree that Williams has shown a real knack for finding the open man and running an offense during his rookie year in NJ. Balkman has spent most of his time on the bench but may become a really nice roll player/defensive specialist. However, the question begs to be asked; Why is Thomas so quick to gamble on guys like Marbury, Curry and Crawford and not willing to gamble on a guy like Williams? The 3 afformentioned failures were failures on other teams as well and should not have been looked at as gambles but rather they were dumb moves as most people said that they would be.

The jury is NOT out on Thomas anymore. As the Raptors and Pacers can also tell you, this guy is an incompetent GM/Coach and can only dig the Knicks into a deeper hole. I hope to be proven wrong on this as I love the Knicks, but this contract extension seems to be a horrible move from an owner who has not made anything BUT horrible moves during his time in MSG. As a Knick fan I feel nothing but despair when I hear that our owner gives a vote of confidence to the coach who has "amazingly" led the Knicks from the cellar to playoff contention. The best thing about being in playoff contention is that we don't have to suffer through another draft lottery watching another team picking in our place. Other than that....what have we become?
Yo 1 and Only:Look at what we got here! Another one! (balls in ya jaws)
 

dr.carpy

Benchwarmer
So Isiah drafted Frye over Bynum, May, Granger, and Green? Please, that isn't GOOD. Fyre should be a 74 rated player on NBA2K7. Bynum is like a 78, May 76, Granger 79, Green 77. Frye wasn't worth that 8th pick over the guys I just listed.

That is the SINGLE DUMBEST ARGUMENT ever posted on Knicks online. Bynum has hit the wall, May never plays as he's always injured, Granger is marginally ahead of Frye statistically for playing 8 MPG more, and being a starter that gets plays call for him, and Gerald Green can dunk, but has progressed as much as I'm sure Doc Rivers would have hoped. Please don't use 2K7 as a rationale for critisism. It's just absurd.

GetRealstic, who cares if Curry blocked Ray Allen? Curry is the worst shot blocking big man in the NBA. Nate Robinson blocked Yao Ming, I guess Nate Robinson is a defensive specialist for 7 footers now, huh?

He was making mention of a play he enjoyed. So what?? You're th only one who made a big deal out of it cause you an annoying jerk who so dissatisfied with himself that you try to make others feel poorly by making fun of them. A simply childish maneuver by some too old to act so dumb.

Marcus Williams may be good one day, but not today. His numbers are rookie numbers. We didn't get him, so turn the page. Neither did 29 other teams. Balkman gives us a guy who wants to play defense upfront. For every T Mac, there a Bruce Bowen who does the dirty work. If you knew anything like you always say you see he was in the mold of a Mark Aguirre. You probably don't realize that, so now you know. Just so you can know who Aguirre is, he one of the assistants on the team you claim to be your favorite, the Knicks and 2 time NBA champion.

If by being competitive equates to failure, then Isiah has truly failed. This Team, yes I said team, actually looks and plays like a team. They have better chemistry than they've had in a while. I'm proud as should fans be to see that these guys have taken responsibilty for the awful season, and came out and done better. Thats all any fan can ask of their team.
 
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The 1 and Only

Rotation player
Dag...George M. you're right...it seems like SOMEONE is fighting for their life in this thread. He knew this day would come...deep down inside he knew this day would come...now everyone is bashing him for his irrational words from the past...dag it still seems if he can't spell Fyre right oops I mean Frye lol.

Who's the clown now ballsinyourjaws??

Your argument is very true Dr. C. I still like Frye over any of those names he mentioned. Granger and Gerald Green...do we need another SF? And if Bynum is better than Frye then Chris Dudley is better than Shaq. And seeing that the latter isn't true it shows the intelligence level that we're working with here. Never the less I can only imagine the faces of the Isiah haters figuring out he's going to be here for a while...
 

metrocard

Legend
Curious George, just hold the L man. Save the cyber chat with 1nLonely in the PM's.

so u dont like the selection of balkman either?? Frye is a good player, i just think he doesnt fit this team, he also thinks too much

I like Balkman, but there's no debating that he was picked too early. Marcus William is a great passing PG with alot of potential. if Kidd leaves the Nets, I can see Marcus having a break out year, not an all star year like Deron, but possibly something like 12 ppg and 7-8 assist. I watch this kid play whenever he gets off the bench for the Nets, I like his style. When he plays, Carter and Kidd are on the bench, so he plays with a weak Nets bench. Regardless, He's a superior talent and it was FOOLISH for Isiah to pass up on him, just completely FOOLISH. Frye is too passive and soft, he's been like this since he was in Arizona.

If theres people who accually believe Frye is now better than Granger, Bynum, and May need to follow the NBA more often. Frye has been awful defensively and offensively all season. Frye is too passive, and is a big reason for 3 second violations cause he's passive. On defense, he's astrocious.

Yo 1 and Only:Look at what we got here! Another one! (balls in ya jaws)


Please kept the homosexual content out of this thread, thanks.




Damn...look at all the ignored post. SteveH, you really got some people to catch feelings and get upset. Come back and make them cry, its pretty easy. Say a couple facts about Isiah, then they'll go off personal totally off basketball talking about their life, family and etc. Really funny stuff. this thread made Isiahsexuals =

hemad.gif


:teeth: :teeth: :teeth:
 
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George M.

Benchwarmer
Dag...George M. you're right...it seems like SOMEONE is fighting for their life in this thread. He knew this day would come...deep down inside he knew this day would come...now everyone is bashing him for his irrational words from the past...dag it still seems if he can't spell Fyre right oops I mean Frye lol.

Who's the clown now ballsinyourjaws??

Your argument is very true Dr. C. I still like Frye over any of those names he mentioned. Granger and Gerald Green...do we need another SF? And if Bynum is better than Frye then Chris Dudley is better than Shaq. And seeing that the latter isn't true it shows the intelligence level that we're working with here. Never the less I can only imagine the faces of the Isiah haters figuring out he's going to be here for a while...
Don't look now dude,but someone's getting jealous 'cause we're "cyberchatting"!! If he wasn't such bonehead and an asshole I would speak to him again!!!!
 

brooklyn_baller

Benchwarmer
I guess all those trades that Isiah made in the past has really paid off. We have become a real team. Working and communicating together
 

metrocard

Legend
Don't look now dude,but someone's getting jealous 'cause we're "cyberchatting"!! If he wasn't such bonehead and an asshole I would speak to him again!!!!

shutyoass2_2.gif


Curious George, you basically are. You and the other chimps continue to praise my name as if I'm a God and can't even think about Knicks basketball. You're trying too hard. Back to basketball.

I guess all those trades that Isiah made in the past has really paid off. We have become a real team. Working and communicating together

Not really, they didn't paid off. We would be at this level or even at a higher level if Isiah didn't make most of those bone head moves. We're 29-34, still 5 games under .500 in a weak division. Lets not be premature. Isiah has done a good job getting the players on his side. He also stood by his players and sometimes even force feed them minutes. I hate it when Isiah always play Curry and Crawford together just because they have chemistry on offense. They isolate the other teammates, turn the ball over and are invisibly defensively. But then again, Marbury came to the rescue and did alot for this team people still haven't noticed yet.

Knicks were at a situation before Isiah came as GM with no hope of winning. A GM who just drafted the same players as Isiah and did none of his trades would be 2 years FURTHER ahead than where Isiah is now.

So I'm not bowing down to Isiah yet. I want a .500 team then playoffs.
 

The 1 and Only

Rotation player
Don't look now dude,but someone's getting jealous 'cause we're "cyberchatting"!! If he wasn't such bonehead and an asshole I would speak to him again!!!!

Guy is a straight up female...I'ma let him be judgemental. Anyways...no one in there right mind stood up for Isiah or his offseason moves except me and a couple of others. Now we have people saying that I want this and I want that...but you have to realize that Isiah has grasped a team that was once known for their lack of size and athleticism and transformed this team to not only a potential playoff contender but to a cohesive unit...something a hall of fame coach LB couldn't do. But then again...that's why I hear more cheers than boos for Isiah's head. Last year I was for Isiah and this year I am for Isiah. Last year there were boos for Isiah and now there are more cheers...I just don't get it...if we all would think before we spoke...then the stupid comments like the previous post can be kept to a minimum
 

George M.

Benchwarmer
Guy is a straight up female...I'ma let him be judgemental. Anyways...no one in there right mind stood up for Isiah or his offseason moves except me and a couple of others. Now we have people saying that I want this and I want that...but you have to realize that Isiah has grasped a team that was once known for their lack of size and athleticism and transformed this team to not only a potential playoff contender but to a cohesive unit...something a hall of fame coach LB couldn't do. But then again...that's why I hear more cheers than boos for Isiah's head. Last year I was for Isiah and this year I am for Isiah. Last year there were boos for Isiah and now there are more cheers...I just don't get it...if we all would think before we spoke...then the stupid comments like the previous post can be kept to a minimum
Like Forrest Gump said 1 and Only "stupid is as stupid does"!!!!!! This guy takes the" Hatercake"!! He should get over his crush on Isiah and move on!!!!!!
 

metrocard

Legend
Like Forrest Gump said 1 and Only "stupid is as stupid does"!!!!!! This guy takes the" Hatercake"!! He should get over his crush on Isiah and move on!!!!!!

You always quote the monkey. You have a serious man crush, just like you Isiahsexuals be crushing on each other. The gayness needs to stop.
 
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