FanNation - The Republic of Sport

The NBA season is a lot like the annual Christmas gift from your grandmother. You know it's coming but you're never sure you are going to enjoy it until you take off the bow, meticulously unravel the wrap and glimpse the contents of the box. Some season's are a sweater or the suitcase while others are the video game system you've been hinting at for months.

The 2006-2007 season felt alot like waking up to kidney transplant South of the border in a tub of ice. Luckily for Knicks fans their first kidney is vestigial and the off-season was supposed to be a transplant for the heart of KnicksNation.

"After years of futility, James Dolan, Isiah Thomas brought historic lows this off-season to the confines of Madison Square Garden and the NBA's most valuable franchise." That was my opinion 4 weeks ago before, the blackmail. As one of the NBA's two teams from the original still located in it's original city, with the other being the Boston Celtics, their successes have paled in comparison. While the Lakers and Celtics have combined to win over 31 championships, including numerous Finals showdowns in sharp contrast to the Knicks 2 titles and the grace period from their last championship has now topped 35 years.

While the staircase strip club at Jet Stadium continues to prosper, the front office debacle in Madison Square Garden spread to the hardwood and threatened to rip the fabric of Knicks basketball. Considering the resources at their disposal has any NBA franchise ever accomplished less with such an advantage as the lure from the bright lights emanating from the Big Apple?

In 1946, the Knicks began rather auspiciously by winning the NBA's first contest in thrilling fashion 66-68 against the Toronto Huskies. The 1960's brought the emergence of future Hall of Famers Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere as well as future presidential candidate Bill Bradley and the 1970's witnessed the Knicks reach the pinnacle of their success twice.

Hard to believe the New York Knicks franchise peaked over 30 years ago. The franchise limped into the 80's where they acquired explosive scorer Bernard King and drafted franchise savior Patrick Ewing, who gave them a lift into the 90's when Patrick Ewing and John Starks led them within 1 victory of an NBA championship.

At the turn of the century, the Knicks with the aid of a shotblocking rookie(Marcus Camby), past their prime All-Stars(Larry Johnson and Patrick Ewing), an attempted coach killer in Latrell Sprewell a child(Chris Childs) and a former Heisman Trophy winner(Charlie Ward) carried the 8th seed Knicks to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, the disappointing Ewing era would close without a championship coronation.

Now 7 years into the 21st century, the Knicks' fortunes have flamed out. For all the negative headlines generated by Isiah Thomas, it's easy to forget that the Knicks were muddled with their current salary cap woes by Thomas' successor Scott Layden. As sporadic and random as Isiah Thomas' roster design may seem, his team seems to have developed an actual identity. After 5 seasons, it's become apparent that his intentions were to assemble a hard nosed group of players which resemble another team Isiah once led-- the 80's Bad Boy of Detroit.

Renaldo Balkman was drafted to contribute the wiry, scrappy, defense and rebounding prowess Dennis Rodman displayed during his nascent years in Detroit. Zeke's notion of pairing veteran combo guard Steve Francis with Stephon Marbury to recreate the chemistry between him and Joe Dumars blew up in his face. Then, in the off-season Zach Randolph was brought in to fill the scoring role Adrian Dantley and Rick Mahorn provided for the Piston's of the 80's.

The snickers have reverberated from fans and league insiders alike but from top to bottom, the Knicks roster is loaded with talent. This is the season, Isiah's design was supposed to go into full effect. As the man who shaped and molded the pre-Basketbrawl Pacers he liked the nostalgic, take no prisoners attitude the team exhuberated.


Stephon Marbury is the established point guard for the Knicks but at 32, with only two years remaining on his bloated contract, the Knicks should have an auxillary option on tap as the future of their point guard position and at the helm in their lineup.

The 2008 NBA Draft and free agent class will be stocked full of talent at the point guard position, it seems that Isiah Thomas is content with their diminutive, overly animated fireplug backup point guard Nate Robinson. In his third year out of Washington, Robinson has been erratic throughout his first two seasons but this summer Robinson voluntarily participated in the Knicks Summer League. Robinson, who gained notoriety as a 5 foot 9 slam dunk champ has been criticized for his inability to be an effective true point guard.

Robinson, who finished in the top five in the league in assists with an average of 6 per game, was busy setting his teammates up for easy buckets, he also found time to score some points of his own. He averaged 18.8 points per game on 48 percent from the field for New York, which finished 5-0 and was named Most Astounding Player.



But the odds of him inheriting the starting point guard spot are unlikely. Not for a lack of talent, height or athleticism but because his strengths do not complement the Knicks' need at that position very well. The Knicks have such a vast array of offensive weapons, a shoot first, pass second point guard could not distribute the ball enough to keep all those insatiable stat lines satisfied.

Yet for all the complaints I have about the direction this roster is headed and the man serving as their compass, I don't recommend they send Isiah Thomas' 25 year NBA career to the scrap heap just yet.

Thomas' predecessor Scott Layden depleted the Knicks over a 4 year period by trading away New York monument Patrick Ewing to Seattle, signed Allan Houston for at least $25 million more than anyone else was offering, then watched injuries end Houston's career; took on a litany of terrible contracts from other teams, from Howard Eisley to Keith Van Horn; passed on Amare Stoudemire in favor of Nene Hilario with the 7th pick in the draft and dealt him along with one of the elite defensive centers of this decade, (& 2007 Defensive Player of the Year) Marcus Camby... for a hobbled Antonio McDyess, the 2002 equivalent exchange of trading for post-Philadelphia cripple Chris Webber.

The answer to the Knicks woes isn't Isiah's ouster but Marbury's removal. At every stop in his career Marbury has been the Silver Surfer of the NBA. Every team he touches shrivels up and dies and the fashion which his departure begets radical improvements; he's become Larry Brown in absentia.

With the guillotine ready to get dropped on Isiah's Thomas' job, and the Knicks season spiraling downwards Knicks fans should take solace in the Detroit Lions success.  The other reason for my support behind the continuation of Isiah's tenure is illustrated at your right(I know, I'd wanna choke Joey Harrington too). As the Lions prepare to take the field in their annual Turducken Day Game, Knicks fans should take a line from Lions fans and ease off Isiah's rough start. The Lions went 24-72 In Millen's first six seasons as team president, CEO and de facto GM of the Detroit Lions. Before Calvin Johnson fell into their lair, the Lions had devoured the once promising careers of Mike Williams and Charlie Rogers, two transcendent first round receivers, until they were nothing more than practice squad first teamers.

Conversely, his vision for a high octane offense never wavered so he kept scraping the draft barrel for building blocks, hired Mike Martz as de facto head coach/ offensive coordinator and ignored their past history with receivers to draft Calvin Johnson.

Now the Lions sit on the cusp of qualifying for the playoffs for the first time this decade. Just like the Knicks, the Lions as well as a ferris wheel in the coaching carousel, in addition to wasting the best years of an iconic superstar and experienced their fair share of dysfunctional front office activiy. To spare you the details: it involved a little public indecency, a drive thru window, alcohol, an assistant coach plus a crispy chicken meal with fries.

For years, Millen was the bane of Lions fans everywhere until this season when the clamors for his head on a stick died down. 4 years ago, Layden's Knicks led by Shandon Anderson, Howard Eisley, Latrell Sprewell and Kurt Thomas had no trajectory. While there slow start is troublesome, they sit in the standings alongside the Chicago Bulls in the standings and countless playoff teams in the NBA history who have overcome abysmal Novembers to gain clout in May and June.

However, unlike baby Nicky from the Fresh Price of Bel-Air, the Knicks won't suddenly transform from newborn losers to full fledged contenders in just one instant. It's a process.
When I look at the Knicks through unbiased eyes, I see a team inching towards completion, brimming with potential and to sack the architect now would be a grave mistake.

--D.J. Dunson Jr.