Wednesday, January 25, 2012

New York Knicks: Dealing with disappointment



Nick Creegan



The New York Knicks, the second most valuable sports franchise ($780 million) in America, always seem to manage to disappoint their fans. This season is no exception, because Knicks are the sorriest team in the Eastern Conference.

Why do the Knicks earn that title and not the last-place Washington Wizards?

Well, the Knicks are the ones who are supposed to win. Did anyone see the Wizards in the playoffs? No. The Knicks, though, were projected as the fifth seed in the East before the season. Nobody expected them to bomb as they have, right?

Or maybe that’s just the oh-so hopeful yet always disappointed Knicks fan talking. 
I have memories of watching the Knicks in the ‘90s with my family, and I can still hear the cheer in their voices as the Knicks found ways to make the playoffs.

“Thank God for Ewing!” my grandfather would say.

And only a few more weeks into the early summer as the Knicks would take on either Alonzo Mourning and the Miami Heat or Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers, those shouts would be at higher decibels. The expletives seemed to take the place of “Thank God.” It was more along the lines of … well, you get the picture.

So where have the Knicks of the 2000s gone wrong? Why haven’t they been able to win a playoff game in more than 10 years? I’ve heard the “Curse of Ewing” excuse, but that’s all it is:  an excuse.
No curse exists -- not in sports. The Knicks have all the money a franchise could ask for; they comfortably traded half of their starting roster to the Denver Nuggets — they are now No. 2 in the West Conference, mind you — for Carmelo Anthony, the answer to all their problems. Yeah, right. But the Knicks lack defense, and they traded for a player in ‘Melo who has never had a record of playing defense. He has performed well on offense, but has his offense gotten the Knicks any farther than they were without him? No. Not if the goal is to win an NBA championship, which most teams dream of doing.

Lately, rumors have surfaced that the always-in-transition Knicks might trade Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler to the Orlando Magic for toxic Dwight Howard. The Knicks must not have learned their lesson. A trade for Howard would be a good move from a basketball skills point of view, but he doesn’t help team chemistry. The Knicks could be setting themselves up for even more failure in making that move alone. But, hey, nothing else has worked, so why not?

Currently, the Knicks sit at No. 8 in the East with a 4-4 away record and an embarrassing 3-8 home record. Fans have to pay more money to see more losses. Time Warner Cable owners aren’t missing anything special. Some people are really buying the idea that last night’s win over the Charlotte Bobcats was going to create the necessary “surge” the Knicks need to start playing good basketball.
Um, not quite.

The Knicks were supposed to beat the Bobcats. Even though their star scored only one point, they were facing one of the worst teams in the NBA. Before facing the Knicks, the Bobcats had a record of 3-14. Of the 30 NBA teams, the Bobcats ranked 26th in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency.

Why wouldn’t the Knicks be able to blow them out?

It’s not a bad thing that ‘Melo, Amare & Co. won. It’s a good start for the Knicks, but they have to keep the wins rolling and actually win games against teams they might see in the playoffs — if they go that far.

Maybe players just come to New York and get blinded by the bright lights on Broadway. They might well be saying to themselves: “I’m in New York City, and I’m living like a superstar. So what more do I need? A championship? Championships? Who the hell cares about championships when you have gullible fans and a gullible owner who pays you $100 mill?”

These overpaid “ballers” could be thinking this exact thought as they pop their Dom Perignon right before they "choke" — as Miller always said the Knicks would do.

To a New Yorker, the Knicks are an embarrassment. Fans can play the blame game and point the finger in many directions. Coach Mike D’Antoni could be blamed for not running the right offense and for putting no emphasis on defense. Landry Fields could be blamed for his inconsistency.  Some could blame Stoudemire, pointing out he’s lost his explosiveness. They can even blame ‘Melo himself for being a ball-hog.

No matter who you decide to blame, these Knicks need a makeover if they hope to turn Madison Square Garden into the high-spirited arena it was in the past.

If not, Spike Lee will need to find an orange-and-blue paper bag that fits.

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