Any doubt since Oden is out, that this young man will be the next rookie of the year? Al Horford may give him a run for his money in the second half of the season, but Kevin Durant is a safe bet to be one of the front runners by the end of this season. I haven’t seen much of his game in the NBA, but I did catch many of his college games last season on ESPN, and they were all phenomenal. He’s a pure scorer and is averaging 20.3p 4.6r and 1.3bl in his rookie campaign thus far. It gets boring to hear Charles Barkley saying every five seconds on TNT how this guy needs to put on weight at 6’9″, 215lbs, but I can only imagine his game would improve once he does.
A lot has been made about the roll the Knicks fans at the garden have had in the team’s recent struggles. The home crowd should cheer for the home team, I believe that, and I’ve never booed any of the games I’ve been to, even when they got blown out up in Boston earlier this year or when they were killing Marbury at this time last season at the Garden. Seems everytime they’d interview Marbury after one of those games, he’d always have the same response: “that’s New York. They’re going to boo if you don’t bring it,” if I can paraphrase last year’s Stephon.
If you want to show the Garden crowd how to really support the home team, check out this link, there are some good deals there on tickets for the Seattle game.
Stephon probably isn’t ready to play yet, but I don’t question by now, he wants to go out there and help the team win some ball games. Randolph shot his way out of his slump last game, so we’ve got one of our two big guys ready to step up and play basketball. Hopefully Eddy Curry isn’t too far behind… Maybe now that Malik Rose has been moved to the IR list, Chandler may actually get some minutes this month. He could be good for the knicks, last time I remember him in a Knicks jersey it was against the Nets in the preseason and there were some encouraging signs he can contribute at the NBA level. Crawford must really try to shift his focus on getting the other players in the starting five going, I’ve seen him do it before, so I know he is capable of finding his rhythm without it being to the detriment of the team.
Kurt Thomas will be back in the Garden, that should be interesting, and the Sonics have other weapons in Chris Wilcox, Earl Watson, WallyWorld, Delonte West, and former Knick guard Gerald Wilkins’ son, Damien, who is putting up solid numbers as a starter for the Sonics in his fourth year in the NBA. Oh, and watch out for the other rookie, Jeff Green, he’s a baller too.
Seattle comes to New York at 5-17, having been blown out by the Bulls 123-96 in the first of a back-to-back on the road.
{ 237 comments… read them below or add one }
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I honestly think we should be 12-5 with the teams we played.
I can’t back out now………my friends will still laugh.
I’m gonna watch them lose the whole season…..Love those Knicks
LOL Bronx!!!
Knicksdefense,
I’m just kidding! These losses are starting to get
me laughing! Until a trade is made, this is what we
will have to look forward to! We are all just venting!
just looking at it from a “one game at a time” perspective, we gave this one away.
Maybe we can win in the D-league? 76-6…..uh?
Nah, those D-Leaguers play will with heart and hustle. We can’t compete against that crap. We have to get lucky and find a team that’s just as bored and uninterested as us.
Can’t think of anyone though!
you guys asked for this, so hear it is:
http://nbadraft.net/
What up Defenders! Another game, another BAAAAAAAAAAAAD lost. I though the most interesting part of the game, was the BBALL banter between Kenny Smith and Gus Johnson, and thier opinion of the state of OUR NY KNICKS.
Gus stated, “Isiah has made some mistakes, and he brought all of the players in (to be specific, he actually named each player and their respective salaries), gave them a lot of Money, and most evenings these players have not played hard for him. This team has quit on him.”
IMHO, I’ve believed that for quite sometime now, because there is no fire and no pride (usually attributes for Defense). May have something to do with Zeke’s unorthodox line ups and match ups (don’t know who he can trust; reaching every game out).
The why at this juncture is irrelevant! It is what it is!
You can’t paint a rosey picture, BUT I AM A NY KNICK FAN FOR LIFE AND I WILL STAND BY MY TEAM! I also believe ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE AND I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES. Change is a coming, but we just don’t know the WHEN, WHERE, ah, maybe HOW…LOL
Neverthless, hang in there DEFENDERS, KEEP THE FAITH, AND CONITNUE TO BE THE BEST KNICK FAN YOU CAN BE (under the circumstances).
BLOGZILLA/KNCIKDEFENSE/STARBURYFAN, continue to do your THANG Maestro. Keeping the THREAD ALIVE and for investing your time, effort, and appreciate your brand NY KNICKS FANDOM…Thanks!
Keep it POPPIN DEFENDERS!
KnicksD
We have to fight for that number 1 spot.
Think we can lose some more…..no trades
Derrick Rose would look fantastic in orange and blue.
Cooley
I’m gonna stand behind my team……..waaaaaaaaaaay behind right now.
#57 – “Kurt Thomas says it breaks his heart to see the current state of the Knicks…..that he’d come back in a minute, and that he loved NY…”
Yeah Bronxboy – i’d love Kurt back, too…but at this point in his career he’s more Herb Williams than Charles Oakley. Actually, Kurt’s in the last year of his deal at a salary roughly equal to Eddy’s.
Theoretical question: if Seattle offered to take on Curry’s contract if we threw in a couple of second round picks, would you trade Curry & picks for Kurt’s expiring deal?
I gotta go cry myself to sleep.
Yes, I’d trade Curry for a pack of gum right now.
thanks cooley. thanks to all the defenders who watched the game and shared their observations here tonight.
considering he led all scorers at halftime, this man was treated unjustly tonight with basically no PT in the second half (they put him in with less than a minute remaining in the game):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39rLZvjf4ng
I believe Curry is on the Block for Dan Dickau!
On the UP and UP, I did not read the THREAD before my last post, but you guys are HILARIOUS!
BX, Harlem, Peaceman, and DLT are cracking me up…LMAO
Hang in there DEFENDERS. Oh Bronx, Harlem, and MODI, are you fellas stil down for Georgetown vs UCONN game on the January 12th? I’ll be moving and grooving during the Holidays, so I’m just confirmimg…TOO FUNNY
I’m Audi
Keep it POPPIN
@ PaulNoize…
Kurt looks like he did when he left the Knicks.
With his toughness, he could help us NOW.
I swear, at this point, I’d trade him straight up for Curry.
He’d probably flourish in a small market like Seattle.
As bad The Sonics need a big, I don’t think they’re that desperate.
Cooley…
My brotha from another mutha…..
Long time, my friend. Good to see you in the place.
@ Cooley,
Appreciate the invite, but I’ll be outta town on biz during that time.
I know you guys are gonna have a blast.
#79 – “Did you see the commercial where Clyde said the greatest players in the history of the NBA has been rattled by the Garden crowd? What purpose does it serve to boo your HOME TEAM for 10 straight games? Time to back off and be patient fans.”
Bullshit – booing is a reaction, a direct consequence of the double whammy of poor effort levels and consistent losing.
This ain’t a small market club like Green Bay or Kansas City, where fans have far less entertainment options to spend their money. Until the Knicks can either: 1) play .500 ball or 2) show consistent effort levels, they are gonna get the SH*T booed out of them at home, and straight up laughed at on the road. It’s a horrible situation – i hear the excuses about the players being tight, but this is no chicken and egg situation – the Knicks team has created this situation their own selves with dumb play that sometimes seems lackadaisacal.
It could be worse – Philly is a far more rabid market, more negative from the fans and press alike. They never quit until you retire – then they look back with fondness and respect at your career (usually while claiming that your succcessors are absolute garbage). NY fans are vicious, while Philly fans are vicious and stupid. =)
cooley always comes in with the positivity and I appreciate that.
KT was brought in to seattle to teach that young team how to play tough defensively. he was supposed to be a bench guy like Oakley was when he was in chicago the second time around, but he definitely did some damage against the knicks tonight. must feel good for him.
we traded him for Q and nate as you remember. isiah wanted to clean house and make sure each player on the roster was hand-picked and not inherited by from the previous regime.
“NY fans are vicious, while Philly fans are vicious and stupid. =)”
ROFL…
@ PaulNoize…
I have a partner that calls people from Philly “Semi Kuntree”…..
CTFU……
@ KnicksD….
“we traded him for Q and nate as you remember. isiah wanted to clean house and make sure each player on the roster was hand-picked and not inherited by from the previous regime.”
I remember that…..and I understood where he was coming from, to a certain extent…
But that move was more “ego driven” than what was in the best interest of the organization.
For Q and Nate?
It seemed like a good idea from an offensive standpoint, but of the cast he was assembling, you had to wonder who was gonna guard anybody.
I didn’t agree with that trade. I felt we should have kept Kurt.
BTW, does anyone remember the real reason Kurt was traded?
Hint: He didn’t play tonight.
DNM – no offense, but i HATE comments like “i’d trade so and so for a pack of gum”.
Curry’s value given his contract is well below zero at this point – we’d need to package him with substantial assets to get someone to take him off our hands. Q, Steph, Zach and both JJ’s also fall into the substantial negative category (damn – that means we quite literally couldn’t GIVE AWAY HALF OF THE ROSTER!)
That’s not an indictment of them as players, it just means their productivity per salary cap dollar is WAY BELOW the league average. Every team has guys like this – we just have a few more than most.
It’s why i think criticism of Isiah on “bringing these guys in” is very unfair – he didn’t start with zero players, the only guys he had to trade were negatives and he had to take negatives back in return. He chose a different and risky type of negative – ones with high talent levels. He has been creative, aggressive and fearless in making deals in the past, i think one trade that slots the right guy in the right spot could be just the thing we need.
i think its a three. We need a pure three, a savvy lockdown defender who plays well without the ball. Artest is the obvious guy, a bit too old and a bit too expensive – but beggars can’t be choosers. We tried solving the problem on the cheap by using the MLE on JJ. Not so good. =(
More disappointment and bleeding. Home stand has become home fiasco. How does Balkman only play 6 minutes when he totally stopped Durant (30 points) during a summer league game? Marbury DNP but Fred Jones only put up 2 points in 32 minutes and Nate had poor shooting night 5 of 17 with 1 of 8 from 3 point range. This was a game that should have been won. No second half stops. Jeffries played o.k. in spots but Jeffries and Q do not a small forward make. What’s next? Zeke cannot stand pat with this team or lineup. Again no Chandler. As astutely observed by Jay Bee in #25, Chandler is eligible for trade on Decmeber 15th–Saturday. Maybe a trade is possible then. Perhaps the next half-time song should be from The Grateful Dead: “Can’t Help Thinking About Tomorrow.” KFL
BX–I believe the locker room quote from KT about that situation was “I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass.”
I just looked at the box score. renaldo got 5 minutes, i didn’t even notice him in the game, his presence wasn’t felt.
Q has struggled because of back surgery in the offseason.
mardy hasn’t shown us anything this year, he had knee surgery in the offseason.
Eddy, he’s getting 10 less attempts at the basket this year now that Zach is the first option.
D lee has been affected by Zbo as well but not as much as Curry.
Im not saying zbo is a problem, i’m saying the trade has made things more complex instead of simplified. complexity is no good for a basketball team.
@ PaulNoize…
All that said, does that mean we can’t even get a pack of gum for Curry????
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOO
tonight’s game was close throughout.
Durant is big-time, an upgrade over rashard lewis who is a very good player himself…
jamal had a good game tonight. he scored, and he got Zbo involved with good feeds.
knicks need more two-way players.
knicks need players that play above the rim.
knicks need shot blockers.
I’m out…
Post-Up Prince: Fred’s been a nice surprise this season i think, primarily because he’s STEADY at both ends….but he gets exposed in extended minutes against starting competition as a journeyman.
What does CTFU mean?
If we’re gonna tank, then here’s what i’d do: bench Curry. Start Zach / Lee / Balkman / Jamal / N8 and play them HEAVY minutes. Establish regular substitution patterns – worry less about matchups and more about developing on-court chemistry and defined roles for each player. Let Curry’s minutes wax and wane in direct proportion to his defensive efforts on the court – and tell him about it every day, both privately – and if he sulks, then do it publicly.
Q would be the next guy off the bench when FULLY healthy. In reality i guess Steph becomes the third guard while Q sits. Let Chandler back up Balkman and use them as an offense/defense solution.
Stick to an 8-man rotation as much as possible. Jeffries, Fred, Jerome, Randy, Malik etc would be DNP-CD’s most of the time, only to be used to send a message to a certain player that their performance is unacceptable.
Behind the scenes, i’d tell Curry i would be pleased as punch if he played fifteen minutes a night and fouled out of every game without scoring any points. i’d also tell him to artificially “manufacture” ESPN-like highlight rel moments which revolve around hard fouls, rejections, scowls and hopefully bodies hitting the floor. Even if this “tough guy” marketing effort is totally fugazi, i think it ultimately would do wonders for Eddy’s psyche and also his marketability – especially in smaller, more insulated and nurturing environments. i think Curry would be a nice fit in Charlotte with a guy like Okafor getting his back a la Ewing/Oakley.
i know, i know – my posts are pretty negative tonight. i am trying to stay in the light….a win or even just some old fashioned hustle & heart would go a LONG WAY towards easing my heavy heart. =(
HAHA Bronxboy – ya made me LOLZ. i needed that – laughter cleanses the soul. Joy is in the ears that hear, not in the mouth that speaks.
‘Night all…..Friday is another chance to shine!
@ PaulNoize…
Your posts are right on point, albeit depressing.
Hey, your merely commenting on what’s going on.
CTFU = Crackin’ the Fuck Up….
For the good of this franchise, pray that we end up with the worst record in the leauge and with the first roundpick in the draft, thats the ONLY way Knicks will have a chance to turn this around in the near future.
Just imagine having a player like Durant on our team….sometimes you have to take one step back in order to go two steps forward. Knicks have to do this now, this year, not next, now. We need a franchise player, even if we have to wait a couple years for that player to develop. Orlando did it with Dwight, Durant will lead his team in a few years to success if they dont screw up. The only way…
My wife better not try to touch me tonight. I’m too pissed off. Can’t sleep. I’m going to work out.
As the grasa grows high….the Black Mamba is still visible.
grasa = grass
Google Alert – new york knicks Thu 12/13/2007 1:35 AM
Seattle vs. New York Recap, December 12, 2007
New York Knicks, Owner Dolan Need Emoticon Help: Scott Soshnick
A Letter from a Knicks Ticket Holder
Isiah: “I’ll Win or Die”
Rangers and Knicks Share Owner, but Little Else
NBA to the Knicks – Make the Harassment Case Go Away…
Well last night was the capper for me. I am boycotting the Knicks until changes are made. If its a trade, a new coach, or both, I don’t care. Something’s gotta give.
THEY ABSOLUTELY SUCK FROM TOP TO BOTTOM !!!
I’m not going to try and find a silver lining like we all did last year. I find myself booing at the TV and the wife thinks I’m crazy. I’ve got better things to do w/ my time. I’ll still check in from time to time here but I can’t accept the travesty that my beloved Knicks have become. I wish I liked hockey.
I call for a tank job that hasn’t been seen in ages. 10-72!!!
dnm,
what the hell does the tank job guarantee ??? Ask the C’s or the Wolves about that. The lottery doesn’t guarantee shit for the worst team.
John Q.: Abandoning ship is not the answer for a true O & B fan. As disappointing as this season has been, I will not desert the team I have adopted and supported throughout my life. Vows of commitment and fidelity are as valid for professional basketball fans as they are for marriage. Pro-basketball is my favorite sport and the Knicks are my favorite team in sickness and health, for better or worse. I will root, cheer, cry, cajol, beg and plead for improvement, but shall remain loyal in fervent hope of better days to come. KFL
Yo defenders we all need a good laugh and this just did it for me….Enjoy
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZfAwwxDLU0s
KnicksDee
Thats was good. My wife just saw that movie(not SNL) 2 weeks ago.
What is everybody?
that wasn’t me DLT, that was Knicksome.
here is what I have today, not much but a few words from Kurt Thomas:
http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-spknotes1213,0,4010706.story
Where is everybody?
(answering roll call) present!
WHERE IS EVERYBODY……………………….
O.K. WE WERE WRONG………………..
THE KNICKS STINK……………………
WE STILL ARE FIXERS AND NOW DEFENDERS…..
HOW DO WE MAKE IT BETTER………………
WE HAVE TO KEEP HOPE ALIVE…………
WE STILL CAN DREAM………………..
CALLING ALL DEFENDERS TO THE FLOOR
(I know I’m not in charge of roll call,but)
I have much to catch up on.
I haven’t jumped ship on Knicksdefense, just been a bit busy.
I will say it’s painful watching the team loose like this. Seems like at the very moment a “beatable” team captures a lead on the Knicks, the Knicks throw it in the tank.
I am starting to seriously doubt whether this team can make it to even 43 wins this season.
Also not having Marbury there, despite his flaws, seems to be resulting in a tired and flat shooting Crawford in the late quarters of games. Untill Steph can be trade, we need him to keep Crawford fres.
Curry seems to try to block shots but his timing is so off. Thomas should swallow his pride and get Olajuwon to work with Eddy… that is if we can’t trade him for some sort of shot blocker.
I’m doing my best to keep the faith but it is awful hard gentlemen.
I’m not about to abandon ship on this site.
KnickDefense
This site is still king of the hill, good season or bad season.
Consider this my holler back at roll call DLT!
I’m still in it to win it………..present!
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