Knicks at Pacers
March 17, 2008 – 7:04 amA month remains in this nightmare season, and the Knicks are now 19-47 going into Indiana tonight, having already lost as many games as many of us believed they’d win this season.
Frank Isola sounds like a desperate lawyer in A Few Good Men, checking the flight records at Gitmo to see if Col. Jessep (Dolan) ordered the “code red” on Dawson (Steve Mills) and Downey (Isiah Thomas). The problem is, they can’t get Dolan on the stand to testify to anything.
59 Responses to “Knicks at Pacers”
First!
Knicks are Playing to win…
The Lottery!
LMAO
On a different note.
Speculation Speculation.
Reports that Donny Walsh Indiana Pacers GM might be courted by MSG and the New York Knicks.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080317/SPORTS04/803170320/1088/SPORTS04
Another Report suggest that it may be Kiki Vandeweghe who is court the Garden to become its next GM.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-080316-sam-smith-nba-draft-guards,1,7006699.column
By Orange and Blue on Mar 17, 2008 at 7:20 am
Good anology KD, witty stuff. Good AM Defenders.
KFLL
By Steady on Mar 17, 2008 at 7:56 am
Absolutely loved Black Magic!But it was offensive in a small way.The greatest team in professional basketball and maybe the early college yearsalso(They played against each other in those days for money!)of all time was given just a line or two!Here are some excerpts from an article in the NBA Encyclopedia to explain what was what.
Remembering The Rens
By John Hareas
This is the greatest basketball team you have never heard of, a team so dominant that in one season it won 112 games and lost only seven. It was a team that won championships despite never being officially accepted professionally or socially. Yet, encountering obstacles on and off the court wasn’t anything new for the New York Renaissance, the first all-black professional basketball team. All the Rens did was win, and in the process they served as catalysts for social equality.
“They were literally pioneers and recognized that they were making a statement in front of the audiences,” said Richard Lapchick, director of Northeastern University’s Center for the Study of the Sport in Society. “And there were some audiences that didn’t like that statement.”
Or teams, for that matter. The Rens chose to let their on-court actions do the talking. In their nearly three-decade existence, beginning in 1922, the Rens compiled a 2,588-529 record.
“To this day, I have never seen a team play better team basketball,” said Hall of Fame coach John Wooden, who played against the Rens when he was a member of the barnstorming Indianapolis Kautskys during the ’30s. “They had great athletes, but they weren’t as impressive as their team play. The way they handled and passed the ball was just amazing to me then, and I believe it would be today.”
“To this day, I have never seen a team play better team basketball. … The way they handled and passed the ball was just amazing to me then, and I believe it would be today.”
– John Wooden
The Rens were the creation of Bob Douglas,(One of the very few successful Black entrepreneurs like Madame C.J. Walker!Perhaps another reason no one knows their names!) known as the “Father of Black Basketball” at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Douglas started earning that reputation at age 25, when he organized two amateur basketball teams in Harlem called the Spartan Braves and Spartan Hornets. The Braves and Hornets competed against other New York City-area teams, both black and white, from 1919 to 1923. Douglas eventually became disenchanted with amateur basketball when he wasn’t allowed to keep players who had received money from playing other sports. It marked the beginning of the end for Douglas’ association with amateur basketball and the beginning of a new era — the birth of the Rens.
In 1923, Douglas cut a deal with the owners of Harlem’s Renaissance Casino, which opened in 1922. Douglas organized a group of black basketball players and agreed to call the team the Renaissance, providing the casino with publicity. In return, the casino allowed the team to practice and play home games at the epicenter of the “renaissance” of black artistic expression in Harlem, located at 137th Street and Seventh Avenue, during the ’20s. The Rens were another form of that expression in “New York’s Prettiest Dance Hall” — as advertised in the New York Amsterdam News — between dances and big bands, that is.
“It was twofold: People came to see the team and came to dance,” said John Isaacs, who played with the Rens from 1936-41 and roomed on the road with Hall of Famer Pop Gates, one of the nation’s finest all-around players. “Once the game was over, people stayed. It was like, ‘Let’s go back to dancing.’”
Whether they were home or on the road, the Rens maintained a hectic schedule throughout the year, often playing more than 120 games.
“We played every day and twice on Sunday,” said Jim Usry, a member of the Rens from 1946-51. “We played all over — Hartford, New Haven, Springfield. We’d play a road game in the afternoon and play back in New York that night.”
The Rens took on all comers, playing against semipro, black college and other professional teams, including the premier team of that era, the Original Celtics. Featuring Dutch Dehnert, Nat Holman and Joe Lapchick, the Celtics were known as extraordinary passers and showmen who revolutionized the way basketball was played.
The games featuring the Rens and Celtics were hot tickets, with some contests drawing as many as 15,000 fans. The games were hard fought and civil on the court, but off the court was a different story.
“There were race riots that took place during five of their games,” said Richard Lapchick, son of Celtics center Joe Lapchick. “But the players believed that they represented a game that was something special in their lives.”
The Rens of the ’20s featured such players as Frank Forbes, Harold “Fat” Jenkins, Leon Monde, “Wee” Willis Smith and Hall of Famer Chuck “Tarzan” Cooper, one of the game’s great centers.
“People called my father the first great big man in basketball,” said Richard Lapchick. “He said Cooper would play him one-on-one as absolute equals.”
Joe Lapchick would eventually become coach of the New York Knicks and was responsible for signing the first African-American to an NBA contract, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton. It was his relationship with Bob Douglas that taught Lapchick about racism in the United States.
“My father used to ask Bobby to go out for drinks all the time after games and Bobby would say, ‘No, no, no,’” said Richard Lapchick. “Finally, he realized why Bobby was saying no when, in 1926, he and Bobby had a conversation and Bobby said, ‘You’ve got to understand, Joe, the places that you want to take me to, I’m not welcome. And I don’t want to go in there and face the icy stare of racist white men.’”
Unfortunately, icy stares followed by harsher treatment were everyday occurrences for Douglas and the Rens, especially when they traveled.
“Sometimes you would sit at a restaurant counter, leafing through the menu,” said Isaacs, “and you didn’t see the man coming from behind the counter. And he sees you and walks to the wall and grabs his rifle and says, ‘Get out of here.’ You didn’t have any choice but to leave.”
The lack of acceptance extended to the American Basketball League, which refused to admit the Rens in 1925. As a show of support for the Rens, the Original Celtics refused to join the league. Later, when the ABL suspended operation in 1931 because of the Great Depression, the Rens enjoyed their greatest success as a team. In two seasons, the Rens defeated the Original Celtics for the world basketball championship and posted their best regular-season record in 1932-33, when they won 112 games while losing eight. That season, the Rens won 88 consecutive games, doubling the Celtics’ record of 44.
While the Celtics were the benchmark team throughout the ’20s, the Rens enjoyed that distinction during the ’30s, citing their competition against the Celtics as one of the reasons.
“The Rens learned a lot from the Celtics,” said Isaacs. “They played with their heads. And when we played other teams, we instituted a lot of their stuff — playing smart basketball, setting each other up.
“They were good teachers and, after a while, the student started taking it to the teacher. It didn’t matter when we played them. We knew we could beat them because we were in better condition than they were. We could run longer, run faster, jump higher.”
The Rens also had a financial incentive when playing against the Celtics in the ’30s.
“Every time we beat the Celtics on the road, depending on where we played, Douglas would take a look at the house and we would get an extra $50 that night or $25,” said Isaacs.
The success of the Rens helped pave the way for another all-black basketball team to emerge, the Harlem Globetrotters. Formed by Abe Saperstein in 1927, the Trotters established themselves as the clown princes of basketball, dazzling fans with their ballhandling and passing skills and on-court comedic tricks.
“It wasn’t so much a rivalry because it was a different type of operation,” said Isaacs. “Theirs was entertainment and ours was straight basketball. We didn’t play them that often.”
When they did play, the games were memorable. The Rens defeated the Globetrotters 27-23 in the third round of the 1939 world professional basketball tournament in Chicago. The Rens would go on to win the tournament by defeating the Oshkosh All-Stars 34-25.
After the championship victory, Douglas purchased jackets for the team celebrating the triumph. The jacket read: “N.Y. Rens Colored World Champions.”
When Isaacs saw the inscription, he asked to borrow a razor blade from Douglas and then proceeded to meticulously remove the word “Colored” from the jacket.
Douglas responded, “You’re ruining the jacket.”
“No, I just made it real,” said Isaacs.
The Trotters did get their revenge the next year in the tournament, courtesy of a last-second, midcourt heave by Duke Cumberland to defeat the Rens 37-36.
Despite the overwhelming success on the court, professional leagues still wouldn’t admit the Rens. As coach of the Knicks in 1946, Joe Lapchick drove to Philadelphia and met with the Basketball Association of America owners. He hoped to persuade the nine men to admit the Rens as a 10th member. The request was denied.
As the ’50s approached, the basketball landscape had changed. The BAA had merged with the NBL and the Globetrotters were one of the sport’s top attractions, traveling all over the globe to play in front of sellout crowds.
“The Rens were the best and most popular traveling team that there had ever been in basketball, up to the point when the Globetrotters really came of age during the Goose Tatum and Sweetwater Clifton era,” said Marques Haynes, who began playing with the Trotters in 1946.
Saperstein would assume controlling interest of the Rens in 1949 and used them as a secondary club, having them play in the preliminary game before the Trotters performed. However, the double bill was short-lived as the Rens ended up disbanding that year, leaving the Trotters as the only all-black basketball team.
For the Rens, it was the end of nearly 30 years of groundbreaking achievement on and off the court. But the team had earned the right to be called one of the greatest — if not the greatest — pre-NBA teams.
“I was raised hearing that the Celtics were the greatest team of all time,” said Richard Lapchick. “My dad’s friends would say that and all our neighbors would say that. But he would correct them and say, ‘The Rens were every bit as good as we were in the beginning and were better than us in the end.’”There’s more.
I’ll leave you with a little bit of the truth about the Globies.Here’s the real deal about their origin.Saperstein wasn’t the angel he was projected as.He was recruited as a white face to book games by a few guys who wanted to barnstorm like the Rens.He was good at that.They became quite successful making about twenty bucks a month which was very good money in 1925.The money was divided in seven shares, one for each player and two shares for Saperstein for all the front work.One day on a western swing he called the team together and told them they would all be getting 7 or 8 dollars a month as a salary.Basically he told them he was taking the team and they could either play or walk.Three chose to walk and two stayed.He recruited new players and that was the beging of the globtrotter saga.Not pretty like they paint it in the movies.The Rens were the true American heroes,but America likes it’s heroes dead, or emasculated.I have no problem with the Globbie players.A man has to make an honest living, and they were good straight-up ballers,but the guys who competed on a level playing field and dominated are pushed off the grid,or into the grid’s corner.What’s up with that?Where’s the film on the Rens?John Isaacs, on of the 1939 WORLD CHAMPIONS in an integrated tournament that had over 25,000 viewers is still alive and well in NYC.I’ve met him and he’s a scholar, a gentleman and a Shakespeare buff!When have you seen him interviewed on TV?A people without a history have no future!Sorry about the length of this post, but “Black Magic hit a nerve!
PS. We’re tanking,and no matter how you slice it, in the end good don’t come from bad.LGK,PS, loved seeing that young Willis footage.He was a bad man!
By Tman on Mar 17, 2008 at 9:18 am
Useful Coach. Even with that LAP, you’re still a quiet man. Shakespear would be proud.
KFLL
By Steady on Mar 17, 2008 at 9:56 am
Here is the Bracket http://d.yimg.com/j/r/ncaab/tourneybracket
Lives, Cooley , Steady , Bronxboy and Peaceman all are in. Any body else who wants in Email me your address
@ PeacemanJR@Yahoo.com and I’ll send you an invite!
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 10:24 am
Notice The KFC Guy @ the top of the Bracket?????
Does that mean we all love Fried Chicken??? LOL
At least they didn’t put a watermelon up there!!! LOL
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 10:27 am
Just Bloggin’ or maybe Wishful Thinkin’–Maybe that whole blow-up with Marbury in Phoenix happened because he was handed the Tankin’ script. After having a data of futility named after him (The Crawford Line), Crawford clearly played like a wretched soul last night. It will require a frontal lobotomy to remove the effects of a purposefully futile campaign by supposed competitors. To compete is to win.
It’s not about the deception in the tanking or believing that teams do tank. We’ve established here that “N.B.A. stands for Nothing But Actors–Shaq. As a fan, rooting for your team to lose is bad. “In the end good don’t come from bad”–Tman
KFLL
By Steady on Mar 17, 2008 at 10:33 am
@ TMan,
Very informative post. It’s a “must read” for those “not” in the know.
I watched Black Magic, and I agree, Willis was a bad man…definitely the enforcer, even then.
I also enjoyed watching the footage on Dick Barnett. I was a young buck when his skillz aere on the decline, but I remember that sweet jumper with that leg kick. I remember him ALWAYS talkin’ trash on the way back down court!!
This documentary is much needed….these young bucks need to know that basketball was being played prior to MJ.
I intend on watching Part II tonight.
By Bronxboy in Md on Mar 17, 2008 at 11:07 am
Jibba Jabbering,
Themes, Theories, & Tanking
“In it, til eliminated”—was not adopted by the Staff or Players. A Theme that does not apply
to the SITUATION at hand, is only a THEME, and nothing more.
“Building a Culture of Winning”. When you are twenty-something games under 500, and thirty-something
games out of first place, you cannot change the Culture without changing pieces (either coaches or
players). It Requires more Effort to CHANGE a Culture, than to CREATE a Culture. The Knicks have
to CHANGE the Culture, & you cannot change a culture during the season when you have completed 60-70% of
the season.
“Tanking is Un-Ethical”—Agreed, but so is declaring bankruptcy, bailing out corporations but not individual
home-owners, and paying $4300/hour for a piece of azzz, (it drives up the price for those
married, single or in-between).
Tanking takes place in every aspect of life, from conceding a disagreement w/ your lady when you are right,
but you want her to STFU, to the nation’s FARMERS who are given subsidies to limit the amount of their crops each year. Yes TANKING happens, and more often than not in Professional Sports.
Sports is Business & Entertainment. Did Stern & the NBA eliminate high school ballers entering the
draft because the players were not physically or socially ready to contribute? Kobe,T-Mac,Garnett,Howard,
answers that question. Stern knew that the college game served as a FREE-MARKETING ENTERPRISE for the NBA.
Having guys get exposure in college, and fans anticipating their pro debut, put life back into the draft,
and league,–BUSINESS. After Stern’s “things will be better for the Knicks next year”, I conclude that
he ORDERED the TANK, to REGENERATE interest & excitement in the country’s largest media market next SEASON
A MUST, if your GOAL is to expand in Europe!!!! Stern is running game/business.
“Most people consider life a battle, but it is not battle it is a game”—Scovel-Shinn
Peace & Blessings
By Statesman on Mar 17, 2008 at 11:54 am
Is Thomas doing a better job then Brown, if so why? Brown failed as a coach, but Thomas failed as a gm and coach.
By edward drossman on Mar 17, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I’m hoping that Stern’s statement that he has faith in NY for next year somehow corrolates to us getting a top pick Ewing style !!!! I really hope to see Rose in orange and blue next year.
By JohnQ on Mar 17, 2008 at 12:50 pm
@TMAN
Good piece on the Rens. Both of my grandparents were born before 1912, so of course my Great-Grandparents were born in the late 1800’s. Having the PLEASURE and PRIVILEGE to know my Maternal Great Grands (Two College Educated Individuals, Great-Grand Pop was a AME Minsiter)and blessed to have two of the most incredible Grandparents both whom were sports enthusiast, talk of the Rens was a part of our Dinner Table Discussion along with SO MANY TOPICS especially History and Politics, and in my PEOPLES HOUSE your presence at Dinner was mandatory, and if you missed, welcome to land of Missed Meal Gramps…I can laugh at it now…LOL LOL LOL
Watching Black Magic was a moving expereince for me, considering that my youngest Son and I watched it together, and my oldest watched it from his home in Cincinnati (He turned 23 today). What was most moving for me was hearing my sons be familiar with their heritage, knowing the schools (HBCU’S)their Great Great-Grands and Great- Grands, and Grandparents went too, being familiar with nuturing and precision like teaching and training we received, that help prepare us for success. Recalling their own experiences on some the HBCU campuses they’ve visited with their Dad (over 17 to be exact) and their understanding of the connections and ties that exist between them and their cousins and Aunts, and Uncles who also attended and graduated from HBCU’S. Many of us went on to do post graduate work Columbia, Harvard, USC, Tufts, Emory, UPenn, Temple, UMASS, MIT, but when we gather for Family Reunions, Family Kwanzaa Celebrations, Family Birthday Celebrations our roots are deeply anchored in the SOILS of HAMPTON, HOWARD, WEST VIRGINIA STATE, MORGAN ST, BENEDICT, SC ST UNVI, WILBERFORCE, most (19)are graduates of BRONX”S Alma Mater DELAWARE ST. UNIV., VA ST UNIV.,JOHNSON C. SMITH, FISK, MOREHOUSE, SPELLMAN, TEXAS SOUTHERN, LINCOLN, CHENYE ST. UNIV, and XAVIER UNIV.
I have been blessed to attend over 19+ CIAA, MEAC, SWAC tournaments for business and pleasure and had the privilege of meeting some of those folks examined last evening and hearing of others mentioned, taled about at Legend’s luncheons and breakfasts…They certainly could have spent more time on many subjects, but this ESPN, and so tonight they will brand thenselves a little, it is only natural. But it serves us well to recognize and understand, that BET nor TVONE took the time or the initiative to ensure such a documentary was presented via their Networks…Reruns of Good Times, Hell Date, and 106th and Park have their place in this age of self-indulgence, but SO DOES OUR HISTORY…Those who are wise learn to Do, those who have not learned fail to know history’s lessons, LEARN TO CRITICIZE & CRITIQUE WHEN THEIR PERSPECTIVE IS NOT WIRED PROPERLY…
That was A GREAT POST TMAN…Very Timely…More Knowledge…Great NYC Black Sports History Retrospective…
TMAN I TIP MY HAT TO YOU SIR…God has and will continue to bless You and Yours TMAN, and PLEASE continue to exhibit the strong remnants of our Great African Culture, It Takes A Village and EACH ONE TEACH ONE….
God Bless You!
Keep it POPPIN!
By Cooleyhigh on Mar 17, 2008 at 12:51 pm
As much as people trash Isola, they musdt admit he’s right about Thomas. Thomas can’t coach and can’t manage an NBA team.
By edward drossman on Mar 17, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Correction! That’s Cheyney Univ. Cooley. Home of the late Ed Bradley.
By African on Mar 17, 2008 at 2:01 pm
African…..
“Correction! That’s Cheyney Univ. Cooley. Home of the late Ed Bradley.”
Man, get yo’ Johnny come lately, always tryna correct somebody’s azz the fuck outta here.
You’ve been gone since it became obvious that Curry’s big twinkie-eatin’ azz is the biggest bust since Joe Barry Carroll, then you come back tryin’ to regulate.
We all knew what he meant. Beat it!!
By Rockstar on Mar 17, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Defender’s please forgive the spelling error and the inclusion of St.on Cheyney University.
I’m so Sorry!
Keep it POPPIN!
By Cooleyhigh on Mar 17, 2008 at 2:42 pm
No need to apologize, Bruh Cooley….we knew what you meant.
LMAO @ Rockstar…..
By Bronxboy in Md on Mar 17, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Hey Bronx MD,
Many of our (HBCUs) schools went through many name changes over the years. Cheyney (the oldest of the HBCUs) may have the record 
Man, we have lots of folks reading us.
Not to age you brother Bronx but was it still Delaware State College when you went to DSU?
Brother Cooley, we know you know what’s good.
KFLL
By Steady on Mar 17, 2008 at 3:08 pm
What it is brethren. I’ve got 5 on it. my bracket will be ready tomorrow. let’s see who the IT is on KD.
By HarleminMD on Mar 17, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Also, happy st. patty’s to you leprechauns. Drink up.
By HarleminMD on Mar 17, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Cheyney Teachers College
Cheyney State College
Cheyney University.
The oldest Black institution of higher learning in this country.
By African on Mar 17, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Harlem,
Be sure you get up with Peaceman so that you can be the link on the Knicksdefense bracket. We got a plan to win the whole damn thing and we ain’t tankin’. JayBee, the same to ya. Looks like a solid front will be showing. Peaceman is running point and gots a plan to bring home the coins.
KFLL
By Steady on Mar 17, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Cooley,God bless you and yours in kind, and all the other positive souls in this wonderful agorra.Many thanks KD for allowing us a corner of your home to share our passion, our game, our team.I may be an idealistic fool but I see us all as water bearers, offering refreshment and benediction, one to another, from our orange and blue cups.Whatever happens,it will be okay in the end.lgk,
“Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp’d tow’rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.
Prospero, The Tempest Act 4, scene 1
Going to Hampton this weekend to see my nephew do Shakespeare and got carried away!
By Tman on Mar 17, 2008 at 3:40 pm
@TMAN,
I truly appreciate the expression! THNAK YOU! I pray you enjoy time at my Home by the Sea…I have wonderful memories of my time there TMAN, and I am certain nephew has and will conitinue to generate many of his own.
Your nephew is a Thespian with a Shakespearean Soul! God bless him! You too TMAN!
@BRONX, STEADY, HARLEM,
We will not support our brother Peaceman in FULL FORCE MD’S/DC’S style unless MODI leaps into the fray and lends his support. Yo BX Rockstar is a Funny Dude!!!!!! He reminds me of a Bruh I use to hang with named Skip, and he would FLICK in a NYC minute…Had a heart of GOLD too…But would not hesitate to Take Someone Out…BTW, he’s a Legal Begal killing em in the Board Room in San Fran…
BLACK MAGIC Part II tonight gents…Let’s see what ESPN has in store for US this evening…
@LIVES,
I was reading your posts earlier and I know how you feel about watching the crew last night. I did not waste any motion changing the channel to switch to the Knicks. We’ve watched so much BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD BAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLL played by them this year, it is hard to digest…Like you, I watched Tiger yesterday, and I normally due whenever he is on TV, because this KAT is a MARVEL or MACHINE whichever you prefer, and my choice is obvious, cause he is the MOST RELENTLESS COMPETITOR I HAVE EVER WITNESSED…He wills himself to victory…Loves the theatrics of the Big Stage and his timing is impeccable. He is the ONE ATHLETE that totally captures the imagination of so many and leaves you speechless performance after performance…EL TIGRE!
Keep it POPPIN!
By Cooleyhigh on Mar 17, 2008 at 4:21 pm
mostly sneer in this newsday article.
By knicksdefense on Mar 17, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Re: #22 - Did it. I just checked and haven’t received a response yet, but I’ll check again later on tonight. I’m about to punch the clock on this mutha and check out of this roach motel.
By Jay Bee on Mar 17, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Tiger is just taking advantage of lazy old men. Pre-Tiger you were really challenged to call golf a sport. He already had a good game as a youth, but took it to another level be becoming an athlete physically and strengthening his concentration. You know at some point though that they’re going to start accusing him of steroid use. Probably in his late thirties or early forties they’ll say his head is big or that his feet have grown.
By Jay Bee on Mar 17, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Just because Jack & Arnie weren’t cut doesn’t mean they weren’t athletes. NFL players didn’t lift all that much or train in the offseason till the 60’s at least. Because they were a bunch of pudgy guys who smoked, gonna say they weren’t athletes either? What Tiger’s done is take the game to a whole new level, and ushered in a new breed of golfer. Don’t crap on the old guys just because Tiger’s brought about a transformation in the sport. If golf were an easy couch-potato sport, don’t you figure Jack would’ve had some more serious competition?
The one argument you can make is that golf, due to the economics of it, has been even more ruthlessly segregated than baseball was in the era of the Negro Leagues. The potential field of competition was weaker because pretty much only whites played it (or in the comparison, the major league) for decades. Question is, how much is that changing now because of Tiger?
By Agramante on Mar 17, 2008 at 6:50 pm
The Knicks look funny in Green! Is St Patrick’s Day a tribute to Patrick Ewing?
Why the green? I though he was Jamaican?
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Crawford is seeing to much pine! We are really “Tanking”
I never thought I’d see the Knicks do this!
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 7:57 pm
The Knicks will win this Game because the Refs will have mental lapses
and think we are the Celtics!
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 8:05 pm
ROFLMAO @ 31!
By Orange and Blue on Mar 17, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Hey Peaceman
If those green uniforms get us any preferential treatment the Knicks ought to wear them all the time.
RICK JAMES BITCH!
By Orange and Blue on Mar 17, 2008 at 8:19 pm
For the Bracket Defenders,Check it!
Dangerous minds
Coaches tactically capable of unloading a knockout punch to your bracket.
Tim Floyd, USC: The man once referred to as “Pink Floyd” by Michael Jordan is an outstanding coach who isn’t afraid to concoct a hybrid defense in the name of shutting down an opposing team’s top option. His triangle-and-two took some starch out of Memphis.
Phil Martelli, St. Joseph’s: The coach of the 11th-seeded Hawks has a great sense of humor and greater sense of when to make an in-game adjustment.
Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt: This guy played for a legendary high school coach (Vergil Fletcher, Collinsville, Ill.) and really paid attention during practice.
Dennis Felton, Georgia: He demonstrated far more double-duty motivation last week than Ernie Banks did with the Chicago Cubs.
Jim Larranaga, George Mason:We finally have a Patriots coach that people actually like.
Keep your eye on Davidson’s Stephen Curry. His opponents will be. (Mary Ann Chastain / Associated Press)
Think hard before zoning these teams
The following squads are eager and skilled at shooting the 3-pointer.
Davidson: Stephen Curry … enough typed.
Vanderbilt: Stallings’ Commodores knocked in 40.8 percent of their 3s.
Notre Dame: The defensive alignment may not matter, because the Irish (who also hit 40.8 percent) and Kyle McAlarney will push for transition 3s before a zone can set.
Cornell: The Big Red shot 42.4 percent from distance (third in the nation) and first-round foe Stanford has been known to construct a zone around 7-foot twins Robin and Brook Lopez.
The most vulnerable high seeds
Good teams with flaws or match-up issues that could send them home early.
Duke: The West’s No. 2 seed lacks the inside presence to prevent a beat-down in the lane. If Arizona shows up to play against West Virginia, 6-foot-10 Jordan Hill may have fun against the Blue Devils in Round 2.
Tennessee: The second seed in the East loves to run and press; potential second-round foe Butler has sound guards who can exploit a double-team and dictate tempo (please note that beating pressure and dictating tempo is easier written than done against Bruce Pearl’s Vols).
Wisconsin: Bo Ryan’s swing-motion offense carves up teams that aren’t used to dealing with it. But the third-seeded Badgers may not have a chance to run the swing if they go against the innovative Floyd and USC in Round 2. It also should be noted that USC has four potential NBA players in its starting lineup, while the Badgers (according to the scouts we talk to) may have zero.
Michigan State: Sure, a five seed isn’t all that mighty, but the Spartans are high on the vulnerability scale due to their overall inconsistency and a live-or-die reliance on the 3-point stroke of Drew Neitzel.
Hype-free layers with NBA profiles
You may not be familiar with the names, but the pro scouts are.
Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky: High-scoring swingman is projected as a first-round pick by some.
Trent Plaisted, BYU: Cougar junior isn’t exactly a mortal lock for the first round whenever he enters the draft, but does check in as a rare college post player who should actually be drafted.
Tyler Smith, Tennessee: OK, it seems impossible for the best player on a great team to be relatively unknown, but — based on his unselfishness and total game — this Volunteer Smith deserves more notice.
You may not know ‘em, but you’ll love ‘em
These regional stars ready to hit the big stage.
Lee Cummard, BYU: The spindly swingman averaged 15 points and seven rebounds, sharing Mountain West Player of the Year honors with J.R. Giddens of New Mexico.
Al Fisher, Kent State: After starting his career at Siena, Fisher went the junior college route and averaged 14 points per game as a junior for the Flashes.
Adam Emmenecker, Drake: He’s not their best player, but the Bulldogs’ senior point guard does whatever it takes for Drake to win … except make 3-pointers. He’s 0-for-2 from behind the arc this season.
Jeremiah Dominguez, Portland State: The 5-6 Dominguez will be under the gun during a first-round showdown with the deep backcourt of Kansas.
Does the shoe fit? Boise State looks like a Cinderella story. (Matt York / Associated Press)
Double-digit seeds with the best chance to shock the world
Note: This still doesn’t qualify as a good chance.
Boise State: The 14th-seeded Broncos have a solid inside presence in 6-9 Matt Nelson, a lights-out shooter in Tyler Tiedeman (49 percent from 3) and a slashing point producer in Reggie Larry. Do they have a great chance to take out Louisville? No, but that’s where the shock would come in.
Oral Roberts: While Pitt really would have to lay an egg to lose, the Golden Eagles have a fine playmaker in Robert Jarvis and legitimate inside muscle from Shawn King and Marcus Lewis.
Georgia: If the Bulldogs can win twice in one day and win a tournament that included Tennessee, knocking off the third-seeded Xavier Musketeers doesn’t seem that unreasonable. By the way, the basketball world’s already shocked.
Players capable of a Jimmy Chitwood moment
A picket-fence isn’t in the offing, but these sharpshooters are Hoosiers caliber.
Shan Foster, Vanderbilt: The Commodores’ wing man hit on 47 percent of his 3s.
A.J. Graves, Butler: This gunslinger played his home games in the gym where the title game from Hoosiers was filmed.
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Stephen Curry, Davidson: Dell’s kid averaged 25 points per game and shot 44 percent from deep.
Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame: The Irish guard was 45 percent from downtown.
Chris Lofton, Tennessee: After a slow start, the Vols’ leader has returned to dangerous form.
Teams you may want to foul late in the game
A couple of big-time squads have been shaky on the free-throw line.
Pittsburgh: The Panthers do a lot of good things, but making free throws consistently (65.8 percent) isn’t one of those things.
Memphis: If you’re close enough late in the game for this to matter, please note that the Tigers are a miserable 59.6 percent at the stripe.
First-round individual matchups to watch
Sometimes one-on-one challenges can change the course of five-on-five.
Beasley vs. Mayo is sure to get plenty of first-round hype. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
Michael Beasley, Kansas State vs. Davon Jefferson, USC: Floyd may junk up the defense and prevent any man-to-man showdown between these freshmen, but things still should be fun around the rim. We also can follow the scoreboard showdown between Beasley and O.J. Mayo.
Plaisted, BYU vs. DeAndre Jordan, Texas A&M: Plaisted is strong and skilled around the basket; Jordan is long and stingy around the basket.
Curry, Davidson vs. Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga: Curry plays shooting guard and Pargo (younger brother of New Orleans Hornet guard Jannero) operates as a point guard, but their narrow paths should cross more than once in this first-round game.
Brandon Johnson, San Diego vs. A.J. Price, UConn: This match-up will go by in a blur.
Joe Alexander, West Virginia vs. Chase Budinger, Arizona: Two ultra-athletic forwards are registered here; Alexander has been noted as an overachiever, while critics have been under-whelmed by the sophomore season from the highly recruited Chase.
Elements of style
Potential tempo collisions should make things interesting.
Duke vs. UCLA: If the second-seeded Blue Devils and top-seeded Bruins meet in the West finale, pay attention to Mike Krzyzewski’s fast pace and spread tactics vs. Ben Howland’s grind-’em-down Bruin philosophy.
Notre Dame vs. Washington State: This second-round possibility would pit the Big East’s top-scoring team against Tony Bennett’s clock-choking, hard-defending Cougars.
Memphis vs. Oregon: If the Ducks can gun their way past Mississippi State, it may be fun to see if their free-wheeling style works against the equally up-and-down Tigers. Then again, it may not be much fun at all.
Drake vs. UConn: Jim Calhoun’s Huskies like to clog the lane and play volleyball with opposing shooters. Except for Emmenecker, the Bulldogs don’t mind shooting over the top.
.
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Maybe they tanked before as a result of some unwritten quids (like the Bullshit deal for Curry). At those times, the team did not show as much promiseor have so many talented players. When a coach stays rooted to his seat and makes blatant poor player selections (like starting players in their hometowns or most what we saw this year), then you can denounce the tank. The suits, owner, GM, coach can put the tank on but for me as a fan and based on my personal constitution/make-up, I will not express and suggest that my team should compete and lose. To compete is to win. Here I go again Drossing the Defenders. But I’m Steady bloggin’.
Fully versed in the tank, JChuck misses a 2nd free that would have tied the game. Instead, it leads to 2-and-1 for them and 4-pt deficit into the half.
KFLL
By Steady on Mar 17, 2008 at 8:32 pm
The Indiana Aryans must be the whitest team since the instalation of the shot clock!
Ha!
By Orange and Blue on Mar 17, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Jefferies very productive tonight
following the opposition at breakneck speeds.
Poor Geoffrey the Giraffe!
By Orange and Blue on Mar 17, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Peaceman,
I have not received your e-mail. Hit me offline.
Jibba Jabbering,
The season is over and everyone should handle the last 16 games as they see fit. There is
not a CORRECT way to observe a dreadful year.
Peace & Blessings
By Statesman on Mar 17, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Statesman Email me @ PeacemanJR#@Yahoo.com ( Temp address)and I’ll send you an invite…I don’t have your offline Email!
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 8:56 pm
African, JayBee and Statesman..check your email!
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Statesman…recheck your email!
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Randolph and Crawford no 4th quarter minutes.
Seems like the Organization is in tank mode.
Oh well.
Have a great spring and summer everyone.
By Orange and Blue on Mar 17, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Statesman your IN! Where’s Jaybee and African?????
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 9:47 pm
WOW.
KnicksDefense is still smokin’ despite the lack of fire in our home team. Great stuff gents. Especially Tman and Cooley, but I never expect any less.
Yes, I am very disappointed, but it has been a fun ride only because of this blog family.
Keep Hope Alive, but use it for something worth being hopeful about. (LOL).
I’m starting on my posting/blogging plans for next year — this one is pitifully done.
I agree with Steady that at least we could show some dignity in these last few games. Stern could still stuff the envelope if we won at least a couple of games. Sheeeesh.
No, I did not watch the Knicks tonight. Why? Why should I. I’ll use the tape for scouting material after the administrative business shakes out right before the lottery. Then we may have an idea of a direction that we are going in. Right now I can’t say we are going in any direction.
By Lives In New Jersey, Loves New York on Mar 17, 2008 at 9:49 pm
So far, Lives, Bronxboy, Cooley, Statesman, Peaceman, peacemanJR and Steady are in…..
Come on Guys,,,The Knicks aren’t worth watching TANK…so anyone else want to win the BIG DANCE?
Hit me @ PeacemanJR@Yahoo.com and I’ll send you an invite! African and Jaybee where are you guys?
I’ll send another invite!
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Remember the HIGH HOPES WE HAD FOR THESE KNICKS SINCE THE END OF THE SEASON LAST YEAR????
Here’s a song that says it all …Check it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89HK0H_-cA8
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Yeah peace, had high hopes until the Celtics made their trade, Then he gave up. I always thought the Knicks would win 40, not more. I wasn’t unrealitic. And next year when the Knicks have a new coach and a new GM, and rid themselves of Jared Jefferies, Jerome James and Q, maybe sign a good player in the draft, they’ll be fine. But fine doesn’t mean winning the East or even the Atlantic. It means maybe being an 8th seed,
By ed drossman on Mar 17, 2008 at 10:48 pm
I find it funny how Thomas said he could have won with Brown’s knicks, but can’t win with this better team that he put together himself.
By ed drossman on Mar 17, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Dross,
Don’t forget he won 10 more games than Brown with an injured wrecked team!
This year Franchise and Frye were not around so he did win more with the same team Brown had!
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Bracket ddefenders…here is a bsic bracket that I’m going to change a few picks here and there,
but we have to have some disscussion and feed back….to reiterate this is a mock bracket!
ttp://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/470989/bracketoverview
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Rucker vs West 4TH
If Chaz Hoop is the early favorite to win the West, then Kenny’s Kings are expected by most to rise in the East behind the skills of players like Ed “Booger” Smith, a playground legend who leaped high enough to land on the cover of Sports Illustrated a few years back.
“The quality of play at West 4th is just as good, if not better, than anywhere in the city, or in the country,” says former Harlem Globetrotter Arnold “A-Train” Bernard. “Rucker is more of a showtime atmosphere, but the guys at West 4th—they’re there to win.”
Not everyone agrees with the steam the A-Train is blowing.
“Rucker is much more competitive and has more of a history,” says Peaceman “Sixth Man” Instant offense, a 6-1 swingman who played at Suny College in upstate New York. “But West 4th has also made a name for itself. People from everywhere stop and watch, even if it’s just a pickup game.”
Horn adds, “Sometimes, it gets so packed out there that you get the feeling you’re playing in the Carrier Dome or something.”
Another player who many are surpised never went pro is Ed “The Grunt” Drossman.” All out Defense was my game, said Dross, nobody wanted me guarding them.
I held Hammond to 2 points one night and Blocked the “Goat” on a dunk attempt the next! The records arnen’t kept here… you listen to the ballers and
they pass the word down by generation to generation!
——————————————————————————–
By Peaceman on Mar 17, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Black Magic, Part II….
All I can say after watching that documentary is wow….the things we accomplished and what we had to endure were equally incredible, to put it mildly.
It makes me very proud as a black man to see the strides that were made and how we overcame such staunch adversity, the accompishments of Coach Jobe, John McClendon, Clarance “Big House” Gaines, just to name a few, how some, like Bob “Butterbean” Love overcame a severe speech impediment and the problems associated with that, and yet and still perservered.
We are indeed a resiliant people.
It also angers me when you consider what we had to deal with and what people before us had to endure, to see some of these young Knicks disrespect the game the way they do, with Curry and his non-existant work ethic and disregard for physical fitness, and Marbury and his knuckleheadedness, being the biggest culprits.
I wonder if they watched this program, and if they did, what they thought of it.
Bobby Dandridge stated that many of these young men could’ve played for the coaches of yesteryear. There was no such thing as “positive reinforcement” back then, and I could believe that. I dnn’t remember there being very much of it when I came up….it was “tough love” when I came through…and for the non-comformists, there was a line of cats ready to take your spot, who would be more than glad to do what was asked of them.
Could you imagine Curry playing for one of those coaches? He’d either not be playing at all, or he’d be one of the top ten players in the league.
Black Magic was necessary….very necessary. I applaud ESPN for having the guts and intestinal fortatude to air this very important program.
By Bronxboy in Md on Mar 18, 2008 at 12:16 am
Bronx,
After watching Black Magic 1, I thought quite a bit about Curry and Stephon. I thought about the questions you raised and about how they may have fared “back-in-the-day.” It was a journey of imagination, but I did not have to go far to draw a few conclusions. The first was that Curry and Stephon would not have existed in the 50s and 60s. They are products of those times and the struggles of their forerunners. There is practically no way that a big black man like Curry, with his [sychological profile, would have existed. Curry back-in-the-day conceivably would have grown up with a desire to be liked (most of us grow up in a community with a desire to belong and to know who we are within the context of community), however, he most likely would have been a man of some passion and motivation. he would have been fighting hard upstream to prove that he belonged, because the strong current of nullification and disenfranchisement would have been holding him back. By nature, Curry would have been forced to develop mental and psychic muscles that severe struggle against dehumanization force to be exercised. His primary struggle would not be proving that he is likeable in the context of his body, but proving that he is human and equal to others in his body. Curry would not have had millions of dollars to make him comfortable and to offer him some refuge from the vagaries of racism. Curry would not have been coddled as a big black boy, thrust into millionnaire manhood without a clue or a guide. Sure he would have been thrust into manhood, because back in the day children were born with an expectation that they would work and sometimes (often) work as men early in life. But bakc then Curry may have been raised in an environment where developing the skills to navigate racism were a priority; he would have been sent to college before playing pro ball and he would have gone ot a black college where big proud and concerned black men were also teachers and had a mission to make sure that those big black boys under their tutelage were ready to play life, then ball. He would have had to play big men like Wilt, Russell and Reed. Sure he woudl have been bigger and fatter than them. But he would have given them a game because of the mental and intestinal fortitude that Curry of today does not have. If Curry did not have that intestinal fortitude –it doesn’t matter how big and fat he was — Wilt and Reed and Russell would have run his ass into the ground and back to high school just another unemployed black boy looking for a job in the big city.
Stephon on the other hand may have existed back in the day, but that chip on the shoulder would probably have been an inherited structure tying him to the ground not allowing him to get high enough lift to take most of his family out of the environs of poverty. Stephon may have dreamed of being rich, but he would have had to be skilled at something else to accomplish his primary goal of lifting his entire family out of poverty. Stephon’s apparent anger at being so responsible for so many would have existed, but the environment that rewarded selfishness and extreme self-centeredness would not have existed. Stephon would not have been a star. He would not have been a millionnaire. Who knows — Marbury may have been a great teacher in the community, like the people who took him under their wing. But he would have not been allowed or forced to venture into mainstream America unprepared for the abuse, use and exploitation that would haunt him and force him to navigate the system.
Marbury unlike Curry, for whatever reason, seems to swim upstream against that mighty current. He has stronger mental muscles than Curry, but he is traveling a road uncharted by the generation before him. He is wholly without a manual as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson are more contemporaries, big brothers, than elders and teachers to him. Back in the day Marbury woould not be allowed to be the pioneer he is today. He may have been sullen and angry, but he would not be allowed to cover that up at night with a bundle of cash and secluded living. Marbury would not have existed back in the day as he does today.
Curry and his generation would not have existed back in the day. They exist because of what transpired back in the day. Their are many vestiges remaining from the struggles of the preceding generations. Many. But there are also many that don’t exist allowing a different attitude and perspective towards the global community for more. But as integration has had many benefits, it too has had drawbacks in terms of the type of people the larger community creates as opposed to a close knit, purposeful community impacted by, but not driven primarily by, market forces. Still there is no doubt that the result of our forebearers struggles has been by and large extremely positive for the modern professional baller.
God bless each of them, because the truth is that we all (regardless of color, religion or creed) benefitted from those struggles.
_____________________________________________________________
Gentlemen, as you continue to keep this home fire burning, I will join you from time to time, but this is the point where I make a serious effort to lessen my posting levels significantly. I recall that being my intention during the summer, but the party was still inspiring the boogie down even when we felt beat down. I imagine much excitement is on the horizon with many franchise decisions to be made such as determing who will run the organization, who will run the team on the floor and who will join or leave the team on the floor. Those decisions alone should make this off-season very exciting. The turth of the matter is that Dolan will be unable to make a right move in the eyes of the press — unless he brought back Larry Brown who no one seems to want with their youngsters these days. Of course the MSM will also give him a break if he brought on Donnie Walsh or maybe KiKi or Jerry West. They might even give him a pass for the horrid mistake of bringing in Scott Skiles. They may give Mark Jackson a short two paragraph honeymoon, but there will be little else DOlan could do right except to let David Stern take over the Knicks or to allow Frank Isola and Marc Berman to manage the Knicks.
And the draft pick? The lottery will be exciting and perhaps very disappointing, because you need a direction and a plan before you need a player unless you get a player like Kobe or LeBron who are both a plan and a direction — I call that a two-way player. I don’t see that player in the draft, perhaps you do. But the point is that if the current plan is to be followed, we know what we need, but it will take us more than one lottery season to get there. This plan was centered around a guard and then a big and then two bigs. A fabulous guard/forward, a serviceable big and a two way powerforward are the ticket to the playoffs. We need at least one player who can play multiple positions very very well (e.g. Tim Duncan (Forward/Center), Kobe (PG/SG/PF = point forward) or LeBron (spots 1-4). Who can do that?
Anyway, it should be a lot of exciting stuff to write about after the season is over. But now, it is time for me to take a break. My fandom will not disappear but I have no intention of watching my team tank and stank. As Tman said “If you stank, you don’t need to tank.” I prefer not to spend 2 1/2 hours of my time watching a team lose. I much rather play set or Wii with my children or sit in Barnes and Nobles and read all those sports books I haven’t read or do the work that I need to do. Still, I will drop in from time to time, just because you guys are really good.
But it has been beautiful and real. My Knicks posting season is officially over — a few games after the Knicks ended their season. So until later, I’m Audi with an Outtie. If you need me, you know how to get me. I have my bat phone by my side at all times. Peace.
By Lives In New Jersey, Loves New York on Mar 18, 2008 at 3:52 am
Oh KD — You did excellent work hosting us this year. I for one could not have done nearly as well. Thanks.
By Lives In New Jersey, Loves New York on Mar 18, 2008 at 4:01 am
Don’t forget he won 10 more games than Brown with an injured wrecked team!
This year Franchise and Frye were not around so he did win more with the same team Brown had!
Comment by Peaceman — March 17, 2008 @ 11:06 pm
Come on. Zach is an imporovement to Franchise and Frye. Brown has a resume of building winning team everywhere he’s been. Zeke doesn’t. If you look at what Brown has done the second and third year he’s been with a team, you’d see great improvement. You really think Zeke is doing better then Brown did last year come on. Zach is a 20-10 guy. What “injured and wrecked team? Marbury and Curry. Even Thomas who brought Marbury and Curry in doesn’t like their games anymore.
By ed drossman on Mar 18, 2008 at 7:42 am
Wow Lives, you would do well as a Profiler. I read your au revoir (note, not a farewell). Clearly the KnicksDefense community is multifaceted, multilingual, multiethnic, multi-talented, multi-versed, multi-faith, and will surely multiply. The NYK and love of the NYC brought us here and its depths will keep us despite the disingenuousness of our heros’ handlers. “To thy own self be true”–You know what’s good!
KFLL
By Steady on Mar 18, 2008 at 9:33 am
Good AM Defenders!
God’s continued blessings.
KFLL
By Steady on Mar 18, 2008 at 9:33 am
Lives,
Your insightful posts, humor, and enormous spirit will be missed in these parts. Please check in from time to time and bless us with your presence.
You’ll be surely missed….Take care, bruh.
By Bronxboy in Md on Mar 18, 2008 at 10:10 am
Good PM Defenders!
I was hoping when I logged on today that I would see posts by 6 individual posters (LIVES, TMAN, BRONX, STEADY, HARLEM, and MODI) weighing in on Part 2 of Black Magic. Well 50% isn’t so bad, but I also know depsite the absence of the other 3, Still Waters Run Deep, Yes they do!!!!!!!!!!!!
@BRONX,
Enjoyed your post SPONSOR, and I enjoyed sensing the Pride and Joy you derived from the experience and your thoughful expression of thanks to those who labored and came before US. Of course it was natural to try and make the comparison, but alas in doing it probably left you grasping for answers to the expalinable and the unexplainable. “Black Magic was necessary…very necessary.” I concur BRONX! Yes indeedy!
@STEADY
Giving Glory to the Creator is a beautiful thang! The bible says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” STEADY, you hae open your mouth to Lord, and there’s no turning back…But you can handle it STEADY AS IT GOES, because your roots are strong, well planted, like that TREE palnted by the water…You know what’s Good MY DEAR BRUH!
@LIVES,
If that was your Swan Song, you got to do better than that my Bruh…But I hear you LIVES, this TIME is valuable, you’ve got people to love and make stronger, you’ve got to fill-in the blank between that date of Arrival and that date of Departure. Fanship is one thing, FULFILLING and BUILDING on the Legacy is something different in its entirety…I see you too took a stab at the now and then comparison, and your points and assertions are sound and honest. There have been and always will be the Stephon’s in every age…But is these words that you wrote that resonated with with my SPIRIT like the sweet songs of a Humming Bird…
“Curry and his generation would not have existed back in the day. They exist because of what transpired back in the day. Their are many vestiges remaining from the struggles of the preceding generations. Many. But there are also many that don’t exist allowing a different attitude and perspective towards the global community for more. But as integration has had many benefits, it too has had drawbacks in terms of the type of people the larger community creates as opposed to a close knit, purposeful community impacted by, but not driven primarily by, market forces. Still there is no doubt that the result of our forebearers struggles has been by and large extremely positive for the modern professional baller.”
After watching Part 2 last evening, I spent some quiet time thinking about my Bruh Malcolm…And, my head kept returning to a specific THREAD woven by Ben Jobe during Part 2, when he addressed and acknowledged the UNIQUENESS of Bobby Phills talents and desires beyond Basketball, How together they were planting the seed for Dr. Phills, and you could see Jobe’s eyes sparkle, a ray of hope that God had sent another Star our way to impact lives beyond the court, undesrstanding Basketball was just a vehicle to learn valuable lessons and for Bobby to hone his work ethic. As Jobe continued with the Phill’s story, and shared Phill’s statement about going Pro, never needing to school ever again, you could see that light which was so bright beginning to lose its luster, certainly Phill’s had every right to persue a Pro career, but I sensed Jobe felt like he had lost another to the market forces, and how would this young man’s life be transformed. For better or worse? Surely he would make lots of money, but would that change him, would Bobby lose his CENTER. Then during that emotional conclusion of the Phill’s saga, Jobe’s pain SO VISIBLE, his anguish so deep, and solemn acknowledgement that market forces had taken another so young, but so senselessly and foolishly…He said, “What a waste”…Of course his perspective on these so call forces was undergirded with a sense of suspicion, doubt, maybe even fear, because so many were denied, or dispatched like cattle, locked out even when they were deserving, qualified, WORTHY; treated dishonorably, mentally and psycologically beaten down, because of their complexion…These were the conditions during his era and during the time of his Mentor, and those generation that proceeded them…Of course Part 2 concludes with a clear understanding that the market forces changed the landscaped, were thes new opportunities a sign of better things to come or was the inclusion more about the infusion of captial to those who already staked a claim to resources in the most inhumane ways…
So Bruh Malcolm’s protestation kept ringing in my ear, Integration will destroy US, it is not the solution. Equal but Separate is the course…we will have our souls and culture ripped from our clutches, and the illusion of Inclusion will strip US of our independence, our community, our strength and anchor…IDEALLY, Martin’s Dream is what we all should want, but the American Dream for US will become our Nightmare…That type of insideous hate does not vanish into thin air….will we turn our most PRECIOUS JEWELS to the forces of hate that seek to destroy us, because we want to belong…This paradoxical DREAM, is it achievable, or our WE delusional…
After what we have seen over the last several months, certainly LIVES take on things seem to be true, it seems Obama is on to something; his generation of African-American Men and Women and scores of other ethnicities seem to have that MACRO view, verses the Micro. Yet, recent events suggests (Is Obama qualified & Jeremiah Walker’s comments define his life not moments in time)that the divide is still huge; and those DARN market forces that made Jobe bristle and feel uneasy about Phill’s, I’ve expereinced too as I have watched Young Brother Obama dip his toe into unchartered waters…For our sakes LIVES I hope more hold that view, but like Malcolm I wonder if this is another one of those illusions via inclusion…Time will be Telling…but this I am sure of gents, GOD WILL HAVE THE FINAL SAY…For that reason, and that reason alone do I remain HOPEFUL….I apologize for thinking out LOUD Defenders…maybe this post was inappropriate…
TMAN & HARLEM & MODI, the THRERAD could always use a Post from you Dynamic Bruhs…Share a good word or an insigthful BBALL thought…Anti, Post UP, Vic, Ali G, Harewood, Barf, where you AT….Drop a little somethin, somethin for us too..
In memory of St. George, OUR Island Guide and OUR Tropical Defender…I MISS YOU DAWG!
Keep it POPPIN!
By Cooleyhigh on Mar 18, 2008 at 1:44 pm