Even when I wasn’t lucky enough to live in the Northeast, I always enjoyed this time of year because of the shift from t-shirts and shorts weather, to hoodies and jackets season.
But mostly, this time of year signifies the start of basketball season, be it try-outs for high school/college, or even prior in my county rec days. You’re outside, on the hardcourts, hooping it up with your family and friends who love the game as you love the game. It is a great feeling, the birth of the new season.
And when it is time to come home from your battles on the court, you check up on your Knicks team. For me, there was always Street and Smiths to clue me in on the off-season acquisitions. Would this be the year Ewing finally got his ring? In the days before the internet, before blogs, it was the newspaper articles (Orlando Sentinal when I was down south) and preseason box scores to amp your enthusiasm. Yes, even one thousand miles away in Florida the local sports writers would do articles on the Knicks regularly. Well, in years past, the Knicks were more often title contenders, but it also has to do with the general interest of all the NY transplants that are scattered all over this great nation (yes we are still a great nation in my opinion). We know these Knicks die-hards are everywhere when we watch MSG and they cut to the loyal Knick fans that are always representing in orange and blue regardless of the NBA city the Knicks are visiting.
There may not be very much to get excited about because this still is 95% Isiah Thomas’ creation/abomination, but I still look forward to seeing what these Knicks can do with what they’ve got. A friend once told me it is not about your God-given looks but what you do with them that makes her attracted to someone.
I’m looking forward to seeing what Mike D’Antoni sees in ex-dukie Chris Duhon as the point guard that would assume Steve Nash’s role as the facilitator here in New York. I’m looking forward to seeing if Gallinari is a hit or a miss, and I’m looking forward to seeing the continued development of the player Alan Hahn has dubbed “the baby matrix,” Wilson Chandler.
There are reasons to stick around, stay tuned, and follow this team that may not win very many games this season. The fact that you’re even reading this blog or any Knicks blog indicates to me that I don’t have to list them.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/sports/basketball/01rhoden.html?ref=sports
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KnicksD
“By the way, Isiah sucks and even Dolan finally realized it by bringing in Walsh and D’Antoni. A great number of Knicks fans rejoiced at that time, and for the record I was one of them. It feels good to write that, even if it alienates some of the readers. Isiah Thomas sucks and I’m glad he’s finally gone.”
Boo hoo hoo… you really hurt my feelings. As if I care what you think about Zeke. But just to make it clear I’m indifferent over the whole Zeke tenure at this juncture. I try to look at it objectively, and acknowledge all his faults, from my vantage ,as much as I acknowledges his few meritorious decisions- drafting Lee and Thrill Will, and perhaps if Nilo develops, having had a say in that episode.
Strangely enough familiarity with cherished voices is a force of habit. The houses we choose to abide have a spirit all their own perhaps stronger than their very makers.
Peace and Blessings
By Orange and Blue on Sep 30, 2008 at 11:27 pm
http://www.saratogian.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20145283&BRD=1169&PAG=461&dept_id=597311&rfi=6
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hdDirPB5DDwhCLL2NibKANsMCGdAD93HBFSO0
KD,
Do you know if the Knicks will have an open house scrimmage in the NY/NJ area and when?
The Nets are this Saturday at Ramapo College in Mahwah. My kid and I will try to make it. Can’t wait to see Najera in action
just bloggin,
Mustafa – (from the artist formerly known as Makunat or MAK)
From what I’m reading, they didn’t hold an open scrimmage this year.
The Nets are holding their annual open scrimmage Saturday at Ramapo College on Valley Road in Mahwah from 12:30 to 2 p.m.
Since Wednesday the 8th is the first pre-season game, it doesn’t look likely that an open practice will be announced. I hope I’m wrong.
KnicksD
Preaseason is always a time when hope in the future is always highest.
I’m easing my prediction for this season. Actually I believe given that the Knicks 2009 draft pick will be the last one before Utah cashes in, it will probrably be better if the Knicks improvement is incremental and structural for the long run rather than numerical since obtaining a another high draft pick to fill a need will surely be a good return on the 1st year of the Walsh/D’antoni transition.
O&B, do you predict any more changes to go with that prediction? hard for me to do forecast when I don’t know what chips we’ll have to play the game.
Edward, good stuff, but last year’s open practice was in fact on october 20th, well into the preseason, meaning there could still be an upcoming announcement.
I have a feeling they’ll still do one, and i’d expect if they wanted to boost season ticket sales (yes they do) they’d hold it at the garden instead of long island or fairleigh dickinson.
just bloggin’