The Fork in the Road

The Knicks’ problem can be narrowed down to one item. Isiah Thomas’ road map to the future has a fork in the road. No one feels secure as to his future with a team, headed by 2 defacto leaders – a much-maligned point guard, and a rookie head coach.

Recent Knicks history proves front office and coaching hiring/firing decisions are made in a New York minute. By the end of next season, unless the team shows significant improvement, Isiah may no longer be with the team.

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Pat reaches Summitt as Dawn rises

by Rob King

Summitt’s recent accomplishments combined with the recent firing of University of Tennessee men’s basketball coach Buzz Petersen led some in the media (mostly male) to debate whether university officials should offer the position to her, and whether Summitt could successfully coach male student athletes. When Dean Smith passed renowned Kentucky coach the late Adolph Rupp to become the winningest coach in Division I college basketball he was allowed to relish the significance of the accomplishment without sports talk shows speculating on how he would fare coaching a different gender. Coach Summitt wasn’t afforded the opportunity to enjoy the moment the same way. Why?

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"Major MC’s become Minor B Flats…"

--L.L. Cool J

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The media witch-hunt to prove Bonds is a cheater has knocked over a generation of Hall of Fame statues. Sammy Sosa. Rafael Palmero. Mark McGwire. Barry Bonds. Though they all may still make the Hall, history will prove the real interest in a maturing Bonds was not worth the investment, especially when dealing in a sport with few guiding principles.

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As it stands, the number of Power Conference teams who lost in the first 2 Rounds to lesser-ranked opponents is practically equal to the number who gets to go to the Sweet 16.

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The Engine that Drives March Madness

by Anthony Robinson

The tournament is reality television in its essence. There is a script that each game follows but only fate controls how it’s played out. The players, coaches and officials involved in the games and the spectators watching in the stands or on TV all ride an emotional roller-coaster from first whistle to final buzzer.

Upsets happen all the time in the tournament especially in the early rounds. A school from a power conference unhappy with their seeding or coach from a school feeling the pressure of fans and alumni catch an upstart program with something to prove or nothing to lose, and someone’s going home early. In many cases we know who’s going to win but there’s that “anything can happen” element that keeps games compelling. Someone twists an ankle, someone gets their third foul or someone is in the zone; and that overwhelming underdog smells an upset.

However the NCAA tournament is one Big Dance where Cinderella may even electric slide past the first weekend, but it won’t hustle beyond the second weekend and it definitely won’t rock away home with the title. The NCAA basketball tournament is a battle where only the schools from the strong conferences survive.

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Closing Seconds

…Who is the Knicks’ Go-To Guy?

Two more 4th quarter collapses begs the question: who is the Knicks’ go-to guy? It should be the same for every team – the coach. Each time a game comes down to the final seconds my mind flashes to Bill Parcells’ first visit to the Meadowlands as coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

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Herb Williams has done a good job at strategizing and using all of his personnel. Yet, when it comes to closing out games, he has followed where his predecessors left off. Squandering double-digit second half leads has been part of the Knicks repertoire since the Pat Riley days. But, ever since Don Chaney’s regime, the team has not been able to continually hit the shot to salvage the win.

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Spurred Then Nearly Stung

Though the Hornets had made 5 straight playoff appearances, the job had one major parallel to Scott’s former job in New Jersey: a disgruntled Point Guard making ‘max’ money. Such situations can take a coach to Hall of Fame potential a la Pat Riley’s good fortune in becoming Magic Johnson’s guy after the firing of Paul Westhead. Scott has not been so lucky, except that he was not fired and the Golden State Warriors took Baron Davis off his hands.

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Isiah’s Taylor-Made Trade Has Herb Smelling Like A Rose

A few weeks ago, it was not a smell but a stench coming out of the garden. Where there are dead bodies, they are reporters hovering like buzzards, devouring the carcasses by writing premature obituaries.

The season is far from saved, but the recent winning has brought smiles to the players’ faces, and a wait-and-see attitude from the media, who blasted the trade and, more specifically, the man who orchestrated the move to acquire Malik Rose and Maurice Taylor.


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After the Magic is gone…

New York and New Jersey suffered embarrassing losses to the Orlando Magic on consecutive nights this past week. The Nets have yet to play since Saturday night’s game. With only 22 games remaining in the season, the Nets have a slim chance of making the playoffs.

Same for the Knicks, who were able to shrug off the blowout at Orlando. On Sunday, they defeated the Golden State Warriors, improving their "post-trade" record to 4 and 1.

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Revisionist History 0205: Thorny Issues…

…Elden Campbell is the latest example why NBA players’ contracts are out of control.

Having the heard threat of a NHL lockout, I figured the hockey players would realize they are paid well, and with guaranteed contracts. Hence, there would be no lockout or strike. I was wrong, yet I could care less – it’s just ice hockey, a sport that never resonated enough curiosity, because it lacks crossover appeal and the ability to translate well into one’s living room.

B-Ball is a different matter. It is easy to shoot solo or play a pick-up game with friends. Basketball has been the foremost expression of race and socio-economic warfare, in which black males continue to prosper.

NBA players are not only ballers on the court; they are also an international marketing force. Armed with guaranteed contracts that range up to 7 years, the players have learned how to flex their muscle by maneuvering to force trades and buyouts. These moves range from under-performing, airing their grievances in the media, to just plain sulking.

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