On October 4, 2005, the New York Knicks acquired Eddie Curry from the Chicago Bulls for a 2006 first-round pick and the right to switch picks in the 2007 NBA Draft. The Bulls essentially acquired LaMarcus Aldridge – though he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers on draft night – and Joakim Noah for Pillsbury pounding Curry.
He was not Steph, nor Chef Curry with the rock.
Flash back to almost two years earlier than that; the Knicks acquire Stephon Marbury and Anfernee Hardaway for Antonio McDyess and two first-round picks. Marbury was good for about two or three highlights a night for a couple seasons, but now he’s in China, so… there’s that. Hardaway? Well, he should have played for pennies at that point.
Enjoying this deranged trip down memory lane? Let’s fast forward two years. The Knicks finish with 24 wins and the highest payroll in league history after firing (future) Hall of Fame Head Coach Larry Brown.
If the 2006 Knicks were a wine, we’d keep that son of a bitch corked until Adam Morrison won his first MVP – obviously you catch my drift.
Steve Francis was anything but the franchise when he was taken hostage into Madison Square Garden. And finally, the horrific cherry on top of the losing sundae, Isaiah Thomas hired himself as the head coach.
Why do I speak of such dark times? My reasoning, folks, is to remind you that Thomas led the Knicks to 23 wins in 2008. And three years later, the Knicks won nearly twice that amount and made the playoffs – with Mike D’Antoni as their head coach… Mike freakin’ D’Antoni.
It’s funny how often people forget the turn around time in the NBA.
Spectators rip the Knicks on a nightly basis. They label Derek Fisher a failure as a head coach – he’s not. They say Carmelo Anthony is selfish – he has to be. And, all of the sudden, Phil Jackson’s reputation as a front office personality is a train wreck.
First of all, Fisher has done a hell of a job considering the boat of 10-day-contract players he was handed next to a superstar on one leg. If anyone but Fisher were on that bench, we might be talking about a four-win team.
He’s still learning as well. Don’t forget Jason Kidd was called a terrible coach at the beginning of last year. Kidd took the Brooklyn Nets to the playoffs, and now he has the Milwaukee Bucks in playoff contention and playing top-notch defense without Jabari Parker and Larry Sanders.
Give Fisher a little more time, heh?
Now, with Anthony, he’s shooting 44 percent from the field and averaging 24 points a game. “Yeah, but he’s taking 20 shots a game and only averaging three assists,” says the ignoramus.
“Anthony has always been a selfish player. He’s an awful teammate,” says the moron.
The problem is people think racking up assists makes you a good teammate and a great passer. The reality is if Serge Ibaka and Kevin Durant work the hand-off give-and-go 30 times a game, Ibaka is probably going to get at least 10 assists a game. Does that make him a great passer? Stop. No, it does not.
Russell Westbrook is averaging 20 shots a game too this season, and he’s actually shooting 43.5 percent a game – slightly less than Anthony. The difference is he has teammates who can knock down shots. Who does Anthony have? He has Langston Galloway and Lance Thomas. Shall I elaborate, or can I turn my head down and whisper “‘nuff said” to cap my point?
Melo will never be Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. He will never be LeBron James. You want a real comparison? Take a hard look at Charles Barkley’s game and stats. They’re oddly similar to Melo’s.
“Oh, but at least Barkley got the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals,” said the idiot.
Yeah, and the Chicago Bulls wiped the floor with them.
I’m not saying Melo will ever lead the Knicks to the Finals, but don’t eliminate the possibility. That’s moronic. Never say never. If Justin Bieber can understand that concept, and you can’t, there’s a problem.
The fact is Melo doesn’t need to average eight dimes a game. He’s a scorer… and a filthy one at that. And, yes, his “pay cut” saved the Knicks enough money to buy an extra chocolate milk at lunch, but if you were him, you’d want to get paid too. Not everyone can be Tim Duncan. Players don’t always have the luxury of having one of the greatest coaches ever and a fantastic scouting department for almost two decades.
Now, when it comes to the Zen Master, let’s cut him the biggest tax break of all. The reality is the Knicks will have a top-five pick this year. There is a strong possibility they’ll end up with Jahlil Okafor, Karl Towns Jr., or Emmanuel Mudiay.
And when that happens, they’ll have a future. If they can attract one big-time free agent, just one, they’ll be in a good shape.
Who the hell knows what will happen? Kevin Love could decide he wants to play for Jackson and Fisher.
Marc Gasol could decide to take that leap of faith. Maybe the Knicks max out DeAndre Jordan or Greg Monroe. The point is there will be opportunities this offseason, and it’s likely they land at least one of the big names.
If we gave D’Antoni three years to make the playoffs, let’s at least give the same amount of time to Fisher and Jackson. It’s only fair.
My gut tells me the Knicks will sign Rajon Rondo in the offseason. The Dallas Mavericks’ experiment with him has actually hindered their offense, and my guess is he’ll walk after the season.
But the point of the beginning of this piece was to remind you that times in MSG have been much worse than they are now, and people are quick to forget it.
It’s always darkest just before the dawn, guys. Make a pot of joe and wait for the damn sun rise. It’s guaranteed to show up.
