Feel the path of every day, Which road you taking?
Breathing hard, making hay… Yeah this is living.

-Eddie Vedder, Unthought Known, 2009

So it’s been some year, and before I get any deeper I’d like to echo Matt Cerrone’s thoughts in thanking each and every one of you for reading this space. Some of you I’ve thanked in person, some I haven’t had the chance to. But understand regardless of whether you agree or disagree with my thoughts on the Knicks, I value yours tremendously.

I was just reading the first entry from former Wizards beat writer Mike Jones of The Washington Times on his new blog (Via Alan Hahn’s tweet) and it struck me in a few ways.

First, as is my nature, I felt great compassion and understanding for the man’s situation because I lived it myself 12 months ago. This is America, and when someone is told that they can’t continue to earn a living doing what they love it’s always terribly confusing and upsetting. At least it was for me. Especially when you think of writers who have chased that childhood dream to cover a team and have gone through great pains to get there.

Now, there are writers out there who think what I (we) do is contributing to publications shutting down, and for that I feel great resentment. Yes, obviously, there has been a great push to digital, but, as one of the industry’s most powerful editors told me once, “content is, and will always be, king.” In other words, if you’re not building your own brand on line or if you’re not part of a digital business, then you are miles behind. And as journalists, there is nothing wrong with adjusting from old-school pencil and paper/typewriter journalism. There was a time, I can recall, when newspapers hired “backpack” journalists as means to cut costs. Although it may offend the Pete Hamill’s or the Jimmy Cannon’s, shouldn’t someone be willing to adapt to changes in their business?

Everyone else does.

I spent the early part of my professional life chasing my own dreams, and that included following around a little white ball and when I was done with that I figured I would leverage my experiences and work for a major golf publication. Fortunately, I was able to learn a lot about the print world and the digital space both editorially and from a business standpoint when I landed at one of the two major golf monthlys after interning at the other during grad school. My advice to anyone who faces the daunting task of unemployment is to hit the ground running, network, never turn down a meeting and be grateful that you have friends. All the above allowed me the sanity to get through a year consisting of a move and a wedding.

Throughout this decade, I would write about all things sports with a focus on the Knicks and based on one conversation with Matt and the folks at SNY they felt I had the chops to write TKB.

I am proud that we’ve established ourselves along with other outlets that I read and that we’re able to get in the doors and gain access and information to the fans. I catch heat because of the “blogger” label, which I find funny because so very few bloggers have the access that I have in any sport in any city and for that I thank the Knicks and MSG in addition, of course, to SNY.

I’m okay with taking heat for questioning an article, praising someone else’s work because it impacts me positively, or by taking a nugget and expounding on it. I think (hopefully) it creates educated discussions and that’s what I’m all about. Frankly, if I could have the chance to talk to every Knick fan for 5 minutes to see what they were thinking, that would be an ideal scenario for me.

So, from both a personal but more a professional standpoint, 2009 was a year that sort of mirrored what it has been for the Knicks. It started horribly then made a modest upswing, and that surge gives me great hope moving forward. In other words, certain things happen in life that make you realize that Mike D’Antoni’s rotation or the fact that the team didn’t draft Brandon Jennings means very little in the grand scheme. It’s a notion that I’ve always had, but life has a way of constantly reminding us doesn’t it?

So as we head into 2010 I want to again thank everyone for being a part of this site and to learn more about me and other Knick tidbits that don’t always make it on the blog, follow me on Twitter or on Facebook. As always you can read my articles on SNY.tv as well and you can listen to TKB Radio a few times a week with Rice Balls.

I honestly hope to meet you all someday and in the meantime have a happy and healthy New Year.

TD

PS: I don’t want to understate the significance of the TKB team…we are all in this together and I value them tremendously as well as the fans who take the time to send along their thoughts.

The following piece was submitted by loyal TKB contributor John Maloney. As always, we encourage all fans to put their thoughts together and send them to theknicksblog@gmail.com.

As we approach the end of the 2009, various news sites and blogs have been busy reviewing the decade, compiling lists and trying to make sense of all that has happened. They also seem to spend a lot of effort on coming up with a cute name for the decade. I’ve heard various suggestions; the Aughts, The Double Zeroes, the Double Aughts, etc. Well, allow me to add a suggestion to the pile.

Worst. Decade. Ever.

Really, this decade SUCKED. Terrorism, multiple failed wars, economic crashes, bank bailouts, eroding civil liberties, Jon and Kate plus 8, you name it. This is a country on the decline, people. Remember when ten years ago, all we had to get riled up about was a worldwide computer meltdown? Oh, the salad days.

This decade long malaise has certainly affected local sports teams as well. Outside of the Giants miracle run and the Yankees $400 million spending spree, it’s been a barren ten years for New York sports. And no team has personified this decade of decline more than our New York Knicks. The Giants and Yankees notwithstanding, at least the Mets, Rangers and Jets provided some good seasons and decent playoff runs that fans can point to. What have the Knicks given their fans the past decade? (more…)

I have been a steadfast Jeffries hater for the last couple of years.  I think he is overpaid, overused and flat-out underwhelming in all areas of the game.

But even I can’t ignore his contributions to the team over the past month; anybody who does simply isn’t watching the games closely.

Initially, I applauded D’Antoni’s use of JJ based solely on the notion that he should be showcased early, and shipped out soon after.  With a focus on the future, the Knicks have a valuable commodity in Jeffries.  He should be moved him to a team in need of a versatile defender.  He is not Eddy Curry, despite how often the two names seem to get lumped together.  I liked watching Jeffries defend an opposing point guard because with each defensive stop it felt like we were one day closer to ridding ourselves of his contract.

But since being given an expanded role and cracking the starting lineup on a consistent basis, my enthusiasm has shifted.  While it was once driven by my dislike, it is now a reflection of my outright approval.

After watching the Nets play their best offensive game of the year, it is hard to ignore how much of a factor JJ really is.  His early fouls forced the Knicks away from what they had been doing so well lately.  The team seemed lost without him on the defensive end.  On multiple possessions in the second and third quarters tonight, we regressed to the first month of the season when ball handlers and big men carved us up at will.  Without Jeffries to quarterback to defense, the team we have watched clamp down the last month seemed to loosen WAY up.

Jeffries’ value on the trading block remains strong.  This team is not built to make a run in the playoffs — if it is even able to sneak in in the first place.  If given the chance, I still hope Donnie Walsh moves Jeffries for anybody with an expiring deal.

But his value on the floor over the past six week is impossible to ignore.  And as long as he remains in a New York uniform, the Knicks are going to have to lean on his defensive leadership if they are going to have more months like December…

Box Score

The Nets looked good tonight.  Brook Lopez is an all-star talent who dominated the game in the paint.  Yi Jianlian, who recently returned to the lineup, looked very good tonight posting up.  The Nets guards outplayed the Knicks’ guards.  On the other side, turnovers put the game away in the fourth quarter for the Knicks.

Despite a 4th quarter surge, Gallo looked a bit off tonight.  Despite a strong start, Duhon looked off in the final three quarters.  Aside from Lee, who had another spectacular game, it did not seem like this team had it tonight.

The bottom line is that on the second half of a back-to-back, sometimes teams will come out flat.  The Knicks fell victim tonight.  Also, the Nets have a talented team, despite having only three wins.  They shot the ball well tonight and played crisply for the most part.  Good for them.  They came out and beat the Knicks.  This was not a game that will leave the Knicks kicking themselves or feeling like they let one get away.

Tough loss, but in my opinion, every loss is a tough loss.  The Knicks need to rest on their day off tomorrow and then come out strong.

When: 7:30 PM

Where: Izod Center

Watch: MSG

Starting Lineups:

Knicks (12-19)

PG – Chris Duhon

SG – Wilson Chandler

SF – Danilo Gallinari

PF – Jared Jeffries

C – David Lee

Rest of rotation: Al Harrington, Larry Hughes, Toney Douglas

Nets (2-29)

PG – Devin Harris

SG – Courtney Lee

SF – Trenton Hassell

PF – Yi Jianlian

C – Brook Lopez

Rest of rotation:  Rafer Alston, Bobby Simmons, Jarvis Hayes

Questionable: Chris Douglas-Roberts (sprained ankle) Josh Boone (sore knee)

Game Notes:

This game is absolutely a must win, and that’s what makes it scary.  Yi Jianlian has been playing some solid ball since returning from injury, and he’s been way more aggressive on the offensive end.  As a result, Brook Lopez is getting fewer touches, and his production is decreasing.  Devin Harris is shooting 38% from the field this year, but being guarded by Chris Duhon always cures shooting slumps.  If Chris Douglas-Roberts does not play, the Knicks will have caught a huge break; he’s had some big games against New York.  Bottom line is the Knicks need to win this game and make it 3-0 against the lowly Nets.

First off, ESPN has been on a bad roll lately. Several writers have continually referred to Danilo Gallinari as a “one-trick pony” because they think that all he does is shoot three pointers. Granted, he does settle too often from deep, the kid is learning how to pace his body over the course of  his first real NBA campaign. But they will tell you it’s because he’s favoring his back.

Interesting.

If you really watch the kid play this isn’t the case. He blocks shots, can keep smaller defenders from getting to the basket, like last night against Rodney Stucky, and can get to the FT line. But I guess people will see what they want to see.

And, because it’s the end of another decade, Chad Ford couldn’t help himself list the top 10 worst draft picks of the decade. He decided that Jordan “Halftime Tweet”  Hill instead of Brandon Jennings deserved to be on there.

Here’s why I find this stuff so ridiculous. Jordan Hill will get his chance. But I was sitting in the media pit on draft night when the Knicks selected and NO ONE from the media was up in arms about the Knicks not taking Jennings.

No one.

To read the top 10 click here...and of course, because I pride myself on being part of the solution not the problem, Ford clearly whiffed on Joe Alexander missing the list, although the jury may still be out on him too.

“…10. Jordan Hill, New York Knicks, No. 8 overall in 2009 — over Brandon Jennings

This one, too, may be a bit premature. We are only one-third of the way into the season, and big men, especially those like Hill, take longer to develop. However, Hill can’t find any minutes on a lottery team, while Jennings has been terrific in the early going. Given Jennings’ strong play, it seems like a stretch to say that the Knicks drafted the right guy.

It could be a costly mistake. The Knicks are trying to lure LeBron James as a free agent in the summer of 2010 and need to convince LeBron that they have enough young talent around him to make them contenders. Having Jennings on the roster could’ve made a pretty impressive case. Hill? Not so much…”

The following piece was submitted by Chris Ippolito. As always, we encourage all Knick fans and fans of TKB to put pen to paper and submit your thoughts to theknicksblog@gmail.com.

The Knicks have improved dramatically over the course of this season, even though they are a mere 30 games into it.  The emergence of D. Lee as a potential all-star, as well as the development of Gallinari, and D’Antoni’s decision to go to an 8 man rotation  have the Knicks playing their best basketball of the past 4 years.  With this in mind, any Knick fan is foolish if he or she believes that this team can finish any better than 8th in the conference.  The team simply lacks that game-changing player that leads a team to victory down the stretch of a close game. The recent two game losing streak, especially the Christmas Day game vs Miami, supports this notion.

Even if I’m wrong about what this current team has the capability of doing, it is safe to say that they are not winning a championship this season and without a first round draft pick, the main goal of this season has to be trying to trade Jared Jeffries and Eddy Curry.  The latter will be nearly impossible to trade, unless the Knicks include Gallinari or Chandler in a deal, which Donnie Walsh probably won’t even consider.  That leaves trading Jeffries as a huge priority for the Knicks GM.

It is only proper to give Jeffries his props.  He is a consummate professional, who has been a leader and relentless defender for the Knicks this season. Without him, the Knicks would probably have 3-5 less wins.  The Knicks will inevitably suffer defensively if he is traded.  That said, his contract needs to be moved if the Knicks want to position themselves adequately for next summer.

My idea is this…trade for Tracy McGrady.  Send the expiring deals of Harrington, and Cuttino Mobley, as well as Jeffries to the Rockets for the expiring deal of the beleaguered McGrady.  This trade worked numbers -wise on ESPN.com’s trade machine.  For the Rockets, they receive a good scoring option in Al Harrington and a lanky F/C in Jared Jeffries who would fit perfectly in their defense-first system.  The Knicks would receive McGrady who if healthy would be a go-to scorer for them down the stretch of this season.

When the Knicks were contemplating bringing in Allen Iverson, I was against it for the reason of not wanting to take shots away from our budding stars Gallinari and Chandler.  However, when the Knicks sign a big-name player in the off-season, whoever that may be,the two young guns will certainly have to hand-over shots.  In other words, signing a player like McGrady, who needs to have the opportunity to showcase his ability since he is a free agent as well next summer, will only help prepare Gallo and Chandler for their future with the Knicks.  Not to mention, Al Harrington shoots almost as much as a game-changing player anyway. (more…)

As the discussion surrounding where Tracy McGrady will ultimately land, what’s clear is that the Knicks seem to be the most logical destination. Last year, with the Knicks in a groove, Donnie Walsh made the necessary decision to trade both Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford, two contracts who exceeded July 1, 2010. The results on the court were horrid, and the team lost any momentum from November on.

Now as we head into the New Year, what will Walsh do? Yahoo is reporting that the Rockets are considering taking back salary, and the Knicks would love to include Jared Jeffries. But in order for the contracts to fit, it seems the Knicks would also have to include Larry Hughes in the deal as well.

“McGrady is making a league-high $23 million in the final year of his contract, and won’t be easy to trade given his large salary and how little teams have seen him play this season,” wrote Adrian Wojnarowski.

“Rival teams say the Rockets are willing to take back long-term money for the right trade with McGrady, but no deal appears imminent. Talks could pick up closer to the trade deadline in February when cost-cutting franchises may be more attracted to McGrady’s expiring contract.”

The Rockets should listen hard to the deal based on the fact that at $73.5 million the team is roughly $3.5 million dollars over the luxury tax threshold estimated at $69.9 million. Hughes and Jeffries make a combined $20.1 million versus McGrady’s remaining $22.8, and that near 3 million can make it easier to avoid the luxury tax. Should the Rockets demand, say, Jordan Hill, it doesn’t help that number, but it does bring back more talent. In turn, do the Knicks ask for Kyle Lowry should they part ways with Hill?

Sure, the Rockets are flooded with forwards, but Carl Landry, Brian Cook, Chuck Hayes and Luis Scola are in the last years of their contracts and adding Jeffries gives them another option up front for next year, needless to say Jeffries adds depth at the center position. more.

BOX SCORE

This was the best game the Knicks played, in my mind, all season. From jump the team controlled the game and never gave the Pistons the chance to establish any sort of rhythm offensively. Once again, the team made shots to stop an runs from happening, and the team led by as many as 17 points in the 4th quarter. Simply put, it was their best all-around performance over 48 minutes this season.

David Lee again was the best player on the floor on the offensive end. He created second shots with 4 offensive rebounds and finished with a game-high 30 points.

Obviously, when you are talking about Mike D’Antoni’s offense you have to point to FG% and the Knicks, as a team, shot 52%. It’s a simple thought, but the team is shooting a shade under 45% for the season, good for 20th in the NBA.

I have no idea why D’Antoni chose not to go to the bench at the end of the game. It would seem that the players could use the rest heading into New Jersey tomorrow.  It will be fodder for the D’Antoni detractors, especially if the team comes out flat tomorrow, which is unfortunate because everyone should be talking about the solid win in the Motor City.

Should the team continue to push towards the 8th seed, games like this, road games against teams in a similar position, are critical.

Follow Tommy, in game, on Twitter

This game, for me, is a very intriguing one. The Pistons are sputtering having lost 7 games in a row.

But the Knicks have a way to bring out the best in the worst teams, and if they are serious about making the playoffs, a road win against a struggling team will go a long way in making fans feel that this is possible.

The Pistons, who jumped on their cap space this summer, aggressively spent on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, and the latter has been miserable over his last 4 averaging just a shade over 4 ppg.

The Pistons benefitted from a great system that culminated with a championship under Larry Brown. Now they are a roster that is, it would seem,  clogged with bad contracts. But the team does have great talent and are really one game away from going on a run. The Knicks need to understand that they can’t let the Pistons get into a rhythm, or else it will be a miserable night in Mo Town.

Listen to Rice Balls chat with Natalie Sitto of need4sheed.com last night on TKB Radio.

Via NY Post:

“…D’Antoni gave his sturdiest defense on why he has given up on Curry, who the coach believes more firmly than ever doesn’t fit his style. Curry has been a DNP for five straight games and appears as out of the picture as Nate Robinson and Darko Milicic.

As reported last week in The Post, Curry said he hopes the Knicks buy him out after the season.

The Knicks could open another $2 million in extra cap room in 2010 — which is crucial — if Curry agrees to take $9.3 million of the $11.3 million he has left in the final year of his contract. Curry figures to make up the money by signing elsewhere for the veteran’s minimum ($1.9M).

A buyout is virtually impossible this season since Curry’s final year is a player option and not guaranteed. Hence, a current buyout would not factor in next season’s salary, and Curry would never do it…”

We were off a little on the veteran minimum, but it makes sense that Curry would try and latch on with a team with the hopes of supplementing the rest of his salary next season. There is zero reason to believe that either he or his representation would do anyone any favors by taking less money than he is owed.

At this point you have to figure that an additional $2 million dollars is well-worth sending Curry on his way, but should he manage to stay healthy for the rest of the season, couldn’t he be of some use next year, especially when there are sure to be vacant roster spots to fill?

Yeah, on second thought, I’ll take the $2 million in cap space.

Then the focus would have to be dealing Jared Jeffries.

The following was submitted by “Troubled Knick Fan” Michael Fidler, as always we encourage fans to put pen to paper and submit your thoughts to theknicksblog@gmail.com.

I have been reading this blog since its inception.  I have been reading a lot of the posts recently about Nate not getting any time.  Every e-mail that has been posted advocates the position of the website that Nate should not play.  I would argue that you can spit out stats and other figures that will show why this is right; however, the past few games seem to show otherwise.  Against the Spurs and the Heat, the Knicks were constantly down and were not able to, when staked to a 10 point or more deficit, climb out of that hole.  To me, D’antoni playing the same players in these games, getting the same result is somewhat counter-intuitive.  To best describe what is meant by this I will use a baseball analogy.  When a closer is not getting the job done over many games, unless his name is rivera, nathan or a closer of that caliber, they will usually be removed.  Since the Knicks do not have a Rivera, or a Nathan, or anyone who is successful every time they touch the court, how can D’antoni possibly stick with an 8 man rotation.  Some nights it will work, as we have seen over a few games, but on nights when its not working, shouldn’t he look to play someone else?

In the Spurs game, Jeffries made 20% of his shots while playing 35 minutes.  Larry Hughes made 1 shot and played 15 mins.  Bender played 11 mins and made no shots.  How do you win games when one of your starters plays 35 minutes and makes 2 shots?  Those same 3 players played 51 minutes against the heat and made 2 shots on 9 attempts.  I am not taking anything away from these players; however, I feel like their playing time is not being used to the most important resource.  Give other guys a chance.  There are pieces like Curry they want to move, and they can’t move him if he sits on the bench.  What expectations are we supposed to have? (more…)

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We will be talking Pistons hoops with the very entertaining Natalie Sitto from need4sheed.com.

Plenty to talk about including the Nate fine; Toney Douglas in the rotation and the Myles Mills Minute.

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Sifting through some of today’s Knicks articles, I came across an interesting quote from Coach D’Antoni in a Marc Berman piece.  According to Berman, the Knicks’ coach had the following to say regarding his hopes to get Toney Douglas more court action:

“There’s certain guys in this league – Toney, Marcus Landry – you can play for one minute and they’re fine. They’ll give you everything for one minute and be over there cheering. There are other guys who need roles and need them defined. Nate Robinson. Al (Harrington) Eddy (Curry), Will (Wilson Chandler). If you don’t have that bulk of minutes, you can’t just throw them out. There’s a disrespect there. You have to respect what they’ve done. I don’t have a role for those guys.”

Before I get too deep into this, let me first say that Mike D’Antoni has a better feel for his players than I ever could.  Mike D’Antoni has been a part of the game for a long time and has interacted with a large number of players.  The current Knicks are a part of his basketball family. Me…. well I have never been in an NBA locker room. I have never even chatted with a Knick player.  The closest I have come to having a full blown conversation with an NBA player was back in college when I talked a lot with Ty Rice (playing in Greece) and with Jared Dudley once.

With that said, I have played basketball my entire life.  In college, I practiced with the BC women’s hoops team and I was friends with some other athletes.  The impression I always got from them was a strong hunger to play, regardless of the role.  During practices and during games, I never saw a girl dog it because she was not receiving the playing time that she felt she earned.

So when I read that quote from D’Antoni, I have to pose the question, is it more of a slap in the face to a player like Nate Robinson to simply not play him or to play him in a very reduced role?  How about Eddy Curry?  Are those players worse off by playing sparingly, or not playing at all?

I remember during the Marbury saga last season, D’Antoni used the same logic in keeping the beleaguered guard strapped to the pine.  Once D’Antoni needed Marbury to play and his number was called, #3 never responded.  At that point, the disrespect already existed (***I am not trying to defend Marbury in the least.  I am simply using him as an example***).

As far as I am concerned, a true athlete and a true competitor will play whenever his number is called, no matter the situation and no matter the disrespect or animosity that exists with a coach.  A true competitor let’s his/her game do all of the talking, whether it is garbage time or crunch time.  Like I said above, I do not know any of the Knicks players personally.  Perhaps D’Antoni is right is dismissing his veteran players to the end of the bench.  Perhaps he is right in thinking that it is better for them to not play than to play sparingly.

If you ask me, I do not think that is the case.  For guys like Nate and Eddy, they cannot prove themselves without the opportunity to do so.  Look at Larry Hughes.  He was in the same position at the beginning of the season, but he was given the opportunity to prove his worth.

Do not get me wrong.  I would like to see Toney Douglas get more time.  I think that he can help this team win ball games.  Also, I understand D’Antoni’s benching if he feels a certain player doesn’t fit.  But if the reason to keep guys glued to the bench is to keep from disrespecting them, I am a bit confused.

Thoughts?