With no in-game action to discuss, you know Stephon Marbury is bound to lob choice sound bites to the press on a regular basis. Yesterday he told reporters that he loves the franchise so much that "one day I might be able to buy the New York Knicks." That might be the only way for Marbury to find playing time with his hometown squad as he remains at a stalemate with the team as he continues to sit on the sidelines. Allan Houston, who was just named assistant to the President, is attempting to facilitate the situation as it's difficult to negotiate a potential buyout of his contract since Marbury doesn't have an agent. Marbury's latest idea to get in workouts at his alma mater Lincoln High was shot down by the union and in the meantime he's stopped scrimmaging to give more time to the younger players who are suiting up. He said, "It makes more sense...I'm not playing. I can't smell the court." more ›

Yesterday's Knicks practice was cancelled so that the entire team could attend the funeral for Don Marbury, father of Knicks captain Stephon Marbury. Don Marbury died during the Knicks' Sunday night game. Despite being a team often criticized for lacking chemistry, they all stood together at the Coney Island Gospel Assembly on Neptune Ave. to support their point guard during his difficult time. Malik Rose spoke on behalf of the team to the 600-plus... more ›

Saturday the Rangers couldn’t score again, despite 26 shots. Manny Fernandez played very well for the Bruins and when things went to a shootout, Shanahan, Drury and Jagr all failed to convert, but Phil Kessel didn’t. His wrist shot won the game and New York heads to Pittsburgh with a lot of questions, including one about the health of Martin Straka. more ›

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: An armored robbery in Queens, a boat in distress east of the Steeplechase Pier in Brooklyn and a school bus accident in Staten Island. The bids are in for the West Side Yards, and the companies that submitted them are Extell Development Company, Brookfield Properties Developer LLC, The Related Companies, TS West Side Holding, LLC (A Joint Venture of Tishman Speyer and Morgan Stanley), and Hudson Center East LLC... more ›

Filling the "It's so ridiculous," "It's true" and "You certainly didn't get what you paid for" categories is news that the combined salary for the New York Knickerbockers for the 2006-07 season was a whopping $139,381,526. While the astronomical payroll of the Knicks isn't new news, it's always fun to look at the payrolls of teams that didn't make the NBA Playoffs. more ›

In recent years, Houston was booed at Madison Square Garden after signing a six-year, $100.4 million contract, but he never let the fans get him down, "The fans of New York were unbelievable. I want to thank the fans for not only supporting me, but challenging me." The Times reports that Houston will remain with the Knicks in some capacity, which has yet to be announced. more ›

True, the Knicks have too many "power" forwards, but how much hope is there that Houston will return to the Knicks. And if he does, will it be the Houston of old or even worth $20 million a year? Probably not. Besides, if you've got an exception that seems tailor-made for your player, why not go ahead and use it? Then again, when was the last time the Knickerbockers did something that made sense? more ›

3. How many small forwards do you need, anyway? more ›

Despite a truly determined and aggressive double-digit comeback in last night’s 4th quarter, the Knicks dropped their 17th game in 20 contests by a score of 116-110. How, you ask? With the score tied at 95 and the clock at under 10 seconds, Marbury drove into the paint, froze, and then lobbed the ball to Kurt Thomas, who perhaps had one second to throw up an awful, off-balance shot. This isn’t Thomas’ fault – Marbury did the exact same thing to Jamal Crawford last time we visited. While Stephon can certainly score (36 points), his decision-making leaves much to be desired. more ›

The shooting was the story, as the team shot an amazing 59% for the game. The Knicks raced to a double digit lead at halftime, and despite a decent rally from the Blazers in the second half, the Knicks continued to hit shots and never trailed in the second half. Allan Houston led the team with 25 points, and Stephon Marbury continued to put up hot numbers with 20 points and 12 assists. The best number of all was the offensive balance, as seven Knicks finished in double figures. On the losing side, Zach Randolph led the Blazers with 27, while Coney Island legend (and Starbury cousin) Sebastian Telfair make his MSG debut with 2 points and 7 assists. more ›

Despite the stinker, the Knicks are still atop the Atlantic Division, which is a testament as to how bad the division is, not how good the Knicks are. Not to be lost in the horrible game last night is the performance of Bruno Sundov, the backup to the backup center, who entered the game and scored his first points of the season. Sundov's 7 points was more than Kurt Thomas (0 points) and tied with Allan Houston and Stephon Marbury (7 points). more ›

Jason Kidd and Allan Houston, who both returned recently from injury, saw limited action, playing 21 and 11 minutes respectively. Some credit for the win has to go to the Knicks defense though. No matter how bad the Nets are, the Knicks managed to hold the Nets without a field goal for more than 15 minutes during the 3rd and 4th quarters. more ›

As if America didn’t have enough going on today, the 2004/2005 NBA season kicks off tonight with a doubleheader on TNT (how’s that for some election coverage counter programming?). The local teams don’t get started until tomorrow when the rebuilt Nets will take on Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat at the Meadowlands and the Knicks travel to the Twin Cities to take on last year’s MVP and the Twolves. Both the Knicks and Nets will start the season with depleted rosters. Jason Kidd and Allan Houston will start the season on the inured list, ensuring they will miss at least the first five games of the season. more ›

This offseason is a crucial one for the Nets and could be a turning point for the franchise. With the sale of the Nets, they are sure to face a few years of lackluster attendance in New Jersey before moving to Brooklyn. When they arrive, they better hope that their team is actually good. more ›

Unlike the Nets, this figures to be a relatively slow offseason for the Knicks. New GM Isiah Thomas already spent much of the season turning over the roster and trading away anyone associated with deposed GM Scott Layden. Only Allan Houston, Shandon Anderson, Frank Williams, Kurt Thomas, Mike Sweetney and Othella Harrington remain from opening day. more ›

Last Friday was the deadline for teams in the NBA (except for the Pistons and Lakers) to turn in their list of unprotected players that will be made available for the expansion Charlotte Bobcats during the expansion draft. Charlotte will form the core of their new team during the draft, to be held on June 22, assuming the NBA Finals do not reach a seventh game. In that case the draft will be held on June 23. more ›

Current Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant whipped the voracious New York media into a frenzy earlier in the week when he stated that he would make a recruiting visit to New York if the Knicks extend an invitation when the free-agency courting period begins in three weeks. All it would take is a call from GM Isiah Thomas. "I'm going to listen to all options. If he invites me, I'll be there," said Bryant. more ›

Proving that nothing in New York is cheap, a recent study by Sportsbusinessnews.com confirmed that the New York Knickerbockers were officially the worst bargain in the league this season. When you divide the Knicks $94,395,091 payroll (highest in the league) by 39, the number of W�s they notched this season, the results show that each victory cost owner James Dolan $2,420,387. more ›

The Daily News thinks it could be "Knicks vs. the Nicknames" because of all the nicknames the Nets have: J-Kidd (Jason Kidd), R.J. (Richard Jefferson), K-Mart (Kenyon Martin), Debo (Rodney Rogers), Veal (Brian Scalabrine), Slim (?), A-Train (Aaron Williams). That got Gothamist thinking (we do that once in a while), "What would be some good "Knicknames" for the Knicks?" Prime Minister (Cezary Trybanski), Mr. Softee (Allan Houston), Cap Liability (Vin Baker), Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo (Dikembe Mutombo), Mama Can't Spell (Anfernee Hardaway). more ›

Jason Kidd and Allan Houston both have bum knees. Kidd, the Brooklyn New Jersey Nets point guard may miss the rest of the regular season and playoffs with his knee injury with surgery a possibility as well. Houston, the Knicks co-captain, has no idea when he will return. The injuries to both players have post-season implications for their teams. more ›

The Knicks, fighting for a playoff spot and playing at home, could barely muster a win against the Wizards, a team that will watch the the post-season on their TV sets. Gothamist hopes the Knicks make the playoffs, but if they keep playing like this, they either wont make it or they'll get bounced out in the first round. more ›

Also, it's great that all the stories about Lenny Wilkens now coaching say he's the winniest and losingest coach in NBA history. That's like getting a lawyer who loses as many cases as he wins. And tien sums it up pretty well: "Lenny Wilkens is an old, old man." information leafblower turns his attention to briefly the Knicks team: "I read some thing today that said Allan Houston hasn't had an assist or a rebound in over a week." more ›