That’s right Knicks fans, it was four years ago today that Isiah Thomas came to town and boldly stated, "My only goal is to win the N.B.A. championship. In my mind, everything else is failure."
Happy Four Year Isiah Thomas-versary!
Did The Two Sides Of Isiah Have A Good Night?
There are two sides to Isiah Thomas. There is the GM who drafts diligently building a team from the ground up, or Dr. Jekyll. And then there is the GM who recklessly trades players simply to trade them while acquiring bigger salaries and losing draft picks, or Mr. Hyde. Both sides were on display Thursday night as Isiah radically overhauled the Knicks and may have finally come up with a trade that made them better.
What Does $139,381,526 Buy You? Not Much
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.
Last Night's Action: Missing The Point
Jaromir Jagr missed the entire third period because of a leg injury and his status is unknown heading into today's huge game against Carolina.
Last Night's Action: The Knicks Actually Try
With Jamal Crawford out for the year and David Lee and Nate Robinson sidelined, the Knicks went some different lineups and some different players and it all worked out. Mardy Collins, Malik Rose and Steve Francis all made significant contributions while Quentin Richardson led the team in rebounds to go along with his 30 points. Stephon Marbury added 34 and Eddy Curry had 22 in the win.
Last Night's Action: One Bad Start, Another Bad Finish
-Timberwolves 107, Knicks 89: Lackadaisical defense and inconsistent offense plagued the Knicks, who have lost three straight since undressing the Heat in Miami on Friday. Minnesota torched the Knicks by shooting 53 percent from the floor, and New York couldn't make the most of its shots. Quentin Richardson, one player who has appeared to benefit from Isiah Thomas' coaching, did not score and didn't attempt a field goal in 18 minutes. At least Steve Francis took his demotion from the starting lineup well -- he scored 19 points, including eight of nine free throws. The Knicks are 0-8 when they score fewer than 100 points.
Last Night's Action: Heat Still Nets' Nemesis
-Heat 113, Nets 106: The Nets couldn't hold a 10-point halftime lead, and they lost Richard Jefferson to a sprained ankle. Miami's recent success against the Nets should be unsettling. The Heat has won the last six meetings between the two clubs -- two this season and the last four of the playoffs in the spring. Vince Carter scored 33 points on an efficient night from the floor, but it was the Nets' defense that let them down.
Last Night's Action: Knicks Can't Save Thomas' Home Debut
-Pacers 109, Knicks 95: Isiah Thomas will have enough problems this season without his team allowing opponents to shoot 64 percent from the field in the second half. Indiana did just that and ran away from the Knicks in the fourth quarter. Steve Francis fouled out again, but at least he contributed, scoring 25 points in 34 minutes before being disqualified. The Knicks are 1-2, and in their win, they blew a 19-point fourth-quarter lead before winning in triple overtime.
Last Night's Action: Bad News On The Hardwood
-Atlanta 102 New York 92: The Knicks missed a great chance to open the season at 2-0. Facing an Atlanta team that only managed to win 26 games last year. New York turned the ball over 17 times and never got the big basket they needed to make it a game.
The Nightmare Ends (For Now)
The 2005-06 Knicks’ season will go down as the worst in team history. For approximately $125 million New York finished with the second-worst record in the league and embarrassed themselves and the franchise almost nightly. The coach fought with the players, the players quit on the coach and the GM got accused of sexual harassment.
Complain, Complain, Complain
Why couldn’t we just enjoy the last week of the Knicks’ season? It wasn’t that we expected them to win all the time; we had just hoped to get through the week without more sniping between the players and the coach. Sadly, that isn’t possible and the comments after the game were much more interesting than anything that happened during the Knicks’ 101-82 loss at Indiana.
Nothing New in Knickland
Larry Brown has vowed to use the remaining games of the season to audition players for next year. With Jalen Rose and Stephon Marbury injured, Brown put Qyntel Woods and Jamal Crawford into the starting lineup and brought Steve Francis off the bench. While the Knicks managed to shoot over 50% the defense wasn’t there again and they lost 114-95.
The Future?
You have to make the most of your opportunities and Nate Robinson has certainly done that. With Steve Francis on the bench and a first quarter injury to Stephon Marbury, Robinson was called on to play big minutes and he responded with 34 points in the Knicks 117-112 loss.
Knicks Lose 91-75
Instead of dwelling on another pathetic loss by the Knicks Gothamist is going layout what he would like to see happen the rest of the season which thankfully lasts only 14 more games.
Brown vs. Knicks
Why fight with one point guard when you can fight with two? Larry Brown decided to start a brawl with Steve Francis by benching him for the final three quarters of the Knicks 111-87 loss to the Magic. Francis was playing his first game in Orlando since being traded to the Knicks in February.
To the Bottom
$92 million doesn’t buy that much these days. The Knicks with their $125 million payroll lost 116-109 to Charlotte with their $33 million payroll and took over the worst record in the NBA. Charlotte’s payroll is actually equal to about half of the luxury tax payment the Knicks will be forced to pay at the end of this season.
The Knicks Win!
Gothamist is going to embrace the positive and report solely on the good things that happened to the Knicks last night. After all, when a team wins for only the third time in twenty-five games, it is a cause for celebration. Yes, the Knicks won last night and on the road against a team fighting for a playoff spot as well. So, let’s enjoy the 103-98 victory.
Still Sinking
The Knicks managed to play well enough last night to keep the crowd from turning hostile. In fact, they looked like they were going to actually win a game, building a 16-point lead in the third quarter and holding a 9-point lead with five minutes left. That’s when things fell apart and the Knicks collapsed down the stretch of their 108-101 loss.
The Smartest Guy on the Knicks
Steve Francis is obviously a quick learner; after only two games with the Knicks he is already trying to leave the team. Francis almost missed last night’s 121-93 loss apparently because his daughter was sick. The Knicks had given permission for Francis to go home after Saturday’s game to collect some belongings, but Francis wanted to extend his absence and called the team Monday morning to say he wouldn’t make the game. A plane was chartered (it’s not clear who paid for it) and Francis arrived at the arena 55 minutes before the game.
Another Night of Fun at MSG
Here’s the good news; there are only 28 games left in the Knicks’ season. New York was simply outclassed by the Nets last night, losing 94-90, but it wasn’t that close. Steve Francis, who had 16 points in his debut, hit a three at the buzzer capping of a rally by the Knicks that made the game appear a lot closer than it was.
Keep Smiling
What do you think Steve Francis learned last night as he sat on the bench and watched his new team get destroyed by the Heat? Maybe he learned that the “cornerstone of the franchise”, Eddy Curry, has a long way to go before he can be considered a decent NBA player. Maybe he learned that his new coach still uses his entire roster 50+ games into the season. Maybe he learned that there are worse things than playing for the Magic.
Here Comes Stevie "Franchise"
The Knicks are making trades the only way they can by taking on salary. New York has just traded for Steve Francis, sending Trevor Ariza and Penny Hardaway to Orlando. The deal gives the Magic salary cap relief with the Knicks taking on another $32 million in salary.
The Knicks Win!
Break open the champagne the Knicks are back in the win column! Ok, so beating the Raptors at home is hardly something to be excited about, but that is a good indication of the depths to which this team has sunk. Wednesday’s 98-96 victory wasn’t pretty and wouldn’t have happened without a jumper by Jamal Crawford with three seconds left in the game, but it’s still a win.
Hanging On
Perhaps it was because of his shoulder, but in a matchup of two of the better point guards in the league, Stephon Marbury didn’t show up. Steve Francis torched him for 36 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter while Marbury managed only 8 points and 7 assists. Eddy Curry had one of his best games as a Knick scoring 27 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.

