On the NBA: Knicks have become disaster.
The Warriors play New York on Sunday afternoon in Madison Square Garden, and it’s a shame about the setting. Considering the state of the Knicks, it should be played on some weed-infested playground that hasn’t seen a game in 15 years.
The Knicks once stood for Dick McGuire, Richie Guerin, Willis Reed, Earl “the Pearl” Monroe, Walt Frazier, Bernard King and Patrick Ewing. They stood for intelligence on the court and passionate wisdom in the stands. Even their fine, understated public-address announcer for 42 years, the retired John Condon, represented the finest in big-city class.
Today’s Knicks are James Dolan, a complete idiot, in the owner’s seat. They are President Phil Jackson, who makes lousy decisions (save the drafting of Kristaps Porzingis), goes months at a time without speaking to the press, pretends to be above all internal bedlam and insists on his team playing a triangle offense long since abandoned by contemporary NBA strategists. They are Spike Lee, the distinguished director who dresses up in garish Knicks outfits, routinely leaps out of his front-row seat like a cheerleader and makes a fool of himself as the on-court action disintegrates into chaos.
Jackson’s entire three-season tenure has been a disaster, pockmarked by a senseless feud with Carmelo Anthony and an arrogance that hardly blends with failure. Longtime NBA writers properly remember Jackson as a brilliant coach and engaging company, but he has not aged well, evolving into a weary, tone-deaf codger who should be run out of the league — or at the very least, the Knicks’ organization — posthaste.
Dolan’s a real beauty. Aside from basing his operation on paranoia and suspicion, he happily pledged $300,000 to Donald Trump’s fundraising committee less than two months prior to the election. Considering the NBA players’ widespread disgust with the new president, the Knicks face a severe handicap trying to lure free agents into the fold.
Just when it seemed that beleaguered coach Jeff Hornacek had subtly maneuvered his way out of the triangle obsession, it has now become a focal point of the season’s final six weeks. Jackson seems to have no idea that modern-day players don’t understand the triangle (an offense best orchestrated by the likes of superstars Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, in Jackson’s past lives) and have no desire to learn it. Asked this week if he’ll grow more comfortable with the system, a disconsolate Derrick Rose told reporters, “S—, do I have a choice?”
Nobody has a choice in New York. The residents of basketball Mecca no longer recognize the place. Sunday will be among the better days with the Warriors passing through, offering a fleeting glimpse of royalty.
Around the NBA
It appears that 76ers center Joel Embiid, out for the season with a knee injury, will be Rookie of the Year by default, having played just 31 games. It sounds crazy, but the other top candidates — teammate Dario Saric, Milwaukee’s Malcolm Brogdon and Denver’s Jamal Murray — haven’t made an indelible impression. The likes of Brandon Ingram, Buddy Hield, Kris Dunn and Jaylen Brown aren’t even in the discussion.
No space here to properly address the fact that Jim and Johnny Buss, the basketball know-nothing sons of the late Lakers owner Jerry Buss, are trying to unseat sister Jeanie (the smart one) after her masterful power play that brought in Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka. A legal battle will ensue, but these clowns can’t win. This power play is simply too ludicrous to take seriously.
Andrew Bogut is set to make his Cleveland debut against Miami on Monday night. To say the least, he’s there for his rebounding and defense. Among those who have played at least 500 minutes this season, he’s the only NBA player with more turnovers than field goals.