I Am So Back!

So I think back to one of my fondest childhood memories. One was a basketball league that I played in called Safe Haven.

It was a rare combonation of affluent private schoolers like young Sip and kids from the innermost of innercities.

Despite our differences, both racial and financial, we all became friends. Sure I got called a different member of the Hurley's for most of my life but it was cool.

As we got older though, things started to change.

I saw my first gun at 11, heard my first sex story when I was 12 and by the time I was 14, well just imagine.

Safe Haven became Streetball. Players wanted to score points, dunk the basketball and essentially generate street cred.

It might not sound like great basketball, but man was I sucked in.

As the streaky white shooter my frequent 8 for 23 performances were not looked down upon as ballhogging or chucking. Quite the contrary. Instead I was known as a sharpshooter who would put up around 20 per game.

You heard words like, "throw it off the backboard so I can dunk it," "get down" or "pass me the ball or I'ma kill you."

You never heard words like, defense, teamwork, dedication or championship...

Truth be told, Safe Haven was one of my fondest experiences. I truly loved it.

Which is why, as of the 2 p.m. acquisition of Steve Francis on Wednesday, I am back on the Knicks' bandwagon.

As I talked with my pal Ben, all we could think about was this Safe Haven roster that Isiah "Rebuilder" Thomas has put together.

Marbury= 8 for 23
Francis = 8 for 23
Jalen= 8 for 23
Jamal= 5 for 17 (doesn't get ball enough)
Q Rich aka The NBA SM = 3 for 13 from 3 pt range
Nate Robinson= I can't do shit but I sure can DUNK= STREET CRED

No defense, no passing, no chemistry, just dunks, bad shots, no defense and no chemistry.

Welcome to Safe Haven basketball my friends.

The Knicks have become a satire of what is NBA basketball. In a league where pick and rolls and ball movement on offense along with solid defense has elevated teams like the Spurs, Pistons and this year the Mavericks, the Knicks feature absolutely none of that.

This team has zero chance of ever winning, but like my Golden St. Warriors, they should be pretty fun to watch when they are losing.

I'm picturing the huddle now. LB in the middle drawing up a defensive play.

You have Steph whispering to Jamal about the girl he canoodled with the night before.
You have Q Rich on his cell phone calling Darius Miles.
Nate Robinson in the corner practicing dunk moves.

And you wonder why this team is 15-38...And my buddy Ben officially owes me 100 pushups in public and a 10 taco jack in the box session thanks to our over/under 45 win bet. Pretty sad that it took place at game 53.

So while I am stoked to be back on board with the Knicks, a fan that is looking for this team to win any time in the next, say, five years (and by win I mean get an 8th seed in the playoffs) you are shit out of luck.

So now it's time to quickly abuse Isiah, who yesterday sounded off the biggest load of bullshit I think has ever been said by an adult:

"New York has never been through rebuilding. It's ugly. It's dirty what we're doing. There's a lot of embarassing nights."

If this quote were said by the GM of the Magic or the Bobcats I would understand, but Isiah, time to tear him a new one.

Everything, minus stockpiling late 1st round draft picks, that Isiah has done has been the opposite of rebuilding.

He traded Nazr Mohammad (whose cheap contract ends after this season) for two late first round picks (both around 28-30) and Malik Rose (who is owed roughly 8 mil per for the next 3 seasons).

Sadly enough, this was the closest thing he did to "Rebuilding."

His other moves.

Trading Kurt Thomas, whose contract ends this year for Q Rich who makes 8 per for the next 4 years.

He traded Antonio Davis whose contract ends this year for Jalen's whose ends next year and a 20 something pick.

And now today, in his latest attempt to rebuild the Knicks, he trades for Steve Francis who has three years and 40 million dollars left on his contract.

This ensures the Knicks to have no cap room for at least those three years (Marbury, Francis and Curry alone take up almost the entire cap.)

Combine that with the fact that they have no No.1 pick next year and have to swap their top 5 pick with the Bulls next year and the Knicks have done everything but...Rebuild.

I shouldn't say that. They did rebuild their team. They made it about 100 times worse than it was before.

There is no hope in Knicks Country. Besides Frye, Lee and Robinson, the entire team is past its prime. So even when the kids get better the vets will be worse.

Man this is fun to write. Either way, I'm back. The Knicks won't be playing NBA basketball, but truth is, I'm more of a college guy anyway.

But my first basketball love was always my ghetto Saturday basketball league, Safe Haven. I loved the smell of Cuji Sweaters and Top Pop, I loved the dunks, no defense, stupid fights, players fighting their coaches.

You might say I was predisposed to love the current state of Knicks basketball.

Go New York Go New York Go...I'm back.

Now lets get "C Fluid" Charles Smith back on board.

VCD,

SM