Section 423: Lucky to Be 1-3

(Note: A.F.O.M.G. will be in later with a special interview with the Brooklyn Met Fan, so be sure to check in this afternoon for that.)

Uffff. 1-3, lucky not be 0-4, and really should be 2-2 (the only reason they lost in Atlanta is because of the Momo curse that has now morphed from the world of baseball, and now infects hoops as well).

The Knicks are back, and not much has changed under coach Isiah. Their help side defense has been amateur at best, Francis has already lost interest, Nate the Great only plays well the last 7 minutes of the game, and Channing Frye has hit a legit sophomore slump. But hey, at least Mo Taylor is watching the games on league pass, and not from the bench.

The team has a lot of soul searching to do as a collective unit if they wish to achieve any type of positive success or benefit from the season. NBA games are 4 quarters long, and in true Knick fashion, this year’s team has yet to play an entire game from start to finish.

Whether it’s giving up a double digit lead in the 4^th quarter to Memphis (only to hang on by the skin of their gold fronts in 3 overtimes), or going down 20 heading into the final quarter vs. the ‘style-less’ Spurs, only to go on a 20-2 run and lose.

Who goes on a 20-2 in the 4^th quarter of a game, and loses? Only in New York…only in New York.

A big question/problem/nightmare for the Knicks is actually very simple: Who is the leader of this team?

Stephon is no longer the player he once was, and it’s not even an ‘attitude’ thing, or a ‘leadership’ issue.

I think Isiah is a breath of fresh air for Steph compared to the evil emperor Larry Brown. That said, he simply does not have the skills that would carry him through locker room meltdowns in years past, or on the streets of Coney Island.

Tony Parker made him look foolish Monday night, Steph looked slow, and Andre Miller will provides a strong test in Denver.

He is just barely the 15^th best point guard in the league. Think otherwise? Here is a list of 14 pg’s better than Steph, who I would rather have on the Knicks: (in no particular order)

- Jason Kidd

- Chris Paul

- Steve Nash

- Mike Bibby

- Chauncey Billups

- Tony Parker

- Jason Terry

- Sam Cassell

- Kirk Heinrich

- Jameer Nelson

- Andre Miller

- Baron Davis

- Gilbert Arenas

- Luke Ridinour

I have never once questioned Steph’s will to win, as many other critics over the years have, especially here in New York. I know he wants it. The New Yorker in Steph wants nothing more to bring glory back to the Garden.

However, I just feel like he can’t do it, no mater what the help is around them. Yes he won a PSAL in the Garden while at Lincoln. Yes he won 3 EBC titles at the Rucker as a member of Fat Joe’s Terror Squad team. But in the show, when the pressure is on, he just hasn’t been able to deliver, and I don’t think he ever will.

The reason I call out Stephon as the first major disappointment of the season is because as Steph goes, so go the Knicks.

It’s nice to see Q-Rich back to his usual Omega self. With Brandy out of his life and his jump shot back, he is having a nice season so far. Shooting over 54%? Not bad for a streaky shooter.

Problem is, he is a 3^rd option at best on a good team. Now he is the Knicks’ scoring leader. He can’t create his own shot, so with Steph not doing his thing this year, his 19pg go wasted.

But, I know Q-Rich is back for real because he is hitting the boards…hard. He is a beast with almost 7 per game. That’s dope. That shows heart. That shows hard work. Why he is grabbing those type of board numbers, and Crawford is getting just over 2 a contest?

Crawford has been simply awful this year. Less than 10pg and shooting 32%? Come on dude…step it up.

Why the Knicks offense at the end of close games has morphed into 4 guys standing around watching Jamal “The Black Gumby” Crawford try and shake tough defenders like Tyron Lue and Jamal Tinsley, only to be forced to jack up fade away 18 footers, is just confusing to me.

So two of the Knicks’ “Big 3” are struggling, and the other is out with an ankle injury. So basically all 3 (Steph, Franchise, and Crawford) are having terrible seasons.

Hey Jamal!! Do me a favor dude…PICK UP A WEIGHT! Why is this dude built like me in the 10^th grade?

Also, why does Nate the Great average 1 assist per game? That is atrocious for a backup point guard. Even when I was rocking the #1 and subbing in for Charlie ‘Mel Gibson in hightops’ Ward, I was able to rack up 4 or 5 dimes a night.

It’s just a lack of court vision, and a certain level of selfishness as he is dropping 14.5pg and playing close to 25 minutes a night. One assist every 25 minutes? Come on, unacceptable.

We have taken up a lot of intranet space talking shit about the shitty guards, but as I stated very clearly in my season preview, the Knicks will have a much improved front line this year, and so far, they have only kind of let me down, not entirely.

David Lee was the only bright spot in the Memphis affair, but he has struggled since. I wish Isiah would bring him in sooner and for longer stretches.

It seems he plays in spurts, and a guy like Lee can really make his impact name over a course of a game if he is on the court at the right time, and not just a lot of time. Every time he seems to be getting into gear, Isiah pulls him. Let Lee Live!!

Eddy Curry on the other hand, is a perfect example of how NOT to play the c enter position. His defense has been comically catastrophic. How does he not know how to post up? Can somebody get him an afternoon with my boy A.Mason and Coach Voelkel? Does this man not know what a V-Cut is? Or how to lock up his defender?

He is arguably the laziest player in the league, arguably all organized basketball on the planet earth. He is dropping 18 and 8, but what the Knicks really need from the Human Heart Attack is 22 and 10.

I know it seems like a tiny difference, but who would you rather have? Kevin Duckworth, or Moses Malone?

That’s the situation here. Curry could be that good, but from missing out on some serious college coaching, this guy has ZERO fundamentals. Look at what makes Tim Duncan the truth…he is the BIG fundamental.

Sticking with the frontline, I’m glad to see Balkman out there hustling, his block on Duncan is probably the Knicks’ only real ‘highlight’ of the season so far. Looking forward to seeing Jarred Jeffries in the mix. (It’s so depressing because it’s true).

So what next? Is there anything to look forward to this season? I hope so, or else it’s going to be a long, long winter in the City of Angels.

Let’s keep the faith, try and win some of these road games on the infamous Texas swing, and pray to god that our golden boy Starbury can find some magic in those ten dollar kicks.

- Chris Childs & Anthony Mason