Small Town, USA?
They were the moves a New York team could supposedly never make.
On Friday, the Knicks jettisoned their two best players, Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, in separate deals to free up cap space for a 2010 (that is, not next offseason, the offseason after that) run at LeBron James the King.
Regular readers are aware that the Glass Man doesn't know basketball the way he knows baseball, so Saturday night I asked someone I trusted.
"Sip [he lives!]," I asked, "how do you like the trades?"
"Genius," he said. "Two years from now we'll remember Friday as the greatest day in Knicks history."
* * * * *
The moves flew in the face of so much conventional wisdom, it's hard to know where to begin.
After years of languishing, uninspiring, nausea-inducing basketball, the Knicks were finally exciting people again. Thanks to a new brain trust, a new head coach, and a hot-enough (6-3) start, the Knicks had finally looked relevant again.
We all know New York is a results-oriented town, and I'm sure it was very tempting for Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni to keep their horses and make a run for the playoffs.
Instead they decided to go for something bigger. They traded today for a large chunk of dry powder with a two-year fuse.
Think about that. They traded what appeared (through an eighth of the season, for what that's worth) to be a good shot at the playoffs in 2008-09 and quite possibly again in 2009-10 for the hope of really making something happen come 2010-11.
* * * * *
I can't remember the last time a New York team made this kind of move. For years we've been told that New York teams can't make this kind of move, that the instant-gratification gene (naturally, a part of the New York fan's DNA) would reject the long-term sensibility.
And yet, when the news broke on Friday, the trades were cheered by nearly every corner of the New York fanerati. So what gives? All this time, have we had the New York fan wrong?
Well, that's hard to say.
It's important to remember that the Knicks' recent history, a whirlwind of ineptitude and unprofessionalism, makes their situation somewhat unique. The Knicks haven't just been irrelevant, they've been a mockery.
If the Knicks slide back into ineptitude this year, that won't be any great change from the recent past; and at least now their fans would have a light at the end of the tunnel. And their fans seem comfortable with that.
All of it goes to show that sometimes, just sometimes, New York fans are willing to take some bad tasting medicine today in the hope that they might feel better tomorrow.
So what's it all mean for Mets fans like you and me?
Right now, very little. Thankfully, the Mets and Knicks are in very different places.
Some day though the Mets will be in rebuilding mode again. When that day comes, Mets management would do well to remember the response these moves generated. It goes to show it's not just the small market teams that can rebuild in earnest, sometimes the big boys can pull it off too.
- A.F.O.M.G.
On Friday, the Knicks jettisoned their two best players, Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, in separate deals to free up cap space for a 2010 (that is, not next offseason, the offseason after that) run at LeBron James the King.
Regular readers are aware that the Glass Man doesn't know basketball the way he knows baseball, so Saturday night I asked someone I trusted."Sip [he lives!]," I asked, "how do you like the trades?"
"Genius," he said. "Two years from now we'll remember Friday as the greatest day in Knicks history."
* * * * *
The moves flew in the face of so much conventional wisdom, it's hard to know where to begin.
After years of languishing, uninspiring, nausea-inducing basketball, the Knicks were finally exciting people again. Thanks to a new brain trust, a new head coach, and a hot-enough (6-3) start, the Knicks had finally looked relevant again.
We all know New York is a results-oriented town, and I'm sure it was very tempting for Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni to keep their horses and make a run for the playoffs.
Instead they decided to go for something bigger. They traded today for a large chunk of dry powder with a two-year fuse.Think about that. They traded what appeared (through an eighth of the season, for what that's worth) to be a good shot at the playoffs in 2008-09 and quite possibly again in 2009-10 for the hope of really making something happen come 2010-11.
* * * * *
I can't remember the last time a New York team made this kind of move. For years we've been told that New York teams can't make this kind of move, that the instant-gratification gene (naturally, a part of the New York fan's DNA) would reject the long-term sensibility.
And yet, when the news broke on Friday, the trades were cheered by nearly every corner of the New York fanerati. So what gives? All this time, have we had the New York fan wrong?
Well, that's hard to say.
It's important to remember that the Knicks' recent history, a whirlwind of ineptitude and unprofessionalism, makes their situation somewhat unique. The Knicks haven't just been irrelevant, they've been a mockery.
If the Knicks slide back into ineptitude this year, that won't be any great change from the recent past; and at least now their fans would have a light at the end of the tunnel. And their fans seem comfortable with that.
All of it goes to show that sometimes, just sometimes, New York fans are willing to take some bad tasting medicine today in the hope that they might feel better tomorrow.
So what's it all mean for Mets fans like you and me?
Right now, very little. Thankfully, the Mets and Knicks are in very different places.
Some day though the Mets will be in rebuilding mode again. When that day comes, Mets management would do well to remember the response these moves generated. It goes to show it's not just the small market teams that can rebuild in earnest, sometimes the big boys can pull it off too.
- A.F.O.M.G.
posted by A Friend of Mr. Glass' at 9:57 AM
2 Comments:
Dude. It's not like they traded Crawford and Randolph for Victor Zambrano. They got some good players back who should be able to keep the Knicks at the same level they are currently at, if not a little better even, and make space for 2010 when the best class of free agents (yes, LeBron) comes up for the bidding. Would it be better to kinda suck like they have for a few extra years and then when the books are clear... it doesn't matter cuz Bron-bron signed with the Nets in 2010 anyway? I see this as a necessary move just to get the system workable again. Isaiah put them in such a crazy place with the cap that this had to happen and I'm pretty happy so far. I liked Crawford too and he will be missed, but not that much.
tim thomas never jumps unless he is attempting a slow azz dunk...he never hustle back on D..always seems to move at 60%.
Cuttino still has not played 2 weeks later...and he one or two of these 3 will not get more than 10 minutes a game....
thank gawd duhon is playing better
and is it me or does D Lee get a layup blocked once a game?
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