Oh …

April 24th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanE

So that explains it.

Nothing to add. When the Onion nails it, all you can do is step back and admire.

Tom Brokaw: Just another unhappy Knicks fan

April 14th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanE

Tom Brokaw, like exactly 1.000 percent of Knicks fans, is unhappy with the way the Knicks are being run. Except that unlike .996 percent of Knicks fans, Brokaw isn’t an anonymous dude that buys the occasional ticket at the Garden. Brokaw is a season ticket-holder with deep pipes, pipes which may or may not have basically narrated my entire childhood. He’s got clout, son. He’s The Brokaw. And The Brokaw is pissssssed:

Brokaw: “I was in the front row for a while and then three rows back but not next year. I just think that they have failed their obligation to the city. I think that we have great sports franchises in New York. I think Fred Wilpon of the Mets and George Steinbrenner of the Yankees measure up and they bring to the community winning teams as best they can and make real statements about being supportive of the community. I don’t think that the Dolans have done that and I think the Garden has lost a lot of its luster as a result of their ownership and this is the first time that I have really said that out loud. But I feel very strongly about it and I think that it’s the least we can expect. They get these huge prices for people to sit in those seats, all kinds of tax advantages to owning the Garden and yet they operate as if they were a sovereign country and want to play only by their own rules. So I’m not very happy about that.”

Hell yeah, T-Bro. Say what you want about the Steinbrenner spawn and the Mets — and their recent taxpayer-funded stadium nonsense — but at least they win. (That’s not to mention the Giants and Jets, one of which just won the effing Superbowl.) The Knicks not only fail to win, they have been doing so for so long, and so spectacularly, that even writing this sentence feels cliche. I mean, THEY STILL EMPLOY ISIAH THOMAS. What the fuck, you know?

Isiah Thomas explains everything!

April 10th, 2008 | Posted by PostmanE

The Knicks have had a horrendous year. There are probably a lot of adjectives — synonyms for horrendous, no less — that one might choose to throw out here, but I’m not going to do that. It’s far too late to try and add new rhetoric to the Isiah Thomas saga; anyway, the regrettable Brian McNamee said it best. It is what it is.

Of course, try explaining that to Donnie Walsh. He wants new answers, new solutions, and new explanations from everyone’s favorite exec that just won’t die:

New president Donnie Walsh said Wednesday he plans to meet soon with Thomas, and he wants to know why a team he thought could be good instead will finish as perhaps the worst in franchise history.

“You can say I have an open mind as far as any conversation I’m going to have,” Walsh said. “I still don’t think we’ve played well, there’s a lot of things I want to talk about. So it’s not totally open. It’s not like I’m going in saying, ‘Well, this has all been great, so what do you want to talk about?’”

Which, of course, doesn’t mean Isiah will be fired anytime soon:

“Yeah, I would say that we’re going to go through the season because there’s only four games left,” Walsh said, “and I’m going to use this period to try to take a look at the whole situation so I’m in a position to make whatever decision is going to be made — if there are any.”

So, to recap: Donnie Walsh is going to talk to Isiah Thomas. Isiah Thomas is going to explain away that whole losing thing. And that whole payroll situation. And that whole Stephon Marbury thing. And that whole Larry Brown thing. And that whole Anucha Brown-Sanders thing. And that whole Pacers thing. And that whole CBA thing.

This explanation had better be fucking awesome.

Magic Johnson just as insane as Isiah Thomas

January 31st, 2008 | Posted by PostmanE

Isiah Thomas is no stranger to delusions of grandeur. This is the man, after all, who just a few months ago had this to say:

“I believe one day we will win a championship here,” Thomas said. “I believe couple of these guys will be a part of that. I believe I’ll be a part of that. As I sit here today, some people will laugh even more. But I’m hellbent on getting this accomplished and making sure that we get it done. I’m not leaving until we get it done.”

Right. So you can see that this is not a man in touch with reality. You’d hope that whatever advice Isiah would get would be more along the lines of: “Dump Marbury’s deal in the Hudson, son! What the hell are you doing?!” You know, something to wake the man up a little bit. Turns out, the advice he’s getting is, well, not very realistic either:

The Knicks went 0 for California, but Coach Isiah Thomas left the state with some nice parting gifts — a warm hug and a big endorsement, both from his longtime friend Magic Johnson.

Johnson, the N.B.A. legend and part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, met with Thomas for about 30 minutes before their teams played Tuesday night. Johnson expressed sympathy and support and made this bold claim about the Knicks: “They’re going to make the playoffs. I think that they’re going to be a tough eight or seven seed, too.”

That’s a nice little vote of confidence from Magic Johnson, but it’s pretty obvious that that’s just not going to happen. And let’s be serious: this is the man who endorsed Hillary Clinton because of the whole “experience” thing, even though he won his first championship as a rookie. That makes total, logical sense. About as much sense as a Knicks playoff prediction, actually.

The life of a Knicks beat reporter sounds awful (and I feel sorry for them)

November 28th, 2007 | Posted by PostmanR

I don’t mean to pepper the day’s blogging with tales of old vs. new media; I just play it as it lies. (I had to hit it off Frankenstein’s fat foot!) Anyways, the New York Observer drops a piece on us here about the life of a New York Knicks beat reporter. I have heard stories about the oddities and general malaise of franchise, but this certainly seems to grab hold of those and run to the hills with them. Besides the quotes from columnists and reporters talking about how draining and awful the job presents itself as and how stifling management is, there was this:

“I believe our policies work for everybody across the board,” said Mr. Watkins. “If some particular people don’t like or don’t feel good about it, I can’t control what they think.”

Garden policy has meant that before and after every game, there is a media relations official—a minder, really—with a BlackBerry in hand who furiously types away while listening to reporters’ conversations. The notes that the official takes are then e-mailed up the chain of command.
When I spoke with Mr. Isola, the News reporter, on Saturday afternoon on the Garden floor, he pointed to a media relations official watching us. “He’s taking note that I’m talking to you,” he said.

On Monday night before a game against the Jazz, six reporters were speaking with forward Malik Rose. Nick Brown, a public relations official for the Knicks, was recording the proceedings on his BlackBerry, in an e-mail prepared for the Knicks’ head of P.R., Jonathan Supranowitz.

Sometimes Mr. Supranowitz does the monitoring himself.

“I take notes, absolutely,” said Mr. Supranowitz. “A P.R. person must be present for every interview. That’s a Garden policy.”

(Even, apparently, for interviews with other P.R. people: Mr. Supranowitz typed into his BlackBerry while I was speaking with his boss, Mr. Watkins.)

For the record, I have a stenographer recording my every move during blogging activities. It’s usually just me typing stuff up and then scratching my crotch. These are then forwarded on to PostmanE, who usually just laughs and shakes his head. See: bloggers and beat writers have so much in common!

Stephon Marbury has dirt on Isiah Thomas and he’s not afraid to share it

November 14th, 2007 | Posted by PostmanR

So, this whole Stephon Marbury AWOL adventure away from the Knicks is great because it’s totally Starbury and it’s totally what the Knicks have become under the tutelage of one Mr. Isiah Thomas. Things are naturally falling into place; the Earth is still rotating around the sun. The New York Daily News (it’s headline today reads “It’s War-bury!” How clever!) digs a little deeper into what actually caused the spat between Marbury and Thomas. Here’s what Frank Isola’s got:

 According to a person close to the team, Marbury’s air rage began when Eddy Curry, following a conversation with Isiah Thomas, told Marbury that he and Marbury were being pulled from the starting lineup against the Suns.

Upon hearing that he would back up second-year guard Mardy Collins, Marbury marched toward the front of the plane to meet with Thomas. Five minutes later, an enraged Marbury told his teammates that if he wasn’t starting he wouldn’t suit up for the game. But it was something else Marbury said that stunned his teammates in the back of the luxury plane.

“Isiah has to start me,” Marbury fumed, according to the source. “I’ve got so much (stuff) on Isiah and he knows it. He thinks he can (get) me. But I’ll (get) him first. You have no idea what I know.”

[ … ]

“It seems like he and I kinda go through this every November,” Thomas said. “And then a couple of weeks go by and we kinda kiss and make up and we get back to the business of trying to win basketball games. Hopefully, in the next couple of days this will be resolved.”

Ah yes, let’s blackmail our coach because we aren’t starting in a game against Phoenix. I’m not quite sure what Stephon has on Isiah, but I’m willing to bet it involve something that rhymes with dagina. Gosh darn it … I love the Knicks.

{HT: CSTB}

The tenuous nature of Isiah Thomas

March 12th, 2007 | Posted by PostmanE

At this point, I’m not exactly sure how to summarize my feelings toward Isiah Thomas. Ripping the dude incessantly feels unreasonable, but praising him, or defending him, oftentimes comes off as nothing short of ridiculous. It’s a bit of a quandary.

That said, perhaps James Dolan might want to rethink his stance on Isiah the general manager and keep Isiah the coach, because Thomas has apparently earned Dolan’s trust enough to get a contract extension today:

The Knicks owner is expected to announce a multiyear extension for Thomas, rewarding a 29-34 start after taking over for Larry Brown this season. The Knicks won just 23 games all season under Brown.

Several New York media outlets are reporting the deal, with The New York Times saying Dolan will make the announcement this morning at Madison Square Garden.

The move is no surprise, as the Daily News reports that Thomas has been hinting at it for weeks and Dolan confirmed as much to the players recently.

Dolan had given Thomas an ultimatum to make “progress” with an overpriced roster he put together as team president, but had floundered under Brown.

The team is currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Well, Dolan wanted “progress,” and progress he got, though it’s still hard to justify an under .500 team with a $117 million (!) payroll. Then again, as bad as this team was last year, it’s clear that Thomas’ style works with the corp of players he has more fluidly than Larry Brown’s “screw rookies, screw creativity … now run my half court set, goddamnit” attitude.

Not only that, but the Eddy Curry trade looks better by the day. Considering Curry is the legitimate piece the Bulls need to really contend this year - regardless of his weird heart condition - it’s hard to look at Isiah the GM with the same disdain. He’s still a terrible GM ($117 million!), but he’s a little less terrible than he once was. I suppose that’s “progress.”

Silly little Nate

November 30th, 2006 | Posted by PostmanE

Just when you think the Knicks couldn’t be any worse, couldn’t possibly be more unwatchable, one of their most exciting - and strangely effective - players goes and pulls a stunt like this … and totally redeems himself!

This is Nate Robinson - N-Robs, if you’re nasty - attempting to dunk on a fast break last night and, as he said, fire his team up. It turns out coach Isiah Thomas really enjoyed the attempt. He had this to say:

“I thought it was great,” Thomas said.

Oops. My fault. That was about Bob Knight slapping a dude in the face. Hey, these mistakes happen. Let’s see if we can’t find that Isiah quote … yep, here it is:

Isiah Thomas wasn’t happy and, in the next timeout, let Robinson hear it. “I don’t think we’ll see that again,” Thomas said.

Yeah Coach, because another instance like this, and you never know - people might actually stop taking the Knicks seriously.