New York Knicks 2009-2010 Preview
New York Knicks 2009-10 Season Preview (If you’re not a diehard Knicks fan, just don’t bother caring till July 1, 2010)
-Let’s get this out of the way first: No one knows what Lebron’s going to do! Not his momma, not his agent, not his wife, probably not even him. So unless some sort of irresistible Gretzky-like trade arises (damned near impossible) or Lebron unequivocally states his intentions (ditto), here’s an idea: just leave it alone and enjoy the season. The Knicks may very well be horrible or a pleasant surprise this season but regardless, endless speculation about the unknown will quickly go from entertaining to hopelessly annoying (read: Brett Favre and Sportscenter for the past four summers). Quick example before we initiate the moratorium to illustrate my point, the apparent Braylon Edwards-Lebron beef made me think for a split second his presence on the Jets would prevent James from coming to NYC. I mean, the Jets need a #1 receiver but not if it costs the Knicks! Moving on…
-The Summer that wasn’t- They courted some vets to no avail and rather than splurge on an oft-injured untested with “potential”, Donnie decided not to jeopardize any cap space. Could we have traded up for Rubio or Curry? I certainly hope they would have! On the plus side, Quentin “Man Boobs” Richardson is no longer around in favor of the biggest lottery bust since, well, that depends on your personal opinion of Kwame Brown. As a desperate fan, you wanted some sort of splash anywhere. As a smart fan, Walsh may look like a genius in hindsight.
-The Certainties- A happily signed Lee and hopefully humbled Nate will be the main driving force behind the NY offense. Will they play defense? Probably not. Also, if Al Harrington can avoid getting technicals that cost us games versus the Clippers, he’ll continue to be a valuable veteran presence and I won’t have to throw a brick at his head. Wilson Chandler will struggle at the 2 spot at first but will quickly adapt
-The Uncertain- Eddy Curry: Actually correct that, he’s certain not to contribute anything positive. Before he lost the weight, I was really holding out for a heart attack, oh well. Jared Jeffries: If Mike D’Antoni can turn a player who gives me palpitations every time he touches the ball into a legitimate offensive threat/leader, I may not be willing to give up my first born for him to be traded. The Rooster: Did Coach say he was a great shooter to help his confidence or did he lose a bet. He gets the benefit of the doubt for pre-season but if he keeps bricking it up, I’m gonna keep dreaming Westbrook dropped in our lap last draft.
-The Rookies- Jordan Hill, thanks for coming out, keep up the good work, now sit on the bench until David Lee leaves. Toney Douglas, you’ve got bigger shoes to fill. Just outshine Nate Robinson at every turn while playing better defense (that shouldn’t be too hard) and keeping Chris Duhon’s legs fresh.
-Trades! (please?)- Thanks to the recession, we kept Lee and Nate because no teams could afford to overpay them. Could we get lucky and fleece a team in a lop-sided salary-saving trade? Enter Cuttino Mobley, or rather the insurance on his expiring contract that comes off the books. Walsh has already said he has no intention to move the contract but he might want to see what happened when the Blazers didn’t move Raef Lafrentz’s expiring deal last season. They saved money by staying put but sometimes it’s better to get something back in return, not to mention the possibility of packaging Mobley with Jeffries or Curry (if there’s a God) for cap relief and some draft picks which we have none of in a possibly stacked 2010 draft. Much like this summer, I won’t hold my breath.
-Playoffs?!?!?!- Last season, I bet a bartender 20 bucks the Knicks were 35 wins or better. Mind you, that was when I figured Z-Bo and Crawford, for all their faults, were good for a couple of random wins. That didn’t make paying the bet after avoiding it for a couple of months any better. In the long run, what’s wrong with another losing season when we’re finally under the cap and I get to hear Paul Simon every time Al Harrington scores at MSG? But is this team capable of 35 wins, let alone the playoffs? Ummmm, I don’t know, maybe, no, be optimistic, of course they can, after the Big Three, the East is wide open and there’s plenty of crappy West teams, get a little momentum, they could totally do it! Will they? If they do, I’ll be friggin’ ecstatic, if not, I’ll continue to be entertained by a team I have no idea what to expect of anymore. Go Knicks!
-Let’s get this out of the way first: No one knows what Lebron’s going to do! Not his momma, not his agent, not his wife, probably not even him. So unless some sort of irresistible Gretzky-like trade arises (damned near impossible) or Lebron unequivocally states his intentions (ditto), here’s an idea: just leave it alone and enjoy the season. The Knicks may very well be horrible or a pleasant surprise this season but regardless, endless speculation about the unknown will quickly go from entertaining to hopelessly annoying (read: Brett Favre and Sportscenter for the past four summers). Quick example before we initiate the moratorium to illustrate my point, the apparent Braylon Edwards-Lebron beef made me think for a split second his presence on the Jets would prevent James from coming to NYC. I mean, the Jets need a #1 receiver but not if it costs the Knicks! Moving on…
-The Summer that wasn’t- They courted some vets to no avail and rather than splurge on an oft-injured untested with “potential”, Donnie decided not to jeopardize any cap space. Could we have traded up for Rubio or Curry? I certainly hope they would have! On the plus side, Quentin “Man Boobs” Richardson is no longer around in favor of the biggest lottery bust since, well, that depends on your personal opinion of Kwame Brown. As a desperate fan, you wanted some sort of splash anywhere. As a smart fan, Walsh may look like a genius in hindsight.
-The Certainties- A happily signed Lee and hopefully humbled Nate will be the main driving force behind the NY offense. Will they play defense? Probably not. Also, if Al Harrington can avoid getting technicals that cost us games versus the Clippers, he’ll continue to be a valuable veteran presence and I won’t have to throw a brick at his head. Wilson Chandler will struggle at the 2 spot at first but will quickly adapt
-The Uncertain- Eddy Curry: Actually correct that, he’s certain not to contribute anything positive. Before he lost the weight, I was really holding out for a heart attack, oh well. Jared Jeffries: If Mike D’Antoni can turn a player who gives me palpitations every time he touches the ball into a legitimate offensive threat/leader, I may not be willing to give up my first born for him to be traded. The Rooster: Did Coach say he was a great shooter to help his confidence or did he lose a bet. He gets the benefit of the doubt for pre-season but if he keeps bricking it up, I’m gonna keep dreaming Westbrook dropped in our lap last draft.
-The Rookies- Jordan Hill, thanks for coming out, keep up the good work, now sit on the bench until David Lee leaves. Toney Douglas, you’ve got bigger shoes to fill. Just outshine Nate Robinson at every turn while playing better defense (that shouldn’t be too hard) and keeping Chris Duhon’s legs fresh.
-Trades! (please?)- Thanks to the recession, we kept Lee and Nate because no teams could afford to overpay them. Could we get lucky and fleece a team in a lop-sided salary-saving trade? Enter Cuttino Mobley, or rather the insurance on his expiring contract that comes off the books. Walsh has already said he has no intention to move the contract but he might want to see what happened when the Blazers didn’t move Raef Lafrentz’s expiring deal last season. They saved money by staying put but sometimes it’s better to get something back in return, not to mention the possibility of packaging Mobley with Jeffries or Curry (if there’s a God) for cap relief and some draft picks which we have none of in a possibly stacked 2010 draft. Much like this summer, I won’t hold my breath.
-Playoffs?!?!?!- Last season, I bet a bartender 20 bucks the Knicks were 35 wins or better. Mind you, that was when I figured Z-Bo and Crawford, for all their faults, were good for a couple of random wins. That didn’t make paying the bet after avoiding it for a couple of months any better. In the long run, what’s wrong with another losing season when we’re finally under the cap and I get to hear Paul Simon every time Al Harrington scores at MSG? But is this team capable of 35 wins, let alone the playoffs? Ummmm, I don’t know, maybe, no, be optimistic, of course they can, after the Big Three, the East is wide open and there’s plenty of crappy West teams, get a little momentum, they could totally do it! Will they? If they do, I’ll be friggin’ ecstatic, if not, I’ll continue to be entertained by a team I have no idea what to expect of anymore. Go Knicks!
posted by Gen at
5:19 PM
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