My State of the Knicks Address

New Yorkers can be so impatient at times. “Fire Isiah” chants rained on the very first game in Madison Square Garden last year, a game that I attended. THE FIRST GAME, and they went Bob Backlund on us and threw in the towel. No the Knicks didn’t make the playoffs. But all in all, I still feel that last season was a success.

I learned a lot about this team though. I learned that David Lee is Pretty Fly for a White Guy. That he is a dominant rebounder despite everything he has going against him, his skin color, his hair, and his size. I learned Stephon Marbury can be dominant, and that Larry Brown didn’t totally castrate his basketball abilities. I learned that Eddy Curry could hit a three, and more importantly that he could dominate the game with his post scoring.

It still wasn’t all peaches and creams. I also learned that despite what John Hollinger’s CDR (I’ll get into that later) may tell you, Channing Frye isn’t a 20-10 player. I learned that no, Steve Francis isn’t even a shell of the shell of a player he was in Houston. But you know what… in one foul swoop, Isiah fixed those two negatives in the trade that brought in Zach Randolph.

ZACH RANDOLPH! Think about it this way. In two years Isiah essentially traded Channing Frye, Michael Sweetney, Trevor Ariza and LaMarcus Aldridge for Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph… because dominant young post players before their prime are easy to come by in the NBA.

Now before John Hollinger loses more hair coming up with new ways to add to his PER aka the CDR (Curry Deficiency Rating) I have a new rating system that I came up with all by myself… lets call it the CSM or the Common Sense Method. See, instead of using the theory of relativity to compare the effectiveness of players I’ve never watched, I’m going to instead watch every Knicks game and then analyze it using my EYE.

How could a combination of two dominant post presences not equate into wins? Common sense, right? Two guys shooting over 50%, getting the majority of the touches while the other team only shoots 45%. Ron Burgundy: It’s science.

What can any team with one defensive stopper do? They can’t double-team both of them. Even the conscienceless Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford could hit open shots. Heck, even Jared Jeffries would start hitting those shots. Everyone who says that there aren’t enough balls to go around have to realize that other than Jerome James, the Centers aren’t the ones bringing up the ball. When they get the ball, they are supposed to take a high percentage shot. That’s why they made the position, despite what Mike D’Antoni tells you.

And now there’s talk of shipping over Ron Artest for David Lee. While I love David Lee, we have to think both short-term and long term. Ron Artest can literally put these Knicks over the top. David Lee can really be nothing more than an energy guy. But with Randolph’s knack for rebounding, Lee has become less needed. If the Knicks can somehow swing a trade for the St. John’s alumn, it would bring a defensive toughness that has been missing since they sent Charles Oakley packing. And when the time comes where the Knicks would have to actually pay David Lee, I don’t think him or his agent are settling for the Veterans Minimum. Don’t you think we’re better off convincing a complete nut to take less money? Yeah… and it’s even easier when that nut is an All-Star talent who is from New York.

Maybe you Knick fans haven’t watched in a long time. It sure seems that way. Yeah, for a while, these Knicks were practically unwatchable, especially that year when Larry Brown was coaching. But stop for a second regurgitating beat writers’ opinions and try grabbing a remote and watching the game for yourself. Because if you haven’t watched, then you missed this slow overturning of a bad expensive roster into an expensive one with enormous potential.

Complain all you want about the payroll, Knick fans, but that really doesn’t affect you. All that matters is that the Knicks have become relevant in the league once again. With or without the addition of Ron Artest, the Knicks have a young nucleus that Isiah is not afraid to change if it doesn’t work. And in a day when so many people refuse to take responsibility for their actions, Isiah is, and if he fails it’s not for lack of trying. As compared to you Knick fans who so gave up on him the first game of last season, I stuck with him. And I’m about to see the fruits of his labor. (Pardon the sexual harassment pun)

Jason Paderon is a co-owner, columnist and cartoonist for ChewThemOut.com. Additionally, he was a newswriter at the Staten Island Advance. He can be reached at paderon@chewthemout.com