As many as there are to be ashamed of, there are many things one could be proud of when it comes to the Knicks. They are one of only two teams (the other being the Boston Celtics) that are still in their original city, which helps add some stability to a franchise that seems to go through turmoil almost yearly. In the early parts of their history, they garnered two championships in the 70's, eight conference championships into the late nineties, five division titles in which the most recent was in 2013, and several players whose numbers have been retired and many have gone on to successful coaching careers in some way, shape, or form. The highlight of the Knick fan's life were those battles against legends like Michael Jordan, Akeem Olajuwon, and Reggie Miller, just to name a few. I'm going to talk about the past but I'll save the highlights for you guys. I'm really not in the mood.
WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON WITH THIS FRANCHISE? If I didn't know better, and I didn't ignore some of my "conspiracy theorist" mentality, I would think someone is single-handedly trying to sink this storied franchise. I would think this is a blatant case of sabotage. Ownership has appeared to go out of their way to make all the wrong moves, approach public relations in exactly the wrong way, and cut the hearts of every die-hard NYK loving fan out of their chests, stomp on them, burn them, and then grind the heels of their shoes into whatever is left. I'm absolutely sickened by what has become of this team. Ever since the early 2000's, I would say that the Knicks have lost themselves and still have yet to locate themselves. They have no identity. They field players who are largely focused on themselves and their individual stats and have forgotten what makes the dream work by utilizing some team work! Somebody might be thinking the same things us fans are: WHY ARE WE HERE?
I think 2002 was really when things began to go downhill when management began to add veteran players with physical issues that they never overcame, all the while paying them exorbitant amounts of money, hamstringing the franchise. But 2003 going into four or five years after were the beginning of the end. Two words. Isiah Thomas. Our history of team presidents is worse than the versions we have seen in Washington and after Scott Layden got pink-slipped, things went from bad to worse. A series of ill fated trades, questionable coaching hires, embarrassing on the court losses in the playoffs, and historically bad win-loss records that would leave a bad taste in even the most casual Knick fans' mouth. And then Anucha Browne-Sanders. This, along with all that preceded, revealed some serious issues with Knicks management and the overall environment at the greatest arena in the world, the Mecca, M.S.G. Fire Isiah was the crowd's theme song before long.
Years of bad draft picks, head-scratching trades, and a flurry of constant personnel changes led us to some acquisitions that would change the Knicks franchise forever and propel them back to their former glory and restore the Orange and Blue pride we once knew. Enter Amare Stoudemire. (lower leg problems). Enter Carmelo Anthony (offensive machine, defensive version of the Invisible Man and all around "flow stopper"). Enter Jeremy Lin. (We were "Lin-sane" to think this was the answer.) Enter Jason Kidd. Enter the Zen Master (Idiotic panic move to bid against yourself and severely overpay for someone who doesn't even want you! It's sad when running a sports franchise is just a glorified part time hobby!). Hey, even Rasheed Wallace came out of retirement to save us. Rose. Noah. We can't lose now! Well, they did lose for years and are still doing so in historic fashion.
Even our enemies know what's up:
"If you're a FA to be, why would you play for an owner who treats the past greats like this or a President who stabs star players in the back?" ~ Reggie Miller
End of story. And as long as certain players are on the team and certain higher-ups are allowed to freely run the team into the ground night after night, this franchise might be at its end too. Honestly, without all the hyperbole and wisecracks, I don't see how the Knicks can come back from all these leveling blows they have taken for more than a decade. Internal turmoil, infighting, players on milk cartons for a few days, a lack of sound fundamentals, inept management, etcetera, etcetera! I don't see how they can return to prominence and start playing winning basketball. A waste of space and a waste of talent like Kristap Porzingis, one of the best big men we have had on the team in years. They seem to be the perennial doormat and that is a shame and a disgrace.
How does one fix a mess like this? It's hard to stomach and really hard to be proud of a franchise that doesn't respect its legends, great ambassadors, and based on the talent they've put out for years now, they likely don't respect you, the fan, either. Guys like Dolan only understand one thing: the bottom line. I'm not suggesting a boycott of the Knicks even though I have refused to allow them to grace my 70" TV set until some things change. You use your voice as you see fit but until they choose to listen to the heartbeat of the city, sit back and continue to enjoy a heavy helping of bile every other night. The fans deserve better. Heck, the Mecca deserves better!
Please share your thoughts, solutions, and frustrations with the team, the league, or even if you think I'm totally wrong and the Knicks are doing great. Thanks for listening.
No comments:
Post a Comment