Snow, a Sister, and Sports Writers By Sportszilla

So I'm currently stuck in the Tufts University Library in Somerville, MA. I'm here to visit my sister for the weekend, which entails roughing it in the 'burbs and sleeping on the floor of her tiny dorm room. Oh well, such is brotherly love. It's currently snowing outside, which isn't so troublesome here but will be a major pain in the ass if it's also happening in New York.

Snow in New York City is one of God's primary revenges against urbanites: within 15 minutes of hitting the ground, it can be classified as toxic waste. Furthermore, because all of Manhattan is covered in tall buildings, the mounds of snow that occur when the streets are shoveled take weeks to disappear. Brown, freezing water shrouds most street corners, forcing the average pedestrian to work on their long-jumping skills.

That wasn't really supposed to be the main thrust of this post, just sort of where I went. You see, my sister is working for about 25 more minutes here at the library, and since I've already visited Deadspin about 17 times in the last hour, hoping for another post, I'm kind of out of options. All this time in front of a computer did allow me to sift through a few things I hadn't yet seen online, and talk about a few things I wanted to get off my chest.

In reading through some of the more recent posts on Fire Joe Morgan, I've been amused at the amount of idiotic venom directed at Bonds by "prominent" online writers (and I didn't even mention Satan). I have a couple of thoughts. The first is that attacking Bonds is the journalistic equivilent to taking candy from a baby: it's easy, no one wants to see it happen, and only Mr. Burns would do it. The second is that it really, really, really makes me want to see Bonds break Hank Aaron's record. I've long been sick of the "athlete as hero" myth. So what if Bonds is a selfish, arrogant jerk? So are many other people I've met. Just because he makes a lot of money, he's supposed to become a better person? People who expect perfection from public figures are fools.

But what this really speaks to is something that I greatly fear about myself. Presumably, at some point in their lives, people like Satan actually loved sports. It's why they followed it, and it's why they started writing about it. Yet somewhere along the line, sports became a job, and all the joy disappeared.

Earlier this week, I finished reading an advance copy of Will Blythe's new book: To Hate Like This is to Be Happy Forever. It's a great book, which comes out next week (working at a radio station has a few perks, I guess), but I loved it at least in part because Blythe, like myself, grapples with the issue of whether a writer, a journalist, can both cover sports and remain a fan. He seperates his persona into two parts, "the journalist," who can bring himself to interview J.J. Redick and not taunt him about his poetry, and "the beast," who reddens at the mere sight of Mike Krzyzewski, even if it's just on TV.

I know full well what Blythe is talking about. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a passionate sports fan, and while I rarely weep when my teams lose anymore (a routine practice for me as a child), all anyone has to do to get me to cring is mention Dikembe Mutumbo, or Arthur Rhodes, or Rip Hamilton, or Kevin Curtis. I love sports, but most of all I love being a fan. While I want to write about sports, I never want to lose my fandom. That's the reason why I (and I'd suspect most of his fans) like Bill Simmons so much. His knowledge may be questionable, his columns may be laced with the same 80s references over and over again, but he's also the only writer on ESPN.com who never has his fan credentials questioned.

With college graduation a few months away and the great unknown that entails, I suppose I've been in a contemplative mood lately. Factor in spending time on a real college campus, snow, reading Tom Robbins, and a couple of hours in an unfamiliar library, and you get the above. Now, it's time to go sledding.

Skip Bayless Doing Skip Bayless By Bryan Koch

"And don't be surprised if, come April, the only question about the Knicks is: Can they possibly make the playoffs?"

Skip wrote that in a national column today.

I'm thinking about giving up media criticism. Honestly, at this point, these idiot writers do all of the work for me. It's become so absurd that I don't even get to ridicule them.

Maybe Skip's just trying to see how preposterous a statement he can slip into a column before ESPN actually fires him.

By the way, Skip: No, the Knicks cannot actually make the playoffs. If every other team were to maintain its present pace, the Knicks would have to go 26-3 over their last 29 games to make the playoffs.

26-3.

I'm vexed.

Garden Dreams By Sportszilla

Since I’m free of the burden of being a Knick fan, I can approach the Steve Francis trade from a position of detached interest. The foremost thought in my mind is that under a different coach, New York could be at the very least a fun team to watch. With Marbury, Francis, Crawford, Robinson, and Richardson, they’ve got a lot of athletic guards who can push the tempo. If Larry Brown would turn them loose to attack and play an up-temp, 1980s style of ball, I have a feeling Knick fans would be more pleased.

Picture scores regularly in the 120s. Well, that’s the case now, but at least the Knicks would also be putting up a lot of points. Much like the Phoenix Suns revitalized fast-break basketball last season, the Knicks could further the revolution. It would be fitting, considering how much damage the Blue and Orange did to basketball under Jeff Van Gundy.

Sadly, Brown is the exact wrong coach for this team. He’ll insist on defensive output from a group of scorers, and he’ll restrict their creativity and freedom on offense. Clearly, as he’s aged, Brown has forgotten where he got his start as a coach: the free-wheeling ABA. Maybe he can crank up the WayBack Machine, pull his old outfits out of the closet, and let out the reins.

Clearly, Isiah Thomas is a terrible GM, perhaps the worst in NBA history. But under a different coach, this team could at least be fun. Sadly, like most recent Knick teams, they’ll merely end up pathetic.

Sonics Acquire Earl Watson:

This one is for my father. He loved Earl after the Sonics drafted him, was upset when he signed with Memphis, and never stopped hoping he’d return. The money is high, but then again the Sonics desperately needed a back-up point guard who could do things Luke Ridnour can’t, like play defense. Potapenko and Evans were non-factors anyhow, so it’s not as if the team lost talent.

But if this team has a future, it’s with the Chris Wilcox trade. I’ve yet to see him play, but so far he’s looked very good in his limited outings with the Supes. If he can give them an athletic, talented 4, they’ll be in good shape next year…if they resign him, of course.

Stevie’s New Franchise By John W. Schmeelk

It’s a frustrating time of year for big time Knicks fans. It happens one or two times a year after a trade when sports show hosts and callers alike who haven’t seen the Knicks play in three years, or know the eccentricities of the NBA salary cap if they fell on their head, decide they are going to wax poetic about the team.

Let’s be clear about one thing, this article is not a defense of what Isiah Thomas has done as his time as General Manager of the Knicks. He’s done a bad job and has not improved the team, despite the fact he’s improved the talent. Everyone seems to forget the mess he inherited from the worst GM in NBA history, Scott Layden. Keep this in mind: if Thomas had made no moves the Knicks would still have the following players under contract this season:

Othella Harrington (3.5 mill)
Clarence Weatherspoon (6.3 mill)
Howard Eisley (5.6 mill)
Shandon Anderson (6.7 mill ) (7.3 next year)
Allan Houston (19.1 mill) (20.7 next year)
Kurt Thomas (6.6 mill) (7.3 next year) (8.1 mill 2007-2008)
Michael Sweetny (2.1 mill) (2.7 next year)

Whomever ended up filling out the roster would put them over the cap preventing them from signing any free agents. Imagine exactly how bad the Knicks team would be if this was the core of their roster, a bunch of overpaid veterans with no young players with any potential.

Now compare those players with this group:
Stephon Marbury
Steve Francis
Jamal Crawford
Quentin Richardson
Eddie Curry
Channing Frye
David Lee
Nate Robinson
Qyntel Woods
Jalen Rose

Now can you make the argument that as the Knicks stand right now it would be preferable to have been the worst team in the league the last three years and be under the cap after the season, sure. But to anticipate the team would be as bad as it is now when Isiah took over is unrealistic, despite what some people might say.

One very important factor that everyone seems to forget is that the only good player besides Kurt Thomas carried over from the Scott Layden regime was Allan Houston. It was with a healthy Allan Houston in mind that Thomas made the Marbury trade, and the one season both of them were healthy together for any length of time the team did in fact make the playoffs. And remember it was Scott Layden and Don Cheaney who rushed Houston back early that season to try and save their jobs. While it is easy to say now that the Knicks never should have acquired Marbury nearly everyone liked the deal when it went down.

Once the team had Marbury and his monster contract they were committed to being over the salary cap until after the 06-07 season, with Houston and Marbury accounting for 40 million dollars of salary all on their own. Thomas was in a bind through no fault of his own. And even if the Marbury trade never went down and the Knicks were under the cap heading into the offseason, what big free agent would they sign? A max contract for Al Harrington? Big money for Vladimir Radmonovic?

It brings me to the biggest misnomer of how to rebuild an NBA franchise, by getting under the salary cap and doing it via free agency. What team has this worked for exactly? Look at the league’s great teams, none got that way via free agency. Dirk Nowitzki was drafted by Dallas, and gotten in the draft where he was because teams hadn’t yet respected the international player. Tim Duncan was drafted by the Spurs with the top pick, which they only had because of a David Robinson injury and their decision to tank an entire season. Ginobli and Parker were drafted in the late first round. The Pistons got Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace in trades for players with big contracts similar to the players the Knicks have. Prince was drafted, and Billups was on the scrap heap before Larry Brown signed him. Shaq was acquired in a trade, and Dwyane Wade was drafted. Garnett was drafted by Minnesota. Kidd and Vince Carter both arrived via trade, with Jefferson being drafted. McGrady: received in a trade, Ming drafted. Lebron James and Ilguaskas were drafted. Jermaine O’Neal and Peja Stojakovic were both gotten in trades. Same for Ray Allen. Denver’s whole roster was assembled via trade, spare Carmelo who they drafted.

In fact the only good NBA team that really benefited from getting under the cap and signing a good free agent are the Suns, who picked up Steve Nash.

Let’s look at the teams that got all this cap room, only to waste it on bad players.

Washington Wizards – they aren’t winning anything with all their money tied up in Gilbert Arenas and Antwaan Jamison.
Utah Jazz – They have all their money tied up in three mediocre players – Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, and Mehmet Okur.
Milwaukee Bucks – Bobby Simmons is really worth all that money.
Atlanta Hawks – Remains to be seen – but so far all that room last year to sign Joe Johnson really worked.
Chicago Bulls – They had cap room for three years and now they are starting over again by blowing the team up. This is year 8 of their rebuilding process.
Denver Nuggets – They used all their cap room on Kenyon Martin – now they want to deal him.
LA Clippers – An improved team but does anyone really think they have any chance for a championship with all their cash tied up in Elton Brand, Cuttino Mobley and oft-injured Corey Maggette.

Other big free agent signings that really worked out for teams the last few years:
Vladimir Radmanovic
Brian Cardinal
Michael Olowokandi
Andre Miller
Raef LaFrentz

None of this proves what the Knicks are doing is right. But it is proof that simply getting under the cap is no guarantee of turning a franchise around. In fact looking at the teams and players involved above it seems to be a path to nowhere. The point is that true franchise players that can really help a team win are never allowed to really get to free agency, and usually stay with the team that drafted them. Might LeBron James be the exception to the rule? Maybe. But remember under NBA rules the current player’s team can always offer more money than anyone else, making getting a franchise player from another team via free agency nearly impossible. Yes, the Baron Davis’, Paul Pierce's and Antwaan Jamison’s of the world may become free agents, but these are second tier players that will not carry a franchise to a title, yet will make max money or close to it anyway. Teams that tear down not only go through the pain of being bad as they get under the cap, but they also often deal with the disappointment afterwards when no one truly great is on the market to sign.

They way you win in the NBA is having that one star player. The Pistons are the exception to the rule. The Spurs have Duncan. The Suns Nash. (though I'd argue Stoudemire is the key to a future title, not Nash) The Mavericks: Dirk. The Heat: Shaq and Wade. The Wolves have Garnett. The Rockets have Mcgrady and Yao. The Cavs have Lebron (for now).

They way you get a guy like that is via trade, or getting lucky in the draft. Neither is easy, especially the latter. Teams like the Bulls, Clippers, and Warriors have had top ten picks for years and still cant make themselves into decent franchises.

The Knicks, have more confidence in getting something done via a trade than free agency. History says it is probably a wise decision. Good players get dumped for various reasons all the time. Next year the Knicks will have another opportunity to make a move with Taylor and Jalen Rose’s expiring contracts, then Malik Rose the year after that. Then Marbury and Francis come off the books the following season. There is a plan, despite people that say there isn’t.

We already talked about Isiah’s track record, and how getting under the cap is no guarantee of winning. So let’s evaluate his trades with that in mind:

Marbury: The ultimate no-brainer. Acquired for a dilapidated McDyess, Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Majiec Lampe, Milosh Vujanic and a first round pick that turned into Kirk Snyder. The Knicks also got Penny Hardaway – who turned into Steve Francais.

Crawford: Acquired for Othella Harrington, Frank Williams and Dikembe Mutombo. Talent wise, and youth wise a no-brainer again.

Tim Thomas: Acquired for Keith Van Horn. Not a good trade in retrospect – but no appreciable long term detriment to the team.

Malik Rose: Despite the fact they got two first round picks (one already used on David Lee), giving up Nazr Mohammed did not make a lick of sense. And not doing this would have saved the embarrassment of signing Jerome James.

Maurice Taylor: Dealt a second round pick and Moochie Norris and Vin Baker. No complaints here.

Eddie Curry: Traded this year’s first round pick, along with Tim Thomas and Michael Sweetny. The Bulls can also swap picks with the Knicks in 2007. This depends on what you think of Curry and this year’s draft class. I still do this trade knowing what I know now. I think Curry has a better chance of being a franchise player than anyone the Knicks could get in the draft this season. He is still 6-11 with great physical ability, can score, and is only 23. Who in this year’s draft class has that on the resume?

Kurt Thomas: Q-Richardson is coming along but you take this trade back if you have the opportunity. The swingman has not worked out and the Knicks could use Thomas’ toughness, defense and rebounding. Though remember he would be taking minutes away from Channing Frye.

The Draft: Thomas’ drafting has been better than good. He got a player that can make an NBA team in the second round in Ariza, a future all-star in Frye, and two guys in the late first round that will be in this league a long time in Robinson and Lee. No complaints.

Coach: He made a mistake in picking Lenny Wilkins over Mike Fratello, but you have to give him credit for bringing in Larry Brown.

Jerome James: ........

Jalen Rose: Traded Antonio Davis and got back a first round pick. Rose has one year more on the contract, and is a better player. Plus the Knicks get a first round pick out of the deal. Though I need to admit I have no idea how he is going to play with both Marbuy and Francis.

And finally we come back to the Steve Francis trade. The Knicks obviously got the most talent back. And despite what is in the papers, my people tell me this was a Larry Brown deal, not an Isiah one. And believe me, right now Thomas is in no position to make trades without Brown’s approval – let alone any contrary to what the coach wants. I think Brown actually likes the idea of having two guards in the backcourt that can play both positions. It will honestly be a interesting basketball experiment to watch over the next 30 games. It would have been a better trade if they could have sent Crawford to Orlando, relieving the glut in the backcourt. And please remember Francais was at one point the centerpiece in a trade for Tracy McGrady. The guy can play.

But the Knicks get another very talented player that has not worked out elsewhere. And two problems remain.

The first is chemistry. Brown has not been able to make it work yet, can he do so with Francais and Marbury together? We’ll find out. Brown has some sort of idea of what he wants with these two guys.

The second is still the problem that the Knicks have not yet been able to solve, but is not a hard one. Defense. The team still plays no defense. And until they do they will not win games. Stockpiling offensive talent can be an effective strategy if the team can play defense. This team can’t.

So here’s the answer. In the offseason deal some of this talent to a team for some roleplayers. Guys that play defense, and don’t need the ball in their hands. Here are the key needs:

1. A purely defensive swingman. Perhaps Trenton Hassel? The Knicks need someone that can guard the 2 or the 3 positions. That right now is their achilles heel. The Knicks can get a guy like this with their veteran free agent cap exception.

2. A shot blocker. This would help the Knicks poorest perimeter defense. Maybe Jerome James...No, no he can’t. Not so easy to come by.

3. Physical big man. A power forward to compliment Frye and Curry down low. Taylor is a decent player but he is a finesse guy, not a physical presence. This could be one in the same with the shotblocker.

Notice the need for a point guard is off the list, assuming that they keep Marbury and Francis.

So please ignore the following things you hear this week from people who think they know their face from their fanny when they talk about the Knicks:
- Getting under the cap will solve your problems.
- The Knicks are anywhere near getting under the cap as it is. (even without the Francis deal you are looking at three more seasons of being over the cap)
- Larry Brown forcing the team to play his style of play is hurting the Knicks. (The Knicks don’t play defense – this is their problem)
- Allan Houston was the start of the problem for the team. (no – in fact if he was healthy this team is in decent shape right now)
- Isiah has no plan. (There’s a plan – you might not agree with it, but there is a plan)
- The team is old and overpaid. (it’s overpaid but it is abundantly young)
- It's Jim Dolan's fault. (he's a clown, but he spends money - what else do you want from an owner)

So there you go.

Take it for what it is. The Knicks have a young power forward and young center, and two potential All-Stars in the backcourt. Look at the players on this roster that are former first round picks:
Stephon Marbury
Steve Francis
Eddie Curry
Jamal Crawford
Quentin Richardson
Nate Robinson
David Lee
Qyntel Woods
Jalen Rose
Maurice Taylor

You figure out for yourself how many are in the top ten.

There’s plenty.

And there’s plenty of talent.

Can Larry Brown get them to play defense?

We’ll find out soon enough.

Oh yeah – and in the don’t hold your breath department – the Knicks can next be under the cap in 2009. It won’t be all roses after that either. Carlos Boozer will be available that season.

AUTHOR'S ADENDUM:

After rereading this today I found that it seems to be somewhat pro-Isiah, which was not my intent. I merely meant to show there was a method to his madness, and his plan does have some solid principles behind it. (it is easier to get a stat via trade than free agency)

However, this does not mean Isiah has done a good job, or has gone about this the right way. The team is locked in to its current makeup for three years, unless they can move some of their high salary players in trades. The team has a great coach and is 20 games under .500.

Isiah should be fired, and the Knicks need to move in a different direction – despite the sound logic that guided Isiah in many of his moves. That is all.

Knickerbocker Debacle, Jets Crash and More... By Ben Valentine

Okay, since I got my temptation to laugh at the joke the Knicks are while commenting on David’s post, I thought I’d add something to it. As some have speculated, I feel this is the precursor to the end of Stephon Marbury’s days in New York.

It goes without saying Marbury and Steve Francis are very similar players. And you really can’t get by having your best two players being shooting guards in a point guards bodies. Now, Knicks fans have been screaming about this since Jamal Crawford was brought in, but Isiah, for all his faults, can’t be this stupid. If Crawford and Marbury can’t co-exist, then how on earth is an even more shoot first player like Francis going to work here? And how exactly are they going to guard anyone? Which one of them is taking Vince Carter? Or Richard Jefferson? Paul Pierce? Dwayne Wade? Not that the other one is exactly a shut down defender against point guards either.

No, this trade can’t be looked at in a vacuum. Something else is coming. And I feel that something will eventually be Kenyon Martin.

A possible deal could be Marbury to Denver for Martin and Andre Miller. The trade does in fact work out cap wise. (For those who don't believe me, head over to Real GM and punch in the players. It does work) Now the question is incentive; why would either team do it?


For Denver, Marbury only has 3 years left on his contract, compared to the five left on Martin’s. The Nuggets are anxious to get out from under that deal and probably could survive with Marbury playing as a point/shooting guard hybrid, since they have Earl Watson and Earl Boykins who can soak up minutes at the point. Denver admittedly loses size up front, but the rumored three team deal earlier this week had Denver getting Francis and Penny Hardaway back, neither of whom could replace Martin at the four. Maybe that’s why that deal didn’t get done, however it also means there is a chance Denver just wants out from Martin’s deal.

From the Knicks point of view, they get an actual point guard in Andre Miller. He’s a poor shooter, but with Francis, Crawford and Jalen Rose, he won’t be seeing the ball anyway. The Knicks gain some much needed size to go along with Channing Frye up front in Martin, who will be a better player back in the smaller Eastern Conference. He’s also a very good defender, something Larry Brown no doubt covets. Martin is certainly not worth the contract he’s got, but at this point money is no object to the Knicks since they can only realistically talk about blowing it up two or three years from now. With Frye, Martin, Rose, Francis and Miller, the Knicks might just approach respectability. It wouldn’t be championship caliber, but it makes the best of a bad situation. Since the Knicks losing this season only helps the Bulls anyway (Chicago gets the Knicks’ draft pick this year), why not roll the dice with this trade?

Will this deal happen? No clue. Real GM says the Knicks want to see how Marbury and Francis play together first. But realistically, I can’t see the Knicks being able to deal Jamal Crawford. Marbury is only player with a big contract the Knicks can really trade. Realizing that, I think that this deal or something like it, with Marbury and Martin being the principles, will go down eventually, if not by this week’s deadline then during the off season.

The End has Begun

For the New York Jets that is.

Now that September is almost six months away and those Super Dreams are a distant nightmare, the Jets have begun cleaning house by giving seven players their walking papers. The most notables from this group: Ty Law, Jason Fabini, Jerald Sowell and Jay Fiedler. No shocks there.

Law getting cut was the worst kept secret in the NFL. I compared him to Steve Atwater’s acquisition before the 99’ disaster and I now feel the analogy is complete, though I expect Law will not fade away out of existence like Atwater did. That being said, Law is not nearly the difference maker he believes himself to be. While ever the opportunistic defender with his double digit interceptions this year, his problems with illegal contact and mediocre corner play at times lead me to believe he’s on the decline. He could still make a difference, but I’d be shocked if anyone gave him more than a two year deal at this point.

Fabini, whom Zach nicknamed “the Human False Start” had a solid career in New York. However he has been on the decline for the last couple of years and many suspect was one of the players who called out for Chad Pennington to be cut last week. With the injury bug catching up to him and his salary, he was clearly a player who was on his way out. Add that up with the possibility the Jets take D’Brickashaw Ferguson with the fourth pick, and it would have been a colossal surprise had Fabini not gotten cut.

Fielder is also no surprise. Coming off shoulder surgery, it made no sense for the Jets to keep him at his salary. As for Sowell, he was a solid pass catching full back and a decent blocker. But on a team that is facing cap issues, and with a similar younger player in BJ Askew on roster, that's the business of the NFL.


Also of note today was the restructuring of Curtis Martin’s contract, thus ending all speculation he was finished with the team. Martin will compete for the starting tailback spot, but expect him to end up splitting carries with whatever rookie the Jets end up drafting. I doubt Cedric Houston impressed the new coaching staff enough for them not to look to draft a running back come April.

And finally, the Jets franchised John Abraham. This has been seen as a precursor to a trade. I can hope it isn’t, because Abraham is the only real difference maker on either side of the ball on roster. However, in the likely scenario the Jets end up dealing him, I would be shocked if they don't come back with multiple picks or an outright first rounder. If he were to hit the free agent market, Abraham would be a top five player in it, right up there with Shaun Alexander and Edgerrin James. That's worth something.

Stay tuned. The next two weeks should tell us a lot with this team, as Chad Pennington is due a roster bonus on March 3rd. If he’s still on roster after that, I don’t think he’ll be released this off season.

The Olympics… Just Because I Haven’t Said Much About Them Yet

-A couple of Olympic points: First, can anyone please tell me how figure skating is judged? Outside of when people fall down, I have a no idea how the heck they derive the scoring. One program looks pretty much like the others to me. And now that I think about it, wasn’t there a Chinese pair that DID fall, had to stop their program, start over and still got the gold?

This is why I can’t take figure skating seriously. If no one in the NFL can tell what holding is or figure out if a football crossed a goal line on slow motion replay, how the hell can a bunch of judges tell the intricacies of a triple toe loop from twenty or thirty feet away? Someone, anyone, who enjoys the sport, please give me an answer. I’d love to know.

-I’ve come close to writing a post about the Shani Davis/Chad Hedrick feud a couple of times. But I always ended up stopping myself. Honestly, I’m not sure what to make of Davis; the international speed skaters who he’s interacting with at the games seem to get along with him just fine. In fact they seem to get a long better with him than they do with Hedrick or the other Americans. I understand the resentment towards his opting out, but also realize that speed skating is an individual event and that team pursuit is just not on the same level as the individual races. In the end, him becoming the first African American to win gold at the winter games does far more for the sport in this country than him being part of the team pusuit. On the other hand he doesn’t seem the most personable guy in interviews, though again, that may be because of his resentment towards the US program more than anything else.

As for Hedrick, I’m pretty much convinced the guy is an egoistical blow hard. For a guy who talks about team, everything always is about him. He gets on Davis for not racing in the pursuit, then excuses his third place finish in the 1,500 by saying the Italian who won, Enrico Fabris, hadn’t raced as many races in the last two weeks as he had. I just love a hypocrite, don’t you? He also called himself the team captain of the US speed skating team… wait, when did this sport become like baseball, hockey… or any other TEAM sport? Last time I checked there’s only one man out there racing. Davis’, Joey Cheek or anyone else’s success at the games this far has absolutely nothing to do with Hedrick, so the idea that anyone owes him something is absolutely ludicrous.

But at the very least, both Hedrick and Davis have gold medals at these games, which is not something most of “America’s Greatest Team” can say.

-Speaking of an American Team that is only great in quotes, how about hockey? With guys like Doug Weight, Mike Modano, Bill Guerin and Chris Chelios, one can honestly say this team was great… four years ago. Outside of Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Rick DiPietro (What they couldn’t drag Mike Richter out of retirement?), the Americans had no youth on this team. And it showed. They looked like a bunch of guys who were past their prime. Can these guys still contribute to an NHL team? Sure. But to ask them to go out and compete in a wide open style of play with European players who are usually not only younger but far more used to this style, was asking for disaster. And that’s what happened. On the bright side, should the NHL decide to allow participation in the 2010 games in Vancouver, it can be safely assumed there will be some fresh blood on this team.

Thankfully the Olympics are winding down. When they finally end Sunday, we can stop worrying about tape delays, judges, obscure niche sports, drunken skiers and get back to things that really matter, like spring training. The games may not count, but at least I know who’s winning them.

And of course, I’ll finally be able to watch Scrubs again on NBC. That alone makes me wish these games were already long gone.

Just Another Sad Isiah Blasting Column By David Arnott

You should read the posts below on the Steve Francis trade before you read this one...

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...

Done? Okay.

It's an awful trade. Penny was probably most valuable to the team as an expiring contract, and even if they'd traded him straight up for Francis, the Knicks would have lost because Stevie is signed for another three years at big money. Ariza was just saliva in the Knicks fan's other eye.

Some folks over at Knickerblogger have been trying to rationalize the trade by saying that the cap doesn't really mean much to the Knicks. The fact of the matter, though, is that, as a general principle, keeping costs down allows flexibility, both in the amount of money the team can give to premium players and in the team's ability to trade problem players. Under NBA rules, that flexibility is more important than it is in MLB and the NFL.

We can look to recent sports history to see where this story will end. For a while, the Potomac Drainage Basin Indigenous Persons signed every big name, big money, star they could in spite of what the football talent evaluators said, and the team sucked. The Baltimore Orioles did the same in baseball, and the team didn't quite suck in the early part of this decade, but they had no chance. Hell, let's look at what the Knicks have done post-Ewing: ouch. Spending money judiciously is the only way to win, whether you have a lot to spend or only a little. Even the Lakers, a big market team, made sure not to overpay for complementary players to Shaq and Kobe.

So, what does all of this mean? It means that Zeke just screwed up the Knicks' first step towards financial responsibility by trading Penny's large expiring contract. From a talent standpoint, he traded a useful frontcourt player with a future in the league for a shoot first point guard whose spiritual brother was already starting for the team, meaning Francis, somehow, is redundant.

In the NBA, you can't win a championship with players who make far more than they're worth. It simply isn't possible with only fifteen players on the roster. Look at Allan Houston. Look at Kevin Garnett (he of the $25 million salary). Rasheed Wallace made more than he was worth in the Pistons' championship season, but he was a midseason pickup, and his performance wasn't worth that much less than his salary. According to his BasketballReference page, he and the Pistons agreed to bring that number down so that's it's more in line with his value. The Knicks seem to be operating in an alternate universe in which the fans want to see stars who made their names elsewhere, when in reality the fans want to see a winning team, no matter who's on the floor. Hell, everyone knows that New Yorkers love guys in every sport who come to the city and grow up as players there.

So. Blow it up. Start anew. I'm not a Knicks fan, but I'm legitimately worried about the well-being of some of my friends. Right now, I think it's time NBA fans of thirty other teams put animosity aside and lend our collective shoulder for our New York brethren to cry upon. (Nets fans are allowed to laugh and point.)

At A Loss For Words By Imtiaz Mussa

This is how my thought process in reaction to the trade went:
1. Haha you're joking right?
2. Isiah must have something else up his sleeve. He can't be this stupid.
3. Isiah Thomas is the worst GM in NBA history.
4. You knew this was going to happen so why be surprised.

With that being said, I refuse to wear any of my Knicks gear unless Thomas is shown the door. I won't even write about Francis and I simply refuse to listen to anybody who dares to try and make some sense of it because it simply does not.

Welcome to New York, home of the most selfish group of guards in NBA history.

Previously I've Been More Subtle. By Bryan Koch

FIRE ISIAH.

DO IT NOW.

HE KEEPS ON MAKING BAD TRADES.

THE KNICKS WILL NEVER MAKE THE PLAYOFFS UNDER ISIAH THOMAS.

END MY MISERY.

The Worldwide Leader in Crap By Sportszilla

So yesterday was a bad, bad day for ESPN.com. They debuted a pair of features which, to put it kindly, blew. The first was their much-ballyhooed "NBA Trade Machine." With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, the concept was to allow all those armchair GMs a chance to test out their most ridiculous trade proposals. Which seems like a fine idea, until you realize that anyone with half a brain could have found the same function on RealGM.com three years ago. I'm not sure whether ESPN licensed the technology, or just ripped them off. But either way, the only people this helps are idiots who think that ESPN.com is the end-all, be-all of sports websites (when clearly, if there is such a site, it's Sportszilla). And those people shouldn't be proposing NBA trades anyhow.

The other thing that bothered me was their "annual" World's Hottest Female Athlete poll. First of all, the last few years it was an NCAA Tournament-style bracket, with different catagories and seeding and everything. This year? Just 10 choices. And boy, what a crappy set of choices. The only two good looking women in the group were Tanith Belbin and Maria Sharapova. Natalie Gulbis is also pretty good looking, but they picked a hideous main picture of her to use, which was also the case for a few other women.

Leaving aside the matter of whether or not this sort of shameless objectification of women is ok (and it is), my beef with ESPN.com is: where are the hot women? Where's Sue Bird, or Paula Creamer (yes, she's legal)? No Serena Williams? I guess they were trying to highlight Winter Olympians, but someone aught to clue the editorial staff in: you can't tell if a woman is hot when she's snowboarding...something about 10 pounds of baggy clothing designed to keep her warm gets in the way.

Yes, Tuesday, February 21 wasn't the best day for ESPN.com. Of course, that's always the case when they give Satan his own column.

At the Center of Our Beseeching Screaming By David Arnott

Today, February 20, 2006, was a perfect day for baseball in the San Francisco Bay Area. The temperature was in the fifties, but the sky was clear, thanks to the light breeze, and the sunlight was particularly sharp, as it always seems to be through crisp air.

I had to take the family car to a shop for some glass work this morning, and the insurance company had arranged for me to bring it to a place on 4th Street, down near the water. I dropped off the car, then walked several blocks to the ballpark, where I got a cup of mocha in a nearby shop and sat to read David Halberstam's Summer of '49.

***

I'm about halfway through the book -- I've just passed Halberstam's explanation of how Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio's hitting approaches differed, Chapter 9 -- and it's getting to me. I feel the knot in my stomach that only forms when something touches my core, when something important happens in my life.

I knew Williams's story, the difficult childhood in San Diego, the struggles with the press, the singular drive to be the best hitter ever. But coming through Halberstam, I'm hit with Williams's individuality, in the sense that he was a boy, then a man, who breathed, loved his mother, suffered a traumatic childhood, made friends, rubbed veterans the wrong way, was stung by criticism, and after becoming the most feared hitter of his day took batting practice for hours, all the while muttering aloud, "I am Ted F###ing Williams, the best f###ing hitter in baseball."

I'm shocked that no one has made a movie about him, or (as far as I know) worked him into a major work of literature as a central figure. Did Roy Hobbs wear number nine in the movie version of The Natural as a nod to Williams? Perhaps. Frank Deford attributes to Bobby Knight the famous quote that Williams was the world's best at three things: hitting a baseball, fly fishing, and flying a fighter plane. Isn't that a concise symbolic description of what so many American men have wanted to be for the past century? Where are the countless literary examinations of why Williams was ostracized? Yes, he spit in the direction of reporters. Yes, he refused to tip his hat to the home crowd after home runs. And hundreds of ballplayers insisted their late night carousing go unacknowledged. Joe DiMaggio became the idol of the generation, and he was worthy of that stature, but my throat tightens when I read of Williams being denigrated and abused because he wasn't Joltin' Joe, because he neither kissed asses nor kept his mouth shut, in spite of everything else there was to love about him. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? I would like to take the great DiMaggio fishing. Where have you gone, Ted Williams? He's either taking batting practice, or fishing. If you ask him about either, he'll tell you what he knows.

I suppose I can sum up my feelings about Williams with a personal list. There are only four baseball players whose jerseys I would wear in public and feel absolutely at ease with the association: Matt Williams (Giants), Will Clark (Giants), Roberto Clemente, and Ted Williams.

***

About half an hour before I had to get the car, I walked to the Safeway on King Street, a block away from the ballpark, and bought lunch. There are tables on the wide sidewalk outside, so I sat in the sun, munching lettuce, carrots, chicken, and egg lightly doused in ranch. Half a block away, between me and the ballpark, a little girl, perhaps seven years old, took a running start and then leaped into her father's arms, and he swung her around and around and the two of them laughed and laughed before he put her down and they skipped into a bookstore.

I looked at the ballpark's facade, taking in the brick, the clock tower, the green light standards. The ballpark is never really dormant. It hosts the odd soccer game, football game, or rock concert... But everyone knows it's a baseball park. After all, Willie, Willie, and Juan permanently oversee the grounds, and Barry will eventually take his spot on the corner of 2nd and King, by the left field gate.

I can see myself years from now passing that statue, telling my children, "Barry Bonds was the greatest hitter I ever saw." They might then ask, "What kind of man was he?" and I'm not sure what I will say.

The Big East Blowout By Ben Valentine

Well it’s mid February. That can only mean one thing… it’s almost time for college basketball to make its annual run to the forefront of even the casual sportsfan’s mind with dreams of March Madness. One of the big questions heading into the final days of the regular season and conference tournaments is how many teams the Big East will get in to the big dance.

It was a question that was on everyone’s mind when the Big East expanded to its monster proportions this season, with the additions of DePaul, Marquette, Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida. Would the depth of the conference hurt or help it? Well today I venture into the world or predictions as I take a glimpse at what the future lies in store for my favorite college basketball conference. Who’s in, who’s out, you know, the usual stuff you’ve seen since October but didn’t bother to start paying attention to until now. And to start, we’ll go with the easy ones:

Invitations In the Mail- UConn, Villanova, Pittsburgh

Locked in Because: All three teams have 20 wins in a major conference. They could all lose out and still make it easily. Oh yeah and UConn (23-2) and Nova (20-2) are probably the best two teams in the country. That probably has something to do with it too.

Shining up their best shoes- West Virginia, Marquette, Georgetown, Syracuse

West Virginia Mountaineers (18-7)

Reason they look good: They’ve been in the top 25 for a while. They’re 9-3 in conference. They’ve got wins against Marquette, Villanova and Cincinnati along with two victories over Georgetown. They also have out of conference wins against UCLA and Oklahoma. So that’s seven wins against teams that could well be heading to the big dance.

But Don’t Lock It Up Yet: They’re not at 20 wins yet. They don’t have an easy schedule, on the road for Syracuse and Cincinnati and home for Louisville and Pitt. Now, they probably could get in right now, with their very strong strength of schedule, but losing all but one of their remaining games (Big East Tourney included) would look poor.

Verdict: I’m going to be stuck debating if I’m should pencil the Mountaineers for being upset in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Marquette Golden Eagles: (18-8)

Reason they look good: They’re one of only two teams to beat UConn this year… and they absolutely trashed them, 94-79. At 18 wins, that’s probably good enough to get them in. To top it off, they just defeated Georgetown and Pittsburgh in their last two. To finish up they’ve got to head to Louisville and South Bend before coming home to face bottom feeder Providence. They should get to 19 before the Big East tourney and could pick another win up there.

But Don’t Lock it Up Yet: A loss to Rutgers shows that Marquette can have its off nights. Road games are never easy and they’ve got two of them; against a desperate Louisville team and a Notre Dame team that is a lot better than people think. So 20 wins is no certainty.

Verdict: Marquette ends up a 10 seed. A hot Big East tournament could do wonders for their placement though.

Georgetown Hoyas (17-6)

Reason They Look Good: A win over Duke. Duke! That’s like worth five victories over UConn, especially in the world of Dick Vitale. They’re currently 8-4 in the top conference in the sport. They’ve got a home game against Rutgers which should get them to 18, and a road game against South Florida to get them to 19, along with Nova on the road and Syracuse at home. 19 with that Duke win is probably good enough anyway but they’ll get three shots at 20. Oh and they have an RPI of 26.

Don’t Lock It Up Yet: Any slip up against Rutgers or South Florida could erase a lot of the Duke memory. That’s really about it though.

Verdict: If you’re in the top 25 this late in the year, you’re a virtual lock. It would take a monumental collapse for them not to make it.

Syracuse Orange: (18-8)

Reason they look good: They look pretty good to get to 19 wins having DePaul on their schedule. They feature a tough threesome in addition, at Georgetown and home for West Virginia and Villanova. But a win against any of those three would also probably be enough to get them in. Remember too, they are Syracuse. Never discount the reputation of a big time program and a big time coach in Jim Boeheim. (Hey it’s the Tar Heels’ only hope this year) Currently they rank 28th in RPI.

But Don’t Lock it Up Yet: Syracuse has been inconsistent all year and could lose out. If that happens, with a lack of impressive wins on their schedule, it will be hard for them to sneak in with 18.

Verdict: I don’t see them losing out. And even if all three of the good teams beat them and they only manage a win over DePaul, they still have the Big East tournament to get that 20th win. They’re not good, but the win total and rep will carry them through.

Feeling Good, Though No One Notices: Cincinnati Bearcats (18-9)

Why they might dance: Win total and reputation. They only have three games left to get to 19, and they are against Nova, and West Virginia at home with Seton Hall on the road in between. But a win in any would put them in good shape. Two wins makes them locks. Their RPI is currently 32.

Why they could sit: They could easily lose out. Nova and West Virginia are much better and a road game is never easy, especially against a similar team in Seton Hall. 18 wins and losing out won’t cut it, even with their reputation.

Verdict: Tough out. While they look great win total wise right now, I’m not sure they can win another game. One victory is all it will take though, especially if it came against Nova, West Virginia or a good team in the Big East tournament.

Bubbling Worse Than A Bad Diet Pepsi Commercial: Seton Hall (16-8)

Why they should be nervous: The Hall seemed in poised position to go dancing after a win over Georgetown. Then on Saturday they got trashed at home by Notre Dame. Again, Notre Dame is better than people give them credit for, but due to their record the loss will look bad for the Pirates. Their only impressive win outside of the Georgetown game is NC State, and without their rep, they’ll need to get to at least 19 wins, probably 20.

Why they have a shot: Their schedule the rest of the way is favorable. Even though they face both St. John’s and DePaul on the road, they are St. John’s and DePaul. That could get them to 18 wins with three chances to get to 19. They also have an RPI rating of 34, which is better than Marquette and George Washington.

Verdict: They have a slightly better track record than Louisville, but haven’t done enough to impress. In a deep conference, with competitors like Cincinnati, Georgetown and Lousiville with better reputations, it’s hard to see the Hall getting in short of 20 wins. And I don’t think they’ll get there. The Notre Dame loss is the back breaker.

Hey Remember People Thought They Were Cool: Louisville Cardinals (16-9)

Why they’re in deep trouble: 16 Wins, middle of February. Losses to teams in conference who now have one or two more victories than them already. Brutal final games. May not make conference tournament. The Big East already has a ton of teams with better credentials. Need I say more?

But why they’re still around: They’re Louisville and they have 16 wins. If they can get to 19, considering where they were at the start of the year and the injury to Taquan Dean, they’d probably get in. The chances aren’t stellar, and they’d need a win in the Big East tournament. If they don’t make that, you can kiss them goodbye.

Verdict: Surprise, they’ll get in. Why? While their win total isn’t pretty, they have rep on their side and a marquee player and coach. They should beat DePaul at home to get to 17 wins and then a win over West Virginia, UConn or Marquette probably will be enough to get them in. Do you see the selection committee turning down Rick Pitino with 18 or 19 wins? Despite how poor they’ve been this year, I don’t see it happening.

So my prediction is for, at the very least, eight Big East teams to make it. It may seem outlandish, but all of the teams mentioned here have a good number of wins and strong RPI ratings, much higher than their counterparts from other conferences like the ACC. If anything I expect the number to have a better chance of going up than going down.

But we shall see. It is only February after all. The Madness has yet to begin.