Isiah Thomas Threatens Bill Simmons (the sports guy)

well I don't know if he has 7 or 8 players who are untradable including curry who he mentions specifically who is playing well now, I don't know if Knick fans are traumatized considering the team wasn't in good shape when he got there and I don't know if he went into hiding.

edit: and I'm not trying to be a jerk, simmons can at least admit he has a thing for Isiah

 

the other thing that never gets mentioned is the Knicks cap situation will be drastically improved just next year. I think it goes down to below $70MM.

 

It will be better, but the knicks would have been so much better off if they just blew it all up years ago, a la Denver. I mean, giving Jamal Crawford $50 million? Trading for Qrich who is basically useless at this point? Building around Marbury of all people? Big money to Curry when no one was even bidding for him? If they hadn't signed and traded for these guys, they might almost be under the cap next year.

 

That's still, y'know, over the damn cap. That means Zeke can't add to the team with anything beyond the MLE (and we know what he's done with that so far ... the great Jerome James). He doesn't have a first round pick this year, just about all his second rounders have been pawned off to the Bulls, the Bulls get the better of the Knick/Bulls picks in 2007, and they owe Phoenix a first round pick by 2010.

So, until then, he's stuck with Curry, Frye, Marbs, Lee, Ariza, Nate, Crawford, QRich ... a championship team? Better grow into it, because he can't do much damage on top of that. Can't trade Curry, can't trade Marbury, can't trade QRich, can't trade Crawford -- the only way to improve is to trade some of the homegrown draft picks -- but Isiah swears up and down that they're the franchise players.

And who would trust Isiah to make any trades? Has he "won" a trade yet? He took on all of the Bulls' contracts for Jamal's horrible deal. He lost the KVH-for-Tim Thomas deal. Lost the Nazr deal. Don't think the Mo Taylor deal (with that contract) was much of a win. Getting Nate was great, but having to take on QRich's horrid game and uninsurable deal? The Curry deal, with that giant contract for Curry plus the two potential lottery picks + cap space + Sweetney + plus second round picks for a 13 and 7 guy ... was that a win?

Yikes, this team is screwed. They can only improve through internal development, but to where? And at what price? Yes, Davis/Penny/Houston's contracts are done this summer ... but what happens when Frye/Lee/Robinson/Ariza's contracts come up? With Curry/Crawford/Richardson/James/Marbury's deals on board ... that's right back up to 120 million ...

 

Tallying up next year's committed salary numbers for the Knicks, I get 80.1 mill. Junkyard stays on the books despite being an amnesty waive. I didn't count Houston, but I think he is still on their books next season - retired this past mid-October and I believe that retirees count against the cap for 18 months (Apr 07). Correct me if I'm wrong. If he does count, take them back to 100 mill.

That figure will go up higher since it only accounts for 11 active players, and NY's sure to have no less than 14. Add $5.5 for some poor MLE decision and $1.6 for a poor VE. Then resign or S&T Antonio Davis to a (I would hope) smaller number and Trevor Ariza to a slightly higher number. Say $3 mill each. That gives you (minus Houston) a $92 million cap number, still good for the highest in the league (unless Dallas gives KVH a raise and Jason Terry a max deal).

And no, Simmons didn't make it up.

Evan

 

What did he say?

 

Ragged on the Light Rail, ragged on our being an urban sprawl. Nothing really nasty, but you have to keep in mind he has nothing good to say about anyplace other than Boston or LA.

Nothing close to what he slammed on Jax last year.

Evan

 

Good points...IT has done jack and it shows...

 

you guys are right, the cap figure only goes down to about $90MM the number he inherited next season, but it goes down to $49MM in two years, but of course that doesn't include roster replacements and Eddie curry is only signed for a year.

I just don't think he's done that bad of job. some of the moves were screwball, like trading away Mohammed then signing James.

but the Knicks starting five when he started


Houston (injured)
Sprewell
K Thomas
H Eisley
Shandon Anderson

compared to

Q Rich
Crawford
Curry
Stephon
Frye

He's only been there 2 years. you say blow it up like Denever? How long did it take Denver to recover from blowing it up. At least 6 seasons.

Yes he was not a good coach, he didn't help the CBA, but he was an alright to good GM in Toronto. He's only been in New York two seasons, inherited the absolute worst roster for value and the media wants to hang him.

 

Scott Layden = tough act to follow

 

they were an expansion team

 

No, it really only took 2 seasons of losing.

2001: 40-42
2002: 27-55
2003: 17-65
2004: 43-39
2005: 49-33

that's probably not the norm, but 6 seasons? I don't think so.

 

you must be kidding, try 8. 01 was their best year in a stretch that began in 95-96 that included an 11 win season.


edit: beginning in 95-96 win totals

35
21
11
14 - lockout
35
40
27
17

I said six off the top of my head

yeah, that'll fly in NY

 

Back when Isiah was in Toronto, I thought he was doing a pretty decent job. Certainly better than the folks in Vancouver.

 

and denver still ain't a contender.

I'm rhyming today

 

he got a coaching job, they drafted vince carter after he left. should he have taken his delorian to the future to get Carter so they could start winning immediately.

he set the foundation of that team.

 

I'm not referring to Denver's incompetence over the past decade. Dan Issel was probably the only guy in history who was worse than Isiah. Issel was the Nugget's Layden. I'm referring to Kiki's model of coming to a bad/mediocre team with some bad contracts, and starting from scratch.

The nuggets at that time consisted of an injured Mcdyess, an aging and overpaid NVE, and a mediocre player in Raef. They also had contract albatrosses like Tariq Abdul Wahad. He traded his overpaid, mediocre players for expiring contracts and draft picks, and after two years, he has a decent team consistently making the playoffs in the west.