Knick Knacks: D'Antoni's Departure Means This Season Is Doomed

Article first published as Knick Knacks: D'Antoni's Departure Means This Season Is Doomed on Blogcritics.

If anyone thinks that the "resignation" of Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni is a good thing, he or she is living in an alternate universe where the Knicks lead the Celtics in the standings. In this real world things are getting ugly as they can get for the Knicks and their fans, and the writing was on the Madison Square Garden wall when fans were booing the team on Monday.

Whether or not D'Antoni actually resigned is not the point, even if Knicks owner Jim Dolan says he and the coach "mutually agreed" on this decision. The truth is that the whole thing came down to Carmelo Anthony or Mike D'Antoni. That's like saying it came down to a 1965 Chevy and 2012 Mustang (admittedly with a few dents). Obviously, there was only one way this thing could go.

Last year Dolan gave away some quality players to get Anthony, so if he had traded him before tomorrow's deadline, it would have been an admission that move was flawed. Anyone who has watched the Knicks knows that to be the case, but here we go trying to put spit and polish on the lackluster efforts of Anthony.

Make no mistake, he is not alone in this debacle. Amar'e Stoudemire has been doing his best Madame Tussaud impersonation all season. Watch him under the net and you may see birds resting on his head. Jeremy Lin, Tyson Chandler, J.R. Smith, and all the other assorted Cratchits are to blame as well, but it is easier to just to say "Off with his head" and be done with D'Antoni than to address the deep trouble that exists on this team right now.

Assistant coach Mike Woodson will be the interim head for the remainder of the season. With the Knicks losing six in a row and eight of their last ten, I don't think anyone can seriously believe this change is going to do anything to stop the insanity (with the Linsanity almost all but forgotten now).
D'Antoni is gone but the problems remain. Look for the Knicks to be overtaken by the Milwaukee Bucks for the last playoff spot, and be realistic and thankful for this merciful exit out. I don't know about you, but I don't want to see this squad anywhere near any of the teams in the first round of the playoffs.

Go gentle into that good night, Knicks fans. It's over.

Photo Credit - NY Daily News

Knick Knacks: Jeremy Lin's Race To The Top

Article first published as Knick Knacks: Jeremy Lin's Race To The Top on Blogcritics.



After Jeremy Lin and his Knicks (is there any disputing that they are his team right now?) defeated the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden 104-97, with Lin having a great game (28 points, 14 assists, 5 steals), that brought the Knicks back to .500 (16-16), but they and their fans are still up in the stratosphere. Defeating the defending champs only confirms the general mood in New York that this team has not only playoffs in its future but perhaps even its own championship, and much of the credit is being heaped on Lin's six foot- three inch shoulders.

The unfortunate byproduct of all this is that Jeremy Lin, being a Chinese-American, has been the target of some inappropriate comments and headlines (a while back the New York Post  had the headline "Amasian" to describe Lin's performance). ESPN editor Anthony Federico was fired for using "chink in the armor" in a headline, and anchor Max Bretos was suspended for using the same slur when talking to Knicks' icon Walt Frazier on the air, asking Clyde, "If there is a chink in the armor, where can he (Lin) improve his game?" What the heck is going on at ESPN?

In general the - and I hate to do this but I have succumbed too - LINsanity of all this is a combination of hysteria and happiness of Knicks fans (many in the media including the fired Federico) and the fact that many people do not see race as an issue. However, the sensitivity to race should always be a factor in the way we handle all matters, especially for people who are in the public domain. To use the word "chink" while referring to a person of Chinese descent is appallingly offensive to say the least, and if both Federico and Bretos did so innocently as they claim, then they are still guilty of being incredibly ignorant.

Sadly, race still matters in this country no matter how much we wish it did not. Yes, it is 2012 and we have an African-American president, but that has in many ways magnified the issue as still pertinent. Has any sitting president been under fire more than Barack Obama for a plethora of things that have nothing to do with him being president? People have questioned where he was born, his parentage, his upbringing, his background, his education, his religion, and his marriage more than any other president in history. All of this only exacerbates the need for a continuing discourse on race in this country, not only for our own citizenry but because the world is watching, and no doubt are taking note of how poorly this president has been treated.

Some people have compared Jeremy Lin and Jackie Robinson, but even that can have offensive connotations. Certainly the impact of Robinson joining the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947 had an extraordinary social impact that went far beyond the baseball field, and Mr. Robinson had to suffer the slings and arrows of his good fortune, putting up with denigration and intolerance and threats. To his credit, Mr. Robinson held to his principals and beliefs and was a damn fine baseball player, cutting a path for others who would follow him in all sports and all walks of life. To compare him to a modern player, no matter what race, may seem to diminish all that Robinson had to overcome, whether intentional or not.

The impact of Jeremy Lin on his sport and society will never be the same magnitude as Robinson's, but it does open the door hopefully for more Asian athletes who wish to play in the NBA, and it has started a dialogue (no matter how uncomfortable at times) about the perception of Asian athletes and Asian people in general. The ESPN case (and even the lampooning of it on this week's Saturday Night Live broadcast) shows that (apologies to Robert Frost) we have miles to go before we can sleep in regards to race relations in this country, whether it is about Asian people or any other race for that matter.

As for now, Jeremy Lin is King of New York (as per today's cover of the New York Daily News).  His success has been most welcome by Knicks fans and most New Yorkers. Wouldn't it be nice to one day have the conversation be about how great a ballplayer Jeremy Lin is and not how he is a great Asian-American ballplayer? As I said, miles to go before we can sleep.

Photo Credit - Daily News

St. John's Loses To Syracuse 79-73; Injury Ends Kennedy's Season

Article first published as St. John's Loses To Syracuse 79-73; Injury Ends Kennedy's Season on Blogcritics.

You know how they say "add insult to injury," well that could well sum up St. John's 79-73 loss to Syracuse at Madison Square Garden in the Big East Tournament. Senior D.J. Kennedy's torn ACL during the first half sent him to the Garden floor in pain, and his look of anguish and despair certainly encapsulated what Red Storm players and their fans were feeling after today's disappointing loss.


What could have happened in this game if they did not lose Kennedy early on? We'll never know, but Kennedy's lost for the season and that is not a good thing for the Johnnies and their morale. Plus, Kennedy's loss (and the loss to Syracuse) is a blow to their NCAA standing for the rest of the way, but that may not matter much with Kennedy gone.

After the game the forward's teammates learned that Kennedy had a complete ACL tear, which means a long road toward recovery for him. That's the kind of thing coach Steve Lavin's guys didn't want to hear, but it could be a rallying point for them too in the weeks ahead.

Sean Evans (11 points), who replaced Kennedy, said after the game that he was going to "play hard" for Kennedy. The rest of his mates while a bit stunned about what happened seemed to have the same feeling, with Dwight Hardy (22 points) saying, "We're going to play hard as we can for him."

Steve Lavin may have to use the old "Win one for the Gipper" kind of pep talk for the Johnnies, but for now they are going to have to watch Syracuse take on UConn this Friday night. While this promises to be a great game, the hometown fans are understandably disappointed and, with Kennedy out, the road is going to be pretty bumpy for SJU the rest of the way.

Photo Credit: Simmons/Daily News

St. John's Moves to Third Round With 65-63 Win Over Rutgers

Article first published as St. John's Moves to Third Round With 65-63 Win Over Rutgers on Blogcritics.

The win was not pretty to say the least, and perhaps one can even say it was spoiled in the last few seconds, but it was a victory just the same. St. John's Red Storm now moves on to play Syracuse in the third round of the Big East Tournament tomorrow afternoon at Madison Square Garden here in New York City, but those last few seconds of the game will no doubt live in infamy for fans of Rutgers' Scarlet Knights.

Senior Justin Brownlee picked off a pass, took it down court, and seemed to travel in the process. Then, inexplicably, with a few seconds left, he seemed to step out of bounds and toss the ball into the crowd. Was this just a young player's being caught up in the moment, or was it a calculated tactic to end the game before the buzzer? Maybe only Brownlee knows for sure, but the game officials didn't call anything and walked off the court. Game over; Red Storm wins!

After the game Big East Commissioner John Marinatto admitted there were blown calls at the end of the game, but he also indicated that they were not "correctable under NCAA rules." So I guess all the replays in the world - and all the Scarlet Knights fans watching it again and again on YouTube -will not change the outcome of this contest. Still, one can argue that after Brownlee stole the ball from Rutgers the game was ostensibly over with 1.7 seconds left.

Now St. John's (5-1 at the Garden this year) moves on to play Syracuse in the fourth round, the team responsible for Red Storm's one MSG loss this season. It promises to be an exciting match-up, but keep in mind that St. John's coach Steve Lavin has led this team all season through one amazing win after another, and the Garden crowd will be with the home team all the way.

Photo Cedit: Sabo/Daily News

Knicks Knack: Anthony Debuts in 114-108 Win Over Bucks

Article first published as Knicks Knack: Anthony Debuts in 114-108 Win Over Bucks on Blogcritics.


There are magic moments in sports; sometimes we get to experience them, and sometimes we wish that we did. Can you imagine seeing Don Larsen's perfect game during the World Series? My father saw that one. What about being there when Lou Gehrig said he was the luckiest guy in the world? My great moments include when Cleon Jones caught that last ball of the 1969 World Series. Another was when Bill Buckner of the Boston Red Sox let a ball hit by Mookie Wilson roll through his legs. Those were the days.

Last night such a moment happened: Brooklyn-born Carmelo Anthony came home, and what a homecoming it was. He scored 27 points, had ten rebounds, and helped lead the New York Knicks to a 114-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. This was not a blowout, but that was not necessary. The Knicks are now 1-0 in the Carmelo Anthony era; let's hope there are many more wins to come in the weeks ahead.

Even if the Knicks win 20 of those last 27 games, they aren't going to catch the Celtics, but that is not why Anthony stepped on that court last night. It is all about perception and intention: team owner James Dolan wanted to let the fans know that he is committed to win, and nothing makes that more clear than seeing the new forward wearing that number 7 in a Knicks uniform.

Anthony got the welcome we would expect from New York fans. Madison Square Garden was rocking last night, and many fans have not heard that kind of thing for too long at MSG. I remember one other time in my life when a sports arena rocked like that; it was when Mike Piazza came to Shea Stadium for the first time. Old Shea rocked like it hadn't since the Beatles played their songs on a stage erected over second base. It was that wild and that loud and Piazza brought the same kind of hope to New York that Anthony brings now.

In the end we fans all want the same thing: a championship. It almost happened for Piazza in 2000, but the Yankees got in the way. Now it's Anthony's turn. He needs to do a lot more of what he did last night, but his stature and the confidence that he brings to the team is immeasurably important. Now the Apostrophe Boys ('Melo and Amar'e) can work together for the cause. We believe because in essence we see something that makes us do so.

This 114-108 victory is a great start. There are more wins coming, and fans can feel it. We know the playoffs are coming too, and that's something Knicks fans haven't been able to feel sure about for a long time now. Stoudemire started this whole thing. If he were not here, Anthony wouldn't be either. Now things have changed dramatically, and next year the Celtics will be on notice just as the Patriots will be. The Jets are for real and now so are the Knicks. That gives New York fans something to smile about this morning.

Photo Credit:
Theodorakis/News

As Gang Green Turns: Ryan and Wife Take in a Knicks Game

Article first published as As Gang Green Turns: Ryan and Wife Take in a Knicks Game on Blogcritics.

Bloviator par excellence Rex Ryan, head coach of the New York Jets who lost their second AFC Championship Game in a row last month, took in the Knicks game at Madison Square Garden last night along with his lovely wife Michelle. Whatever happened on the court - Kobe Bryant and the Lakers were blowing out the hapless Knicks 113-96 - mattered less since King Rex and his queen were in the house.


The story told in the New York Daily News includes a headline about Rex and his wife playing footsie courtside, referencing the now infamous YouTube video with a woman (who may or may not have been his wife) talking about her foot fetish. In the soap opera As Gang Green Turns during the course of a tempestuous season, this incident was just another case of adding to the drama that seemed to happen on a daily basis.

At the half Ryan spoke to a reporter and once again the mouth that roared predicted that the Jets will win it all next year. If this doesn't get old it's because Rex is so good at spinning his yarn that he would give FOX News' Bill O'Reilly a run for the money. When Rex speaks we just have to listen and, even if the tale is one full of more sound than fury, he is no idiot and we are compelled to listen.

After all this time I must admit I like Rex Ryan, but I think he has not faced the facts about his team the last two years. Sometimes all the buzz off field, no matter how entertaining, takes a negative toll on what happens on the field. As he enters his third year as head coach, maybe he can talk less and stop putting the team in difficult situations because of his bold and sometimes over the top blustering. I know, it's not going to happen.


If Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni were to take a page from Ryan's book, he could pronounce that the Knicks (ironically chasing another Boston team called the Celtics) were going to acquire Carmelo Anthony, take the division, and win the championship. Now, if he could just get his wife to take her shoes off and put it on YouTube - well, you get the idea.

Rex Ryan made a dark winter night seem a little brighter last night at Madison Square Garden. Yeah, the Knicks lost, but we Jets fans have to wonder if Rex believes everything that comes out of his mouth as much as enjoys all the stuff that goes into it. Until training camp and all the changes that are undoubtedly coming for Gang Green, we might as well watch the Knicks and hope D'Antoni can spark some fire in his squad before it's too late.

Photo Credits:
Ryan & Wife - Simmons/Daily News
Mike D'Antoni - Gallardo/AP