Draft Recaps, Knicks + Nets

Knicks:

You know, I like Mardy Collins. Yes, he's another guard, but this is a guard who actually passes. That is an important trait in the guy who is bringing the ball up. I would have liked a shooter, so the Knicks can trade Quentin Richardson, but beggars with few draft picks can't be choosers.

But that Renaldo Balkman... if the Suns were going to pick him at 21, then let them. I don't care. Is that the basketball version of penis envy? Come on, man. If he's overvalued, you can find another hustling athletic player with no range and no handle who dominated the NIT but not his (kinda weak SEC) conference. It must be so hard to score against Vanderbilt, huh. His defense is great? Yeah, but you can't play him at middle linebacker and leave him out of the offensive sets. Come on, man. And i believe in Isiah's draft skills.

Nets:

I effing hate U-Conns. Now Jason Kidd has a more reliable backup (I like Jacque Vaughn's game, and if Coach Lawrence Frank had some patience, he'd note that he has some players on his bench in Planinic and Padgett and maybe Antoine Wright) and he can get a backup laptop on the cheap! Marcus Williams knows where to get the deals!

Josh Boone is Jason Collins with less skill. Okay, more shot blocking skill. But nothing else. His grimaces look like a man who knows he isn't that good and is trying real hard to project intensity. An actual intense person would have obliterated University of Albany's offense in the first half. Or rebounded better against George Mason. Albany? George Mason? How the hell is this man going to handle Ben Wallace and Jermaine O'Neal? With his mean mug? O-ver-rated.

oh you pretty knicks

I.

New Yorkers cannot stop watching the debacle unfold, getting worse each day. Sillier. Dumber. Now with James Dolan dropping proclamations on his chosen few reporters like a hero or a tough lawman in the Old West. I would go into more detail but every columnist and blogger is whacking at this easy Knick piñata. But if you want to deliver a message in person, check out http://selltheknicks.com/-- those folks are organizing an in-MSG draft night protest.

Really, the biggest problem with Isiah as coach of the Bricks is Dolan’s demand that the team show improvement. But Larry Brown set the bar so infernally low (hey, Starbury, is that the 8th circle of hell?) that of course Isiah will show improvement. In fact, the Knicks will win games. 40 of them. Maybe a few more, maybe a few less.

Look at the roster. They have a decent amount of talent. Enough for mediocrity (as long as they don’t play Maurice Taylor. My God, can’t he retire and be the Corporate Liaison for Hot Dog Eating?) and enough for the playoffs. Laugh now. Then look at the Hawks’ roster, the Timberwolves’ roster, even the Bulls’ roster. If he can find a way to get players to defer to each other, Isiah will be able to run them uptempo and leave the defense to be a monthly exercise against the Bobcats and the Hawks. He’s good at letting a team run.

He’s also a decent drafter… but he traded away this year’s second round pick and now I hear that part of the Eddy Curry deal involves flip flopping 1st round picks with the Bulls next year? What kind of asshat made this deal? HEART CONDITION. EDDY CURRY HAD A HEART CONDITION. He didn’t need to command so much, Isiah!! No one wants a player with no "heart" who has a HEART CONDITION.

Stevie Franchise needs to be farmed out to Philly or Minnesota or somewhere with a simple-minded GM, Malik Rose needs to stop taking minutes from actual NBA talent, and Jalen Rose (also known as the “expiring contract”) needs to be traded for a second round draft pick. Because there is talent in the second round.

II.

There is always hope. Sport fans know hope as the draft. The draft is tomorrow. I have gone to watch the draft and let off some choice expletives in very crowded bars with children present. My favorite being “God f**king dammit all to f**king hell” at the Riviera over the mid-draft trade of Nené. More on the draft later—I think that if Isiah can find a second round pick, he might just make out like a bandit.

Remember last year? Channing Frye, David Lee, Nate Robinson. That’s a pretty awesome trio.

For now enjoy: