N.Y. Knicks: Business as Usual at the World's Most Dysfunctional Arena

From the desk of: DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

Steve Mills and Scott Perry 

Continue Pushing Knicks Up The Mountain

What's sad for me as someone with a blog, much less being a fan since the mid 1970's, is the standard operating procedure put in place twenty years ago which still remains in effect today, by all indications will continue steering the future course of this organization for an unceremonious third straight decade to come.  I could be wrong with regards to what tomorrow holds, but the narrative emanating out of an unyielding MSG to date remains unchanged.  There was that one fleeting moment when Donnie Walsh expertly restored to the Knicks long needed financial flexibility and roster maneuverability.  That is until James Dolan trampled him (and coach D'Antoni) underfoot like some flaming brown paper bag of dog poop left on his front porch.

David Fizdale is merely MSG's latest victim.  I wish him well.  His departure at the very least reconfirms the ongoing dysfunction afflicting the Knicks.  Fizdale marks the twelfth Knicks head coach of this new millennium, and now Mike Miller steps in as unlucky number 13 in the last 19 years.  Players across the league have taken notice of this organization's behavior, and thus rate them low on the NBA's most favored destinations list.  The most recent off-season speaks for itself.  James Dolan is of course the founder of this calamity we call the Knicks.  In turn Steve Mills is his lead executive.  And until Mills is relieved of his duties I do not foresee any relief from this prolonged state of futility.

Meanwhile Scott Perry to me represents the stack of pages reading: all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.  Next thing you know it's your face in the old picture hanging behind the ballroom bar. You've always been caretaker of the world's most dysfunctional arena, Sir.

N.Y. Knicks: Fans Make the Unicorn Feel Unwelcome in Garden Return

From the desk of: DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

THURSDAY

Mavericks   103

Knicks         106

FINAL

Too bad David Fizdale can't play the Mavericks every night.  What an exciting season that would be, as two of the Knicks three victories have come against Dallas, and just happen to be the two most entertaining games of their season to date.

The groundwork for Thursday night's thriller was laid last Friday at Dallas where the Knicks defeat Kristaps Porzingis and the Mavs in a 106-102 final.  Despite 28 points from Kristaps, the Mavericks were outdone by 29 points and nine rebounds from Marcus Morris; 21 points and eight rebounds from Julius Randle; and Bobby Portis' double-double off the bench with 14 points and a dozen boards.

In his first game back at Madison Square Garden since essentially instigating his own trade out out town, Porzingis is 7/17 from the floor and just 1/5 from beyond the arc.  He scores 20 points and secures 11 rebounds for the cosmetic double-double.

A raucous Garden crowd begins serenading Kristaps late in the third quarter with hymns of A$$H@L#...!  Later in the final minute of the quarter with the Knicks down by two Porzingis secures a rebound off a Luka Doncic miss, and emphatically dunks it tying the game at 87-87 with the clock showing 0:04 left in the third.  Kristaps then pauses and glances around as if to say who's the a$$h@l# now.

The Knicks dominate the boards by a 53-44 margin.  Marcus Morris again leads the Knicks with 20 points.  Julius Randle adds 17 points and ten rebounds.  Mitchell Robinson scores 16 points with eight rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench before fouling out.  Dennis Smith Jr. leads the Knicks with eight assists with 13 points also off the bench.

N.Y. Knicks: Sunday Night's Main Event Featuring David Fizdale Versus Front Office

From the desk of: DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

KNICKS UNDER DAVID FIZDALE

19 WINS in 92 GAMES (.206)

In the corner to your left, James Dolan and his henchmen Steve Mills and Scott Perry.  In the corner to your right, head coach David Fizdale and the players provided to him.  In Sunday night's main event at the Garden, upper management lands an opening hay-maker and down goes Fizdale!  Down goes Fizdale!  Under the bus goes Fizdale!

We can safely surmise at this juncture Mills and Perry under orders from Dolan spent the second half of Sunday's 21-point loss against the Cavs hastily arranging their preemptive post game press conference like only Madison Square Garden can.  Standing side by side, Steve Mills and Scott Perry make known to an assembled media their displeasure with the team's state of affairs.  Only the executive duo does not claim responsibility.  Ironic is their failure to lure top tier free agents this past off-season, which is now manifesting itself on the floor.  The delusional duo instead express (paraphrasing) great dismay with the present situation, claiming this collection of talent should be performing better, and are not where the front office expected them to be.  They repeatedly pinpoint the team's lack of consistency in its collective effort.  Just don't misinterpret them, for they also said they're not focused on the team's record.

Speaking of which the Knicks have now played 92 regular season games under David Fizdale but are yet to win twenty games.  The Knicks finished 17-65 last season, and are off to a 2-8 start this season.  Despite the utterly laughable reactive posturing by Perry and Mills, the process of scapegoating David Fizdale is nevertheless underway.

Before drawing to a close the beleaguered coach counters with perhaps the best upper cut and straight right combo of the night.  Newsday scribe Steve Popper quotes Fizdale saying, "I don't need anyone to speak to me to give me a sense of urgency."  And when asked about his job security, ESPN.com quotes Fizdle saying, "I got a two-and-a-half year contract.  That's my assurance."

The sweet science is back at the Garden.

N.Y. Knicks: Culture Club and the Mecca of Dysfunction

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

No Zion Williamson; No Kevin Durant; No Kawhi Leonard

THE OFF-SEASON THAT NEVER WAS

DEFLATION NATION

Daddy Dolan hands the MSG keys in 1999 over to his son, James Dolan.  The new boss straightaway declares Latrell Sprewell the enemy.  General manager Ernie Grunfeld smartly jumps ship with haste.  Incoming general manager Scott Layden foolishly catapults the Knicks into salary cap hell in 2000 by trading legend Patrick Ewing and his expiring contract.  And in December 2001 head coach Jeff Van Gundy quits.

So begins the James Dolan Era ...

Since taking over control of the club, New York Knickerbockers amass the worst record in basketball.  A charter member of the NBA, from 1946 through 1999/2000 the Knicks post an all-time 2,156 - 2,023 (.516) record.  Under Dolan however they achieve a mere 622-920 (.403) record to date with just four winning seasons, five playoff appearances, and just one post-season series victory to speak of.  Ten times they lose at least fifty games in a season including the last five in a row.

I don't have the stomach for parsing the innards of this mess.  Dissecting the last two decades of egregious futility and organizational decay is enough to make a coroner projectile vomit.  But what has become painfully clear to all is the cantankerous and implosive manner in which Dolan runs his operation, making him a leading (if not the leading) reason why premium NBA players seem increasingly disinterested in joining the New York Knicks.  The true mistake is in believing players around the league remain blind, deaf, and dumb to New York's front office shenanigans.  Low and behold they pay attention.  And it comes to pass, again.

Seven different persons have filled the office of general manager under Dolan.  That averages out to a new general manager every 2.7 years.

• Scott Layden
• Isiah Thomas
• Donnie Walsh
• Glen Grunwald
• Steve Mills
• Phil Jackson
• Scott Perry

There's no need revisiting the Isiah Thomas Era outside of acknowledging the unmitigated disaster that it was.  The league office interceding and pressuring Dolan into parting ways with Thomas speaks for itself.  Dolan then retains the league wide respected executive Donnie Walsh, whom he soon tramples under foot in a personal and desperate attempt at securing Carmelo Anthony.  After which Steve Mills returns for a second stint with the Knicks.  How and why he survives Phil Jackson I'll never know.  His continuing employment remains a cosmic mystery to me.  Be that as it may, he and Scott Perry together presently serve to form an army of none.

Meanwhile ten different persons have served as head coach prior to David Fizdale's arrival.  That averages out to a new coach every one and three-quarter seasons.

• Jeff Van Gundy
• Don Chaney
• Herb Williams
• Lenny Wilkens
• Larry Brown
• Isiah Thomas
• Mike D'Antoni
• Mike Woodson
• Derek Fisher
• Jeff Hornacek
• David Fizdale

In today's NBA fame and fortune can be had anywhere.  The bright lights of Broadway or Madison Avenue exposure no longer hold sway.  The lure of New York City still exists for as long as it doesn't entail playing for an organization so poorly run as Dolan's Knicks.  Free agents previously demonstrated they wanted nothing to do with the Knicks in 2010 (don't @ me with Amar'e Stoudmire).  Evidently the same still holds true today.

Outside of being drafted, why would anyone willingly come play for the Knicks?  Say what you will about this, that, or the other.  Odds are you're probably right.  But what remains indisputable is that Knicks Culture is a product of Dolan's machinations.  The man spends upwards of one billions dollars to renovate Alien Nation where fans, certain media, and even former players are banned from the arena.

If it weren't for tourists ensuring a full house the organization would otherwise find itself in more dire straits.  But for as long as Dolan remains insulated by tourist global warming Madison Square Garden will continue transforming itself into the Mecca of dysfunction.

Borough vs. Borough: Brooklyn Nets Pulling Away From Knickerbockers

From the desks of:

THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH  and  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

An Under-Spoken Inner City Rivalry of Attrition

DID JAMES DOLAN JUST BLINK?

Rewind back to 2004 if you will: Bruce Ratner purchases the New Jersey Nets with the intention of relocating them to Brooklyn.  It's no secret that his underlying business interest involves a more grandiose real estate development in the downtown area.  A Kings County native, Ratner's ploy nevertheless threatens James Dolan's monopoly on New York City's arena sports, entertainment, and events venues.

As expected, his plan for constructing a new arena along Flatbush Avenue at Atlantic Avenue is met with great resistance.  And with Ratner bogged down in court, Dolan is able to devote time and resources towards successfully thwarting another more immediate threat posed in 2005 by the New York Jets and a proposed new football stadium to be constructed atop Manhattan's west side rail yards.  However, his victory over the Jets and NYC's politico is short lived.  On March, 11, 2010, groundbreaking ceremonies for Barclays Center finally take place in Brooklyn, thus finally making it official: direct inner-city competition will soon be arriving at Dolan's door step.  Only this time, there's nothing he can do to prevent it.

Enter (new Nets majority owner) Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov who later that summer launches the first salvo in what becomes known as the Billboard Wars when he commissions a building-side mural along Eighth Avenue, just a few blocks away from Madison Square Garden.  Jim Dolan strikes back with a rather clever purchase of billboard space located within the footprint of Ratner's Atlantic Yards construction site.  After which, Nets signage begins fanning throughout the borough, while the Knicks keep their reactive marketing focused along Flatbush Avenue.  By year's end, though, the Knicks pull out of the billboard business.

Hostilities ratchet up again in February of 2011, upon outbreak of the now infamous Battle for Carmelo Anthony.  With Melo desperately wanting out of Denver (Nuggets), he is a handshake away from being traded to the New Jersey Nets, that is until Jim Dolan catches wind and launches himself headlong into the Melo sweepstakes like a bull in a china shop.  He shamelessly tramples over both general manager Donnie Walsh and head coach Mike D'Antoni en-route to securing one of the league's perennial scoring threats - a veritable coup, or so Dolan thought.  To his dismay, the next morning's tabloids as their lead story run with the Nets surprising acquisition under the cover of night of well regarded point guard Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz.  By daybreak, a squabbling media is raging in debate as to which team secured the better deal.

By the 2012-2013 season, Barclays Center is open for business, while Dolan's billion dollar renovation of Madison Square Garden is likewise near complete.  Over the course of the next several seasons, neither acquisition works out to either team's great satisfaction.  In 2012-13, Carmelo Anthony leads the Knicks to an Atlantic Division title, but they've failed to qualify for the playoffs since.  The Knicks averaged just 34.2 wins during Melo's five seasons in New York, and just 33.3 wins in the six years prior to David Fizdale's arrival.  Although the Nets make three straight playoff appearances in their first three season at Brooklyn, they experience a precipitous fall as well.  In 2015, the Nets buy out the remainder of Deron William's contract, and by 2017 the Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Williams/Melo era ends with a whimper; the next reconstruction period begins.

By 2016-2017, the Nets are first to acknowledge their failure and recommit themselves to a grassroots rebuild.  They hire Sean Marks as new general manager who in turn hires Kenny Atkinson as head coach.  Together, their sticktoitiveness has been nothing short of commendable.  The Knicks on the other hand are slower to recognize their blight, and perhaps are more stubborn as well.  And there's the rub ... I still don't know what the Knicks are up to.  I'm no fan of Sam Mills.  I view him as nothing more than Dolan's lone remaining friend in the building.  I'm not so sure Scott Perry is the answer either.  I agree, however, David Fizdale is part of the solution.  But when looking at the bigger picture, the Knicks are clearly lagging behind the Nets, and losing ground by the day.

Lest we forget this is about direct competition.  The Nets are the invaders, and Jim Dolan was made to respond.  To date, he's matched them move for move.  But does anyone besides me find it rather ponderous that Dolan would choose the holiday season for (Ian O'Connor interview) throwing himself a pity party?  Is that a touch of defeatism I hear?  Is it because Brooklyn's plan is working, while his own basketball organization continues marinating in its own futility?

Why else would he knowingly cause ripples in the news pool with talk of an unlikely sale of the Knicks?

N.Y. Knicks: Hard Knox Loss at Brooklyn

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

New York Knicks: Knox, Knox, I'm Here!?

Long ago my mom once told me you can't be disappointed with what you don't expect.  Two games into the regular season, consider it my opening statement as the New York Knickerbockers embark on the 2018-2019 regular season under new head coach David Fizdale.

Truth be told, the continuing employment of Steve Mills for me remains a major point of contention.  However, in fairness to this dawning of a new culture being championed by Scott Perry and Fizdale, there appears at least to be a more grass-rooted effort towards finally getting this done smartly, effectively, and above all, patiently.

All of which remains to be seen ... of course.

From the desk of: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH 

Caris LeVert Strides and Glides to Game Winning Basket 

Their Opening Night victory is simply a nice opening story - nothing more; nothing less.  If we're being pragmatic about this, then let's understand with haste that scoring 72-points in a first-half against the Hawks does not an impression make.  That has more to do with Atlanta's various deficiencies than what the Knicks bring to the table.  A 19-point margin of victory is a positive way to start the season nonetheless.

The schedule makers waste no time bringing the Knickerbockers and Brooklyn Nets together this season.  The two resumed their still burgeoning intercity rivalry at Barclays Center on Friday night, where Flatbush outlasts the Manhattanites for a 107-105 victory.

Extracting positives from loses are out of the question where legitimate contenders are concerned.  But with rebuilding clubs, they're inherently part of the process.

• My first takeaway:  Rookie Kevin Knox demonstrates instant impact off the bench.  After Friday's effort, fans and media demanding his inclusion into the starting lineup are sure to follow.  I would argue that leaves the Knicks with a very weak bench.  Moreover, it's not who starts, but who finishes.  Against the Nets, Knox shoots 7/14 (50%) for 17-points in 28-minutes, with six rebounds, and a minus-four.  Knox winds up being just one of three Knicks scoring in double-digits.  Ironically starter Lance Thomas finishes with a minus/three, but shoots 0/4 from the floor with a pair of boards.

• Take away number two:  Coach Fitzs throws a fit in the third period, and I like it.  If you're going to preach accountability, you have to follow through.

• Take away number three:  I'm a big fan of Enes Kanter, who ties Tim Hardaway for the team lead with 29-points, and posts a double-double with a team leading ten boards.  If the first two games are any indication, Big Man on Campus will be playing more prominent minutes in crunch time this season, which was not the case last season.

The Knicks did not play with the same overall intensity they put forth against Atlanta, and thus are horribly out-worked on the boards.  Brooklyn controls the glass by a 55-38 margin, as two Nets post double-digit rebounds.  Trey Burke and Frank Ntilikina joined to shoot 7/20 (35%) for 17-points and six total assists.