This article is about how Scott Layden and the New York Knicks are in an impossible situation because of all the bad moves and signings they've made over the last decade. I agree, but I have a problem with these people criticizing the organization for last season's McDyess trade. I don't remember a single New York media member criticizing that trade. They all loved it. Now that it is clear that the trade was a mistake guys like Mitch Lawrence point out why it should have been made in the first place.
Many of us on this message board thought it was a big mistake for the New York Knicks to trade away what they really needed in Hilario for a guy with a maximum contract and a history of knee problems. It was a huge mistake.
Lawrence criticizes the Knicks for failing to even bring in Amare Stoudemire for a workout. But a lot of teams passed on him. If I was a New York Knicks fan that wouldn't upset me nearly as much as trading away Hilario. I think Hilario would have challenged Amare and Ming for rookie of the year if he had played in New York. He would also already be one of the better big men in the East.
The New York Knicks fans booed the choice of Hilario. They were happy when they heard about the trade. I don't feel sorry for them.
Anyhow, here's the article. - Joe Mama
Knicks' only sure thing: More boos for Layden
By Mitch Lawrence
Special to ESPN.com
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NEW YORK -- It's the most predictable moment we'll have Thursday night, this side of David Stern announcing that "with the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select LeBron James."
Sometime after James walks off the stage of the Theatre at Madison Square Garden to embark on a career in Cleveland, Knicks fans assembled in the crowd will take center stage and have their say.
Better bring your earplugs, Scott Layden.
Irate Knicks fans chanted "Fire Layden!" last June during the draft. After watching another dreadful non-playoff season and with little hope for a better future, they'll probably repeat that line, if not substitute a new name:
Scott Layden has just one first-round pick still on the roster (Travis Knight).
"Fire Dolan!"
Dolan, of course, is James Dolan, the Garden's CEO to whom Layden, the team president, reports. Here's the bad news for Knicks fans, who haven't toasted a championship team since 1973, and aren't seeing any light at the end of the Midtown Tunnel: Dolan is not selling, Layden is not going anywhere, Don Chaney is back for another season and the Knicks are still short a legitimate franchise player.
They're missing something else, too. When Dave Checketts was in charge and Jeff Van Gundy was coaching, winning was all that mattered in the Garden. These days, with Dolan and Layden calling the shots, winning 37 games is reason for celebration in the executive suites at Two Penn Plaza.
Instead of losing with a purpose last season, to get in position to have better luck in the best lottery pool in years, the Knicks won too many games and ended up for another season in the worst place a team can be -- no-man's land.
By finishing with the ninth-worst record, the Knicks failed to collect enough chances to get a top-three lottery finish. And they also weren't good enough to make the playoffs for the second straight season -- in a wretched Eastern Conference that saw only one team win 50 games.
So they're stuck with the No. 9 pick in the draft following too many years in which they've failed to add a young, athletic talent who gives the fans some real hope that better days are ahead. All because the Garden and Layden operate only in the here and now, and have been using their draft picks merely as assets to package in bad trades.
Layden has sent his No. 1 picks in deals for Erick Strickland, Glen Rice , Luc Longley, Travis Knight and Antonio McDyess. When you consider that of the five, Knight is the only one still around who is both healthy and ready to begin the 2004 season, it's an indictment of Layden's performance as the team's top basketball exec.
But not even the McDyess debacle has put Layden in hot water, since Dolan measures success not by wins but by how his management team gets along.
The fact is, Layden brought McDyess to New York last June following major knee surgery several months earlier. McDyess reinjured the knee during the exhibition season and has since had to undergo two surgical procedures to try to correct the problem. The Knicks are hoping he's ready by January -- at what level, no one can tell because he needs his athleticism to succeed. But there is also the distinct chance that he might not ever play.
Meanwhile, the Knicks were one of nine teams last June to pass on Amare Stoudemire -- whom they didn't even work out for the potential No. 7 pick.
This season, they're in a worse drafting position. They'll probably have a chance to get Mike Sweetney, Nick Collison or Chris Kaman. They certainly need the size, given McDyess' questionable future and the fact they finished 29th overall in rebounding (29th in offense, 26th in defense). But none of the three are locks to be impact players.
Layden is also attempting to package the pick with Latrell Sprewell, to move up to select T. J. Ford. Shopping Spree is no surprise, since the Knicks have spent almost the last two seasons trying to ship out the fan favorite who is a thorn in the side of management.
They're currently in the worst place they can be -- walking that treadmill of mediocrity, with little chance of getting off of it and improving their fortunes in the next few seasons. And if the Nets can re-sign Jason Kidd across the Hudson, it doesn't help matters.
The Knicks have talked to Toronto and Miami about a deal involving Sprewell. But unless they get a starter in return, Ford doesn't seem worth the risk. Although the Knicks like his toughness, the Texas guard has been falling on other teams' boards because he's only 5-foot-10 and can't shoot.
"There aren't many teams out there who want Sprewell, esepcially at his money," said one Eastern Conference general manager, referring to the almost $29 million Sprewell will make over the next two seasons. "It's the same old problem for New York. Few teams want their players, at their salaries."
So they're currently in the worst place they can be -- walking that treadmill of mediocrity, with little chance of getting off of it and improving their fortunes in the next few seasons. And if the Nets can re-sign Jason Kidd across the Hudson, it doesn't help matters.
But the Knicks brought this on themselves. Because of bad spending habits in the past, they'll once again have one of the top payrolls in the league. They're on the books right now for around $83 million in player salaries in 2004. That means their only other avenue to get talent -- the free-agent market -- is again closed off.
They haven't been major players in free agency since 1996, all because they've overpaid their own free agents and have been operating at more than double the league's salary cap. Put it all together and it's enough to make New York fans scream "fire Dolan" in a crowded Theatre.
Many of us on this message board thought it was a big mistake for the New York Knicks to trade away what they really needed in Hilario for a guy with a maximum contract and a history of knee problems. It was a huge mistake.
Lawrence criticizes the Knicks for failing to even bring in Amare Stoudemire for a workout. But a lot of teams passed on him. If I was a New York Knicks fan that wouldn't upset me nearly as much as trading away Hilario. I think Hilario would have challenged Amare and Ming for rookie of the year if he had played in New York. He would also already be one of the better big men in the East.
The New York Knicks fans booed the choice of Hilario. They were happy when they heard about the trade. I don't feel sorry for them.
Anyhow, here's the article. - Joe Mama
Knicks' only sure thing: More boos for Layden
By Mitch Lawrence
Special to ESPN.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEW YORK -- It's the most predictable moment we'll have Thursday night, this side of David Stern announcing that "with the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select LeBron James."
Sometime after James walks off the stage of the Theatre at Madison Square Garden to embark on a career in Cleveland, Knicks fans assembled in the crowd will take center stage and have their say.
Better bring your earplugs, Scott Layden.
Irate Knicks fans chanted "Fire Layden!" last June during the draft. After watching another dreadful non-playoff season and with little hope for a better future, they'll probably repeat that line, if not substitute a new name:
Scott Layden has just one first-round pick still on the roster (Travis Knight).
"Fire Dolan!"
Dolan, of course, is James Dolan, the Garden's CEO to whom Layden, the team president, reports. Here's the bad news for Knicks fans, who haven't toasted a championship team since 1973, and aren't seeing any light at the end of the Midtown Tunnel: Dolan is not selling, Layden is not going anywhere, Don Chaney is back for another season and the Knicks are still short a legitimate franchise player.
They're missing something else, too. When Dave Checketts was in charge and Jeff Van Gundy was coaching, winning was all that mattered in the Garden. These days, with Dolan and Layden calling the shots, winning 37 games is reason for celebration in the executive suites at Two Penn Plaza.
Instead of losing with a purpose last season, to get in position to have better luck in the best lottery pool in years, the Knicks won too many games and ended up for another season in the worst place a team can be -- no-man's land.
By finishing with the ninth-worst record, the Knicks failed to collect enough chances to get a top-three lottery finish. And they also weren't good enough to make the playoffs for the second straight season -- in a wretched Eastern Conference that saw only one team win 50 games.
So they're stuck with the No. 9 pick in the draft following too many years in which they've failed to add a young, athletic talent who gives the fans some real hope that better days are ahead. All because the Garden and Layden operate only in the here and now, and have been using their draft picks merely as assets to package in bad trades.
Layden has sent his No. 1 picks in deals for Erick Strickland, Glen Rice , Luc Longley, Travis Knight and Antonio McDyess. When you consider that of the five, Knight is the only one still around who is both healthy and ready to begin the 2004 season, it's an indictment of Layden's performance as the team's top basketball exec.
But not even the McDyess debacle has put Layden in hot water, since Dolan measures success not by wins but by how his management team gets along.
The fact is, Layden brought McDyess to New York last June following major knee surgery several months earlier. McDyess reinjured the knee during the exhibition season and has since had to undergo two surgical procedures to try to correct the problem. The Knicks are hoping he's ready by January -- at what level, no one can tell because he needs his athleticism to succeed. But there is also the distinct chance that he might not ever play.
Meanwhile, the Knicks were one of nine teams last June to pass on Amare Stoudemire -- whom they didn't even work out for the potential No. 7 pick.
This season, they're in a worse drafting position. They'll probably have a chance to get Mike Sweetney, Nick Collison or Chris Kaman. They certainly need the size, given McDyess' questionable future and the fact they finished 29th overall in rebounding (29th in offense, 26th in defense). But none of the three are locks to be impact players.
Layden is also attempting to package the pick with Latrell Sprewell, to move up to select T. J. Ford. Shopping Spree is no surprise, since the Knicks have spent almost the last two seasons trying to ship out the fan favorite who is a thorn in the side of management.
They're currently in the worst place they can be -- walking that treadmill of mediocrity, with little chance of getting off of it and improving their fortunes in the next few seasons. And if the Nets can re-sign Jason Kidd across the Hudson, it doesn't help matters.
The Knicks have talked to Toronto and Miami about a deal involving Sprewell. But unless they get a starter in return, Ford doesn't seem worth the risk. Although the Knicks like his toughness, the Texas guard has been falling on other teams' boards because he's only 5-foot-10 and can't shoot.
"There aren't many teams out there who want Sprewell, esepcially at his money," said one Eastern Conference general manager, referring to the almost $29 million Sprewell will make over the next two seasons. "It's the same old problem for New York. Few teams want their players, at their salaries."
So they're currently in the worst place they can be -- walking that treadmill of mediocrity, with little chance of getting off of it and improving their fortunes in the next few seasons. And if the Nets can re-sign Jason Kidd across the Hudson, it doesn't help matters.
But the Knicks brought this on themselves. Because of bad spending habits in the past, they'll once again have one of the top payrolls in the league. They're on the books right now for around $83 million in player salaries in 2004. That means their only other avenue to get talent -- the free-agent market -- is again closed off.
They haven't been major players in free agency since 1996, all because they've overpaid their own free agents and have been operating at more than double the league's salary cap. Put it all together and it's enough to make New York fans scream "fire Dolan" in a crowded Theatre.
