Long Winded and Repetitive, But That's Part Of My Charm

Rivalries

Well, we all know what I think about Steve Kerr. If you don't, then you haven't paid any attention to this blog. Just so you don't have to go digging for it, I think Steve Kerr is a complete moron. But sometimes, even a blind squirrel's gotta find a nut, right? Here's what he had to say about the Knicks in his Power Rankings this week.

If they can just trade for one more maximum salaried player who is well past his prime, they just might turn things around

Yes Steve, you got that one right. Of course that's assuming you're being sarcastic - if he isn't then I don't know what to say. We do nothing but talk about how horrible that franchise has been over the past, oh I don't know, how long has Isaiah been there? Yeah, about that long. But they actually started going down hill before that. Pat left, Allan broke, and Spree, well he didn't choke but...not there anyways. So since the departure of their Hall of Fame center, the Knicks have been searching for success. Sure, they did go to the Finals once, which is more than we can say about our team, but wow, at what cost? $100 million or so? I mean, you can't really put a price on a championship, but that's still pretty hefty. Especially just to fall short. By three games. It's understandable that when you lose one of the 50 Greatest Players, you're going to take a few steps backwards, unless you're the pre-90's Celtics - then you just replace one with another. So the Knicks dropped off. Jimmy Dolan attempted the Steinbrener approach but, more or less, went Mets with his team. Boy, that Subway Series was near though, wasn't it?

There is another event that coincides with the Knicks downfall towards the end of last century. Their nemesis went the way of the Dodo. Yeah, that's right. About the same time Jordan called it quits (I forget which time) the Knicks began their descent. Their team's most fierce rival was gone, and their hearts and souls followed suit. Oh sure, they had Reggie's Pacers to drive their hatred, which kept them afloat for a couple more seasons, but they certainly weren't MJ's Bulls. I remember those John Starks-Michael Jordan battles vividly, like when Starks went baseline and dunked on the whole Bulls team. Then, as MJ turned down the lights, one of Johnny's nuts died, and so did his career. In Utah. It was too bad because even though I was not a Bulls fan (see Reggie Miller) there were few players I despised as much as John Starks (Patrick Ewing. My hatred of Karl Malone had not yet blossomed). It's tought when someone you hate stops being a threat because where are you supposed to direct that hatred? I found a way, but it took me awhile.

Look at the Sacramento Kings. They had an intense rivalry with the Lakers for a number of years. We were privy to some great playoff battles, even if the Lakers did win every time. Of course, then Shaq gest traded, Phil Jackson leaves, and the dynasty is broken up. As soon as that happened, the Kings fell apart as well. Webber gets traded, then Peja, and both teams are crumbling pieces of their former selves, just like the Knicks and Bulls.

The Lakers-Celtics rivalry went down in similar fashion, as did the Celtics-Sixers in the 70's. It's an odd wat to look at it, but it really seems like every time a team's major rival goes down, so do they. Even looking at the Heat-Knicks towards the end of the Jordan era. The Heat went right down with the Knicks, even though that was only a short lived rivalry. With more time, one could probably come up with a few more examples.

Life As A Wolf

So, what do you expect to see next out of the Wolves? End the season with a worse record than the Hawks? At this point, after losing five of their last six to teams like Portland, Utah, NOOCH, and now Toronto, I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen too. Sure, the Raps are surging, but seriously, if you look at the rosters we should be taking them out to breakfast after fucking them so hard the night before. But, alas, they were the ones doing the fucking and we don't get any pancakes, let alone bacon.

Right now life as a wolf is rough. I'm having a very hard time watching this team play because they're so unbelievably inconsistent. They play great for an eight minute stretch, build a lead, then play horribly for the next 15 minutes, turning a 12 point lead into a seven point deficit. Then they'll play okay for 10 minutes, followed by a good streak for five. They'll pull even, or slightly ahead, then there they go again, off to a time where only bad basketball exists. They get kicked in the teeth of the last seven minutes, then it's over and there's another 'L' on the books.

The problem I'm having this season is trying to keep the negativity out, but it's been tough. I'm usually the most optimistic person I hang around with when it comes to this team, but even my patience is wearing thin. I love the guys on this team, I love the guy who sits in the first seat on the bench, and I have faith in the system they're operating in, but it's just not getting the results that it should. The team is missing some pieces, we all know that, but the core is there. Now, I'm not saying they're one or two moves from contending for a championship, but they aren't that far from getting back into the playoffs and competing. They've got a superstar, a second/third tier player, and a whole bench of role players who do what they have to, to help this team. Their point guard situation will work itself out...*cough*marcusbanks. and they still need some help in the middle defensively, but they're close.

The car is running, the engine has just been tuned up, and the wheels are full of air. They're a couple ball joints and a tranny away from getting back into the mix in the West.

God I hate NASCAR...

What I'd Like To See...Again...

Marcus Banks - Hes been getting an ample amount of playing time and has shown us what he's capable of - both good and bad. Overall I'm happy with how he's playing. He's still a young guy, so he's going to make some mistakes, but overall I think he's the type of point guard this squad needs. As he gets used to the system and used to consistent playing time, he'll improve and become more confident.

Marko Jaric - He's not a point guard, so he shouldn't be playing the position, but he should be getting minutes. I'd like to see Casey move him more towards the 2-guard spot, where we could take more advantage of his shooting off screens and making plays off the ball. He's a combo guard, whether he wants to admit it or not, and I think he'd be better used as a back up to Hass and Ricky. He's too talented to keep off the court, but he needs to play the right postion.

Rashad McCants - I like the fact that he's seeing a bit more playing time these days. I think he should see more. I know the season isn't totally lost, but with what Casey's doing now, they're not going anywhere anyways, so why not let this young man work through his learning pains in-game. He's a solid contributor on offense when he doesn't have to worry about getting pulled out of the game every time he makes a mistake. When he gets going, the Wolves look much better, so wny not suffer through his mistakes now, so he gets better sooner.

Finality....

This team really is, in my opinion, only a couple moves and a training camp away from being a competitive team in the Western Conference. They've taken a few steps backwards in the days of Yore (aka WCF), but they're not lost. Yet. The recovery will depend heavily on the decisions Kevin McHale and, maybe more importantly, Glen Taylor make for the rest of this season and into the offseason