Worst Knick Team of All Time?!

Horrid….

That would be the ideal word to describe the Knicks so far this season.  The first quarter of the season ended Friday night, with a heartbreaking loss to the Charlotte Hornets, a team who had previously lost 10 games in a row.  No equitable Knick fan thought the Knicks would contend for a championship this season.  But even the most cynical Knick fan could not have expected this! Conceivably, fans should have listened to Carmelo when he said, "It's about next year when we have cap space."

 Despite playing one of the easiest schedules in the NBA, the Knicks are now losers of eight games in a row.  The Knicks are now 4-18, which is the worst start in franchise history. They currently have the third worst record in the league; only the Detroit Pistons, who already beat the Knicks this season, and the Philadelphia 76ers, who are deliberately losing games for the 10000^th year in a row, are worse.  Although the Knicks play in the ghastly Eastern Conference, the Knicks’ playoff aspirations are nothing but a pipe dream.

            So far, the vaunted Triangle Offense has been a disaster.  The Knicks play at the slowest pace in the NBA (89.5 possessions per game), which isn’t unusual in the Triangle Offense; the 90s Bulls routinely played at a slow pace.  But unlike Phil Jackson’s Triangle Offenses in the past, the Knicks are 26th in points per game, only scoring 93.5 points per game and 21^st in offensive rating, scoring only 104.2 points per 100 possessions.  They are last in free throw makes (13.6 a game) and free throw attempts (17.5).  Obviously, the offense doesn’t look as magnificent without players such as Jordan, Pippen, Kobe, and Shaq, but how can a team with one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, be so atrocious on offense?

            The defense has been proportionately as putrid as the offense.  Their pick n’ roll defense is still abysmal, and they tend to foul way too often; opponents are attempting 26.5 free throws a game, which is 25^th in the league.  As a result, they are 12th in opponent’s points per game (99.0). That’s more indicative of the Knicks slow pace; consequently, they are 27th in defensive rating (110.1 points per 100 possessions). The Knicks were never expected to be the ’94 Knicks (the greatest defensive team of all time in my opinion), especially with the lack of defenders on the team, but watching the Knicks struggle to play defense every night has been exasperating to watch.

            First time Head Coach Derek Fisher has been abysmal so far. Fisher seems way over his head as a coach, which is understandable since he did not have any prior coaching experience.   To his credit, the Knicks do seem to be playing harder than they did last season.

He’s enforced a bizarre defensive strategy, which prioritizes the Knicks to protect the rim at all costs, even if it means giving up wide open three point shots. Consequently, the Knicks are 25^th in three-point shooting percentage defense and they give up the third most threes in the league. His rotations are a mess; the Knicks have had 11 different starting lineups, part of that is due to Jose Calderon’s injury, which is the most in the league.   His crunch time adjustments are nonexistent; in seven of the Knicks eight straight losses, the Knicks were down only one possession in the 4^th quarter.  In every one of those games, the Knicks execution was abysmal to say the least. How many times are the Knicks going to refer to Melo isolation ball late in the fourth quarter?  For goodness sake, Fisher can’t even get a timeout called correctly!

He’s been cautiously optimistic throughout this season. After a buzzing beating loss to the Jazz, a reporter asked him, “ How do you feel after a loss like that?”  Fisher responded,  “Excitement, belief. That’s what Knicks fans want to see.”  Yes Coach Fisher, I’m sure that is what the fans, who constantly spend their dollars on overpriced season tickets, want to see.   By the way, Steve Kerr, Phil Jackson’s first choice, has Golden State off to their best start in franchise history (17-2).

After the Knicks lost to the Nets, I pondered whether this potentially could be the worst Knick team of all time. I received some interesting feedback from Knicks fans:

“ You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about, the Knicks just need time to gel.”

“Any team with Carmelo on it can’t be the worst team of all time. Just keep trusting Phil Jackson.”

“Once the Knicks master the Triangle offense, they will be unstoppable, keep doubting them if you want to.”

            Currently, the Knicks are projected to lose 61 games, which would be most in franchise history.  But does that mean they are the most dreadful team of all time? According to Basketball Reference’s Simple Rating System (SRS), which takes into account average point differential and strength of schedule, this current Knick team is worst of all time, with an SRS rating of -6.62.

 Lets compare this Knick team to the other four Knick teams with the lowest SRS rating.  Brace yourself for this, Knick fans!

            The 2007-2008 (SRS rating -6.54) Knick team started out with some pretty lofty expectations.  After trading Channing Frye and Steve Francis for Zach Randolph, fans were genuinely excited about Knicks and pairing Randolph with Eddy Curry. The Knicks were hoping for the revival of the Twin Towers.

Remember this?

But as usual in the James Dolan era, the Knicks season, turned out to be a catastrophe. Curry and Randolph proved to be ineffective together when on the court.  The Knicks attempted and failed to trade Randolph and Curry before the trade deadline. Curry’s season ultimately ended in March with a torn meniscus in his right knee.   There was a public feud between Stephon Marbury and Isiah Thomas. Marbury even threatened to “dish info” on Thomas after finding out he wouldn’t be starting a game against the Phoenix Suns and then eventually went AWOL.  Marbury only played 24 games (the Knicks were 6-18 in those games) before having season ending ankle surgery in February. Then there was this in November:

The Knicks were 21^st in points per game (96.9) and 22nd in opponent’s points per game (103.5). They were 23^rd in offensive rating (104.7) and 29^th in defensive rating (111.9), which was the worst in franchise history. They ended the season at 23-59, which is tied for the most losses in NBA history.  At least Thomas eventually was fired at the end of the season right?

            After failing to qualify for the playoffs in 2005, 2005-2006 Knicks (SRS rating -6.30) were hoping to redeem themselves. The Knicks seemed to have upgraded their coach, when they hired Larry Brown, who replaced Herb Williams, who was the interim Head Coach after Lenny Wilkens was fired resigned.  Ironically, the Knicks had one of the worst seasons in franchise history and Larry Brown turned out to be one of the worst coaches in Knick history.  Brown used more than 42 different lineups, which is the most in NBA history. He routinely feuded with Marbury, even once saying, “So, you're the best guard in the league and the team is 17-45, yeah, it's the coach's fault.   I’ve never left a team in worse shape than I got it. Not once. Now think about that. Think about me and think about the guy who's talking. All right? I've never asked anything of my players any different than I'm doing right now. Think about that.”  The Knicks were a circus show on a nightly basis, finishing 23-59, which was the second worst in the NBA only to the Portland TrailBlazers, after finishing a pedestrian 33-49 the previous season.  The Knicks finished the season 20^th in points per game (95.6), 27th in opponent’s points per game (102.0), 24th in offensive rating (104.0) and 26th in defensive rating (111), which is fourth worst in franchise history.  Here are some reminders of how dreadful that team was:

And this:

The 1962-1963 Knicks (SRS rating -6.20), coached by Eddie Donovan, the dreadful coach in Knick history, were an NBA laughingstock. They had the lowest winning percentage (.263) in franchise history, finishing with a record of 21-59, which was the worst in the league. They finished 37 games out of first place! The Knicks were 7^th in points per game (110.5), 6th in opponent’s points per game (117.7), 8th in offensive rating (93.5) and 8^th in defensive rating (99.7).  Sounds impressive right? Unfortunately there were only nine teams in the league at the time.  The Knicks had Richie Guerin, who was the most underrated player in Knick history, but also had a cast-off of below average players surrounding him.  Somehow, the Knicks suffered losing streaks of ten, eight, seven, and six games.

            The 1963-1964 Knicks (SRS rating -5.91) were just as dreadful as the previous year’s version.  For the second year in a row, the Knicks finished with the worst record in the league (21-58).  The Knicks didn’t have a problem scoring, finishing 3^rd in points per game (112.2) and third in offensive rating (95.4), but were atrocious on the defensive end finishing last in opponent’s points per game (119.0) and last in defensive rating (101.2). After two games, Guerin, who was ready to quit after enduring one losing season after another, was traded to the St. Louis Hawks. “I still enjoyed playing basketball with the Knicks, but losing takes a lot out of you” Guerin said after being traded. The Knicks experienced two losing streaks of nine games, and one seven game losing streak.

            This current Knick team has a long way to go to become the worst Knick team of all time, but don’t count them out!  Even though Coach Fisher predicted the Knicks would make the playoffs, they might be accidently tanking to secure a high draft pick. There have been various reports that the Knicks believe that they will strikeout with Marc Gasol this summer, so they may try to target a blue chipper such as Jahlil Oakfor or Karl-Anthony Towns. The draft is only 198 days away. All of you Knick fans, who recite “In Phil We Trust” after every loss and believe the Knicks will turn this around as the season progresses, don’t count on it.

It won't hurt as much, I promise!

Week in Review: Week 1 (10/29-11/2)

Record: 2-1 (L: CHI 104-80, W: @CLE 95-90, W: CHA 96-93)

The first week of the 2014-2015 Knicks season is over.  The Knicks faced two teams who made the playoffs last year (Bulls, Hornets), and a Cavs team that is expected to contend for the NBA championship. They won two out of those three games; didn’t I tell everyone that the Knicks would win at least 50 games? Well they are on pace to win 55 games, which would be the team’s highest win total since 1997.  It’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon guys; I won’t judge you.

Here is my diary regarding the Knicks’ three games this week:

10/29: Sigh… the first game has ended and the season is already over.  The Knicks opened the season with a home loss to the Bulls, a game in which the Knicks trailed as many as 35 points in the second half.  This was the second worst home opening loss in Knick history.[1] Shane Larkin started for Jose Calderon, who was a late scratch due to a calf injury.  Amare also started after coming mostly off the bench throughout the preseason. The Knicks had an early lead in the first quarter, which made me believe that they actually had a chance to win.  The game completely changed when the teams went to their respective benches, the Bulls went on a 25-10 run and the Knicks were never able to recover.  The two most overrated Knicks on the roster, J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, who shot a combined 4/17, said that the Knicks quit as the Knicks were getting blown out in the second half. That’s right, it’s the first game of the season, and the Knicks already quitting.  At least this loss wasn’t as bad as game 5 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals. Isn’t that right Charles Smith? Somehow, Carmelo was not embarrassed after tonight’s game. “Embarassed?  No, I am not embarrassed. We’ll get better I believe that.”  Anthony said.  Can Melo get mad at least one time after a shitty Knicks performance? Just once?! Would Patrick Ewing say something like that? Willis Reed?  “Not ready for showtime, were we guys?”  Phil Jackson said after the game. Ya think?!

Sighs… at least my girlfriend’s team, the San Francisco Giants won. At least one of us deserves to be happy, although I’m getting sick of her favorite teams being more successful than mine…

10/30: The Knicks just won the NBA championship!  They just defeated the mighty Cavs in Cleveland 24 hours after being embarrassed at home by the Bulls.  This reminds me of the Knicks beating the Heat in Carmelo’s third game as a Knick. The spoiling of Lebron’s homecoming could be the highlight of the season, even if it took 10290290929 hours to start; the Spurs ring ceremony didn’t even take that long! “It was great to kind of spoil the excitement.” Amare said. You god damn right it was! The Knicks started off slowly, trailing by seven after the first quarter. But were able to get it together building a seven-point lead in the third quarter, and held on for the win. They shot 54% from the field and had 30 assists!  Was I watching the 1970’s Knicks? Was that Walt Frazier inside J.R. Smith’s (who had seven assists) body?  Lebron had a terrible game, shooting 5-15 and committing eight turnovers. Was that J.R. Smith in Lebron’s body?  I take back everything I said yesterday after the Bulls game. No wonder Carmelo wasn’t embarrassed, he knew that they’d win this game! Right? Right?!!!!!

11/2:  The Knicks just won their first home game of the season, beating the Charlotte Bobcats Hornets in a thrilling game. The Knicks started out well, leading by as much as 15 in the first half, but the Hornets were able to cut the lead to two by halftime. Jesus, why can’t the Knicks just have an easy win for once? The second half went back and forth; there were a 13 lead changes. Carmelo’s jumper with 1:23 left gave the Knicks a, 95-93 lead.  The Knicks still had some terrible possessions down the stretch, including a shot clock violation. But the Knicks got a huge break when Charlotte was called for a five second violation. The count seemed pretty fast, like one of those Shane McMahon special guest referee counts, but the refs did not review it, because there is a senseless rule that doesn’t allow that play to be reviewed. The Knicks held on for the win even though Iman Shumpert almost fouled Lance Stephenson shooting desperation 50 footer.  Had he committed that foul, Shumpert would have joined Charles Smith, Allan Houston, John Starks, and James Dolan on the “Knicks I absolutely loathe “ list.  Eddy Curry is too fat to make that list; is the word fat offensive?  In this case, I hope so!

Oh how could I forget, CONGRATS TO MELO FOR SCORING 20,000 POINTS!  He just cemented his spot in the Hall of Fame. The only player in the 20,000 point club who eligible for the Hall of Fame and not enshrined is Tom Chambers, who was permanently banned from the league for assaulting Mark Jackson.

Hopefully the Knicks will keep winning next week!

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[1] The Knicks lost by 31 to the Sixers in 2001.  But hey, at least the Knicks went to the playoffs that year!

Super, Crazy Wacky, Predictions for the 2014-2015 Knicks

The Knicks seasons officially starts in a week!  The NBA is always unpredictable, but it’s fun to make crazy predictions, especially when it comes to the Knicks.  For the past four years, I’ve made about 40 predictions regarding the Knicks. Of course, none of these predictions have come true.  But predictions are fun, so I’m going to do this every year. No matter how stupid I’m going to look by April, I won’t back off any of these crazy predictions, I promise!

With that said, here are my fifth annual 10 crazy predictions for the Knicks 2014-2015 season:

1.       Samuel Dalembert will lead the NBA in blocks and rebounds and win Defensive Player of the Year.

No Knick has ever led the league in blocks; only one Knick has ever led the league in rebounds (Harry Gallatin, 1954-55). Samuel Dalembert was a huge part of the reason why the Knicks were willing to trade Tyson Chandler to Dallas this summer. The Knicks believed that Dalembert could give the same production as Chandler at a much cheaper price. (Dalembert will make $3.9 million this season, compared to Chandler’s $14.6 million.) But he will be even better than Chandler. He will average 14 rebounds a game, while blocking 5 shots a game and will help turn around a defense who was 24^th in defensive efficiency last year. I don’t care that he’s never finished in the top five in either category; he is in a contract year, which means he will have a monster season.  The Knicks will proceed to give him a six-year $100 million dollar contract next summer. Sound familiar?

        

        2.  Jose Calderon will league the league in steals and assists this season and become a top five point guard.

 When the Knicks acquired Jose Calderon in the offseason, they not only got rid of the worst Knick point guard in franchise history, but they also got in Calderon one of the best international guards this world has ever seen.

  Calderon has finished in the top five in assists in four different seasons, but has never finished in the top 10 in steals. With offensive weapons like Melo, Amare, and Smith, he will lead the league with 12 assists a game. He is a horrendous defender, especially in the pick-and-roll, but Phil Jackson Derek Fisher, will get him to become a decent defender.  He’ll get a league leading three steals a game this year, which will make him the first guy since Michael Ray Richardson (1979-1980) to lead the league in steals and assists. Knicks fans will love Calderon so much; they’ll start comparing him to Walt “Clyde” Frazier.  He’ll be the fourth best point guard this year, behind Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and Kyrie Irving.

    3.  Amare will average at least 20 points per game and play at least 75 games.

In an interview after yesterday’s practice, Amare told reporters, “I think the previous years of battling injuries people have forgot," "But it's my job to remind them.”

He is right

People forget how amazing Amare’s first season was as a Knick. He was a legit MVP candidate for the first half of the 2010-2011 season. Knee and other injuries have hurt him since then. Now, fans are debating on whether his contract is worse than Houston’s six-year $100 million contract. Let me set the record straight, Houston’s contract will always be the worst contract in Knick history.

 After nearly a decade of futility, highlighted by that awful Houston contract, Amare helped put the Knicks back on the map.  As for this season, Amare will be the 2^nd leading scorer.  When he gets the minutes, he is still able to put points on the board. Last year, he scored 20 or more points nine times; he played at least 27 minutes in eight of those games.  Phil Jackson has stated that the Knicks hope to play him four rotations of eight minutes per game. That should be enough time for him to score, and it will also allow to play every back to back this season. If he takes those baths after every game, he may be an all star again.

4.  J.R. Smith will shoot 50 percent from the field this season.

BREAKING NEWS:  After a decade in the NBA, J.R. Smith admitted that he must change his shooter mentality.  Smith has struggled adjusting to the triangle offense this preseason; he is averaging 8.5 points and shooting 39 percent from the field.  “Trying to think about the rest of the team over myself or my scoring is something that I never really had to do before,” Smith said after the game.

To quote Booker T:

At least it’s a start right? Phil Jackson Derek Fisher will get Smith to buy into the team concept and Smith will eventually learn the triangle offense. Hey, even Michael Jordan didn’t learn this offense overnight. This summer, Smith declared he was one of the best shooters in NBA history, which most people found hysterical, considering he isn’t even the best shooter on his team (Tim Hardaway Jr. anyone?).

He will prove his doubters wrong this year though; somehow, he’ll figure out this triangle offense before the season starts, which will help Smith, take better shots. His knee should be 100 percent this year and he hasn’t been caught smoking weed, so Smith will get off to a fast start to the season.  This year is finally the year when people will start comparing him to other great shooters like Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, and Larry Bird. Smith will be that good.

5.  Carmelo will be the MVP and average 40 points per game

In 1970, Willis Reed won only MVP in franchise history. It was a very controversial decision; many people felt like Jerry West deserved the award for carrying a 46 win Laker team that lost Wilt Chamberlain after 12 games. Since then, there have been a few Knicks who have been close winning the award: Melo third in 2012, Bernard King second in 1984, Ewing fifth in 1990, and fourth in 1993.

Melo will finally end the 44-year MVP drought; Melo plus the triangle offense equals doom for the NBA. I don’t care if he said that he doesn’t think he’ll win the scoring title and that he’ll take less shots. Just like last season, he’ll still average about 22 shots a game and will finish in the top five in usage rate.

He’ll be the triangle offense’s 11^th scoring champion, and will average 40 points per game, something that Jordan, Kobe nor Shaq has ever accomplished in this offense. That is not a misprint.  I realize that he’s never even averaged 30 points in a season, but with this new offense, he’ll get open looks that he’s never had before. The triangle offense will automatically give Melo 10 extra points per game right? Of course! 

He will win the MVP over LeBron, who won’t get it because he’s playing with two other all stars, over Durant, who might be out two months with a foot injury, and over Chris Paul, who will split votes with Blake Griffin.

  

6.  The Knicks will win at least 50 games and a playoff series; Phil Jackson Derek Fisher will be the Coach of the Year

Many basketball experts are predicting the Knicks will miss the playoffs for the second straight year; they are projected to win just 38 games. The Knicks will surprise everyone this year with an explosive offense and a solid defense.  Phil Jackson Derek Fisher will get everyone to buy into the team concept and they’ll finish the season at 52-30, winning the Atlantic Division and finish as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Due to the Knicks miraculous turnaround, he’ll become the third Knick coach and the first in over two decades (Riley in 1993) to win the Coach of the Year.

They’ll beat the Heat in the first round, ending the Heat’s reign as Eastern Conference Champions and give the Bulls all they can handle in the next round. I won’t predict that series yet, I don’t know if Derrick Rose will last the entire season.

Remember, you heard these predictions here first, so thank me later!

 I’m ready for the season to start!