can isiah thomas and LARRY BROWN save the knicks?

Certainly he's shaken up the team. They were pretty moribund for a while there. Now they're more interesting to follow....

right, he definitely breathed some life into the franchise, shaking up the team after only 3 weeks on the job.

knowing his competitive nature, i imagine he wants to do well at the expense of his former employer -- larry bird's indiana pacers.

I think trades in the middle of the season are stupid. But considering NY and Phoenix are going nowhere I guess it can't hurt. Marbury hasn't won anywhere he's been so I don't see why NY fans should be so excited. Penny Hardaway has really fallen off of what he used to be also. I think Isiah can turn it around in time, but not this year even in the weak East.

Why does such an excellent player as Stephon Marbury get traded all the time?

CerealKiller, good point.
i think mid-season trades are done out of desperation more than anything else. panicky management scrambles, fearing for their necks. moving bodies on bad teams can't hurt. a change of scenery sometimes wakes a player up. the injury-plagued hardaway is as much of a risk as mcdyess, so they cancel each other out.

i agree, PDiddie, that "starbury" is overrated. the knicks are probably hoping that he'll finally realize his potential in his hometown, in the prime of his career. also, NY fans like rooting for attitude players like walt frazier, charles oakley, sprewell etc., so he would seem a perfect fit.

I don't question Marbury's talent just think he's bad for any teams chemistry. If basketball were a full court one-on-one venture no doubt he'd be one of the best. In five-on-five too often he monopolizes the ball for 20 seconds then is forced to create a play with time running out which often results in a bad pass or a degree of difficulty shot. He's a helluva talent but I'd rather have Jason Kidd or Gary Payton any day of the week. They make better decisions.

march 19th nets play @ the knicks. should be a helluva game -- marbury & kidd battling head to head.

Nope, Isiah was a great player, average coach, and I expect him to be a bad GM. He makes deals expecting players to have the will, and drive that he played with, but alot of players are just lazy.

And the reason "Starbury" gets traded so often is because he is a cancer in the locker room. Most sports fans understand that the game is 20 or so percent talent and 80 percent Chemistry.

Ex.
Kidd and "Starbury", traded. Kidd inherited basically the same team that "Starbury" played with. With "Starbury" they were perineal lottery pickers, with Kidd, perineal Finals participants.

Kidd is better than Starbury, but not 30 wins better.

Re: can isiah thomas save the knicks?


looks like he does -- asst coach brendan malone, who assisted isiah in indiana and coached for him in toronto. i believe he was also chuck daly's top asst during the piston bad boy glory years.

expect him to pull the plug if the knicks start another losing streak...

his patience appears to have run out after the dallas game. chaney was criticized for hesitating late in the game -- the knicks didn't foul right away, and the game slipped away.

isiah is rumored to be set to hire mike fratello
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1708140

Isiah was on Letterman last night and was asked if he was going to fire Chaney. Isiah did some song and dance about how he respects Don Chaney and has known him along time and believes in giving players and coaches time to be able to prove themselves to him, in which Letterman replied "he's toast isn't he". Chaney won't last the season and maybe not even the month.

ESPN.com reports that Chaney is out and Fratello is in. Knick fans, ever kindly to those having a hard time of it, have been calling for Chaney's head.

We'll see how they like Fratello, who, if memory serves, is known for his grind-it-out style of coaching.

if memeory serves, this would be a homecoming for fratello. i remember him being hubie brown's main assistant coach for the knicks in the early-mid 80's.

Looks like Isiah will make the change after the game tonight.

http://nydailynews.com/front/story/154838p-136103c.html

This just handed to me:

The NY Times reports that Chaney has been fired and Lenny Wilkins hired to replace him.

Lenny Wilkins? I have tremendous respect for him, but this must be his ninth or tenth NBA coaching job.

Saw that on sportscenter. It's Lenny Wilkens not Fratello.

Most losing coach ever.......Lenny Wilkins.

yeah, i guess fratello was a decoy.

Here, Lenny, stand behind Mike. Okay, you'll have to stoop ....