Why Us?

Written by Josh Katz Thursday, 18 November 2010 13:57

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I don’t want to mince words, so I’m just going to come right out and say it: The New York Knickerbockers are an awful disgrace and an even bigger disaster, and getting worse. As if the last decade of miserable play, inexplicably poor contracts, trades, coaching hires and front office shuffling wasn’t enough, the 2010 Knicks have already managed to usurp even the Isiah Thomas regime with their 3-8 start, in the midst of a 6 game losing skid. It is nearly impossible to point out the exact moment when the wheels fell off the Knicks train, but it has been god-awful for quite some time now. A once proud franchise is now in the bowels of the NBA, despite being one of the largest markets in the country. It seemed that this year might be different, with a new superstar and seemingly improved supporting cast in a run-and-gun offense. A season of hope perhaps, where New Yorkers could share a common interest, if nothing else – The Knicks are playing well again. Ask any New Yorker with a sports IQ, we have simply come to expect the worse from the Knicks every year. The Garden faithful hasn’t seen a championship since the early 1970’s, and so much as a watchable or competitive team since the 1999 fluke, which took the underdog Knicks to the NBA Finals against the Spurs in a lockout year. Since then, the Knicks have fallen from a perennial powerhouse to a 3rd-rate circus.

There was a brief glimmer of hope earlier this summer, when Lebron James duped us all into thinking he might take his talents to Manhattan and restore some credibility to a franchise that has not been relevant since Jeff Van Gundy and Latrell Sprewell were in the Garden spotlight. Knick fans hoped and dreamed of playoff hoops again, even if it was in the form of an 8th seed and a quick first round exit. The stars seemed to be lining up quite nicely too. Knicks' president Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni got the Knicks under the salary cap, and sold us on the idea that the Knicks might land some big fish in the offseason. With a couple of superstars and some decent role players, the Knicks could’ve been in the upper crust of the softer eastern conference with a few strokes of the pen, thrusting themselves back into relevancy much like the Boston Celtics did when they signed their big three. But even with a blank check and the allure of New York City, the Knicks managed only one “mega star” in the form of power forward Amar’e Stoudemire, who has failed to live up to the hype of his $100 million contract thus far.

As I watched the Knicks get booed off the court in last week's loss to the pitiful Houston Rockets, it occurred to me that this team IS different than previous years. This season, there is zero light at the end of the tunnel. Zip. The team the Knicks trot on to the Garden floor will likely be their team for some time, with zero draft picks, Raymond Felton running the point, Danilo Gallinari hoisting up 3’s, a coach who doesn’t believe in defense, a clueless owner in the form of one James Dolan, and Isiah Thomas lurking in the background. What did Knicks fans do to deserve this? All we did was cheer our hearts out year after year and dream of watchable basketball at the World’s Most Famous Arena. We’re not asking very much here. Take me back to 1994, when the Knicks were in the NBA Finals with Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, John Starks and Anthony Mase-in-your-face with Pat Riley calling the shots. They played with tenacity, swagger and purpose. Now, Knicks fans know the season is over before it even starts.  Now, the Knicks are lucky to win 35 games. We are only eleven games into the 2010 season, and the Knicks have already drawn boos from the home crowd. I think Knick fans can all agree at this point, we just want to be competitive. All I want to do is be able to sit through a Knicks game without swearing at the TV and burying my head in my lap by halftime. Is that really so much to ask? So gear up Knicks fans, it’s going to be a long, cold winter at the World’s Most Famous arena. My only question is, how low can they go?