New York Knicks [Challenging Adversity]

[ShivaSquad]

7-12

March 5, 2005

The New York Knicks are a fabled franchise, dating back to the pre-abbreviation days when they were known as the Knickerbockers. As a Knicks fan I have fond memories of sitting in the greatest arena in the world, Madison Square Garden, at age 8. So many memories. I remember Reggie Miller bombs being dropped, I remember Alonzo Mourning's heat, I remember Patrick Ewing. I also remember the numerous fights erupting between Tim Hardaway, Zo, and Larry Johnson. And how can we forget when Jeff Van Gundy defied gravity when he hung on to Alonzo's legs and wouldn't let go. So many memories... but that was back when we won. Ever since Ewing retired New York has been in a constant spiral of doom. The introduction of Stephon Marbury proved fatal, not helpful. Desperate for more, Isiah Thomas went out and acquired Jamal Crawford. An inexperienced dribble first, shoot 2nd, pass 3rd undersized SG was not what the Knicks needed. Now with a stuffed frontcourt of Marbury, Crawford, and Houston, the Knicks faced another challenge. So with roster problems growing, what did Isiah Thomas do next? He traded our only center for undersized forwards. So 1 year and a few months since Isiah Thomas took over, the Knicks look like one of the most embarassing disappointments in the NBA. But as many people know, champions are made by surpassing adversity. And that's what this dynasty is about. The New York Knickerbockers are back.

Last 5 games:

@L 97-66

@W 96-73

@L 71-101

@L 81-96


[img]http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/1/80x60/nyk.gif[/img@[img]http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/1/80x60/was.gif[/img] W 99-92

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Nice write up, very inspirational.

I wonder how you'll manage to get rid of about 60 million per year in salaries to go under the cap. Maybe Isiah should start taking notes...

Have a great dynasty, buddy!!!

[ShivaSquad]

You like Caramel?

March 6, 2005

Isiah Thomas and the Knicks start off the season struggling, failing to meet expectations. After 9 games they are 4-5, on a 4 game losing streak. Team chemistry and morale is down, as many issues are being faced.

Michael Sweetney and Malik Rose are competing for the starting PF spot. Jamal Crawford leads the league in 3 pointers made, and 3 pointers attempted. All he does in games is jack up 10 3's. It seems that he cares more about his stats then his team. Stephon Marbury, Kurt Thomas, and Trevor Ariza are the only guys being teammates, trying to help the team gather wins. New York looks great on paper but not on the court. The ability to bring in Tim Thomas, Malik Rose, and Penny Hardaway off the bench is unprecedented in a league that has solidified it's importance on the starting 5. There's one thing thats certain: The Knicks have potential. Rookie Trevor Ariza is showing promise, as well as newcomer Malik Rose. If the right pieces are inserted, this could be a championship team.

Isiah Thomas feels that Jamal Crawford must go. He admits that ever since Jamal concentrated more on leading the league in 3's, he's been hurting the team. In the last 2 games Crawford has been in Herb Williams' dog house, only registering 15 and 12 minutes, respectively. You could probably guess that when Isiah Thomas is your GM, and he wants to get rid of someone, he's going to do everything to trade him. Right? Right. So who are the Knicks chasing after?

The first option was Joe Johnson, a powerful young SG that is being under utilized in the Suns offense. Johnson has proven that he's a dead-eye 3 point shooter, yet he also has good strength and dribbling ability. Phoenix didn't bite on any of Isiah's offers. Our sources tell us that New York offered Jamal Crawford, Jamison Brewer for Joe Johnson and Bo Outlaw. The Phoenix Suns organization wanted none of it, showing no interest in Crawford. Word got out that Isiah wanted to deal Crawford, and soon several teams showed interest. One of them was the Denver Nuggets. So with nothing to lose, and wanting to get rid of Crawford, Isiah headed into discussion with the Nuggets GM. That same night the Knicks put a deal on the table. From what we've heard it involved Jamal Crawford, Carmelo Anthony, and Earl "The Pearl" Boykins.

The next day Isiah Thomas and the Knicks were astonished to receive a phone call of acceptance. Denver stated that Carmelo was too passive, and was also getting arrogant. He felt that Denver needed him, and he didn't put all he had on the court each night. His off court struggles were also giving the Nuggets a bad rep. New York also got what they needed. A large, strong, talented, young SF who can take over games. Getting rid of Jamal Crawford will open the SG spot for Trevor Ariza, which will give him the minutes to improve and excel. Earl Boykins will also help the team in a huge way, as the backup PG had been Penny Hardaway. Boykins is also a fan favorite and we're looking forward to seeing the ovations he gets in MSG. So for once Isiah Thomas seemed to make a brilliant move, but the results are what count. It's going to be interesting to see if the Anthony-Marbury duo can turn this franchise around.

[ShivaSquad]

Rejuvenated Rosters

STARTING LINEUP

C-Kurt Thomas
PF-Mike Sweetney
SG-Trevor Ariza
SF-Joe Johnson
PG-Stephon Marbury

BENCH

PG-Earl Boykins
PF-Malik Rose
SF-Tim Thomas
SG-Penny Hardaway
PF-Jerome Williams
PF-Maurice Taylor

IL

SG-Allan Houston

[ShivaSquad]

Nice write up, very inspirational.

I wonder how you'll manage to get rid of about 60 million per year in salaries to go under the cap. Maybe Isiah should start taking notes...

Have a great dynasty, buddy!!!

thanks man... ur the 1st post to the beginning of a great dynasty u should feel special!

lol yea knicks are fun to play wit cause they r struggling. the main reason i did this dynasty is cause i KNOW i will never end it i will stick with it... cause i liv in ny and this is my home team... i wont get bored wit them. and i moved crawford because i think its realistic cause i think he will be traded in the offseason, and denver has problems wit carmelo too. yea its a little bit unrealistic with the skill levels, but crawford is good. and denver NEEDS a sg.

ok im gonna put up the 1st game wit carmelo after i play it

[BigShotBillups1]

Good trade , now if only you could get rid of that bum Tim Thomas...

[gifted]

great start... im gonna be following this dynasty... try to trade away TT for some expiring contracts, or maybe a legit center...

[ShivaSquad]

Good trade , now if only you could get rid of that bum Tim Thomas...

thanks, and yea hes a bum but i like him

great start... im gonna be following this dynasty... try to trade away TT for some expiring contracts, or maybe a legit center...

hmmm i c TT is popularily disliked

i dont luv him but i kinda like him as hes been good lately... i wouldnt mind trading him tho ill see wat i can get. i just dont wanna change around the team too much. i made 1 huge trade, now i wanna play wit the knicks rosters and keep it as realistic as possible. but hey ill keep it in mind and i might surprise you near the trade deadline

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

That bench of yours' annual salary combined is bigger than some African countries' annual income!!! This should be fun... keep up the good work!

[Micchy_boy]

Though the melo-crawford was unrealistic ...
i think it will be fun to see how you will turn this ballclub into a champion team or even at least a title contender...

Good luck...

[ShivaSquad]

it WAS unrealistic if u judge by overall ratings in the game... and yea carmelo is better in real life too. but hes not at all in the same league wit lebron and wade (imo)... and i dont think hes 10 times better then crawford either. its unrealistic because denver wouldnt do it because carmelo IS better.... but its realistic because denver had problems wit carmelo (at least b4 george karl took over)... he wasnt playin well and they were losin, he had off court problems. also crawford does dribble too much and shoot too much for the knicks... and the nugz needed a sg and the knicks needed to get rid of a sg.

but yes its unrealistic

but as u kno its about fun and i can picture a young arrogant melo in a knicks uniform... and hes fun to play wit. so its all about fun. also it gives me more motivation to keep the dynasty interesting. hes also on the front of the nba live cover which makes it cool to hav him on my team

[IronMan]

Not only is Anthony better than Crawford, but you even got Boykins along the deal. But I agree that it makes the team more fun to play with, and seeing Anthony in a different uniform will be interesting.

[ShivaSquad]

yea also i was thinkin about how i ripped denver off and that maybe its not realistic. but then i realized who cares? there are so many ripoffs in the real nba, and plus this is about building a dynasty. this is the first step of building a dominant dynasty for years to come... ripoff or not

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Hey, give the guy a break. If someone did the Webber trade to Philly before it actually happened would anyone say that it was realistic? It's just a game, Shiv, have fun man!!!

[The X]

yep, that's true....you just got to spin together a story....look at it from both sides of the equation (cap, team chemistry, positional needs etc) like I did with my Arenas trade....

either way, very unrealistic to get Boykins as well

[brad feet]

great to see you back shiva good luck.... nice melo trade, i like playing with melo before starting my lakers dynasty, coz he's not that good and he's not that bad either... that's why it's fun playing him....

[ShivaSquad]

yep, that's true....you just got to spin together a story....look at it from both sides of the equation (cap, team chemistry, positional needs etc) like I did with my Arenas trade....

either way, very unrealistic to get Boykins as well

lol it is... but isiah thomas is a genius! thats y we pulled it off... plus ill prolly even it out later on or in the offseason by doin some fair/bad trades where i get cool players but give up talent. its not like im gonna rip any1 else off... this is my only ripoff to jumpstart the dynasty

great to see you back shiva good luck.... nice melo trade, i like playing with melo before starting my lakers dynasty, coz he's not that good and he's not that bad either... that's why it's fun playing him....

thanks im glad to be back im pumped for a real dynasty. and u hit it right on the nose. melo isnt good but not too bad. he hits mid range jumpers and hes big. but hes kinda too big and not fast or quick enough to be unstoppable... however he has the ability to average 20+ ppg... and he has an 80 overall rating while maintaining only a 68 and 65 fg/3 point ratings. thats exactly y hes so fun to play wit.

c u around the next recap

[ShivaSquad]

@L 88-99|POG-Josh Childress

Toyota Player of the Game
-22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
"Heading into the game we were 5-8, so we didn't expect much to happen. Carmelo and Steph have been really impressive together, winning 2 out of 3. It hurt us when we didn't get our home crowd into it tonight in the 1st quarter. We went down early and never got it going till late in the 2nd quarter. Al [Harrington] was really struggling from the field, so I took the load on my shoulders. I had 13 points at the half. In the locker room Coach told Tony [Delk] to get the ball in my hands. Starting the 3rd quarter our home crowd was really rooting for us, and we began to play better defense. It really sucked though because I had a couple turnovers and Coach got all over me about it. He yelled in my face and took me out of the game. I was sitting there sulking on the bench when a fan gave me some advice. He yelled something about crying and being a quitter. Whatever it was it really helped. I came back in the 4th and dropped 9 points, 2 3's. I think overall this game was a real energy booster for us. Carmelo's Knicks have been playing so well lately, and to get an upset win in our home court is motivating."

Knicks fall to Hawks

Josh Childress wouldn't let Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks pull out a win last night in Philips Arena. Childress lead Atlanta in scoring with 22 points, and won Player of Game honors. For the Knicks Carmelo Anthony lead the team in scoring with 26, while Marbury had 22 of his own.

In the 1st quarter the Knicks came out a little too loose, looking as if they expected an easy win. The looseness didn't translate on the offensive end, however. Anthony and Marbury scored 8 and 6 points in the quarter, respectively. Offensively the Knicks were hot, shooting 60%... it was the defense that was haunting them. Tony Delk and Al Harrington got to the hoop with ease for effortless buckets. New York's transition D was also far too slow in getting back, allowing for fast break points. In the 2nd quarter Josh Childress caught fire, Carrying the team on his shoulders. For New York Tim Thomas had a productive quarter, chipping in 8 points off the bench. At the half the score was 49-47 in favor of the Knicks.

Realizing that the game wasn't going to be a walk on the beach, the Knicks' starting 5 came out of the locker room a little more tense. The 3rd quarter has been the lowest scoring quarter for the Knicks all season, and it was proved true once again. Marbury came out stagnant, not creating enough on the offensive end, and dribbling down the shot clock just to force a bad shot. As a result New York only scored 16 points in the quarter. Atlanta took advantage and headed to the break with a 6 point lead. In the 4th Carmelo demanded the ball and executed, scoring double digits in points and bringing the Knicks back into the game. With 3 minutes left a 3 by Ariza closed the gap to 2 points. They would never get closer then that, as Childress knocked down a 3 to put Atlanta up by 5. Several desperation 3's by Carmelo couldn't find their mark, and New York fell to the Hawks by 11.

It was a very disappointing loss for the Knicks as they drop to 5-8 for the season. In an eastern conference that hosts rejuvenated teams, the Knicks need to pick up the easy wins. Last night was one of them, and they simply couldn't execute. They fall to 4.5 games back of New Jersey in the Atlantic Division, and will not make the playoffs if they continue at this rate. Since the addition of Carmelo and Boykins New York is 2-2, now on a 2 game losing streak.

Rookies Got Game

[Seraph]

good luck , i hope you give Penny lots of minutes

[ShivaSquad]

I didn't want to ruin my opening statement with the game settings so I guess no harm done in putting them here. This isn't a full list, its the list that I remember and what I think is important.

GAME DIFFICULTY-SUPERSTAR
QUARTER LENGTH-8 MINUTES
GAME SPEED-50
FATIGUE-55
REACH IN FOUL FREQUENCY-70
USER DUNK/LAYUP BLOCK ABLITY-20
CPU DUNK/LAYUP BLOCK ABILITY-50
USER STEAL ABILITY-30
CPU STEAL ABILITY-35
USER INTERCEPTION ABILITY-25
CPU INTERCEPTION ABILITY-35

[ShivaSquad]

hey man thanks. penny will get his minutes... JUST FOR YOU
1st game recap up... its up there

sry for not havin all the stats for this game. from now on i will, i had the sheet of stats wit me in school and then i lost it ill hav them from now on

the game settings r above. i double posted by accident so i used it for a good cause

tell me how u like the game recap format. im still tryin to think of somthin a lil more original but for not thatll hav to do. posts keep posters happy. and happy posters mean good posts.

[thaKEAF]

Losing to the Hawks, never a good thing.

[bbalboy]

What up man thanks for the post on my Celtics dynasty, yeah I haven't updated it for a very long time but just started it up again. I like the Melo trade, if I were the Knicks and you I'd do it too, granted he's no Paul Pierce but yeah you can deal hahaha. Yeah just get some more details with the stats on the game but otherwise it looks really good. GO XBOX FRANCHISES!

[kibaxx7]

Amazing start, amazing. Keep it up... and hope you get 'Melo into a Superstar.

[ShivaSquad]

@L 90-83|POG-James Posey

Toyota Player of the Game
-17 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist
"I'm still in shock. After Earl Boykins hit that 3 pointer to bring it within 1 to cap off a 6-0 Knicks run with under a minute to go, I was sure we lost. With the Madison Square Garden fans on their feet yelling 'DEFENSE!!--DEFENSE!!--DEFENSE!!, my insides flipped when Jaywill [Jason Williams] knocked down the FG to put us back up by 3. After that it was cruise control, but that moment right there was definitely the most exciting part of the season so far. I mean as a team this is such proof of the hard work we always put in. The Grizzlies never have one superstar; we're a happy family of NBA players. We proved it tonight with 6 players in double figures. Ahhh, what a win, what a win. I can't wait to get on the plane and continue this streak back at home."

Gritty Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies showed their grit today, holding on to the game by a mere thread. Earl Boykins and the Knicks fueled a late 4th quarter come back but Jason Williams and James Posey of Memphis would have none of it, leading Memphis to its 8th win of the season. Pau Gasol's efficiency wasn't the best of his potential, but his solid double double (11 points, 10 rebounds) was enough for the win.

In the 1st quarter Stephon Marbury attacked the basket with tenacity that didn't exist earlier in the season. As a team the Knicks came out sharp, perhaps trying to make a point to coach Herb Williams after their embarassing loss in Atlanta the previos night. Whatever it was, it worked. Stephon scored 8 points in the quarter and the Thomas Towers had 4 apiece. Overall New York shot 52% from the field off of 11/21, mostly because the majority of the points came from the paint. At the end of 1 New York had a dominant 11 point lead, 25-14.

The 2nd quarter was the complete opposite of quarter 1 for the Knicks, and clearly the worst quarter of the year. New York only scored 14 points at a disgraceful 23% clip. 4/17 from the field just does not get it done in this league. Carmelo wasn't involved at all until his 3 point buzzer beater over Bonzi Wells which gave NY the slim 38:37 lead heading into the half. At this point the game was extremely sloppy. Both teams were turning the ball over at a fast pace, and ball movement never entered the players' minds.

In the 3rd quarter Herb Williams decided to switch it up a bit. With Trevor Ariza turning the ball over and taking bad shots, Penny Hardaway started the 2nd half at SG. This was also due to Penny's agent, Seraph, who called Williams before the game and warned him that his client is getting aggravated with his lack of playing time. Penny was priceless, as he certainly didn't disappoint. He notched 2 points in the quarter, but more importantly 2 rebounds and 4 assists. His all around play got guys like Carmelo and Kurt Thomas involved, which started fastbreaks and the spreading of the court. Despite Penny's prolific play, Memphis outscored the Knicks 21-19 in the quarter and were up 58-57 heading towards the 4th and final quarter.

CRUNCH TIME PLAY BY PLAY-The 4th quarter was a fast paced game with quick points, layups, and scrambles for loose balls. And with 4:32 to go in the game New York found themselves down by 3, 69-66. Herb Williams motioned towards his bench to get his vets into the game, and sure enough Malik Rose and Penny Hardaway came in for Mike Sweetney and Trevor Ariza. Both teams got defensive stops and several possessions later Lorenzen Wright was fouled hard while attempting a dunk. The score was 76-72 for Memphis when Wright went to the line for 2. He swished the 1st one, and the 2nd once clanged out into the outstretched hands of James Posey. Posey quickly slammed it home, making it a 7 point Memphis lead with 1:39 to go in the game. With the game looking out of reach, Marbury sprinted up court and juked his way to the left side of the hoop. He went straight at Lorenzen Wright for the layup, and managed to drop the left handed finger roll while getting the foul called. Marbury hit the foul shot to convert the much needed clutch 3 point play. After he hit the FT Earl Boykins subbed in for Marbury, as he was getting tired and needed a quick 30 second breather. After a quick miss by Gasol, Hardaway dribbled the ball up the court, dribbled into the lane, faked the shot, and dished it out to Boykins who was stationed on the right side behind the arc. Boykins took a hop backwards to avoid the Gasol block and drained the long 3 with ease... no pressure. With the quick turnaround New York found themselves only down 79-78 with 1:11 to go in the game. A seemingly impossible 6-0 run had just occurred in a span of 28 seconds. On the next possession Penny intercepted a pass in midair and quickly threw it to Carmelo who was running downcourt. Anthony got the easy dunk and put the Knicks up by 2, 80:79. On the next possession Jason Williams came down court and calmly nailed a mid range FG over the outstretched hands of 5'5 Earl Boykins. Jason Williams then stole the ball from Mike Sweetney down on the block, and came down to hit yet another mid range shot over Boykins' head. The height mismatch proved to be a problem, and Marbury could only sit and watch at the scorer's table as he waited for the next whistle. NY took its final timeout and put in Marbury, who passed to Anthony. Carmelo attempted the 3 over Bonzi Wells with 20 seconds to go in the game and it clanked off the rim. After that Williams hit FT's to ice the game. Knicks lose a heartbreaker 90-83.

New York pulled off an improbable comeback only to let it slide out of their reach. Even more impressive is the fact that the bench players Penny Hardaway and Earl Boykins were the masterminds giving this struggling Knicks team hope. Although this was a loss, you might want to think about picking up Penny and Earl in any fantasy leagues, as they will see an increase in playing time after this performance. The key stats to this game were the turnovers. Memphis had a large amount with 21, but the Knicks helped them out with 29 of their own. The second stat is the assist totals. The two teams combined for only 29 assists, an extremely low number especially considering Memphis averages over 20 per game. New York starts the month of December with a home loss, and falls to 5-9 and 5.5 games back of NJ in the Atlantic. Memphis improves to 8-8.

Posey was clutch