Stick a fork in them. Wave the white flag. It’s over. Last
night with the opportunity to inch closer to a playoff spot the Knicks took a
massive dump losing to the lowly Lakers. The estranged Mike D’Antoni’s team
made the future estranged coach Mike Woodson and friends look incompetent. You
would have thought that Kobe Bryant went off for 40 or 50 points after glancing
at the 127-96 final score. He wasn't even suited up. Neither was Pau Gasol or Steve Nash. A team with Xavier Henry as their
best player on the floor torched the Knicks for 127 points and scored 51 points in
the third quarter!
To say it was a disgrace of a performance would be as big as
an understatement as saying Mike Woodson will be head coach next season. The
leading rebounder for the Knicks was Carmelo Anthony with 9. Where was Tyson
Chandler? Where was Amar’e Stoudemire? Why can’t Raymond Felton play a month of
good basketball? Is Mike Woodson trying to get fired or has the locker room
given him a giant middle finger and started planning vacations? These are
questions that Phil Jackson has to answer sooner rather than later.
Last night’s performance was a microcosm of the whole season. Every time it looks like the Knicks are going to wake up they go back to sleep. During their winning streak there was ball movement, defensive pressure, enthusiasm. Last night? There were more open lanes to the basket than I-105. Woodson showed as much leadership as his team did effort. New President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson had a similar sentiment on the situation. The game left Jackson so disgusted he decided to leave the game with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, to walk his dog.
Jackson got to see first-hand how much work he has to do in
the offseason. That’s all the organization should be focused on. This season is
over. Last night was the third or fourth time the Knicks have defecated on a
chance to right their wrongs. Jackson and the Knicks need to start looking to
the future and if Carmelo Anthony is a part of that future. If anyone on the
roster right now is part of the future for that matter. Jackson told the New York
Times that the team needs a talent overhaul. Yes lots of talent and a prayer
should do the trick.
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