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Blink And You Missed It: The Relevant Portion Of The Knicks Season Is Over

Even for the James Dolan/Isiah Thomas Knicks five games is mighty quick to flush your entire season down the toilet. I'd been holding off on writing about them because I wasn't quite sure what to make of them after an impressive win against Denver and then the brutal losses to the two Florida clubs. Turns out there's nothing new to write about since the season's already in the gutter.

That's what happened today, though, when Stephon Marbury fled Phoenix and the team on the heels of reports that the team was looking to reduce his role with the team and/or eliminate him from the roster entirely. At first it seemed like Marbury left the team with no warning or explanation, something about Thomas saying he had no idea where Marbury was gave that impression, but the Post is now reporting that Marbury says he got the OK from Thomas before splitting.

I don't think Marbury is right to bolt the team just because they want him to come off the bench. Clearly that's selfish BS. I do think that a Marbury-less Knick squad, however, has about as much chance to go to the playoffs as the Washington Generals. Who's going to run the point? Mardy Collins? The loathsome little gnat named Nate? Those dogs just ain't gonna hunt. I suppose you could try Jamal Crawford and Quentin Richardson in the backcourt with Renaldo Balkman starting at the three. You could also try ramming your head into a brick wall repeatedly. Both will leave you worse for the wear.

Moreover, this latest fracas is indicative of the complete mess that Dolan has made of the organization. To get rid of Marbury, and you have to now that he's skipped out on the team, you're going to have to buy out what's left of his contract. He's untradeable, because of his contract and because of his me-first attitude. Well, that's not quite true. You might be able to dump him for awful contracts, Larry Hughes come on down!, but nothing that's going to help this team win. That leaves Dolan to spend Anucha Browne Sanders money which when you think about it is a fair penalty for that dip to have to pay.

You could have trade him this offseason, though, when he'll have just one year to go on his deal. Maybe they can patch things up enough for him to come back and play until then but, as I've said already, I think you have to get rid of a player who walks out on the team. What I don't get is why they waited until now to do something about him.

There's something so surprising about Marbury's issues playing defense and running the offense? These problems are nothing new, except to Thomas, I guess. And I guess Thomas also forgot that Marbury sabotaged Larry Brown and that he balked at Thomas when things went badly to start last season.  Knowing all of this, why didn't the Knicks go out and try to improve the point guard position instead of flirting with Allan Houston and drafting their umpteenth forward who can't score? Because they're idiots, always have been and always will be idiots.

The Knicks are in Phoenix tonight and the Suns may well put up 200 against the Marbury and Zach Randolph-less 'Bockers. Good times never end at the Garden.

Who's #7 On The Knicks?

If you tune into tonight's preseason game between the Knicks and Maccabi Tel Aviv you might experience a bit of deja vu. With a twist. The 6'6" shooting guard will look familiar and the sweet shooting stroke will tickle both the twine and the far reaches of your memory bank yet you'll find yourself saying "I don't remember any Knick player wearing number 7 recently."

That's cause there isn't one but that player you recognize is none other than Allan Houston, author of one of the most memorable Knick moments in history and attempter of a comeback I don't think anyone saw coming. Sure, Houston's been talking about it for a while but the last place I thought he'd end up is back with the Dolan carnival. If he can still go it will be as a long-range shooter off the bench, the perfect complement to a good team looking for a weapon.

These Knicks do have backcourt needs but they begin at the point, not at the two. If Houston does make the team he'd take the spot of rookie Demetris Nichols, a sharpshooter, and he wasn't the best defensive player during his prime. Those skills probably haven't improved with time off and I'd rather see the Knicks get younger than older after years spent flailing about with old, expensive players.

Houston won't cost much and doesn't have a guaranteed contract so that's not the big complaint about the signing. I think James Dolan and Isiah cooked this up as a way to deflect some attention from their recent courtroom farce. Bring back a beloved veteran of better days, let the media attention flow to coverage of his comeback and try to foster some goodwill in a town that thinks the whole organization has gone to pot under their watch.

Oh yeah, the reason he's not wearing number 20 is because Jared Jeffries hasn't been given cement boots and a toss from a boat in the Hudson yet and the NBA, in its infinite wisdom, has a rule that says players can't switch numbers without notice given to the league before training camp begins. Because there's so much call for Jared Jeffries jerseys around the country.

They Can Find $36 Million For Jared Jeffries But...

Why in the world is James Dolan allowing this Isiah Thomas trial to keep moving forward? If you owned a business that was getting dragged through the mud on a daily basis in front of your customer base what would it be worth to you to make it stop? Take into account that said company was part of a larger consortium that is fanatical about its public image and said customer base was being insulted by the people they pay good money to watch play and/or coach. To me it would be worth quite a bit to make it stop, if not for the $10 million asking price then for something close to it that made the whole thing go away. Alas, I'm not James Dolan and we're sure to get more charming missives like the one that Stephon Marbury sent to someone who worked for Anucha Browne Sanders.

"No one likes that black bitch," Marbury told a Sanders underling, according to the Nov. 28, 2005 note. "F - - - that black bitch. She thinks she runs the Knicks. She don't run s- - -. I sell the tickets around here, not her. I put people in seats. This is my team."

And that actually came on a good day for the Knicks defense team. Team President Steve Mills testified that Sanders resigned from her job before the Knicks fired her, making a retaliation charge quite tough to prove, and outlined several ways that she was deficient in her job duties. That basically means that the Knicks were more than willing to keep paying for someone to do a mediocre job, that's their defense actually, and Mills said that when Sanders finally told him about Thomas' improper advances he spoke to Isiah about it. That was in December 2005, just before the Knicks and Sanders parted ways.

I'm not a legal analyst nor am I knowledgeable about the inner workings of the Knick organization but this whole deal needs to go away posthaste. It's clear that this woman, however bad she may have been at her job, was subjected to a difficult working enviornment above and beyond what most reasonable people would accept. Settle this and move onto to the season which actually holds some promise of a positive outcome.

Stephon Marbury, Smooth Operator

You just knew that when Stephon Marbury stepped into the witness box something good was going to happen. He spent the summer giving wonderful interviews, blogging up a storm and selling his shoes from coast to coast. There was no way his testimony in the Isiah Thomas sexual harassment case was going to be a dour affair. And indeed it was not, although the questioning had more to do with Marbury's sexual habits than anything that Thomas may or may not have done to Anucha Browne Sanders. Her attorneys asked Marbury about an assignation with a Knicks intern in a truck.

Hunched in the hot seat in a stylish tan checked jacket, Marbury 'fessed up to crassly luring the college student into his vehicle outside a strip club, calling out, "Are you going to get in the truck?"

He said she answered, "Yes."

"It really wasn't a conversation," said the cocky team captain, admitting he knew the woman was an intern but denying he was aware she was drunk.

They proceeded to have sex in the parked car and follow-up questions hinted at an ongoing relationship between the two before the judge stepped in to remind the lawyers that Marbury wasn't a defendant in the case at hand. The only reason it went that far is because Browne Sanders discussed the incident in her own testimony saying that the intern told her she "wouldn't have gotten into the truck but felt like she had to" because Marbury was doing the asking. The intern also said that the sex was consenual, though, and Sanders' account of the incident featured different details than Marbury's.

The intern, who still works for the Knicks, was dating Marbury's cousin at the time of the strip club soiree. Said cousin was at the heart of the poor relationship between Marbury and Sanders because she fired him as a Knick employee after he falsified timecards and sexually harassed another colleague. Sanders claims she told the team about the incident with Marbury but they failed to do anything about it, something she says illustrates the atmosphere of harassment inside the organization.

Perhaps they didn't investigate it because it seems like two adults having sex in a parked car. I'm not saying that the girl might have felt Marbury was powerful or that he acted like a true gentleman but nothing in the account from yesterday raises much of an eyebrow. She was probably drunk, he probably acted like a cad and that goes on each and every day in bars and at parties all across the country. What that has to do with the Knicks as an organization is beyond me? It wasn't a Knicks team party at the Mt. Vernon strip club, after all, and are we really supposed to be shocked to find out that NBA players treat women like disposable objects?

Isiah On Trial

The Isiah Thomas trial tipped off in Manhattan yesterday with testimony from his accuser. Anucha Browne Sanders is accusing the Knick majordomo of sexual harassment and she was quite willing to share the comments that Thomas made to make her uncomfortable. First and foremost she seems to have a problem with being referred to as "Bitch" at the start of every sentance.

"Bitch, I don't give a f--k about the sponsors ..." Browne Sanders testified Thomas told her. "I don't give a f--k about ticket sales."

She also said Thomas rebuffed her March 2004 request that he sign renewal-request letters sent out to past season ticket holders with a pointed shot at loyal Knick fans.

"Bitch, I don't give a f--k about these white people," Browne Sanders said Thomas told her.

As a white season ticket holder I feel I should weigh in on that last comment by Browne Sanders. It doesn't have any place in this court proceeding. Other than calling her a bitch it doesn't have any place in a sexual harassment case. It's just there to make Thomas look bad to the jury, like he's some kind of loose cannon that will say anything that comes to mind without regard to appropriateness. Beyond that, I don't know why this would come as a shock to anyone who has watched the Knicks play since Thomas was hired by the Dolans. Anyone who signs Jerome James and Jared Jeffries, trades for Stevie Francis and drafts Nate Robinson clearly doesn't give a fuck about ticket sales or the white people who buy said tickets. You don't need Anucha Browne Sanders to tell you that, you just need a program and the slightest knowledge of basketball to know that Thomas isn't interested in making any friends inside Madison Square Garden.

Getting back to the courtroom, Browne Sanders testified that Isiah told her he loved her after playing a game of Horse. He realized that their relationship was like the one in the film "Love and Basketball." I'm not a huge fan of the film, although Omar Epps and sports films remain a winning combination, but I think there's a chance that it wasn't the romantic relationship that Thomas was referencing when he made that comment. If you've seen the movie you're probably familiar with the scene when the USC coach tells Monica that she's starting and she asks him why he's always being so mean to her. "You think I'd go hoarse for a player with no potential? When I ignore you... then you worry," is his response. If Thomas is going to employ a defense using the movie I think that's the direction he should go.

Randolph Morris Looks Like A Player

The Knicks had high hopes for Randolph Morris. The ex-Kentucky Wildcat big man was signed toward the end of last season because his college eligibility was up and his draft eligibility was nonexistent but didn't see much time. Isiah Thomas refered to him as an extra first-round pick, though, and it seemed like a savvy move for a team handcuffed by salary cap restrictions. The acquisition of Zach Randolph pushed him out of the spotlight, though, so Morris decided to do something to shake things up.

New York Knicks center Randolph Morris was arrested early Tuesday and charged with reckless driving. He was arrested by Lexington police, according to district court deputy Clerk Glenda Walls. He was released on $100 bond, with a court appearance scheduled for later Tuesday.

I have to say, good for Morris. The Zach Attack is as famous for his numerous appearances on police blotters as he is for his low-post game. Young Morris clearly saw this and decided to emulate his elder so that he wouldn't lose the eye of Thomas and the rest of the Knicks staff. Granted a reckless driving charge is nothing compared to selling a stolen gun or alleged sexual assault but give Morris credit for trying to keep up with the Joneses. That's what we like to see out of our young players.

Stephon Marbury Is One Happy Fella

Here's how much mileage Stephon Marbury's getting out of that interview with Bruce Beck on Mike'd Up - he's now giving other interviews about that interview. And while nothing will ever touch the original for its bizarre stream-of-Starburyness, the follow-up with Gus Johnson is pretty good too. For one thing his kinetic energy seems to have the heretofore unseen effect of mellowing out Johnson, something that Summer League basketball, woman's golf and his grandmother's funeral couldn't manage. Gus even seems a bit scared of him at times.

My favorite part of this sit-down is when Starbury also breaks down television in terms easy enough for anyone to understand, "It's TV, that's it. It's just a camera, they go cut and they go edit. That's it." That's worthy of Marshall McLuhan. Someone give this man a seminar at NYU!

By the end of the summer we should have enough material for a Starbury DVD set of interviews that an enterprising playwright could use to conjure up a show that ends up replacing Frost/Nixon on Broadway.

Eddy Curry Robbed

For the second time in a month a NBA player was the victim of a home invasion robbery in the Chicago area and authorities in that city wonder if there isn't a connection between the two crimes. Antoine Walker was duct-taped and robbed of jewelry and cash by armed robbers nearly three weeks ago and Knicks center Eddy Curry suffered the same fate this weekend.

Three masked robbers restrained the 6-foot-11 Curry, some of his family members and an employee with duct tape and held them at gunpoint, Burr Ridge police said.

No one was hurt and there's no truth to the rumor that Curry fought back fiercely for 10 minutes before getting tired and losing his effectiveness. In more seriousness, this is a scary trend for NBA players. Police don't believe this wasn't a random robbery of a home in an upscale neighborhood. As in Walker's case they think that it was planned and executed with full knowledge of who the victims were and with the confidence that a gun will give you an advantage over even the largest professional athlete.

Because of the similar M.O.'s, the police in Chicago and suburban Burr Ridge are working together to see if there's a connection between the two crimes. Walker moved out of his home after the robbery but for now Curry and his family are staying in the "dream house" they built in the 'burbs. Here's hoping this is the last of these robberies because sooner or later one of them is going to end up with the player or a member of his family dead.

Nothing's Stronger Than Oak

Now that all this Harry Potter hullabaloo is out of the way the country can turn its eyes to a truly groundbreaking piece of literature. Charles Oakley is writing a book.

"I'm not pulling any punches, true stories. It ain't one of those Charles Barkley fake books, it's a Charles Oakley book," Oakley said. "It's not an O.J. book, it's an Oakley book."

Any book that chronicles Oakley's life is sure to have its fair share of explosive anecdotes. He was a guy who got suspended for a Raptor game for drilling a basketball at Jeff McInnis's head at a shootaround. He got tossed from a pre-season game before it began for slapping Tyrone Hill in the head to remind him about a gambling debt.

Oakley has a long list of memorable sayings, ranging from "If it ain't broke, don't break it," to "Just because there's glass on the road don't mean there's been an accident." If you put those thoughts and others like it to paper, it may not be Shakespeare, but a whole lot of people will read it. But there's one thing he won't reveal. Oakley, who never came across a subject he wouldn't pontificate on, won't give out the juiciest of book details, or the co-author's name.

"People might try to come after us and take us down, maybe send a hit man," he said. "I have to protect myself, can't let it get out."

The book, which we've already mentally preordered, doesn't have a firm release date. It's not finished, for one thing, and doesn't have a publisher, for another, but the biggest thing holding it back may be that the subject is mulling thoughts of a comeback to the NBA. That's right, Oak wants to play again but he's not going to just show up for the love of the game. As always it's about the Do-Re-Mi for Oakley.

Toronto would be nice, but so would Dallas, Miami, Cleveland or New York, as long as the price is right. "I'm not coming back cheap," he said. "If you read this article and you think you can get me cheap, there's another thought coming."

Take a look at the article and the mention of his Ferrari and Bentley, his lime green sneakers and self-described "rock star life." If you read that and think that anything Oakley does comes cheap you're a very different man than I. The chances of a team bringing Oakley into the fold seems remote although it's hard to imagine this year's Mavericks getting thrashed by the Warriors if they had someone with Oakley's heart and spirit on their roster. That weak-ass shit don't fly when Oak is on your case and it's always a more interesting Association when #34 is around.

(Hat tip to The FanHouse)

The Starbury Parade Goes On

There are a few things we're loving at The Feed this summer. A new grill, repeats of The Office and 30 Rock missed during the season and Stephon Marbury. Sadly his gig as a blogger for the New York Post came to an end on Friday. Thankfully the ending was as sweet as the beginning.

What I’m doing is bigger than basketball. Trying to take what I’m doing off the court and add it up to what I’m doing on the court is apples and oranges. It don’t add up. This movement is bigger than that.

I do have one admission. I am high, high off of life. I drink life’s happy water which is bottled at the divine source. It goes down much smoother than "haterade.''. How does "haterade'' really taste?

I’m at peace. I’m chillin in my hotel room in a small town somewhere, locking’em all down, thinking about how I can end this blog. My ipod is playing and one of my favorite joints from a fellow Brooklynite just came on which is how God would have me to end this blog…

The "joint" is by Jay-Z, of course, and is What More Can I Say. Marbury has done a complete 180 in the last month. The player who once drew scorn for proclaiming himself "the best point guard in the NBA" and sitting on the bench with a towel over his head has become an icon for thinking about the people buying the gear he endorses and talking about it with anyone and everyone who will listen. He even gets a shot back in at LeBron James, the Nike shill who slammed the Starburys for being of shoddy quality.

“I don’t want to be carried on no throne,” Marbury said, a reference to LeBron James’ appearance last week on the ESPY Awards. “I want to walk with the people because I’ve never abandoned the people because I’m a servant to the people.”

The people are digging it Steph. Let's bring the love to the court come the first game because it's filled me with high hopes, against my better nature, for the Knicks season.