A Beast at the Point

Yesterday, June 3rd, the Knicks aged point guard Jason Kidd decided to retire after 19 years of playing in the NBA.

When J.Kidd was young he was a beast at the point and was only second in my opinion to Magic Johnson when comparing pass first point guards and his run with the New Jersey Nets in the early 90's pulled the team up from being the doormat of the NBA to back to back appearances in the NBA Finals.

I can only hope that the current owner of the Nets speaks to Jason about signing a one day contract so that he can officially retire as a Net and we can retire his jersey and raise it to the rafters in Brooklyn.

It's being reported today that J.R. Smith has decided to opt out of his last two years believing that the Knicks will offer him a new larger contract. Between Shumpert and Copeland the Knicks will easily make up J.R.'s erratic 18 points per game. J.R. is making another huge mistake.

I believe the Knicks GM Glen Grunwald did back flips out of bed this morning when he heard the news because J.R. gave the Knicks a way out of dealing with his foolishness and an opportunity to couple his money with Kidd's retired salary to acquire someone like O.J. Mayo.

Mayo would be a instant upgrade over Smith and can assume some point guard duties as well. He'd be the perfect fit for the Knicks and would allow the team to focus on big men in the draft and as free agents.

The Knicks are going to have to deal with the Bulls, the Pacers and the Nets for years to come, all three teams have formidable big men on their front lines.

What am I saying? The Knicks will probably fuck this opportunity up too and resign JR Smith.

Knicks fans, you have it all wrong

So I wake up this morning at 4:30 AM to get my Rack workout on to get pumped for the day and I turn the radio on to the local sports talk radio show just because I enjoy hearing Knicks fans whine. I really do.

I feel the need to say something to Knicks fans and Carmelo Anthony's college coach who is about as bias as they come.

Listen guys, I hear the comparisons of Anthony to Jordan, Kobe, Lebron and Magic and the argument always comes back to the fact that those guys had a sidekick who helped them win. Their Robin helping out Batman and this is the reason why Carmelo Anthony hasn't won.

Knicks fans, you have it all wrong. Carmelo Anthony ain't Batman, he's Robin.

Carmelo Anthony has a single skill which is scoring. He doesn't have anything else in his utility belt. His belt is strictly for holding up his tights.

Carmelo Anthony doesn't have shutdown defense in his utility belt that can stop the likes of Stephenson in the fourth quarter.

Carmelo Anthony doesn't have ferocious rebounding in his utility belt that could battle West or Hibbert.

The villains of the league have never worried about a team that Anthony was on because they knew he was Robin wearing Batman's costume. When are Knicks fans going to realize that too?

Sweet dreams Knicks fans

Many fans will applaud the effort of the Knicks tonight.

They will talk about their team's fighting spirit and how tough it was to go into enemy territory and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

The talking heads in the media will pull out all the cliches regarding how the Knicks fans should be grateful for this playoff run after not experiencing such in 13 years and tie a bow around this season.

What no one will talk about is how JR Smith never boxed out the man he was guarding, Stephenson tonight,  a single time this series and it was the offensive rebounding from the Pacers back court that was the hidden key to their domination over the Knicks.

JR didn't give you much in the way of scoring again either. Utterly useless without a bottle in his hand.

If you are a Knicks fan you can only hope that JR Smith opts out of the final two years of his contract and tests the free market. You guys are counting on JR taking is fundamentally poor drunk act on the road to another team next season, we both know it.

I am sure that the guys in Knicks management are ready to see him go as well.

I have to say that I enjoyed watching father time jump on Jason Kidd's back every time he has attempted a jump shot since around my birthday in April.

Can we be honest about Mike Woodson's failure as a coach due to keeping Copeland on the bench for the first four games of the series, only to use him out of sheer desperation? I don't think he learned that under Larry Brown.

This year was the Knicks best chance to make it to the finals with this group.

Next season Derrick Rose is back with the Bulls and will most likely contend with a seasoned Brooklyn Nets team who will also upgrade the coaching position. Not to mention the Pacers getting better just because of their experience this year and all the cap space and draft picks they have giving them the ability to add a piece or two.

The Knicks won't be getting anywhere near the second round of the playoffs for foreseeable future. Was Carmelo Anthony really worth only this? Are you not entertained? I am for certain.

You had the head of the current Pacers brain trust, Donnie Walsh, building you exactly the type of team that eliminated you and advanced in the playoffs tonight without Carmelo Anthony but that wasn't good enough for you and James Dolan.

Hopefully we can mature as a city and stop all the "Gotta have a superstar" foolishness. You gotta play team basketball with good young role players and hope you add a star to take you over the top. You don't get rid of the young role players for the sake of having a star. Unless you aren't really about the business of winning.

Now let me turn this computer off and fall asleep to all the whining from callers on the New York City sports radio shows.

Sweet dreams Knicks fans until, well you guys have a long until coming.

Knicks Lose Again, Pacers 106 - Knicks 99