FTL Sports

Although I am so disappointed we didn’t get LeBron James, I feel pretty good about the Knicks roster for next year. I don’t feel pretty good about their management though, which is what I’ll start with.

Even though Donnie Walsh has denied that he is retiring due to health issues and heart break following the decision, the fact that a rumor of that nature spread is very disconcerting. Walsh has always said he is in New York for the long term, and he stripped our entire roster for LBJ. We didn’t get LeBron, so it is now Donnie’s responsibility to fix what he broke. Walsh also said that he is considering finding a new GM for the Knicks. Walsh is GM, if someone else was GM, what would that make him? The scariest part of it all, however, is that Walsh said he is considering giving the job to Isaiah Thomas. His reasoning is that Thomas played a pivotal part during free agency due to his connections- excuse me, but do you remember the disaster Thomas was during his stint with the Knicks? He said he had a master plan and then got rid of the entire team in favor of Stephon Marbury! Please, any sane man would see the absurdity of an Isiah Thomas return.

Instead of dwelling on our unreliable front office, I will focus on our positive roster upgrades. Here is my version of the New York depth chart next season.

PG- Raymond Felton, Toney Douglas

SG- Wilson Chandler, Kelenna Azubuike, Andy Rautins

SF- Danilo Gallinari, Bill Walker

PF- Amar’e Stoudamire, Anthony Randolph

C- Ronny Turiaf, Eddy Curry

The weakness is clearly at the center position, but the Knicks shouldn’t deal anyone now. It’s time to commit to this playoff worthy roster and give our guys time to gel. After all, Raymond Felton is a huge upgrade over Chris Duhon, who completely forgot how to play basketball last year and is lucky that the Magic were so generous with a four year contract.

Nobody knows exactly why LeBron made his decision. Analysts need to stop talking about how poor his choice was because they weren’t there with his family and can never know the factors that swayed LBJ’s thought process in favor of Miami.

That being said, LeBron has sealed his fate. He will never be able to be on the Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant level now because the championship he get in Miami will be Dwyane Wade’s. It’s still Wade’s team and what disappointed most people was that LeBron showed a lack of competitive drive that his predecessors had. If The King had that killer instinct, he would have gone to New York. In NYC he would be the center of attention, which every superstar wants. Jordan always wanted the pressure of having to do something great with all eyes on him every single game. LeBron’s reputation has been severely diminished after hijacking all of television and kind of being a diva. He is a very articulate and smart young guy though, he’ll weather the storm.

LeBron wants to win, and Miami gives him the best chance to do that. I see no possibility that the Heat won’t win it all this season. The only thing that could hold them back is injury and poor bench play. After all, Wade is injury prone, and Bosh has missed some games too. Reportedly the Heat have a total of seven players right now on account of all the trades they had to make. Mike Miller might be headed there, and guys like Nate Robinson, Al Harrington, and Matt Barnes are still on the market. They won’t go empty handed.

Finally, James has to live with the fact that he would’ve been the most popular New York player the city has every seen in any sport, arguably. The Knicks wanted him the most- they’ve been clearing space for him for years! I wish him the best, now it’s time to sit back and watch the Heat destroy any team in its path. Unfortunately,that includes my Knicks.

Recently the Yankees have had a string of walk-off hits (A-Rod, Cano) and have just been showing why they are the best team in baseball. Struggling players have begun to heat up; Teixeira is batting well and Sabathia is getting more and more dominant in the heat. Even Javi Vazquez is playing well, I still miss Melky though. This team reminds me of last year’s team so much; slow start but as the season goes on we show toughness and become impossible to beat. I’m very glad we DIDN’T get Cliff Lee…it would mess up our great chemistry and we don’t need pitching right now. We would’ve lost our prized Triple A catcher Jesus Montero and Lee is a free agent after this season. I have no doubt the Bombers will get him after this season. It’s time for NY fans and front office alike to show some patience and give Joba and AJ Burnett time to get back on track. Joba is a lost soul in the bullpen. He’s making the people in favor of starting him look just plain silly. AJ is inconsistent but it has never been this bad. His 4.75 era and 7-7 record is completely unacceptable for what we’re paying him.

I can’t wait to get Nick Johnson back next year; if we had him right now we’d be unstoppable. I’m so happy for Swisher that he made the All Star team and Home Run Derby. He is a quality person and deserved this success. For a second there Kevin Youkilis overtook him, but being that Youkilis is the single most annoying player in the league, Swish retook the lead.

Sorry to my massive fan base for being away so long… finished my two camps and missed out on a lot a big sports happenings. So, I’ll get right to it, as opposed to the despicable Jim Gray.

1) The ESPN coverage of LeBron’s decision is one of the most evil marketing ploys of television history. LeBron James himself promised to break the news within fifteen minutes of the show’s start. After 27 questions and a panelist analyzing the unknowable, everybody was falling asleep. ESPN should be ashamed for beating around the bush in an attempt for more air time; all anybody wanted to know was where LBJ was headed.

2) Shame on Cleveland’s owner Dan Gilbert; talk about a sore loser! It’s fine to be disappointed but please be a professional. He made outlandish remarks that he will undoubtedly be unable to fulfill. First of all, the Cavs are sunk- Gilbert promises to win a championship before LeBron. You and what army, Dan? Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams and Big Z? Quite the crew; they might even have a chance to beat the Heat if Miami’s entire starting five is injured! Also, Gilbert called LeBron the “self-proclaimed former king.” LeBron is one of the most humble stars in the league, never did he nickname himself the king. The fan-named present king will continue to dominate the NBA for years to come. Gilbert’s in denial, he’s trying to convince himself that his team is not going to be a cellar dweller next year. Gilbert should have used the 24 hour rule – think about your decision for a day. His anger would’ve subsided and he wouldn’t have committed ownership suicide, as he has lost all credibility.

3) Cleveland’s fans burned his jersey and ripped his pictures down from all around the city, their actions ultimately being shown on Sportscenter. LeBron owes you nothing Cleveland. He gave you six great years and the notion that he tanked on purpose during the playoffs is absurd.When asked about what he thought of the burning jersey, LeBron said that his true fans wouldn’t do that. I absolutely agree; it’s clear that the people of Cleveland are in need of a time-out.

4) I cannot let James off the hook. He held ESPN and the NBA hostage as they waited for him to make his decision. I hate to admit it, but that does seem a bit narcissistic- make decisions like the rest of us mere mortals, i.e. without a television program dedicated to one sentence! Furthermore, LeBron did one of the meanest things a player has ever done in sports- everybody in Cleveland thought “The Decision” was going to be a welcome home party. That was on the same level as when the Baltimore Colts packed their bags in the middle of the night and left for Indianapolis.

I’ll close by saying that as a Knicks fan, I’m seriously disappointed. However, I still love LeBron as a player. I don’t think there’s an honest fan in the world who isn’t excited to watch the Heat play. I’ll talk about what I think of LeBron’s actual decision business wise in my next entry.

As always, feel free to comment and tell me where my thinking is flawed. I am completely tolerant of opposing opinions as long as they are non offensive to anyone who might visit this blog.

Fletcher

For those of you who don’t know what Gasol looks like, here’s a little context. I present…the present day Pau.

This is indeed the original Pau Gasol, the pre-caveman days. I had completely forgotten he ever looked this clean.

Although I hate both the Lakers and the Celtics, I can’t help but feel sorry for Boston after such a hard fought series. It really was a classic, both teams won a game on the road and the energy was always there. It was so strange to me how inconsistent the play from both teams was. In game five, the Celtics clearly looked like the better team. Their ball movement and defense was superb, as opposed to the Lakers lack of an offensive scheme. LA played a lot of one on one and and a lot of their points came off of broken plays. In game six, the opposite happened. Boston looked really over matched and the Lakers ran them up and down the court all night long.

Although I am obligated to hate the Celtics as a Knicks fan, I discovered that Boston is not as unlikable as I expected. I have always loved Allen and KG, but I didn’t truly realize how great Rondo is. Perkins and Nate still piss me off, but I can’t help but feel the Celtics have been done an injustice. Boston was burned by the scheduling of the Finals, which should be the same as all of the other postseason rounds. In terms of the home and away split, the series should go 2, 2, 1, 1, 1. Unless the Celtics won all three games in Boston, which is incredibly tough to do regardless of location, they were doomed. How were they supposed win one of two games in LA with the entire season on the line?

Finally, I feel the Lakers are getting some undeserved credit. First, Phil Jackson was asleep the entire series! He was completely disconnected yet he gets a ring; nobody will remember how disinterested he seemed! Second, Kobe didn’t deserve Finals MVP. He played selfishly all series, hoisting up low percentage shots and trying to do it all himself. He went 6 for 24 from the field in game six! How about giving the award to Pau Gasol, who has come leaps and bounds since the last time these teams met in the Finals. Last time around, I was convinced he was the softest big man in the league. He showed toughness and should be awarded because without him there is now way LA would have won this series!

Let me know what you think, Fletcher

Below is a link to a hilarious video of an enthusiastic (to say the least) kid at a basketball clinic.

Amazing Video of Kid At Basketball Clinic

During this NBA Finals, my dad and I have become increasingly amused by the announcing combination of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson. Jackson is particularly funny with his quotable fade outs into the commercials. He is famous for phrases like “Paul Pierce just said ‘Kobe, with all due respect, I am gonna play my heart out because this is my court and I protect it,’ and then he knocks down the three from the corner pocket. Well done Paul Pierce.” Add a New York accent and a pre-commercial break jingle in the background and you’ve got one of the funniest announcers there is. So, “make no mistake about it, the ABC trio is one of the best there is; give credit where credit is due.”

Fletcher

P.S.  Below is a hilarious clip of Jackson doing what he does best…making me laugh.

Mark Jackson Disgusted By Vince Carter