Knicks are a sad franchise

NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.

You have to go back to my youth to understand my feelings here. Back in the day and this was long ago before Magic and before Bird, but after the prime of Russell. In those days of pre-cable and no VCR, let alone a dvr, the games on TV were very limited. Mostly you watched Boston and rooted against them, unless you lived in Boston or you watched New York and rooted for them, especially when they played Boston. Keep in mind this was all happening from Michigan. The Detroit Pistons stunk back then and Dave DeBusschere had been traded to the Knicks. DeBusschere was so popular that many Michiganders adopted the Knicks as their new team.

The Knicks were awesome and Walt Frasier was my favorite player. He would simply control games and set up everyone to do what they did best. It was a treat to watch the Knicks running a weave and then passing out of the weave to an open Bill Bradley or a posting Willis Reed.

In the early 1970’s, the Knicks dazzled New York with brilliant team play and a host of great players. Coached by Red Holzman, they featured DeBusschere and Bill Bradley at forward, Willis Reed at center and Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe and Dick Barnett at guard.

The Knicks won the N.B.A. championship in 1970 and 1973. If their glory years could be traced to a date, that was Dec. 19, 1968, when their general manager, Eddie Donovan, obtained DeBusschere from the Detroit Pistons for center Walt Bellamy and guard Howard Komives.

DeBusschere once described himself as having been ”on the brink of senility by pro basketball standards” when the trade was made, but he provided a key element for the Knicks.

source

Now the current Knicks are a mess and are trying to fight their way back to respectability. The current Knicks are on the brink of senility, to quote Dave DeBusschere. Check out their current lineup.

Say hello to …
Toney Douglas (first-round draft pick), Jordan Hill (first-round draft pick) and Darko Milicic (trade)

Say goodbye to …
Quentin Richardson (trade), Mouhamed Sene (waived) and Chris Wilcox (free agent). This list assumes that both Lee and Robinson will re-sign with the Knicks.

Projected starting five
PG Chris Duhon
SG Larry Hughes
SF Wilson Chandler
PF Al Harrington
PF David Lee
source

LeBron James will bypass New York

Are you kidding me? That is their starting lineup? Meanwhile the Knicks are talking about keeping their payroll flexible for the big free agent market next year of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and company. LeBron James will take one good look at that lineup and say, “Are you kidding me?”

Photo source Newscom

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

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