Amare Stoudemire & Carmelo Anthony were supposed to bring the Knicks back to prominence, but so far, it's been anything but a rebirth of basketball in New York.
There are few things more annoying than sports myths. Where they come from, and how they start is anyone’s guess. You know what I’m talking about, right? Utter silliness like the Cubs tremendous history stands out and makes me instantly nauseous. There are others like the St. Louis Cardinals having the best fans in baseball. Really, says who? It must be because creepy Cardinals nation calls their players by their first names, or how they have candle vigils when their precious players die. Ooh, don’t let me forget about the Dallas Cowboys being America’s team. Again, who decided this asinine statement to be true? It must be because the ‘Boys have a robust two playoff wins since their ’95 Super Bowl title. Cool.
Despite that ultra impressive list, one ridiculous myth tops my list. It’s the New York & Madison Square Garden are the “mecca of basketball.” And just so you’re aware, we’re putting in the “Knicks are a top flight organization in the NBA.” Totally. I know that they’re coming off of the stirring momentum from that championship in 1973, but what are they the mecca of, exactly?
The Knicks have been, and remain, an abomination and embarrassment in a league that so desperately dreams of them hoisting Larry O’Brien trophy’s. Donnie Walsh had this dysfunctional mess on the right track, but James Dolan and his puppet Isiah Thomas swooped in and killed all Walsh’s hard work just to bring Carmelo Anthony in at all costs.
Make no mistake, Melo is a tremendous talent, but didn’t anyone realize that pairing two ball stopping “I” players like Melo and the slowly decaying Amare Stoudemire together wasn’t a championship recipe? Yes, that Amare Stoudemire who is making Carlos Boozer’s effort on defense look like Bill Russell’s. The Knicks are currently 6-8, and just lost at “the mecca” to the abysmal Suns. The same Suns who just got run out of the United Center by 21 points to the D Rose-less Bulls. What real basketball fans are realizing is that Mr. LaLa can’t be your alpha dog on title contender. He doesn’t possess the mental fortitude to win at all costs. Winning is secondary to celebrity in Melo’s world.
In typical New York fashion, it’s the coach’s fault. Mike D’Antoni will, undoubtedly, be the fall guy for this train wreck, but his superiors have never given him the point guard that made his 7 seconds or less offense in Phoenix function so well. Melo is all wrong for D’Antoni’s system, but New York is a star town, and that’s what the Knicks care about. Building a cohesive team is irrelevant, throwing stars together is the Knicks blueprint for mediocrity. I mean, why wouldn’t you want to clog your salary cap with two ego driven players who make $20 million a year each? That makes perfect sense.
So yes, the Knicks remain as big of an atrocity now as they were when Isiah was sexually harassing team employees–and somehow an out of shape Baron Davis is going to save this team and season? That’s as laughable as Melo blaming a sprained left wrist for his shooting woes (12 points on 5-22 shooting vs the Suns). How can he honestly say that when Kobe Bryant is lighting up the league like it’s the ’01 playoffs despite playing with a torn lunotriquetral ligament in his right wrist?! But hey, as long as Melo and LaLa are the kings of New York, all is well I guess. In Melo’s last 5 games, he is shooting 35 of 102. That is, of course, after he dribbles out the shot clock.
And what exactly makes New York/MSG a basketball mecca? Is it because Michael Jordan praised the Garden towards the end of his Bulls run? Is it because Kobe and LeBron followed suit because MJ said so? Maybe it’s because Rucker Park is there. Mecca my fucking ass.
We have plenty of outdoor courts in Chicago that street legends ball out on. Oh yeah, the greatest player ever played here too! Sorry New York, but you can’t claim MJ just because he made the Knicks his prison bitch his entire career. I know that loud mouth Knicks fans are somehow proud of their history, but come to the Chi sometime and look at the 6 trophies that are on display at the U.C. One of our own is the league MVP, and unlike your star players, he actually has won a playoff series this decade.
I hope this dispels the notion that the Knicks have returned the league’s elite, and that New York/MSG is “the mecca.” Stop embarrassing yourselves. If you want to call New York the mecca of basketball– hell, by all means, feel free. The New York Knicks are a nonentity when it comes to the upper echelon franchises in the NBA. They live off a storied history that includes one more title than the Miami Heat. And with Melo & Amare (whose contract can’t be insured because of his deteriorating knees) “leading” them, we’ll have plenty of time to declare a new & legitimate mecca of basketball.
@Louie_Ruffolo8
