“Isiah needs to focus on coaching”
I think the Bobcats committed a terrible mistake dropping off Walter Herrmann and eating up such a huge salary from Nazr Mohammed. Do you feel that Michael Jordan is becoming one of the most disappointing GMs of all time?
I think it early to say that MJ is one of the most disappointing GMs of all time, but a case can be made that his recent transactions and draft picks are suspect. He drafted Kwame Brown No. 1. Made some questionable moves in Washington, including activating himself as a player when people thought that took away from younger players’ development. He signed a new face, Sam Vincent, when there were a lot of proven coaches waiting. He traded for Jason Richardson, which is not a bad move, but if you have several players that play that position then it’s an issue. Only time will tell with the Bobcats because they’re young and talented with a young coach who has the respect of the players thus far. And they’re not playing bad basketball so far this season.
What is it like when a player gets traded from team to team, for example when Brian Shaw was traded for Sherman Douglas? Is there a big change in the feeling within the locker rooms? Do you have any funny stories regarding new players arriving or players leaving the team you were playing for?
When a player gets traded, you know it’s just business. But when you have relationship on and off the court with teammates, that’s when it’s tough. It’s like a brother moving away. They have no choice but to leave and get established with a new team. The locker room changes cause all the guys are close like a family. I was good friends with Brian Shaw and we went through a lot together – including Reggie Lewis passing away and his family tragically dying in a car accident. So it’s tough when a friend like that gets traded. But I will honestly say that the best point guard I had a chance to play with on a full-time basis was Sherman Douglas. He made me a better player and we enjoyed hanging out off the court. The funniest story has to do with myself getting traded from Boston to Toronto on a West coast road trip. I found out that I got traded by one of the assistant coaches sliding a note under my hotel door telling me not to come on the team bus. “You’ve been traded and someone will let you know what’s next.” Not cool. Especially in Vancouver.
If you were the GM, what would be your plan for the Knicks?
This is easier than it sounds but I would totally revamp the roster by bringing in young players (a la Portland) and get rid of the malcontents. I would publicly say that we are officially rebuilding and it’s gonna get worse before it gets better so be patient. Again, sounds easy and we are talking about Knick fans here. I don’t think Isiah is a terrible coach, I think all he needs is to focus on coaching and he would be better off without the personnel responsibity. Remember, coaches care about winning today and GMs care about winning into the future. So you can’t be both without compromising the other. The reality is that this team has to be totally overhauled. A few pieces are worth keeping, but when you’re not that good everyone can be gone with the right offer.
Do you think that now players are more likely to flop than back in your days as an NBA player? If so, is it because of them or because the League allows it?
Players when I played did flop. Either you could guard a person or you got torched that night. Flopping became popular when the rules changed on what you can and cannot do in the post area. Granted I’ve acted a bit on taking charges, but it wasn’t used as a tool to make the ref make a decision on every possession versus a great player. Every era has floppers or guys using the rules to a slight advantage. In my day, among guards it was Reggie Miller and among inside players it was Vlade Divac.
Will Chris Webber play in the NBA again?
I don’t think he will. Every day goes by, Chris Webber gets older and kness gets worse. There is a slight possibility when teams are making playoff runs and getting their playoff rosters in shape that his name might pop up if the situation is right for the team.
When you played in the NBA, were you aware of players who had issues with alcohol like Keon Clark?
You always are concerned and aware about players that have any problems with anything that is addictive. We are like one big brotherhood and we try to help guys who have those issues and support them to get better for themselves. The one thing you did if a guy like Keon Clark was a teammate was not put them in compromising situations for them to have to make tough choices that could lead to something bad.
How much of an impact could have the W of the Suns at San Antonio?
It was big in the sense that it burned the Suns (no pun intended) to lose that series last year after all the suspensions with Stoudemire and Diaw. Also just to show the Spurs that on any giving night, even on the road, they can beat the Spurs. To me every game during the season is a statement game when you’re playing other teams that you might have to go through in the playoffs. That’s just the mental part of basketball. Just like the Warriors and Dallas last year, mentally they knew the could beat the Mavs because they did it several times during the regular season. So it was an impactful win for the Suns early in the season.
Do you think that the Lakers can win it all with Kobe and Bynum (and a supporting cast led by Lamar Odom) or they must trade Kobe and start building around Bynum?
I don’t think this team as assembled can win a championship. They’re missing a few pieces, especially considering how tough the Western Conference is. They will always be dangerous come playoff time because of Kobe, but not a championship team. If you can win a championship and build your team around the most dynamic individual player and scorer in the NBA, you’re not going to build it around a young center who is getting better every game but is not ready to carry a team by himself. You keep those three pieces (Kobe, Bynum, Odom) and try to find the mix of roles players. They have a few (Walton, Ariza, Radmanovic) but need a few more. If you trade Kobe, you will get lots of pieces in return but it still wouldn’t be Bynum’s team until you see what player you received for Kobe.
OK, here’s a new one: Chris Paul or Deron Williams?
Tough one. I go back and forth daily on these two great players. But if I had to start a team today, I would choose Chris Paul. I think he is more of a true point guard. Makes everyone around him better and can carry a team on his shoulders like Isiah Thomas did with the Detroit Bad Boys. Over the long haul, I like Deron because of his size at point, durability and three-point shooting are better than Paul’s. But both are great and will be superstars for a long time.
What do you think about Reggie Theus bringing up the curfew rule to the Kings when they are on the road?
I don’t like it. This is not college and these are grown men. If you’re not responsible enough to carry yourself like a professional and responsible adult then you need to take the consequences of your actions as a grown man. You should not have to have someone to tell you when you have to go to bed or be in your room if you really respect and appreciate the game and the position you’re in as a NBA player. At some point, you have to be accountable for what you do on and off the court. NBA is for players who are ready to be responsible for their lives off the court also. No Babysitting Allowed.
eddiesucks Said,
December 20, 2007 @ 8:43 pm
yeah it’s an impactful win for the suns considering they barely won the game even with TP out. with kurt thomas gone, td is gonna kill the suns come playoff time. i can’t wait.
Donyal Said,
December 20, 2007 @ 8:59 pm
Thanks Dee for your wonderful and honest incite into what it means to be a professional athlete on and off the court. I am truly ashamed of how many players in the league today shirk their professionalism. Especially when you read of the daily off court antics of the players. Do not NBA players realize that they have the power to captivate an entire generation, country and civilization?
Lakersmartfan Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 1:01 am
Hi, in my point of view about the Lakers situation, I think that they should not trade Kobe at all. Instead, trade Lamar Odom for someone like Kendrick Perkins then pick up a pair of big men in the free agency pool. Let’s say like Cherokee Parks and Pat Burke. Plus they should trade Chris Mihm now, with him being weak, I don’t think he can last the long season. So, probably trade him with a guy like Walter Hermann. To make it more interesting, if I were Mitch Kupchak, these trades are the things I will do. More of rebuilding it around Kobe..
Trade:
Lamar Odom to Boston in return they get Kendrick Perkins
Chris Mihm to Detroit for Walter Hermann
Andrew Bynum to Portland for Sergio Rodriguez & a 1st Round Pick in 2010
Luke Walton & Trevor Ariza to Suns for Erik Piatkowski & Brian Skinner
Derek Fisher to the Sixers for Reggie Evans
I think this would really be a strong line up for the Lakers… Kobe will have a solid supporting cast and no doubt they can win a championship if they all stay healthy
g Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 6:25 am
the lakers are good with kobe, bynum, & odom, and their support staff -> fisher, walton, radmanovic, ariza, farmar, kwame brown, turiaf, crittenton, etc. but dee is right that its obvious that they can’t win it all right now..
i like the deron williams vs chris paul article too. paul over williams..
yes the spurs have duncan whose getting older and slower, the ever so talented manu ginobili, and improving tony parker.. the big three that led them to the championship.. however,
the suns are slowly getting their groove back. with steve nash averaging the highest assists average in his career, double-doubles, blocks & steals from shawn “the matrix” marion, and the fury of amare stoudemire.. the suns are goin’ to be good. they also have good support players like grant hill(veteran experience & palymaking ability), raja bell(defense & shooting), leandro “the brazilian blur” barbosa(killer crossovers & killer drives), boris diaw’s all around play, with the likes of marcus banks, sean marks, and the rookies dj strawberry & alando tucker.
i like the suns over the spurs in the western finals.
and hopefully beat the celtics or magic in the finals.
djhott Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 8:38 am
jordan is a bad gm
isiah is also, but is it isiahs fault, marburys sucked since, the larry brown olympic team, zack randolph is the biggest ballhog ever in the nba, and eddie curry is 7ft 300 and rebounds less then kidd, everyyear, qrich, cant get any shots,and jcrawford is a defensive liability.
i agree the knicks are a dissappointment, on paper, they looked like they could turn it around. they have no leader, someone needs to coach randolph and tell him he could be like a elton brand, if he stays inside, instead of being a fat ass wannabe smallforward.
i hate to say it but the knicks just need a total makeover.
with marbury at his 20mil, let him stay for another year, no buyout, nobody would want him in a trade, he still is the best pg on the roster,
let him leave next year, and knicks have a chance to draft fr pg brandon jennings. this year draft eric gordon, to play 2,or 1
trade david lee,q-rich-for ron artest
trade e.curry,m.rose,mardy collins for jermaine oneal
marbury will be off the books next year, just save that money and see how the team is for the half of the season,then have money, for whatever position is weak
this is the dream of the knicks-get a top4pick get gordon, get a top 5pick next year, get b.jennings, have marbury off the books,
so by the end of 09, the knicks look,buy then mcgrady will still be loosing
so a ron artest,j.crawford-for mcgrady&c.hayes will be in order maybe
g-brandon jennings g-n.robinson
g-eric gordon g-j.crawford
f-ron artest f-w.chandler
f-z.randolph f-balkman
c-j.oneal c-josh hoovelt
and jordan will be alrite if he drafts roy hibbert this year
djhott Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 8:42 am
sad that the knicks would have to look at 18&19 year olds for help
sad that the heat may be loosing on purpose to
to get donta greene, in the draft
save money from-jwill9mil,r.davis7mil
to sign antawn jamison
08 heat
g-d.wade g-earl boykins(if he isnt on charlotte)
g-d.cook g-richard roby(2nd rd)
f-donta greene f-d.wright
f-a.jamison f-haslem
c-s.oneal c-blount
djhott Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 8:50 am
paul over dwilliams
iverson over nash
bdavis over t.parker
billups over kidd
these are all hard choices people wouldnt agree on
but iverson gets 26&8, unguardable, and top 3 in steals every year,his fg percentage is a career high
nash gets u 19&12, no defense,no steals, great leader
bdavis is just my favorite player and gets assists,1st in steals parker has rings, no assist, ok d, cheats on eva
billups is a star when he wants to be, gets 8dimes,plays ok d-kidd-scores only 10pts,steal gets 10ast,leads league in turnovers, cant shoot, and cheats on joumana his sexy wife
paul is like a black version of nash
handles,2nd in assists,1st in steals,get fg%,exciting, has team winning,but is small, dwilliams, has no weakness, is the slowest of bunch,
webber would fit right in as underacheiver, if he joined the knicks
terellwantsj.simpson-romo Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 9:27 am
DJ HOTT COULD A TEAM OF PLAYERS NOT IN THE TOP 10 AT THEIR POSITION SUCCEED
G-L.BARBOSA G-R.FELTON G-J.TERRY
G-J.RICHARDSON G-M.MILLER C-B.MILLER
F-S.JACKSON F-T.PRINCE
F-K.DURANT F-A.KIRALENKO
C-L.ALDRIGE C-R.WALLACE
THIS BEING THE 10SG-K.BRYANT,D.WADE,G.ARENAS,V.CARTER,R.ALLEN,M.REDD,JOE JOHNSON,R.HAMILTON,K.MARTIN,R.BELL
THAT TEAM VS THE SPURS, OR CELTICS, OR PHOENIX, HOW WOULD THEY FAIR- OR LIKE U SAID IN ANOTHER POST COULD A ALLSTAR GAME FEATURING THE SNUBS, BEAT THE ALLSTAR TEAMS
EAST
G-D.WADE G-C.BILLUPS F-C.BUTLER
G-V.CARTER G-R.ALLEN F-R.JEFFERSON
F-L.JAMES F-P.PIERCE
F-K.GARNETT F-C.BOSH
C-D.HOWARD C-S.ONEAL
WEST-GA.IVERSON G-S.NASH G-T.PARKER
G-K.BRYANT G-T.MCGRADY C-A.STODEMIRE
F-C.ANTHONY F-J.HOWARD
F-C.BOOZER F-D.NOWITZKI
C-YAO C-T.DUNCAN
SNUBS
G-B.DAVIS G-C.PAUL C-T.CHANDLER
G-M.REDD G-K.MARTIN G-D.WILLIAMS
F-S.JACKSON F-JOE JOHNSON
F-AL JEFFERSON F-S.MARION
C-M.CAMBY C-C.KAMAN
AND IF DWILLIAMS&BOOZER ARE LIKE A NEW AGE MALONE&STOCKTON
ADDED KIRALENKO& OK OKUR, HOW COME THEY ARE ONLY LIKE A 5SEED IN THE WEST?
david Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 10:20 am
As far as the W the Suns had in SA — they also won game 4 in SA last year, so they know they can win in SA just like SA knows it can win in Phoenix. WHat should concern the Suns is that the reason they won was that Grant Hill whas phenomenal — the big “3″ hardly showed up. And can he do that in a series? And can he do that if he has to guard Tony Parker instead of Jacque Vaughn?
Don’t get me wrong — I would take Hill on the Spurs in a heartbeat. He’s a class guy. I just don’t agree with Dee that that was any knd of a statement game, especialliy in December.
terellwantsj.simpson-romo Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 10:54 am
detroit beat boston
dallas beat phoenix
lebron outplayed kobe and won
al jeffersons stats are better than garnetts, but minnesota sux
and garnett may be mvp
and if steve nash wins mvp again and no ring, i will quit watching the nba
and kobe bryant is the best player ever not to win a mvp
dirk and nash are the 2 worst defenders ever to win mvp
seattle trades-nick collison&zerbiak-for eddie curry- draft derrick rose
g-d.rose g-durant f-j.green f-wilcox- c-curry
knicks get a decent sf-and a david lee clone-and make another trade that doesnt make em better
Blunt Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 2:16 pm
To: terellwantsj.simpson-romo(DJ Hott), I’m not trying to be a jerk, but you must seriously consider taking some typing/English courses. You have some of the worst grammar usage that I have ever seen.
That aside, I think Isiah should bench Eddy Curry, and play David Lee alongside Zach. Eddy is a terrible rebounder, turnover machine, and a terrible defender. You lose some offense(or maybe not since turnovers would be down), but you gain someone who is willing to chase rebounds, play some decent D, and take care of the rock. Or they can ignore what I just typed, and shoot for the top pick in the lottery. Hopefully they decide to be patient with the cap situation, and quit signing/trading for players.
George Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 7:03 pm
First of all, whoever thinks that MJ failed as a GM knows nothing ab out basketball or the NBA. If Jordan did not clear the cap room the Wizards would not have been in any position to sign Agent Zero in the first place or trade for Jamison. Second, Kwame Brown, as much of a disappointment as he has been is still the most talented big man in that draft and there was no way for anyone to know he would not have the work ethic needed to become great. The kid was in high-school for crying out loud. Third, MJ slowing anyone from developing is a bunch of BS since he neither played the postion that their young players played nor did he hog the ball to prevent them from becooming the players they should be. It’s not like Rip’s numbers sky rocketed when he went to Detroit, the ring and All-star appearance nonwithstanding.
As fat as NY goes, the problem in NY is Dolan who has to let Zeke do his thing. As much as I cannot stand Isaih as a person, I still think the world of him as a coach and GM. Dolan wants to sell tickets and Zeke wants to win. That’s why he made him bring home Steph and hire next-town-Brown, who in turn messed everything up by asking for players that were worth crap and created all kinds of disagreements and rifts while whining like he always does. At least Dolan was smart enough to get rid of Brown and give Zeke a bit of slack.
Melvin Said,
December 21, 2007 @ 8:53 pm
Problem is, Isiah as a Gm doesn’t seem to care about winning while he, as a coach is motivating his team hard to win. I agree about total revamp ala Portland or maybe Seattle. But its hard for Isiah to be fired in the GM Position considering that Dolan supports him…
How about starting to lose many games this season and try getting OJ Mayo next year? Or about Changing their logo? what do you think?
Here’s my take on saving the KNicks from the fires of hell
http://basketballnonsense.blogspot.com/2007/12/15-sure-ways-to-get-knicks-back.html
Rashidi Said,
December 22, 2007 @ 10:23 am
Firing Isiah does not solve the Knicks problems, it only adds to them. Everyone calling for his job hasn’t even thought about who the hell will succeed him.
That’s how Isiah got the job in the first place, everyone was saying FIRE LAYDEN, they did, and they had one choice for GM: Magic Johnson. Magic said no, Knicks were like “Shoot, what now?” and Magic recommended Isiah for the job. The rest is history.
There is not much point to letting Isiah go without a backup plan. That will only add to the chaos.
Oral sex and bondage. Said,
August 1, 2008 @ 10:53 am
Sex bondage….
Free bondage sex. Female bondage sex slave. Sex bondage. Had sex with my mom getting extreme bondage inside….
Married wife first time anal. Said,
August 4, 2008 @ 1:11 am
Married wife first time anal….
Married wife first time anal….
Aurora jolie anal. Said,
August 4, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
Aurora jolie anal….
Aurora jolie anal….
Anal sphincter spasm. Said,
August 5, 2008 @ 5:33 pm
Anal sphincter spasm….
Anal sphincter spasm….
Disney anal porn pics. Said,
August 6, 2008 @ 1:44 am
Disney anal porn pics….
Disney anal porn pics….
Anal toy free sex pic. Said,
August 6, 2008 @ 10:25 am
Anal toy free sex pic….
Anal toy free sex pic….
Tramadol. Said,
August 6, 2008 @ 1:14 pm
Tramadol….
Tramadol. 100 tramadol….
Anal teen tryouts 12. Said,
August 6, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
Anal teen tryouts 12….
Anal teen tryouts 12….
Buy soma watson brand 180 tablets. Said,
August 6, 2008 @ 10:43 pm
Buy soma bloghoster….
Buy soma tablets. Buy cheap soma. Buy soma overnight shipping online. Buy soma online. Soma buy soma cheap soma soma online. Buy soma from mexico online. Buy watson brand soma. Cyclobenzaprine buy prescription soma zanaflex….
Burt Reynolds Said,
August 7, 2008 @ 7:53 am
Burt Reynolds…
I think God approves of you….
European roulette wheel. Said,
August 8, 2008 @ 12:25 am
Roulette wheel….
Roulette wheel numbers order. Roulette wheel. Roulette wheel layout….
Black teen porn for free review. Said,
August 10, 2008 @ 2:26 am
Black teen porn for free review….
Black teen porn for free review….
Free young teen porn movies. Said,
August 11, 2008 @ 12:29 pm
Free young teen porn movies….
Free young teen porn movies….