We are quietly entering into a critical junction in the Donnie Walsh–Mike D’Antoni stewardship of the Knicks. Knicks fans have long testified that they will indeed buy into a rebuilding plan, contrary to the popular notion that New York is too impatient a place to create any kind of genuine rebuilding. But the populace has mostly been supportive in what has become an endless two-year positioning just to get into position to be in position to be competent again.
That’s a lot of positioning. And a lot of posturing. And a lot of leaps of faith.
But you don’t have to search very far to locate unhappiness among the rank-and-file. If Mike D’Antoni’s public wars with Stephon Marbury, Nate Robinson and Larry Hughes weren’t exactly the same as taking on popular icons like Clyde Frazier, Bernard King and Patrick Ewing, they nonetheless make some wonder if it doesn’t reveal a melalomaniac streak in the coach. And while others have tried awfully hard to buy into Walsh’s long-term vision, the fact remains that if any progress at all has occurred under his watch it is this: the Garden is no longer the lawless frontier it was under Isiah Thomas.
Is that enough? It is not. Same as it’s not enough to get Knicks fans truly excited about the deadline deal that may yield them both Tracy McGrady and even more cap space for July 1. Walsh is doing what he can. He is trying. He is making every effort to turn July 1 into the most seminal offseason date in Knicks history. And that is fine. But the question still must be asked: will that matter? And can Walsh get done what needs to get done? Even this deal, as future-friendly as it might be for the Knicks, only serves as a reminder that Walsh — no matter how much he tried to blame this on his underlings — picked Jordan Hill, now the cornerstone of the deal, instead of B
randon Jennings.
He has some more decisions ahead of him. Knicks fans have no choice but to hope the result of all the noise is something they can finally wrap their arms around. But for now, that’s all it is. Hope.
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Grand Slam: It is already clear that Curtis Granderson is the kind of guy you want to succeed in New York, if only so other athletes understand that you don’t have to lose your sense of humor or sense of humanity just because you call the Big Town home.
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Big Beast: OK, so in the course of two days Rutgers beats Georgetown, Louisville beats Syracuse, St. John’s lays a death knell on Notre Dame and now UConn beats Villanova, and depending on how you look at it that shows preciseley how deep and difficult the Big East is … or just how overrated it’s been all year. And frankly, I’m not sure which I believe anymore, especially after that Rutgers game.