With smart management, how long would it take for Knicks to get good?

[Aloysius]

Hornacek - well yeah, but Houston probably somewhat merited his initial contract. He was a pretty good player in his prime you know.

-Al

[Wynton]

This is going to be one long thread if it turns into a debate about which Knicks move was the worst.

Personally, I think the worst move was letting DeWayne Scales go.

[fryKing]

[ QUOTE ]
Knicks are stupid. How did Layden get that job in the first place?

[/ QUOTE ]

He was buddies with fellow mormon and Garden president Dave Checketts from back in Utah. Really.

[Aceshigh7]

With the right management, it could be done very quickly due to the nucleus that's already there. Steve Francis is ready to take it to the next level in his career. That guy has more heart than any basketball player i've ever seen. I sure wish we had him back in Houston.

He may make some dumb plays, but nobody can ever question his heart and desire.

[Aloysius]

Aces:

[ QUOTE ]
Steve Francis is ready to take it to the next level in his career. That guy has more heart than any basketball player i've ever seen. I sure wish we had him back in Houston.

[/ QUOTE ]

Steve Francis? Huh? Just cause he played through some weird migraine [censored] doesn't make him a player with heart and desire to win.

SN Article from Jan. 06:

Remember when Jeff Van Gundy went to Houston in 2003 and told Francis that the old isolation game wasn't going to work anymore? Francis averaged just 16.6 points and shot 40.3 percent that year. And he pouted. He was shipped to Orlando that summer.

Francis posted good numbers last year, but in general, his time in Orlando has been marked by disappointment, and his immaturity has been increasingly revealed. He pouted, nearly in tears, when Mobley was traded last year. From 2002-2005, he led the league in technical fouls -- he often puts whining at referees after missed shots ahead of getting back on defense. He bristled at the notion of being moved to shooting guard this year, despite the fact that he clearly does not have the court vision to be a point guard. He seems resentful at the increase in minutes and fourth-quarter opportunities given to Jameer Nelson.

Francis seems to have taken the New Year as a chance to play lazy. He is passing up shots. He is averaging 11.8 points, 4.4 assists and 4.8 turnovers in 2006, while shooting 34 percent from the field. That is pretty detrimental to the team.

-Al

[MattSuspect]

Al,

Van Gundy praised Francis' heart today in the paper.

Al,

Weisz was terrible, I remember where I was when they didn't pick Artest (IndieMatty = Huge St. Johns fan), like it was a major event.

Victor,

Jamal Crawford is my favorite Knick, I think he has potential all-star ability, and every third night he drops 30 and has 8 assists, but he also has a tendency to lose focus. The latter half of this season he seemed to really step up his game, and only someone who hasn't watched him over the years would say he hasn't gotten better each year he's been in the league. I think he can really flourish if he disciplines himself. He's also friggin cool.

That being said, I think, especially after the last month of the season, he might be the most tradable player the Knicks have, and considering they have five guards already, and LB wants a traditional Speedy Claxton type point guard, I wouldn't be surprised if he's not here next year.

[img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[Phoenix1010]

For what Allan Houston did for the franchise, I probably would have given him whatever he wanted (before he became a gimp of course). I don't know the details of when he recieved his bad contracts, but he earned the first one with one shot. On a separate note, I stopped being a Knicks fan after Ewing was traded, and only came back after Layden was fired.

[Aloysius]

[ QUOTE ]
Al,

Van Gundy praised Francis' heart today in the paper.

[/ QUOTE ]

Van Gundy? Why?

[ QUOTE ]
Weisz was terrible, I remember where I was when they didn't pick Artest (IndieMatty = Huge St. Johns fan), like it was a major event.

[/ QUOTE ]

A dark day. Not only did JVG go on the record saying he wanted Artest (how awesome would that have been), and he was a hometown favorite, and Weisz wasn't available for like 3 years anyway cause of his gay French League congract... yeah. The boos from that draft room ring in my ears.

-Al

[Dids]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm skipping this thread- but if Vin Baker can get traded, Steph and Steve can get traded.

I think the answer is 2-3 years.

I also think that with a good coach (for young players) Nate Robinson can be made into a decent NBA backup.

[/ QUOTE ]

Vin was making the League Minimum, he was throw in for the knicks to take on Mo Taylor. He was then released and inexplicably picked back up, I think he is receiving a paycheck from four NBA teams right now.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm talking about the deal that moved Vin's max contract from the Sonics to Boston.

[Aceshigh7]

Trust me. I have watched Francis for his entire career. He has more heart and determination than just about any other player i've witnessed. Sometimes his enthusiasm and desire cause him to make stupid plays, but I feel this is something he will work himself out of over time. I was very sad when we traded him, although there's no way we could have gotten McGrady without giving up Francis.

About his year in Houston under JVG, Francis completely adapted himself to JVG's system. This is what resulted in his numbers dropping that season. He put aside his personal statistical output in order to buy into JVG's concept and play as he wanted him to. JVG has said he was very happy with the way Francis adapted and would have liked to keep him around.

Francis is a huge asset to the Knicks if they choose to keep him. If not, I would love to see him come back to Houston.