Zach speaks out Photo by Julie Jacobson-AP	Jamal Keeps Playing Photo By Ed Betz /AP

Zach Randolph tried to lead the Knicks back from another deficit against Dallas last night. He did bring them back to within about seven, but that was as close as the Knicks could get the score last night. Stephon Marbury didn't play as he is still grieving for his father.

Zach also said something after the game that's been on my mind. "It's real hard. I ain't never been in a situation like that and I don't understand," he said. "I guess they say it's New York fans, but you know it's real tough. Honestly. Especially for me, because I've never experienced every time a player walks off the court you're booing. Everywhere else, in Portland, fans were a big part of our team. Fans are a big part of every team everywhere you go. We need the fans to be supportive with us, even when we're down."

Having lived in the New York area for almost my entire life, I have gotten acclimated to the vitriol of the New York fan, sometimes out of real passion and other times out of just being drunk.  I suspect that most of the fans last night were expressing their true feelings, but it is misplaced.  Having lived in Denver for several years back in the early 70’s, I can tell you that Zach is right, fans in places such as Denver, Portland, Kansas City, even Chicago, are truly fans of the team, and make that team their own.  And it improves their performance.  The only fans in the entire country as bad as NY fans live in Philadelphia and perhaps Boston.  But that doesn’t make it helpful - or right.

Isiah Thomas also had some words with some fans behind the bench during the game, and, while it is not clear what the exchange actually was, it can be assumed Isiah has had about enough of it too, especially if it's coming from directly behind the bench.

Yesterday had to be a tough day. MSG agreed to settle its sexual harassment case out of court yesterday to the tune of about 11.5 million dollars. Apparently urged on by the commissioner's office to settle, they did just that. Isiah meanwhile still feels that he did not harass her, sexually or otherwise. He may be right. We'll never know now.

As this is written, Mike Francesa and Chris Russo (and the YES network, of course) are continuing their totally unfair pounding of the Knicks and the Garden, harping on the same issues, the 33 wins from last year (the Knicks were playing .500 ball until they lost both Crawford and David Lee to injuries) and Isiah’s nerve in feeling that he did NOT sexually harass Anucha Browne Sanders. 

Where were they when their buddy Don Imus totally trashed the Rutgers women’s basketball contingent?  Where were they then?  How politically correct were they at that time?  What hypocrites !  They unfortunately have a large audience, and they are swinging the fans to their side.  And maybe even David Stern, who was instrumental apparently in the Garden’s decision to settle.

The Knicks are not playing well, admittedly, but they have had more than their share of misfortune thus far, deaths in a couple of different player families, the situation surrounding the sexual harassment suit, and an as yet unsettled lineup.  Isiah Thomas has not determined how to use Zach Randolph and Curry together.  Marbury’s pouting upon being benched also didn’t help matters, making for great melodrama but little else.

With the court case behind them now, and with some bad breaks hopefully out of the way, perhaps the Knicks can begin to play better now. Against a tough opponent such as Dallas, I would hope the Knicks fans would try to contain the booing. It's certainly not helping. I'd rather they didn't go to the game at all.  They’re turning the home court into a nightmare.

 

Isiah is, if anything, too tender-hearted.  He believed in Larry Brown.  Larry Brown tried with all his might to undo Isiah.  He whined about the players publicly and continually.  He took players out when they performed well.  He did everything in his power to make sure that the Knicks under his tutelage would lose games.  Isiah was too patient with him.  Brown ruined an entire year, and, since there was no real player development taking place under his watch, he ruined much of a second year as well.

 

I see much the same scenario playing out with Marbury.  If he weren’t totally untradeable, I’d recommend trading him.  As the Knicks are in such a deep hole now, Isiah should make Marbury a sixth man, for scoring punch off the bench.  The core of the team from two years ago should start, with Crawford spelling Marbury at the point. Crawford has grown in Marbury’s absence, is somewhat a leader, and is ready for that responsibility.  Curry should continue to be the focus of the offense, as he was in 2005-2006. Richardson at one forward and Lee at the other, spelled by Randolph for scoring and Jeffries for defense. The shooting guard position should go to Nate Robinson, spelled by Collins or Balkman for defensive purposes.

 

Defense, that’s the main problem with this team.  Lee doesn’t move his feet, seems too slow to be truly effective at guarding anyone.  Curry, except for blocking a shot here and there, has to be encouraged to be tough in the middle. The guards can’t just give away the perimeter, as they did against Philadelphia.  

 

That defensive position, too, has to be established early in the game.  When the Knicks have been competitive from the beginning of any game, they have played well to the end.  Too often, their furious rushes in the fourth quarter fall short.

 

Give Isiah a chance to make it right.  Give him through the end of this year.  If this team should prove incapable of playing defense, of playing with any consistency, then Isiah finally must go.  It’s his team after all.  If he can’t make them play, nobody can.