Changing the channel
Apparently, the Knicks still don’t have enough drawing power to go coast-to-coast.
They are down for just three national television broadcasts next season.
ESPN is carrying 72 regular-season games, and will bring you the Knicks at Portland on Feb. 1 and Miami at the Knicks on March 26. TNT is airing 52 regular-season games this season, and will bring you the Knicks at Boston on Nov. 29.
That’s it. That’s all.
And from what several of us have been told, you can thank Kevin Garnett for deciding Boston wasn’t such a bad place. That game was a late addition.
Of course, if the Knicks prove themselves worthy, the schedule will be altered.
ABC is showing 18 regular-season games, and is ignoring the biggest market in the country. The schedule is made by network ratings experts with advice from the league, when solicited. It’s not a foolproof method.
The number of national broadcast is not a barometer in any sense. It does show what kind of a reputation the Knicks have established over six consecutive losing seasons. Getting a hold of Zach Randolph on draft night really didn’t change much in New York in the eyes of the broadcast powers that be.
Anyway, here’s what I take from the schedule:
• Somebody put down a red carpet in November. To help the Knicks avoid starting 6-11 again, there are four straight home games after the Nov. 2 opener in Cleveland.
• It’s going to get a little chilly in January, with 13 of 16 games against playoff teams.
• There’s really no reason to complain about the circus, either. When the elephants walk into town every April, the Knicks hit the road and Isiah Thomas complains. They visit Toronto, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Memphis, and New Orleans this year between March 28-April 4. It could be a lot worse.
• With the unbalanced schedule, the Knicks only play Charlotte, Milwaukee, Cleveland and Washington three times.
And here are some schedule notes:
• Don’t make plans on Wednesdays and Fridays during the season. The Knicks play 20 games on Wednesdays and 20 games on Fridays.
• There will be 20 sets of back-to-back games, and the Knicks will play four games in five nights on three occasions.
• Zach Randolph heads back to Portland on Feb. 1.
Here it is in full …
2007-08 Knicks Schedule
All times Eastern
Nov. 2 at Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 4 Minnesota, 6 p.m.
Nov. 6 Denver, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 9 Orlando, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 11 Miami, 6 p.m.
Nov. 13 at Phoenix, 9 p.m.
Nov. 14 at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.
Nov. 16 at Sacramento, 10 p.m.
Nov. 17 at Denver, 9 p.m.
Nov. 20 Golden State, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 21 at Detroit, 8 p.m.
Nov. 24 Chicago, 1 p.m.
Nov. 26 Utah, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 29 at Boston, 8 p.m.
Nov. 30 Milwaukee, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2 Phoenix, 7 p.m.
Dec. 5 at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 7 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Dec. 8 Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 10 Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 12 Seattle, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 14 at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Dec. 15 New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 17 Indiana, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 19 Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 21 at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
Dec. 23 L.A. Lakers, 12 p.m.
Dec. 26 at Orlando, 7 p.m.
Dec. 30 Chicago, 12 p.m.
Jan. 2 Sacramento, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 4 at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.
Jan. 5 at Houston, 8:30 p.m.
Jan. 8 at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
Jan. 9 Houston, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 11 Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 Detroit, 7 p.m.
Jan. 15 Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 16 at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 18 at Washington, 7 p.m.
Jan. 19 at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 21 Boston, 1 p.m.
Jan. 25 Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27 at Golden State, 9 p.m.
Jan. 29 at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
Jan. 30 at Utah, 9 p.m.
Feb. 1 at Portland, 10:30 p.m.
Feb. 2 at Seattle, 10 p.m.
Feb. 4 L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 6 Indiana, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 8 San Antonio, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 9 at Milwaukee, 8:30 p.m.
Feb. 13 at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 19 at Washington, 7 p.m.
Feb. 20 at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Feb. 22 Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 at Toronto, 6 p.m.
Feb. 27 Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 29 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
March 1 at Orlando, 7 p.m.
March 3 New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.
March 5 Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
March 7 Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
March 8 Portland, 7:30 p.m.
March 10 at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
March 12 at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
March 16 Atlanta, 6 p.m.
March 17 at Indiana, 7 p.m.
March 21 Memphis, 7:30 p.m.
March 22 at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
March 24 New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.
March 26 Miami, 7 p.m.
March 28 at Toronto, 7 p.m.
March 30 at Atlanta, 4 p.m.
April 1 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
April 2 at Memphis, 8 p.m.
April 4 at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
April 6 Orlando, 6 p.m.
April 8 at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
April 9 Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.
April 11 Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
April 14 Boston, 7:30 p.m.
April 16 at Indiana, 7 p.m.
August 3rd, 2007 at 9:44 am
I guess only Knick fans realized how exciting it was to watch the Knicks make so many comeback victories. I wonder who led the league in close games because I’m sure the Knicks are tops on the list. A lot of the losses were close no? That makes for good tv is you ask me.
August 3rd, 2007 at 10:17 am
very uninteresting.. but i give you an A for effort becuase it couldnt have been fun digging through that schedule.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:53 pm
I’ll be at MSG for Cleveland (x2) and the Lakers, although I wish it wasn’t Dec 23 for LA.
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:04 pm
The worst part about the national games we do have is that we got them much more based off of our opponents than us.
Knicks at Portland—Portland got the number 1 pick and had a big trade with the Knicks.
Miami at the Knicks—Shaq, Wade, Heat/Knicks rivalry.
Knicks at Boston—Boston’s new big 3 put this one on the map.
The Knicks shall rise again but they have to earn the respect.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Scraping the Barrel:
http://www.nba.com/rookies/survey_0708.html
Rookies vote on their peers, D-Nich gets 2nd most votes for best shooter after Almond.
Haven’t seen anybody calling for the Knicks to make the playoffs.
Defense will be the difference between Playoffs and Lottery, no question.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Here we go again:
Cory (North Dakota): Rick, The internet is buzzing with a rumor that claims you said Artest going to New York. Any truth to the rumor?
Ric Bucher: (3:11 PM ET ) Good to know the Homeboy radio program by Roger B. Brown in Dallas gets that much attention. I spoke with Roger yesterday and said that I’d heard a rumor that a Artest deal was in the making, but the terms I’d heard didn’t work under the cap. That said, Artest would love to be in New York, Sacramento would love to move him and the Knicks would love to have him. When you have three parties who want something, I have to believe—much like the Minny/Boston/KG situation—it’s going to get done.
http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/47466/20070803/bucher_artest_to_knicks_deal_in_the_works/
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Isiah has shown a stubborness in making deals—he draws a line and does not cross it. Remember how long the Crawford sign-and-trade took? He held out for weeks to get the No. 1 pick thrown into the Jalen Rose trade from Toronto. He’s said repeatedly that he won’t deal Balkman or Lee unless it’s for an elite player; for a high-risk player like Artest who can opt out at the end of the season, I don’t think he will.
I think the deal gets done once Fred Jones’ and Dickau’s contracts become tradable at the end of this month. Jones, Dickau, Nate, and a No. 1 for Artest.
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:50 pm
In 20 years, ESPN will produce a mini-series called “Broadway is Burning.”
August 5th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
OK, I’m over my malaise and ready to jump back on that bandwagon. The problem with the Knicks last year was that they had no consistent scoring from the wings once Quentin went out. Even with him we had no legit threat at PF. So, defenses would cave in on Eddy leaving the guards as the only option. Now, Zach changes things, presuming he’s willing to step out a little, and, even if he isn’t, two post threats are hard to double. So, if Richardson is healthy and sticking threes we can beat people. I really can’t see that happening but there it is. I’d like to see Ron, as would every Knick fan and I’m encouraged by the Bucher comment. If we could get it done without giving up Lee, Balkman, Crawford, Curry, Zbo, Marbury (unless you get Mike Bibby too), then bring him home. He’s worth a first rounder. If he’s here we make the playoffs.
August 6th, 2007 at 9:55 am
Over the weekend, The Post I believe, had a blind spot saying the Bucher piece was nothing, nothing had changed, Lee not on the block.
I understand that Sacto is done with Bibby, so if we took him off their hands with Artest, we could get away with not compromising our core:
some combination of:
Rose: 7 – next year is final year
Jeffries: 5.6
Jones: 3.3 – expiring
Dickau: 2.8 – expiring
James: 5.8 – next year is final year
= 24.5 in salary
Bibby – 13.5 – next year is final year
Artest – 7.8 – last year, option for 08-09
= 21.3 in salary
Its possible – James is the only unsavory piece, but they get 6.1 mill off the books when Dickau and Jones contracts come off. And I like the idea of Bibby and Randolph playing pick and roll, until Bibby’s contract is up.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:47 am
Hey all
Found a pretty interesting article about our 1st Round Draft Picks.
Should take a look if you’re interested.
http://www.1strounddraftpicks.com