Knicks Knacks

Over the last several seasons, the Knicks have become a prolific source for comic material.

Many of the punch lines are delivered by opposing players, who sit on the sidelines watching blowout and giggle into towels. A few have laughed out loud, like Reggie Evans and Samuel Dalembert, who seemed to get a big kick out of Philadelphia’s home-and-home sweep last month.

They’ll be at MSG tomorrow for another go round.

While publicly feuding with his owner this week, Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy backhanded the Knicks.

“I would only make deals to help our future—anything else is suicide,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “Anything else and you become the New York Knicks. Now if you want to do that and take on big contracts and long-term deals to potentially hit a home run or get some kind of turnaround, that’s not the direction I would go as a businessman or if I owned the team.”

There was no snappy come back from Isiah Thomas.

“I think he should talk about his own team,” he said.

Are you tired of taking abuse for losing?

“It comes with the territory,” Thomas said.

But is it getting old?

“Punch back,” Thomas said.

And will your players do that?

“We’ll see,” Thomas said.

How do you punch back?

“Win the game.”

Since a number of players on this roster seem to need an external spark, maybe this is exactly what the Knicks need.

Perhaps laughter is the best medicine.

In a matter of weeks, NBA All-Star festivities will be under way down in New Orleans.

Got any plans?

Perhaps there are some movies you didn’t catch the first time around? Maybe there are some domestic chores you need to catch up on?

Will you tune in?  

There probably isn’t going to be a single representative from the Knicks on hand. Not even for the precursors. Nate Robinson isn’t going to be in the dunk contest. David Lee is no longer eligible for the junior varsity game. 

It’s another sign of the bad times.

There was a time when Isiah Thomas believed Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry were All-Star talents. He often spoke of developing a third name for the marquee to complete the comeback here.

Now, that blueprint is a crumpled up.

Marbury is crossed off the list. Curry is too unpredictable. And there doesn’t appear to be anybody on the roster with enough potential to one day play in the league’s glitzy showcase event.

Who’s actually getting better?

Zach Randolph is back to playing with a conscience and he certainly puts up numbers. He’ll get consideration if the Knicks ever start winning, but he’s probably not going to get any better. Jamal Crawford is more dependable. He’s improved every season, but the Knicks need to string a couple of winning seasons together before he’s considered anything but a good player on a bad team.

Let me know what you think.

Stephon Marbury underwent surgery this morning to remove bone spurs from a creaky left ankle.

Does anybody else want to see the offending fragments in a jar?

It’s going to be interesting to see whether Marbury is around teammates on a regular basis while he’s working to come back. There was no timetable provided, but the process usually takes at least eight weeks.

At some point in the comining weeks, he will be missed.

I know there are legions of fans who are going to disagree, but Marbury is like a major league pitcher who throws 200 innings and goes 8-11 with a 4.53 ERA. Of course, that’s not what he’s paid to be. The minutes that Marbury was playing helped keep Jamal Crawford fresh, helped keep Nate Robinson from being overexposed.

Time will tell if the Knicks are better off going without.

Crawford is the playmaker going forward, and Isiah Thomas hinted the once impulsive shot-maker could be the long-term answer.

Your thoughts?

Here’s one from Crawford, who made it very clear he is willing to play on or off the ball:

“It’s weird because if you think about it, what  true point guards have scored 50 points (in a game)?” he said. “Once you score that many points, then you’re looked at as a scorer, and you’re kind of in a box, so it’s weird to say, ‘Now he’s a point guard.’ ”

• Fred Jones was excused from practice today in order to deal with a personal matter.

• There are two more days of practice before the Knicks play again, a gap that players in general despise. They would much rather play a back-to-back than suffer through hours of practice and film.

• Compliments of the Giants, the Knicks can lose as many games as they want in the next two weeks and it won’t cause an uproar.

Does anybody remember Sister Mary Elephant?

“Class. Class. Shut up!!!!”

For some reason, the Knicks are getting awfully talkative. And it’s unwarranted. Quentin Richardson doesn’t need to be in Paul Pierce’s ear. The Celtics are 33-6 for crying out loud. Eddy Curry doesn’t need to be jawing at Kendrick Perkins following a dunk. The guy had a career-high 24 points before his Knicks counterpart started to get involved.

Eddie House knocked down a shot from behind the arc late in the game and seemed to have something to say to Isiah Thomas, who did not laugh it off. There was a long, cold stare in the direction of the Celtics bench after he called time out.

“I didn’t say anything to Isiah,” House said. “I ran back and got back on defense. I was really talking to myself.” So what did he say? “I can’t really repeat it,” House said. “It was something colorful to myself.”

All of this anger seems misplaced.

Forget about Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, the real difference between the Knicks and Celtics is the approach. Boston is mean from the start. There is genuine attitude on the court, real swagger.

There’s a far different personality in the home locker room.

“If we can somehow bring that out as a team from the jump-ball and not be so friendly out there, myself, everybody, that’s what’s kind of separating ourselves from winning a lot of these games,� Curry said. “A lot of teams don’t want to play you when you’re out there playing physical like that and really asserting yourself like that on defense and on offense. That’s just something, if we can find a way to turn that on, we can be a really good basketball team.�

• Stephon Marbury was on hand to watch. He undergoes surgery today.

• Richardson and Pierce did not hang around to comment on their little war of words. “They always compete,” Thomas said. “I don’t think it goes to the next game. I think those two, if they were playing at the YMCA, would battle and compete the same way.”

My biggest source of aggravation is going to be front and center tomorrow at Madison Square Garden when the Boston Celtics roll in.

Kevin Garnett. Paul Pierce. Ray Allen.

They are match-up nightmares. Opponents are constantly shifting lineups in hopes of discovering a way to keep them from running wild.

It was supposed to be like that with the Knicks.

Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph were supposed to be able to scramble defensive game plans. I can’t remember a situation where that’s been the case. I have lost count of how many times Isiah Thomas has explained his substitution patterns by claiming he needed a smaller lineup, a quicker lineup, a bigger lineup to match up.

Why are the Knicks always the panicked team doing the adjusting?

Remember, these are supposed to be talented individuals.

Are they not being put in a position to succeed? Are they not as good as Thomas first thought?

It was hardly a flash back to the days when this was a bitter rivalry, but there was a minute of drama as the Knicks closed out a needed win down in Miami.

Correct me if there’s any chance I’m wrong, but it would appear the Heat are playing for the No. 1 pick.

Nate Robinson gave the Knicks a critical jolt. Jamal Crawford was again clutch. David Lee was a general nuisance. Zach Randolph went hard after important rebounds. Jared Jeffries won the game.

You read that right.

Jeffries didn’t have to shoot. He did need to latch onto Dwyane Wade and make sure the hobbled All-Star didn’t throw any daggers in the final minutes. Mission accomplished. It’s what he does, which is why Jeffries contribution shows up better when he’s playing for a winner.

• Did you see Eddy Curry pull Zach Randolph off the bench to cheer on the second unit, which finally broke through against Miami in the fourth quarter.

• Nate Robinson is finally learning to mix enthusiasm and maturity.

• Bring on Boston. Kidding. Remember all that talk before the season about the Celtics needing to stay healthy? Never mind. Boston is so far in front, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen can all afford to take a week or three off.

•

It’s been a while since the Knicks needed an excuse.

How about tired legs?

It would explain the defense giving away points like day-old bakery goods. It would explain the offense managing just 10 points after the Knicks closed to within four in the opening minutes of the fourth.

And you can’t blame Isiah Thomas for practicing yesterday in the middle of consecutive back-to-back sets. Nothing comes easy to the Knicks, who have to expend a ridiculous amount of energy to pick up each win.

It could get worse in Miami tonight, unless they rest up. Four games in five nights is a drag.

That’s never an easy thing for an NBA team with South Beach just a cab ride away, which makes the Heat’s 4-13 home record impossible to understand.

• I know he’s not deserved a second look all season, but the Knicks really needed to find Quentin Richardson early in the second half just to see whether the shot was still falling.

• Fred Jones is getting too many minutes, right now.

• It would be nice to see Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson driving and dishing when they can’t get legs under those shots from long range.

I realize we probably spend too much time reading between the lines on every tidbit pertaining to Stephon Marbury.

Why stop now?

Here’s the release we just got from the Knicks:

“Stephon Marbury had an MRI of his left ankle today and has chosen to have surgery, to be performed by Dr. William Hamilton, which is expected to be Tuesday. He is out indefinitely.”

That’s it.

Notice the brief says that Marbury has chosen to have surgery. He probably is hurting, but there’s a reason why it didn’t say that team doctors have concluded surgery was necessary to correct the painful issue.

It’s going to be interesting to see if he’s around the practice facility in the coming weeks.

Will you be surprised when the Knicks announce Marbury is going to Los Angeles to rehab the ankle?

In case you failed to notice, Jamal Crawford is the new smiling face of the franchise.

Really.

There was no pomp or circumstance, but Isiah Thomas made it official this afternoon before the Knicks departed for Washington.

“We’ve always been a team that rallied around Jamal’s offense,” Thomas said. “He’s a guy that can make shots. He’s made big shots for us. I think the thing that’s happening now with Jamal is he’s starting to gain more confidence in himself in terms of understanding how to lead men. I think the team is responding to his leadership right now.â€?

It’s a role Stephon Marbury has never really embraced.

The mood swings bother some in the locker room more than others, but Thomas is not happy about the way his reclamation project is withdrawing this season.

“As I’ve said before, Steph is definitely capable of doing all those things,” Thomas said. “The organization out on the floor, the leadership on the floor, managing the game situation, managing the clock, Steph is capable of doing all those things. Jamal is doing those things for us right now.”

We’ll find out what’s next for Marbury later this afternoon. He was supposed to go for an MRI, and fully expects to undergo surgery. As of last night, Marbury was intent on coming back to finish out what’s left of the season, record be damned.

I doubt he’s going anywhere.

With all of this talk about fiscal responsibility, the Knicks are going to look silly unless they let that $21.9 million come off the books after next season. A trade only makes sense if expiring deals come back. A buyout is a possibility if the Knicks flourish in the weeks ahead while he’s resting and recuperating.

While talking about the lack of a legitimate winning streak that might convince weary fans the Knicks have a chance to rally and reclaim a measure of respectability, Jamal Crawford pretty much guaranteed this team was going to make it three in a row.

How do you not roll your eyes?

“We’re going to get this one,” he said.

Let’s see, that makes Crawford 12-26 on the prediction front this season.

So have three good wins convinced you the Knicks are finally headed in the right direction? Are you confident they will show up and play each game like it matters? How long will it continue this way? Is the absence of Stephon Marbury just a conincidence?

I’ll let Quentin Richardson handle that one.

“We’re just trying to keep the ball moving,� he said. “I don’t think that’s happening because Steph’s out.�

It’s the second night of a back-to-back. I have a long drive home, so I’ll let you all take it from there.

Before I forget, did anyone scream at the widescreen when Crawford stepped back and launched that ridiculous shot that gave the Knicks a 105-102 lead in the final minute?