3/30 - So here we are...

I haven't been posting as frequently lately. Before getting back to business, I am going to attempt to make some excuses about this matter:

• School is winding down. With the end of the semester in sight, I have been turning a good amount of focus to my classwork, and this has led to missing a couple games. It has been hard to manage my time between the two.
• Playoffs seem out of the picture at this point. Call me a pessimist, but this team is too decimated by injury to limp into the playoffs. With the talent that was on the roster 3 weeks ago, I would have thought the Knicks could stick it out. Marbury has been carrying the team, but he is wearing down, just like half the team...more on this later.
• NO ONE reads my blog. I know off hand of less than 10 CASUAL readers of my blog. I have attempted to register it with many sites, but it has been constantly denied. Why this happens, I am noot sure, but I have an idea. I don't have enough content on the site. I have attempted to reach out to other Knicks fans for help, but no one has seemed up to the task so far. I have a good system going here, with articles, links, and video. This summer I am looking to take the site even higher, hopefully with some help.

I said it once I will say it again, this is a young site with a lot of potential. Anyone that has clicked the link on the right to visit Matthew Cerrone's MetsBlog knows what I mean. Three years ago MetsBlog has a weaker interface than I currently have, but Matt brought on some good people to help him along, and now it is one of the top five baseball blogs on the internet. My goal is nothing less.

SO WHO CARES ABOUT THAT, WHAT IS UP WITH THE KNICKS???

The New York Knicks have went 2-6 since giving Isiah Thomas a multi year extension. Yes, they are riding a nice win courtesy of the Cavs, but this team has been decimated by injury. A few key points:

- Crawford's absence has killed Eddy Curry. The man that had a knack for finding Eddy in the low post probably won't get a chance to hit the court again this year (barring an amazing playoff appearance. To make matters worse, Curry is beginning to feel the burn of a full, solid season. He isn't used to surviving this deep into the season with this many minutes each game. He is visibly tired and has been complaining about calls to try to get some help from the zebras. It's not going to happen. Curry has taken a huge step forward this season, but he still won't be treated like a veteran. I hate to look to next year, but hopefully he has learned some key lessons to go into a monster year next year. P.S. Eddy - Drop 15-20 more pounds again, don't be lazy and slack off in the offseason.

- Q-Rich won't play again this season. Normally this would be bad news, but it's not. Richardson's back has been a sore subject for all Knicks fans. He sits out games periodically, and when he is on the court, he can't post up due to soreness. Finally, the problem that has plagued him for 2+ years will be addressed. Hopefully Q can have his surgery, go through rehab, and come back next year 100%, with the same fire that he jumped out of the gate with this year.

- Steve Francis is a cancer. It's obvious he doesn't want to be here, so the countdown has begun to the offseason. Francis will most likely end up being the biggest embarassment of Isiah Thomas' time as Knicks GM (yes, more than Jerome James). He was brought it to appease Larry Brown at the trade deadline last year, but has only shown flashes of his All Star years. He has complained about playing time (obviously jealous of Marbury), and miraculously returned to play just two days after declaring he would miss the season about a month ago. The sad part is, the entire league knows he will be bought out, so the Knicks won't be able to get ANYTHING for him. Maybe Kevin McHale in Minnesota would bite on something, but he will most likely be bought out...a complete waste of a year and a half.

- You have been invited to Renaldo Balkman's coming out party. The Incredible Balk has been playing great lately in the absence of Q-Rich and David Lee. Hopefully he works on a jump shot this summer and then we'll talk. If you're like me, you tend to tune into some Knicks Summer League games in Vegas. It should be fun watching Balk lead the Knicks young guns (including Mardy Collins and new acquisition Randolph Morris, more later).

- Speaking of David Lee, the Knicks free spirit is still rocking the suit on the bench. How much do you miss him?

- Randolph Morris. Yeah, we signed him fresh off an NCAA Tourney loss. It'll be interesting to see if he gets any significant minutes for the rest of the season. He saw 7 mins. against the Cavs and hit a FT. I'm only going to view it as an early draft pick...talk to me next season.

- Speaking of a Free Throw, can anyone on this team hit one?

OK, 11 GAMES LEFT...

After a nice win, the Knicks get rewarded tonight with a virtual automatic loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The only slight hope will be if Dirk's injured ankle slows him down. Speaking of ankles, Steve Francis is nursing an ankle injury as well, and most likely won't play tonight. You know what, he most likely won't play in a Knick uniform ever again. I can't even express how much of a disgrace he is. That leaves the guard rotation at Marbury, Robinson, and Collins. You will have to shield your eyes when Jared Jeffries is forced to play at the 2.

After tonight, next three games:

Philly

Minny

Bucks

All winnable, all must win if we're serious about the playoffs.

We are 31-40, One and a half out of the 8 spot. It's now or never.

I'll be back soon, I promise (and by soon I mean Sunday/Monday)