Perspectives
Carter’s View
New Jersey Nets rebound, New York Knicks flop, Isiah makes excuses
by Richard G. Carter
"We’re dead already, ain’t we? The only thing is, we’re not buried"--Burt Lancaster, "Brute Force" (1947)
At the start of the 2006-07 National Basketball Association season, the New Jersey Nets were picked to challenge for the championship and the New York Knicks were consigned to the bottom of the heap.
The Nets roster was viewed as talent-laden and deep while the Knicks were considered pedestrian and mismatched.
The season ended last week and guess what? Despite unexpectedly underachieving, the Nets again are in the playoffs and, as this is written, still alive.
But the dreadful Knicks are dead and on the outside looking in as Isiah Thomas makes lame excuses. Poor babies.
The Nets romped in the Atlantic Division in 2005-06 with a 49-33 record, added three fine, young college players and looked even better entering the current campaign.
On the other hand, the Knicks came off an abominable 23-59--the NBA’s second worst despite a league-high payroll--and didn’t seem to add much in the draft.
Thus, when "experts" such as Charles Barkley told his national TNT cable audience in early November that the Nets would win the Eastern Conference and play for the title, he seemed on solid ground.
When others predicted more doom and gloom for the woeful Knicks--whose coach got an improve or get fired ultimatum--it also appeared a safe bet.
Both teams suffered major injuries and ended the 82-game regular campaign sporting mediocre records, although the Nets‚ 41-41 was far better than the Knicks‚ 33-49. But that’s where the similarity ends.
The Nets are clearly superior--beating the Knicks four straight this season and, counting their playoffs sweep, hold a 24-4 advantage since 2001.
However, Jersey’s legitimate title hopes dipped when emerging star Nenad Krstic suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 26th game. With a healthy Krstic--arguably, the best center in the East outside of Shaquille O’Neal--there’s little doubt the Nets would again have run away with their division. Any team losing its starting center is in trouble.
Defending champion Miami is a good example. Without an injured O’Neal for most of the first half, they were under .500 and in real danger of missing the playoffs. When Shaq returned, the Heat began a long winning streak. He is far more important than superstar guard Dwyane Wade, whose lengthy absence the team easily survived.
Unfortunately, Krstic was just one of many significant Nets‚ casualties. High-flying Richard Jefferson missed 21 games after surgery on one of his two bad ankles and surgery cost veteran Cliff Robinson 22 games.
He later missed even more with a bad back. In addition, deadeye Eddie House and prize rookie Josh Boone were out the first 15 games after surgery for preseason injuries--and House missed the final 11 after yet another injury. That’s five important players lost for lengthy periods.
On the other hand, to their discredit, the Nets have made an unfortunate habit of losing lots of games by very close scores--and have blown double-digit leads on many other occasions.
On one West Coast trip, they became only the fourth NBA team ever to lose three straight by one point--each in the last seconds.
So, despite their heralded "Big Three" of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Jefferson--when healthy the best trio on any NBA team--the Nets came up short.
For a battle-tested team loaded with fine players, they are the year’s biggest disappointment.
Now the Knicks. Under Larry Brown last year, they were the laughingstock of the league and an embarrassment to the city.
So owner James (brain dead) Dolan finally did something right by firing Brown and turning to Thomas, also the team president.
For honest Knicks’ fans, the main positive this season was Brown’s absence.
But when Dolan prematurely extended Isiah’s contract, the team lost 15 of its final 19 games. And Isiah also blew it in other ways--again displaying lack of class by the organization.
In addition to crying about injuries, he was fined $50,000 by the NBA for criticizing officials he feels don’t call fouls on Stephon Marbury drives to the hoop.
C’mon, Zeke! Every team had bad injuries this season and Vince Carter is hacked every time he touches the ball. But Nets don’t moan about it.
This, on the heels of Isiah’s failure to express remorse about the team’s disgraceful brawl during a game with the Denver Nuggets.
Yet, in mid-March, due to the mediocrity of the Eastern Conference, for a minute the Knicks had a chance of making the playoffs--albeit with a subpar record.
This, despite another bad start and the rash of injuries to some players, and suspensions to others who foolishly took part in the embarrassing December brawl.
The Knicks‚ key losses were clutch-shooting guard Jamal Crawford and strong rebounding forward David Lee.
Both regularly came off the bench to spark the team to several improbable, last-second and overtime victories.
But Thomas was well aware of the chronic back problems that continued to plague swingman Quentin Richardson when he brought him in from Phoenix. That’s why the Suns let him go. Uh-huh.
From a positive standpoint, center Eddy Curry--despite defensive glaring deficiencies--began to live up to the potential he flashed when drafted out of high school by the Chicago Bulls.
Combined with a new willingness by Marbury to augment his scoring by setting-up teammates and the late season development of rookies Mardy Collins and Renaldo Balkman, the Knicks became a hustling, never-say-die outfit.
Bottom line: The post-season experience of Nets’ veterans the last six years means they could make serious noise in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the sad-sack Knicks sit around waiting until next season and hope Isiah stops crying and upgrades their muddled roster.
Richard G. Carter, a freelance writer, is a former columnist with "The Milwaukee Journal" and the "New York Daily News."
