End of An Error?!

The NY Times is reporting that the Knicks are getting ready to waive PG Stephon Marbury. Last season I didn’t even watch one Knicks game because I had better things to do with my time, such as watching the grass grow in our front yard. Growing up a NY Knicks fan, the past 7 dysfunctional, losing seasons have been absolutely torturous.

The only good resulting from this debacle is that it has eased the pain from the night of June 2, 1993. I can recall sitting in my seat at Madison Square Garden, feeling as if the E train to Jamaica just ran me over, absolutely stunned at what had just occurred. If you weren’t there or can’t remember the game, it was Game 5 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the Bulls; Charles Smith missed 4 put backs in the final seconds of a game when the Knicks were down by one point.

Fifteen years later and I am actually yearning for that June night because at least those NY Knicks were hardnosed and in the playoffs. The downward spiral of the Knicks was set in motion before the hiring of Isiah Thomas as team president, however once Isiah was on board the Knicks quickly became a runaway train headed for disaster. The owner of the NY Knicks, James Dolan thought hiring a man who had run the CBA into the ground, killed the Raptors and couldn’t get the Indiana Pacers past the first round of the playoffs would actually be a quality hire. Perhaps Dolan should have conducted some basic due diligence before hiring Thomas (just a suggestion) since a Hall of Fame playing career doesn’t necessarily translate into good management skills. This chaos was only compounded when Stephon Marbury was signed in 2004, bringing a total lack of commitment, chemistry and selfishness to an already struggling team. I have to believe that the Knicks were receiving payback for not allowing Patrick Ewing to finish his career in a NY Knicks uniform.

I have friends who have not been able to give tickets away to Knicks games, but hold onto their season tickets and eat thousands of dollars a year, because they believe that change is inevitable. (Save me a ticket to opening night Mainland!) This is NY after all, the city that has the largest payroll for sports, millions of devoted fans and illustrious history. I am hopeful that as Stephon Marbury laces up his Starbury sneakers and heads out of New York, that he takes the last remaining pieces of this catastrophe with him. Please let this be the end of an error because there is only so much one fan can handle.

Perhaps if Coach Mike D’Antonio and team President Donnie Walsh don’t get the job done, then the people of NY can petition for James Dolan to be waived.

For now I am wishing that Isiah and Stephon had handled their adversity with the grace and dignity that Charles Smith possessed.