Donnie
Basketball
After weeks of speculation,
Donnie Walsh was finally introduced to the media as
the Knicks new President of Basketball Operations. During
the press conference, Walsh spoke candidly about the
current state of the team and his plans to meet with
key members of the organization before making critical
decisions. Clearly, his first order of business is to
meet with the man he replaced in the President's seat.
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Donnie Walsh's arrival brings
a sense of reason to a dysfunctional organization. As Jim Dolan
introduced Walsh, he refrained from explaining why Isiah Thomas
was being demoted. While the answer is painfully obvious, Dolan
choose to shirk the responsibility and enjoy the adulation that
comes with making a smart hire.
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that Walsh is in control, one can assume that he'll assess Thomas' mess first,
then chart a course of action. In addition to meeting with players, coaches, MSG
brass & the beat writers, hopefully Walsh will make time to meet with a few
season ticket holders. Considering Walsh is from The Bronx, I'm sure he would
appreciate what the "Garden Faithful" has to say. Below are a just a
few suggestions Walsh might hear if he polls the fans: |
Give
the customers what they want:
If you want to keep the season ticket renewal
rate at 91%, give Zeke his walking papers at season's end. He may never land another
NBA job, but he's a perfect replacement for Kwame Kilpatrick as Mayor of Detroit. Hire
your new head coach before the draft lottery:
Mark Jackson would be nice,
but Rick Carlisle will do. Whatever you do, please cross Herb Williams off your
list of prospects. Draft a playmaking
point guard:
It's the fastest way to get the team back on track. If you
win the lottery, resist the urge to draft Michael Beasley and select Derrick Rose.
He'll be as good as Utah's Deron Williams. If the team picks fifth overall, take
OJ Mayo. Mayo may not have lived up to the Lebron–esque hype at USC, but
he's a better pro prospect than undersized shooting guards Jerryd Bayless &
Eric Gordon. Buyout Stephon Marbury:
His
trade value is at an all-time low. The $21.9MM price tag may be hefty, but you're
better off releasing him than taking back 3 mediocre players in exchange. Let
Starbury sign with the Lakers for the veteran minimum or head off to Europe. No
one needs his negative influence rubbing off on Rose or Mayo. Re-vamp
the starting lineup:
Import at least 3 new starters for next season. When
former team president, Dave Checketts introduced Allan Houston, Larry Johnson
& Chris Childs at a press conference in 1996, Checketts emphatically said
"we hit the jackpot!". With a lottery pick & a few shrewd moves,
you can make the same assertion. If you can find takers for Eddy Curry, Jerome
James, Jared Jeffries & Quentin Richardson, you'll be a top candidate for
the 2008-09 NBA Executive of the Year award. Preach
DE-FENSE:
The team's defense is so inept, Walt Frazier has volunteered
to put down the microphone and run drills. Thomas and his 6 assistant coaches
don't see the value of practice, so you'll have to set a new standard. Embrace
the team's past:
Help us forget you ran the rival Pacers for 24 years.
Knicks fans have suffered through 7 consecutive losing seasons and are facing
a 3 year rebuilding process. A jersey retirement ceremony for Bernard King and/or
Charles Oakley would be a great way to placate the fan base. If Patrick Ewing
chooses to leave the Orlando Magic, bring The Big Fella home. Welcome
home Donnie Basketball. It's time to get to work. Questions
or comments about this article may be e-mailed to
gardengrasp@gmail.com -Greg
Hutchins 
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