GULLIBLE’S TRAVELS: The Knicks’ 2010 Plan; Do You Believe That?
I have been searching high and higher throughout the blogoverse (the ever expanding blogosphere) for our friend Gullible Fanatic. I wanted to ask him personally, face to face, whether he actually believed all that he had been hearing the last two years about how the Knicks would reboot their fortunes by creating cap space for the Big Spend in 2010.
In my deepest and most melodic Gil Scott Heron voice, I want to ask “Do You Believe That?” I even wrote down how I would start the conversation with Gullible who is known to get a bit irate if you challenge what he calls “faith in Knicks management”:
Hey, in this summer of our malcontent
Where the objective is not to be underspent
and we build a team of players for rent
To fit under the cap by twenty-ten (2010)
They sell us this line w/ little dissent
“Our fortunes will change when LeBron gets in
Or Wade or Bosh is our cap-space occupant”
Do you believe that?
Do you believe that the stars will go where they can win,
Or do you believe they will agree to start all over again?
While we commit the unoriginal sin
Of building from without (a team) instead of from within
Do you believe that?
Well, I know Gullible will laugh at me and dismiss my concerns as impatience when I finally catch up with him. He believes that any move is acceptable so long as the ultimate goal of cap space is achieved. Nevermind that cap space does not take the court. Nevermind that the Knicks are unlikely to have enough cap space to give a max contract to a franchise player and attract solid support players. Nevermind that under the current CBA, championship contenders are not built through cap space — they are built by manipulating the cap rules, through the draft and trades. The evidence is abundant and clear.
Do You Believe That?
Gullible will probably ignore me and continue to insist that the Knicks will get lucky and David Kahn will help us build our team by generously forking over Slicky Ricky Rubio to run the offense. I will ask Gullible what happened to the false belief that Mike D’Antoni would attract free agents like Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant because they liked working with him? Gullible will probably say that Donnie Walsh didn’t really want those guys. I’ll ask him “Do you believe that the flirtations with Stackhouse and Tinsley were smart? He’ll ignore me and tell me to focus on the draft of young potential potentates JHill and Toney Douglas.
Nevertheless, I must catch up with Gullible to help synchronize Knick fandom with reality, because only together can we begin to put pressure on our team to build a winner the right way. Yes, I too may be Gullible (or Gullible’s cousin) to believe that Knicks management will care what I say about their strategy, but I do know that alone I have no impact. Our only chance for change is to unite with all the Gullibles to put force behind our demands for a winning strategy.
So, I continue my search of Gullible Fanatic. Gullible moves quickly, both figuratively and actually. We all know that he changes his opinion at warp speed so that it fits his pro-Knick management conclusions (i.e. Knicks offer Kidd a contract which invades 2010 cap space. “Great move Walsh.” Kidd rejects the offer. “Great move, Walsh didn’t want him anyway”). Gullible also moves from one blogstation to another rapidly, but he leaves a trail of stench as wide as an asteroid tail. I’m on it.
My first stop was the “gottaread at least once in a while” Knicksfansite Posting and Toasting where we find Lord Seth pining over the positives he found in Gallo’s 412 minutes of professional ball. 
Gullible was definitely here and he had a crater-type impact. Apparently, he dropped some magic dust on 84% of 514 poll voters who stated that they had faith in Gallo as a star player in the 2009-2010 Knicks roster.
Strangely, I understand how they can believe that Gallo will be a star this upcoming season, despite coming off major back surgery in April and not playing real ball over the summer; despite him not possibly being in D’Antoni game conditioning; despite not really having a rookie season; despite not playing with his 2009-2010 teammates for an extended period to develop chemistry, I can understand why they would have faith that Gallinari would be a star this year. Anybody that can shoot a perfect form Wii jumper like the Rooster should have no problem averaging 24ppg, 6rpg and 5apg in his first real NBA season.
Somehow, I think Gullible had the advantage since I was trailing him. It occurred to me that he was trying to make me a believer when he took me to this impressive Gallo summer league interview.
It was only an interview, But. I thought that if Gallinari could play as good as he sounded there was a chance that Lebron would want to play with him, Chandler and whoever else the Knicks could afford with left-over cap space. How can you not cheer for Gallo, I thought?
I think I accidentally ignited the random search engine when I thought about cheering because it lead me off course, at hypertense-warp speed, to a cheer-leading squad, that was not the Miami Heat Dance Crew. This is how they do what they do in New Jersey.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
I looked into the New Jersey crowd and I didn’t see anyone who looked like Gullible. In fact, I didn’t really see anyone because most of the Gullible Nets fans were in Brooklyn waiting for the new stadium to be built. Perhaps that explains why the Nets dance team looks so mature in anticipation of when the move will actually happen.
I asked the computer to take me to a more thrilling dance team, but perhaps I should have been more specific. Somehow I ended up in a prison in the Philippines stuck in the middle of a Michael Jackson tribute.
That was definitely a thriller, but Gullible was not there either. Perhaps, if I go back in time, I thought, I could catch Gullible. I told the computer to take me to the 2009 NBA draft where I knew Gullible would be, waiting for the Knicks to draft Ricky Rubio or Stephen Curry despite much evidence that it was not going to happen. I fell right into the Green Room with Louisville swingman Terrence Williams, a good friend of recently media-convicted traffic menace Nate Robinson.
Terrence Williams, Twill, Nets #11 draft pick 6-6 Swingman
I enjoyed Twill’s guided tour through the draft where he was picked at the 11th spot by the New Jersey Nets, (I wonder how he’ll like the Dance Team), but I could not find Gullible because there were so many disappointed look-a-likes when Curry and Rubio left the board before the Knicks drafted Jared Hill. I think Gullible snuck out through the press room where they were serving brownies, cheese and alka-seltzer water. Still, it was amazing to see all these young boys right before they were to become millionaires.
As Jony Flynn expressed, the draft is such a special time, a culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication. Unfortunately, given all the accolades and good fortune these youngins are facing now, it is inevitable that someone on the bus is eventually demonized by the same media that promotes and exalts them.
From our friend RichyRich at “the best damn sports comedy” blog, I found the list of most hated athletes and amazingly the top eight are either black or Latino, which led me to real world redemption for one of the most hated athletes of all-time — Jack Johnson.
It took a racially motivated conviction to defeat and destroy the career of flamboyant and culturally defiant boxer Jack Johnson, the first African-American world heavyweight champion. Now Congress is poised to erase that defeat from the record books. The Senate and the House passed a concurrent resolution encouraging the president to give Mr. Johnson a posthumous pardon for his conviction and one year prison sentence for violation of a law prohibiting the transportation of a woman across state lines for immoral purposes — in his case, having sex with a white woman.
Once again, I could not find Gullible, but I found redemption. With that theme in mind, I felt a kind heart towards the Knicks. It may take another five years, but my team will be a contender again. There is nothing wrong with faith, but I still believe that some use faith as an excuse for rejecting responsibility for one’s Fanaticism. It is still my responsibility as a fan to tell my team that my faith and fanaticism deserves honest nurturing, care and love from the targets of my affection.
So, I will head back to Knicks.com and leave the following message for Gullible and Donnie Walsh. Build my team, but I don’t want . . .
“No Scrubs”
A scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me
And is also known as a buster
Always talkin’ about what he wants
And just sits on his broke no game ass
So (no)
I don’t want your low numbers (no)
I don’t want to give you mine and (no)
I don’t want to meet you nowhere (no)
I don’t want none of your time and (no)
[Chorus:]
I don’t want no scrub
A scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me
Hanging out the passenger side
Of his best friend’s tryin to steal a ride
Trying to holler at me from a winning team
I don’t want no scrub
A scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me
Hanging out the passenger side
Of his best friend’s
tryin to steal a free ride
Trying to holler at me from a winning team
But a scrub is checkin’ me
But his game is kinda weak
PEACE.
________________________________________________
Previous Related Posts:
NATE ROBINSON TWITS APOLOGY FOR FAILING TO PAY TICKET LEADING TO SUSPENDED LICENSE
Where Am I? Another Fanatic Hit By A Turtle
RIP Van Donnie Tourtoise’s 2010 Tunnel Vision Conundrum!
THE BOOK OF FANATIC PAUL ON WALSH, D’ANTONI, LOPEZ and the DOGGED DAYS OF PRESIDENT OBAMA
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2010, A CAP SPACE ODYSSEY
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Knicks Fanatics 
Are Clippers Making Room For Sessions?
What Madsen’s Release Means
Posted by D.J. Foster On August 21, 2009 at 9:08 pm
The release of Mark Madsen is just another move in what has been an unpredictably busy offseason for the Clippers. Madsen was scheduled to make 2.8 million dollars this year, but his release will save the Clippers an unspecified amount off that figure. This move was not made for monetary reasons however, regardless of the actual dollar amount that the Clippers saved. The motivation behind releasing Madsen is that it creates another open roster space, bringing the Clippers roster down to 12 players. That leaves 2 open spots for Dunleavy, who typically enters the season with a 14 man roster.
Regarded as one of the league’s nicest guys, Madsen undoubtedly would have had a positive influence on the Clippers locker room. However, without a clear path to playing time in the crowded frontcourt, the probability of Madsen making an actual impact with his play was highly unlikely. The Clippers simply have too many needs to justify holding onto a backup who wasn’t slated to play any minutes, even if said backup could have helped positively alter team chemistry. Remember, the Clippers could really use another backup point guard, and a shooter off the bench, and Madsen is neither of those things.
This is where Ramon Sessions comes back into the picture. We’ve speculated all summer long about Sessions, but Madsen’s release appears to be another fallen domino. You have to imagine that this will intensify talks if nothing else; it’s unlikely that management would waive Madsen if they didn’t have a plan for his roster spot. After all, when is the last time Clippers management paid someone not to play for them? For a historically frugal franchise, this move signals a step in the right direction. Madsen’s value was unlikely to manifest itself in terms of on-court production, so the Clippers released him to bring in someone who has a better chance at producing and helping the team on the floor. That makes sense, and it’s hard to argue that Mark Madsen, even with his expiring contract as a trade chip, is more valuable than a Ramon Sessions or Steve Novak.
That’s not to say Madsen’s release doesn’t raise some interesting questions. For example, why was Mark Madsen released instead of Ricky Davis? Davis has a 2.4 million deal that expires this year, so both players have very similar contracts. Ricky Davis doesn’t exactly carry the reputation of being a guy good chemistry guy like Madsen does, although Ricky is unquestionably more talented. But if you had the choice for a 12th man who will rarely see the floor, it’s a pretty easy decision, right? You pick the energetic, encouraging, towel waving goofball. Madsen has to be an easier expiring contract to trade as well – Ricky Davis is about as popular as the plague amongst NBA GM’s. I may be jumping to conclusions, but releasing Madsen instead of Davis tells me that Dunleavy plans on giving Ricky a nice chunk of playing time, health permitting. It’s the only conclusion that really makes any sense. Why else would you let Ricky Davis hang around your basketball team?
Even if they may have targeted the wrong player, releasing Madsen was probably the right thing to do. Steve Novak is likely headed back to Los Angeles now, and an additional mystery player will be joining him. Sessions seems like the obvious candidate for the spot, but it is possible he still has little interest in fighting for a second string spot with Sebastian Telfair. Some of the additional free agents we previously listed have now headed off to Europe, such as Maurice Ager and Von Wafer. One player who hasn’t gone to Europe is Allen Iverson, and the possibility of him becoming a Clipper still looms. Perhaps a more realistic scenario would be the Clippers bringing back Mike Taylor. He knows the players, coach, and system, and is still young. He’s obviously not option number one, but don’t rule him out if Sessions happens to become unavailable.
By waiving Madsen, the Clippers lose a great character guy and a trading chip, but they gain valuable roster flexibility and something all good GM’s crave: Options.
I wonder what the fan base’s reaction would be to seeing Sessions oficially slip away to the Clippers?
The all that highly touted Walsh “Patience” would be revealed for the pure MSM spin bunk that it is!
I hope then the fans call this turd out on his BS!
Alan Hahn: Source sez Gallo (in Italy now) looks fantastic. Pain-free; fitness level very high. I expect him to be the centerpiece of offense: Pt.-fwd. Twitter.com
Hahn was PAID to say that! Don’t get me wrong, I’d be happy if it weren’t truly BULLSHIT. What does an unproven Gallo have for people to make such statements? Imagine if Gallo had the summer league Bayless did last year? Hahn and his club would be performing not only Verbal felatio on him they currently do now, but the freaken real thing! I’m serious!!!!!! What a shame, what a shame!
I agree Peaceman
How can anyone make an assessment of how one looks off the NBA hardwood in real time game settings, versus some practice drills in Italy.
I’ll believe Gallo’s the Next Kukoc/Turkoglu if and when I see it.
Maybe then he can play his role as the older lil Angelo from the Miracle at aint it something
related to your links, that most disliked list speaks for itself and in most of the instances it is a complete media creation. I wonder how high a black Brett Favre would be…
The irony is that the pardoning of Jack Johnson is worthless if no lessons are learned through our treatment of today’s black athlete…
Wholeheartedly Agreed.
You lost me at “Jared Hill”
Marc Gasol: “Darko Milicic is gone, and I think it’s a big loss. He was one of my best friends on the team.” As
http://www.as.com/baloncesto/articulo/baloncesto-hecho-pau-tiene-buena/dasbal/20090823dasdaibal_1/Tes
Translation for your link LIVES:
Has begun very well. Yes, but it is a matter of going catching rhythm because this is very long.
Last year began very well and had the problem of the wound that him did not leave to yield to satisfaction in the Play. Not, last year was last year, not me agreement a lot. I have the memory of to have played the end, of to have lost in the last moment and nothing more.
It says Scariolo that for him, “Marc Gasol is a referring indisputable one”. And that expects that the companions be not forgot of you in the systems… I am happy, words thus are the ones that help you to improve.
It worries him that then be going to see obliged to change of role when appear Pau? I don’t care. I do my work independently that play 35 or 12 minutes. I should play well what play.
Was not a reference only to the minutes, also to the position in the court. I repeat him that gives equal where be played and how much be done. I want to enjoy this, play of five or play of thirty.
It perceives that thanks to their MVP in the ACB, to their work in the NBA, they respect him more? That wins party to party. When you show that work, that want to win.
But it notes it? Yes, the people knows you more.
Has something this concentration of other or is different? There is the same nucleus of players and, then, we have gone adding pieces. But one must continue improving. The work is the base and with the aid of Pau, that will arrive, this has good paints.
Some of it is tough to comprehend, but you’re the man. Bien. Gracious. Which translator did you use?
MSG will replay on “Knicks Classics” this evening at 7:00 p.m. the Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers game played on February 23, 2009 in which Nate Robinson played one of his best games of the season, scoring 41 points. Perhaps MSG is showcasing Robinson for Walsh’s benefit, a way to entice other GM’s to work a sign and trade for N8 prior to training camp. An alternate and more benign explanation is that someone at MSG likes N8 and is looking to raise his stature in the context of his current police harassment and arrest. As I recall, the game is one in which N8 can be truly seen doing some of his best shooting and “driving without a license.” LGK
LOL.
Whats with the Knicks (ex) and traffic???
DENVER (AP)—Nuggets reserve forward Renaldo Balkman(notes) has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Florida.
Balkman, 25, was arrested by Temple Terrace, Fla., officers at 4 a.m. Saturday after he refused a blood-alcohol test, according to a police report on the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Web site.
Balkman was released after posting $500 bond.
Nuggets executive Mark Warkentien said the team was aware of Balkman’s arrest but declined further comment “out of respect for the legal process.”
Balkman averaged 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds last season, his first with the Nuggets.
“TREVOR ARIZA, PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND LAY FACE DOWN ON THE GROUND WITH YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD!”
Dwyane Wade wants to stay with Heat, but could test free agency
BY Michael Obernauer
Daily News Sports Writer
Tuesday, August 18th 2009, 4:00 AM
One guard seems almost embarrassed by all the attention he’s getting as he travels the country. The other guard swears he’s not bothered by the attention his own team is spreading elsewhere.
There’s a chance their paths could cross next summer.
Dwyane Wade and Chris Duhon were among the numerous athletes who gathered at Trump National Golf Course in Briarcliff Manor Monday to take part in the “Zo Shootout,” a golf tournament to benefit the Alonzo Mourning Charities.
arket when his contract is set to expire next summer.
And even he admitted that once that day comes, anything can happen.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/2009/08/18/2009-08-18_dwayne_wade_i_want_to_stay_with_heat.html#ixzz0P73ZPuL8
Old people understand patience, if you build it, HE will come.LGK
But they aint building it, their letting it wither away!
Fanatics
……Let’s all wish that the Turtle leaves the team as it is now.(maybe he will do the oppisite of what we want).I’ll start:
OH PLEASE MR.DONNIE WALSH,DON’T CHANGE THIS TEAM ANY MORE.YOU HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED TO LURE LBJ AS THE TEAM IS NOW.BY ADDING DARKO SEALED THE DEAL ON OUR FUTURE.PLEASE DON’T ADD A POINT GUARD(like Sessions)THAT WILL RUIN EVERYTHING.LET THE TEAM BE!
LOL
No such thing as listening to reason for Don the Con!
I tried O&B,I tried!
According to Hahn the Knicks are still in Session:
Knicks still in Sessions
7:31 PM By Alan Hahn
In almost exactly a month the Knicks will open training camp and the roster is still unsettled. The situations with restricted free agents David Lee and Nate Robinson remain in limbo and the pursuit of a backcourt upgrade has yet to produce anything more than blog fodder and twitter tantrums.
But the notion that is starting to float around cyberspace that suggests the Knicks are no longer in pursuit of Ramon Sessions is completely false. A person with intimate knowledge of the situation — yes, intimite…you know, the kind of source that buys the situation a drink, cozies up nicely and even leaves a rose on the pillow — says that Donnie Walsh still has the unsigned Sessions high on the priority list.
Tom Petty once said “the waiting is the hardest part.” (He also once said “even the losers get lucky sometimes,” which could also apply here. “Last dance with Mary Jane,” would apply to others unrelated to this specific subject, but certainly not the NBA…ahem).
Back on point…
Things got very quiet in the Sessions situation over the past few weeks for several reasons, none more obvious than the fact that it was all talk with no action. It seems Walsh is the only real player in the game for Sessions — again, if the Clips were that interested, they would have made an offer already — and Dealer Donnie is well aware of this fact. In rewriting the Knicks front office code of conduct, Walsh stipulates that negotiating against one’s self should never result in overpaying (see: Thomas, Isiah).
Sessions has a qualifying offer for $1M from the Bucks on the table that he can take at any time. It would allow him to enter unrestricted free agency next summer, when more than half of the league is expected to have cap space to spend.
It would also put him back with the Bucks, where rookie Brandon Jennings is sure to see a bulk of time, Michael Redd will get his usual minutes and Carlos Delfino will get some burn as well. One would hope Sessions would be ahead of Roko Ukic on the depth chart, but Scott Skiles does things his way. Bottom line is, taking the QO would be a major gamble for Sessions.
The Knick offer, believed to be around $4M at the start with an 8 percent decline in Year 2 to preserve cap space in 2010, is still the most lucrative bucket of guaranteed money on the table. Not to mention a 500 percent raise over his previous salary.
Sessions’ people may still be holding out hope that the Clippers waived Mark Madsen to clear a roster spot for Sessions (but the backcourt there is still jammed up and Baron Davis is doing P90X, just like Ray Allen and yours truly). Perhaps they’re hoping Walsh calls John Hammond for a sign-and-trade deal.
But the most likely scenario at this point is that Walsh and the Knicks will wait out Sessions with their offer firm and know that as the calendar flips to September, the 23-year-old will want to sign the best offer on the table.
And when/if he does, picture Mike D’Antoni getting the word on his celly while driving on the freeway, doing a giddy little Jerry Maguire impression: And I’m freeeeeee….free fallllin’
Good Post! Interesting. I can’t wait until this plays to its conclusion.
Let’s hope it’s not just stay cool and cool off Koolaid.
That move, if it does indeed happen, will make the current roster a lil more coherent in terms of directing the talent on the squad,… and of course a lil more attractive.
We’ll indeed see if it’s bunk or true.
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Thanks for writing this, it was very handy and helped me quite a bit…
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