Bleacher Report - Articles by Josh Brill

New York Knicks: The Nightmare of 2010

Josh Brill — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:06:23 -0400

For the past few years, New York Knicks fans have sat through one dreadful season after another, watching teams loaded with bad players with worse contracts, and no end to the losing in sight.

But Knick fans have been patient through the deep dry spell, waiting for the glorious summer of 2010, dreaming of the day their saviors abandon their current clubs and succumb to the lure of the bright lights of New York City, shunning their colors in favor of New York's blue and orange.

But contrary to the beliefs of many of the team's fans, such a coup is not a forgone conclusion. Let us, for a second, envision a not-so-unlikely scenario that would leave the Knicks in a position not much better than their current one.

Imagine, if you will, that the Portland Trail Blazers, flush with cash after getting burned by Hedo Turkoglu, decide to use some of their new-found financial flexibility to make an impressive offer to David Lee. Simultaneously, the Sacramento Kings make an equally stellar offer to Nate Robinson, with the hope that he can help expedite their long rebuilding effort.

Not wanting to use any of their precious cap space on players not named "LeBron" or "Dwyane", the Knicks restrain themselves from making any sort of qualifying offers and allow the two young restricted free agents to flee to greener pastures. Before fans have the chance the question team management's decisions, the club quickly signs veterans Allen Iverson and Drew Gooden to short-term deals, which the Knicks hope will give them some on-court credibility for the 2009 season while still allowing them to stay under the cap for the summer to come.

The Knicks head into the 2009-10 season with an underwhelming starting five of Iverson, Gooden, Chris Duhon, Darko Milicic, and Wilson Chandler. After a predictably slow start, the team begins to implode, and Knick fans are treated to the news of a timely season-ending knee injury for Iverson that conjures up memories of Stephon Marbury's 2007 ankle injury in the minds of more than a few fans. Toney Douglass supplants A.I. in the lineup and displays just why he was a late first-round pick in the weakest draft in recent memory.

Another 50-loss season appears to be well within the Knicks' grasp.

Around the time of Danilo Gallinari's triumphant return from his inevitable two-month stint in street clothes, a few fans begin to wonder how Lee and Robinson are faring in their new digs. The answer? Splendidly, of course! Lee appeared to be just the frontcourt sidekick that Greg Oden needed to become the perennial 25-12 player scouts predicted he would develop into.

With Lee doing the dirty work in the trenches beneath the hoop, Oden was allowed the space to dominate whatever stiff was thrown at him on a given night, and Lee's quickness and innate timing coupled with Oden's size and brute strength was enough to give even the league's top centers fits on the defensive end of the floor.

As for Robinson, his Napoleonic demeanor, jarring athleticism, and natural charisma had made him something of a cult hero in small market Sacramento. Additionally, he, along with young, talented teammates like Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson, and Kevin Martin, plus promising rookie Tyreke Evans, had formed one of the Western Conference's most surprising and dangerous teams, and one that people were saying just might be able to slip into the playoffs. The same playoffs, by the way, that the Knicks were now eight games out of.

The season mercifully came to an end, and the Knicks, having finished with the league's third worst record. In an ironic twist of fate, the team wins the draft lottery, earning the rights to super prospect John Wall, only to have the pick taken from them just as quickly as it came, as the pick was traded away as the final legacy of the five-year nightmare to Knick fans, known to some as the Isiah Thomas Era. In related news, seven Knick fans are treated for severe burn wounds after lighting themselves on fire during Wall's first interview in a Utah Jazz hat.

Seeing the dire situation in the so called "Basketball Capital of the World", top free agents from around the league take a "thanks, but no thanks" stance on the hefty contracts that Donnie Walsh shoves down their throats. LeBron decides to remain a deity in Cleveland, Dwyane Wade sees no reason to start paying property taxes and deal with weather below 70 degrees, and he even convinces his Olympic pal Chris Bosh to join him in Miami.

Walsh, desperate to make a splashy move, gives 36-year-old Steve Nash a three-year deal. He also manages to coax an aging Antawn Jamison into coming to the Big Apple, followed by throwing far too much money at perennial fringe-All-Star David West. In other words, Walsh makes sure the Knicks are a solidly mediocre franchise for the next three years, before the process starts all over again.

Obviously, this is the absolute worst-case scenario. For all we know, LeBron, Bosh, and Wade may have really made the pact in Beijing to each sign with New York next summer.

But maybe, just maybe, this real possibility will make Walsh and the rest of the Knicks front office will think twice about clearing ship to create cap space.

Then again, any time team owner James Dolan is involved in the decision making, you and I have about as good a guess as the homeless guy sitting on 32nd Street.

Whichever way the Knicks go, it should make for an entertaining, franchise-changing two years.

Los Angeles Lakers: Artest Signing a Risky Move

Josh Brill — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:00:07 -0400

Last Thursday, it was announced that the Los Angeles Lakers had signed Ron Artest to a three year deal. On the surface, it seemed that the Lakers had made a safe, logical move in the signing the veteran forward to shore up their already stellar starting five. But in looking deeper into the move, several issues arise that could add up to be enough to derail the club's repeat aspirations.

The most obvious issue with the acquisition was the fact that the Artest move meant that the Lakers would not be able to resign Trevor Ariza. And though some would argue that Artest is in some ways simply a better, more polished version of Ariza, Artest will be hard pressed to provide the athleticism and versatility that was so crucial to L.A.'s title run.

Additionally, Artest showed some clear physical signs of decline last season with the Rockets. He lacked the quickness to guard opposing teams' top players as he had so often earlier in his career, and seemed less and less comfortable creating his own shot as the season wore on. Because of this, in Los Angeles he will be asked to be more of a complementary player than he has ever been, a role that will undoubtedly take some time to get used to.

And of course, as anybody who has followed the NBA even marginally for the past few years will surely attest, Ron-Ron's mental stability is the ultimate wild card in this move. Artest did seem more under control this season than ever before this past season, something that was surely not lost on Lakers' bosses Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak, but he remains as much of a loose cannon as any other player in the league.

Artest and Lakers star Kobe Bryant had more than a few run ins this season, including a pair of memorable spats during the conference semifinal. Artest's ability to coexist with his rival turned teammate will be crucial to the team's success.

Ultimately, none of these reasons could surface and Artest could be one of the best third or fourth options in the league. But if and when the Lakers encounter some bumps in the road to their sixteenth championship, you can be certain that more than a few fingers will be pointed in Artest's direction.

Byron Scott Retained by Hornets: Could This Be the Start of a League-Wide Trend?

Josh Brill — Thu, 07 May 2009 20:54:15 -0400

In one of the early surprises of what should be a wild offseason, the New Orleans Hornets announced today that they will bring back coach Byron Scott next season.

Yes, the same Byron Scott who led the team to an unspectacular 49-33 record and seventh seed in the Western Conference this season, capped off by an embarrassing first-round loss to Denver in five games that will be remembered best for the 58-point beating the Nuggets unleashed on the Hornets in Game Four in on New Orleans's home floor.

But apparently none of this season's failures were enough to deter Hornets management from bringing Scott back next season. Either they've decided to give Scott one more season to reclaim his spot as the team's coach of that future, or maybe the thing about the $5.5 million they would have had to pay him regardless of his status with the team had something to do with the move.

But see, this article isn't meant to be a criticism of the Hornets. It may well be that in this economic climate, it would be fiscally irresponsible for a medium to small market team to terminate a coach with as much guaranteed money as Scott has in favor of a new coach who probably won't change the team's fortunes that much anyway.

New Orleans' announcement came just days after the rumors circulated that the Clippers retained comically-bad coach and GM Mike Dunleavy for similar reasons. I fully expect this trend to continue around the league, much as it did in the college game, where the coaching carousel slowed to a near-grinding halt.

The reality is that this is just one of the many changes the league will undergo as it becomes clearer and clearer that there is no quick fix to the economic recession that the country is entrenched in.

So sure, Hornets fans will have to endure another year of a perenially-mediocre coach who sat idly by this season as he watched his team gradually quit on him, but they should take solace in the fact that they can consider themselves pioneers of what should be a growing trend.

And hey, at least they aren't keeping Dunleavy around for one more season.

Glen Taylor: Please Hire Bill Simmons as Minnestoa Timberwolves GM

Josh Brill — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:15:31 -0400

Dear Mr. Taylor,

My name is Josh Brill, I live in New York City, have been a die-hard Knicks fan my entire life.

I haven't given a crap about your franchise since well, ever, and am ready to become the number one Timberwolves fan this side of Lake Michigan starting this upcoming season. Puzzled? Let me explain.

Today, ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons officially threw himself in the running for your recently vacated General Manager position, and appears to be really serious about the job.

He has already become the popular fan choice by throwing around ideas like half-price tickets after the Wolves get eliminated from playoff contention and allowing fans the ability to return jerseys of departed players in exchange for new ones at 40 percent off.

But Simmons is more than just some candy-ass writer trying to generate buzz about his column and earn himself some publicity. What he is is a genuine fan of the NBA who feels like this is the way he can contribute the most to the league.

You see Mr. Taylor, hiring Bill Simmons should be a no-brainer. Other than the obvious reasons that he would reinvigorate the local fans and get the team some national attention for a few weeks, think of the guys like me all around the country.

If you don't think there are a million other Knicks, Wizards, Sixers, Clippers, Bucks, and Grizzlies fans from around the country who decide they have been burned by their hometown teams one too many times and are ready to jump ship in favor of a young, talented, Simmons led T-Wolves team, you're nuts.

And what's worse for a small market team than a rabid, nationwide fan base, right?

What if he fails, you ask? Well, it's quite simple. If he fails, he fails. The team will spend a couple more years in obscurity, and Simmons returns to writing his column—or, in other words, we'll be in exactly the same situation we are now. It's as close to a win-win as you're going to find.

You've tried hiring a legend of the game, and we all know how that worked out. If there has ever been a time or place to try something new, it's Minnesota and it's now.

So please Mr. Taylor, just do it. It's the right thing to do. Do it for the members of the Facebook group that was created within hours of Simmons's announcement, and for all the fans in Minnesota and around the country hoping upon hope that this happens.

And yes, do this for yourself. When is the next opportunity you're going to have to put a small market team on the national map while at the same time promoting yourself as one of the most forward thinking minds in the game? That's what I thought.

\And just think, if you hire him and everything somehow goes to crap, at least you'll have gained one fan in the process.