Via The Knicks Wall

By Joe Schackman

The year that Jeremy Lin captivated a nation and brought one lapsed Knicks fan back into the fold. Part of a short series on the best moments of 2012.

2012 A.D. taught me one important lesson. I’m a shitty Knicks fan.

During the most recent dark age of the storied New York franchise, I was nowhere to be found. Isiah Thomas was busy stuffing his roster with the likes of Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis and Zach Randolph, and I was busy doing... well... other things. The Knicks were lifeless, rudderless and couldn’t get out of their own way. I was in no mood to go along for that ride. Sorry, New York, but things were complicated. It was me, not you.

Yet lo and behold, the orange and blue eventually found their way back into my life. First Amar’e came to town, and that piqued my interest. Then the excitement grew when Melo arrived home. But the one who finally convinced me to give it another go was not one of the Knicks’ superstars. It was a slightly awkward, couch-dwelling kid named Jeremy Lin.

At least half the adjectives in the English language have been slapped onto Linsanity, but none have stuck. It’s still a hard concept to express in words. I mean, really think about what happened. A 23-year-old Asian American, Ivy League grad, who even the biggest basketball diehards had never heard of, suddenly finds himself at the epicenter of the sports world. Look at his resume and you’d think he had a better chance of owning an NBA team than running its offense. And yet here he was.

And there I was, in at the ground level, having casually turned on the February Knicks-Nets game that would put Lin on the map. He carried the team, scoring 25 en route to a win. Then in his first professional start he scored 28 against the Jazz. He was must-see TV, and I was giving a crap again. Rushing home to watch games. Yelling about how Lin defied all of sports’ truisms. He was a throwback to the time when some anonymous young kid could stumble off the farm with a 95-mile-per-hour fastball and a ticket to the Majors. Lin was the kind of out-of-nowhere star that you simply don’t see anymore, and because of that, I cared whether the Knicks won or lost for the first time in a long time.

The hyperbole surrounding Lin’s play was intense, of course. Everyone knew that what he was doing was unsustainable. But at the same time, his success wasn’t all smoke and mirrors. You don’t fall ass backwards into 38 points against Kobe and the Lakers. You don’t hit a game-winning, buzzer-beating shot against the Raptors. Not if you don’t have some serious chops. Lin played the best ball of his life, yes, but he did it long enough to prove he belonged.

Then came the injury, the early playoff exit and then the off-season move to the Rockets. I was crushed. I’d grown attached to the Lin-led Knicks, and it didn’t matter what it took to keep that going. I could justify the cap hits and wish away Jim Dolan’s money like it was nothing. The men in charge saw it differently. Soon Lin was packing his bags.

As 2012 turned to 2013, the Knicks showed that they are better than ever. Their play is still infectious, but without Lin it hasn’t been the same for me. Maybe it never will. Maybe I’ll always look back at 2012 as the year that set the bar too high, that haunts my fandom.

Or maybe I’ll just stop caring about the Knicks again. It worked the first time.

Joe Schackman is an editor and co-founder of Began in '96.

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By Joe Schackman

New York is where sports stars shine brightest. So why are so many in the dark when it comes to David Wright?

Countless ingredients went into making the magic potion that was Linsanity. From Jeremy Lin’s nationality, to his college major, to his couch surfing early days, you couldn’t draw up a more organically interesting story.

But even with all of that, Lin would not have gone from NBA sensation to global phenomenon without the New York City Factor.

In early February, the Knicks and the City were ripe for the taking. The Knicks were star-studded but floundering, a point guard away from contention. The New York fans and media were desperate for a feel-good story, someone to erase the cloud of brooding underachievement that blanketed Madison Square Garden. Lin answered both simple needs, and was briskly rewarded with fame that soon escalated beyond the Manhattan streets.

Broadway’s bright lights molded Lin’s legacy. He wasn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last. New York City loves its stars, embellishes their careers and makes them into legends. A player who excels in New York will never be ignored. 

Except for one.

***

David Wright is the player that every team wants. He’s a clean cut, team-first, homegrown star. He stays out of the tabloids and handles the media well. And most importantly, is really good at baseball. Here’s a question for you: According to Fangraph’s WAR, the all-encompassing baseball stat, who are the five best position players in baseball since 2004?

Most likely, you’re on a first-name basis with the top four: Albert, Chase, Alex and Miguel. They’re undeniable superstars, players on a fast track toward Cooperstown. At number five, it’s David Wright.

Now, WAR is a counting stat, meaning the more you play, the greater the potential number. And the parameters are a bit geared in Wright’s favor; he broke into the league in ‘04 (although he only played 69 games in his first season) and is having a monster 2012 season. 

But his stellar play holds up against the best players of this generation no matter how you splice it. Condense the parameters to 2007-2012 to bring in guys like Ryan Braun and Joey Votto, and Wright still holds strong at the fifth slot. Compare him head-to-head against New York icon Derek Jeter’s first nine seasons, and he beats out the captain by a WAR of 45.4 (and climbing) to 44.1. Simply put, Wright has ranked better statistically than all but four position players for nearly a decade. 

So if David Wright is among the best players in baseball and also plays in the world’s largest sports market, all the ingredients should be there. If Lin was a comet shooting through New York, Wright should be one of the city’s suns. 

And yet. He’s largely left out of the superstar conversation nationally, and in his own city is excluded from the Jeter/Manning/Lundqvist circle of sports elites. Why?

The answer is that Wright plays for the New York Mets. And the Mets suck. While David Wright was putting up MVP numbers, the organization’s string of embarrassments routinely overshadowed any individual praise he deserved.

Wright cemented himself as a premier player in 2006, his second full year in the bigs. He compiled a 5.2 WAR driven by 26 home runs and 40 doubles. He stole 20 bases and played decent defense. 

But 2006, for better or worse, was the Year of Beltran. The Mets centerfielder put up MVP-like numbers that propelled the team into the 2006 NLCS. There, the Mets’ season, and in many ways Beltran’s entire career, became obscured by New York’s crippling Game Seven loss. 

Then came 2007. Everything about Wright that season screamed Most Valuable Player. He upped his ‘06 numbers, mashing 30 home runs and 42 doubles while stealing 34 bags. He played the best defense of his career. The Mets, meanwhile, jumped out to a big lead in the NL East and looked ready for another trip to the NLCS. Until the collapse. After building a seven-game divisional lead on Sept. 12, New York lost 12 of its next 17 games and missed the playoffs. Wright’s monster season was erased.

The MVP award went instead to Jimmy Rollins, whose numbers were not as good as Wright’s, but whose team did not just complete one of the most stunning collapses in baseball history. Wright finished either tied with or better than Rollins in home runs, doubles, walks, average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Rollins stole more bases (41), but Wright had 35 and was caught less, giving them the same successful steal rate. Rollins played better defense at a more crucial position, but Wright’s third base was anything but poor. 

None of it mattered, though, though thanks to the collapse. It wasn’t even a contest. There was no way Wright was going to be handed the MVP award after his team failed down the stretch.

Wright maintained his high-level performance in ‘08, hitting a career-high 33 home runs and driving in 124. But the Mets stumbled again down the stretch and, instead of the postseason rhetoric revolving around Wright’s Hall-of-Fame level start, the team and its fans dwelled on the collapses. 

***

Everything about Wright seemed to fit as the unequivocal face of the Mets. Unlike Beltran, who arrived via free agency, Wright was their player. The Mets drafted him, groomed him and watched him grow into a star. But it never clicked the way it did across town with Derek Jeter. Burdened by the Mets’ struggles, he remained underrated and underappreciated in a town that knows not the meaning of either. 

And when things turned south in 2009, those around the team failed to realize they had something special. After three years of just above-average play (even then, he ranked 10th among third basemen in WAR), Owner Fred Wilpon called him a “very good player. Not a superstar.” The Mets, busy returning to their familiar mediocrity after a period of botched attempts at success, dangled him as high-priced bait.

But Wright chose just then to return to his true form. He rejuvenated his power stroke in ‘12, played lock-down defense and carried the Mets for the season’s first half. And for once, it feels like people are beginning to realize the true extent of Wright’s talent and importance to the franchise.

But it’s not yet genuine. It feels any-port-in-a-stormish on a team that doesn’t have Jose Reyes or Carlos Beltran anymore. A few months ago, fans were preparing themselves for his departure. Wright burst out the gate, and that talk evaporated. For now. 

Wright is up for free agency at the end of 2013. Fairly or not, one more under-the-radar season could spell the end of his time in the City, because for every athlete that New York launches into orbit, it sends hundreds, even thousands, crashing to Earth.

Joe Schackman is an editor and co-founder of Began in '96.

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By Joe Schackman

Jeremy Lin made it in New York, but New York didn't make him. 

Loyalty is as dead a sports term as the flying wedge and Big East football.

The moment free agency went mainstream, athletes became mercenaries, hired help acquired by the highest bidder. The business side of sports came bursting through our black-and-white TVs, eventually leaving us with what is now a system where the concept of loyalty between player and franchise is worth about as much as a Zimbabwean dollar. 

This isn’t some misguided call for the return of loyalty. No, teams make far too much money to even pretend like that could happen. And the athletes shouldn’t factor it into their decisions, either. For stars like Peyton Manning and LeBron James, life is governed by one Jay-Z quote: “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man.”

Jeremy Lin is one of the most organically interesting sports stories ever. An Asian-American and Harvard grad, he broke into a league where few from either background have thrived before. Then he lit up Madison Square Garden in a way that no one has for decades. And now it is over.

Lin is not returning to the New York Knicks. He took his talents to the open market and negotiated the highest contract he could. It was a deal that the Knicks were unwilling to match. His departure prompted an angry uprising against owner James Dolan and the Knicks’ front office, but in the fray Lin hasn’t escaped unscathed either. Many fans feel that he “owed” it to the Knicks to return to the team. They believed he should be grateful for the Knicks’ willingness to play him when two teams had already passed.

But does he really owe the Knicks anything? It’s not as if the Knicks took a flier on him in the draft, patiently groomed him and then stuck with him when he struggled on the court. Rather, they picked up a discarded player at a position where they were thin. He snuck his way into some late-game action against the Nets in February and exploded. His mercurial play in subsequent games basically made it impossible for the Knicks NOT to play him. It was an easy decision, and one they made solely for the good of the team, not out of any particular desire to see Lin succeed.

So when it came time for Lin to negotiate a contract, he took the Knicks to business school. He agreed to an initial offer with the Rockets, and then the Knicks played their hand too early, with one unnamed official saying the team would match a contract up to “one billion dollars.” Lin used it as leverage to get a better deal with the Rockets that included more guaranteed money. Everything spiraled from there.

Some Knicks fans are stunned by that move. They can’t believe their budding star would leverage the team that birthed his career just to make a bit more money. But can you blame him? Who are we to tell another individual how much money they should make? Who are we to meddle in their finances? It’s not as if Dwight Howard is sitting at the conference table when you ask your boss for a promotion. If you’re appalled by the millions that the athletes make, then here’s an easy fix for you: turn off the TV.

At the same time those fans were begrudging Lin and his extra millions, they were getting on board with the idea of a “stretch provision.” Simply, it’s a new CBA rule that would allow the Knicks to mitigate their losses if Lin ended up a bust. That’s right. Fans were bashing Lin for signing a higher contract while discussing how to cut him from the team if he was not successful.

Come on. This is an industry where the Colts cut Peyton Manning, arguably one of the top five quarterbacks of all time. The Colts, who owe all of their recent success (and probably a new stadium) to Peyton, released him to make room for a rookie quarterback because Manning’s health represented too big of a risk. That would be on par with Berkshire Hathaway firing Warren Buffett to hire some 20-something head of the Yale investment club.

Despite all the evidence, we fans still operate under this facade of loyalty. We recognize that sports is just another industry, but we still want our players to feel the same connection to us that we do to them. Lin gave Knicks fans a reason to watch, and Knicks fans want to be the reason Lin plays. They want him to stand up and say, “I love New York, especially you guys, so much that I’m giving up millions to play here.” But the cold truth is that that’s naive. Because shit, this is a business, man.

Joe Schackman is an editor and co-founder of Began in '96.

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By James Epstein

The New York Knicks were sometimes successful but always memorable. Now they go into the offseason needing to answer a number of big questions.

The New York Knicks. Talk about a roller coaster ride for the ages.

The season started with the Tyson Chandler signing and championship aspirations, hit its first major drop with an 8-15 start, then twisted and turned as Jeremy Lin took the world by storm, Mike D’Antoni left, Mike Woodson stepped in, and Carmelo Anthony took over. And after all that, Amar’e Stoudemire fought a fire extinguisher. 

What a ride. Would you sign up for another season? I’d hesitate too. So where do we go from here? These are the most important questions that the Knicks must answer this offseason:

Who will be the head coach?

Finishing the season on an 18-6 run and snapping New York’s playoff win drought gave Mike Woodson a strong case for the permanent coaching gig. Not only did he implement a system that helped the Knicks finish in the top five in defensive efficiency, he won the respect of his players with his emphasis on accountability.

However, the Knicks should nevertheless explore the possibility of signing Phil Jackson. The Zen Master is just one year into retirement, but wife Jenny Buss is already saying that she wouldn’t be surprised if Jackson was back on the sidelines soon. Chandler, Stoudemire and Anthony are perfect pieces for Jackson’s triangle offense. And best of all, James Dolan could do what he can’t do with players and grossly outbid the competition.

While hiring Jackson would make for quite the scene in New York, though, it’s likely too much of a gamble for a team just starting to find its identity. Jackson would require full autonomy over the team, which would clash with Dolan’s controlling persona, and there’s no guarantee he would be on board for more than a couple years. Considering all of that, expect Woodson to officially take the helm in what reports are saying would be a four-year deal. He’s already improved the Knicks in the locker room, now he just has to do the same with them on the court.

Prediction: Mike Woodson signs for four Years

What will the Knicks do at point guard?

New York is already over the salary cap, which means it only has its exceptions ($5.0 million, $2.5 million bi-annual and four $1.9 million veteran contracts) to use on free agents. That’s not a lot of wiggle room, but the $5.0 million exception should be earmarked for the franchise’s next floor general. Point guard is a crucial position, and for the Knicks, the choice could come down to upstart Jeremy Lin or aging two-time MVP Steve Nash.

Jeremy Lin took over the city midway through he season. In 25 starts, he averaged 18.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists and yes, 4.7 turnovers. He will be just 24 years old going into next season, and while teams everywhere will try to steal Lin, the Knicks can match any offer others might make. They just first have to decide if he’s the face of the future or a brief sensation on the verge of falling back to Earth.

Meanwhile, Steve Nash has already spent years living in New York City during the offseason. He even holds his annual soccer tournament at Chelsea Piers. And on the court, he’s been clear about his willingness to leave Phoenix in search of a championship contender. The Knicks could argue that they fit his needs, and as a result will almost certainly factor into his decision on where to play next year. However, more established teams like the Heat, Lakers and Grizzlies will pursue Nash as well, and he might prove too expensive for New York.

On this question, the difference maker is Jeremy Lin’s returns at the box office. Dolan will not be able to ignore his star power and the immediate impact he had on the enthusiasm surrounding the team. As long as Lin has the confidence to play as an equal alongside Stoudemire and Anthony, rather than defer to them, he’ll likely continue to be effective. Expect the Knicks to lock Lin up for at least four years.

Prediction: Jeremy Lin signs for four years, $30 million

Resigning The Supporting Cast

Filling out the roster will once again take some clever maneuvering. The first issue is whether J.R. Smith will pick up his option. The enigmatic sixth man had a rough playoff run that turned some fans against him. However, Smith is from Newark, N.J., and has always had a love for New York.

"Without a doubt, hands down, I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else," Smith said on Trash-Bag Day Thursday. "It’s the greatest place to play. It’s the greatest city in the world. This is my ultimate home."

Should he return, and it certainly sounds like he will, the Knicks will be getting a talented role player at a steal of a price.

Next up is Steve Novak, who became the discount double-check demon of the arc this season. Novak led the league in three-point percentage, and the Knicks would love to have him back. But it won’t be easy to match the money he could make elsewhere. Popular thought is that any offer for more than $3 million a year could convince him to leave, meaning it may take a discount to get the double-check man back in Gotham. 

Landry Fields also presents a complicated situation. The Knicks hold his Bird rights, but still have to worry about exceeding the luxury tax threshold should Lin and Smith return.* That means New York would only be able to offer and match a contract up to $3 million. Prior to the playoffs, Fields looked primed to earn much more than that, but a lackluster postseason hurt his market value. Look for him to accept the Knicks’ qualifying offer and provide much-needed depth at shooting guard.

The last player the Knicks will look to resign is Jared Jeffries. Already locked into a clear role and with limited demand for his services, Jeffries to return should be back and earning the veteran’s minimum.

*There is still some debate between the league and the players union over Bird rights, which allow players to resign with their team without worrying about the salary cap. Depending on how this plays out, the Knicks could conceivably keep Lin and Novak and still have the mid-level exception available. If New York stays under the $74 million luxury tax threshold, that exception would be worth $5.0 million. But if they were to sign Fields and Smith, they would be over the threshold and the exception would fall to $3.0 million. It's a complicated debate with major implications for the Knicks' decisions on who to keep.

What to do in the NBA Draft?

The Houston Rockets own the Knicks’ first round pick this year, thanks to the ill-fated 2009 trade for Tracy McGrady. But this is a deep draft, and their second-round pick might still yield some talent.

As the offseason unfolds, the Knicks’ needs will become apparent. If JR Smith leaves, New York will look to add a shooting guard. Memphis’ Will Barton, IUPUI’s Alex Young or Fairfield’s Rakim Sanders could fill that role.

Should he return, the focus then becomes finding a small forward to spell Carmelo Anthony. The dream is that Syracuse’s Kris Joseph falls to the 48th slot. He would give Carmelo the spurts of rest he needs, as well as help push him up to power forward when Stoudemire needs a break. Pull that off, and the Knicks would gain a good measure of toughness and offensive creativity. 

Don’t rule out New York purchasing another second round pick, too. They did it to acquire Josh Harrelson and Jerome Jordan, and it would help add some depth.

Prediction: Knicks draft small forward Kris Joseph at 48 and buy an additional second round pick so they can draft point guard Malik Wayns 

Trades, free agency and development

Let’s get this out of the way first. There is no chance that the Knicks part with Stoudemire. He has an uninsurable contract that looks worse by the day thanks to a balky back, teetering knees and an eye injury, and New York has already used up its amnesty clause. 

Toney Douglas, on the other hand, is very likely to be traded. Douglas’ value fell precipitously this year, partly because of a shoulder injury that helped bury him on the depth chart. Look for him to be dealt for a role player or a second-round pick. 

Coach Mike Woodson has always preferred veterans over younger players, so the Knicks will likely try to find an experienced point guard to back up Lin. The likes of Kirk Hinrich, Johnny Flynn, A.J. Price or Gary Neal could fill that role, with Hinrich getting the advantage due to a past history with Woodson. Others to consider are Raymond Felton and Andre Miller, depending on the kinds of offers they command from others. 

As far as the back end of the bench, Bill Walker could join the Knicks for the league minimum. The team might also try to beef up down low by adding Marcus Camby, Aaron Gray or Jamaal MaGloire. Power forwards Kenyon Martin, Reggie Evans and Troy Murphy could also be good fits.

Prediction: Toney Douglas is traded, Kirk Hinrich, Marcus Camby and Bill Walker are signed

Final Projected Roster

PG: Jeremy Lin, Kirk Hinrich and Malik Wayns

SG: Landry Fields, JR Smith and Iman Shumpert (upon returning from injury)

SF: Carmelo Anthony, Kris Joseph and Bill Walker

PF: Amar’e Stoudemire, Jared Jeffries and Josh Harrelson

C: Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby and Jerome Jordan

The roster would be balanced, affordable and have plenty of talent on paper. It will still take some ingenuity from Woodson to make those pieces fit, but the potential is there. While leadership, injuries and fights over playing time always loom large over the Knicks, as long as Anthony and Stoudemire can co-exist, the team should be ready to battle for a top four seed. 

James Epstein is a contributor to Began in '96.

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via El Tecolote

By Adam Cancryn

Remembering Baron Davis, and that one magical spring of freshman year.

Baron Davis came into our lives in the spring of 2007.

At the time, we were college freshmen, and more importantly, newly inducted fraternity members. Life was good. We had successfully endured eight weeks of pledgeship and come out the other side with a new group of friends and suddenly more free time than we knew what to do with.

But life was also a bit strange. After all, we had just spent eight weeks focused solely on pledgeship and schoolwork, and it was because of that daily slog that we had bonded with our new group of friends. Now, that crutch was gone. Would we remain as close? Without all of our mandated responsibilities, what would we do together?

The answer for many of us was to hang out in the basement of our new fraternity house, getting to know each other again the best way guys know how: over sports and cheap beer. We would sit and joke and watch TV, all the while trying to confirm that yes, this is where we were meant to be.

That spring, the basketball world belonged to the Golden State Warriors. An assortment of loud personalities and flashy skills loosely supervised by coach/mad scientist Don Nelson, the Warriors barnstormed through the Western Conference. They shunned the plodding, cerebral style popularized by the Spurs and Pistons. There were few set plays, and holding the ball more than 10 seconds without a shot qualified as a lengthy possession. Whomever got the first open look got to take that look. Golden State led the league in field goal attempts and three-point attempts, and finished second in points per game. Seven players that year averaged double-digits in points.

The Warriors' style was so disruptive, so anti-establishment, that it worked more often than not. And along the way, it never failed to entertain the group of guys sitting in the frat house basement, sipping Natty Lights and watching basketball on weeknights.

At the center of the team was Baron Davis. A 6'3" brick of a human being, he led the Warriors with a defiant swagger and a beard fit for a king. He looked like a Spartan out of the recently released 300, and played like one too, and soon we'd adopted him. He was no longer Baron Davis. Around the basement, he was BD, or more aptly, Beard.

By the time Beard and his band of shoot-first misfits took on the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round, we were fully invested. The Warriors were heavy underdogs going up against the best team in the league, and yet they won the first game. Then five days later, while we snuck in and out of a fraternity-sorority mixer to peek at the game, they cruised to another win. And then another. The Warriors took Dallas down in six games, to the delight of the biggest Golden State fans in Virginia. For us, the Warriors had become appointment viewing.

Then in the next series, it happened. Already down two games to none to the Utah Jazz, Beard drove the lane, only to encounter 6'9" shot-blocker Andrei Kirilenko. The smart move was to dump the ball off or pull up for a jumper. But that wasn't the Warrior way. To this day, I can't remember who was watching with me. My friend Mike was there, I think. And surely there were others. But when Baron Davis — BD, Beard — launched into Kirilenko and windmilled a vicious dunk over him, that room in the basement of the fraternity house exploded. It was a devastating blow, punctuated by Davis' What now? celebration.

In the basement, we sputtered and shrieked and made our best bitter beer faces.

The Warriors would eventually succumb to the fundamentally sound Jazz in five games, but few remember that. It was Beard's dunk that endured.

Our friendships endured too. I can't tell you when we all became true friends; it could've happened before that dunk or sometime after. Most likely, it happend at different times for all of us. But five years later, I know exactly how everyone would react to the name Baron Davis. Mike chuckles softly, still in disbelief over that season. Parker goes wide-eyed, replaying all of the team's absurdities in his head. Brian responds with a knowing smile and sublime, "Dude."

The Warriors' magic would evaporate soon after that season, and a string of injuries robbed Baron Davis of much of what made him the revered Beard. On the Madison Square Garden parquet Sunday, going full speed as always, his knee gave out and he crumpled, in what was likely the last play of an up-and-down career.

But for one season, Davis was magical. He was a leader. He was the Beard. And he was just what one group of new friends needed.

Adam Cancryn is an editor and co-founder of Began in '96.

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By Adam Cancryn

Faced with a choice between the team's well-being and their star player's happiness, the New York Knicks made it clear that Carmelo Anthony is one that really runs the franchise.

Carmelo Anthony has compiled a long list of accomplishments during his time in the NBA. He's got the points, the rebounds, the assists. He's got the extensive catalog of highlight-reel dunks and dagger threes. But where there's a huge hole in his resume, what he's been missing all along, is a coaching win. Carmelo Anthony has never won a game as a coach, and in fact, he's never even had the experience of donning a suit, drawing up the plays and leading his own team.

So with that in mind, it's puzzling that when confronted with conflicting philosophies on how best to run the team, the New York Knicks sided with Anthony over Mike D'Antoni, a longtime coach and the man who orchestrated the prettiest and most coherent offense Madison Square Garden has seen in more than a decade.

But that's precisely what the Knicks did when they gave D'Antoni the boot this past week. Facing a situation that came down to system versus style, long-term success versus short-term returns, coach versus star player, the organization stuck with their money maker. And as a result, they sent a message that the fundamental coach-player hierarchy is dead.

That the Knicks kept Anthony and canned D'Antoni is no surprise, yet the mere fact that it was a simple choice underscores the shift that has taken place within the team. Where team decisions traditionally flow from owner to general manager to coach to players, for the Knicks that pecking order has been superseded by their star player. Anthony plays the system he wants, with whom he wants and under the coach that he wants. Anyone who gets in the way of that will soon find themselves out of a job.

The Knicks aren't the only team held prisoner by their star. Portland Blazers players Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford organized a "mutiny" to get their coach fired. Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown is on the hot seat because Kobe Bryant reportedly doesn't like him. The Orlando Magic effectively castrated their entire management team when they told Dwight Howard he could hire and fire coaches and GMs if he stayed with the team.

Yet while those are all egregious cases in their own right, it is clear that every one of those star players makes his team better when he's on the floor. When it comes to the Knicks, there is more than half a season worth of evidence that Anthony is a "star" only in reputation. With him at the helm, the team is stagnant. The offense is awkward and passive, and the defense nonexistent. Unsurprisingly, it's translated into little success, especially during Anthony's latest stint.

D'Antoni, meanwhile, spent much of his tenure cobbling together bit players, plugging them into his system, and churning out something resembling success. He turned bench players like Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler into valuable assets, and during Anthony's absence this season, had the Knicks in playoff contention with a starting five led by the Erie Bayhawks former point guard. It wasn't a championship team by any stretch; only a select few teams are in today's NBA. But it was a squad whose special brand of organized chaos could steal series win in the first round of the playoffs.

That on-court product doesn't matter to this organization, though. That much was made clear over the past few weeks, when Anthony sauntered back into the starting rotation, decided he didn't much like all this non-Carmelo centered play, and did the equivalent of threatening to take his ball and go home if changes weren't made. D'Antoni and the rest of the team would have to break from the unselfish style that made them the NBA's darlings for the past month and adapt to Anthony's tedious, ball-stopping system, or risk upsetting the man responsible for putting fans in seats and lining the owners' pockets. The Knicks, forever putting profits and hype over wins and pride, obliged.

So now we are left with a team that looks great on paper and miserable by any other measure. A briefly magical season is in shambles, and a Knicks team that had clear direction just a year ago is once again rudderless. But at least Carmelo is happy. And in the end, this organization has made it clear that that's all that matters.

Adam Cancryn is an editor and co-founder of Began in '96.

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By Adam Cancryn

New York Knicks small forward Steve Novak has only one job: hit three-pointers.

About two minutes into the fourth quarter of the Sunday matinee between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, small forward Steve Novak took a pass from J.R. Smith, set himself, and calmly nailed a 25-foot jumper. It was his fourth three-pointer of the day, and his 113th in a season that ranks among the most specialized in NBA history.

To understand Steve Novak, it's best to first explain what he does not do. He does not play basketball, at least not in the traditional sense. He rarely dribbles or passes; Novak is utilized just 18% of the time he's on the floor, and averages a meager 0.2 assists per game. Despite standing nearly seven feet tall, he does not rebound (1.6 per game), plays subpar perimeter defense and nonexistent interior defense. Creating with the ball is a foreign act, and as a result, Novak rarely draws fouls. The fact that he hasn't missed a foul shot in two years sounds impressive, until you realize that he's only taken 16 of them. By comparison, 21 players made 16 free throws in a single game last season.

But he does do one thing. Steve Novak hits threes, and he often hits them at the most opportune moments. In the drive-and-kick offense that the Knicks now employ under point guard Jeremy Lin, that skill is as valuable as ever. 

Novak has always played the role of three-point specialist. At Marquette, more than seven out of every 10 field goal attempts came from beyond the arc. That trend continued through his first four pro seasons, where Novak hoisted a three about 71 percent of the time he shot the ball, the highest rate in NBA history. 

The results have been similarly consistent. Novak makes threes at nearly the same clip he does two-point field goals (46.9 percent from three versus 51.9 percent from two this year), and in fact shot a better three-point percentage than two-point percentage during the 2010-11 season. 

Despite his shooting prowess, though, Novak never found a steady role with a team until this year. He spent time as a little-used role player for four teams, eventually getting cut by the Sacramento Kings. For those organizations, his three-point contributions simply didn't outweigh his deficiencies everywhere else. 

However, Novak appears to have found a home in New York, mainly because the Knicks already have an abundance of penetrators and paint guys. Where Novak's unwillingness to leave the three-point line was a weakness elsewhere, here it stretches the floor and gives players like Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Landry Fields more room to dribble and drive. If they get doubled inside, Novak is a reliable and dangerous outlet. Add in Lin, the distributor, and you have a well-balanced team and the perfect environment for Novak to thrive. Through 25 games, Novak has taken an unprecedented 80.7 percent of his total shots from three, and made those attempts at the fourth-highest rate in the NBA. 

Of course, balance is just one of many attributes needed to win in the NBA, and the Knicks are still tinkering. The signing of sharpshooter J.R. Smith was a tacit admission that Novak is one cold streak away from the far end of the bench, and Baron Davis' return has further crowded the backcourt. 

But Novak has held his ground by doing what he has always done, hitting three after three like a sweet-shooting savant. And when the Knicks need their next big late-game basket, you can be sure Novak will be sitting in the corner, waiting for a pass he can turn into the latest of his long-range daggers.

The Week Ahead (all times EST)- Your guide to what to watch-- and what to watch for-- this coming week

College Basketball- Championship Week
Gonzaga v. St. Mary's- March 5 at 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Pittsburgh at St. John's- March 6 at 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Big East Tournament- March 6-10 (TBD)
Big 12 Tournament- March 7-10 (TBD)
ACC Tournament- March 8-11 (TBD)
Big 10 Tournament- March 8-11 (TBD)
NBA
Mavericks at Thunder- March 5 at 8 p.m. (NBATV)
Hawks at Heat- March 7 at 7:30 p.m. (NBATV)
Magic at Bulls- March 8 at 8 p.m. (TNT)
76ers at Knicks- March 11 at noon (NBATV)

NHL
Rangers at Devils- March 6 at 7 p.m. (MSG+)
Lightning at Capitals- March 8 at 7 p.m. (NHLNET)
Rangers at Blackhawks- March 9 at 8:30 p.m. (NHLNET)
Bruins at Penguins- March 11 at 12:30 p.m. (NBC)
Golf
World Golf Championships- Cadillac Championship- March 8-11 (NBC/TGC)
Baseball Spring Training
Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is scheduled to start against the New York Mets March 5 at 6:10 p.m. The game will be televised on MLB Network.

In the Kitchen- Tracking the major hot stove stories

• The Green Bay Packers have until 4 p.m. on March 5 to place the franchise tag on backup quarterback Matt Flynn or else allow him to become an unrestricted free agent. There are arguments to be made for either action, but the majority opinion is that Green Bay will cut Flynn loose unless they already have a sign-and-trade deal in place. If he becomes a free agent, the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns are expected to take a hard look at him, among others.
• The San Diego Padres signed 24-year-old outfielder Cameron Maybin to a five-year extension worth $25 million, with a sixth year option that could pay $7 million to $8 million. The contract is the first extension longer than three years the Padres have given a player since Adrian Gonzalez and Chris Young in 2007, MLBTradeRumors.com said.
• The Texas Rangers also signed an outfielder, 17-year-old Dominican Jairo Beras. However, there is a possibility the MLB will nullify the contract because of questions about whether he is 17 or 16 years old. If he's 16, he's ineligible to sign.
• Catcher Bengie Molina has retired after playing 13 seasons for four seasons. Molina didn't play during the 2011 season, but had remained eligible until now. the 37-year-old finishes his career with a .274/.307/.411 split and 144 home runs.

Web Gems- The week's best, worst or strangest Internet sports finds

Only 19, Harper is dealing with expectations as the next big thing- The latest on Nationals phenom Bryce Harper and his adjustment to Major League life.

B.S. Report transcript: Barack Obama- Bill Simmons interviewed President Obama about a number of sports topics, including Jeremy Lin, Chicago sports and the stress of throwing out the first pitch.

UGA soccer player charged with stealing hashbrowns- "A University of Georgia soccer player is charged with trying to steal an order of hashbrown potatoes in her pants."

The Sacramento Bee's captivating images from the first weeks of MLB Spring Training.

Coming Up- What's next at Began in '96

• Tuesday: The NFL and the bounty system by Joe Schackman.
• Thursday: Breaking down the odd case that is Matt Flynn, by Adam Cancryn.
• Friday: Joe Schackman on the new playoff system in the MLB

Read more »