Talk about not reaching for the moon. In the opposite of a “sky’s-the-limit” declaration about the team he assembled for $122 million, Isiah Thomas braced Knicks fans for the worst during the morning shoot-around before they faced the Spurs last night at the Garden.
Thomas predicted the Knicks could be as low as six games under .500 after November’s rough 17-game schedule that features 10 on the road. Six games under .500 after the first 17 games of the season is a mathematical impossibility, but it’s clear Thomas thinks the Knicks could be as bad as 6-11 at the end of the month.
The Knicks entered last night at 1-2 and head out next for a rigorous three game trip across the country, with games at Denver, Houston and San Antonio. After that road trip, the Knicks play three certifiable playoff teams: Cleveland and Washington at the Garden, and at defending champion Miami.
“We’ve prepared ourselves that if it gets pretty ugly, we understand what our schedule’s like this November,” Thomas said. “We might reach four, five, even six games under .500 going into December. But we’re prepared to fight for the long haul. We’re not gonna just give up because we have a bad month.”
That’s some rally-the-troops speech, setting the bar as low as possible. Thomas is setting very low expectations for November for various reasons, not the least of which is to stave off “Fire Thomas” chants at the Garden and also to send a message to his boss, James Dolan, who has him on a one-year ultimatum. Now you see why Thomas was so delighted to win in three overtimes in Memphis.
Thomas lost a lot of his bravado after the Jared Jeffries left wrist injury, and Jerome James’ absence since Day 1 of training camp with plantar fasciitis in his right foot has gnawed at the Knicks coach/president, who lavished James with a $30 million contract 16 months ago
But Jeffries was Thomas’ big acquisition this summer and he thought it would “balance” the roster chemistry-wise and defensively in guarding the perimeter. Jeffries may not be back until Jan. 1 after belated surgery last week on his wrist.
With no interior defensive presence from Eddy Curry or Channing Frye, the Knicks are prone to teams driving to the bucket unpunished. The Pacers dominated the Knicks in the first half Saturday and didn’t even go to the foul line.
Thomas said he believes Jeffries will help, but rarely mentioned James’ name yesterday, implying he wasn’t sure he’d make it back.
The 7-1 James is running on the underwater treadmill. Once he’s given clearance to run on the court, he estimates it will be a week until his return.
“Jared and I bring defense and shot-blocking,” James said. “That’s our sole purpose, so you’re going to have some deficiencies in those categories if we’re no there. I would fit in perfect.”
James was coming off a poor first year as a Knick, but came to training camp much fitter.
“I can give a lot,” James said. “If I can stay healthy, I can show the real Jerome James. It’s a most unfortunate injury. It’s not something that’s been bothering me my whole career. Last year my hamstring, this year my foot. It’s always something.”
Frye, Jamal Crawford and Stephon Marbury are off to terrible starts, though Marbury is the only one hearing it from the crowd. Thomas got angry Sunday when it was suggested Marbury is spending too much time promoting is discount $15 sneaker for lower-income households – a shoe he is wearing onto the court to prove it’s the same quality as Nike’s $150 basketball shoes.
A source close to Marbury said a team official was asked by Marbury to ship the NBA’s new basketball to Erie, Pa., where his new three-week sneaker tour began, lasting until two days before training camp. The source said Marbury spent nearly every day shooting in a gym.
“I hope he does more because the more you give as a human being, the more you help others, that’s what the world’s really supposed to be about,” Thomas said. “What he’s doing and the places that he’s gone and the kids and lives that he’s touched, when Stephon Marbury is dead and gone, I hope they can say more about him than he was just a good basketball player.”