Click-click-click-click-click. That’s the sound of a New York Knicks media relations lackey typing your conversation with a player or coach into their BlackBerry, only to send it on to upper management. Maybe it’s not that way right now. But that was the reality not too long ago.
You may think these shenanigans about a certain Memphis Grizzlies forward (told you I wasn’t going to use his name again), is a flashback to a Bob Whitsett era in Portland, and they may easily be. But I’m not sure it is nearly as bad as the never ending circus that is the New York Knicks.
(As a side note, it’s really hard to believe these Curry allegations. It’s just unfortunate when bad things happen to really good people. I smell a rat on this one.)
What I saw, read and wrote about in my three seasons covering the Knicks will forever be branded into my memory. Let me count the ways. I need only mention the usual suspects – James Dolan, Larry Brown, Isiah Thomas, Stephon Marbury – and the story starts to tell itself.
I’ve got stories. Man, I’ve got stories. Stories too long to detail in this simply blog post. I’ll save it for the book one day.
Know this though: it got so bad between the team and media – a tangible paranoia that trickled down from Dolan from day one – that some writers couldn’t do a single interview without a team media relations representative present and transcribing the entire conversation into their handheld device.
This happened everyday. Everyday.
It could even be as simple as, “Hey bro, nice game last night. How are the wife and kids?”
Click-click-click-click-click.
Such Gestapo tactics at the Garden led one beat writer to seriously joke he’d better look under his car or check the breaks in his ride on his way home from the arena.
Only in New York.
pic via: newsday
Ahhh, quiet little Portland. It’s gotta be a little simpler and more laid back in most respects. Thanks for all the posts, hope you hang out for awhile.
what’s good reid….thanks for the line.
had a buddy back east ask how i dealt with the darius miles drama from last week, and i told him it was easy: it was on the job training at madison square garden that carried me through.
and eventhough i miss new york – despite the antics – it is good to be home. i’m here in portland to stay….
Sounds like you got the good gig then, man. I suppose if you were to get that kind of training, New York would be the place for it.
You think we’re going to trade anyone (Sergio? TO?) or is it too hard to say just yet?
i touched on portland making moves in the recent post reid….sounds like they may stand still at the deadline.
then again, if they can swing something for raef that theory may change.
doesn’t appear pritchard is too keen on doing something during the season however, especially with portland playing solid basketball….
discuss.