New York Knicks News Rumors

Marbury looking forward to playing

2006-08-21T11:05:00.000-07:00

Newsday.com BY GREG LOGAN July 10, 2006When the white clothes came out, you were like, 'Damn, why did I do that? That was a mistake.'Smiling and joking his way through his first interview since the Knicks fired Larry Brown and ordered team president Isiah Thomas to replace him as coach, point guard Stephon Marbury looked like the 'after' picture in a before-and-after ad.Marbury spent a good part of last season feuding with Brown and ended more than a few games sitting on the bench with a towel draped over his head, framing a gloomy expression. But Marbury's happiness was .evident when he spoke with Knicks beat writers late Saturday night at a Vegas Summer League game.'They couldn't surgically take the smile off my face,' Marbury said.Asked if that was his reaction when he heard the news of Brown's firing, he said: 'No, I'm talking about how I feel now. I'm talking about Isiah being the coach. I wanted him to be the coach before all of this. I used to beg him, 'Why don't you coach?' Because I know that he knows how to coach.'Marbury said his teammates welcomed the coaching change primarily because they got tired of losing during a 23-59 season that seemed like a forced march toward the end. 'People ask me, 'Why don't you ever smile?'' Marbury said. 'I say, 'Because I never was happy.' Period.'When you're losing, it's not fun. When you win, you all see me, right? I'm screaming, I've got the ball in my hand, they're showing me on the back page smiling. When I'm losing ... 'He didn't have to finish the sentence because the picture of a brooding Marbury became so familiar. There was a brief period in January when the Knicks won six straight and Brown lavished praise on his improvement and leadership. But it all fell apart after Marbury suffered a shoulder injury and struggled when he tried to come back.The Knicks acquired point guard Steve Francis at the trade deadline in February, but the anticipated high-scoring pairing never materialized as Brown seldom played them together. Their confidence gone, Francis and Marbury spent April in street clothes nursing injuries.'I think everything was under strain at the end of the year,' Marbury said. 'I don't think everyone was on the same page. This year, we'll have a different togetherness.'Under Brown, the Knicks had an NBA-record 42 different starting lineups, though Marbury was the constant when healthy.'It's kind of like when you put white clothes and yellow clothes and blue clothes and all different type clothes together when you're supposed to wash them separately,' Marbury said of the assorted lineups. 'When the white clothes came out, you were like, 'Damn, why did I do that? That was a mistake.''If there's a particular change to which Marbury is looking forward, it's an end to the stream of public criticism Brown directed toward his underachieving team. 'I don't think any man on this planet would want the world to know what's going on in his household,' Marbury said. 'That stays in-house.'Marbury described Thomas as something of a 'father figure' because their families have grown close and their relationship goes well beyond basketball. Owner James Dolan has given Thomas one year to show 'significant progress' or be fired, but Marbury said he welcomes the pressure and believes the Knicks should be a playoff contender.As a two-time NBA champion and a Hall of Fame point guard, Thomas commands the players' respect. No one wants him to survive more than Marbury, who said, 'You want to go out there, and you want to do it because it's like you want to impress.'Copyright © 2006 Newsday.com, All Rights Reserved.

Marbury looking forward to playing

2006-08-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Marbury looking forward to playing

2006-08-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Industry warned over ticket touts The entertainment industry has ...

2006-07-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

Industry warned over ticket touts

The entertainment industry has been threatened with possible law changes if it does not tackle the problem of ticket touting by next summer. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said "targeted action and changes in legislation" could be considered to stop exploitation of "genuine fans".

Ms Jowell also announced an action plan after talks with industry leaders.

This includes allowing people to return tickets and the setting up of a website to allow exchanges at face value.

"The innocent victim of ticket touting is the fan who has to pay through the nose for a vastly overpriced ticket to see their sporting, stage or musical hero," said Ms Jowell.

"These are the people we must protect."

After the minister's third meeting with industry figures on the issue, she said "good progress" was being made.

The action plan includes the following:

An industry agreement to introduce a policy allowing the return of tickets at face value to original seller

The Concert Promoters Association to set up a website allowing fans to exchange tickets at face value

Development of a kite mark system for ticket sales websites

The drawing up of a code of practice for primary and secondary ticket sellers "The industry should consider itself on notice," said Ms Jowell.

"If it hasn't come up with a workable solution to stamping out the most unscrupulous touts by next summer, where there is clear evidence it's needed, we may consider targeted action and changes in legislation to ensure genuine fans are protected from exploitation."

'Hard look'

Auction website eBay has blamed promoters and organisers for helping create a secondary market for tickets, pointing to "the shambolic way they distribute tickets through jammed phone lines and crashing websites".

They needed to take "a hard look at the way that they allocate tickets to sponsors and agencies, and at the way they price tickets to fill the house and maximise merchandise sales", said eBay's Richard Ambrose.

Some ticket agencies, venues and promoters want touting banned on websites like eBay.

Mr Ambrose said that 90% of ticket sales on the site in the last year had been people selling five or fewer tickets.

"The vast majority of people selling online are selling for personal reasons, normally because they cannot attend an event," he said.

Profiteering

Stuart Galbraith, managing director of events company Live Nation, said eBay was "actually allowing people to buy tickets that they have no intention of using whatsoever, and making it more difficult for people who want to buy face value tickets in the first place".

"There are numerous examples of shows on eBay where people are being sold tickets when there are actually legitimate tickets, very available, in the marketplace at face value.

"And they are actually making people pay more then they should be."

Mr Galbraith, who is also a member of the Concert Promoters Association, added: "The secondary market will always exist.

"What we are looking to do though is to stop the enormous proliferation that has come about, with the advent of the internet, of people that are buying tickets purely and simply with a view to making profits out of genuine concert-goers."

The government has no plans to make touting illegal but is looking to identify ways of making it unattractive for touts to operate. Source>>>

Marbury looking forward to playing

2006-07-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

Industry warned over ticket touts The entertainment industry has ...

2006-07-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

Industry warned over ticket touts

The entertainment industry has been threatened with possible law changes if it does not tackle the problem of ticket touting by next summer.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said "targeted action and changes in legislation" could be considered to stop exploitation of "genuine fans".

Ms Jowell also announced an action plan after talks with industry leaders.

This includes allowing people to return tickets and the setting up of a website to allow exchanges at face value.

"The innocent victim of ticket touting is the fan who has to pay through the nose for a vastly overpriced ticket to see their sporting, stage or musical hero," said Ms Jowell.

"These are the people we must protect."

After the minister's third meeting with industry figures on the issue, she said "good progress" was being made.

The action plan includes the following:

An industry agreement to introduce a policy allowing the return of tickets at face value to original seller

The Concert Promoters Association to set up a website allowing fans to exchange tickets at face value

Development of a kite mark system for ticket sales websites

The drawing up of a code of practice for primary and secondary ticket sellers
"The industry should consider itself on notice," said Ms Jowell.

'Hard look'

Some ticket agencies, venues and promoters want touting banned on websites like eBay.

Mr Ambrose said that 90% of ticket sales on the site in the last year had been people selling five or fewer tickets.

"The vast majority of people selling online are selling for personal reasons, normally because they cannot attend an event," he said.

Profiteering

"There are numerous examples of shows on eBay where people are being sold tickets when there are actually legitimate tickets, very available, in the marketplace at face value.

"And they are actually making people pay more then they should be."

Mr Galbraith, who is also a member of the Concert Promoters Association, added: "The secondary market will always exist.

The government has no plans to make touting illegal but is looking to identify ways of making it unattractive for touts to operate.
Source>>>

Araneta - Concert Central?

2006-07-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Lots of big concerts and events happening these coming weeks here in the Philippines:

Queer Eye For The Straight Guy Meet & Greet
Thursday, July 20, 2006 (7:00 PM - 8:30 PM)
Greenbelt 3
Ayala Avenue Makati, NCR

Black Eyed Peas Monkey Business Tour
Friday, July 27, 2006 (8:00 PM)
Araneta Coliseum

Pussycat Dolls Live in Manila
Friday, July 28, 2006
Arante Coliseum

INXS Switch Tour
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Araneta Coliseum

Marbury looking forward to playing

2006-07-13T13:48:00.000-07:00

Newsday.com BY GREG LOGAN July 10, 2006
When the white clothes came out, you were like, 'Damn, why did I do that? That was a mistake.'
Smiling and joking his way through his first interview since the Knicks fired Larry Brown and ordered team president Isiah Thomas to replace him as coach, point guard Stephon Marbury looked like the 'after' picture in a before-and-after ad.
Marbury spent a good part of last season feuding with Brown and ended more than a few games sitting on the bench with a towel draped over his head, framing a gloomy expression. But Marbury's happiness was .evident when he spoke with Knicks beat writers late Saturday night at a Vegas Summer League game.
'They couldn't surgically take the smile off my face,' Marbury said.
Asked if that was his reaction when he heard the news of Brown's firing, he said: 'No, I'm talking about how I feel now. I'm talking about Isiah being the coach. I wanted him to be the coach before all of this. I used to beg him, 'Why don't you coach?' Because I know that he knows how to coach.'
Marbury said his teammates welcomed the coaching change primarily because they got tired of losing during a 23-59 season that seemed like a forced march toward the end. 'People ask me, 'Why don't you ever smile?'' Marbury said. 'I say, 'Because I never was happy.' Period.
'When you're losing, it's not fun. When you win, you all see me, right? I'm screaming, I've got the ball in my hand, they're showing me on the back page smiling. When I'm losing ... '
He didn't have to finish the sentence because the picture of a brooding Marbury became so familiar. There was a brief period in January when the Knicks won six straight and Brown lavished praise on his improvement and leadership. But it all fell apart after Marbury suffered a shoulder injury and struggled when he tried to come back.
The Knicks acquired point guard Steve Francis at the trade deadline in February, but the anticipated high-scoring pairing never materialized as Brown seldom played them together. Their confidence gone, Francis and Marbury spent April in street clothes nursing injuries.
'I think everything was under strain at the end of the year,' Marbury said. 'I don't think everyone was on the same page. This year, we'll have a different togetherness.'
Under Brown, the Knicks had an NBA-record 42 different starting lineups, though Marbury was the constant when healthy.
'It's kind of like when you put white clothes and yellow clothes and blue clothes and all different type clothes together when you're supposed to wash them separately,' Marbury said of the assorted lineups. 'When the white clothes came out, you were like, 'Damn, why did I do that? That was a mistake.''
If there's a particular change to which Marbury is looking forward, it's an end to the stream of public criticism Brown directed toward his underachieving team. 'I don't think any man on this planet would want the world to know what's going on in his household,' Marbury said. 'That stays in-house.'
Marbury described Thomas as something of a 'father figure' because their families have grown close and their relationship goes well beyond basketball. Owner James Dolan has given Thomas one year to show 'significant progress' or be fired, but Marbury said he welcomes the pressure and believes the Knicks should be a playoff contender.
As a two-time NBA champion and a Hall of Fame point guard, Thomas commands the players' respect. No one wants him to survive more than Marbury, who said, 'You want to go out there, and you want to do it because it's like you want to impress.'
Copyright © 2006 Newsday.com, All Rights Reserved.

Why I Love The Home Run Derby

2006-07-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

Here we are, once again in the middle of summer and on the brink of MLB's All-Star game and I have six words to share: Seriously, folks, whoever invented this competition deserves an honorary spot in the Hall of Fame (of course as far as I know he - or she? - already has one). If anyone's unfamiliar with this rockin' event - it was on last night, I'm really sorry if you missed it - it involves a bunch of baseball's best sluggers of the season trying to do nothing other than hit the ball outta the park. That's it. No full-counts, no running bases, no pitchers' pick-off moves - it's all home runs, all the time! Each player gets an unlimited number of pitches so they can wait for the one they like best and then just swing away. For every hit ball that's not a home run it counts as an "out" but they up the margin from 3 to 10 so each guy gets quite a few chances.

But my favorite thing about the HRD is that it generally constitutes a complete role reversal in that players are the fans and fans become the players. Here's a group of big-tough-guy baseball players unabashedly cheering each other on. As with the All-Star game it's National vs. American League, so you'll get Yankees supporting Red Sox and Cardinals rooting for an Astro - meanwhile the fans show all the outfield talent, performing Olympic quality stunts to try to catch some of the balls. Last night's challenge at was exceptionally hilarious because of the Allegheny River that runs adjacent to the field. You might guess that a river would deter fans from gathering outside the park to fight for the far hit homer but instead it seemed actually to encourage them. I can just picture the conversations that occurred all over Pittsburgh's suburbs: "Honey, let's go kyaking... And bring your baseball glove!!"

As with most sporting events there's little at stake besides bragging rights and the Home Run Derby is ultimately all about fun and entertainment. For those that missed the actual event, the MLB video games for PS2 (and likely XBox as well) have a Home Run Derby level for do-it-yourself HRD entertainment. Unfortunately, the game doesn't come with crazy fans outside the stadiums but you will get the luxury of entering any player you like into the competition. Tony and I once created a "Funny Batting Stance" Home Run Derby and chose players such as Moises Alou, Gary Sheffield and Craig Counsel simply based on the silliness of their pre-swing stances. Our HR tallys never got high - likely because accuracy gave way to laughter a few too many times. Entertainment, pure and simple. And that, my friends, is why I Love the Home Run Derby.

The Carnival Of The NBA # 32

2006-07-10T16:20:00.000-07:00

The Carnival of the NBA Edition #32 is now up at in it most graphically depicted form yet. Get over there.

A Flurry of NBA Moves

2006-07-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to everybody, and I hope you all had an excellent 4th of July.

On the NBA front, it’s been an exciting few days, as free agency is starting, and we are getting some moves. I’ll take a look at some of these moves in a basically random matter. For other thoughts on how things are going, check out The Gatorade Dump.

First, the biggest deal so far this offseason – Ben Wallace signing with the Chicago Bulls. I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about the deal, as there are positives and negatives for both sides. For the Bulls, they are obviously getting a defensive and rebounding force. Sure, they overpaid a little to get him, but they had the cap room and Big Ben can anchor the D down low, and you know he won’t be intimidated at any times. On the other hand, we have different fingers, and more importantly, Wallace is starting to show his age. He’s 32, and his rebounding and blocking numbers have started to decrease, and he doesn’t quite have the energy he once had.

For the Pistons, I’m a little perplexed, because I thought that the reason they gave up a promising young player in Darko for basically nothing was so that they would have the money to resign Big Ben. Instead, they gave him an offer that Chicago was almost sure to beat, and they lost him. Although they did recover to sign Nazr Mohammed, who’s superior offensively, gone are the days the Pistons dominated the game defensively (although those days may have been gone these playoffs). Dyess and Nazr are going to have to log a lot of minutes, and they’ll still have little depth in the front court unless they make some more moves. Reactions from the deal are varied, even among Pistons fans, as some thing Detroit did what they had to do while others are angry at Big Ben. But whatever you want to say about it, one thing is clear: Chicago is a contender in the East.

Meanwhile, the Bulls signing of Wallace allowed them to unload Tyson Chandler, which they did to the Hornets for PJ Brown and JR Smith. (officially ending the “Let’s draft a couple of promising high school guys, let them play early and grow together, and hope for the best” Experiment). With Smith they add another guy with the potential to be a big-time player, but one who was in the Hornets doghouse last year. They’ve got young guards (Hinrich, Gordon, Smith), young forwards (Deng, Nocioni, Thomas, Sefalosha), the best defensive Center in the game, and almost certainly a good draft pick next year. It’s a good time to be the Bulls.

The other team in the deal, the Hornets, has been doing some good things themselves. Looking at things now, they have one of the top 2 “pure” PG in the NBA, athletic wing players, a deadeye shooter at SF (in Peja), and a young, talented, athletic frontline (David West, Tyson Chandler, Cedric Simmons, Hilton Armstrong). The Western Conference just keeps getting tougher and tougher from top to bottom. The only thing that concerns me about the Hornets' offseason is that they overspent by a lot to get Peja. $65 million over 5 years and he's on the decline? Yikes.

In the big trade of the offseason, the Bucks sent PG TJ Ford to the Raptors for Charlie Villanueva. If Ford stays healthy, this is a deal I like for the Raptors. The Raptrs have Chris Bosh and just drafted Andrea Bargnani, and realistically they couldn't play all three. Plus, it's easier to get a combo forward then a PG that can push the ball with vision as good as Ford's (Nash, Kidd, Paul... am I forgetting anyone?) Of course, Ford does have struggles shooting the ball, and Villanueva was pretty darn good last year. Again, it all depends on the if Ford can stay healthy, which is a very large concern, without a doubt.

It was a good deal for the Bucks as well. Maurice Williams did a very nice job at PG for the Bucks, and Villanueva will add needed frontcourt scoring to complement Michael Redd and his abilities. With the way the Bulls and Bucks improved, the Central Division could very well be the best in basketball.

Of course, there's other small but important deals (The Paper Clips re-signing Sam I Am and picking up Tim Thomas, the Hawks signing Speedy Claxton, the reports that Dallas traded Marquis Daniels for Austin Croshere, etc.) but I'll stop now. Needless to say, we have plenty of offseason left, my only hope is that by the end of it AI is still with the Sixers. What are the chances there?

2005-12-28T10:52:00.000-08:00

New York Knicks News Rumors new articles for Wednesday, December 28, 2005Magic Host Knicks (WFTV 9 Orlando)
The Orlando Magic try to make it two straight wins this evening when they continue their six-game homestand against the woeful New York Knicks at the TD Waterhouse Centre.

Preview: Knicks vs. Magic (Covers.com)
GAME: New York Knicks (7-19) at Orlando Magic (10-15) . TIME: Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST. LINE: Orlando is listed as a 5-point favorite. and the total is set at 192. After ending a four-game l...

Riley, Jackson content in their current place (The Charlotte Observer)
He compared the game being played to football and asked when two-hand touch became a part of basketball. He likened his Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls to a stable of thoroughbreds and the New York Knicks to a team of plow horses.

Carter, Nets Down Rival Knicks 109-101 (AP via Yahoo! News)
Vince Carter scored 27 points and Richard Jefferson added 23 to lead the New Jersey Nets to their sixth consecutive win, a 109-101 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday night.

Nets beat Knicks for sixth straight win (Fox Sports)
Vince Carter scored 27 points and Richard Jefferson added 23 to lead the New Jersey Nets to their sixth consecutive win, a 109-101 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday night. Carter has led New Jersey in scoring in all the six wins. He has averaged 34 points during that span, New Jersey's longest winning streak since winning a franchise-record 14 straight in 2004. Jason Kidd added nine

Nets Beat Knicks for Sixth Straight Win (NBA.com)
Vince Carter scored 27 points and Richard Jefferson added 23 as the New Jersey Nets posted their seventh victory in eight road games with a 109-101 triumph over the New York Knicks.

Rough loss again for Knicks (Seattle Times)
It was just another routine humiliation at the hands of the New Jersey Nets in their 109-101 victory over the New York Knicks Monday night...

Nets stay hot, down struggling Knicks (The Sports Network: Sports)
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Vince Carter scored 27 points and Richard Jefferson added 23 to lead the New Jersey Nets over the New York Knicks, 109-101, at Madison Square Garden.

Carter, Nets down rival Knicks 109-101 (Boston Globe)
New Jersey Nets Vince Carter (15) drives past New York Knicks Maurice Taylor (2) in the second quarter of their game. Monday, Dec. 26, 2005, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Robinson helps Knicks avoid embarrassment (The Star-Ledger)
NEW YORK -- The worst thing about this, the 19th defeat of the season for the Knicks, was that it could have been so much uglier.

2005-12-19T10:41:00.000-08:00

New York Knicks News Rumors new articles for Monday, December 19, 2005Indiana Pacers (13-8) At New York Knicks (6-16), 7:30 P.m. (NBC 11 Bay Area)
The New York Knicks try and put the brakes on a five-game losing streak this evening when they start a four-game homestand against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden.

Knicks Drop Sixth Straight (Washington Post)
Jermaine O'Neal scores 31 points as the Indiana Pacers beat New York, 102-96, on Saturday night, handing the Knicks their season-high sixth straight loss.

Knicks starting to bond (NorthJersey.com)
NEW YORK - Regrouping Sunday at the team's practice site, the Knicks tried to put the long road of troubles behind them. The arduous schedule that the Knicks had endured, traveling to the West Coast twice and spending 13 of the first 19 games on the road, ended Saturday.

Pacers come together to nip Knicks (USA Today)
Jermaine O'Neal scored 31 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:56 left, and Danny Granger had the best game of his rookie season as the Pacers beat the Knicks 102-96 on Saturday night, handing New York its season-high sixth straight loss.

Pacers Hand Knicks Sixth Loss in a Row (AP via Yahoo! News)
Jermaine O'Neal scored 31 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:56 left, and the Indiana Pacers beat New York 102-96 on Saturday night, handing the Knicks their season-high sixth straight loss.

Pacers beat Knicks (Middletown Times Herald-Record)
By Steve Adamek The Record (Hackensack N.J.) New York – The Knicks dominated the boards and turned over the ball a mere 12 times. They defended the 3-point line more effectively, if not pristinely, or maybe the Indiana Pacers just weren't as on as the previous three opponents.

O'Neal, Pacers Squeak Past Knicks (NBA.com)
Jermaine O'Neal scored 31 points as the Indiana Pacers escaped Madison Square Garden with a 102-96 victory over the struggling New York Knicks, who have dropped six straight games.

Pacers send Knicks to sixth straight loss (Fox Sports)
Jermaine O'Neal scored 31 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:56 left, and the Indiana Pacers beat New York 102-96 on Saturday night, handing the Knicks their season-high sixth straight loss. Jamaal Tinsley added 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and Danny Granger had the best game of his rookie season for the Pacers, who have won four of five overall and snapped a two-game road

Pacers hand Knicks sixth loss in a row (Boston Globe)
Indiana Pacers center Jeff Foster beats New York Knicks center Jerome James for a rebound in the first half of their NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2005.

Knicks' skid hits six games (Sun-Sentinel)
NEW YORK · Jermaine O'Neal scored 31 points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:56 left, and the Indiana Pacers beat New York 102-96 on Saturday night, handing the Knicks their sixth straight loss.

Knicks Trade Rumors Plus Knicks News

2005-09-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get your opinion on how you feel the the New York Knicks will do this season do you feel the Knicks should trade for someone?

Have you heard any New York Knicks trade Rumors?

If the Knicks were able to get any NBA player who would you want that player to be and why?

Have you ever attended a New York Knicks basketball game and if so what was your favorite game you attended and what was your most memorable Knicks moment?

How did you become a New York Knicks fan?