Walt Frazier tells the New York Post’s Marc Berman that he’s eager to tutor next year’s rebuilding Knicks — and not in their elocution lessons, either.
Famer, can envision attending training camp and periodic practices to teach defensive fundamentals – an area he believes doomed the soon-to-be-vanquished Isiah Thomas Era. Frazier was named to the NBA’s first team All Defense seven times.
“I’d be delighted to help,” Frazier said after watching another miserable defensive outing in Sunday nights 114-109 loss in Atlanta. “(But) they’ve never asked me to do anything with the team.”
Frazier, the team broadcaster for 21 years, said he is surprised he, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, Willis Reed and other members of the 1970 and 1973 championship teams have never been invited to training camp to work with the players. Last season Patrick Ewing was unemployed but wasn’t asked to help out either.
“We have a legacy,” Clyde said. “Usually I would think when they go to training camp, they’d bring some of the Knick guys down to perpetuate the legacy of the team. You have Hall-of-Fame players.”
“To me, it’s defense,” said Frazier, who turned 63 Saturday. “That’s the quick fix, if you want to turn your team around quickly. You look at Toronto, Orlando, teams that have improved in this league, they began playing better defense. They’re not a good team because they’re at the bottom in steals, worst in the league in blocked shots.”
The Knicks current assistant staff is a hodgepodge, remnants from Don Chaney’s staff (Herb Williams), Larry Brown’s staff (Dave Hanners) and Isiah’s handpicked guys (Mark Aguirre and George Glymph). Only Williams – and possibly Brendan Suhr because of his draft acumen – figure to survive the Walsh purge.