As the Knicks mess drags on and on (summarized by the Post’s Peter Vescey as “what we have here is a failure to excommunicate”), there are any number of insane scenarios being proposed to right the course at MSG. None however, nearly as out to lunch as the one floated by the Journal News’ Ian O’Connor this morning.
Salary-capped and luxury-taxed into oblivion, the Knicks have to find an outside-the-box thinker to land the players who will win games long after Thomas himself is gone. Jerry Krause hired Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc and all sorts of helpful Jordanaires during the six-title run in Chicago, and he’s now scouting for the Mets, of all first-place teams, spending 39 straight days charting arm angles in the Texas League.
“I love working for Omar Minaya and the Mets,” Krause said yesterday. He declined to discuss his potential interest in repairing the Knicks, but did say that he still loved Eddy Curry, that he would listen to an offer to run an NBA team, and that his wife did grow up in the Bronx.
The Knicks have Jerry Krause’s team! Crawford, Curry, and Jalen Rose were all Lucky Penny’s moves for the Bulls. As much as I hate the Knicks, bringing in the guy who traded Elton Brand, Ron Artest, and Brad Miller away – makes keeping Zeke a GREAT idea.
he also picked Tim Floyd over Phil Jackson and allowed the greatest money spinner of the last century to take his act to DC, such was his belief that he could rebuild da Bulls.
I think you’re both missing the point — yeah, he made a lot of bad personnel decisions in Chicago, but he generally managed to stay within the salary cap. If Krause’s Knicks don’t sacrifice anything in terms of (bad) performance and manage to get down around the cap level, then it’s a win-win.
Possible downside: exorbitant cost to front office incurred by Krause’s dangerous kielbasa n’ pierogies habit.
Also, I’m not serious. This isn’t quite as bad a call as installing Isiah on the sidelines, but it’s not far off.