Author: johnburo

Would Mikki Moore Have Helped Knicks?

Mikki Moore, the Sacramento Kings’ back-up center, knows all about persistence. He is in his 10th NBA season, and with his ninth different team. Job security was never something he took for granted. Last season, with the NJ Nets, he averaged a career-high 9.8 ppg and 5.1 rebounds, and became the only undrafted player since 1976 to lead the league in field goal percentage.

Over the years, he has gotten to know Isiah Thomas, the Knicks’ coach.

“Me and Isiah, and Joe Dumars, have been talking for years. My first team was Detroit. He has been wanting me on his squad for a long time, ‘cause he respects my hard work, and how I play –old school. No lay-ups. Foul, if you have to, but not to end someone’s career. That’s how I was raised –on old school basketball. And he likes that.”

Imagine that. A big man who defends the paint.

“Me and him see eye to eye on a lot of things. I’ve told him, “Keep your head right. Don’t let this crowd get you out of your element. All this picketing, and all that stuff -you turn these boys around, [the fans will] be kissing your butt by the end of the season. He already knows that. That’s just how it is.

“You have hard times, and you struggle. Just keep on trying hard. Don’t look at what happened yesterday. Think about tomorrow.”

Perhaps, had Thomas made a play for Moore during the off-season, he would’ve had more tomorrows to pursue his vision of a championship.

Theus Still A King On The Court

The Sacramento Kings, minus the injured Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Ron Artest, Mike Bibby and Kevin Martin, beat the Knicks 107-97 at MSG on Wednesday [January 2]. The win boosted the Kings’ record to 12-18.

“[During the interview with the Maloofs], I had told them,” said Reggie Theus, their first year coach, “that I will coach this team hard, and I wouldn’t play guys if they didn’t deserve to be on the floor. I let them know that before they gave me the job ‘cause I needed to know where my support was coming from. We needed to change the culture around here.”

Theus, who averaged 18.5 points and 6.3 assists over 13 seasons, also weighed in with this summation of the Knicks. “I didn’t see any quit in them. But, I didn’t see any effort to take it to the next level. I didn’t see anyone out there [on their side] that was trying to make a difference.”

So, how much of that is Isiah Thomas’ fault?

“The coach is not on the floor. That is the players’ fault. I know Isiah is telling them the right things. There is a lot of talent over there. But, this league coddles the players way too much. Players have to take responsibility, and be accountable for [their play] on the floor. That’s the way it should be.

“The blame has to be spread out. I’ve been on losing teams. I know what it’s like. I’ve never had a coach tell me not to do certain things. In a lot of cases [when I played], it was talent-based. We weren’t very good. But, the Knicks are a lot better than that. The coach has to take the hit; we all understand that. But, the accountability still needs to fall on the players’ shoulders.”