Price Of Admission With the 2007-08 season spiraling out of control, talk of a playoff run has given way to preparation for the NBA Draft Lottery. Should the Knicks continue to lose games at an alarming rate, they may find themselves with the # 1 overall selection. One can only hope that a new General Manager/Head Coach will be seated on the dais at the NBA's Secaucus, NJ studios by the time the draft order is set.

If Isiah Thomas is fired before season's end, the task of finding his successor should be conducted wisely. When Jim Dolan relieved Scott Layden of his duties, Dolan & Steve Mills immediately installed Isiah Thomas as President of Basketball Operations. Shortly thereafter, Thomas took swift action to begin ridding the team of Layden's players in a quest to get younger & more athletic. The Stephon Marbury acquisition was Thomas' signature trade during his first season, but his first deal sent Clarence Weatherspoon packing for Moochie Norris. Thomas cited his acquisition of Norris as "gaining a player with the ability to change speeds and play at a high level". This was a harbinger of things to come. In 4 years, Thomas has acquired a host of former All-Stars, one dimensional role players and free agent busts & billed each as a final piece to an NBA championship puzzle.

With a quarter of the season complete, the team is on pace for 30 wins. Despite the acquisition of an All-Star caliber PF in Zach Randolph, the Knicks offense remains an unpredictable nightmare and the team routinely gives up 60 points to their opponents in the first half of games. The coaching staff appears bent on keeping David Lee out of the starting lineup in favor of Eddy Curry. Curry, who last December was being touted as an All-Star prospect, has seen a decline in his overall production ( 14.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg) as a result of being paired with Randolph. Quentin Richardson has done little to provide spacing for the big men to operate and appears late on most defensive rotations. Fred Jones has quietly carved out a niche for himself as a capable defender, secondary ball handler & scoring threat. With Stephon Marbury out indefinitely, Jamal Crawford's dual role as primary scorer & playmaker becomes all the more important for a team starving for leadership on the court.

Love him or not, Jamal Crawford is the most important player on the team and one of Thomas' better acquisitions. Dubbed "The Closer" by the MSG marketing department, it's a fitting name for one of the few players the Knicks can rely upon in the clutch and market without total fan uproar. References to Eddy Curry as the "The Centerpiece" and Quentin Richardson as "The Marksman" are as off-base as Isiah Thomas' comments that he "likes the direction the team is heading in."

Crawford on many nights is the only player worth the price of admission at The Garden. The talented guard seems one step away from becoming one of the premier wing players in the Eastern Conference. Despite a streaky shooting touch, his heart is never questioned. When he plays well, the likelihood of the Knicks winning increases considerably. This was evident in a stunning home victory over Jason Kidd & the rival Nets. Conversely, on nights when Randolph leads the team in scoring, a loss is usually the final result. There are those who attribute the Portland Trailblazers 10 game winning streak as a result of ridding themselves of the likes of Randolph. Isiah Thomas, was none to happy to pawn off Channing Frye & Steve Francis for Randolph, but has not reaped the rewards in the win column.

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The Knicks have lacked an All-Star since Allan Houston's last appearance in the 2001. Houston's team went on to finish the 2000-01 season at 48-34 and the Knicks have not posted a winning season since . If the team has any shot at rebuilding its credibility, a legitimate All-Star must emerge or be acquired. The thoughts of Kobe Bryant wearing a Knicks jersey faded away soon after Thomas decided to make headlines for his courtroom appearances as opposed to on-court performances.

-Greg Hutchins