MSG Renovation Pushed Back to 2012

What was supposed to begin this summer as a $500 million dollar renovation of Madison Square Garden is now being pushed back to 2012. All lay outs and plans remain the same, however due to low funding from the city, plans needed to be postponed. This renovation will also cost more than expected.

MSG execs yesterday in Manhattan proudly displayed a suite sales center that will be the hub of a building renovation that will now take a year longer than expected and cost more than the original estimate of $500M. Just how much more the renovation -- which will add a new entrance, luxury suites and bridges at the current 10th floor above the playing surface -- will cost is unclear. The construction schedule has also been pushed out a year. Originally, the renovation was to have been completed in time for the '11-12 NBA and NHL seasons. But MSG officials yesterday said that the lower bowl will be finished for the '11-12 seasons, with the upper bowl improvements -- including the sky bridges, eateries, and party decks -- finished in time for the '12-13 seasons. "We're staying away from specifics on cost and construction," said MSG Vice Chair Hank Ratner. "That hasn't come to a finish yet." Asked if some of the pushback on the most expensive seats at the new Yankee Stadium and the Mets' new Citi Field would affect pricing at the renovated MSG, Ratner said "We've learned some lessons there ... but I don't think we're selling the same product. And we are blessed with a Manhattan location."

SUITE DEAL: In a yet-unopened sales center, Ratner and others showed sample suites, and virtual views from a variety of suites, including some super-premium Event Level suites connected to some of the building's best seats. Those suites include amenities like working fireplaces. There will also be 58 lower-level suites that are 23 rows off the floor. "We got a lot of feedback from customers and a lot of what they said was get me closer, help me entertain," said MSG Sports President Scott O'Neil. Nonetheless, MSG officials insisted the project was "a renovation for everybody," noting the new entrance, vastly increased size of hallways, better sight lines, 25% more retail locations, and 50% more bathrooms. Noting the sales center would not open for another three weeks at the earliest, O'Neil was loathe to reveal too much of his sales strategy, a project with which CAA Sports is assisting. O'Neil said he is looking for eight to 10 top-level building sponsors, noting none of them extend beyond the '11 seasons. As for new commercial inventory? "We'll have some signature areas, like the attic (entrance) and the bridges that could be very valuable for our signature partners," he said (Terry Lefton, THE DAILY). In N.Y., Owen Moritz notes all 58 lower-level suites "will be 40% larger than the current offerings" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/3). O'Neil said that "many luxury suite customers did not like the typical arrangement where the food and drink area was in the back of the suite, farthest from the action." So for the new MSG suites, "guests in the 'kitchen area' will be able to also see the sports or entertainment, while the 'living room' will be placed at the rear of the suite" (Bergen RECORD, 6/3).

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David Lee and the Snubs

Yahoo.com had an interesting piece with some quotes from Nuggets' guard Chauncey Billups about the top five all star snubs. Billups seemed content with being left off the roster, here's a look at some other guys.

G – Monta Ellis(notes), Golden State Warriors: Averaging 26 points a game, Ellis ranks not only as the NBA’s sixth-leading scorer, but also as the top-scoring All-Star snub.

Ellis also averages 5.3 assists, 4.2 rebounds and an NBA-high 42 minutes. The biggest knock on him is that he is playing for the NBA’s third-worst team – the Warriors are just 13-31 – and is averaging a league-worst 4.1 turnovers. Ellis had hoped that because New Jersey Nets guard Devin Harris(notes) and Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger(notes) made last season’s All-Star Game, despite playing for teams with losing records, he, too, would have a chance.

The problem: Harris and Granger play in the East. Ellis makes his living in the deep West.

So … Golden State’s All-Star-less streak continues. The Warriors haven’t had someone play in the game since Latrell Sprewell in 1997.

David Lee.
(NBAE/ Getty Images)

F – David Lee(notes), New York Knicks: Knicks fans are likely wondering how Lee could be left off the East team when he’s averaged 19.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. The East coaches also could have put Lee on the roster at center, but instead opted for the Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford(notes), who is averaging 13.6 points (fourth on team) and 9.8 rebounds.

Even though the Hawks are one of the league’s top teams and the Knicks began Thursday in 10th place in the middling East, it’s curious that Horford would gain his first time All-Star appearance over a guy averaging a double-double.

Lee was also hurt by the fans voting the Boston Celtics’ injury-plagued forward, Kevin Garnett(notes), onto the East team as a starter. If Allen Iverson(notes) or any other East player is forced out of the game because of injury, expect Lee to be named as a replacement.

Josh Smith.
(NBAE/ Getty Images)

F – Josh Smith(notes), Atlanta Hawks: With all due respect to Horford, if there was any other Hawk who looked deserving to join Joe Johnson(notes) in Dallas, it figured to be Smith.

Smith could even be viewed as the Hawks’ Most Valuable Player. His all-around stats show off the depth of his talent: 15.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.

How can the East coaches explain Smith’s omission? They’ll blame it on the fans who voted Iverson and Garnett as starters.

Smith’s chances of being named as an injury replacement also could be hurt by the fact that two of his teammates already represent the East.

Chris Kaman.
(NBAE/ Getty Images)

C – Chris Kaman(notes), Los Angeles Clippers: Among the snub-ees, no big man in the West is more deserving of a roster spot than Kaman, who is averaging 20.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks.

The Clippers’ record (20-25) didn’t help Kaman’s case. Nor did the Clippers’ co-tenants at the Staples Center. Kaman had said he thought he was more deserving than Los Angeles Lakers forward, Pau Gasol(notes), who had missed 17 games this season because of hamstring problems.

The West coaches, apparently, didn’t agree.

The Honorable Mention List was as follows:

Antawn Jamison
Rudy Gay
Andrew Bynum
Mo Williams
Tyreke Evens

Bad Loss; Knicks Don't Have A Closer

The difference between the Knicks and the top 8 teams in the East was more than evident in last night's loss. Lack of a leader and a go to player sealed the Knicks' doom down the stretch. Often when the Knicks are carried all game by one specific player, it is that player who also makes the big mistake late in games. Last night David Lee, after being left off the All Star reserve roster, was magnificent; until the final 4 minutes. Lee committed two very costly turnovers that were just plain lazy. He also missed an easy right-handed lay up that would have pulled the Knicks within 1 with seconds remaining. Despite being left-handed, he makes those in his sleep. Finishing with 29 points and 18 rebounds is just a taste of the mis-leading stat lines that he continues to put up, night after night. Don't get me wrong, I love Lee and think he is a special kind of player and if I'm asked he or Al Horford, I would pick Lee, hands down. But Lee, like the rest of the Knicks, continues to struggle getting the job down down the stretch of games. If the Knicks were a baseball team, they would be a team without a reliable closer, a team that can never expect to go anywhere.

Yes, Mike D'Antoni has maximized every ounce of talent he has on this roster and I commend all the Knicks for their increased effort and dedication to detail this season. But an 'E' for effort will not get you into the playoffs. All 8 team ahead of the Knicks have started to tighten up any chinks in the armor and pull away from the rest of the pack.

Starting from the one seed and going down to the current eighth seed, each of those teams has at least one thing the Knicks do not have. A go-to player.

Cavs obviously have Lebron James as their closer.
Celtics will use Pierce as their horse.
Atlanta is interesting because they actually have two in Jamal Crawford, who has built himself a reputation for making clutch shots being the best part of his game. But Joe Johnson is the MAN on that team and if he wants the ball, he gets it.
Orlando gets a little tricky, in my view, they are missing this true closer, but with the surplus of talent they have on their roster they have guys in Rashard Lewis and Vince Carter that are both capable of making big shots and have done so before.
Toronto as we saw last night, has Chris Bosh. A legitimate all star PF. Hedo Turkoglu is also a proven big shot maker.
Miami has a top 5 NBA player in Dwayne Wade who is definitely a legit closer.
Bulls, losing Ben Gordon may have raised eyebrows in this aspect but they have remained strong. With their improved play this past month I would definitely say Derrick Rose is their go to guy with Luol Deng as a strong #2 option.
Bobcats have what I'd call one of the best shooting guards in the league in Stephen Jackson. If you factor in his clutch-ness, he creeps up even higher on that ladder.

The charging foul on Al Harrington looked like a block to me and at home I would expect the Knicks to get that call. No one argued; players nor the announcers so I am sure I'm alone on that theory, but I've watched enough NBA to have seen that go the other way numerous times.

Regardless another loss is in the books, but this one hurts. Knicks lose more ground in the standing and go 0-2 in a two week span against a division rival. Back to back road games in Washington and Minnesota this weekend loom large for the Knicks small window of post season opportunity.

Duhon Responds To Nasty Comments About Haiti

Yesterday, Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News reported that former NBA bum, Paul Shirley, made some very disparaging remarks about Haiti regarding their recent natural disaster.

NBA players were outraged Wednesday by anti-Haitian statements issued by former league player Paul Shirley.

"I haven't donated a cent to the Haitian relief effort. And I probably will not," said Shirley, who was a seldom-used reserve forward in 2004-05 on Mike D'Antoni's Phoenix Suns team. "I don't think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either.

"... Shouldn't much of the responsibility for the disaster lie with the victims of that disaster?"

Shirley also penned a sarcastic letter of thanks to the Haitian people that read, in part: "Kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure and birth control should be applauded."

ESPN Wednesday fired Shirley from his gig as a freelance commentator. The network released a brief statement saying that Shirley's views "do not at all reflect our company's views on the Haiti relief efforts. He will no longer contribute to ESPN."

Shirley's heartless statement stunned Chris Duhon.

"That just speaks about who he is as a person," said the Knicks' point guard. "We've come so far in this world in terms of racism and stereotypes and things like that. And for a guy who has played in the league, to say something like that, that reflects badly on us, as well.

"We're going to let people know that we're not like that," Duhon added. "The NBA is not like that. We do a lot in the communities, especially with our NBA Cares program. This is not just for a public image. It's because guys really want to do it. It's a shame that one guy can kind of tarnish that for you."

Shirley, 32, played at Iowa State and spent one NBA season each with Chicago, Atlanta and Phoenix before heading to Europe. The last NBA team the 6-10 forward tried to catch on with was Minnesota.

D'Antoni seemed surprised by his statements.

"I can't comment because I have no idea the context he said it in," he said. "I just know for us, when we were in Phoenix, Paul was a good guy and an extremely bright person. I remember that he wrote a book and a screenplay and he did some blogs. So I don't know what happened."

Shirley's anti-Haitian stance is in opposition to that of many of his former peers. Almost 50 NBA players have pledged to donate a minimum total of $500,000 to the Clinton Bush Haiti fund. Ten players donated $1,000 per point in games played last Friday, including the Lakers' Pau Gasol, who contributed $20,000 via his 20-point game against the Knicks at the Garden.

The fund-raising effort was announced at halftime, with former president Clinton delivering an emotional talk during a live interview. He detailed what he saw in Haiti during his recent visit to the earthquake-ravaged country.

Among those who chose to donate was the Knicks' Danilo Gallinari.

"I think it's so important for the NBA and for me to do this," Gallinari said. "I live a different life from all the people there. They cannot live the life I'm living. I'm lucky. So I felt I had to help them and that's what I did. I hope that help can really help those people."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/2010/01/27/2010-01-27_paul_shirley_haiti.html#ixzz0dwaY2cwU

I admire Duhon's gusto in stepping up and saying something about this. He showed class and consideration stating that this reflects poorly upon NBA players. However it seemed as if D'Antoni took an easy way out. Some like to keep their politics to themselves which I agree with, but this was a smoking gun and he should have said something along the lines of disapproval. Since his remarks, Shirley has been relieved of his ESPN job .

More comments made by Shirley that were not in this article were, ""use a condom once in a while" and stop building "shack-towns." These were in a recent blog post on The Paul Shirley Blog. Out of respect for the Phoenix Suns and the other teams Shirley unfortunately played for, I chose not to use a pic of him in an NBA uniform. He is a disgrace.

Knicks Need A Win, Playing Through Injuries

Nate, Wilson and Harrington all have nagging injuries but they played through it on Tuesday and hopefully they will again tonight. All of them are listed as probably, as of now and their services will be needed. Toronto crushed the Knicks back on January 15th and the Knicks owe them one. Games against teams with similar records as the Knicks are extremely important.

The Knicks started a crucial 6 game stretch on a good note, blowing out the putrid T-Wolves. Now the going gets tougher. A very long and talented Raptors team and two games with Washington will be tough wins to come by. Don't want to look to far ahead. As far as tonight goes; if the Knicks come out, once again in a matchup zone, expect them to be blown out of the building..Once again. Toronto is much to good of a shooting team to play a zone against. Players need to man up and get in a guys grill tonight. I'm hoping for the type of effort the Knicks gave 3 weeks back when they beat the surging Bobcats at the Garden.

A win tonight would be huge for the Knicks confidence.

Not Invited To The Big Dance

Unfortunately it has been reported that our very own D-Lee was left off the reserves list. It's a shame because he really is having an all star year. Obviously the Knicks record played into but I dont think it's fair to say, as some are, that the speed ball system inflates his numbers. After all, the Knicks don't even play speed ball anymore.

Rookies vs Sophomores Rosters

Clearly the sophomores should have no problem winning this game by at least 15 points. This is one of the worst rookie rosters (talent wise) I've seen since they changed the format of the game. But we'll see what happens.

Rookies:
Omri Casspi
Taj Gibson
Jonas Jerebko
Stephen Curry
Brandon Jennings
Jonny Flynn
Tyreke Evans
DeJuan Blair
James Harden


Sophomores:
Danilo Gallinari
Derrick Rose
Eric Gordon
Kevin Love
Brook Lopez
Marc Gasol
O.J. Mayo
Russell Westbrook
Omri Casspi

Despite Recent Post.....

Any Laker fan who wears this tee shirt is O.K. with me....

Laker Fans; Artificially Flavored

It was a much anticipated return to the Garden for Kobe Bryant on January 22nd 2010 and I was lucky enough to attend. I was also so lucky to be there last February when he scored 61 points in the very same location. The buzz was unreal; it was an unforgettable atmosphere in New York. Everyone was expecting a repeat of the magical performance he put on the year before; everyone except maybe Kobe himself.

So despite my gushing over the scene and overzealous use of the word 'magical' there was one group of people really bothering me throughout the entire game; Laker fans. Being a New Yorker my whole life, I fully understand the 'religion' of front-running; rooting for the best team at the time. However, the 'front-running religion' can be practiced in many different ways. Sometimes u can be a front-runner for a team in your own city. I don't call myself a huge football fan whatsoever but I am in the loop enough to know a thing or two. Let's take the New York Giants for example. Ever since 2007 when they had their (my favorite word in this post) 'magical' playoff run; there seems to be a brand new class of Giant fans, who were hidden underneath rocks for the past several seasons. Now all of the sudden, they've formulated some sort of a loud, arrogance. I mean, yes, championship rings WILL do that to fans, even New York fans. I for one, chose not to jump on bandwagons. Staying with a team through thick and thin seems more appealing to me and it is actually something I take pride in; Hence NyKnicksBeat.net.

What bothers me the most is the things Laker fans have to say. So I went out of my way to ask a few of then a couple of questions.

-Where are you from?
Queens
-How long have you been a Laker fan?
Forever!
-What number is Kobe Bryant?
8......i mean he changed to 24
-What geometrical shape did the Lakers name their offense after?
What?
-What college did Kobe Bryant go to?

And yes I did get an actually answer to this, I believe the person said, UCLA or USC

All of these questions are more than common knowledge to the average NBA fan, let alone a so-called "Laker fan." As the Lakers pretty much dominated the entire game, more and more I began to see how clueless they really are about the game of basketball. Cheering a made free throw in the 2nd quarter as if it was a monstrous dunk got quite annoying. So did the the token 22 year old girls yelling "lets go Kobe" every time he touched the ball.

It seems trendy now amongst NBA fans to do the 'M-V-P' chant while either Kobe, LeBron or Wade is at the free throw line either at home or on the road; they did so last night in Miami for Wade. I must admit, in that respect i am a little jealous. I mean how great would the Garden sound if we had the luxury to chant that at one of our players a couple times per game. Just the thought gives me chills, why? Because it's never happened before. New York, as far as the Knicks are concerned, has never had that superstar to call an MVP. L.A. seems to have one every year.

Where is the substance to Laker fans? When have they struggled? Someone once told me that you can't be truly passionate about something that never lets you down and I truly hold a lot of stock in that statement. If the Knicks didn't play poorly enough to earn the 8th seen in 1999, would their run to the NBA finals have been so special?

My gripe here is, I don't think half the Laker fans that went to the game on January 22nd even rooted for the Lakers before last year. In fact, they probably rooted for the Celtics which to some might even be sacrilegious. Even in L.A. the stands remain empty until the 2nd quarter, even in big games! I had a friend who was actually in San Diego when the J-E-T-S bounced the Chargers from the playoffs and he said he wasn't even heckled. Does passion exist on the West Coast? Is it so laid back over there that not a strand of stress exists? If in fact my questions are true, then in some ways I am envious. But not when it comes to be a sports fan. I'm sorry, but passion is the foundation to it all. Without passion you are casual and people pretend they aren't casual when a team is winning. When that team is losing, all the sudden, going to the beach is more important. I'm not alone in my theories either. Andrew Feinstein gave a top 10 reasons why he hates Laker fans. One of them in particular stuck out in my mind:

5) They’re the biggest bandwagon fans in the country and only support the Lakers when the team is really, really, really, really good. They’re such bandwagon fans, in fact, that when the Clippers were the better team two seasons ago, everyone in LA was suddenly a Clippers "fan" (just like everyone in LA was suddenly an Angels "fan" in 2002 and suddenly a Rams "fan" in 1999).

For the rest of his reasons, which were very good in fact check it out HERE

Hey Laker fans; learn something about your team. They're pretty damn good and if you actually watch them closely, maybe you'll realize that being a Laker fan isn't all about saying...you're a Laker fan. As I end this post, I just want to take some time out to apologize to the actual REAL Laker fans. I know you're out there....somewhere...unfortunately, you're just not the majority.

Larry Hughes Practice Situation

Frank Isola had the report that despite the Knicks' best efforts to cover it up, Larry Hughes did in fact leave practice early. Apparently it was an attempt to avoid discussing his current status with the team. This coming after Hughes, out of frustration called D'Antoni's rotation, 'a joke.'
"There's frustration," Hughes said.

"There's no anger. I'm just frustrated. There's no other way to put it. I want to be out there playing and helping the team win. "I don't want it to look like I'm complaining. He's the coach of the team. It's his decision to put guys in the game and to take guys out. If my time comes again I'll be happy. But if not I'll just continue to do what I've been doing. But at the same time I'll still be frustrated because I want to play basketball."

I am not a fan of guys like Hughes who seem to often forget that playing in the NBA is a privilege not a right. You must earn your playing time and Larry, you weren't earning it. Larry should just take his seat and shut his mouth. $14M a year is an absolute joke for this guy. Be proud of being the poster boy for the over paid group of mediocre players that you're in. As the talks of a buyout heat up I have to say that I am all for that. I need to see how it would effect the Knicks exactly but I am in love with the idea.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2010/01/knicks-could-say-buy-to-hughes.html#ixzz0dBzRZAxZ

Nate Robinson TRADE

I'd rather see another Nate-gate situation than trade him to the Celtics for the garbage we'd get in return. Unless Jared Jefferies is going with him, I am very against it. Sending JJ with him would enable us to sign 2 top free agents at maximum salary value this summer so I'd be all for it, otherwise it makes no sense. Tony Allen, J.R. Giddens, and Bill Walker are all no names. The only attractive aspect of the their package would be that they all have expiring contracts. Other than that, this move would tank the season. This trade would also make the PG situation even worse than it is. Nate has flashes at times of a floor general and sometimes as a prolific scorer. His inconsistencies have drawn the ire of Knick fans as well as our head coach, Mike D'Antoni. given the fact that his contract is up at the end of this season, I really don't see the upside in trading him unless it will make the team better or increase our spending money for the free agent class of 2010. Nothing may come of this at all however today talks have heated up big time!

Been A While ; What's going On?

It's the midway point of the season and yes, the Knicks have the same exact record as they did last year; 17-24. This year seems different though. Closing in on the coveted summer of 2010, the aura of Knick-land has a different spark to it.

Without a doubt, the Knicks are playing their best basketball since the 2003-2004 season. Their effort has improved on the defensive end immensely and it has translated into wins. Wins they would not have gotten in previous years. Granted, 17-24 is nothing to brag about at all; however the Knicks don't seem to be winning by accident anymore. The new defensive attitude has enabled them to hold leads as well as get themselves back into games. The Knicks have also countered their inability to establish any type of home court advantage with decent play on the road. Last year they won a total of 12 games on the road and this year they have already won 7. More than the number of wins, I'm impressed with the quality of victory. Two wins in Atlanta and one in New Orleans, which completed the 2 game season sweep of them.

Who are the main culprits of these new attributes, you may ask? Surprisingly, the defensive versatility of Jared Jefferies has been the key. Often guarding point guards such as Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo creates somewhat of an 'annoying' presence for the opposing point guard. The play of Wilson Chandler has also been important. Often guarding the other teams best perimeter player, Wilson has stood clear of cheap fouls and created havoc. He can still do a better job helping on the glass and play the passing lanes better. With his athleticism, he could and should average 1-2 steals every contest.

Effort goes a long way in this league; just ask Larry Brown's Bobcats. The number one defense in the NBA statistically and they currently hold the 7 seed in the East. People always say, the East is a joke, it's weak, and they can't be argued with. However, the playoffs in any sport are a crap shoot, just ask the 1999 New York Knicks. Once you get in, anything can happen.

It's an easy week for the Knicks, considering the fact that they don't have any games until Friday when all hell will seemingly break loose. The Lakers come in Friday, followed by Dallas on Sunday. Fighting for a playoff berth, the Knicks have no time for another losing stretch of games. After playing very well through December, the Knicks are just 5-5 in their last 10 games and have lost 4 of their last 6 including an embarrassing blow out home loss to the Raptors.

It's very hard to get a good grasp on whether or not this team will make the playoffs or not. A good combination of competing hard against the elites and taking care of the games against the teams with similar or worse records will be the formula, but do they have what it takes. Lately, amidst the recent losing funk, the Knicks have shown a certain fatigue that would definitely prevent them from the post season. It's clear that Chris Duhon can't start in the NBA but sadly he is our best facilitator so he must play. Unless Nate Robinson finally grows up and increases his decision making level to that of a player that has been in the league for 5 seasons. We'll see what happens, should be an interesting weekend let's hope Kobe doesn't go for 71 this time.