Ben writes: This mock was created the week of the lottery and represents what I think each team will do based on the best fit for their team. I have held back on explicitly saying a team will trade up or down, and therefore have selected for each team based on how a player fits THEM and not any other team. I will do another version of the draft in a few weeks after more player workouts and interviews occur.
On Tuesday morning, I got a chance to interview Metta World Peace over the phone. Metta, an NBA All-Star, Champion, and Defensive Player of the Year, had some great (and funny!) things to say. We talked about Pandas, name changes, Melo, the Knicks, teeth, China, shoes, Kobe, acting, wrestling bears, and more! Sit back, go ahead and give it a read, and enjoy!
The roof didn’t come off for Billy “Eugene” Faison during one of his four deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, or at any other point during his 17 years (and counting) in the army. No, Billy’s lid popped on a cold December day in Indiana, as he watched the Knicks get absolutely decimated by a shorthanded Celtics team.
That 41-point beatdown came on December 8, 2013, one year ago today. The game was a rout from the start, arguably the worst showing in a season full of lackluster efforts for the Knicks. Nearly all Knicks fans were upset… but very few got as angry as Billy, whose tirade (which you can watch below, although be advised of the NSFW language) quickly went viral.
“I was just ranting like I always do,” Billy The Angry Knicks Fan told me when I reached out to him on the anniversary of his rant, “My homie who was behind me is actually a Boston fan. And truth be told, I had no idea I was being filmed til a few moments into the video.”
“They know I’m like this all the time, so Chanci always said he was gonna sneak one on me, so he did.”
Chanci, Billy’s friend and the man who filmed the video, provides a priceless, calm, running commentary which serves as the backup vocals to Billy’s rage.
As for the Knicks gear he buried in the snow (GIF above), Billy has yet to have a change of heart:
“Haven’t worn the shirt, hat or shoes since…I don’t know where the shirt and hat are, shoes are in the closet. Haven’t worn Knicks apparel since.”
The Knicks started turning things around about a month after Billy’s outburst, and salvaged a scrap of dignity with a strong second half, although they fell just short of the playoffs. But the Knicks are off to their worst start in franchise history this season, and Billy is as angry as ever:
“As a fan it looks like we are going through the motions, and this team on a nightly basis doesn’t believe they can win any game.”
“Basically it looks like the Knicks just go out there collecting a check,” said Billy, who cited JR Smith, Tim Hardaway Junior, and General Manager Steve Mills as the most frequent inducers of his wrath, while sparing the universally-admired Pablo Prigioni.
So here we are on December 8, 2014. Billy wasn’t a one-hit wonder. He still posts his angry thoughts on his Youtube channel, Facebook page, and Twitter. While many view his work as pure comedy, he raises many fair points, and as we celebrate the one year anniversary of his explosion, it’s frustrating to see that the Knicks, at least in the standings, are in an even worse place than they were a year ago.
Knicks rookie Cleanthony Early will have surgery to remove a loose fragment in his right knee. It is unclear how early soon he will return, but the forward out of Wichita State will miss at least a month, after which he will be re-evaluated. Cleanthony has played sparingly out of the gate, so his absence will clear a few— but not enough— minutes for Andrea Bargnani, who is expected to return soon.
You can read the interview I did with Early a couple weeks after the Knicks drafted him, HERE
The season is close. Very close. So for those of you who want to follow the team, prepare for the season, feed their excitement for the season, go to some games, watch some games, know what to look for, and have an easy page to reference, read on! This is an “article”, but it will also be posted as a PAGE on our website under the “2014-15 Schedule Guide” tab in our menu, so you can access it easily whenever you want!
This post has game-by-game previews, as well as other information you might want. AND, of course, some jokes!
So to see our schedule guide, click the “Continue Reading” thing, either here or right under the image of Melo below, and enjoy! (I don’t want to clog up the entire front page with one article). You can also just click the image of Melo below. (If you went straight to this article, ignore this paragraph)
New York Knicks Memes 