Results tagged “knicks,” from Robert Littal Presents The Infamous BlackSportsOnline

Eddy Curry's been slapped in the a** more times since becoming a Knick than maybe even Isiah Thomas. The guy got thrown out of his hometown of Chicago, robbed in his Burr Ridge, IL home, benched by Thomas, benched by Mike D'Antoni, and now comes the coup de gras...

His former limo driver filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him.

Explanation after the jump...

Every year Forbes puts out a list of highest paid franchises. Some of the rankees come as no surprise given the Cleveland Cavaliers have the next face of the league and the Lakers are poised to return to NBA Championship glory, but other rankees in the top five slots would blow even the seasoned sports fanatics' mind. With a #20 ranking toting only $114 million in revenue, it's no wonder the Trailblazers are baller blockin' Darius Miles from signing with other teams,. See where you favorite NBA squad falls on Forbes coveted NBA MVP Teams.

#1 New York Knicks

Team Value $613 mil
The New York Knicks are owned by Cablevision Systems, who bought them in 1997 for $300 mil.

The Knicks won only 34% of their games under Thomas and spent a league high $424 million on players over four years. The out-of-control spending also meant the Knicks had to pony up $126 million in luxury tax payments. Despite the on-court problems, the Knicks continue to regularly sell out the Garden at outrageous prices. Thanks to the addition of VIP boxes boasting a private wait staff and flat-screen TVs in upwards of $800,000 per season, the New York Knicks enjoyed a lucrative $208 million dollars in revenue in 2008. Something to look forward to granted the team is only worth a lowly $35 million currently.

Major corporate sponsors are T-Mobile, Foot Locker (nyse: FL), Coca-Cola (nyse: KO), Continental Airlines (nyse: CAL), Anheuser-Busch, American Express (nyse: AXP).

#2 L.A. Lakers

Team Value $584 mil
The Los Angeles Lakers are owned by Jerry Buss and Philip Anschutz (Net Worth: $8 billion), who bought them in 1979/1998 for $20 mil/$268 mil.

It's no wonder why the Lakers are #2 in the land of most paid NBA Franchises. The Lakers sold out all their games last season and attending a home game at the Staples Center amounted to taking a stroll down Hollywood's Walk of Fame with the increase in celebrity sightings. Thanks to astronomically priced courtside tickets at $2,500 a pop, loyal fanfare, Kobe's MVP award, and a renewed rivalry between long time rivals the Boston Celtics, The Lakers franchise enjoyed revenue to the tune of $191 million last year and a $91 million dollar boost in value from $79 million in 2007 to $170 million in 2008

Major corporate sponsors are Toyota Motor (nyse: TM), American Express (nyse: AXP), PepsiCo (nyse: PEP), Anheuser-Busch, Adidas. Naming rights sponsor is Staples (nasdaq: SPLS).

I have to give it to Nike's marketing department, they sure do know how to turn those wheels on the exploitation, I mean capitalism machine into consumer dollars. First it was 'The Witness', then 'the Lebrons', as if his performance on the court didn't speak for itself, Lebron has become something of a phenomenon, a sports icon if you will at the ripe age of 23. In Nike's latest commercial featuring Lebron, they have him channeling Friday After Next's notorious pimp Money Mike (Powder!) in his surefire next signature move that even Ashy Larry will find cool --- making it rain chalk/powder.

On the court, in a bakery, at your favorite barbershop or in the classroom, powder is the new one dollar bill. So throw your hands up! Everyone is sure to applaud you. Who knows? It might upgrade your A-game, improve your handles, you name it! Just make sure you don't get any on your Air Force 1's, right Young Carter?

If you haven't seen it yet, check out the latest commercial from Nike and Lebron

Lebron VI Nike "Powder" Commercial

Written by Qiana M

Word on the street is that the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, and the New Jersey Nets are all making moves so that they can seek to sign Lebron James and others once they go on the market on or after the 2010 season. Names like Dwayne Wade, Dirk, McGrady, Lebron, Michael Redd, Chris Bosh, and Amare Stoudemire will all be possibly available in 2010 to be signed for the right price. The only problem is their teams know that too and will likely make roster moves to ensure that they retain their valuable commodities. New York, who got off to a solid start this year, has just traded its 2 best players and 2 leading scorers away in hopes of getting under the cap. Detroit traded Chauncey for A.I. because A.I.'s contract will come off the books after this year and we all know New Jersey with Jay-Z want Lebron James to come to Brooklyn if that move is ever made. And I say to all of them be very careful. Back in the summer of the year 2000, Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, and a then lesser known Tracy McGrady went on the free agent market. Teams, especially, the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic, did all they could to shed salary in hopes of landing Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan took his tours and was courted by each of these teams with big money to spend and do you know where Tim Duncan ended up? Back in San Antonio. Grant Hill signed and then traded from Detroit to Orlando (for Ben Wallace) thinking that Duncan would end up there. Chicago eventually got played by Tracy McGrady and every other free agent and ended up with nothing. Orlando signed a then little known McGrady and Grant Hill whose ankle has never been the same. Two of the four teams involved prospered and neither of those was Orlando or Chicago. San Antonio won championships, Detroit with Ben Wallace eventually won a championship, Chicago won ping pong balls, and Orlando won first round exits. The point is, getting rid of all or any players that can help you win in exchange for salary space to go after an unknown is foolish. Its fools gold to basically choose to lose for 2 years in hopes that you will luck out and stumble upon the winning lottery ticket. I am not suggesting that Jamal Crawford or Zach Randolph were going to bring championships. But I also never advocate purging your roster for the unknown.

In twist of fate more topsy-turvy than a ride on Cedar Point's Magnum, New York Knicks' president Donnie Walsh, threw a curveball into the midst of the Crawford-Harrington deal by dickering and dealing Zach Randolph into the equation. A long way from his low scoring, lackluster performance days trailblazing in Portland, Zach has been putting up numbers, averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. Since his girl chasing years at Michigan State, including a flirty encounter with yours truly, I always thought Zach's boyish mannerisms, baby face and under developed talents were better suited for posting up opponents at the Breslin Center than out rebounding opponents at the Rose Garden so nobody other than fellow Spartans, friends and family are as pleased as I am at his evolution into a NBA caliber offensive rebounder and scorer. If there was one decent decision made in the Isaiah Thomas era, it was acquiring Randolph in 2007. Although pleasantly surprised at the 260 pound power forward-center, Walsh just couldn't imagine a foreseeable future including Randolph in newly crowned Knicks' coach Mike D'Antoni's run and gun style of offense, opting instead for a more versatile and inexpensive Al Harrington of Golden State fame.

"Al is a true NBA veteran who possesses multi-positional skills," D'Antoni commented. "He will fit perfectly into our system and will help us win some games immediately."

Here's the rundown of the two trades: The Knicks acquire Cuttino Mobley (2 years, $18.9M), Al Harrington (2 years, $19.2M) and Tim Thomas (2 years, $12.5M) while sending Zach Randolph, Jamal Crawford, and Mardy Collins packing - Zach Randolph (3 years, $48M) and Mardy Collins (2 years, $2.8M) to the LA Clippers and Jamal Crawford (3 years, $28M) to Golden State Warriors. The Clippers in addition to acquiring Randolph and Collins, may have to give up a future second round draft pick. This undoubtedly is a power play to clear up cap space in the tune of $78.8 million, saving roughly $27.5 million as Thomas and Harrington's deals will fall off New York's payroll by summer 2010 to strategically position the Knicks in the rat race also known as the 2010 free agent class. New York has a nice fat chunk of cheese to woo a certain number 23 and possibly another illustrious player who will remain anonymous but has been known to go by the nickname "The Flash."

"I think that opening up cap space down the road for us is a big plus on our side and I hope our fans understand that that can give us an opportunity to make the team better according to the plan that I've outlined,"Walsh was quoted as saying. "So I'm trying to be true to what I said from day one, and that's what I'm doing."
With the Nets postponing their move to Brooklyn due to an unfinished arena, expect the Knicks to be a front runner in snatching up free agents left and right in a class that not only includes Lebron, Bosh and Wade, but potentially high profilers Shaq, Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire, Dirk Norwitzki, Yao Ming, Tracy Mcgrady, Manu Ginobili, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, among others! Will Lebron take a bite of the Big Apple? As much as money talks, Lebron will follow suit where he feels he can fulfill his desire to win a championship. All I can say it's no wonder why Eve found this fruit so tempting.

Hello New York!

Someone tell me where I can get a job like Isiah Thomas, former coach and president of the New York Knicks. After being relieved of his duties, new boss Donnie Walsh has informed the media that Isiah will not have an official title and will not have anyone reporting to him. Did I mention for these services Isiah will make,

So in essence, you can destroy a franchise and get paid almost twenty millions dollars to sit in an office and I assume talk to yourself since no one is reporting to you and you have no title. So no one knows exactly what you do.

I picked the wrong profession. Instead of writing about sports, I should have been in the business side of sports. You know what Chris Henry, Pacman Jones and I would do with that type of money. They would call us "Seattle" because we would make it rain all day and all night.