The Knicks, New York City and me

Me at Madison Square Garden January 2014

"How in the world did you become a Knicks fan?"

I've heard the above question hundreds of times during the last 25 years.  It all started in the spring of 1992 when the Knicks met the defending world champion Bulls in the Eastern Conference playoff semifinals.  In the previous 1991 playoffs, the Bulls swept the Knicks 3-0 in the first round, winning each game by an average of 20 points.  That wouldn't be the case in '92 as the bruisers from NYC pushed the Bulls to the full seven games in a heated series that featured intensity boiling over between Xavier McDaniel, Scottie Pippen, Greg Anthony, Michael Jordan, Charles Oakley, Will Perdue and a host of other players.  Patrick Ewing was especially heroic in game six at Madison Square Garden, playing down the stretch on a gimpy ankle all the while leading the Knicks to a win which forced a game seven in Chicago.  Check out the game six highlights here.

That 1992 series (that the Knicks ultimately lost) is what sparked my passion for the franchise.  Most of my NBA loving friends were obsessed with Michael Jordan and the Bulls.  The axles on the bandwagon were at capacity so I had no interest in hopping on.  I was impressed with the Knicks' intensity and heart.  They didn't submit to Michael Jordan.  In fact, they challenged him greater than any other team during the Bulls championship runs.  I loved the defense, rebounding and hard fouls.  I was hooked and immediately began sporting Knicks shorts, shirts, and caps.  Like my hardwood heroes, I talked trash to fans of other teams, especially Bulls fans.  If the Knicks didn't back down from MJ and the Bulls, I certainly wasn't going to bite my tongue either.  Our family had one of those old school large satelite dishes, and we got the MSG Network which showed ALL the Knicks games.  This enabled me to watch the Knicks on a regular basis and further cultivate my fandom.

I love the Vols, Braves and Dolphins, but my favorite all-time sports team is the 1993-1994 Knicks that came within one game of winning a title.  After dispatching the Bulls in a seven game tussle in the Eastern semis, the Knicks won a thrilling seven game series versus the Pacers to ultimately win the Eastern Conference.  In the NBA Finals, the Knicks played an epic series against the Houston Rockets that pitted two teams desperate to win a championship while Jordan was on a basketball hiatus playing baseball in the White Sox organization.  This may sound weird, but I've never gotten over that series loss.  All the games were decided by 10 points or less, and it went the full seven games.  New York went back to Houston up 3-2, but they weren't able to get over the hump in Texas and came up just short.

I've been blessed to watch the Knicks play in person numerous times.  The first time was in the fall of 1994 when the Knicks played the Spurs in a preseason game at Vanderbilt.  My mom and dad took my best friends and me to Memorial Gym to enjoy the action.  We even skipped out on watching the UT vs. Bama "Third Saturday in October" football game as it was being played at the same time.  Attending that preseason NBA game was a dream come true.  Early in the first quarter, Spurs guard/wing Willie Anderson drove to the basket and tried to dunk on Charles Oakley.  Big mistake.  The "no layup rule" was in effect, and Oakley was whistled for a flagrant foul in a preseason game.  That's the type of intensity the Knicks brought to the gym every single night - whether it was a preseason, regular season or playoff game.

Other live experiences include watching the Knickerbockers play in Atlanta during the 1999 playoffs (the 8 seeded Knicks swept the Hawks en route to the Finals), in Indiana during the 2000 playoffs, and multiple games in Memphis versus the Grizzlies.  More recently when Shay, the boys and I lived in New England, I took my lovely wife to TD Garden to watch the Knicks versus Celtics.  Also, I FINALLY checked MSG off my bucket list on January 7, 2014 when I watched the Knicks host the Pistons.  Carmelo Anthony played a prolific game as the orange and blue bested the Pistons.

There have been some lulls in my fandom, especially post-Ewing during the Isaiah Thomas wilderness years, but during those times, my allegiance never wavered.  Even though I wasn't alive during the old Knicks championship days, I've studied and read all about those late 1960s and early 1970s teams.  Hell, my youngest son's middle name is "Reed" after the great Willis Reed, who was the team leader and sturdy center for both Knicks championship teams.  I've taken the bull by the horns to briefly meet Doc Rivers and Derek Harper, and Shay, Harrison and I did a Ewing Athletics meet-and-greet with Patrick Ewing.  We spent several minutes with the big fella, posing for multiple pictures and talking hoops.  That's a moment I'll never forget.

In addition to my love for the Knicks, I have a strong connection to New York City in general.  My first trip to the Big Apple was with friends to catch a couple of games at old Yankee Stadium.  Subsequent trips included the U.S. Open in Flushing, a family photo shoot in Manhattan, Pistons at Knicks and a whole heap of work trips when I covered NYC as part of an operations manager territory.  For a three year stretch, I was in the city six times per year for work.  I embraced everything about it - the diversity, grittiness and overall vibe.  I even love driving in New York City.  I'm a laid back Tennessee boy, but I can flip a switch to fit right in with the horn honking, cursing, fist wagging hustle of the NYC roadways.

One of my favorite shows of all-time is the short-lived How to Make it in America which featured a crooning Aloe Blacc intro that truly captured the essence of the city.

Most meaningful, however, is my immigration history with New York City.  My maternal grandfather, Angelo Karnazes, came to the U.S. through Ellis Island in 1907 as a 13 year old boy without any knowledge of the English language. I can imagine this wasn't the most comfortable luxury cruise either, as his port of departure in France was Le Havre on November 30th 1907, and his arrival date at Ellis Island was December 20th, 1907. His father, Dimitri, was with him, but he later returned to Greece.  I literally would not be sitting here right now hammering away on my keyboard in Murfreesboro without New York City serving as a portal for my grandfather to enter our beloved country.

The general story-line woven in the paragraphs and sentences above is my connection to New York City, and much of that is centered around the New York Knicks.  I have a genuine love for the Knickerbockers that's hard to fully articulate.  That's what I've attempted to do thus far in this blog post.

The Knicks haven't been easy to root for over the past few years.  The erosion of Carmelo Anthony's athleticism and the team's inability to surround him with proper complementary players has been difficult to watch at times.  The arrival of Phil Jackson, who won two rings with the Knicks as a role player and 11 rings as coach of the Bulls and Lakers, was supposed to usher in a winning culture.  I've read Phil's books, and while I loathed him in Chicago, I always respected his New York pedigree.  In fact, his time playing for coach Red Holzman helped mold his coaching philosophy.

Phil is famous for his effective mind games with players, but he has now devolved into a passive-aggressive Twitter troll/bully that has completely alienated Carmelo Anthony and likely hampered the team's ability to draw star free agents.  Who the hell wants to play for an executive that can't keep a secret and puts his players on blast via Twitter?  Additionally, his failure to suspend Derek Rose for a no-call, no-show back in January showed weakness and an overall apathy towards team discipline.

Phil's failures notwithstanding, the worst part about the Knicks is owner James Dolan.  Outside of Jeffrey Loria and Donald Sterling, I can't think of another recent owner who is more despised in professional sports.  His horrendous history is too long to document in this post, but here's a brief history at this link.

I saw one of my Long Island buddies, Vincent, earlier this week, and he said basically the following, "All James Dolan wants is a Knicks product that will draw fans to MSG Network (Dolan is CEO of Cablevision and Executive Chairman of MSG Networks).  He doesn't care about winning.  That's why you see him bring in aging stars to market on television."  Vinny went on and on about Dolan, and he made excellent points.  Winning has never been a top five priority for Dolan.

Dolan took his idiotic actions to new heights this week by literally having his henchmen rough up Knicks legend Charles Oakley.  The Oak man was arrested and booked.  If you've been living under a rock, read these links to get caught up:

Knicks Invent New Type of Loss as Owner Banishes Charles Oakley

MSG's security chief fired over Charles Oakley incident

SEE IT: Charles Oakley arrested after fighting in stands at MSG, says James Dolan wanted him out of there

There's tons of other stories about the debacle on the Internet.  It's the biggest story in sports right now.  As someone who idolized the '90s Knicks, it makes me sick to my stomach.  Charles Oakley was the ultimate lunch pail power forward for an entire decade at Madison Square Garden.  Nobody better represented the identity of those Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy teams better than Oak.  His teammates loved him, and even more telling, the current batch of NBA stars such as LeBron James, D. Wade and Chris Paul LOVE Oak.  They all consider him a mentor.  Read this story about Oak's cooking prowess and his mentoring of an old foe:

From Rival to Ally: Charles Oakley Helps Jayson Williams Rebound From Addiction

I don't believe a single word from the Knicks PR department, and I don't believe a single word of Dolan's interview with Michael Kay.  I have never been so mad at one of my favorite sports teams than I am over this situation.  In fact, I am fully boycotting the Knicks for the indefinite future (kinda like Oak's indefinite ban).  I have unfollowed the Knicks (and most associated accounts) on all social media platforms.  I just can't entertain the thought of supporting them right now, which is saying something considering I named my youngest son after Willis Reed.

I know there are far worse things happening in our world right now than Charles Oakley getting tackled at MSG, but I just had to get this off my chest.  Typing all of this out and linking articles has been cathartic.

Snubbed

One of my favorite Memphis Grizzlies press pass moments occurred when I was able to briefly meet broadcaster Derek Harper and tell him face-to-face that his spirited and skilled play in the NBA playoffs during the summer of 1994 was one of my favorite fandom moments.  Harper played well throughout that playoff for my beloved New York Knicks, and his stout defensive presence and key three point shooting were primary reasons the Knicks came within an eyelash of winning a championship. 


Derek Harper is widely considered one of the best NBA players to never put on an All-Star jersey.  After a successful college career at Illinois, Harper spent 10 plus seasons as a stud for the Dallas Mavericks (played 16 seasons overall).  His prime seasons were played in a Mavs jersey, including his finest season of 1990-1991 when he was 29 years old.  That year, Harp averaged 19.7 points and 7.1 assists per contest.  Advanced stats (win shares, etc.) show Harper had better seasons, but for argument's sake, let's go with '90-'91. 


The Western Conference All-Star team was loaded with point guards in the 1990-1991 season.  Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Terry Porter, Kevin Johnson and Tim Hardaway were all on the squad.  It's hard to argue with any of those guys, but a case can certainly be made that Harp was more deserving that Terry Porter (with all due respect to Porter).  Essentially, Derek Harper was snubbed.


Fast forward to 2017, and Mike Conley is the new Derek Harper.  Conley is the best current NBA player never to make an All-Star team.  In 2016-2017, at age 29 just like Harp, he is having his best season - 20.6 points per game and 6.8 assists per contest.  Stats only tell part of the story about Conley; he is the on court conductor and leader for a battle tested perennially playoff bound Grizzlies team.  The Grizz are represented by a very deserving Marc Gasol on this year's Western Conference All-Star team, but Conley deserved to be there too.  I believe Conley is more deserving than Draymond Green and Gordon Hayward, both of whom made the squad.  Will Conley break his overdue All-Star drought next season?  I sure hope so.  Until then, he's in snubbed status, just like Harper.


It's eerie how similar Conley's ASG plight is with that of Harper.  Both were/are under appreciated point guards that spent the bulk of their career in small markets (by NBA standards).  The Mavs are much more high profile now thanks to Cuban and Dirk, but that wasn't the case back when Harp and Ro Blackman were leading the team down in Dallas.  Regardless of ASG status, both Harp and Conley are two of my favorite floor generals in league history. 

Prepare for the worst AND best

I am currently immersing myself in a Bonnie Biafore, PMP, MCTS course via Lynda.com. Biafore shares a simple yet profound learning for managing risk. When anticipating and/or managing risks, we need to do it in order to reduce the probability and impact of negative events. That makes sense, right?

Additionally, we need to anticipate and/or manage risk to increase the benefit of positive events. Essentially, we need to anticipate and manage positive surprises so we are ready to meet them head on and fully benefit from them when they arise.

Sure, we prepare for the worst. Like one of Coach Neyland's seven maxims teaches, "If at first the game, or breaks, go against you, don't let up. Put on more steam." However, we also must prepare for the breaks to actually go our way so we know what to do when it happens. How many times has good fortune fallen in your lap, and due to hesitation or not knowing what to do, an opportunity slipped through your fingers? Let's all commit to not letting that happen in 2017!

Can a Divided Nation Come to the Center?

I'm a big fan of content churned out and published by Harvard Business School.  Earlier this month, HBS released Problems Unsolved and a Nation Divided.  It's a continuation of their U.S. Competitiveness Project, launched in 2011, as a "multi-year, fact-based effort to understand the disappointing performance of the American economy."  I encourage everyone to read this 70 page document (linked above).

Some of the most critical findings in the study relate to the political paralysis that is crippling our political system and henceforth, our nation.  As I read about and studied this topic, I couldn't help but think about the polarization, divisiveness, political correctness and bully-pulpits that are running rampant in the following arenas:

• Federal government (Washington D.C.)
• State and local governments
• Media (especially national)
• Social media platform discourse 
• Universities
• Corporations

The HBS authors (Michael E. Porter, Jan W. Rivkin, Mihir A. Desai, and Manjari Raman) delve into an eight-point plan for Washington, first released by HBS in 2012 (page 34).  This plan includes but is not limited to simplifying the corporate tax code, easing immigrant for highly skilled individuals, creating a sustainable federal budget, reforming entitlements, and developing America's unconventional energy advantage.  

I believe there are great ideas and intentions that can be applied to the eight-point plan.  These ideas and intentions can be gleaned from across the spectrum of political associations: liberals, conservatives, libertarians, independents, etc.  In order for gleaning from various viewpoints to occur, however, there has to be an awakening and move to radical centrism.  Such a movement would look to address reform opportunities by using pragmatic approaches that would close the ever-widening gap between emotionally driven vs. data driven discourse and solutions (The modern day skew towards emotion is odd considering we've never had better data or data Web sites at our fingertips).  

Emotions and ideals are crucial elements of our culture, but I believe the level of polarization and name-calling (stemming from emotional idealism) in our nation is choking out realistic, common sense solutions and viewpoints.   I completely realize that there will always be zealots on the far right and far left.  Additionally, some issues are inherently difficult to find common ground on simply due to the nature of the issues.  That said, immediately shutting down political opponents, university classmates or social media users due to their stances on particular issues only leads us further down a path of paralysis.  

Can our divided nation come to the center to address the issues laid out by the HBS authors?  The 2016 presidential race makes me extremely skeptical but hopefully over time, we can come together to address the glaring problems that are hurting the U.S. economy in a globalized world.  There are plenty of folks beating the drum for radical moderatism.  Just open your eyes and ears to media outlets and viewpoints that aren't far right or far left leaning.  You don't have to agree with someone 100% to learn from them.  That's a truth I try to keep top-of-mind.

Lessons learned from eating a Kit Kat

Go ahead and take a long, hard look at the above photo.  If that image of a Kit Kat bar doesn't make you crave some milk chocolate and wafer goodness, you are a stronger person than I am.  The Kit Kat bar has a fascinating and long history, and it is still one of the most popular candy bars all over the world.

Every time I bite into a "break" of Kit Kat, I always appreciate the consistent crispiness.  The crispiness of a Kit Kat bar is tasted, felt and even heard.  That crispy texture is even more amazing when you visually examine the inside of a Kit Kat.  The chocolate covering houses three very thin wafers.  How can those wafers produce such a crispy product?  What can we learn from those wafers?

After giving it considerable thought, I believe it would be impossible for a single, thin Kit Kat wafer to produce proper crispiness.  Therefore, the Kit Kat's signature attribute is achieved by three wafers working together in complete unison and harmony.  This concept can be easily applied to any organization - business, sports team, non-profit, church, etc.  As individuals, we all have our capacity bandwidth, strengths and weaknesses.  On our own, we may not produce a proper "crispiness" that leads to desired results.  However, in organizational structure, tribes and teams can be aligned in a manner for individuals to meld together to produce the desired results or at least put them in a position to achieve those results (uncontrollable factors notwithstanding).  Focused teams of talented individuals who put egos aside and pool their strengths in an effort to achieve shared goals can literally reach the stars.

The Kit Kat bar boasts a second attribute that heavily contributes to its awesomeness.  It lies in the filling between the three thin wafers.  That filling is not a special chocolate or creamy filling.  It's actually mashed up Kit Kats that basically act as glue holding it all together. (MIND BLOWN!)  Every sports team or business needs "glue guys" that hold things together.  

Draymond Green is a prime example of a "glue guy."  The Golden State Warriors forward isn't the best player on his basketball team.  That distinction would fall to Steph Curry.  He's not even the second best scorer on his team (that's Klay Thompson).  Green, rather, does all the little things such as defend all five positions, play "point forward," rebound and provide emotional leadership.  Essentially, he's the glue that holds it all together or the straw that stirs the drink.  Every team and/or organization needs team members that can do a myriad of activities well or who are willing to apply their talents in any means necessary to move the organization forward.  

Just like the mashed up Kit Kats, glue guys don't always get the same fanfare that goes to the wafers or stars, but they are crucially vital to the operation.  I work with some great glue guys (and gals) at my professional work organization.  I can also think of glue guys in other facets of my life whether it's a coach pitch baseball team, church group or my college buddies.  

Whether it's thin wafers working together to produce a proper crispy chocolate bar or mashed up pieces of that same bar working as glue to hold it all together, life and business lessons can be gleaned from a Kit Kat.  Are you working in unison with your work teammates?  Or are you a lone wolf that isn't contributing to the crispiness (success)?  Are you a "glue guy?"  If not, how can you extend yourself in order to achieve "glue guy" status?  After all, the glue guy or gal is talented, but much of their success is derived from grit and tenaciousness.  

This is all good food for thought (literally).

Churning up the Dirt with Dad

There's something therapeutic about digging into an overdue home project.  That's exactly what Shay and I did this weekend.  As part of the project, I had to till up a circular area in our yard.  All the sensory elements of running a tiller - feels, sounds, smells and heat - took me back to my childhood with my dad.

Dad always kept five or so old milk jugs full of ice in the deep freeze.  He'd take them out early in the morning and place them in the back of his Dodge Ram.  We'd hop in the cab and head up the hill to the back of our expansive property where his massive garden was nestled in a perfect area for growing a wide range of crops - corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, okra, banana peppers, watermelons and more.  

I remember just how hard he would work the land and how happy it made him.  From the springtime tilling to the late spring hoeing to the summer harvesting, that smell of freshly churned dirt mixed with vegetable plants and sweat is forever etched in my memory bank.  I can still feel the cold rush of slushy water from the milk jugs after they melted a bit on the tailgate.  "Slow down, son.  You're going to make yourself sick if you drink it too fast."  That oasis of water is the coldest I've ever tasted, Yeti included.

Dad's work ethic wasn't just on display in his garden.  Back in the 1970's, he wanted to get a job at Procter and Gamble but failed the physical due to what were deemed "bad veins" in his legs.  Undaunted, he opted for a surgical procedure to correct the issue.  He showed back up to P&G, passed the interview (again) and aced the physical.  He wound up working there in a variety of roles for 15 years and ultimately retired from the company.

Sometimes the harsh elements weren't enough of a challenge for Dad.  I can still see him in the middle of sweltering July heat cutting the grass all the while wearing a large belt/wrap affixed with Velcro around his waist.  It was designed to make him ever hotter sweating out more fluids, and in his mind, keep him slim and trim.  

Once Dad hit his mid-to-late 70's, his body really started to succumb to cancer.  Once he knew he had only a couple of years left, he feverishly knocked out a myriad of home improvement projects so my Mom would be set up for success once he passed.  He was tough as nails and harder working than anyone I've ever known.

A couple of years ago, I was chatting with a childhood friend of  Dad's.  He told me my grandfather, Asa Taylor, used to tout my dad back when he (dad) was a child stating young Harry Lynn, "could outwork any man in Henderson County."  In reality, Dad had to grow up too fast, but it set in stone habits and principles that he adhered to for his entire life.

My mom and sister certainly have their share of stories they could add to this post.  He's been gone 10 years, but his life lessons live on.  Now I have a couple of young boys tugging on my cape.  I pray I'm etching memories they can cherish one day once I'm down in the dirt.

2015-16 NBA predictions

Eastern Conference

1. Cleveland

2. Atlanta

3. Washington

4. Chicago

5. Miami

6. New York

7. Boston

8. Toronto

The East is wide open for the last four playoff seeds.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Charlotte, Milwaukee, Detroit, Indiana or Orlando qualifies for the tournament.  That said, I am going with the eight teams above.

1^st round winners: Cleveland, Atlanta, New York, Miami

Eastern Conference Finals: Cleveland over Miami

Western Conference

1. Golden State

2. OKC

3. San Antonio

4. Clippers

5. Memphis

6. Houston

7. Dallas

8. New Orleans

The West seems more top heavy than even throughout.  I believe Utah and Phoenix will be in the mix for the eight seed.  Also, Portland will be fun to watch, and Sacramento will win some games based on their talent.  However, the Kings will be a debacle chemistry wise with Rondo, Cousins and Karl.  That’s a trio that won’t finish the season intact.  Minnesota might surprise some folks too.

1^st round winners: Golden State, OKC, San Antonio, Memphis

(Blow up the Clippers!  The Grizz will take them out in the first round.  Doc Rivers might get fired.  I love Doc, but I seriously believe they will implode in the playoffs even with Paul Pierce).

Western Conference Finals: Golden State over San Antonio

NBA Finals: Cleveland over Golden State – I went rematch with a different outcome.

MVP: Steph Curry (repeat)

DPOY: Anthony Davis

6^th man: If Noah continues to come in off the bench for the Bulls, the award will be his.  I suspect he will start most games so I’m going with his college teammate Corey Brewer.  Also, Derrick Williams will have a shot for this as he’s instant energy off the bench for the Knicks. 

Rookie of the year: Kristaps Porzingis (Y’all heard it here first.  He’s more ready than people realize).  That is a heart pick though.  Most likely, it will be Karl Anthony Towns.

Coach of the year: Billy Donovan – OKC is back in a major way!

Most Improved: Derrick Williams – NYK all day!!