There's general alarm among the zebras

July 6, 2008

Before criticizing the NBA's hiring of a two-star Army general to oversee its beleaguered referees, I'm reminded of Gen. Wesley Clark's inane comments about John McCain.

Recent columns

• LeBron's in a long-term New York state of mind

  July 1, 2008

  First and foremost on LeBron James' mind is bringing a gold medal home from Beijing this summer. "Redeem Team," he said of the nickname assigned to this year's version of the don't call it a Dream Team. "I like it."

• LeBron's in a long-term New York state of mind

  June 30, 2008

  First and foremost on LeBron James' mind is bringing a gold medal home from Beijing this summer. "Redeem Team," he said of the nickname assigned to this year's version of the don't call it a Dream Team. "I like it."

• Point-guard landscape sits on second tier

  June 29, 2008

  If Knicks fans booed Danilo Gallinari on draft night because of his name, heritage or an unfortunate and ill-advised comparison to Frederic Weis, their actions not only bordered on intolerance, they missed the point.

• Point-guard landscape sits on second tier

  June 29, 2008

  If Knicks fans booed Danilo Gallinari on draft night because of his name, heritage or an unfortunate and ill-advised comparison to Frederic Weis, their actions not only bordered on intolerance, they missed the point.

• Knicks get their guy, but Nets eye is on prize: LeBron James

  June 27, 2008

  If nothing else, Donnie Walsh found out yesterday just how difficult running the Knicks will be.

• Knicks get their guy, but Nets eye is on prize

  June 26, 2008

  If nothing else, Donnie Walsh found out Thursday just how hard running the Knicks will be.

• Donnie, don't pass on chance to trade Lee

  June 26, 2008

  Of all the scenarios dancing in Donnie Walsh's head leading up to tonight's NBA draft, the least popular one with Knicks fans would be trading David Lee. So it goes. Welcome back to New York, Donnie.

• Donnie, don't pass on chance to trade Lee

  June 25, 2008

  Of all the scenarios dancing in Donnie Walsh's head leading up to Thursday night's NBA draft, the least popular one with Knicks fans would be trading David Lee. So it goes. Welcome back to New York, Donnie.

• Matter of time before Celtics wear crown

  June 17, 2008

  BOSTON

• Matter of time before Celtics wear crown

  June 17, 2008

  With the price of fuel these days, what a shame to waste so much of it to fly the Lakers all the way across America simply to suffer their inevitable fate in a different time zone.

• Dr. J helped NBA soar to new heights

  June 15, 2008

  Julius Erving has been watching these NBA Finals with interest and a sense of history. Few people who didn't wear a Celtics or Lakers uniform feel this strong a connection to the rivalry.

• Dr. J helped NBA soar to new heights

  June 15, 2008

  Julius Erving has been watching these NBA Finals with interest and a sense of history. Few people who didn't wear a Celtics or Lakers uniform feel this strong a connection to the rivalry.

• Stern should realize Donaghy won't go quietly

  June 14, 2008

  David Stern is taking a beating, and he looks like a man who didn't see it coming. To me, that was his biggest mistake - his lack of peripheral vision - when he comes to the latest hit-and-run job by Tim Donaghy.

• Stern should realize Donaghy won't go quietly

  June 13, 2008

  David Stern is taking a beating, and he looks like a man who didn't see it coming. To me, that was his biggest mistake -- his lack of peripheral vision -- when he comes to the latest hit-and-run job by Tim Donaghy.

• Stern needs to move to stop conspiracy theories

  June 11, 2008

  Amid all the allegations and denials that came out yesterday in the latest episode of Tim Donaghy's quest for probation, the most interesting suggestion came from Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

• Stern needs to move to stop conspiracy theories

  June 10, 2008

  Amid all the allegations and denials that came out Tuesday in the latest episode of Tim Donaghy's quest for probation, the most interesting suggestion came from Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

• Time for NBA to drop unfair 2-3-2 Finals format

  June 10, 2008

  Being a lawyer by trade and someone interested in full disclosure, David Stern admitted up front that he was blaming this on someone who is no longer here to defend himself. When asked about the 2-3-2 format in the NBA Finals, Stern said it was the great Red Auerbach who prevailed upon a rookie commissioner in 1984 to do something about the potential for four cross-country trips in a seven-game championship series.

• NBA trainers at times are miracle workers

  June 8, 2008

  BOSTON

• NBA trainers at times are miracle workers

  June 7, 2008

  Paul Pierce walked down the hallway from the interview room to the practice floor Saturday, trailed by a crowd of reporters. His next stop would be a visit with the most important member of the Celtics -- someone whose name you've probably never heard.

• Saturn has rings, and so does Kobe

  June 7, 2008

  BOSTON

• Pressure on Kobe mounts for Game 2

  June 6, 2008

  In the huddle before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, with the anticipated matchup with the Celtics only moments away, Kobe Bryant gathered his teammates for a speech that could have peeled paint off the walls in any version of the Boston Garden.

• Grousbeck and Celtics' brass bringing back glory

  May 25, 2008

  Wyc Grousbeck still has the green pinstripe suit he wore to the 2007 NBA draft lottery, hoping it would provide the luck the Celtics needed to snare the first or second pick - and thus fit Greg Oden or Kevin Durant with similar attire.

• Stern must lift cloud in gambling scandal

  May 21, 2008

  It was hard to see the forest for all the hoopla last night at the NBA draft lottery in Secaucus, which is in New Jersey this time of year. Nets investor Jay-Z and former Finals MVP Dwyane Wade joined the festivities, and of course, the Knicks made their nearly annual trip - though with a different representative.

• Homecourt a real advantage in the NBA playoffs

  May 17, 2008

  If David Stern isn't too busy reading court documents in Tim Donaghy's federal gambling case, he might want to convene a special Board of Governors meeting this week in New York. The topic? Renaming his league the NCA - as in National Conspiracy Association.

• D'Antoni must remember money can't buy wins

  May 14, 2008

  Mike D'Antoni strolled outside the Garden yesterday afternoon, working the Seventh Avenue end on a brilliant New York day flanked by photographers and the usual MSG gatekeepers. He was all smiles on Day 1 as coach of the Knicks, posing for photos with the former home of basketball greatness lurking over his shoulder.

• Cash cow milked again

  May 11, 2008

  There was a recent quote from superagent David Falk that bears repeating now that Mike D'Antoni has leapfrogged Mark Jackson, Avery Johnson, John Wooden and the ghost of Henry Iba to become coach of the Knicks.

• Micheal Ray Richardson puts troubled past behind him

  May 10, 2008

  While the NBA coaching carousel spins out of control, and while the teams that don't need new coaches have been showing why in the playoffs, Micheal Ray Richardson has been busy.

• LeBron will be nightmare for Celtics

  May 5, 2008

  With 3:05 left in the third quarter yesterday, Kevin Garnett converted a layup, absorbed a foul from Zaza Pachulia (which means "mindless antagonist" in Russian) and stood under the basket to tell the fans what they already knew.

• Walsh must take his time in picking Knicks coach

  May 4, 2008

  We still can't be sure about Donnie Walsh as president of the Knicks. All we know is that Jerry Seinfeld would love him.

• Brown back in North Carolina, but for how long?

  April 30, 2008

  The people of North Carolina learned a lot about Larry Brown yesterday, if they weren't around for his days in Chapel Hill or his stint as the coach of the ABA's Carolina Cougars. They learned he's an earnest, soft-spoken man. They learned he comes across as humble. They learned he loves basketball, really cares about it, and that the job he has right now (check your watch) is the best job in the world.

• Brown could revive hoops in Charlotte

  April 27, 2008

  Of the "half-dozen" jobs Larry Brown is considering, it is no secret that the one that makes the most sense is coach and president of the Charlotte Bobcats.

• Next town for Larry Brown could be Charlotte

  April 26, 2008

  Of the "half-dozen" jobs Larry Brown is considering, it is no secret that the one that makes the most sense is coach and president of the Charlotte Bobcats.

• Front office top priority

  April 20, 2008

  For years, what has transpired behind the curtain at Madison Square Garden has been regarded by the rest of the NBA - that is, the normal teams - with suspicion and scorn. Mostly, the Knicks have cornered the basketball marketplace in attracting morbid curiosity.

• Walsh should buy out Coney Island hot dog

  April 13, 2008

  Now that Isiah Thomas' days with the Knicks - or at least his days in a position of any authority with the Knicks - are coming to an end, Stephon Marbury has announced that he wants to finish out his contract in New York. The only problem is, that's Donnie Walsh's decision, not Marbury's.

• What will it take for Knicks to get LeBron?

  April 12, 2008

  There are plenty of contracts to shed and tea leaves to read until the summer of 2010 - the summer of LeBron. But it's never too early to start wondering what it will take for the Knicks to lure the player on his way to being the best of his generation to New York.

• Excruciatingly slow end for Isiah era

  April 7, 2008

  The chills you got if you were sitting at Madison Square Garden a few minutes before 8 o'clock last night, when Patrick Ewing got his ovation - that's the feeling you want in this place again.

• NBA All-Stars can't afford another black eye

  February 9, 2008

  It was almost a year ago, with the NBA reeling from a disastrous All-Star game in Las Vegas, when NBA Players Association president Billy Hunter raised some serious concerns about bringing the event to New Orleans in 2008.