In a season full of negative news, the report out of New York this weekend - that an MRI has revealed a small, vertical tear in the cartilage of Eddy Curry's right knee - barely caused a blip on the NYC sports radar. 

Back in the 1990's, the de facto 'halcyon days of yore' around these parts, if word broke that the Knicks starting center had injured his knee during the finals weeks of the regular season, panic would have swept the city.  Where have you gone, Patrick Ewing?  Our hoops-starved city turns its lonely eyes to you…

However, nowadays the Knicks main motivation in March is no longer securing home-court advantage and gearing up for a playoff run deep into April.  Instead, the goal this season is to avoid ringing up 60 losses, which would set a franchise record for futility. 

It is yet another sad commentary on the state of this decrepit organization.  In years past, Knicks fans, apparently under the assumption that the second-round of the playoffs was their birth right, knocked Ewing and company for failing to deliver a title.  These days, Isiah would like everyone to buy the same bill of goods that he somehow keeps selling to James Dolan – that the younger, more athletic Knicks should be patted on the back simply for "competing," and that they just need more time to develop.     

Back to the matter at hand: Eddy Curry.  As recently as last February, Curry was promoted as the franchise's centerpiece and a deserving All-Star.  But the 2007-2008 season has been a complete bust for the big guy, as he has regressed in nearly every aspect imaginable.  Over the last few months, Curry has been relegated to an overweight cheerleader during the fourth quarter of most games.   However, with Zach Randolph sidelined by a foot injury, Curry had actually started to show some signs of life recently; averaging over 20 PPG during a three-game stretch last week before injuring his knee Friday night versus Detroit. 

Yet, according to published reports, Curry may return to finish out the season. The fact that a vertical tear was found as opposed to a horizontal one has the Knicks' medical staff advising Curry that he could play with the injury without the risk of further damage. 

Why would Curry or the Knicks ever even consider taking that chance?  How does this make any sense?

A few factors to consider here: First, the Knick medical staff's recent track record is about impressive as Isiah Thomas' free-agent signings (remember last season when David Lee's sprained ankle needing "days, not weeks" to heal turned into a 4-to-6 week bone bruise).

Secondly, Eddy Curry is carrying around too much weight, regardless of what Isiah tells the media.  (Another classic quote from Isiah yesterday: "His conditioning has never been a problem," Thomas said. "We're very comfortable with the weight he's played at and comfortable with the weight he's at. He's just a big man.")   As those of us that inhabit the real world are well aware, Curry needs to slim down.  And rushing back to play on a bum wheel would only invite the potential for further injury.  It happens in sports all the time - an athlete comes back too soon and plays through pain, but in the process he overcompensates in someway and exacerbates the problem. 

As has been previously stated, the Knicks season is finished.  Wins and losses don't matter anymore, only ping-pongs balls do.  And Curry is still a young man whom the Knicks owe plenty of money to.  He is also an NBA center who has proven he can average 19 and 7 when healthy, comfortable, and properly motivated.  No reason to risk the future for a few meaningless games. 

Obviously, the smart move is to have Curry undergo surgery ASAP and get him ready for training camp next season.  But, as Knicks fans know all too well, the terms "smart move" and "New York Knicks" are not exactly synonymous...          

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Alas, we would be remiss if we didn't take a second to honor this infamous date in Knicks history.  Today, March 11th, is the one year anniversary of Stevie Franchise's buzzer-beater, aka the shot that launched a thousand more "Fire Isiah" chants.
 
For those of you that don't remember, or Knicks fans that have tried to forget, last March in Washington, Steve Francis hit a game-winning, three-pointer at the buzzer and jumped up on the scorer's table to pose.  With the victory, the Knicks climbed into the 8th and final playoff spot in the East.  For one day.  Inexplicably, Dolan showed up at the Knicks practice the next day and announced that Isiah had "earned" a rich contract extension because the Knicks has shown "significant and evident progress."  The Knicks immediately went into an immediate tailspin and never sniffed the playoffs again.

Since Dolan's ridiculous decision, the Knicks have played 83 games, one more than a full NBA season.  Over that stretch, the Knicks record is 22-61.  A record worse than even Larry Brown could muster.  In the four years that Isiah Thomas has been President of the Knicks, no other coach has had as pitiful a stretch.  Yet, Isiah remains gainfully employed as both coach and GM.  As if the disastrous free-agent signings, unconscionable trades, and mismanaged coaching decisions weren't enough; Zeke was also implicated in a sexual harassment suit in which certain details surfaced that would make even Elliot Spitzer blush. 

But somehow, Isiah is still in charge?  Knicks fans can only pray that next year at this time, there will be a new hierarchy at the World's Most Famous Arena.

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We'll conclude with a snippet from the incomparable Frank "Ice" Isola's blog:

"I'm sorry we made a mistake hiring that coach. In the end, I had a lot of people who thought that was the right move, but in the end it was my move, my decision as the owner of the team and it clearly was the wrong decision." - Garden Chairman James Dolan

Guess who Dolan is talking about? Isiah Thomas? Not on your life. That quote from the Cable Guy is about 15 months old and it was his take on Larry Brown's disastrous one-year run as Knicks head coach.

Brown, you may remember, went 23-59. And not only was Brown fired but Dolan saw to it that Brown's name was dragged through the mud. Dolan was probably convinced that he'd never live to see Brown's record again. Well, guess what? …

Now, who do we blame for that? Van Gundy, Layden, McDyess, Houston, Brown? I know, let's blame it on Stephon Marbury for becoming insulted that before the sixth game of the season Dolan and Thomas decided that the Knicks had a better chance of winning with Mardy Collins as their point guard.

The day Thomas received his extension, Dolan, reading from a sheet of paper, said: "I know there are some that will worry that, 'Oh, the pressure will be off.' Don't worry. This team will play just as hard as it did before this announcement. I really believe they play hard for each other. They want to be in the playoffs and you can count on that as their motivation."