General: Sterno's Talkin' Smack -- Episode #25

Sterno's Talkin' smack. No holding back here. It's all trash, all the time. Welcome to the Thursday morning edition.

Today's topic was easy to pick. I am so aggravated with Scott Layden and the New York Knicks right now that I just may do six straight columns on just how dumb they are. Now, was that too harsh?

Smack This: The New York Knicks -- Just in case you have not heard about the four-team deal that is close to being a reality, I am here to set you straight on what is going down this week in the NBA.

The deal involves the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers. In the deal the Timberwolves would get Latrell Sprewell, the Hawks would get Terrell Brandon, the 76ers would get Glenn Robinson and the Knicks would get Keith Van Horn.

Obviously, I am going to kill the Knicks, but let's save that for later. I have to keep my journalistic integrity as if I have any, and talk about all aspects of the trade.

For the Minnesota Timberwolves this is a hands down incredible deal. They sat this off-season and idly watched the Lakers attempt to make their own version of a "Dream Team," although Kobe kind of screwed that one up, and the rest of the West including the defending champs, make additions as well.

Now, Minnesota with this weeks moves, has put itself back on the Western map. I would go as far as saying that the T'Wolves are a much better team than the one that almost knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers last year in the playoffs.

Earlier this week, Minnesota added Michael Oliwakandi (the "Candyman"), to play up front. Now, they would add the enigmatic Sprewell, who is much more of a fit in the Western Conference, than he was in the East with the Knicks.

Sprewell will run the floor with Kevin Garnett and he is the type of guy who Garnett can lean on to score some points and get to the free throw line on an everyday basis. "Spree" plays hard, and I will miss him in New York. For all of his off the court antics, on the court he played well for the most part in New York.

Let's be honest. How would you feel if your team paid out a huge contract to a guy who plays your exact position, and you may be better than? Then the team blames you for everything, and accuses you for things that there aren't even sure you did. It is mind boggling the way Latrell was handled in New York by management.

The fans however, treated him with love. The Madison Square Garden crowd will miss Sprewell because he had fire in his game. Something that, the whitest man on the face of the earth, Keith Van Horn, does not.

Think about the starting five now for the Timberwolves. You can put either the budding Troy Hudson or the experienced Sam Cassell at the point. Sprewell will play the two guard. Sczierbiak, Garnett and Oliwakandi will be up front. This is a good squad. I see energy. I see enthusiasm. I see fire. All of these guys leave it on the floor and whether they go to the finals or not remains a question.

Whether they will entertain their fans and fans of the NBA does not. I really like this team.

Now, let's move on to the Atlanta Hawks. So many teams should take a lesson from the Atlanta Hawks. So many teams are looking to just be good enough to sell tickets and win games, but they aren't willing to suffer in order to succeed.

Atlanta traded away the "Big Dog," in this deal, and got back essentially nothing. Well, not really. Terrell Brandon will never play for the Hawks as he is retiring from the NBA. However the salary of $11 million will now come of the cap space for the Hawks next season. Rather than trying to just make the playoffs with Robinson and Jason Terry, the team has decided to look towards the future.

Not much more to say about that except Congratulations!

The Philadelphia 76ers are now the new "Doghouse." Robinson comes to Philly to add to a starting five that includes Allen Iverson of course, along with Eric Snow and Kenny Thomas. With the loss of Larry Brown, as well as most likely Derrick Coleman, the 76ers will have a tough time getting to the top of the hill in the Eastern Conference next year.

However, the addition of a scorer at the small forward like a Glenn Robinson, will certainly help Iverson with support. That has been the biggest issue. The 76ers thought they had that support with Keith Van Horn, only to be completely disappointed. Now though, they will have a guy who can take over a game with his post up play and all out score the basketball. He and Iverson should work well together.

Hey look. He is better than Van Horn. That's all I know!

Speaking of Keith, Oh boy! Let me tell you something. Every time Scott Layden makes a move I cringe. There is no if and or whatever about it. He is a disgrace as a GM. Just because he found John Stockton while he was at Gonzaga, doesn't mean a thing. Do something for my team. Be smart now.

Other than the draft when he did well (although he was reported to be shopping 9th overall pick Mike Sweetney in a deal for Antoine Walker), Layden has totally screwed up the Knicks since his arrival as GM. I know that New York had trouble with the salary cap before Layden got there but he didn't make it any better by adding his Utah boys (Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley).

These two overpaid rejects may have been nice catalysts on a title caliber team but on the Knicks where they are needed, they reek like the bottom of the Hudson River!

Was that too harsh? Okay, so now Layden gets rid of Sprewell which management has been dying to do for over a year. He doesn't have the class that the organization wants. Excuse me? What about winning?

Anyway, instead of trading Sprewell for a power forward that can score like an Antoine Walker, or a point guard because they haven't had a good one in ten years, the Knicks go out and get the softest, laziest, most uncoordinated loser they could have ever acquired.

Van Horn will play the small forward for the Knicks this season. Why is he a small forward at 6-10? Simply, because he weighs about twelve pounds, and I could back him up in the post. Yikes! Now with Travis Knight and Van Horn, the Knicks are closer to a boy band then a basketball team.

Get me some scoring. Get me some energy. The problem is that although Latrell's departure will free up Houston to play the two spot at all times, Houston is a quiet keep to himself guy. No emotion. No energy. Layden took the fire from the Knicks and in return got ice.

What kind of ice? How about in the playoffs last year? How about with the Nets against the Lakers? In the big spot, and in any time where the pressure is on, Van Horn goes to sleep. Sometimes, his coaches don't even allow him on the floor he is so pathetic.

I don't want to hear about Van Horn and his stats. Yes, he amasses seventeen points a game or whatever it is. Yes he can rebound the ball. However, he's got some of the fluffiest stats I have ever seen. All fluff, and no clutch. He can hit three pointers when they don't matter. He can rebound in garbage time. Great. So what???

Van Horn might as well be Armando Benitez with those stats. I am disgusted by this deal. Now the Knicks have one player in Houston, who could be an All-Star. They have a point guard who was a better college quarterback, a small forward who should have a skirt on, and Kurt Thomas who, s a 6-9 forward playing center.

I am sick of this already. That's it. I am rooting for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Go King James!

Scott Layden and the New York Knicks -- Smacked!!!

One for the Road: So apparently Sean "Puffy" Combs thinks he can try Layden's job on for size. Combs told Howard Stern (same last name but oh so different) that he could do a much better job.

"I'm publicly putting it out there because they're not taking my calls."

Yeah, neither is J-Lo!

Hit me up with feedback at eSports (click the Write the Editor link) or on my homepage at http://www.suite101.com/myhome.cfm/theycallmethecloser.

I'll see you all on Friday morning. Til' then, DON'T be the one who's smacked!