Our quote of the day is brought to us by New York correspondent Malik Rose.
Says Marc Berman's piece in Friday's New York Post:
Contrary to Isiah Thomas' proclamation, Rose said the Knicks don't have what it takes inside the locker room to be a winner.
Rose said the Knicks are not like the Spurs...
"There are things that are different (in San Antonio) than here," said Rose, in his fourth season with the Knicks. "There are a few small things . . . that are the difference between winning and losing. In some instances you have to be born with them. In some instances you can work to get them. We need more of those things."
Of course, the affable Rose's commentary is correct on both the fronts that there are often minute differences between winning and losing, and, yes, the Knicks are not the Spurs. Earth-shattering, I know.
Granted, some might hasten to argue that the differences between the two franchises in question aren't that small. The issues of having great coaching, great management, Tim Duncan, a stud point guard, Manu Ginobili and a bench of role players who know their jobs and do them well might be worth somewhat more than moderate value here. The 'little stuff' comes after that.
Of course, the bigger issue here is that Zeke's recent championship talk has anyone even making comparisons between the 'Bockers and the black and silver. With the Knicks sitting at 8-22 and having lost five straight and 11 of 13 overall, the real tough questions here should be along the lines of "What separates the Kings from the Knicks?" Or "how can the Knicks emulate the Bobcats?" Especially given that both those teams have beaten the Knicks by double-digits in the past three weeks. Seems like the Spurs might be a bit of a lofty comparison these days.