DEBUSSCH: REBUILD NOW!
Ex-Knick great Dave DeBusschere, who won the Patrick Ewing lottery when he was GM, would tear it down and rebuild the Knicks immediately if he were the boss.
Asked at the Boys Club of N.Y. dinner Wednesday night at the Waldorf whether New York could tolerate a rebuilding program, DeBusschere said, “Unfortunately, I think that’s the only way they’re gonna get back.”
His old team saddens DeBusschere. “I don’t want to be critical of management, but for the last three, four years they’ve made critical mistakes,” DeBusschere said. “They’re paying the price.”
As for Latrell Sprewell, “He made a big mistake, you hurt your damn hand, you gotta report it,” DeBusschere said. “There’s no excuse for that. Whether or not they fine him or do all these other things or ban him out of camp, I thought was all a bunch of stupid stuff … But the guy’s a gifted athlete, he adds a new dimension to the team. I certainly would think that if he was on the floor they would have won a couple of these games they lost.”
DeBusschere, who works in commercial real estate, goes “maybe four or five” times a year to the Garden. Exasperated fans express their frustration to him all the time, “Most people say to me they’re not gonna win 20 games this year,” DeBusschere said.
We hear there soon may be an across-the-board bloodletting at the World’s Most Famous Arena. Too many staffers, not enough wins.
Those adept at surviving such calamities will survive again, but we’ve been told that this could get ugly with a good number of Garden workers on all levels taking a hit.
DEAL WITH THE DEVILS
Luol Deng of Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J. – the top basketball prospect in the country behind LeBron James – chose Duke this week, putting a smile on Mike Krzyzewski’s face, but there was more to this recruiting story.
Coach K spent serious recruiting time with Deng’s parents in London because Duke just happened to play some exhibition games there last month. When playing in a foreign country you can make all the recruiting visits you want. Deng’s dad Aldo is the former transportation minister of Sudan and was impressed with Coach K’s moves. The 6-8 Deng didn’t make his final decision until getting the OK from dad, who flew from London to where? this past weekend to give his Blue Devil blessing. Recruiting guru Bob Gibbons says Deng is “the kind of player who will win you a national championship.”
A DOG’S LIFE
Cardinal back Thomas Jones will be spoiling his dog Shasa at the Beneful Smart Spa this Saturday in Tempe, Ariz. The spa is on a tour of 15 cities and offers dogs a chance to sample the good life that includes massages, doggie treadmills, nutrition and aromatherapy. “My dog plays a big role in my life,” Jones says, “especially during the season. I like to spoil Sasha as much as possible. This will be a great opportunity to see if I am doing the right thing.”
Oh, we don’t expect Sasha to complain. Hundreds of dogs are expected to show up at the event, which is free.
POSTSCRIPTS
Jeremy Shockey is hot! His jersey is the best-selling rookie jersey in the NFL and he is the only rookie to break into the Top 25, at No. 13 overall. The three top-selling jerseys belong to Brian Urlacher, Tom Brady and Michael Vick … Marv Albert and Mike Fratello have signed a multi-year deal to be the voices of EA Sports’ NBA Live. “I’m really thrilled because the Czar has a cult following among video game users,” El Marveloso told us … Robbie Alomar spent most of the 13-hour trip to Japan talking to Art Howe and came away using a word that is not often associated with Howe: exciting. Alomar thinks Howe is a great choice and promises, “He’s going to play an exciting brand of baseball” … Turns out Boston wasn’t the only team interested in Gene Michael. Baltimore also wanted to talk to Stick.
MR. BILL, MR. HOOPS
Bill Walton, who just turned 50 this week, can’t get enough basketball. As he travels across the country analyzing the game for ESPN and ABC, Walton always finds time to stop and share his passion with America’s youth, especially now that he is on the advisory board for the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA. The league, which boasts half a million players, tips off its second season this week.
At a recent clinic in Portland, Walton was drenched with sweat after he ran through some drills. “I have four sons who each developed their own passion for the game and my hope is that the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA can spread that same passion to the millions of kids playing the game today.” says Walton, who will be at the Harlem PAL Center on Tuesday. Sue Bird, who is also on the advisory board and is so talented she could be the Knicks’ point guard, will be a guest on Rick Wolff’s talk show this morning on WFAN.
THE LAST WORD
Bills Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly votes yes on Phil Simms in the Hall of Fame. “I definitely think he does [belong],” Kelly told us. “Too many people just look at stats, and Phil had great stats, but what everybody that I’ve known in the past that have talked about Phil and known him personally, he was a great leader, he was a guy that if something went wrong, he was there to make sure that it got straightened out. He was just more than a pure quarterback, he was a leader too.” Told that The Insiders considered the two of them similar, Kelly smiled and said: “He was a tough SOB, too.”
