OK , it’s time for big changes at the Garden.
Replace the Knicks “Defense!” chant. Time to go with “Tank!” The fans started a mild “Fire Fisher” chant late in Sunday night’s game.
Embrace the losing like those T-shirts shot from cannons. It’s the only way out for the Knicks and Silent Carmelo Anthony.
Judging by the way the Knicks continue to play defense as a team, which long ago was the calling card of this franchise, the players already have quit on this horrid season, one Amar’e Stoudemire labeled as “mind-boggling’’ on Sunday as the Knicks lost their 11th straight, 95-82, at the Garden, to the Bucks and Jason Kidd.
The next loss will tie the franchise season record for consecutive losses, set in the Ken “The Animal” Bannister days of 1984-85. That was at the end of the season and the Knicks lost eight straight to start the next season. It was ugly. I was there.
Kidd has turned around the Bucks, something Derek Fisher and the Knicks can only dream about.
The Knicks could be riding a 15-game losing streak when these teams meet again in London Jan. 15.
“This is beyond my imagination at this point,’’ Stoudemire said on a night the Knicks dropped to 5-31. “When I first signed with New York it wasn’t the game plan. This is definitely kind of mind-boggling. The past is not here, and neither is the future, so we have to deal with the now and try to continue to get better as a team and as players, try to keep improving.’’
There is no past, no future, no anything at the Garden. No Amar’e, either. He is out with a knee injury. Like Carmelo.
These are the broken down, defenseless Knicks.
“Six of the 10 guys have barely played in the NBA before,’’ Fisher said of his makeshift lineup. “We’re going through a lot right now. If I have to take the brunt of what it is, then I’ll take it. It is my job.’’
Just another night of The Walking Dead.
At this point it looks like a huge mistake re-signing Anthony, who remained sidelined with a left knee injury and probably will not play for at least a week. Team president Phil Jackson was painted into a corner. Perhaps Jackson can find a Zen-like way to trade Melo and start completely from scratch.
There is no way Anthony wants to be in such a terrible situation, either.
Tank, tank, tank.
Samuel Dalembert labeled the season a “tragedy.’’ What did Anthony call it?
Who knows? He remained in hiding for 2015 and did not talk to the media.
There is no past, no future, only losing.
It’s all about the tanking now and trying to sell off any “assets’’ the Knicks can dump.
Even with Anthony, the Knicks are an embarrassment. They have lost 21-of-22.
The website Tankathon.com has only the Sixers ahead of the Knicks now in the race to ping-pong ball excellence.
It’s early, there still is so much losing for these zombie Knicks to do.
Fisher has spoken often about the Knicks playing hard. What he hasn’t spoken about is these Knicks don’t appear to have the will to win.
There is something else missing besides talent.
There is no defensive gear. The Knicks allow every team to attack the basket and score from close range.
There is no need to break down all the Knicks’ breakdowns. This is about a lack of intensity across the board and that includes Fisher, who is taking all this losing way too comfortably.
Asked before the game what a victory would mean, Fisher said, “It’d be better than a loss but I don’t know if it would change anything overnight for what we need to be doing day-to-day.
“We are searching for a win, but I think more importantly we are searching for what winners do in order to win. That’s the harder part and we are still in the very early stages of developing those types of characteristics and habits from each guy top to bottom.’’
Translation: This is only the beginning of the losing. Simply mind-boggling.