This just in: The Knicks insisted on Wednesday that Raymond Felton’s arrest Tuesday morning on gun charges is not a distraction. Therefore it’s safe to assume their free fall into NBA oblivion won’t be interrupted.
This news is sure to disappoint Knicks fans, who thought Felton’s legal troubles might serve to galvanize a team in need of a mission. Instead, the Knicks have vowed to act like the arrest of their starting point guard for illegal weapon possession never happened.
“The bottom line is Ray is a part of our team, and as his coach I’m going to support him,” Mike Woodson said, “and make sure he’s doing everything the right way from here on out.”
Felton, out on bail until his June hearing, declared, “This is not a distraction to the team.”
Too bad. Sometimes distractions can be positive. They can create unity, breed defiance or take the focus off misery. They can also make or break a fragile team. That’s why the Knicks face their Armageddon against the Heat at Miami on Thursday. Will they stand united and fight? Or are they broken?
It’s perhaps the last chance for the Knicks (21-36) to show they haven’t given up hope of making the playoffs. It’s a chance to show their ultimate support for Felton.
“We understand the task at hand,” Tyson Chandler said Wednesday. “We understand we have to get out there and approach this game as do-or-die.”
Five games out of the East’s eighth playoff spot with 25 games to play, the Knicks have their heels on the edge of the cliff. They’ve lost nine of their past 11 games and are 1-4 since the All-Star break.
Woodson tried to paint an optimistic picture by saying, “We’ve been playing pretty good basketball. Unfortunately we haven’t won games.” But the reality is the season has been a disaster.
The roster is in disarray. The contracts of Beno Udrih and Metta World Peace were bought out, and we probably won’t see much more of Andrea Bargnani, Iman Shumpert and Kenyon Martin for the rest of the season. J.R. Smith has been a huge disappointment, and Felton’s performance already was under scrutiny before his soon-to-be ex-wife mounted her own run-and-gun offense.
Now the Knicks must face the Heat, who have sustained their swagger while the Knicks have fallen apart. Dwyane Wade admitted, “It’s a shock” to see the Knicks struggling the season. But don’t expect Miami to show any sympathy.
It’s a long shot, but the two teams could meet in the first round of the playoffs, and the last thing Miami wants is for the Knicks to have any kind of psychological edge should that happen. The Knicks beat Miami, 102-92, in January, but lost, 106-91, Feb. 1. Both games were at the Garden.
“We always see a different Knicks team,” Wade said.
But this Knicks team is running on fumes. A hard-fought effort was wasted against the Mavericks on Monday night at the Garden when Dirk Nowitzki hit a difficult game-winning shot — the ball bouncing off the glass then high off the rim before dropping through the net at the buzzer. If losing in heartbreaking fashion wasn’t taxing enough, the sun wasn’t up before news spread Felton had been arrested.
Of course, Felton’s situation is a distraction. Anytime players and coaches are talking about anything other than the next opponent or the next game, it’s a distraction. When it involves an off-the-court criminal matter with a high-profile player, it’s a bigger distraction.
The Knicks are in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons: a bad season, a bad decision by Felton. There are plenty of excuses for them to pack it in. We’ll find out against the Heat whether they have.