Where has the toughness gone?

Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, John Starks.

Remember when these guys were the heart and soul of New York basketball. They hustled for every loose ball and were not afraid to get dirty. They gave the New York Knicks an identity. These were gritty, in-your-face warriors.

These days we can watch a Knicks game and witness a cast of creampuffs finesse their way up and down the court. The last real warrior who was a member of the Knickerbockers was Latrell Sprewell. Now he is gone and what are we left with?

First, there is Allan Houston, the overpaid and overrated “star” of the team. Unfortunately, when a team pays a guy $100 million dollars and his knees fall apart, they are stuck with him. His reluctance to even attempt to play in last season’s embarassing sweep at the hands of the Nets showed fans what he is really made of. There used to be a man who played Houston’s position who would play with a broken leg if he had to. He would lay it all on the line for his team and his fans. John Starks was no superstar. He was a streaky shooter who once went 2 for 18 in game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals. What he brought to the table was defense, unbridled emotion and hustle. Whether he was clamping down on Michael Jordan or head butting Reggie Miller, he always met every challenge head on. He was fearless.

Then there are the two forward positions currently occupied by the Thomas boys. Kurt and Tim are not total pushovers in the toughness department and the newly acquired Jerome Williams did not get the nickname junkyard dog for nothing. However, remember when we had two guys in the frontcourt built like linebackers who would suit up every game and abuse their opponents all night long. Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley were the baddest of the bad on those old Knick teams. Oakley would dive into the stands for loose balls on a nightly basis. His jumping ability was limited but he always seemed to be in the right place for a key rebound. His propensity for getting into his opponent’s head was a joy to witness. His partner in crime was Anthony Mason who could crush an opponent with his menacing glare alone. He was a no nonsense guy who would carve inspirational statements into his head and pound the opposition for about 40 minutes a night.

Then there were the role players on those old Knick teams. Derek Harper was a crafty old veteran who wouldn’t take any backtalk from the opposing team. Charlie Ward was a former football player and usually played like it. Even Patrick Ewing played through pain and always made winning his ultimate goal. Unfortunately, he never took it strong to the basket enough. Guys who banked only limited minutes like Herb Williams and Anthony Bonner were tougher than what we now have on the bench. I look over on the pine and see Nazr Mohammed and “Moochie” norris. Wow, maybe the entire NBA has gotten soft as players are being paid more and having everyting handed to them. That is why foreign players are taking over the league: they are hungry and have all the desire in the world to play the game they love.

Tim Thomas had a lot of tough words to say about Kenyon Martin during last season’s playoff loss to the Nets. The only problem was that he said them only after he was knocked out of the series with a bad back. He wanted his teammates to do his dirty work for him. Oakley or Mason would have handled it themselves on or off the court. There is no substitute for toughness. It is something a player either has or doesn’t. This season’s roster includes some other frail and unemotional stiffs including Vin Baker, Anfernee Hardaway and Shandon Anderson. The toughest players we currently have are Kurt Thomas, Jerome Williams and Stephon Marbury. Not too bad, but I still miss the good old days.