# Oh-Oh.. Sprewell in Trouble



## Excel (Aug 5, 2002)

Sprewell got fined $250,000 by the Knicks today for not telling them about his broken hand. He's also been warned to stay away from the team. 

Does anyone else smell a trade???


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## dirk16 (Jun 21, 2002)

i do!!! :yes: :yes: :yes:


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

DAMN FINED $250,000!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Can they even do that???


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## Petey (Aug 23, 2002)

They won't be able to trade him unless it's for some pile of scrubs... After this, and his past, how much can they get for him?

If he were traded, it would be for chemistry and for Anderson to get some pt.

-Petey


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## "Matt!" (Jul 24, 2002)

We are SO screwed....


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## nyknicks888 (Oct 4, 2002)

ok, sprewell wont be traded cause scott layden is #1, a jackass, #2, a moron, and #3, a HORRIBLE GM. he cant do anything with spree cuz he wont be able to find anyone to take him. hes is waaaaaay too over paid much like allan, and he is not that good, hes gettin old, hes injured, hes too short-fused if you will. i mean come on, not showing up to shootarounds, showing up 15 mins before game time, punching a guy breaking your hand and not telling the team about it so you can be fined and given a proximity regulation from the members of your team, let alone trying to choke your fomer coach and then wanting to be forgiven, need i say more, (not that i dont LOVE the fact that spree plays for NY, he just isnt worth the trouble sometimes, ESPN did a good job on proving that):upset:  :mrt: :curse: :fire: :naughty: .....all of these are appropriate....


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## Big John (Sep 11, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>nyknicks888</b>!
> ok, sprewell wont be traded cause scott layden is #1, a jackass, #2, a moron, and #3, a HORRIBLE GM. he cant do anything with spree cuz he wont be able to find anyone to take him.


I agree that Layden is an idiot, but not for the reasons you state.
To say that Sprewell was fined for not reporting the injury is total BS and everyone knows it. He was fined because of the circumstances of the injury as reported by the N.Y. Post: he threw a punch at a party aboard his yacht. If he had injured his hand while doing charity work at some orphanange no fine would have been imposed. And Spree is perfectly right when he says that the $250,000 amount is a bogus PR stunt: there is no way that any arbitrator will uphold that fine.

Mr. Layden, let me give you a lesson in basic human relations. When a freak accident like this happens, you say something along the lines of the following (if you ever want the guy to play hard for you again): "We are very disappointed that Latrell fractured his finger, and we hope he will use better judgement in the future and work on controlling his temper. We also regret that there was not better communication between him and the team about the extent of the injury. But Latrell is one of our key players and we expect him to report to traning camp and to participate in drills and in our conditioning program to the fullest extent possible, so that he will be ready as soon as the doctors clear him to play. We also want to make sure that he undergoes proper rehabilitation so as not to jeopardize his career."

See? You make it clear that the guy did something stupid, but that you still want him and care about him. Duh. If I owned the Knicks, Layden would be cleaning out his desk right now.

One more thing: alot of teams would love to have Sprewell, who can flat out score and who plays hard every night.


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

a freak accident is slipping on a banana peel. throwing a punch and breaking your hand in the process isn't a freak accident. it's the result of extremely poor judgement. and then it's compounded by not reporting the injury, and being unprepared to start the season because of your own foolish actions. he showed a complete lack of concern for the team all the way down the line. from his actions that led to the injury to his actions afterwards. why does layden owe him a courtesy he didn't show the knicks.


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## Big John (Sep 11, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>kflo</b>!
> a freak accident is slipping on a banana peel. throwing a punch and breaking your hand in the process isn't a freak accident. it's the result of extremely poor judgement. and then it's compounded by not reporting the injury, and being unprepared to start the season because of your own foolish actions. he showed a complete lack of concern for the team all the way down the line. from his actions that led to the injury to his actions afterwards. why does layden owe him a courtesy he didn't show the knicks.
> 
> 
> ...


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

big john, layden didn't do this to spree, spree did it to spree. layden didn't inform the media, they found out.

an organizations job isn't to stand by their man at all times. there are times they need to draw lines. there are times they need to make examples. things can't always be handled internally without anyone else finding out. you don't want problems to come your way, don't make problems. 

sometimes you have to discipline your kids. if you had the media covering your relationship with your kids, it would be difficult to keep some things out of the media. in which case, you learn to be forthcoming.

the knicks didn't feel spree deserved to be in camp. they think he deserved to be fined. they took action. hard to handle that stricktly internally.


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## Big John (Sep 11, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>kflo</b>!
> big john, layden didn't do this to spree, spree did it to spree. layden didn't inform the media, they found out.
> 
> an organizations job isn't to stand by their man at all times. there are times they need to draw lines. there are times they need to make examples. things can't always be handled internally without anyone else finding out. you don't want problems to come your way, don't make problems.
> ...


Again two wrongs don't make a right. Layden's job is to do what's best for the franchise, including managing the media if that's what it takes. So what if Sprewell doesn't "deserve" to be in camp? Keeping him away will hurt the team. It doesn't matter who is right and who is wrong.

During World War I the French army routinely shot men who disobeyed orders by refusing to go "over the top" and charge into the German artillery and machine guns. They were shot "pour encourager les autres," i.e. to set an example. The result in 1917 was a mutiny in the French army that could easily have cost France the war and certainly prolonged it for months.

Think of how much this fracas is going to cost. With the acquisition of McDyess the Knicks had an outside shot at making the playoffs if the team jelled. Now they have no chance. The Knicks will collect zero playoff revenue. There is another line called the bottom line that is also Mr. Layden's responsibility.


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## kflo (Jun 28, 2002)

i don't think this is a case where all the players will rally in support of sprewell. they understand that it was him who let them down.

layden (who i don't think very highly of) made the decision that he felt was in the best long term interests of the club. maybe next time a player feels that they don't need to keep the organization abreast of any personal items that will affect the club they will think twice.

sprewell is much more to blame here than layden. 2 wrongs don't make a right. but sprewell put himself in this situation. layden's the one that has to make the tough decision of how to best handle it for the club. something sprewell thought nothing of.


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## Petey (Aug 23, 2002)

You have to draw the line... if you don't the other players will run all over management. The Knicks shouldn't worry about attracting other players... they have no cap space, they should worry about getting the most they can from their current players.

-Petey


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## Big John (Sep 11, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Petey</b>!
> You have to draw the line... if you don't the other players will run all over management.
> -Petey


The players have been running all over management for years, and Layden's line in the sand will change nothing. Sprewell makes more money right now than Layden will ever make, and Sprewell will continue to collect paychecks while sitting on his duff instead of practicing with the team.

The Knicks will never sign or re sign another significant free agent while Laden is the GM, salary cap or no-- at least not without paying a substantial premium. No, the players won't rally in support of Sprewell, they'll just vote with their feet.


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