Dear Leaf fans,



Man, it has been a really tough year for you guys. Your team is fighting to stay out of last place, the roster is littered with bad contracts, you have no blue chip prospects on the horizon, and the most pro-active move the organization has made is to find guys over the age of 70 to turn the ship around. Wow. I almost feel bad for you. Almost.



You see, I’m a New York Knicks fan. I have been for about 15 years, and when it comes to being hitched with a bad team, you guys don’t know what suffering really is. So, with the Knicks playing the Raptors tonight and the Leafs in their worst stretch since… well, I’m not old enough to remember a worse time… I thought it would be fun to look at who has it worse right now: Leaf Fans or Knicks Fans.


(One)

Has any Toronto General Manager or Coach ever destroyed an entire minor league? No? Well, guess what, Isiah Thomas has. Eighteen months after he purchased the Continental Basketball Association, the league went bankrupt. To quote Champ Kind, “That’s a whammy!”


(Two)

Last time I checked, no senior member of MLSE is or has ever been charged with sexual harassment. Let’s see, what famous former NBA player-turned-Coach/GM has been charged? Oh yeah, that’s right, Isiah Thomas. But wait, there’s more! He wasn’t just charged-- he was found guilty and MSG was forced to pay $11.6 million in damages. You may remember this trial for two great Isiah Moments:



#1 During the trial it came out that Isiah believes it is far worse for a white man to call a black woman a “bitch” than for a black man to make the same comment. That’s classy with a capital K!



#2 After being found guilty, Isiah served up a great one-liner outside the courtroom: “I’m innocent-- I’m very innocent.” Is it me or does Isiah sound like a 9-year-old trying to persuade his mommy that he didn’t take the last Pillsbury Cinnamon Roll. The only thing missing was for Isiah to spew out “Swear to God!”


(Three)

Sure, the Leafs lost 8-0 to Florida, but is that any worse than the Knicks losing by 40 to Philly?


(Four)

Speaking of that game… during Leafs’ road games, do fans ever chant “Fire Maurice”? Well, the 76er fans were doing that. Has this ever happened with any other coach?


(Five)

Are there any videos of Darcy Tucker throwing water at Mats Stajan during a game? I didn’t think so. Well, there is video evidence of Zack Randolph doing just that to Nate Robinson earlier this week. Nice discipline. If Isiah was a parent and the team his kids, he would be part of a special two-hour edition of “Nanny 911.”


(Six)

At the end of the ’05-’06 season, the Knicks had the highest payroll in the NBA, yet they garnered the second-worst record. Can the Leafs make the same claim? Oh wait, it gets better. Last season, the Knicks set a record for payroll at just over $190,000,000, and they finished 23rd overall. This season the Knicks again have the highest payroll, and again they are near the bottom in league standings.


(Seven)

Kubina, Hal Gill and McCabe may have bad deals, but at least they play. The Knicks are paying Jared Jeffries (5-year, $30 million ) and Jerome James (5-year $30 million) to do nothing. Currently they are slated to make a combined $11.4 million this year, but they’re averaging less than eight minutes and about 2.4 points per game.


(Eight)

Yeah, the Raycroft trade was lousy, but compare that to the Knicks’ trade for Eddy Curry. Curry plays hard for roughly one half, gets tired because he is out of shape, and then spends the next half collecting his breath. Eddy will make about $9 million this season. But the money and production aren’t even close to the bad part. The Knicks could have had the #2 overall pick and the #9 overall pick in the last two drafts. Hey, losing out on Tuukka Rask is tough but I’m not sure it’s as painful as knowing you’re stuck with an overweight centre with a heart condition vs. having Joakim Noah and Brandon Roy locked up.


(Nine)

I don’t remember the last time Gary Bettman was forcibly urged to step in and fire Richard Peddie, Larry Tanenbaum, Paul Maurice and John Ferguson. I do remember reports that David Stern was being asked to clean up the mess that is the New York Knicks.


(Ten)

New York’s alleged “best player,” Stephon Marbury, threatened to expose Isiah Thomas’ dirtiest secrets unless he got his starting job again, revealed to having sex in the back seat of his car with a team intern, and has made a habit of mysteriously disappearing from the team. Mats Sundin’s only crime is he doesn’t want to go play for another team because he is committed to making the Leafs better. Oh, by the way, Marbury will make $19 million this year while Sundin is on the books for a mere $5.5 million.



I’d like to write a witty final conclusion, but to be honest I’m way too depressed right now.

When it comes to the Maple Leafs their is no better source than Mike Zeisberger. Mike breaks down what to expect with the trade deadline looming: