David Lee made his first trip to Madison Square Garden in an opposing team's uniform Wednesday Night when the Golden State Warriors faced the New York Knicks. To pay homage to Lee, the Knicks decided to honor him with a 2-minute tribute video before the game. I'm sure the video was very nice (I haven't seen it), but isn't it a bit over the top to pay tribute to someone who never made the playoffs?
This is not a knock against David Lee, as he is a class act and was deservedly one of the most popular Knicks in recent years. After being drafted in 2005, he worked his way from being a role player to becoming an All-Star. He was a loyal soldier, stayed out of trouble and represented the Knicks very well. He held basketball camps in Westchester County, NY this summer, and kept his commitments even after being traded to Golden State. However, aren't the New York Knicks lowering the bar a bit much to be paying David Lee a video tribute? I don't remember tributes for Charles Oakley, John Starks or Anthony Mason, and they were valuable members of playoff teams.
A simple 1-2 minute pause after David Lee's name was announced during the pre-game starting lineup introduction after his name was called so that the crowd could give him a standing ovation would have been enough. Now that they've given a video tribute to David Lee, who's next: Channing Frye?
This is not a knock against David Lee, as he is a class act and was deservedly one of the most popular Knicks in recent years. After being drafted in 2005, he worked his way from being a role player to becoming an All-Star. He was a loyal soldier, stayed out of trouble and represented the Knicks very well. He held basketball camps in Westchester County, NY this summer, and kept his commitments even after being traded to Golden State. However, aren't the New York Knicks lowering the bar a bit much to be paying David Lee a video tribute? I don't remember tributes for Charles Oakley, John Starks or Anthony Mason, and they were valuable members of playoff teams.
A simple 1-2 minute pause after David Lee's name was announced during the pre-game starting lineup introduction after his name was called so that the crowd could give him a standing ovation would have been enough. Now that they've given a video tribute to David Lee, who's next: Channing Frye?
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
