Basketball Bulletin - Both Ships Be Sinking - NYTimes.com Jim Cummins/Getty Images Following the 1981-82 season in which Micheal Ray Richardson made his legendary "ship be sinking" statement, he played for the Nets. So, how many Knicks or Nets fans can honestly say they saw this coming? A 3-9 Knicks team that has managed to lose six straight games at home, a 3-10 Nets squad that put its own fans to sleep Sunday in a bleary loss to a nondescript Detroit Pistons club. Both teams have legitimate injury excuses - Tyson Chandler is out for the Knicks, Brook Lopez and Deron Williams are watching from the Nets" sideline - but even so, the records seem worse than they should be. When Micheal Ray Richardson made his legendary "ship be sinking" statement some three decades ago, he was speaking only of his own team, a 1981-82 Knicks club that finished 33-49. But his words now apply to both the Knicks and the Nets. Yes, both teams are playing in a forgiving division, and conference, where a record below .500 record might still be good enough to make it to the playoffs. But beyond that, is there any real reason for hope? Jump aboard - neither ship has sunk yet - and offer your thoughts.