Paging Mardy Collins… You are required to check in at the scores table for Knicks defensive purposes tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers…
Renaldo and Nate had good games statistically off the bench for the Knicks Sunday night against Golden State. But I agree with Harlem in Md, the Knicks-Warriors game should have been a win and we let it slip away. Certainly seems like a theme this year when you put aside the early blowouts.
Great effort throughout the game though, yet I think in the fourth quarter we went away from what we were doing well and we allowed them to take it from us. I did think Nate was shooting the ball fairly often, but at the time, everyone else on the floor was very hesitant to shoot it for the knicks, so Nate was needed at the time to create for himself and keep us in the game.
Upon replay of the fourth quarter, it is worth noting that Quentin had a good look at the basket and missed an uncontested three pointer, David Lee got the offensive rebound and kicked it back to Q who was WIDE OPEN for another three pointer but instead he chose to pass it to Jamal Crawford, who unfortunately couldn’t buy a long-range shot during the fourth quarter and bricked a baseline three point shot. With that miss and loss of possession, the game was essentially over. Nate made a three pointer on the next play, but it was too little too late for the knicks.
Only four teams in the eastern conference are playing over .500 basketball in their last 10 games, boston is 5-5 in their last ten as are the knicks. Now is the time to make a run if they have any moxie to do so–this west coast road trip may prove even more fateful than the last one.
The Knicks have half a season to try and crawl their way out of the immense hole they have dug for themselves in the watered-down eastern conference. Moral victories will not in any way help get them into the playoffs, and incidentally, Isiah, neither will excuses.
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Paulnoize
Fair enough… I extend the olive branch in return (no kissy kissy of course).
I agree with your statement about looking at the “just blogging” trade suggestion from opposite points of view.
The only reason I even got a rise to try and play fantasy GM was b/c I was getting tired of seeing Crawford and Nate sucking wind at the end of games due to not having a third gaurd our there with some decent scoring punch to keep opposing teams honest. Well that and what appears to me to be a problem with getting energy defense and rebounding from the pivot.
I guesse that’s why I though although NY isn’t getting a superstar, or the bloggers favorite trade fantasy, Artest, the Knicks could land a point gaurd in Terry who can score the ball, Diop and Boone to do some glass cleaning and enforcing.
I’m not big on who gets the last word.
Good blogging though, thanks for the dose of reality regarding the hindrance of Jefferies albatross.
Too bad BARF didn’t chime in even if it was to bash my proposal into the ground like dust!
LOL
I think it’s about time for a new thread.
Curry’s lardy.
But he’s our lardbutt and you can’t leave him on the bench stewing with 12 minutes. He’s been a bitch in the papers.
I liked that Zeke left him in there to play through it. Some of us have said that countless times. I’d rather have Curry in the game for 15 minutes of scoring and picking up fouls on the defensive end than playing 35 minutes of scoring and us suffering with him trying not to pick up fouls on the defensive end. If Curry plays like that then there are minutes to be had by a shot blocking PF/C who can play and spell Lee or ZBo.
If Balkman would bulk up…he could be that guy. But if he bulks up the wrong way, he could sacrifice his mobility. Same goes for JJeffries. Balkman makes more sense but if he were to help us more with his shot blocking, he’d have to play closer to the basket. And if he were to do that, he’d need more bulk and strength. Dude is light in the ass. 215 lbs wet.
B&B, I already shared my thoughts on JKidd trade proposals.
I think your proposal is solid. Stack (and his hefty 3 yr contract) will backup both RJ and VC. Mardy Collins adds more depth to their depleted back court after JKidd leaves. Curry gives the Nets what they need. With Magloire and Boone to put alongside him and JCollins to provide defense off the bench, it would balance out their big roster. FJones’ expiring knocks 5 mil off at the end of the year.
Dallas picks up the coveted JKidd. Randolph Morris gives them a big body but does nothing to replace Diop’s shot blocking.
Diop’s shotblocking would be nice next to both Lee in transition and ZBo in the post. Jason Terry brings a slower tempo, some veteranship at the lead guard position and dependable shooting to our backcourt. Sean Williams would be a nice project off the bench in case of injury and would certainly help us against our biggest nemesis…the uptempo team. Diop and Sean Williams would be great. One is more of a half court shot blocker and one is a shot blocker in transition and they both shot block well in help defense.
So I have to say I like this proposal. I imagine there’d be draft picks involved.
Me…I would even consider giving up our draft pick this year to make the deal go through. Especially to help get JKidd out of our division.
Still, it’ll never happen. If it does though…I like it.
#555 BITCHES
YEAH
Barf you’re putting in some really good overtime today.
Great analysis. Respect!
Re: The Curry sub.
What I saw with the Curry sub, was also a way to free Zach up from the big guys.
If you notice, Zach was having problems getting his shot up against them.
With Curry on the floor, that would give Zach the advantage to work a smaller guy.
At that point though, momentum had already swung, and we forced up too many poor shots.
Terrible shot selections for the last four plus minutes of the game. Just terrible. DVJ.
Thanks BARF
Your input is always welcome, and I’m flatterred that it comes across as a practical trade suggestion to you.
I suggested that a 1rst round draft pick from the Mavs and a 2nd rounder from the Knicks would be involved.
But, heck, if a 1rst rounder from the Knicks would help get Sean Williams instead of Josh Boone in return, I’d gladly do it if I were Zeke.
The interesting thing is that the Mavericks are very much interested in acquiring Kid but it seems that a third party would be needed since the Mavs are unwilling to give up certain players. Thus it appears that there is an opportunity for the Knicks to get involved in the Jason Kidd sweepstakes but to do so in an ancillary manner where they could acquire players who address their current defficiencies- veteran backup PG, and rebounding and shot blocking.
Again if a 1rst rounder from both us and the Mavs would get that deal done I would do it if I were Zeke!
Just Bloggin!
I see that some of you continue to dangle from Eddies nut sack. The man is an unmotivated (unless its on the offense) fat piece of shit. Why continue to dwell on what he gives this team ? Whatever production you get from this slob is far outweighed by his deficiencies. He doesn’t get it and is either too stupid or too lazy to care. I’ve pointed it out so many times its rediculous. He doesn’t have what it takes to be a dominant player (both ends) in this league, period. Those of you who can’t see it are delusional because you see what you want to see in EC. I see the truth. He just don’t cut it !
The game was lost on Isiah’s substitution patterns once again. Take Lee out earlier for a short breather early in the 4th and stick him right back. Play Mardy more & Jamal less. Forget Q and leave Balkman. When Curry was substituted for Lee, instead of Randolph — the game was over.
Reviewing the last couple of hundred posts has proven to me that Curry has been the ultimate scapegoat now that we don’t have Marbury to kick around anymore.
– What if Curry — like Zach — missed 13 of 20 shots, only got to the line twice, and turned it over 3 times?
– What if after Curry’s 4th quarter entrance — like Zach — had gotten his shot blocked and ball stolen in successive pivotal posessions?
– What if Curry — like Jamal Crawford — MISSED his FINAL SIX SHOTS he took during the 4th quarter crunchtime?
What might we write on this board? I could only imagine…
What if Curry – could stay on the floor ?
What if Curry – lived up to his potential ?
What if Curry – had #s better than Kwame ?
Scapegoat, my ass ! he sucks flat out.
If Curry had been able to play more than 12 minutes who’s to say we would have ever had a lead? With Curry on the floor the Lakers were putting together scoring drives inside the paint. Without him, they relied more on their shooters.
Mardy over Jamal?
What would that do? Mardy and Nate? Are you serious Modi? In the fourth, Nate made as many mistakes as Zach. He made as many as Jamal.
Without Curry, the Knicks were forced to run more resulting in a tired team when it counted. How can Curry not be blamed?
He wants more minutes but can’t play through foul trouble. He says he wants to help but Kwame and Turiaf run wild in the paint. The fouls he picks up were terrible. In the open court against Odom, all alone under the rim against Kwame and a charging foul when he barreled over Kwame. Those are the ones that stick out for me.
Then ZBo gets into the act of complaining too? Those two are ridiculous right now.
In the beginning of the fourth was when the Knicks went on a run. Lee was a big part of that. You take him out when? In the midst of a Laker comeback and put who in? Curry? ZBo?
That’s what happened. The game turned around in less than 3 minutes. And when the subs were made the game got that much more out of hand.
The Lakers buckled down and the Knicks couldn’t stop them anymore. Kobe went off much like Baron did. Our interior defense continued to suck. Nate’s outside shot couldn’t go in enough. JCraw went with the one on one too much. When the bigs are not scoring in the post -ZBo was taking mostly mid range shots and Curry couldn’t get the ball- these are the things we win with. Conversely, when the shots don’t go down, they are the things we lose with.
What if Curry – could stay on the floor ?
Answer: The loss would be blamed on his presence.
What if Curry – lived up to his potential?
Answer: Then he would be a perennial All-Star, and we would still rag on his deficiencies.
What if Curry – had #s better than Kwame?
Answer: He does. He scores twice as many points.
MODI @ #559, fair enough, mentat supreme.
that’s it right durr. curry was just the wrong guy to put in at that time, in that situation. if/when lee is completely drained of spunk then you put curry in as a last resort.
granted nobody plays a perfect game and no team scores every time down the court, but you tilt the odds in your favour by going with your best, most reliable warriors.
We don’t have a Kobe or a Baron Davis.
This is what it looks like when a coach is trying to cultivate a superstar.
Steph has failed to lead.
Curry’s failed as a franchise talent.
Now we are left with Jamal, Nate, Lee and ZBo leading by committee.
BARF
“The Lakers buckled down and the Knicks couldn’t stop them anymore. Kobe went off much like Baron did. Our interior defense continued to suck. Nate’s outside shot couldn’t go in enough. JCraw went with the one on one too much. When the bigs are not scoring in the post -ZBo was taking mostly mid range shots and Curry couldn’t get the ball- these are the things we win with. Conversely, when the shots don’t go down, they are the things we lose with.”
Pure and true as always!
And I start to cringe when Crawford, Nate, Z-Bo start settling for jumpers on one on one iso’s that are not the result of passes leading to open unconstested shots.
“if/when lee is completely drained of spunk ”
so the fact that the knicks blew a 10 pt lead in less than 3 minutes and the lakers having a four pt lead…that doesn’t qualify as “drained of spunk”?
I know I was watching the same game
“And I start to cringe when Crawford, Nate, Z-Bo start settling for jumpers on one on one iso’s that are not the result of passes leading to open unconstested shots.”
You and I both.
Those are the tendencies. Those are their flaws. Not Zeke’s.
This lead by committee thing is what? 5-10 games old? How long did we give Curry to figure out how to pass out of the double team?
Imagine how many games we have to sit through so that the four most consistent guys we now have (Lee, Nate, JCraw and ZBO) learn to lead this team.
That’s the dilemma.
There are many things that made us lose these two games, but the main factor is that we’re missing that defensive big.
With a defensive presence in the paint, you can take ten points from these two opponents.
This team is not far off. We can play with the best of them. We just need a few pieces of spice to make it perfect.
The Curry debate to me is way over, but I’m with you Modi. This site is called the Curry Dump.
Modi,
Come on man look at the #s.
EC – 10 pts, 3 bounds, 5 fouls.
Kwame – 10 pts, 11 bounds, 4 blocks, and a steal, 4 fouls.
yes, Kwame played more minutes but given the same minutes, Eddie would have 5 more points and 1 more rebound. Look at the blocks ! Tell me one C he has outplayed this entire season. Eddie is a heartless failure. If his #s could equal Kwame’s from last night we would have won alot more games over the course of the season. Just the last 2 alone for sure !
Barf,
You said “This lead by committee thing is what? 5-10 games old? How long did we give Curry to figure out how to pass out of the double team?”
Are you kidding me ? Didn’t he have the same problem last year ? How long you ask? 2 fucking years the last time I checked !
BARF, for starters let me remind you that I always respect any opinion you have and that my last post was not addressing one person but the collective anti-Curry sentiment — some more faitly articulated than others.
– “If Curry had been able to play more than 12 minutes who’s to say we would have ever had a lead?
Of course, i can’t answer such a hypothetical, but it wasn’t like the Knicks were playing great defense. My thing has always been Eddy or Zach. I was actually happy that Curry went out with 2 because it forces Isiah to split the pair. I’d be just as happy if Zach picked up two in the first 2 minutes.
– Nate had 10 points and a couple of assists in the 4th quarter — not too shabby a quarter even with a technical…
– “Without Curry, the Knicks were forced to run more resulting in a tired team when it counted. How can Curry not be blamed?”
Exactly my question! What does it take for Curry not to be blamed! He sits, the Knicks tire out. He plays, he slows them down. He scores 10 points in only 16 minutes and he messed up.
– “all alone under the rim against Kwame and a charging foul when he barreled over Kwame. Those are the ones that stick out for me.”
Wasn’t that Curry’s ONLY turnover the entire game? I don’t know why that should stick out more than Jamal’s 6 shot game ending drought or Zach’s 13 misses, many which were typical bad shots.
Early in the 4th I give Lee a simple 2 minute breather. That’s it. I think Zach was entering the game at the time. But since that didn’t happen I would prefered any scenario than the EZ combo meal down the stretch.
But BARF, let’s forget the specifics because here is the bottom line: Isiah ended the final stretch with a Eddy, Zach, Q, Nate, & Jamal line-up. We can debate the names to some degree, but the typical Isiah “5 scorer” line-up is just retarded. Led by combo-meal It is why we loses every first quarter and it is why I put my head in my hands when I saw it. The best Knick line-ups are when they have one or two people who DON’T need the ball, while the scorers do their thing. So when I say “give Mardy more minutes”, I am not saying that he is better than Jamal, I am saying that we need complementary players in the line-up. We can keep arging about this name or that name; how fat Eddy is and how he doesn’t rebound, but until we address Isiah’s subtitution patterns we will be spinning our wheels.
And what I learned about Isiah is that he doesn’t put his so called star IN POSITION to become that star player. A great coach plays to their players strengths. Isiah doesn’t do that by always starting 5 scorers; Eddy-Zach in front cout; Marbury-Jamal in backcourt; and Jamal in the middle actually ELIMINATES their strengths. THAT is why we lost the first two months. It is so retarded it makes me crazy. It is almost like starting 5 Dennis Rodmans along side each other. You will lose every game no matter how good the players are.
Modi;
You’re on fire! Great points.
Like I said earlier. I think part of Zeke’s thinking was to free up Zach from their bigs. They were eating him up.
Zach always get neutralized by the bigger player.
BTW, the Eddy debate is over for me on this board too. I guess my response today went way past the debate or one post. The sheer volume of ant-Eddy sentiment COMBINED with lack of criticism for any other players who messed up right and left is simply astounding over the course of 200 posts.
But I’m done with the Eddy debate here. It is making me come off as prickly… and that is not my goal…
Hell, this Knicks season is making a lot of people come off as prickly!
Peace and blessings
Modi,
When Curry checked out w/ 2 fouls in 1st quarter Knicks were down 10. This was erased w/ Curry on bench.
No longer is it Curry vs. Zach, it is when will Curry perform. Does everything have to be perfect
for Curry? Question, when has Curry had a bad night offensively, ala Zach last night, yet he BOARDED?
I can’t recall. Also big guys will always have strong rebounding games against Knicks because Curry
does not challenge them on boards.
AF-RI-CAN, what is Curry’s UPSIDE? This is not a trick question. I am curious to what the
Knicks fans are waiting for?
Peace & Blessings
States:
How was Eddy Murphy last night?
That Eddy Murphy can sure get up and down the court quickly.
He should quit making movies.
IMHO no one in here sets out to dump on Curry.
He just makes it impossible NOT to dump on him!!
If he would just put forth some consistent effort other than offensively, he’d probably be given the benefit of the doubt….but when you constantly see him fuggin’ up defensive assignments (not hedging out on screens), not pursuing rebounds (getting outrebounded by opposing GUARDS for crying out loud), not contesting shots, committing soft, silly fouls instead of sending a message not to come in the fuggin’ paint no mo, acting like he has no idea what his teamates are talking about when they tell him he fucked up AGAIN, it’s impossible to get any sympathy from most.
He’s been in the league what, 7/8 years? That’s plenty long enough to have “gotten” it…
I agree with John Q on this one….how the fugg do defend him? He’s a content, unmotivated, out of shape athlete that i can’t wait to see leave.
I now understand Scott Skiles’ frustration, on the real.
JQ
You’re a bit too emotional for me man. I dont even think you understand what I meant by that statement which implies that we no longer are showing patience with Curry’s inability to pass out of the double. By we, I mean Zeke and the team. There’s only so much lip-service we can stomach from Curry. At one point he has to show effort consistently.
One of my favorite new stats is the BA columns…or “Blocks Against”…which reveal how many times a player was blocked.
Zach was blocked 5 times last night. Meaning that out of his 13 misses 5 of them were shots blocked. I’m willing to go out on the limb and say that all of them were in the paint because I remember him getting his shot blocked a lot under the rim.
Balkman was blocked twice and Lee was blocked twice. I am also willing to bet that they were each blocked at least once in the beginning of the fourth during that Laker run. I can remember almost losing it because everyone seemed to be catching one.
So I say those weren’t bad shots. They were just getting blocked. Yes, ZBo took some bad shots. But not many. Most were open mid range shots that he took because the defense laid off him…and some of those were actually with less than 10 seconds on the shot clock which I consider to be okay shots to take. Now I remember one from the corner for three but that was also late in the shot clock after JCraw and Balk cleared out.
“I’d be just as happy if Zach picked up two in the first 2 minutes.”
not me man. I prefer Zach’s brand of D alongside Lee to Curry’s. Plus, last night Curry never gave you a chance to pick and choose lineups. He was in foul trouble right off the bat. Maybe if Curry hadn’t complained he would’ve been pulled early. Maybe he could have been used later in the game…but he doesn’t understand why that happens to him. He’s a crybaby. He had to open his mouth about his lack of minutes and his not getting the ball and so Zeke put him to the test. I can’t blame the coach. You gonna show and prove? Or are you gonna falter? Last night Curry faltered.
He’s not my scapegoat. Neither is Zeke. Neither is JCraw and his chucks. Neither is ZBo and his nuttiness late in the game. Neither is Nate’s growing pain. Neither is all of the players who lack jumpshots.
It is what it is. They are who they are. I know they are getting better. And I know they are getting beat by better teams. I don’t sweat it.
I just can’t take it when folks try to pin it on one thing. Coach or players. There’s a lot of funny shit happening. All at the same time and none of them isolated. Everything is relative…especially in basketball.
After the game everyone rushed to blame Zeke. But to me, his subbing was some of his best. Not to say that it worked but there was reason behind it. Reason that I agreed with. That the players didn’t respond isn’t exactly his fault.
Hey, I’m still watching so it can’t all be bad.
It’s game day KD!! How’s about a new post. Otherwise we may go to a G or a K or whatever a thousand is these days. LGK!!
AF-RI-CAN,
You are like the Lawyer that is told when you have facts on your side argue the facts, and when the
law is on your side argue the law, move the target to benefit your cause. When Curry disappears, you
bring up N8, when N8 disappears you want to discuss Curry. AF-RI-CAN, did you learn this while reading
Mak’s Outlook on Discussions.
I said it before and I will say it again, N8 is Earl Boykins at best. If you look at his career
he has performed similar to N8. A backcourt of N8 and Crawful will get you straight to the lottery.
The more you post, the more I realize that the ANALYTICAL EYE, is just a CLOSED EYE!!
Keep the Faith
Peace & Blessings
statesman,
Correction: The Knicks were only down by 1 point when Eddy checked out. …But you are right it is not about Eddy vs. Zach. It is about Eddy AND Zach and I have repeated this 100 times. One could be hidden on the defensive end but not both. Period. …To your question, I have always admitted that Curry is a one trick pony. Let’s maximize that trick. He could shoot 60% if we did.
states, honestly, Curry went 3-5 last night with 10 points in only 16 minutes while other players seriously fumbled down the stretch. Do you believe that the reaction on this board mirrors the actual factual events that occurred last night?
Bronx, I’ll address in a column next week.
Bad News
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/knicks/2008/01/renaldo-balkman-suspended.html
JohnQ @ #569… actually, at the rate eddy was going (.31 fouls/min), he would’ve been on the floor about 3 extra mins before fouling out and at the scoring rate he was at, it would’ve translated into an extra two points (for a total of 12). so he couldn’t have matched kwame’s output cuz he couldn’t stay on the court long enough. but thems just hypotheticals.
MODI, Af, I think what guys are reacting to more than anything else is the lack of hustle. It’s a very Canadian thing actually. Canucks will put up with lack of talent if they can smell there’s hustle afoot.
MODI, you should preach to Af about how there can be a multitude of causes for things sometimes. He does like things extra simple. That said, most contests do have a turning point. I think this particular game swung on zeke’s decision to put curry in for extended time. It doesn’t take long for things to turn on a dime. This is the NBA — you start pickin your ass for a quick minute and next thing you know the score’s been run up. This is a game of runs and you know with Kobe and Co. it can happen any time.
Zeke’s intent was not to spell Lee for a quick breather and get him back out there. He really felt it was Curry’s TURN and he wanted to play him, win be damned.
MODI, i apologize if this question comes off a little harsh, but would you think it’s fair to say you have extra motivation to defend Curry b/c if it turns out he was a big mistake that would drop zeke down at least another grade in his GM abilities? I don’t know what Af’s motivation is.
AND
We didn’t give up 2 LOTTERY PICKS for Zach!!
Zach still had a double doube. You can sit here and say he was going for his but
if that’s the case…so was Nate.
Zach is not a problem in any way.
He’s passing out of the double teams better which means he’s learning.
Can we say the same about Curry?
I repeat….go back to when he missed his assignment on defense and the team was getting
on him….he was acting like he didn’t know what they were talking about.
He’s pointing fingers…that’s what he’s doing.
Get that fat shit out of here!!!!!!!
Yeah Zach would get his shot blocked but he would also be right there to get it back and put it in the basket.
He did that twice last night out of his 3 shots blocked.
Leave Zach alone!!!
Zach is a player and he’s playing.
That 4th quarter substitution by Isiah with Curry for Nate was inexcusable.
We may have been down when he made the sub but by doing it…he buried our hopes of winning
last night. That was a substitution that could make you think Isiah was trying to throw the game.
What a loser.
I meant Curry for Lee.
BARF, good stuff #578. not that i agree with all of it, but i like the way you said it
BARF, I don’t think anyone is pinning it on ONE thing….agreed, there are other areas that need to be addressed, for sure…
Zach’s passing out of the double-teams…..
N8′s growing pains…
Craw’s shot selection down the stretch of games…
Again, everyone has room for improvement, but the above issues can be worked out…you can see those guys making a conscious effort to improve upon those things…
I think we’re frustrated with the BIGGEST issue, the person most guilty of letting the team down, who would be Curry.
As in anything that fosters teamwork and a dependence on everyone pulling their weight, Curry’s sitting in the boat not even rowing!!…he’s the biggest, strongest thing in the boat and he’s sitting there holding the fuggin’ oars!!!…
(Gettin’ emotional again…lol)
Seriously…if he did his job and pulled his weight, it wouldn’t put such a strain on everyone else.
This a dude that came really close to being an All-star last season, so we’re not talking about the 11th man on a 12-man squad here.
Modi,
I stand corrected. It was 19-9 at first time-out. Eddy was taken out a minute and 20 seconds before.
Modi, Curry’s slow reaction on defense and the boards is too great to ride the one trick pony. Besides
when you have a one-trick pony he has to have players at the other 4-slots that can make-up for his
short-comings. You can’t have Eddy Curry,Zach,Crawful & N8, on the floor at the same time. At best
you can have 2 of the four on the court. The Pistons when they had Ben Wallace had 4-guys who
could score the override his short-comings on offense. This was before the league put in new rules.
The new rules hurt 1-Dimensional offensive and defensive players.
Modi, I respect your willingness to engage in discussions, even when we disagree. My brother African
hmmm, I have to re-evaluate
Peace & Blessings
Isiah made the trade for Curry so let them both sink.
That is a big blow to Isiah’s GM record.
I would rather have Noah cleaning up the glass next to Zach.
Tell me you wouldn’t.
I thought so…………………..
“MODI, i apologize if this question comes off a little harsh, but would you think it’s fair to say you have extra motivation to defend Curry b/c if it turns out he was a big mistake that would drop zeke down at least another grade in his GM abilities? I don’t know what Af’s motivation is.”
Folly: No, I don’t have extra motivation. If I am wrong then I will say I am wrong. Wouldn’t be the first or the last time. I was as excited as anyone about the Zach trade. Now I say that I was wrong. Isn’t that a reflection on Isiah as GM? Of course it is. If Curry didn’t have 4 VERY STRONG games during the 4 games that Zach was out this year, then I might think different. If during the middle of half a season last year (before injuries) I had not seen some real progress with Curry, then I might think different. If I didn’t believe that Curry’s weaknessess couldn’t be hidden with a proper complement (see Buck Williams/Kevin Duckworth example), then I might think different.
But yes, I do believe that people are reacting to Curry’s lack of hustle. It is the very IDEA of Curry that pisses people off more than Curry himself. It literally OFFENDS people that a 7-footer can’t grab 10 boards. Many people are arguing strictly on principle, while I am only concerned about production.
BARF, I agree that Isiah did good substitutions for most of the game, but when can it happen a FULL game. After half a season it gets nauseating.
I’d be remiss not to point out the impossibility of this conversation:
Folly says: “most contests do have a turning point. I think this particular game swung on zeke’s decision to put curry in for extended time. It doesn’t take long for things to turn on a dime. ”
States says: “I stand corrected. It was 19-9 at first time-out. Eddy was taken out a minute and 20 seconds before.”
Now let’s analyze: 1) Knicks down by one in first quarter. 2) Eddy leaves game. 3) Knicks down by 10 in the 80 seconds.
So, for Folly and all the other 4th quarter “turning point theorists”: Is Eddy’s ABSENCE responsible for the game “turning on a dime” and going DOWN 10 points in the first?
Let me help out: the answer is “no” to both occurrences. Each case had coincidental factors. If Jamal hit the last 6 instead of missing them, we wouldn’t even be talking about Curry… we’d probably be talking about Marbury again and how his absence explain’s Craw’s hot streak…
MODI, i put to you that being down by ten points in the first quarter has never been a turning point in any basketball game since its invention.
self-fulfilling.
i’ve broken down the “hot” periods of last season (i’m defining “hot” as any stretch playing @ .500 or better)… there were three: 12/04/06 – 12/15/06, 12/18/06 – 1/24/07 and (the magic six week period) 01/30/07 – 03/22/07 … i’m working on something that predicts wins and losses during those stretches. hint: i’m looking at curry’s points vs turnovers and rebounds. nearly there. should have it ready for you by weekend. we’ll see about that net positive stuff.
Let me help out the process Folly:
Look at the 3 month period (December 16 to March 10) from last year before the final injuries where they had their best line-ups: In the 37 consecutive games post-Denver fight where they went 20-17. When Eddy scored 20 or more, the Knicks were 14-5. This gives credence to a plan worth developing in my mind.
no worries, MODI I’ve got the periods mapped out. there’s about 46 games in total over those periods. i’m looking at predictive power. it’ll prolly be a series getting more fine-tuned as we go along. i should use the forum for that. i’ll give you a headsup when it’s ready.
Forgot to give you your props for that MODI. Pretty much what I expected, but just double-checkin
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