Played basketball in the city yesterday. After the gym closed, a couple of the fellas were still hanging around talking about the NBA as they often do, and someone among the small circle brought up the Knicks, so I was sure to walk over and listen in.
The consensus among the three was that Crawford was the one player the Knicks should really keep. I said nothing. Someone even said that Crawford is carrying the team, and that without him, the Knicks would be much worse. I wondered after hearing this, if this person understood exactly where in the standings the Knicks currently reside.
This other guy I played against, a very good player despite his age, added that Lee, Nate and Renaldo should be kept. I thought to myself, “I can see where this guy is coming from.”
But then the same guy who thinks Crawford is “carrying” the Knicks said he thinks Isiah deserves another year after this one. I made sure I heard him right.
They all thought Lawrence Frank was far worse of a coach than Isiah. No argument from me there. I don’t think Lawrence Frank has really proved himself as a coach yet in this league, nor has Isiah as a coach for that matter. They brought up the fact that during the playoffs last season, Frank allowed Vince Carter to continuously chuck up half-court shots instead of taking the ball to the basket. I reminded them that this is a common trait among aging players that have been injured previously. Look no further than Vince’s cousin Tracy McGrady, and how his game has changed over the years since his Toronto/Orlando days.
When I asked why Frank has yet to be fired by Rod Thorn, they said it is because of his political ability to keep his job. That may be true, but that’s also how I’d describe Isiah’s continued tenure with James Dolan’s Knicks at this point. Would Isiah Thomas the GM fire a NBA coach for going 17-39, from November through February, were it not Isiah Thomas coaching? Isiah fired Don Chaney, Lenny Wilkins and Larry Brown with comparable winning percentages, so you tell me.
But their argument with regard to Isiah staying on was that Isiah hasn’t had the right players to get the Knicks anywhere. I reminded them that Isiah hand-picked each and every player on the Knicks roster, and that he basically bet the franchise on Eddy Curry, giving up several high unprotected lottery picks to get him.
Eddy Curry was great last year as the first option every time, but now that he isn’t the first option, he’s starting to look like less of an NBA player and more of a very large and unhappy bench ornament. The Zach Randolph trade has really backfired in that respect, because last season with the ball going through Curry, as a team, the Knicks were simply more competitive in the NBA. The Knick games were more exciting last season than they are right now. Remember the frequent overtimes, buzzer-beaters, nail-biters? Not so much of that this season. Granted we only won 33 games last season, but we’re on course to win far less than that this season if the Knicks don’t get it together.
This year, they look more lost than when Larry “Next Town” Brown was the coach. Oh, that was another thing–they thought Larry Brown got a raw deal only getting one year to turn the Knicks franchise around into a winner.
Most of this is Dolan’s fault, and not Isiah’s in my opinion. Isiah is doing the best job he can, it just isn’t working out. When Isiah first came to New York, he said they’d have to be very creative and risky in order to try to get better, and that’s basically what he’s done, except the risks have backfired, especially the defensive liabilities. But the real problem here is Dolan doesn’t want to ever admit he was wrong or made a mistake, because when you are that rich, you live in your own world, with people kissing your ass instead of telling you when you suck. Dolan should not be allowed to have anything to do with a basketball team, he doesn’t understand it at all, as he’d be the first to tell you.
Just bloggin’
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Jason Richardson will not be back as his eye hurts. His coach is blowing on the eye and kissing the boo boo.
The memo definitely went out regarding passing the ball.
Lee with 2 blocks tonight. Knicks by 19. 77-58. We got this.
Q increasing his trade value for the offseason!
Curry sits. Doesn’t that sound like the short scripture, Jesus wept. Two words that have so much meaning both said and unsaid.
That gentleman is 92 years old??? WOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Balkman in the game and makes his presence felt immediately with a block.
Knicks are jacking up three pointers left and right now. Hopefully IT quiets that foolishness. Wilson Chandler is patting his feet and stretching. We need this game. We’re a team on the rise and Charlotte is a team on the decline. His airness is sucking wind right now.
Third Period Domination
Crawford has 20 points (7/13 shooting 53%) and 5 assists in 33 minutes
Nate Robinson 10 points and four assists and three boards in 26 minutes
Zach 18 points and seven boards in 27 minutes
Q Rich 17 points including an emphatic dunk and 5 boards in 21 minutes
David Lee with 14 boards and 4 points in 22 minutes
End of the Third. 83-60 Knicks. It’s nice to be on the other side of one of those blowouts.
N8, Fred, Balk, Q and Lee. Craw rests.
Robinson 13 points 6 assists.
We needed this easy win.
Sit Q. It’s Wilson Chandler time. And where’s Mardy?
The Pacers lose tonight!
We need to kick ATL’s azz bacack to Georgia!
Wilson Chandler and Mardy are in the game!!! 6 mins. to go.
Knicks hit garbage time with over five minutes to go and a 26 point lead.
Balkman scores the 100th point on a free throw.
Robinson, Jones, Balkman, Chandler and Collins on the floor.
Opps. Balkman fails to score 100th point.
N8, Fred, Mardy, Balkman, Chandler (Scholar DNP) DNP = Don’t Needta Play
Fred with a quiet 12.
101-76 Knicks. They need to go ballistic on defense right now.
Wilson Chandler is putting on an offensive show.
Fairweathers didn’t get to do their “Fire Isiah” chant. This was a night for the Diehards.
Knicks with 5 in double figures.
Charlotte’s announcers keep talking about how bad NY is. They may want to look at their own team. Damn homers.
Great ball movement by the Knicks second unit.
I know it’s Charlotte…but still…lol.
Chandler can play in this league. It amazes me that he doesn’t play more.
G.O.
Team_____1 2 _3 __4_ T
Bobcats 25 16 21 25_ 87
Knicks _20 34 29 30_ 113
Great win!
That poke in the eye was classic Zeke. Way to “GET” that W. GET = Gouge Eye Tonight
Nice win fellas
Good energy on both sides the court on the blog.
Lets see if they can bottle some of the hustle tonight and bring that against Atlanta.
Nate Robinson 22 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds in 38 minutes (9 for 18 shooting)
QRich, 17 points and 6 rebounds in 23 minutes on 6 for 11 shooting.
Fred Jones 5 for 6 shooting, 12 points, five boards and 4 assists
JCraw, 20 points on 7/13 shooting (54%) and 5 assists in 33 minutes.
Davis Lee with 14 rebounds in 28 minutes and 3 assists.
Randolph 18 points and 8 boards in 30 minutes.
Good game. Atlanta next.
Chandler is going to be a nice player in this league.
O & B and D L T,
Tu saves what’s good!
We HAD this and GTW!
Playoffs or ’til my love breaks my heart!!
KFLL
Next
@ATL
@Magic
NOH,CAVS, PISTONS,Portland @ Home then @ Dallas. We can go 5-2
then once again here goes our window
Heat
ATL
Pacers
Memphis
Wolfs
Nets
Heat
Raptors
ATL
We may go 8-1……if that happens may pull this off! Not such a
great feat considering we have been playing better than our record!
Bucks
Memphis!
Meant 10-1 with the Bucks and mempis added!
New Jersey has the 8th spot but they will be moving backwards soon.
Till the End…No Quit, No Tank! When we pull this off…after all we
went through so far will make this SWEETER!!!!
Good Night defenders!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY6yeasF6gs
@ Defenders,
U didn’t think I was going to let you guys have ALL the fun did you?
First & Foremost, Thanks Blogzilla/KD/*buryFan allowing me to drop in… Interesting Lead and though you were JBing there is some validity to the new THREAD…Your House is still my 3rd Home, because the Blow Me Club scene has been curling my toes and I am in throes of A Boomerang, so that Slop Channel is number 2…LOL LOL
What a satisfying win, due to only the second real KNICK BBALL TEAM FEST(Together Everyone Achieves More)since the Detroit Piston wipe out many moons ago. I’ll take it and enjoy, and Remain Cautiously Optimistic like the Announcer…Man, the timimg of you reappearance is quite surreal…Could it be Karma, as it relates to A Real Man’s Knick Fan, true indeed, true indeed…
Hotlanta ought to be a barn-burner with MBIB running the show for the Hawks…It certainly allows JJOHNSON to roam more freely and play more receiver verses initiator, and he will be more of a threat reminiscent of his days in Phoenix…All he ever needed was a legitimate PG.
Well it’s time to retire and RUN PLAY #8 1/4 of the Blow Me Club Playbook, where you get the Road Trip Walkabout BJ, that is so impactful, just the thought of it wakes U up in time to catch your Flight and no alarm clock required…No Shyte Fellas…
Ask Steady As It Goes to send you a copy…The Playbook is handed out at Kamasutra Training Camp…Coaches Harlem and Bronx are running clinics in the capital area on the regular called, “Don’t let the Good Taste Fool Ya.”…request your flyers today…Kneeling Room only…No Shyte…LOL LOL
Gotta Bounce Defenders!
Ta Ta
Keep it POPPIN!
I hate ro tuin the energy guys but this win wasn’t shit…
Richardson, Wallace, Morrison and May didn’t play.
They lost McGinnis in the game so we really played a JV team
tonight.
We still suck but it was nice to see a win like this.
Knicks are messin’ with DaVonn’s ping pong balls. Get on the bandwagon DaVonn. Right now your thumb is pointing down in the tank position and we’ve got to get that thing pointed in the direction of the playoffs. C’mon DVJ, isn’t that thumb moving a little?
Knicks paste banged-up Bobcats 113-89
Knicks rout Bobcats
I saw Berman on NY1 sports talk today. Typical Berman, trashing the Knicks win!
Tomorrow we will move ahead of the Bobcats and gain ground on ATL and the Pacers(we play twice against).
The only positive thing Berman said was that Artest will be in a Knick uniform next year!
Take a look at the schedule for the following teams ahead of us for March @ NBA.com
The Nets, ATL,Bulls,Bucks and Pacers ….all the teams we must leap frog over have MUCH
tougher Schedules than the Knicks! That coupled with the possibility that the majority
of the teams just mentioned ahead of us are going into tank mode…. The Pacers with 36L’s,
the Bucks with 35L’s, the Bulls with 34L’s, The Nets and ALT with 32L’s….I find it hard for
any true fan of the Knicks not to be excited about how this team that the rest of the World
has given up on…will overcome the ” pronouced Dead” title and keep the lights on late April!
Evey night is a watch for what the 5 teams mentioned above us do… Might I add Phillys 32L’S
don’t make them untouchable! We can and will do this…I don’t care who we play round one…
just getting there is a goal we all had and should not relinquish our common goal!
One of the brightest points we all may have missed last night is…WOULD YOU TAKE 30 minutes
of CURRY doing exactly what he did last night? Double his blocks and rebounds in 30 minutes
and score Zero points as he did in the 15 minutes he played last night? I sure as hell would!!!!
Seems like both the daily sleuth and the ny roast are reading into some of Monty’s post game press sound bites and speculating that Bonespurry won’t be around next season.
However, the Sleuth and the Roast have contradictory stories as to whether Kinki Vaneweghe will or will not likely be the next Knicks GM.
New York Knicks – Daily Web
OBSERVATIONS RICK BONNELL
Hornets sting Suns, complete season sweep
MEN’S HOOPS: Brunson’s career built on the road not taken
Wednesday’s National Basketball Association Capsules
Knicks’ Curry, Marbury: 1-2 punch to Isiah’s fate
Bobcats blown out by Knicks, lose Richardson to injury
Thomas says Knicks miss Marbury, but won’t say the point guard …
New York Knicks Sued for Fan Abuse
Stephon Marbury Should Be A Professional Prognosticator [New York …
KNICKS DONATE $10000 TO UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND
One of the brightest points we all may have missed last night is…WOULD YOU TAKE 30 minutes
of CURRY doing exactly what he did last night? Double his blocks and rebounds in 30 minutes
and score Zero points as he did in the 15 minutes he played last night? I sure as hell would!!!!
I SECOND THAT MOTION !!!! No baggin’ on EC for no points. He found a way to contribute and thats all we ask of him.
BONESPURRY ??? holy crap thats funny.
Agreed wholeheartedly with 93 and the initial post by Peaceman.
Knicks could add Vandeweghe, keep Thomas. Holy Crap. There’s a lotta smoke blowin in the wind. Is there a fire ‘neath it?
Suing O&B for copywrite infringement…..
“Agreed wholeheartedly” is my term….I have the dibs on that one!!
I noticed you’ve used it several times, bruh…lol
Get your own term!!!
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Just jokin’…..as you can see, I’m bored as all get out here at work. Time to find someone, errrrr, I mean something to do.
Have a great day Defenders!!!
Interesting.
Great to see the energy is still here!!
Good day defenders
Damn, thanks for the love fellas. I definitely still read the blog and I’m encouraged as to how busy it stays. You guys are most definitely holding it down. Lord knows last year as the losing piled on, the bloggers broke out. Its not really the case this year. It speaks to the caliber of bloggers we got on here. Thanks for the house KnicksDefense aka *buryfan aka BlogZilla.
I hope that my small cameo helped the Knicks in the win last night. I didnt get to watch the game because I was fulfilling my duties at home, ya’ll know how that goes.
It was nice to ride the train this morning and read through the live blog before hearing any news of the game. It sounds like the game was wrapped might quickly.
I like how some of you remind us how Wallace wasn’t playing. Then go on to add Morrison and May (as if they have been playing at all). You guys make it sound like every other team in the league that goes up against our opponents face full healthy squads but when the Knicks face them, stars are missing. Whatever.
If we can’t say “Well, if Marbury was here and Curry could block shots and rebound, we would have won that game” then “the Knicks only won cuz [INSERT TEAM NAME HERE] didn’t have [INSERT STAR PLAYER/S NAME/S HERE] was out” is bull shit too.
I find it funny that Curry had a “breakout year” last year but his regression is being blamed on Isiah.
As if to say there was another Coach last year and this year, Isiah the Coach is blowing it.
Maybe, just maybe, Curry didn’t improve enough from last year to this year. The league learns how players succeed and adjust. If you as a player don’t adjust to the adjustments… eventually, you’re affect on the game stagnates.
This offseason is “make or break” for Isiah and this roster. As much of a disappointment as this season has been so far, it has been a surprise…and somewhat…a fluke. Last couple of games, our best defensive lineups have been with DLee and Zach on the floor. Not because they block shots and are super strong and athletic but because they move their feet and keep their hands active.
Curry’s hands are anything but active. I can’t wait to see last night’s game to see what Curry did to get two blocks. I’m excited.
I like the following lineup against ATL because I know they will be active on defense:
Zach – C – Horford
JJeff – PF – JSmith
DLee – SF – MWilliams
QRich – SG – Joe Johnson
JCraw – PG – Bibby
*Zach – C – Horford*
Horford is undersized at the Center. While I still start Curry in the beginning of the game -because I hope to get something out of Curry before I am forced to pull him – I intend to put the bruiser ZBo on Horford to stop him in the post. The weakness in this is that Horford can stay out in front of ZBo in transition. With Bibby and Johnson always keeping their heads up in transition, this is a risky strategy…but one I will take nonetheless. I’d rather live and die by forcing the opposing PG/TEAM to make assists than to leave Curry in there and give up rebounding and mobility on the defensive end. On the offensive side, I’ll count on ZBo to pick up rebounds using his acumen and help out on D using his hands, strength and persistence.
*JJeff – PF – JSmith*
Tough matchup for us cuz Josh Smith is a beast who does a little (and sometimes a lot) of everything. He’s our worst nightmare in terms of height (6’9- 6’10″), length (stupid wing span), strength, jumping ability, the ability to hit the open 3 ptr on the left elbow and some raw moves and ability to pass from the post. By putting JJeff on him, I’m asking JJeff to help out on the boards on D. On offense, I’m asking JJeff to try and stay out on the perimeter (keeping Josh Smith and his league leading shot blocking out of the paint) to open the post up for ZBo and penetration for our guards. I’d like to JJeff work on his post game. He needs to be able to get into back-down mode quickly and either make a quick spin move to the baseline for a layup or pass out of it. He’s got the length, handle, passing ability and quickness to operate in the post…he just needs to hone that skill. To me, he’s still a keeper. Still young too. He can be useful against ATL.
*DLee – SF – MWilliams*
Marvin isn’t blowing by anyone. I stick DLee on him and give him just enough room on the 3 pt line to think he’s open. DLee is an inch taller and quick enough to contest any perimeter shooting MWill may attempt. His “drive to the basket” game is far from stellar so force him to do it all game and live with the results. Plus, on O, DLee’s passing should be optimized by being used more on the perimeter as a SF. DLee isn’t going to work as a SF on most nights, but when he will work from that position, it’s important we use him there. DLee in transition against MWill should work to our favor. I don’t see Marvin blocking or keeping DLee out of the paint for one ofhis sweet looking dunks.
*QRich – SG – Joe Johnson*
Although I probably still start Nate and JCraw in the backcourt, I go with QRich vs Joe Johnson for the bulk of the game. If that doesn’t do much to slow down Joe Johnson, I’ll eat my pride and sacrifice outside shooting for energy and defensive hustle by using Balk -”HUSTLE HARDER”- man against Johnson. Johnson does it all and he’s one of the deadliest silent assassins in the game. You sleep, he eats. You got to put a body on him that will put in his work and make Johnson work for every stat he gets. As Balk loses his edge, you sub in a QRich or FJones and try to make Johnson work on D.
*JCraw – PG – Bibby*
Again, I’d start Nate to see what kind of mentality the Lil One has for the night. But I won’t wait long to pull his tiny ass if he lets Bibby have too much room on D. You give Bibby any daylight and he’ll pick apart our swiss cheese defense with simple yet precise passes. Nate’s got to pressure him on D early on in the game and work to penetrate if he wants to stay in the game. We need activity from the PG position against the “youthier” and more athletic Hawks. Still, I like JCraw against PG’s he can stay in front of and who I don’t think will shoot over Craw’s long ass arms. JCraw had some success against the Nets’ JKidd in our last few meetings. He was able to stay in front of him for the most part on penetration attempts and his wing span and active hands allowed him to get some steals both “on the ball” and playing the passing lanes. I think Deron, Devin Harris, Andre Miller and Bibby fall along those lines of PG’s who I would use JCraw against. Nate’s size and their posting ability -especially Miller- make Nate a real liability on D if not also on the offensive end. These are also the teams where we miss a 2006-2007 styled Marbury.
CONCLUSION
Overall, its really hardto have a gameplan with these Knicks. These aren’t the Spurs where you can pencil a solid starting five and be sure that you will match up with most of the teams in the league. There are not many teams where our starting five – Marbury, JCraw, QRich, Zach, Curry – have obvious advantages. If anything, our bench is where our best and most versatile talents are. Mix and matching the effective starters with bench players who match up with the opponent is an art.
My experience with the sub patterns are in a video game where I don’t have to consider egos and player moods or even fatigue. Its because of this that I respect the challenge of coaching and GM’ing the Knicks. Those who don’t respect it, I have to question.
No beef, just veggies.
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