The following was submitted by Saverio Mastrianni, as always if you have a contribution please send to theknicksblog@gmail.com.

I feel as if people are underappreciating Mike D’Antoni’s abilities in his slightly under two year tenure as Knicks head coach.

That may seem counter-intuitiveat first, and if you take it on a literal level, it is.  Yet, he was not brought here to make the playoffs these past two years. He has tried in vain, to the chagrin of the faithful who want to see the future grow before our very eyes. Brilliant or inept, the plan has always been to build a viable contender in 2010.  To lure topflight free agents to the Mecca of Basketball based on the appeal of the franchise, the city, and the most popular coach in basketball.  I’m unsure if the latter is quantifiable and true, but I know that if I was an NBA player, I’d rather play for D’Antoni than anyone else.  Maybe Jerry Sloan, Popovichand Phil reach players on a different, more complete level (better defensive coaches, have systems with more proven success….and more proven players, but I digress.)

D’Antoni, whether you want to believe this or not, treats these players like adults and expects them to prepare themselves.  He is not overbearing and overly meticulous. He does not demand perfection or everyone to approach the game like Michael Jordan because not every player can.  He asks players to play their games to the best of their abilities, which is an important point. Jackson never got one ounce more effort from Jordan because of “zen,” the fact is MJ would rip the board out of his hands and draw up a play during timeouts. Pat Riley never once had to ask Patrick Ewing to sweat before the game or stay two hours after practice. Does Mike Brown say to Lebron, “You need to be extra great tonight” then pat himself on the back for a great coaching decision?

This team needs an extension from the coach. One that needs to win just as badly.

Where does this characterization come from?  I read Seven Seconds or Less.  His post-game speeches are brief; when he talks to the media, he may throw a player under the bus, but it is in a jocular manner.  He is simply honest, but not brutally honest like Larry Brown as Knicks coach.  As an adult, you can take an honest assessment of your play.  If not, frankly, you’re not championship material.

It takes a special breed of player, a special team, to overcome the league’s other twenty-nine franchises and become the league’s indisputable alpha dog.  It takes hard, strenuous work that many players simply would rather spend doing a litany of other things.  Certain players simply are not wired to be champions. Read more…

Words we all wished had passed this team over, I’m sure.

But the reality of the situation is that as the All-Star break approaches, this is where we sit.  Smack dab in the middle of what has extended into a 6-year rebuilding project,  there is a single underlying choice that this team needs to confront.

The NY Times‘ Howard Beck has a good article that sums up the Knicks and the crossroads that the team and its management is at:

“The Knicks’ present is gloomy, their future uncertain, and their short- and long-term goals in clear conflict. Call it an unfortunate but necessary side effect of rebuilding.

“But there are 32 games to play first, and priorities to clarify: Do the Knicks want to make the playoffs at any cost? Or will they focus on developing their young core of Gallinari, Chandler, Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas? It is an internal debate that has been brewing for two years.

Beck does a great job with this article, and I encourage you all to read it in its entirety.

The issue at hand is nothing new to us Knicks faithful.  We have been wrought with this internal conflict for a couple years now, and only because the Summer of Dreams is slowly becoming a reality must we revisit it with such an honest dialogue.

But it is a question worth repeating.

What do the Knicks do at this juncture.  Do we “play for next year” or do we continue to give our slowly fading playoff hopes as much support as possible, no matter who it might come from…

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Knicks Mecca has some interesting trade possibilites.

Great link to an apparent NBA commercial starring Danilo Gallinari (finger point to AD1 for the link)

According to Marc Berman, Nate Robinson’s time in the starting lineup will be short lived as Mike D’Antoni plans to re-insert Chris Duhon as the starting point.

Despite “winning” back his job, it is clear that Duhon is not the answer to the Knicks woes at the point.  With the deadline looming, Donnie Walsh will work the phones for a second option at the very least.

As for Nate, most people on this site agree that he is at his best as a scorer off the pine.  He was not overly effective setting up the offense against Cleveland.  Actually, on multiple occasions, Nate killed possessions by dribbling for too long and running out the shot clock.  He is not the answer to the Knicks’ PG woes either.

Acie Law remains on the market, and while I would not mind giving him a shot, I have not been overly impressed with him since the Hawks drafted him a couple of years ago.  Perhaps he just needs a fair chance to prove himself, but who knows.

Via Hoopsworld-

“…Acie Law and his camp have been given permission from the Charlotte Bobcats to talk to teams and try to find a situation that makes sense for the point guard. The New York Knicks have shown the most interest in Law and his expiring contract. The Indiana Pacers have also had some conversations with Law and could be a potential suitor if New York doesn’t work out. Law still has a lot of potential and many believe he could still be a great point guard if put in the right situation…”

The Law situation, from what I understand, is part of several moves the Knicks are monitoring. I can’t gather any information linking Charlotte to Jared Jeffries, but Law would be a fit if the Knicks can move Nate Robinson or Chris Duhon, the latter an unrealistic possibility.

Via NY Daily News

“…Eddy Curry vowed to be healthy enough to play again this season even though the veteran center is convinced Mike D’Antoni won’t give him a chance to get on the court.

“Odds are I’m not going to play,” he said. “For my own sanity I would like to come back.”

Curry, who had arthroscopic knee surgery on Jan. 18, has appeared in just seven games this season and 10 over the last two years. Curry also revealed that he intends to exercise his $11.27 million player option for the 2010-11 season…”

Okay so let me get this straight. You know you’re not going to play, but you’re going to take every cent of the money you are earned instead of agreeing to a  very expensive and reasonable buyout and having another opportunity elsewhere?

Sweet.

BOX SCORE

That’s the effort you’re looking for.

That was a tremendous game to watch from a fan standpoint as the Knicks gave everything they had and came up short at the end of the game.

In the first half, it appeared as if the Cavs were going to score 200 points with Lebron getting 100.

Seriously, I’ve never seen a team score easier in the early stages of the game. Then Lebron rips off 24.

In the second half the Knicks, behind Nate Robinson and Al Harrington, made a huge push as Wilson Chandler, David Lee and Danilo Gallinari sat and watched.

The combination of Robinson, Chris Duhon, Jordan Hill, Harrington and Jared Jeffries really clicked tonight.

Hill, to me, had his most impressive performance as a Knick finishing with 8 points on 4 of 5 shooting, and looked good in the pick and roll and offered up impressive jump hooks, in 19 minutes. He didn’t record a rebound, but played very strong post defense and did a decent job keeping Lebron in front of him.

Like to see more and more of him as the season goes on.

The Knicks have now lost 11 of their last 15 games.

On the heels of a most disappointing effort last night, the Knicks will face the Cavs tonight in Cleveland.

What else is there to talk about? The game is always about Lebron, and the Cavs have the ability to take the Knicks out in the first 8 minutes. I’d like to see some fight out of a group that hasn’t had much of it lately.

What the team has to focus on now is finding a way to play hard every possession until the week after the All-Star break and just see what happens.