Something I discussed with OG yesterday on Twitter. He was spot on. I am shocked that Melo is sitting because of this teams existing lack of depth. I never thought Melo would sit himself. Kobe plays with torn ligaments.
If they lose it’s bad because they become 5 games under .500 if they win, well…
Carmelo Anthony will not play Friday night when the New York Knicks visit the Miami Heat, who are still waiting to see if Dwyane Wade’s sprained right ankle will allow him to return to the lineup.
Anthony is being shut down for a few days because of wrist, thumb and ankle injuries. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni also says point guard Baron Davis is still not ready for his season-debut. Davis has been battling back problems.
I will be on during the 3 or 4 am hour with my good friend Marc Malusis.
Whether Dolan makes an in-season coaching change — something he historically has opposed — or waits until after the shortened season, it is clear who the logical candidate would be to take over at MSG. Some telling comments from former Lakers coach Phil Jackson to the New York Times recently caught the eyes of several rival executives and coaching industry sources who are convinced of two things: Jackson, 66, has the itch to return, and the Knicks might be the only job that would lure him back.
Jackson is said to be semi-enjoying a fitful retirement. With few if any hobbies, Jackson has been described as restless by those who have spoken with him. Just as important, the Zen Master feels healthy and rejuvenated after shaking off the effects of back and hip ailments that made road trips a nightmare for him over his past few seasons with the Lakers.
Returning this season, with this maniacal travel schedule, would’ve been senseless for Jackson. But with a year off, Jackson could settle right back into his routine next season with a normal schedule. And what better way to come back than to chase a 12th championship with the team he first became a champion with as a player?
“The feeling is, all Dolan would have to do is ask, and Phil would say yes,” a person connected to the former Lakers coach told me this week.
We’ve been saying for months that the league-wide feeling is that Jackson wants NY. But the choice is Phil’s should things not work themselves out here with Mike D’Antoni.
As we’ve always said, this is a team in this system made of square pegs searching for the round hole with the net on it. But, should Amar’e bury his mid range and Chandler learn 1 post move, it’s made for a triangle and it will only improve with a proven winner on the sidelines.
I firmly believe 2 things as it relates to the NBA based on all my conversations. Jackson will be here and Dwight Howard will end up in Brooklyn.
Tagged Phil Jackson rumors knicks |Start sending tweets my way and give me your reaction to why the Knicks lost to the Cavs
This is true
Spot on…
I think we can stop here…
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There was a sequence with three minutes left in the fourth that was a microcosm of the entire game last night vs. the Cavs. Melo settled for a deep three early in the shot clock. The Cavs came down and ran a pick and roll. The Knicks did not handle the screening action well. Varejao slipped to the basket for a dunk as the help was a step too late. The Knicks came back at the Cavs, now down by 11, and Melo threw a bad pass between Stoudemire’s legs for a turnover. The loss to the Cavs was nothing new; we’ve seen this same type of game from the Knicks about seven times this year. It was like watching a Steven Seagal movie that you’ve already seen. You aren’t sure why you are doing this, you know it will be painful, and you know how it ends.
Unforced turnovers have to stop. After last night, the Knicks moved from third to second in the league with just over 17 TOs per game. They were able to muster an impressive 23 TOs last night. This team is too ineffective and inconsistent on offense right now to give away so many possessions and still win. The problem with these TOs is so many of them are unforced. The majority of their TOs are from lazy or flat out poor passes. They are not getting pressured into TOs; they just do not value the basketball. Also, it is not just because the Knicks do not have a true PG; it is an epidemic that has infected everyone on the team. The coaches need to emphasize ball security. And for those that make careless TOs, they have to be punished by sitting on the bench. I know, this is a very high school like approach…sometimes sitting on the pine can translate a message from a player’s butt to his head regarding what he needs to be doing. In this case, it is simply taking care of the basketball.
Disorganized on Defense. To be a good defensive team, you need all five guys on the same page. In last night’s game, there were too many times where at least one player was not aligned with the rest. This was evident in the first half as they gave up a ton of open jumpers. The jumpers were created by poor help defense by the Knicks. At times, guys overhelped, which allowed easy kick outs for wide open shots. At times, guys helped too long and were not be able to recover to their man. You need to trust your teammate, and he needs to communicate that he’s got his man…you need to get back to your man. The extra step or second you wait before recovering is the difference between an open shot and a contested shot. Also, there were a number of times the help was there too late resulting in easy points in the paint for the Cavs (34 points in paint total).
Same old thing, just a different day. On offense, we have said it all too many times. They were not aggressive in terms of pushing the ball up the court looking for early offense (like they were Tues night). They were stagnant in the half court. There was a lot less screening action on and off the ball to facilitate any productive movement. Guys rarely cut with a purpose. They settled for too many threes early in possessions (3-20 for the game).
As encouraging as Tuesday night was offensively, last night was just as discouraging. The inconsistency with this team is pretty astounding. You almost never know what you are going to see. What we do know is if a performance like last night is replicated on Friday in Miami, we will all be embarrassed.
Dalen Cuff is a basketball analyst for Columbia University and MSG Varsity and will be breaking down X’s and O’s for theknicksblog.com all season. Follow him on twitter here.
This, to me, is incredibly misleading because the Knicks NEVER post Chandler up. All of his points come on putbacks, dunks and tip ins. Remember when Chandler played with Paul they would oop it up all day long. Forget Paul for a second. Remember the forwards on that Hornets team that won 56 games? Peja and David West. Two players who stretched the defense. One from the perimeter and one from mid-range. The Knicks lack consistency from both spots.
Yes, that’s a reason why the Knicks are struggling, the said lack of a PG like Paul, but neither Chandler nor Amar’e are post up players and right now neither are making consistent 10-15 foot jumpers. It’s why they struggle on the court together. The 4 and 5 combination is a huge part of any offense. Combine that with horrid 3-point shooting and Melo’s struggles and you have a team that can barely get 80 points.
The solution, to me, lies in Amar’e's ability to knock down his mid-range jumper and bring bigger players away from the rim as well as a guard continuously creating easy baskets for Chandler.
Tagged Will Baron Davis play |“I need more contact, I need (to play) more 3 on 3,” Davis added. “I need more strength and conditioning in my legs. This is part of the rehab process and even when I come back, it’s still part of my rehab because we don’t have a lot of practices.”
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