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Mike Dougherty of The Journal News has these thoughts on the Knicks backcourt situation.
Roberson is just basically a machine shooter, an Eddie House comparison is a good one, he’s just less gritty and more athletic. I don’t think anyone should expect him to be anything more then a borderline rotation guy, 5-8 minutes a night where some nights you ride him while hes hot. However, if the Knicks expect him to be a PG and intitiate offense they’ll be in for a rude awakening. The thing is, he might actually be best suited for small periods playing with the guy who’s supposedly being kicked off the team.
Nate is the same Nate, he had some nice moves but couldn’t finish, kind of took it easy and floated through the game. I think his playmaking skills as far as being a PG have improved but I don’t see his head for the game getting better at all. He can be a dynamic scorer off the bench in D’Antoni’s offense, though.
The days of hoping Mardy Collins will be anymore than just a 12th man on a roster seem to be coming to an end, at least in my opinion, as he remains too slow to be a play-making PG and not athletic enough to be a shooting guard. He’s a decent 12th man but no need to guarantee a contract for him.
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Tommy- I agree with your assessment on the current state of the Knicks backcourt. Other than Jamal Crawford, none of our guards are big-time talents. However, I do believe that our backcourt will be stable and will be good enough to hold its own on a nightly basis.
On Anthony Roberson, I watched him the last two games, and I have not been too impressed. I like the form on his shot, but he does not seem like a guy who can shoot off the dribble. He seems more like a set-shooter (which is something we need). I can see him coming in for short spells to knock in a few jumpshots from time to time, but I can also see him spending a good portion of the season on the inactive list.
While this is not to knock Roberson, I am still not sold that he was the guy that the Knicks should have gone after. Phil Weber, as quoted in the NY Post, said “Our history with this is [as] if we had Eddie House.” Then why not go after House himself? I cannot believe that he is the best player out there for this job. But I hope that I am wrong. Part of me likes this guy because he is an unknown and potentially a hidden gem.
Also in the NY Post, Clyde Frazier said referring to Steph:
“I think bringing him to camp to see what he looks like, I think they should. He gets $20 million, he might as well help this team.”
As a Knicks fans, I do not have to bring in Steph to prove that he can outplay Chris Duhon or Anthony Roberson or Mardy Collins. That is because I know he can. His issue is his character, not his talent. While not the player he once was, he is as good, if not better, than what we have already in place.
Quick thoughts- I like the cut of Roberson’s jib. I think a basketball team is comprised of roles (not superstars) and there is most certainly a role for him to play. A lights out shooter with something to prove? I can say I haven’t seen that in NY since Trent Tucker. And even if his minutes in games are limited (as with most men at the end of the bench), he could provide a valuable role as a practice player. Roberson has a nice stroke and he seems to put in good effort.
And call me crazy, but I don’t hate Mardy Collins as much as most. He hasn’t seem to put it all together, but I like him in spots. Perhaps there is a chance that a season or two under D’Antoni might turn him into a rotation guy.