Monthly Archives: August 2008
Mike D’Antoni, himself, has expressed excitement about the prospects of having you in his offense, so it’s a 
big year Jamal.
No more excuses. You’ve heard them, and right atop the list sits,
“He’s never been coached right. He’s had too many coaches in his career.”
Everyone remembers Crawford playing well under Larry Brown, but that was just on the offensive end. I maintain that offensively the ball still sticks to his hands too much and he settles for too many tough jumpers, and defensively, well…
But we’ll be positive here.
Jamal, we need you to elevate your game and become a complete player. Complete players harass people defensively, and in addition to scoring from the floor. They also get to the line, but we’ve talked about that before.
Now’s your chance to learn and we think you have the ability to. This means less dribbling east to west and more running off screens. You attack your man as well as anyone off the dribble, but in D’Antoni’s system others will be open well before you commit to a drive and pull up. He’ll be fine with the shots you take, so long as it’s the best one in that set. So be patient and always have your head up.
It’s a big year for you with your option kicking in at season’s end, so you have all the motivation in the world to play well, but judging from what we know about your character it’s not about the money, it’s about reputation.
The team will probably lose it’s fair share this year, and this is about the future, so management will have to decide what it holds for you. Molding your game in this coach’s system and becoming a well-rounded player will make the decision very easy for them.
You’re a good guy and a talented player, which is why fans run hot and cold with you. Even your biggest skeptics want to see you play well. But there’s more to the game than just scoring.
No more excuses, you’re in a system of a coach that is widely credited for redeeming his country, so the time is now.
It’s too much to ask that you’ll be as productive this time around under D’Antoni, or is it? No, you won’t get
35 minutes per game, or 13 shots a game, but we’re okay with you taking 8-10. Maybe you can push Crawford in preseason for the starting spot, since we think Chandler is a lock to start at the 3.
We should expect you to play solid backup minutes at the 2/3 depending how Gallinari develops. You’ll contribute solid defense, and we know you’ll be in top shape, and it stands to reason that your leadership and talent will be a strong factor. Your contract is long and tough to trade, so you’ll have to be comfortable with being a role player. But that doesn’t mean you should go quietly.
At the two you can knock down 3s, but I think D’Antoni sees you as a post threat as well. If you are paired with Chandler or Gallinari, both of whom can knock down perimeter shots, you should get the opportunity to post smaller twos, something we’re completely comfortable with.
Play hard Q, you’ve been the consummate pro here, and we think your leadership is important. You’re comfortable with D’Antoni so we look for solid things from you, so long as you stay healthy.
We think you can still break twos down off the dribble too, so we may see some more of this…
Real important note about D’Antoni’s system. This was the spread set many college teams have adopted, the idea of opening the block for dribble penetration. Notice the ball starts in the post on the opposite block (Curry) and is reversed (if Curry learns to stop passing to the other team). As it’s reversed the strong side block is open and the big man guarding the opposite block has to stay home. Dirk can’t help or it’s a wide open three. With a quick cross Q beats his man and there’s no help at the basket.
“Attacking the block” – Just something to watch for this season under D’Antoni.
I am not sure if anyone remembers when the Suns signed Steve Nash. It was the summer of 2004, and the Suns, fully armed with ample cap space, were rumored to be very much interested in signing superstar guard Kobe Bryant. Well, the clock struck midnight on July 1, and the Suns wasted no time shocking the NBA world by bringing in a less heralded and much more pedestrian guard by the name of Steve Nash. At the time, the Suns’ offer to Nash trumped that of Dallas’ offer to retain him, and thus the Suns and Mike D’Antoni had gotten their man. Two MVP awards later, Coach Mike looks like a genius.
There is no doubt in my mind that Chris Duhon was the guy that Walsh and D’Antoni envisioned running the Knicks next season all along. Passing on combo guards Jerryd Bayless and Eric Gordon during the draft, Walsh believed that the point guard of his choice would ultimately be around for him to snag. A couple of weeks later, Walsh threw everything that the Knicks had to offer at Chris Duhon, dishing out practically twice the amount that the runner-up Orlando Magic was offering. At the time, I loved the move, but could not help but think that Walsh seemingly outbid himself for Duhon’s services. But this move was clearly not all Walsh’s decision. D’Antoni, the offensive guru, definitely played a major role in bringing in the young point guard.
I am truly convinced that D’Antoni sees something in Duhon that none of us do. Walsh’s full-court press to sign him proves that. Now even though it seems like I am trying to compare the Steve Nash signing to the Chris Duhon signing, I am not. My point is that there is something about Duhon that I have yet to see. Walsh and D’Antoni have a plan, and Duhon was clearly a key cog in that plan. Walsh made sure that he got Duhon – that is why he went after him so aggressively. As Tommy Dee said, Duhon could provide quality minutes off the bench if Walsh found a stud point for the future, but given Walsh’s eagerness to get him, I cannot help but be intrigued by the Duhon signing. He might not be the next Steve Nash, but given D’Antoni’s keen eye for point guard potential, Knicks fans might be seeing a side of Chris Duhon that they have never seen before. Let’s hope!
No Knicks on the team, but still, that Spain game was great basketball. Congrats…Finger point to spursreport.com, for the photo.
…and by the way, the more I watch Rubio, the more I REALLY love his game. I can see him throwing lobs to Chris Bosh in 2010 right now.
Have we seen the end of Gus Johnson on MSG?
According to Bob Raissman, Johnson’s contract expired at season’s end and he is renegotiating with MSG suits, a process not going very well.
“How are the negotiations going? Here’s where it gets sticky. The same sources said MSG Network brass – boss Mike Bair and executive producer Lydia Murphy-Stephans – are playing hardball with Johnson over terms of a new deal.
Would these two be bubbleheaded enough not to ink Johnson? The Excitable One has spent 10 seasons as part of MSG’s Knicks radio team – the past five as the Knicks’ No. 1 radiocaster, working with veteran analyst John (Legend) Andariese.
The fact that it’s almost September and MSG has not come to terms with Johnson is a tad strange. Especially considering what’s taking place on the court.
With Mike D’Antoni in place as coach, and Donnie Walsh now the brains of the organization, the fog on 33rd St. has a chance of lifting. The Garden will be selling optimism. It better if it wants anyone to purchase overpriced tickets.
The broadcast end of the operation will be key in describing the transition to friend and foe alike. Johnson should be part of this. He’s been with MSG through mostly bad times. If this is the start of a turnaround, Johnson has the chops to chronicle the franchise’s resurrection on the radio.
Did Johnson cut Isiah Thomas major slack and spread MSGulag party propaganda? Yep. He, along with all the other MSG Knicks voices who joined him, have been ripped to shreds in this space. A new day may be dawning.
I’m kinda 50/50 on Gus, he’s a class guy for sure, but he took it waaay too easy on the Isiah Thomas Era. So much so it seemed Johnny Hoops had to keep himself from laughing at Gus’ takes during telecasts. “Folks don’t let the scoreboard fool you, despite losing by 25, the Knicks REALLY COMPETED TONIGHT.”
Such propaganda affects your credibility.
On the other hand, Gus has entrenched himself in the fabric of March Madness where every game he does is a must-listen.
In another installment, TKB pleads with current Knicks to listen to Mike D’Antoni and his on-court expectations. Next up, Chris Duhon.
We’ll stay away from the nightclub jokes, Chris. What we need from you is leadership. We need someone who
can get the ball to the right people at the right time, but most importantly, we don’t need you to relax because you got a fat contract. We need you to push up on defense and guard the other team’s PG for 94 feet. They’ve had it too easy over this horrid run. Like a quarterback facing no pass rush, opposing PG have found it too easy to get into sets and make great first decisions. That MUST stop.
Here, watch the kid Rubio, he’s like 17 and he knows how to guard his man after a hoop (first highlight the lay-up after he takes the charge.)
You’re not the PG of the future, understand that you will be a major contributor when we get a top-flight or young stallion at the one (see video above or youtube “Brandon Jennings”). Even off the bench or limited starter as the young guard developes, you will still be vital to our success. Understand? You played for “K”, so you should.
Oh, feeding the post well and knocking down some 3s would be nice too.
Wed., Oct. 8 at Toronto 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 10 at Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 14. vs. Sixers (MSG) 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 17 at Boston 7:30 p.m.
Mon., Oct. 20 at New Jersey (IZOD Center) 7:30 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 21 vs. Celtics (MSG) 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 24 vs. Nets (MSG) 7:30 p.m.
While the Seattle Supersonics, turned Thunder, has found a new home in Oklahoma City, some of the Thunder’s players might not do the same. With major depth in the frontcourt, and a dearth in the backcourt, the Thunder could be an interesting trade partner for the Knicks. The Thunder not only has depth up front, but they also have a surplus of young, athletic 7-footers that might catch Walsh’s eye. Serge Ibaka, this year’s 1st round pick, Johan Petro, Robert Swift, and Mouhamed Sene (all 22 years old or younger) all figure to have trouble finding minutes in a frontcourt that also includes Nick Collison, DJ White, Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith.
Swift is a restricted FA, but I have heard that the Thunder might want to keep him. However, can Donnie entice the Thunder to relinquish one of the others? If I could pick one, I would ask for Johan Petro, who Tommy Dee believes can be a Sam Dalembert type. Last year, Petro, 22, showed promising signs while showing off his athleticism. But would the Thunder give him up? Would Mardy Collins entice them for Petro? A more realistic option would be Sene. A Collins for Sene swap would work, as both have expiring contracts and as both would fill needs for the Thunder and Knicks respectively.
Sene is raw and has not proven that he could provide quality NBA minutes. But would taking a chance on a 22 year old 7-footer be such an awful idea? DeVon Hardin, a 2nd round pick in this year’s draft, is also buried in the Thunder’s heap of centers. If the Thunder cuts him, he may be a guy worth looking at as well.
In the first of a bunch of installments, TKB pleads with current Knicks to listen to Mike D’Antoni and his
on-court expectations. Since he may be the second most brutal important contract on the team in terms of being must-moved with hope of restoring cap order, we’ll start with Jared Jeffries.
Since we understand that limited role players on bad teams are essentially deemed as bad players (I mean how important are intangibles when you lose by 15 every night?), Jeffries has fallen into the worthless category with the Knicks. We feel that will change. He’s long and a solid perimeter defender who can fill in at the 3/4 for some minutes, and may attract some playoff teams into inquiring about him at the trade deadline, so long as the Knicks eat some of his 19.4 million remaining.
If Jeffries can guard 3s like he did against Paul Pierce in last year’s preseason battle with the Celts, and avoids any impulse to shoot jumpshots, he could be a nice fit in D’Antoni’s style. He does have a pretty decent IQ and could be a bench, glue-type. If he can handle stepping aside to Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler yet still provide hard defense, we’ll consider it a good year for JJ2. It would be a great year if he can play himself into being traded come the deadline.
Donnie Walsh has hired former Magic GM John Gabriel, who was serving as a scout for the Blazers, as director of scouting.
Gabriel is familiar with dismantling the Magic in the late 1990s and his efforts with the Blazers can only help 
his cause. His efforts earned him the 1999 NBA Executive of the Year Award. Gabriel also plucked Doc Rivers from behind the microphone to coach and he ended up winning the Coach of the Year honors in 2000.
Gabriel traded Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins to the Pistons in exchange for Grant Hill in a sign-and-trade, he also allowed Chauncey Billups to sign elsewhere, and brought in another high priced free agent in Tracy McGrady. As it turned out these moves were instrumental in the Pistons rise to the NBA elite, while the Magic struggled with both lofty expectations and an oft-injured Hill.
During a 19-game losing streak in 2003-04, Gabriel was fired.
Here’s Gabriel’s draft history with the Magic
1999- 1st round- No pick
2nd Round- Laron Profit (G-Maryland)
2000- 1st Round-Mike Miller (G/F- Florida)
2nd Round- No pick
2001- 1st Round-Steven Hunter- (C- Depaul)
2nd Round- Omar Cook (PG- St. John’s)- traded to Denver for a future #1 pick (Steven Hunter).
2002- 1st Round- Traded rights to Curtis Borchardt (C- Stanford) to Utah for Ryan Humphries/2nd rounder.
2003- 1st Round-Reece Gaines- (G- Louisville)
2nd Round- No pick
Obviously it’s a wise move for Walsh to bring in someone who has the experience of rebuilding in a short period of time, as he hopes to do the same. People are telling me that this year will be one of few moves, as Walsh evaluates what he currently has. I’m not sold on that, if the right deal comes along Walsh will make it in a second. Not really in love with Gabriel’s draft history, but it’s tough to judge someone on just that. Insiders have considered Gabriel a solid basketball mind, something you can’t have too many of.
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