Mike D’Antoni went with 10 different groups and here are the results with the minutes rounded up or down to the nearest whole minute. We will be keeping these stats all season long as D’Antoni tries to find the right matches.

* Denotes Starters

* Crawford, Duhon, Richardson, Lee, Randolph ( 17 minutes) -11

Robinson, Duhon, Crawford, Chandler, Lee (11 minutes) -4

Robinson, Duhon, Crawford, Chandler, Randolph (1 minute) -2

Collins, Duhon, Nate, Chandler, Randolph (1 minute) -2

Robinson, Collins, Chandler, Rose, Randolph (5 minutes) +3

Robinson, Richardson, Collins, Rose, Randolph (1 minute) -2

Crawford, Richardson, Robinson, Lee, Randolph ( 2 minutes) -5

Robinson, Duhon, Gallinari, Chandler, Randolph ( 5 minutes) -8

Roberson, Collins, Robinson, Lee, Chandler ( 4 minutes) +4

Roberson, Robinson, Collins, Rose, Gallinari ( 3 minutes) -6

So what happens when a jump shooting team, to a man, struggles to make a shot? Hopefully it tries to drive to the basket. What happens when the team they are playing can defend the basket?

They get blown out.

End of story, really.

This is what we talked about when we meant balance. For those of you who want to hold on to your exciting young players instead of getting someone to guard the rim you’d have a tough time being taken seriously by intelligent NBA executives. Granted, guys like Sam Dalembert are hard to come by, but they are game changers.

Two games without a blocked shot, the Sixers had 7, and about 5 more “hurries” even when Dalembert and Elton Brand (3 blocks) weren’t even in the game.

The talk may be about Marbury, but the real problem with this team is the lack of presence at the rim, something Donnie Walsh has always stressed.

I’ll bet Coach D’Antoni, who’s already showed to be a bit testy, will be begging for a big soon.

The Knicks shot 32% from the field and a putrid 25% from the 3-point line. Jamal Crawford “led” the team with 14, while Brand had 24.

The Knicks (1-1) return to action Sunday against the Bucks.

When: 7:05 P.M.

Where: Wachovia Center

Watch: MSG

Starting Lineups:

76ers (0-1)

PG: Andre Miller

SG- Andre Iguodala

SF- Thaddeus Young

PF- Elton Brand

C- Samuel Dalembert,

Rest of rotation: Willie Green, Reggie Evans, Lou Williams, Samuel Dalembert

Knicks (1-0)

PG: Chris Duhon

SG: Jamal Crawford

SF: Quentin Richardson

PF: Zach Randolph

C: David Lee

Rest of Rotation: Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Nate Robinson, Malik Rose

Injuries:

Miami: Royal Ivey (Suspension, NBA)
Knicks: Danilo Gallinari (Questionable: back); Jared Jeffries (OUT: leg)

Keep an eye on:

Elton Brand. He was a force in the first preseason game, and the 76ers frontline could pose a major test for the Knicks. Also, let’s see if the Knicks guards, including Chris Duhon can keep Andre Miller in check. Also, Danilo Gallinari- A got a feeling the kid makes a statement tonight, but we should keep an eye on how he and Wilson Chandler bounce back from the injury bug.

The Other Blog’s Take: From allaroundphilly.com

Beware of the rowdy fans!

“…The Sixers are offering Phillies fans a specially priced $10 ticket to see the Sixers and the New York Knicks immediately following the Phillies championship celebration on Friday, October 31 at 7:00 p.m.

Fans wearing Phillies T-shirts, sweatshirts or hats can begin purchasing $10 tickets at the Wachovia Center box office beginning at 10:00 a.m. Tickets can also be purchased up until game time.

Any adult with a child 12 and under can receive a complimentary ticket for the child…”

In looking at past NBA seasons, there are often player moves made in the first 2-3 weeks of the season so teams get an opportunity to allow new players to get to know their teammates and learn the system as early as possible.

I’ve always played the role of TKB’s resident devil’s advocate in trade rumors by simply looking at the rumors from the other team’s perspective. So, here’s my take…there is NO WAY that Chris Mullin (unless he’s back on the sauce) will take Eddy Curry in any deal unless David Lee is involved. I’m still in the group that would make anybody expendable if it meant unloading Curry. And to be honest, I’d trade Lee and Curry for Al Harrington and Brandan Wright in a heartbeat. I don’t know if Nate Robinson would be enough to entice Mullin into offsetting Curry, but I could see him and Don Nelson being enamored with a potential Lee-Andris Biedrins frontcourt in the future.

What I do see as a potential match, and it’s a deal that Chris Alvino has been pitching for over a month now, is a 1-for-1 swap of Nate Robinson for Sean Williams. As a fellow BC’er, I’ve seen Williams play since he was a college freshman with zero offensive skills. His offense is still very limited but there’s two things he can do that will make him a great fit for our team. He can run the floor better than most other big men and he swats everything in sight. He does have a tendency of leaving his feet and getting burned by shot fakes, but his length and presence in the paint are one thing that does not exist on this Knicks roster. More importantly, Williams received a DNP in the Nets’ season opener at Washington, and from all accounts Brook Lopez looks like a keeper. We already know Lawrence Frank’s love affair with Josh Boone, so this looks more and more feasible.

I honestly think that the Nets would jump on this deal because of Robinson’s scoring abilities and it even seems one-sided in the Nets’ favor on its face, but if we’re going to lose Nate after the season anyway and can get a long shot-blocking presence in return, I’d pull the trigger on this one.

So apparently Mike D’Antoni cursing out fans the other night has become big news.

Why?

Good for D’Antoni. New York fans are passionate and  knowledgable,right? But when a small group chants for Stephon Marbury up 19 points in the second half against the Heat it had plenty of people cursing, including the new coach. I was at the game and my first reaction was to look at the scoreboard and realize that we were playing great, then thought “Why the @*&# are they chanting for Marbury?”

This is NOT about the coach versus the fans. This is about the coach scratching his head when thinking about a small percentage of his fanbase. The same dopes who chanted for Marbury probably booed Gallinari on draft night and chanted “USA! USA!”despite never once seeing him play.

That’s ignorance, not knowledge.

What do these fans know about winning in this league?

So if you read the reports that D’Antoni is anti-fans, please ignore them. If you’re as knowledgable as you think you are, you’ll say good for the coach for calling them out. They deserve it.

Update: Just finished reading Tim Kawakami’s blog out from the Bay Area, you’d remember Tim, he’s the guy that got attacked by a Raiders Exec after breaking the story of Lane Kiffin’s firing two weeks before it happened.

Anyway, TK doesn’t think the Warriors have any use for Curry unless the deal were to expand, then he noted a name that caught my attention.

“…Short summary: Things can change drastically and maybe already have, but unless the Warriors get another team more intrigued (Chicago, Cleveland, Lakers or Charlotte?) by dangling one of their young players that Nelson doesn’t like (Wright, Marco Belinelli or Marcus Williams)… then, as far as I can tell, they might have to wrangle something in a tough trade environment…”

I noticed Belinelli was a DNP last night, he’d fit in perfectly with D’Antoni and Danilo Gallinari, so maybe a Curry/ Nate swap for Marco and Harrington could work.

*************************

That sound you hear is the trade winds a blowin’, so we’ll run with it for now.

As I said before, I think Curry could fit well with Golden State along side Andres Biedrins, a shot-blocking, rebounding force.  I’ve long-considered Curry to be a 4, and if he has help he can be effective.

I’m not even sure a Curry and Collins for Harrington deal gets it done, although wouldn’t it be nice to call Ewing Jr’s agent and have an open roster spot?

With that said, kudos to TKB gym rat Greg who sent me a Nate and Curry for Al Harrington and Marcus Williams deal. This is an interesting one on plenty of levels.

First off, the team is not married to Nate, as seen by refusing to extend him. So does it make sense to use him as a chip to unload Curry’s deal and get back Harrington?

Maybe.

Remember, the Knicks tried moving David Lee on draft night, and sources told TKB that Lee killed the deal because he wouldn’t sign there long term. Does Nate use the same leverage?

Well, with Monta Ellis on the shelf for a while, the team needs guard help and Nate would be a great option for Nellie who would love to get rid of two malcontents unhappy players. I know Williams has issues, but to put up with him for a year and save the $30-35 million that Nate should get, the deal seems to make sense.

Nate is from the Northwest, he’d start and get paid, so why would he object?

I like Nate (we share the same middle name), but it’s possible that the moves by Donnie to keep Anthony Roberson, and not trade Zach Randolph could have been to monitor the Harrington situation the whole time. It may not be the most popular move with the fans,  but it makes financial sense and we’ve seen Walsh go that route before. Plus he loves Harrington.

This could get interesting.

ESPN’s Chris Sheridan is reporting there have been discussions of a possible deal that would bring Al Harrington to NY in exchange for Eddy Curry.

He notes, however, that the Warriors are asking for a package including David Lee.

“…The Knicks are one of several teams that have contacted the Golden State Warriors about disgruntled forward Al Harrington, though the Warriors are said to be more interested in a package built around David Lee (16 points, 11 rebounds, five assists against the Heat).

One source told ESPN.com that Golden State’s best offers were coming from two Western Conference rivals, but that management would prefer to ship him to the East. A straight up Curry-for-Harrington deal would appear to fill needs for both clubs, although Golden State would be taking on an extra year of salary and making a risky investment in a player viewed by many around the league as too undriven emotionally to ever be an impact player on a contending team…”

You know how we feel about Harrington. Yes, he’s moody but he’s the prototype inside-outside D’Antoni big man. That said, I don’t think Curry gets it done straight up, but stranger things have happened.

Curry, who two years ago was a force on the blocks, would fit a great need, as would the addition of say, Mardy Collins.

The Warriors will ask for a ton, but trades like this have happened where disgruntled players get moved in a change of scenery type deal. Like the saying goes “timing is everything.” But, before anyone gets too excited, there are several factors to keep in mind.

Obviously, the Donnie Walsh/Harrington connection, and the New York connection between Walsh and Chris Mullin. But remember, Don Nelson didn’t exactly enjoy his brief stay here (35-24 in 95-96), so you can bet a deal will be difficult to swing if he has any say. Nellie does love big guys and Curry teamed with Andres Biedrins would be an interesting and possibly very effective tandem. Curry would allow Nelson to bring the talented Brandan Wright along slowly.

The question becomes how long can the Warriors take Harrington’s demands, and how willing are they to eat Curry’s final year?

Again, it may take adding, say, Nate Robinson (the Warriors would have to add a player to make it work) so you have to ask yourself, how badly do you wish to bring in a talented, yet moody, big man who would add great cap relief, in addition to unloading Curry?

We’ve talked at length about the guards’ in ability to get over screens. They’ve been absolutely putrid in getting over screens, with the exception of Chris Duhon. Do us a favor, take note of every time a player gets under vs. over and the outcome of plays. When a guard gets under, 9 times out of 10,the result turns into a wide open shot (which NBA players can MAKE), an aggressive drive to the basket forcing a big to help, or mismatch. The difference is uncanny. And you know who’s paying attention?

The coach.

Last night Nate Robinson went under and gave up an uncontested shot. The next time Nate went under again and it turned into a foul on David Lee. All of a sudden D’Antoni screamed, ” THAT’S TWICE NATE!” referring to both his defensive lapses.

Nate nodded in agreement.

Accountability enforced by the coach…gotta love it.

Obviously Jamal Crawford has earned it, as did Wilson Chandler for his energy off the bench.  So, we’ve got a tough decision here to start the season.

One can talk about Crawford’s performance after struggling all preseason, but how about Quentin Richardson?

At one point during the game I looked up and said,” How does Q have 16 points?” That is the sign of an unassumingly efficient game and the numbers tell the story:

28 minutes
5-9 FG
2-5 3s
4-4 FTs
4 assists
4 rebounds

So congrats Q, you get the game ball…

I recall the look on Jamal Crawford’s face at Media Day when all the reporters were surrounding Stephon Marbury. It was one of “hey guys, I’m here too…”

Last night Crawford was everywhere and made as loud a statement early on in the game as Mike D’Antoni did in benching Marbury.

Contrary to published reports, the chants of “we want Steph” came from a small section of the Garden and were quickly drowned by boos, it’s not like the whole crowd was ignoring the team’s strong effort. In fact, if there is one player who can get to where D’Antoni thinks he can get to without Marbury, it’s Jamal.

Let’s face it, they are really similar players and there’s only room for one on any team.

It’s a great start for the D’Antoni era, the rotation was tight and it was nice to see Danilo Gallinari, whom D’Antoni matched with Shaun Livingston defensively and the kid held his own. The second jumper looked pure and just missed short, as he gets more time he’ll show off his stroke.

“I thought was in,” he said later, “because it came out real nice from my hand.” The kid is confident. He was lost a little in his 3-plus minutes, but I’ll have no problem rooting for him.

Wilson Chandler was tremendous and Quentin Richardson had the most quite 16 you’ll ever get.

All in all a great start.

Mike D’Antoni went with 13 different groups in the season opener and here are the results with the minutes rounded up or down to the nearest whole minute. Judging off of one game is difficult, but TKB hopes to use this number throughout the season to show which unit is most effective together. Later this morning, we’ll post a full recap from a great night at MSG along with our game ball.

* = denotes starting five

* Duhon, Crawford, Richardson, Lee, Randolph (22 minutes) + 8

Duhon, Robinson, Crawford, Chandler, Randolph (5 minutes) -10

Duhon, Robinson, Crawford, Chandler, Lee (4 minutes) E

Collins, Robinson, Richardson, Chandler, Rose (3 minutes) E

Collins, Robinson, Crawford, Chandler, Lee (3 minutes) + 1

Duhon, Robinson, Gallinari, Chandler, Rose (2 minutes) E

Collins, Robinson, Gallinari, Chandler, Rose (2 minutes) E

Duhon, Robinson, Collins, Chandler, Lee (2 minutes) -1

Collins, Crawford, Richardson, Chandler, Randolph (1 minute) +2

Duhon, Crawford, Richardson, Rose, Randolph (1 minute) +3

Robinson, Crawford, Richardson, Chandler, Lee (1 minute) +2

Robinson, Crawford, Richardson, Randolph, Lee (1 minute) +2

Duhon, Robinson, Crawford, Randolph, Lee (1 minute) -2

When: 7:30 P.M.

Where: Madison Square Garden

Watch: MSG

Starting Lineups:

Miami

PG: Mario Chalmers

SG- Dwyane Wade

SF- Shawn Marion

PF- Michael Beasley

C- Udonis Haslem

Rest of rotation: Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Yakhouba Diawara, Dorell Wright

Knicks

PG: Chris Duhon

SG: Jamal Crawford

SF: Quentin Richardson

PF: Zach Randolph

C: David Lee

Rest of Rotation: Wilson Chandler, Stephon Marbury, Nate Robinson, Malik Rose

Injuries:

Miami: James Jones (OUT: wrist); Shaun Livingston (questionable: knee); Jamaal Magliore (OUT: hand)

Knicks: Danilo Gallinari (Questionable: back); Jared Jeffries (OUT: leg)

Keep an eye on:

Chris Duhon’s defense on Dwyane Wade. D’Antoni will most likely keep Duhon on Wade all game, with an occasional spell from Wilson Chandler if his knee allows. Wade’s Olympic play reaffirmed his status as one of the most dominant scorers in the league, and after last year’s disappointing second half in Miami, you know Wade has had tonight circled on his calendar for a long time. In the frontcourt, the Knicks have a rare size advantage over Haslem, Beasley, and Marion which should present Z-Bo a nice chance for a 25-plus night. Look for first-year Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to exploit Richardson’s post defense by feeding the ball to Marion on the blocks early.

The Other Blog’s Take: From Miamiheatwave.com:

Spoelstra will have his work cut out for him but don’t think he hasn’t been preparing for this moment. There have been whispers, even as far back as when Stan Van Gundy and his moustache were pacing the sidelines, that Spoelstra was being groomed for this spot. In fact, many of the Heat’s players lauded Spoelstra for helping them refine their games – such as Wade and helping develop his jump shot. Spoelstra has the tools to communicate with his players and also to get them to work for him and improve their games. He has been the summer league coach and has worked on scouting players and setting up film, breaking down opponents weaknesses as well as the Heat’s.

The challenge for Spoelstra will be to forge an identity and to get the Heat team culture back to where it was. In part, this will change due to the roster moves President Riley is making. Gone are the me-first players who plagued the franchise and hamstrung its efforts. It is clear Shaq was in this camp, only looking out for himself. He had valid complaints but the Heat could not offer him the superstar cast he wanted in part because of Shaq’s immense contract. Now, that is the Suns’ problem. The Heat, for their pain, got back Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks – both of whom have worked tirelessly on their games and getting them to fit into the Heat’s philosophy.

Beware of the Rat: Pat Riley may come into town, which means that gas prices are sure to elevate based on his love for oil.