Monthly Archives: December 2008
Cheers to Gian on another job well done. He makes losses important to watch.
Real pumped for this game and it’s almost halftime, just some quick thoughts.jpg "Id take a pass on Thabeet. He has never impressed me as a great NBA prospect.")
because it boasts two of the nation’s notable big men in Hasheem Thabeet and Greg Monroe.
Monroe is an NBA star in the making on the defensive end. I had a question about what I thought his prospects were and I really believe that if he follows the G-Town tradition of staying 4 years and developing, he’ll be an All-Star year after year. He’s that good.
Sadly that won’t happen, I think should he declare and the Knicks ultimately make the lottery and pick in that 5-9 range they should really think about Monroe if he choses to come out. His potential is unlimited. Figure that both Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings will be long gone by then.
I have the exact opposite feeling about Thabeet. His problem is he can’t be the focal point of an offense, which is impossible to believe at 7’3. Granted, Calhoun hasn’t done him any favors by surrounding him with chuckers, and very talented and fast chuckers at that, but there still has to be a way to get the guy more touches.
I’ve seen draft outlets that have the Knicks high on him.
Please ignore them as the Knicks are not interested. How could they be? He can’t play in D’Antoni’s system and there’s no reason to have him stand under the basket on the defensive end.
To me Monroe has the higher ceiling and fits Donnie Walsh’s need (and mine) for a hoop protector. He’s simply a far better prospect that Thabeet.
And it isn’t close.
Although he needs more time, sign me up to have another Georgetown big man suit up for us next season.
The offensive spark of this team without question is Nate Robinson. He’s by
far the team’s best athlete, and may be the best pound for pound athlete in the game, and it’s why he fits so well in this system.
It’s good or bad with Nate, for me, because he’s a scorer and that often can stifle the ball movement D’Antoni likes in his system. The whole gym knows when Nate’s about to pull the trigger.
Defensively, he should get 2 steals a game so you take the 1.5 he’s getting, but he often gets under screens and allows for open looks for the bigger guards he’s trying to check.
Donnie Walsh needs to make a decision on Nate, but for now he’s arguable been the team’s best player. Is he a starter in the NBA? To me maybe, but I would say not on a good team. He’s a great bench player who can provide instant energy.
But is there a team willing to give him starter’s money? Say in that 6-8 million range? And if there isn’t shouldn’t that tell us something?
Loading ...The unhappiness of the Nets with former 1st round pick Sean Williams has
culminated with the former Boston College standout being sent to the D league.
Myself, Andrew and Chris have repeatedly stated that Williams would be a good fit here, and I’ve been told that Donnie Walsh is not in the mindset of bringing in players with poor attitudes, as it has been his job to try and change the culture here in one year.
Granted, it’s not a perfect match as Williams doesn’t have a jumpshot, but it could be seen as a low risk/high reward gamble. The kid will play hard if he’s given proper minutes. And with Jared Jefferies inability to stay healthy, they need help up front.
But what Williams possesses is a rare combination of defensive tenacity with the athleticism to finish hard at the rim and with his value reaching a low point, Walsh should explore the possibility of a deal.
That said, he, his players, as well as fans, are waiting for the other shoe to drop from a roster standpoint. Those moves have to come soon before more and more losses pile up.
“Deep unspeakable suffering may well be called a baptism, a regeneration,
the initiation into a new state…” writer George Eliot
The hardest thing to remember about this team is that this year is not all that important.
Unfortunately that’s not what fans ever want to hear. Not when they pay cable bills, not when they love their hoops and not when they call themselves Knick fans.
Many have fled this team years ago, but we’ve stayed. To the younger fans like Alvino, trust me these are the days you’ll look back on and say “I was a die hard fan when we had Eddy Curry” much like some of us have said “I go back to the days of Pat Cummings” (Insert your version of “bad Knick players here_____)
Bad is bad, and yes, enough is enough, but deep down we knew this season was going to be a rough one. Despite a positive start, we’ve fallen on hard times with an imbalanced roster and there’s minor hope of relief in sight.
But at the end of the day does it really matter? Do you think Donnie Walsh would be bothered by a lottery pick? A chance to get Ricky Rubio? You guys think that Walsh has done an outstanding job thus far, so let’s not get crazy.
We’re bad, but this season, based on what Walsh did on November 22nd, is a tremendous success.
I was at my buddy’s wedding last night talking to people and they were asking me about the team.
“The hardest thing for fans is to be told we’re two years away,” I said. “Why would they want to hear that? But when you think about what Walsh has done- he’s allowed for this organization to offer the opportunity for a franchise player along with really solid pieces, that’s really significant… the opportunity.”
Who wouldn’t want to come here and try to restore this franchise and this building? Who wouldn’t want to follow the footsteps of champions in a city that puts them on a pedestal like no other?
“Two big players are coming here,” I recalled saying after a my share of wedding cocktails. ” There’s no way guys like, Lebron or Wade or Bosh, Amare, Nash,etc are all going to turn down the opportunity. Walsh will rank them in order of priority and make them offers they’d find tough to turn down.”
Throw in a guy like Wilson Chandler, Gallinari, Duhon along with another pick and a piece here and there, and in two years were talking about competing for the Eastern Conference Championship.
Yet the real problem is the suffering, so fans it won’t be like this for much longer, it only feels like it will.
You have to stay positive, I know I will…
Poor outside shooting. Not boxing out. Very porous defense on the outside and no help defense on the inside. Out of control and out of sync on offense. Simply put, this team has to get back in order.
This game was close, but the Knicks were outplayed. Harrington looked pretty awful out there. Forget about his head scratching offensive decisions. He always makes those. But to add on to that, he let Balkman outhustle him on the glass. Unacceptable.
Anthony and Smith took over for the Nuggets. Nene and Martin killed us on the block. Lee, who is a putrid defender, let Nene pound him in the post. This team needs a real center. I would have even considered playing Jerome James in this game. Why not? Nene would not have punished him more than he did to Lee. I cannot believe I have resorted to this, but Eddy Curry, where art thou?
I hope Walsh took good notice of this game. This team needs help, as they have for a while now. For a team predicated on outside shooting, this team does not have one pure shooter. If you want to make the argument for Robinson, then I will give you him as one. Tim Thomas, Al Harrington, and Q Rich are all streaky shooters. Jeffries might as well just stay on the defensive end and let the Knicks run a 4 man offense. Chandler is not a three point shooter, even though his persistence on squaring up out there on every possession would imply otherwise. I say this all the time, and I might put it into every post going forward, get rid of Anthony Roberson. Trade him (if he has any value at all) or cut him. Bring in a player that can help this team. Nothing against the young guard, but D’Antoni does not like him.
Steve Somers was calling Coach Mike Coach Antoni yesterday. Citing the team’s lack of defensive effort, that name makes sense. But I am afraid that you can’t teach heart on defense. This team is lacking in that department.
Six straight losses and still slipping. When will it stop?
As most of you know, I wanted Al Harrington over the summer and was
more than willing to trade Jamal Crawford to get him. That idea became reality when Donnie Walsh made the trade on November 22nd.
Harrington came in out of shape, because he was sitting out in Golden State. After rocky outings against Cleveland and Detroit, Al lit up his former team for 36 points and has had two other 30+ games including a mammoth 39-point performance against the Nets.
He has slowed of late, and has lacked consistency, but when he’s on his game, Harrington has played at an All-Star level. Don’t ask me, Shaq said the same thing after the Knicks/Suns game.
I really like his game, but I really love his contract, especially as it compares to Crawford’s. Al’s on a trial run here before 2010 hits, so you should expect to see his best, which we have over the past month. I don’t see him as a team’s number 1 option offensively, although he can score at will. To me he’s a complimentary piece.
I’m curious to see if he can bring it more and more frequently.
Loading ...When: 1:00 P.M. 
Where: MSG
Watch: MSG
Starting Lineups:
Nuggets (19-11)
PG: Chauncey Billups
SG- JR Smith
SF- Carmelo Anthony
PF-Kenyon Martin
C- Nene
Rest of rotation: Dahntay Jones, Linas Kleiza, Anthony Carter, Chris Anderson
Knicks (11-17)
PG: Chris Duhon
SG: Wilson Chandler
SF: Jared Jeffries
PF: Tim Thomas
C: David Lee
Rest of Rotation: Quentin Richardson (?), Nate Robinson, Al Harrington
Injuries:
Nuggets:
Knicks: OUT: Eddy Curry (Knee?) Danilo Gallinari (back) Jared Jefferies (day to day)
Games Notes:
The Nuggets are better than their record shows. Their trade for Chauncey Billups has lit a fire under that team and Billups is playing at a level last seen during the old Pistons’ championship run. This Nuggets team, much to the dismay of the Knicks, is loaded with athletes, and expects their superstar, Carmelo Anthony, back in their lineup. Watch out for players like Anthony and JR Smith who can both light up a scoreboard in bunches. Also, it will be important for Al Harrington and David Lee to box out their men, as both Martin and Nene like to crash the boards pretty hard.
The Knicks have lost five straight and have this matinee at home. But like I 
said the other day, the Nuggets is not a team that you want to play with only seven players. They will wear you down with their athleticism and Billups has always been a player who could grind out a game. Good luck to the Knicks today.
I walked into a pizza shop in Brooklyn and asked the guy behind the counter to throw the Knick game on the tube. Rolling his eyes at me, he asked, “what channel?” After I said MSG, he responded, “the Knicks stink!” Who would have known that he had such good foresight?
I am sorry, but this was a game the Knicks needed. Coming off a four day break and four straight losses, the Knicks had to, I repeat, had to come out firing tonight. Forget about winning this game, the Knicks should have come out tonight and wiped the Garden floor with the Wolves, who were on a serious losing streak themselves. Instead, it was the brutal Wolves that embarrassed the home team in front of their fans.
I know that the players and the coach have to take most of the blame, but this team cannot win with only 7 guys. As for Sunday’s game, the Nuggets are not a team that you can run 7 guys out against and come out with a W. Q was out with an ankle sprain, and hopefully Gallo and Curry will be back soon, but still. I am not sure what Walsh is waiting for or if he has anything in the works, but the fact that a guy like Anthony Roberson is occupying a roster spot while the rest of the team is being left out to dry is just unacceptable. Now I am not saying that Roberson did not earn a spot on this roster. What I am saying is that D’Antoni does not like him. He makes the league minimum, and thus makes him the most expendable. Translation: cut him!
This team lost something big when Walsh GAVE AWAY Zach Randolph. Hate or love his game, I think we can all agree that Zach would put an opposing player on the ground to get a rebound, regardless of who that opposing player was. The Knicks need a tough guy. Can Ewing Jr., who might not have the offensive skills to thrive in this system, provide that toughness? If so, then get him in here. Give him Roberson’s spot.
Obviously this team needs another guard and needs a big man. Maybe Curry can be that guy when he gets back. Who can that guard be?
Again, this was a game this team needed to win. I am sick of hearing about building for the future. This team has a shot to win this year. This team can make the playoffs. They showed that in the beginning of the year and they showed it in losses against the Suns and Lakers. Walsh has to realize that and give this team an injection. To lay down and wait for LeBron to be the savior in 2010 is utterly cowardly, and this team has to man up and start playing up to their potential.
UPDATE: Jefferies in the lineup; No Mike Miller/ No Q Rich
When: 7:30 P.M.
Where: MSG
Watch: MSG
Starting Lineups:
Wolves (4-23)
PG: Randy Foye
SG- Mike Miller
SF- Ryan Gomes
PF-Craig Smith
C- Al Jefferson
Rest of rotation: Kevin Ollie, Kevin Love, Rashad McCants, Sebastian Telfair, Brian Cardinal
Knicks (11-16)
PG: Chris Duhon
SG: Quentin Richardson
SF: Wilson Chandler
PF: Al Harrington
C: David Lee
Rest of Rotation: Nate Robinson, Tim Thomas, Malik Rose
Injuries:
Minnesota: Corey Brewer (out)
Knicks: OUT: Eddy Curry (Knee?) Danilo Gallinari (back) Jared Jefferies (day to day)
GAME NOTES
This is a critical juncture for the Knicks in the hopes of making a playoff push. They need to inch closer to .500 and MUST win at home against the 4-win Wolves. In their last game Minnesota pushed the Spurs but lost down the stretch playing without Mike Miller. Al Jefferson seems to be a tough matchup for the undersized Knicks, but if the Knicks can get out in the open court, they should be able to handle the Wolves’ size advantage. They also boast Alvino and Andrew’s main man Craig Smith, who starred at Boston College. The Wolves have dropped 13 straight.
EACH TEAM’S BEST 5-MAN UNIT
NYK: Duhon, Robinson, Chandler, Lee, Harrington (+ 17)
MIN: Foye, Miller, Gomes, Smith, Jefferson (-8)
The Other Blog’s Take: twolvesblog.com
Chris McCosky/The Detroit News on Flip Saunders:Of the six teams that have fired coaches already — Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Washington, Toronto, Philadelphia and Sacramento — the Kings, Timberwolves and 76ers are expected to recruit Saunders the hardest.
What would make him come back this season? Saunders didn’t say, but he would be hard-pressed to turn down an offer to be both coach and general manager. The Timberwolves would be the one team that could offer that.
The Wolves wanted the tickets in order so they could fly in candidates to replace Ociepka. The demand is believed to be an NBA first. My Bulls source didn’t know if the team actually agreed to paying for the tickets.
Leave the in-game banter in the comments section. Let’s go Knicks.
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