Lucky Number 13?
In yesterday’s Daily News Frank Isola laid out that the Knicks are expected to unveil their 13th different lineup of the year when the Hawks come to town for tonight’s game.
“The expected lineup – Chris Duhon, Larry Hughes, Wilson Chandler, Al Harrington and David Lee – would represent the 13th different starting five used by the coach in 59 games.
“Walsh’s best teams in Indiana and D’Antoni’s top squads in Phoenix consistently used the same starting five.
“That’s what the Knicks are searching for now. There’s a good chance that only Gallinari plus either Lee or Robinson will be around in two years. Walsh’s goal is to build a winning roster – one that would allow D’Antoni to pencil in the same starting five every night.”
Maybe it is because I have become conditioned by Larry Brown and Isiah Thomas’ merry-go-round rosters, but this team seems to have more stability than 13 lineup changes would let on.
Regardless, Isola makes a very good point. Until the Knicks have a true, reliable identity they are going to struggle.
The issue is that nobody knows exactly what role he needs to play to be an ingredient in a recipe for success – a handful of trades, injuries, and one major prolonged buyout have crippled the Knicks’ ability to maintain a single, consistent, united front.
Once trading away Crawford, we lost the guy who everybody in the building and on both benches knew would have the ball in his hands at the end of a game for the ‘Bockers.
When we moved ZBo, we lost the guy who everybody in the building and on both benches knew would be the Knicks scorer down on the blocks.
When we traded Jerome James, we lost the guy who everybody in the building and on both benches knew would never reach the scorers table (sorry, couldn’t resists).
Now? We have young guys looking to build on limited experience, we have career role players looking to burden heavy minutes, and we have pending free agents trying to ensure that they can secure that next big contract.
With all the 2010 talk, it is hard to imagine this team really forming much of the identity that it truly needs much before, well 2010.
That’s a fairly unsettling thought…
