All About Team Execution

by Tommy Dee on March 5th, 2009 at 7:32 pm

If you’re a fan of the Knicks you know better than anyone that a guard with a nice handle, some hops, some swagger and a quick trigger hasn’t translated to many victories over the past decade.

I believe the guards who have dominated the rock have been a  huge part of this team’s losing trend.

My theory doesn’t really go as deep as this.You’ve undoubtedly played with someone at some park somewhere or at the local Y, who just thinks about shooting. Seriously, how annoying is it when a guy dribbles down, doesn’t pass to anyone and just yanks it?

One time down great, but then when it happens again, and again and again you go from wanting shots yourself, to wanting to shoot yourself.You don’t want to run back on defense, you don’t want to do the little things- even when the guy is MAKING shots.

Granted, players can’t complain about shots in D’Antoni’s system. There’s plenty to go around- for the first three quarters. As we saw last night, teams need to execute in the half court on both ends in the fourth quarter and when I think “execute” I think “ball movement” and “getting stops.” After a sloppy first few minutes from Chris Duhon, the team settled down and executed.

It’s where the term “sticks to the hands” comes from. In the playoffs, or at least playing against teams ready to make a playoff push, it comes down to executing in the fourth quarter and that’s where over dribbling, shots early in the shot clock and a lack of discipline can really hurt you. More so than 10 points in the quarter, because you’ll need 25-3o to win.

Nate has been brilliant at times, but the thing is, he’s needed to be because no one else is getting shots in rhythm out of great half court possessions. Now you want to tell me that Nate is great because he can score without getting into a possession, fine. But there has to be a combination.

For some reason I really believe Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni aren’t sold on Nate moving forward. D’Antoni was especially gitty last night and maybe that was because his players knew that they won a game with great balance. When Nate is on he’s is electric. He is the star in the spotlight when everyone else is off to the side. These aren’t the best players in the NBA, so they really need to work off each other and, sure, they feed off Nate’s energy, but far too often guys are standing around watching The Nate Show.

Of course, no one can hate on Nate for doing his thing. No one admires the guy as much as I do. He should have legions of fans and he should get paid. He’s incredibly unique.

But I’m a fan of winning basketball, and I’ve seen far too often, playing with a guy who plays MAJOR minutes who’s never seen a shot he won’t take rarely results in winning basketball. There is a niche for the shoot-first guy with no conscience, but there’s a reason those guys should come off the bench and are rarely in the mix down the stretch unless they buy into running half court sets.

So ask yourself, really ask yourself, just how different Nate is from the ball-dominating (no pun intended) guards who have preceded him. I’m honestly not sure how much he is.

Also ask yourself, if you think Nate is interested in staying here and watching his minutes decrease as the talent around him increases over the next few years.

Because that very much could be the case.
  • 2010

    I think we are a little bit exaggerating here how detrimental Nate is because we know he’s a goner. That being said, everyone knows a pass first point guard is crucial to a winning team. Whereas a shoot first point guard is more exciting and can win some games for you, a true championship contender needs a point guard who can dish it out with the best of them and Nate’s not that player. Nate really has no place as the starting point guard on a team with star players. The Knicks will need a point guard who distributes the ball on a high level to the big names soon to come to the garden. The 8-10 million dollars a year Nate will want will be saved for Steve Nash as it should be. David Lee on the other hand, is well worth the 8-10 million dollars because a consisent foward like Lee is rarer and more of a commodity than even us Knicks fans appreciate and will be an key component to the great Knicks team to come in 2010.

  • Myles A. Mills

    sign and trade him. chandler, gallinari, and lee are the only players the Knicks seem to really like.

    It’s exactly like Jamal Crawford, except he was better than Nate.

  • Mucha

    If Jrue Holiday declares – then I’d draft him and resign Nate Robinson (unless we’re in a position to draft Harden, Monroe or Warren of course).

    An oversized point guard would allow D’Antoni to put Nate Robinson in the starting lineup – and there’s no reason to resign him if they want to play him as a bench player. If not, I would deal him for a mid-first rounder like Maynor if there’s a taker – or try to pack him in a bigger trade during the summer.

    Now, yesterday’s game can’t be taken as a measuring stick. The Hawks were not playing well and the Knicks would have lost the first game against them if Nate Robinson hadn’t been there. Remember? He seriously needs to stop dribbling though and his 4th quarter againt the Miami Heat was unacceptable.

  • craigamus83

    Will these NY sports writers stop blowing this out of proportion?! Your ready to crucify the guy before he even signs his second NBA contract. Obviously if Donnie can trade him and improve the talent level of the team he will do so.

    Stephon is gone a few days and they’ve already found the next scape goat. He’s the heart and soul of this team. He’s doing what he supposed to (scoring) on a team that has no two-guard(before Hughes came) and providing them with energy that they need.

    At the end of the day, a guy that is considered one of your top players(Lee) and can’t take over a game offensively or defensively effects your team(both negatively and positively) as much as a guy that shoots more than the public would like him to…

    Relax!!!

  • bob knick slave

    DUMP NATE! and have him take DUHON with him.last night when we were up by 16,i thought to myself,wow!this is great ,up by 16 in the 4th quarter,and no nate to dribble out of control ,take wild shots,and let the other team back into the game.but then ALONG COMES DUHON,dribbling into crowds,passing the ball off of teamates feet,and dribbling off his own leg,and bad passes at crucial times.I SWEAR THIS GUY IS THROWING GAMES! i made a joke about it last week,but the more i watch him,the more i think it.hes either totaly inept,or hes throwing games on purpose

  • Kid Tarheel

    I personally think that nate is a fantastic role player. I think his value is determined by how much his cap number is. To compare him to another player in D’Antoni’s system, I think he is a better version of Leandro Barbosa. Simply put, at certain points in the game, he creates mismatches that help the offense to score points. I think he could be the ideal 6th man on a successful team. And I would love to be able to have Nate on the team, when we get to where we want to go. But two things have to go right in order for hi to be that guy. I think he needs to get paid like a sixth man, and I think he needs to embrace that role. Two things that may not happen, but it would be nice. I think its possible the economic landscape allows the first to happen. And I think a coach like D’Antoni might be able to get nate to feel important in that role. I don’t know if this scenario is likely, but I will be rooting for it.

  • CircleLimit4

    I don’t know if Jrue is quite ready for the NBA, but I agree with your line of thinking 100%

    I don’t think Nate is the main culprit, Duhon is. Get Nate (and the Knicks) a real play-creating pg and all your ball-hog problems are gone. Duhon is wilding inconsistent when it comes to facilitating the offensive attack, ESPECIALLY late in the game. Notice how most of the ball sticking happens in the late 3rd/4th quarter when Knicks need one player to step up and take over. Al has the SAME EXACT problems as Nate when he’s forced to be the go-to guy.

    Nate is a 2, and unless he goes through some miraculous passing clinic in the off-season he’ll never be a 1 or even a combo. Dantoni already experimented with Nate running the point earlier in the season with mixed results. Yet late in the game, Nate is almost always taking the ball up the court because Duhon seems incapable creating a play the big possessions. Krypto has no choice but to create all his shots out of thin air. We should be a little thankful Nate has that uncanny ability to get a shot and/or get to the foul line whenever he wants. The fact is that we would have lot fewer W’s if he didn’t.

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  • NYKat

    Tommy, I agree with your assessment about ball dominating PG’s. Baron Davis, Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury even Iverson currently… they rarely contribute to winning basketball.

    The exception is the way LB used Iverson when they went to the Finals, as a 2. This is the best way to use Nate, IMO. The team has successfully moved the ball with Nate in the lineup, so it’s no that he’s incapable, but as 1 he’s not best utilized for the team or himself.

    If his height is a big issue, (I tend to think it’s not, and don’t see why he isn’t the starting 2-guard right now) use him as a backup, but with his unique skills and and his ginormous heart, I’m averse to the idea that Nate is expendable, and I think/hope Walsh is too.