Monthly Archives: April 2009
Lebron James spoke candidly about what has made him a great player after yesterday’s sweep of the Pistons. Sure, the fact that he’s a combination of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson physically rolled into one helps, but James himself points to his work ethic as a major reason why he is on the cusp of a championship.
“…The 24-year-old superstar said his work ethic has been “everything” in a breathtaking career that has surpassed unprecedented hype.
“You’re only born with a certain amount of gifts,” he said. “You have to take advantage of them, and put in the work. My work ethic has helped me be the player I am today.”Cavs coach Mike Brown said James is a “workaholic,” and relayed an anecdote about his son being in awe of James lifting weights and going through individual drills during last offseason…”
Of all the things the Knicks have lacked over the past decade, I think the most important thing missing is a player who forces teammates to improve based on their work ethic. Patrick Ewing used to be the first in the weight room and held other players accountable for not putting their own work in.
When you have the combination of a player of Lebron’s ability and will to get better, teammates know that if they don’t put the work in, they will be gone. It just hasn’t been like that around here for so long.
You can bet that as Donnie Walsh adds players to this mix, he’ll be looking for players who are grinders so that whoever comes in 2010 will fit seamlessly.
In the meantime, I wonder who is the one in the locker room pushing teammates, and I wonder if those teammates are responding. It will be interesting to see if Walsh can get a player who can hold down the fort in such aspect this summer.
With all of the trade chatter on this site about Lee, Chandler, and others, I 
began to think about our most valuable trade chips. Al Harrington, a Golden State cast-away, has to be considered a valuable trade chip. While his play summarized the type of season that the Knicks had, Harrington put forth a pretty good year for the Knicks. He finished the season averaging over 20 ppg and over 6 rpg. With one year remaining on his current contract, Harrington has to be popular player for other GM’s to target. True, Harrington can disrupt a team’s flow with the number of shots he takes. But we as Knick fans have to understand something… who on this team deserved more shots than Harrington? I am not trying to condone some of the poor shots he took last year, but he was arguably our best offensive player. And it is not as if other players were gun shy either (see Larry Hughes, Nate Robinson and Wilson Chandler).
It appears that Harrington loves playing here. When he was demoted to a reserve role, Harrington did not fuss. He simply earned back his spot in the starting rotation. On a good team, Harrington can be a great third option, or even a decent second option. Walsh likes the guy. Harrington likes Walsh. Aside from some of his mental mistakes, I think D’Antoni likes Harrington as well.
So where does that leave Harrington for next season? A starting front-court of Lee and Harrington proved to be laughable at times last year. For someone listed at 6’9, 250 lbs., Harrington was nowhere to be found in the paint last season. People sometimes fault Lee for his lack of defensive presence in the paint, but Harrington was no help. I think Harrington can play the three spot, but then where does that leave Chandler? Chandler can start at the two, but I believe that Walsh would prefer a more prototypical two guard that can shoot consistently from beyond the arc and that can make smart decisions with the ball (perhaps James Harden in the draft). If Lee is retained, then he is going to be our starting power forward. Someone with length has to be our starting center. Where does that leave Harrington?
A source familiar with the Nets has informed TKB that Lawrence Frank will remain as head coach of the team to start the 2009-10 season.
The source said the team is also, initially, very high on Wake Forest small forward James Johnson. Currently, the Nets sit at the 11th position in the draft, three behind the Knicks. Chad Ford has nailed Johnson to the Nets as well.
ESPN has this to say about Johnson.
“…Johnson is a very intriguing prospect. He’s a great athlete, has a NBA body and he’s very skilled. He can play multiple positions on the floor and does a bit of everything on the offensive end. Johnson has some flaws. His basketball IQ is still fairly raw and he can get out of control at times. But it’s probably a good decision. He’s already 22 years old and was really impressive in the second half of the season. He’ll likely go somewhere between 10 and 20 on draft night…”
Johnson reminds me a lot of Wilson Chandler in that he can guard 4s and has a perimeter game, but he’s a really natural 3. No word out of Knicks camp, but I’m interested to see if they give Florida’s Nick Calathes a long look. Calathes could be had further down in the draft and does have the long, athletic, pass-first qualities that D’Antoni loves in his point guards.
And Big C has the photos to prove it. 
I’ve seen this season and watched as Dennis Rodman drank his way off the show, and I’m still trying to figure out what the heck Herschel Walker is taking about. Clearly too many hits to the helmet. And yes Joan Rivers is getting ready to play the “Crypt Keeper” whenever HBO decided to roll out more “Tales from the Crypt.”
Anyway, much like Nate, Lee has marketed himself pretty well and is taking advantage of being an athlete in NY. How that helps his market value in this economy I’m not sure.
Victoria Silvstedt is reason enough to watch.
In fairness, Lee was playing with a banged up knee down the stretch, and that hampered his mobility and explosiveness.
Now that is not an excuse, just something to bear in mind. Finger point to Pavlos Gorgey for the mix.
It’s a question that has been asked over and over, but I want an answer. If you consider that Carlos Boozer is most likely going
to opt out of 12 million per and Ronnie Turiaf makes around 4 million per year, Lee should get somewhere in the middle.
I would offer Lee a 4-year deal that is declining as in 8.5 million the first year, 8 million the second, 7.5 the third and 7 million the 4th. In total 4 for 31 million with an option for the 5th. If you think that he is getting 10 million plus, remember we are in a bad economy and he still struggles to hit jumper.
So I ask.
Loading ...I mentioned last summer that I would look into giving Ryan Hollins a contract. He was a RFA last summer for Charlotte. They gave him another contract. Eventually, Hollins was traded to Dallas in the Diop deal. I am not trying to overhype this kid, but he is young, very athletic and active, and 7 feet tall. He is a free agent this summer and could be a nice addition to this team as a player off the bench. He is playing well today against Tim Duncan. Just a thought.
Iowa State sophomore Craig Brackins has decided to return to college next year, foregoing this year’s NBA draft. Brackins, a 6’10 forward, was a 20 / 10 guy this past season and had some monstrous games scoring the ball. Brackins has a strong inside – outside game, allowing him to hurt the opposition in many ways. If you have not heard about Brackins yet, I expect him to jump onto the scene next season. Brackins, according to some sites, was thought to be a possible lottery pick this year.
In watching the first round of the playoffs, two players who have stood out 
for me are the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo and the Lakers’ Trevor Ariza. Both players have elevated their games in a way that few people, particularly draft scouts, ever imagined. Both of those players have been surprises primarily because of the biggest question that teams ask when they look to draft either a point guard or a small forward: “Can they shoot?”
Rondo’s reputation coming out of Kentucky as the 21st pick in the 2006 NBA Draft was that of a combo guard who couldn’t shoot from the perimeter. In fact, despite shooting 50 percent from the field, Rondo only made 28 percent of his 3-point attempts. He also only cashed in 58 percent from the foul line and averaged just 9.8 points for his career in Lexington. To say he was known as a playmaker and defensive specialist would be an understatement; just ask the fans at Rupp Arena who would groan every time the kid let a shot fly.
That reputation caused him to fall behind the likes of Randy Foye and Quincy Douby in an otherwise weak point guard draft. Rondo’s skills eluded the scouting eye of then-Knicks president Isiah Thomas, who selected Renaldo Balkman right before Rondo was taken by Phoenix. The Suns would then ship the guard to Boston along with Brian Grant for a future pick.
Ariza, who Thomas plucked in the second round of the 2004 draft, showed signs of potential under Larry Brown in his brief stint with the Knicks. Ariza’s offense in the half-court set was a major reason as to why he couldn’t stay on the floor. He often would be left alone to knock down jump shots but instead would pass on them for a chance to make an ill-advised drive to the basket. Fast forward five years and Kobe Bryant is trusting Ariza to knock down 3-pointers.More.
Fromthebaseline.com has revealed their “Starting lineup ratings. Check them out here.
Also, check out their Wilson Chandler highlight mix.
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