And So it Begins…

Thats why Darkos a dissapointment…because he kind of carries around the “ehh..i dont really care” attitude…

and im pumped for this season…but thats not saying much since i’ve been pumped every season since this decade started….

So to recap day One.

Darko doesnt give two sh!ts and left the presser early

Curry hasnt worked out in a week cause he tweaked his hammy

D’Antoni is pissing on the rookies as not ready for the NIINE MAN rotation

Ladies and Gentlemen your New York Knicks

Anyone who thought E. Curry was going to be a factor this year is a fool!!! I know he has gone through a lot with the whole murder thing. Basketball is the last thing in his mind. I bet you one thing. When the money starts running low, and he doesn’t have a contract he will get in the best shape real quick.

One quick thought on Mike D. I did not like the hire over Mark Jackson and Avery Johnson. He will win us 50+ games many times but a championship is another thing. Unless you know who comes to town. I hope I am wrong and we do win many championships but like someone mentioned already a Mike D and Walsh are bound to bumped heads. Marbury was the first wrinkle in their relationship. Walsh wanted to trade him but Mike never helped him.

Again I hope I am wrong and we do become a dynasty (that’s right I said it!!) but I just don’t trust the guy.

Hughes will probably start because of him being in his CY but why can’t Gallo play the 2G hes a better fit than Wilson leave Chandler at the 3 and put Gallo at the SG problem solved.

Talk about blowing things out of proportion…

Tony Douglas and Jordan Hill

for

Stephen Curry

Get this kid outta G-State before his career is over before it begins, Monta is pissed!!

LOL he’s not far off though.

Galinari cannot guard 2′s and as bad as this team is defensively the last thing they need is to go to cross matchups (Wilson and Galinari switching defensive/offensive responsibilities possession to possession.

what did I blow out of proportion?

Tommy reported that Darko lacked passion and Hahn reported that when he went to go to Darko’s table he had slinked out the back door.

Curry said he tweaked his hammy. Oh.. and Hoopshype is reporting that it is a calf as well..

D’Antoni’s words on the rooks speak for themselves.

Biggie…i respect your post and i agree w/ the Darko analysis (he seems scared and soft as baby shit)…but i gotta disagree w/ Curry, Yea he tweeked his hammy, but he is FOCUSED on ball and not Kurt Kobain depressed anymore. He really seems like he has somethin to prove and wants to be great…and Mike D and basically EVERY COACH gives their rookies tough love (Riley, Phil, POP except for Duncan’s case) so don’t put too much stock to that. Fact of the matter is these Rooks do have a lot to prove
What you failed to mention was how good Harrington looked and sounded. Sounds like he’s really embracing the leadership role both vocally and by example, he came in to camp in the best shape he’s been and pumped about W’s not stats…and David Lee sounds like he’s ready to lead and collect a $$1million$$ check too
What really has me worried is Cbandler…He’s lookin SWOLE and in phenomenal shape but he sounded like a scared fat school girl in his interviews!!!he sounded scared about his role, the season, and had his arms crossed w/ his head buried in his arms mumbling words like a terified rookie…HE BETTER STEP HIS SHIT UP!!

HONESTLY THOUGH THE ATMOSPHERE IS DIFFERENT AND EVERYONE LOOKS IN GREAT SHAPE AND TALKIN ABOUT WINS AS PRIORITY #1 SO I AM EXCITED

J-Starks no disrespect but that was a retarded post!!…you didn’t like MIKE D OVER AVERY…
WHO BLEW A 2-0 LEAD IN THE FINALS AND NO PLAYER WANTS TO PLAY FOR AND NO TEAM WILL GIVE HIM ANOTHER SHOT!?!? NICE
AND M. JACKSON?!?!?
I LOVE MARC AS MUCH AS THE NEXT KNICKS FAN BUT HE HAS LOGGED IN EXACTLY 0!!! MIN AS A COACH FOR A TEAM THAT NEEDED A COMPLETE OVERHAUL!!
GREAT IDEA STARKS…

Harrington looked ready to roll. After lifting weights and gaining 8 lbs. But conditioning was never a problem for Al Buckets. The pessimist in me worries about how that affects his shot.

Forgot to mention Chandler.He seemed very hesitant of the 2 guard role that everyone seems to just plug him into

D’Antoni is hard on Rookies? When did that start? He was practically holding Gallo up as the second coming last year before he got hurt. Then he moderated it but was still gushing like a school girl at Gallo all year.

Eddy’s problem has always been dedication to his craft. He is more interested in GoW and CoD than Bball. His tragedies have definitely changed his out look. But he has always had physical challenges as well. He is very easy to get down on himself and regress should he have to exert himself physically and experience any sort of pain.

biggie…you kinda proved my point about rooks w/ your statement…Rookies only get love if they blow away their coaches and if not then they get the rookie treatment…
YES Mike D is on Gallo’s jock, but he obvioisly saw somethin in the kid that blew him away…did Mike D ever give any rook that type of love in PHX?? NO…that’s just how it is in this league biggie and you know it.
and yes Harrington always comes to camp in shape but he took the initiative to change his routine, get stronger, and really embrace this leadership role that’s all i’m sayin…
I think people should give Curry some slack, i mean 2 seasons ago he had to deal w/ the stat hungry me first ZBO hoggin the paint and last year speaks fot itself i mean peolpe in this blog and the media take the matter of his former gf AND child being MURDERED!! not to mention his other child havin to witness it, plus he almost lost his home b/c his “homeboy/manager” back stabbed him, and the embarassment of the whole limo driver case…A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY RETIRED AFTER ALL THAT (i mean even MJ retired after his pops died)…but Curry got back into shape, workin hard, stayin humble, and talkin like he really wants to be a part of this team…SO I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD LAY OFF A LITTLE AND LET HIM PROVE HIMSELF…He’s a 7 footer w/ good offensive skills and that is a great asset to have in this league..
Don’t let those basketball analysts (WHO HATE THE KNICKS REGARDLESS AND ALWAYS WILL) sway you and diminish the humanity of his whole situation…AND if he does come back and looks great people will notice how the Knicks stuck by him and make our organization look that much better…i personally wanna see Curry succeed and if he does fulfill his potential i’d rather keep him and just get rid of JJ cuz getting rid of good productive 7 footers is just bad business

1) Darko’s lack of enthusiasm for press day DOES NOT mean he doesn’t care about basketball or the Knicks. That insinuation that you know what’s going on in Darko’s head is beyond presumptuous. He didn’t wanna be there, so what. He’s probably thinking about his newborn.

2) Curry hamstring is something to be concerned about. I agree with you on this point.

3) This is where you blew things way out of proportion. D’Antoni pissing on his rooks? Christ, talk about reading into something way too much. MD’s comments do speak for themselves, you’re twisting it. He said they are question marks, the same thing we’ve been saying all summer long! I was unaware that being unsure of the Hill and Douglas’ impact THIS SEASON constitutes being pissed on. Hill has a lot of competition for the 4 spot and Douglas has been hot and cold. If you call that being “pissed on” then I’d hate to see how you react to real criticism.

Nice try.
But there’s no way in hell they take that. In order for them to actually say yes, which I doubt, you gotta be a lot more convincing with the offer. Besides, Curry is a unproven as Hill and Douglas. Give the kids a chance… If they get one from Mike D.

Though I too love Al’s enthusiasm, I share your concern about the lifting. More specifically, sacrificing actual bball time for lifting. Raw strength can help your game, but agility, finesse and IQ are equally as important. I hope he isn’t too stiff.

Hopefully his shot isn’t affected and it merely helps his defense and rebounding.

We all want to see Curry get better and succeed but if he does there’s no way in hell we’re keeping him. Even if he did return to his old self, he doesn’t fit the Knicks in any way, shape or form. We’ve gone in a different direction, his future with this club sailed when Zeke was run out of town.

D’Antoni was on Gallo’s jock from jump street. Even after Tractor Traylor ran him over n teh first moments of Summer LEague.

Even as the young rooster was walking around like Lurch and couldnt bend over.

I think the issue is MD did not want either of these two and Walshie drafted them anyway.

Goes to show MD’s stubbornness./ Neither will likely get any minutes justa s Mike said.. There are many players ahead of both and the rotation will remain short

Didnt hear that about Gallo last year.

I think they’d try to pawn off Monta before Curry. At least that would be the smart thing to do. The Warriors have sat on the fence between competing and rebuilding and have royally screwed themselves in chemistry by doing so. They should scrap Monta, Jax and Maggs for parts/picks and rebuild around Curry, Randolph and Biedrins

These comments came from Tommy Dee and Alan Hahn.

Tommy is a fan first and Hahn gets his paycheck from Dolan.

Monta has 5 years and 55 mil left on his contract.

Where could they move him to? Cleveland?

Jackson is living in a dream land if he thinks he’ll get a head coaching job before an assistant one. Lord knows his commentary skills ain’t helping him much.

Last year MD was gushing over Gallo. His comments about Hill and Douglas can hardly be considered encouraging. He is either lowering expectations for the two or his is upset that DW drafted them as they were not his preference. Gallo got nothing but rave reviews and prognostications of being a part of the rotation even though he was getting back treatment most of camp.

MD could have said anything. He chose he words very carefully and they should not be glossed over as just a coach talking about a rookie.

I dont presume to know what is in Darko’s head. Just repeating what is reported. That Darko “didn’t show much passion to grab a hold of what could be his last chance in the NBA”

Meanwhile, here’s something to be optimistic about for all the negative nancy’s.

Via Twitter:

alanhahn: Must be in the wrong gym. This team is practicing defense.

Media day is kinda strange. Everything about the scenario, the “feel” of the place, the shape of the guy or the attitudes are actually kinda off, because you’re not there, you see through other eyes. We hear typical responses from typical questions from reporters. Curry and Lee knew straight out what questions they were gonna get: health, contract issues, the difference between the last camp, etc. And they responded according to protocol.
What we do here is try to make conclusions about what they said in those circumstances and make discussions out of it. You can infer anything in what you saw and suddenly think their attitudes are not what expected (like some mentioned for Will and Darko) and their shape is great or so so (in Al and Curry).
Even though any discussions are healty, the REAL discussions will start once the pre season games appear, then we’ll see what’s on the deck.
I personally wouldn’t go so far as saying that Will was lacking confidence, I think he just didn’t handle the media the way one would want from someone that’s supposed to “bring it” this season. I’ve read plenty of interviews where he seemed confident about playing the 2. Gallo looked good, I really see him as a starter once december arrives, when he’s 100% up to speed playing healthy, that spot is his, IMO.
Did Lee look weak? If he wants to improve that D he’s definitely gotta improve that upper body strength,

all i’m sayin is…
GETTIN RID OF GOOD PRODUCTIVE 7 FOOTERS IS BAD BUSINESS…
JUST GETTING RID OF JJ WOULD BE ENOUGH FOR ULTIMATE CAP SPACE…
JUST GIVE EM A SHOT BEFORE WE RUN HIM OUTTA TOWN
look at what happens when we don’t commit to players and let them go prematurely…ARIZA & M. BARNES
if we give up Curry and dominates somewhere else we’re gonna feel so stupid

I actually heard from a couple of friends (with absoultely ZERO connection to coach D so I didn’t believe anything, so you know, they suck) that Mike wanted to have two stages: reinforcing the real SSOL and putting extra focus on defense (something that wasn’t done with great focus last time). So maybe we’re in for a surprise in defensive terms.
I wouldn’t get my hopes up… As I usually do on anything else. Defense is where I actually get kinda negative.
GO KNICKS!!!

Gallo was the 6th overall pick in a fabulous draft class and has a much higher ceiling than both Hill and Douglas. Gallo is made for MD’s system, what wasn’t there to gush about? They also have the Italian basketball connection. I bet you would peg MD as delusional if he showed the same boycrush for Hill and Douglas as he did for Gallo.

Regardless, just because he has a lot of confidence in Gallo doesn’t mean he’s pissing on his rookies. You’re putting way too much stock into those comments just to suit your scrooge-like outlook on this upcoming season.

You’re also putting way too much stock in the press day Darko. You’re not just repeating what is reported, you’re turning Darko’s lack of enthusiasm as a doomsday prophecy on this upcoming season. If Darko shows the same malaise when the season is underway, then it’s times to be concerned.

But for now, you’re becoming way too satisfied with being unsatisfied. What’s the point of crying wolf ON PRESS DAY???

biggie you seem to overlook that D’Antoni did compare J.HILL to AMARE during predraft workouts…thats a great compliment to player…and Mike D did rave about Tony D’s ability to play both ends of the floor…fact is both rooks didn’t blow anyone away in SL and they both have a lot to prove…Gallo blew Mike D away from the rip and got better as he got healthier. Mike D obviously sees great things outta this kid puttin his reputation on the line, callin him the best shooter he’s ever seen…JOE JOHNSON & NASH are great shooters and he had no problem puttin gallo above em

If Curry was 22-23 you’d have a point, but he’s nearly 27. Big men become exponentially more injury-prone the closer they get to 30.

I understand your point about 7-footers being a hot commodity, but not if they’re grossly overpaid, overweight and can’t run in a system that requires running. If Curry does dominate elsewhere, it’s because he fit their system better than ours.

I agree with him. Also, The East has improved. I think it’ll take at least 40 wins to make the playoffs.

Now you are twisting my words.

I never made any Doomsday prophesies based on press day.

I previously said that banking the improvement on two enigmas, two rookies and a 2nd year player returning from a back injury was pie in the sky.

That sad I expect SOME improvement this year. Maybe 3-5 games better in the standings. That is hardly a doomsday prophesy.

Tot hink this team as constructed will win 40 plus games and compete for a playoff spot is something even the coaching staff doesnt believe.

Hey, Darko could have handled this waaaay better. He had to sit still for what? 2 hours? When reporters went to ask him questions he had already left. If the guy cant face the media I shiver to think what his season will be like (remember, he was one of the players some are counting on to make a big difference)

I am aware of the Gallo history. To call last years draft “fabulous” is a stretch. Certainly there were some good players (most taken after gallo) who will come out. But MD’s words are there to read. Any suppositions on what I would have said had he responded differently is a complete guess on your part.

Previous posts suggest ALL coaches talk down rookies and I brought up Gallo as an example of how a coach *OUR coach) talked up a rookie even though he was injured in summer league and had very little hope of contributing anything meaningful during his rookie campaign.

At 26…he is in the PRIME of his career, i’m not sayin to give him a 7 year extension…and we don’t know exactly whether he can play in this system or not, he never really has…i respect your opinion circlelimit and the reason i engage w/ u is cuz you got knowledge just like biggie (even tho i’ve been bustin his balls this post my bad hommie) & Has just to name a few…my whole point in defending Curry is that he’s SHOWN that he’s got skills, he got a bad deal w/ ZBO on the squad and went through some crazy shit personally. People wanna dismiss his problems AND his strive to get back in shape. Lets see what he can do. He’s in his prime and not a lot of people can guard em. I hope he does well and proves a lot of people wrong…Isiah is a horrible coach and GM but he does know talent

Didnt Hill compare HIMSELF to Amare?

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/will_jordan_hill_be_there_at_79zu6YjXtF0JzZyK9cnYBL

I completely agree with you, Circle..

As usual, Biggie blows something out of proportion.

Yea, probably after Mike D put that comparison in his head…i saw a clip of Mike D comparing J.HILL to AMARE a few days after the draft on nyknicks.com…the fact of the matter biggie is that he is not pissing on the rooks, he’s callin em exactly what they are ?QUESTION MARKS? they got a lot to prove…and Yea he’s on Gallo’s jock but Mike D is not a loser and he’s not an idiot, he’s not gonna put his reputation on the line for this kid if he’s not sure that can be somethin special

I thought all news reports should be trusted wholly and equally..

read the thread before you throw up one line comments without knowing what the convo is about.

I was responding to MaimiMoe’s comment

Don’t let those basketball analysts (WHO HATE THE KNICKS REGARDLESS AND ALWAYS WILL) sway you and diminish the humanity of his whole situation

And never said “all news reports should be trusted wholly and equally”

so why does Magik_trick’s first comment in the thread go unchallenged?

A Comment that I mearly echoed with my “Darko doesnt give two sh!ts” comment

Arent you the list bit curious why MD took that tone with the rooks after allegedly comparing Jordan Hill to Amare in the pre draft workouts?

Especially when most in this forum have continually commented that the additions of Jordan Hill and T Douglas are two of the five things (2 enigmas, two rooks and a 2nd year player returning from injury) that will put us back on a playoff run this season.

And notice i highlighted NINE MAN rotation.

Another problem with this coach — The uber short rotation

Last year’s draft class was one of the best ever, so calling it “fabulous” is not really a stretch, although sort of a fruity choice of words.

Here’s a draftexpress article about how “the 2008 draft class is perhaps the most astonishing first-year class in the last three decades”

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/The-NBAs-Stimulus-Package-The-Rookie-Draft-Class-of-2008-3117/

But D’Antoni has said they are not even ready for his typically short rotation.

Lee’s shortcoming is his lack of aggression when defending. All the upper body strength in the world won’t make a diff if he is not inclined to body his man, bang his man and swat away layups like a beast. He is tough as nails on offense but for some reason he is a pussy on defense, as if he is afraid to bang a body and get ornery with his man or even a small guard driving and scoring easy layups on him, which happens left and right. He needs a firecracker lit in his butt. How do ya get him to maul his man just once? How we’d love to see that! I’d like to kick the coaches for letting him be so passive. If Lee gets into foul trouble by being rough, that’d be 100% good for him and the team. Same for Curry — he needs to stop getting offensive fouls by trying to run his man over and start defending the middle if he wants to play. The Knix assistant coaches seem lame. These guys already know how to score — they need to focus on playing tough D, or they will remain a joke.

DTR

Man, maybe I’m just an asshole, but I’ve been sort of happy to see the Timberwolves and Warriors punished for taking the players we wanted in the draft.

I believe Hahn gets his paychecks from Newsday.

Just a small note on the Galo-playing-the-2 conversation.

There is nothing wrong with having to ‘switch’ men from offense to defense; especially in this system. You can’t look at players as strictly a 2 or a 3… i think chandler, galo and harrington could all share the court very productively, and on defense, you just pick the matchups that work the best given who’se on the court.

If Galo becomes stronger and more reliable guarding bigger/stronger guys, that makes that a whole notch easier because he will be able to guard many power forwards, which harrington and chandler can already do..

It’s all about versatility… that’s why the suns were so successful with Marion: He allowed them to play the small ball lineup D’Antoni loves, but he was still able to guard any 4 in the league very well…. Chandler seems to be able to guard 1′s 2′s 3′s and even 4′s pretty well. it seems like he is our go-to defender to put on the other teams best player, no matter the position (except for PF sometimes, and never center)

That’s an awesome thing to have.

biggie is the only one on this blog ,thats looking at this team with reality.those 2 rooks are never gonna amount to much.you guys are like hungry dogs who think that spam tastes like filet mignon

Which is owned by Cablevision…

The point was that Hahn DOES NOT “Hate the Knicks regardless and always will”

Hold on, you’re actually telling me Lee, just by “being tough and aggresive” can decently defend a guy like D Howard? Right. That’s a battle lost way before the game. Lee’s game plan is to actually think “all right, I’ll try to let him score 15 instead of 25″. You need some explosion in your legs and a lot of strengthening in your upper body (we’re actually talking as if his natural position is at the 5 and assuming Mike D is gonna insist to play him there though).
I agree that for some reason he doesn’t bring the same passion on D as on the other side of court, but all the passion and agression in the world aren’t gonna be able to hold off the big men, that’s a reality. A guy like Curry for example, fits into the passion-aggression you talk about to guard the big men, because he’s got that strength.
For Lee, It takes smarts AND strength, something I think he can actually work on, to avoid the storm.

Guess who owns Newsday.

i don tthink this has anything to do with being biased towards teh knicks or wearing knicks colored glasses.

you can’t pick apart trivial statements/occurences and apply your own motive to them.

well, you can. its a free country.
but you cant expect people to tell you you’re bullshtting.

You got a solid point. It’d be interesting to watch what D’antoni does with his players.
Where I have my doubts is in the versatility department. It doesn’t come natural for some guys. Many have to improve certain facets of their game to adjust. I agree in Harrington’s case in the 3 and the 4. Will… he’s gotta work on his aggression while driving the lane, his handle, and definitely stand his ground with order and coordination with his 1 and 3 on the defensive side. It’d be great to see if he can do it though. Gallo’s case is strange. I have all the hopes in the world for him, but I can’t really talk about his developments before I see him play full throttle healthy, you know?
Once that goes down, I think we’ll be in a better position to say: “yeah, you know what, Will can play the 2 (or not)”; “Gallo can actually do this”; and going into a stretch we can actually say, “now that Al’s stronger, we can get him to rebound more and be more aggressive on his D and give him the 4″, for example. It’s all about how it goes down during camp and the pre season games.
One never knows what surprises or dissapointments we’ll have. Let’s hope for pleasant surprises of course.

ive never said the rooks were gonna be great.
my hope is solid role player.

so im not sure where you got that from, bob.

i dont think d’antoni PISSED on anyone.
hes not obligated to priase every player in every comment he makes.

I’d like to see Gallo playing point forward from the wing, not playing 2 guard. He is more like a Bird or Schremf, not a guard. He should be shooting 3′s from the corner and slashing inside from the wing and paint.

DTR

I said D’Antoni pissed on the Rooks as not ready for the NINE MAN rotation.

get it straight if you are gonna quote me.

A Rotation which is entirely too short and two players who most commenters in this forum ahve been counting on as major additions to the rotation

well guess what? THE COACH says they are not in the rotation.

umm.. ok

i still dont think he pissed on them.
he sounded like he was making normal statements abotu them

also biggie… serisouly, take a chill pill man..

you are entirely too aggressive..

right back at ya

I understand not blowing anything out of proportion, this is not a great team and most of us know it.

But it seems so silly when people try to act like the only realists on the board, the only one who can really see what the rest of the league sees.

It’s the beginning of the season and people want to get excited. It’s not like everyone else is stupid. Everyone knows we’re not going to be great, we’re just trying to get excited for the couple of things that will make watching the team worthwhile this year.

It just seems weird to me to want to be that guy who spends his time on his team’s message board dropping knowledge on all the “rubes” who are actually excited to see the team play.

I’m not banking on anything. I don’t think it’s likely the team can make the playoffs but conversely I’m not making a meaningless press day into a bleak affair by contending that our center doesn’t give 2 sh*ts and that our coach is pissing on our rookies. Those were 2 outrageous statements and we both know it.

I agree Darko could have handled it better, but his indifferent attitude towards the monotony of press day shouldn’t be translated as “I don’t give 2 sh!ts about basketball.”

You yourself said we shouldn’t bank anything on 2 rookies, MD merely echoed those same sentiments. Both you and D’antoni are calling them like you see them. They’re question marks. End. Of. Story.
I’m not going to accuse you of pissing on Hill and Douglas. The only difference is that MD seems to like Gallo more than you do.

As for last years draft, the jury is still out. But if last year was any indication, the class of 2008 is looking pretty stellar. Not only are there a few players with star potential (Rose, Mayo, Lopez, Gordon, Westbrook, Love, Beasley), but plenty of later picks have starter potential (R. Anderson, C. Lee, George Hill, Batum, Chalmers.) Time will tell how much of a stretch I made. That would be a good debate to revisit when the season is over.

Regardless of what you think of the 2008 class. I have no gripe with MD talking up Gallo. Everyone in the tri-state area has been talking up Gallo, and it’s hard for me not to think of him as an exciting prospect. MD’s praise has always come under the predication that he is healthy. I can’t say he’s greatest shooter I have seen (the little we have seen) but I think if he’s healthy he might not end up that far off.

Not taking sides here, because i don’t think biggie’s pessimism is really every over blown (although it has been more pronounced lately). Bob, on the other hand, thinks that absolute pessimism = realism. Thinking anything good will happen is blind faith… thinking everything bad will happen is the only ‘realistic’ train of thought.

I quote: “those 2 rooks are never gonna amount to much…”

Bob that pessimism is way more presumptive and baseless than any optimism i see on this blog.

I never meant any disrespect and I’m not trying to call you out or anything. I just strongly disagree with how you worded your original statement. I disagree with Magik too, but you seemed to take that thought to the next level. My main gripe was the D’antoni pissing on his rookies comment anyway.

because lets face it, we all know exactly how jordan hill will end up in 3 years. No 8th pick has ever become good. No athletic big-man lotto pick has ever done anything good in this league, therefore one will not do anything for us.

THAT is true realism, Bob. good work. You say the facts like they are.

The guy’s a professional journalist who I’m sure doesn’t want to write for Newsday forever. I really don’t buy the idea that he’s biased more than any other beat writer.

I read his stuff all the time, he’s no more positive about the Knicks than Isola, but he’s a way more insightful writer in terms of talking about actual basketball strategy.

I’m sorry, but disagree with you illsun. I think Biggie is definitely one of the more competent posters here. I just think in this instance, he blew the press day out of proportion.

I didn’t mean to draw a line in the sand for sides to be chosen. I’m just giving my perspective on the situation.

I’m seeing it way differently. The fact that it’s a short rotation takes most of the piss out of MD’s comments. His rotation is a hard nut to crack, not many rookies could crack it no matter who they are. Especially if the 4 is over crowded for Hill and Douglas has been very streaky.

MD will sort out his question marks as the season goes on and we’ll see if they get in the rotation and how deep. Until then, I see no piss.

But I do agree MD should have a bigger rotation for a system that requires so much running.

Bob did you read the convo? MD said the rooks were question marks, and Biggie thought it was too harsh.

Players don’t have to be expiring contracts to be traded. I never said Monta would be traded right now, but I think he would (or should) be traded before Curry.

He’s not always positive but not “one of those basketball analysts who hate the knicks and always will”

I suppose we’ll agree to disagree. If Curry did have a good season, I would try to trade him for the sake of 2010. Even a productive Eddy Curry has too many holes in his game.

you miss my point on Gallo. I brought him up in response you your assertion that coaches lowering expectations for Rookies is par for the course.

D’Antoni could have said ANYTHING about the rooks. He chose his words carefully and he stands by them.

And I stand by mine.

Perhaps “pissing on” was misinterpreted or taken as the literal. I said he was “pissing on the rookies as not ready for the NINE MAN rotation”.

When most reporters and fans were assuming these players were locks to be integral parts of the advancement to the playoffs. And a NINE MAN ROTATION is entirely too short a bench for D’Antoni’s style of play. That was the reason for the use of CAPS> if that wasnt clear.

didnt take any disrespect from you.

But reread my comment and my response.

I said he was pissing on the rookies being a part of the nine man rotation

I didnt think D’Antoni’s comments were harsh at all. Just an observation on the COACHES perception of what the rooks will bring to the table versus the prognosticators perception that the two rookies would be integral to the advancement of the team.

Right now they are not part of the rotation and have a long way to go. they are question marks. Which is what I have been saying all along.

somehow my comment that D;Antoni is pissing on the rookies being a part of the rotation has morphed into me saying D’Antoni is pissing on the rookies.

Its an interesting Article and debate.

The article notes that the 2008 draft was so strong becuase so many SECOND ROUNDERS contributed meaning ful minutes to their teams.

Im not sure you can truly judge a draft until 5 years later.

Just a comment on that. This may or not apply, but eastern european guys are known for their cold personalities. That’s a fact. It doesn’t mean Darko is warm and fuzzy on the inside, but maybe he just fits that square-dense to the bone-serious personaity. It doesn’t mean the guy doesn’t care. For that you gotta wait and see.

I agree. It’s a new season, we’re fans, we gotta get pumped. Whoever wants to spend his time pointing at the negatives aspects of how things are hiding behind their “realistic” labels, that’s fine, that’s what makes this blog fun, everybody’s got different views, and we’ve gotta respect it.
I choose to be a bit more positive and hope this team just grabs some more wins and show improvement. Like Dog said, we all know perfectly what’s going on around the NBA and the East so we’re pretty clear where we stand, but there’s nothing to lose in hoping our team does better than expected by a lot of fans here and analysts.

Yeah, you’re right. Somewhere along the way you’re comments got shot to hell. I usually differ from your views but your arguments never lack substance, and neither do they this time. I understood perfectly the point you tried to make with the rooks in the rotation, and I agree. Though I really think Douglas can be helpful and Hill can be a presence, it’s not an overnight process where a rook enters a tight rotation like the one D’antoni likes to play. If they wanna crack it, they definitely need to show some quality ball, and as of right now that seems difficult. Whether or not it happens…Only time will tell

Right on. If you wanna have 5 guys running up and down the court like there’s no tomorrow, all out intensity and there’s no tomorrow, you need more guys in that rotation. It’s a must. If not, you’re just begging for your guys to get their knees shot, wear out early, and for example, in a hypothetical playoff (pleas pay big attention to the hypothetical), you’re guys are gonna be done by game 3.
That style, with a tight rotation, is just begging for players to get injured, they wear themselves out to fast.

Where did I assert coaches lowering expectations for rookies??? The fact that there are 2, maybe 3 guys in front of Hill for the PF spot has ZERO to do with expectations except that MD is expecting Hill to not be better than Harrington or Lee right off the bat. Everything MD said was based past performances on summer league and scrimmages. I never said anything coaches lowering expectations. MD doesn’t know what to expect from his rooks and neither do I.

I neglect to see where a 9 man rotation comes into play. Whether it’s a 12 or 7-man rotation, Hill and Douglas still are question marks because we don’t know how they’ll do in this system against real NBA talent.

Anyone who thinks that Hill or Douglas were locks to be anything is getting way ahead of themselves. MD will probably be in experimentation mode for the first half of the season. Thus the question marks.

MiamiMoe made the comment regarding coaches not giving love to their rooks.

It was largely posters in this forum and pudits over the past month or so that heaped praise on Douglas and Hill as key pieces in the 2009 rotation.

Douglas was noted to be a serious player for major minutes as Duhon’s backup and Hill was considered to be getting minutes at the Center spot.

D’Antoni’s comments threw cold water (or warm piss ) on those expectations.

That is all the original comment was meant to highlight.

Again — The two rooks, two enigmas (Curry/Darko) and a returning Gallo are the reasons most cited for a playoff push. I’ve always thought that to be unrealistic and the press day reaffirms some of those trepidations.

doesnt mean the end of the world.

MiamiMoe made the comment regarding coaches not giving love to their rooks at 10:16AM.

It was largely posters in this forum and pudits over the past month or so that heaped praise on Douglas and Hill as key pieces in the 2009 rotation.

Douglas was noted to be a serious player for major minutes as Duhon’s backup and Hill was considered to be getting minutes at the Center spot.

D’Antoni’s comments threw cold water (or warm piss ) on those expectations.

That is all the original comment was meant to highlight.

Again — The two rooks, two enigmas (Curry/Darko) and a returning Gallo are the reasons most cited for a playoff push. I’ve always thought that to be unrealistic and the press day reaffirms some of those trepidations.

doesnt mean the end of the world.

This is Darko’s 4th team, he is not American, his demeanor is probably just the way it is because of that. I hear last year his best friend was Marc Gasol another foreigner, maybe he and Gallo become close. He just might not be a smiley guy, lets give him a chance