Monthly Archives: October 2009
When: 7:00
Where: Charlotte
Watch: MSG
Starting Lineups
Knicks (0-1)
PG – Chris Duhon
SG – Wilson Chandler
SF – Al Harrington
PF – David Lee
C – Jared Jeffries
Rest of Rotation: Danilo Gallinari, Nate Robinson, Darko Milicic, Toney Douglas
Bobcats (0-1)
PG – Ray Felton
SG – Boris Diaw
SF – Gerald Wallace
PF – Stephen Graham
C – Tyson Chandler
Rest of the rotation: Gerald Henderson, D.J. Augustin, Nazr Mohammed, Derrick Brown
Injuries: Eddy Curry (torn calf muscle)
Game Notes: via NBA.com
New York may not have been quite as bad as Charlotte in its opener, but wasn’t much better. The Knicks fell 115-93 at Miami on Wednesday, trailing by as many as 31 points.
The Knicks allowed an Eastern Conference-worst 107.8 points per game in coach Mike D’Antoni’s first season in 2008-09. There wasn’t any improvement Wednesday as Miami shot 56.7 percent.
“We couldn’t make shots and couldn’t stop them,” D’Antoni said. “That’s not a good combo.”
Danilo Gallinari and David Lee each scored 22, with Gallinari making 7 of 13 shots from beyond the arc. The rest of the Knicks made 3 of 26 3-pointers.
“We need to learn from this loss and keep our heads up,” Gallinari said.
Newcomer Darko Milicic left a good impression on D’Antoni with four points and seven rebounds off the bench. Milicic left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury but is expected to be available Friday.
“On the positive side, I thought Darko came in and did a good job,” D’Antoni said. “He kind of solidified our defense. I think he’s OK with the knee, I didn’t want to risk it till the end. He could be key going forward.”
Tune in to TKB Talk Radio with Anthony “Rice Balls” Donahue tomorrow afternoon at 2. Plenty to talk about two games into the season, plus your great phone calls.
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Just a thought, but since there seems to be some questions about the direction of the Knicks from fans, I’m wondering where you 
think this team would be if Larry Brown were still here.
Obviously it’s an extreme hypothetical, but if Brown stayed here I wonder if he could have coached the team to the playoffs or how he would have tried to arrange the roster.
I’m not sure they would have made the Zach Randolph trade.
Anyway, I know it’s a bit of a stretch considering there was no way in hell Brown, Stephon Marbury and Isiah would have ever coexisted, it was a toxic mix, but had he been given the chance, given his track record, I’m curious what you guys think about it.
In a report in the NY Times today, Larry Brown gives his opinion about the Knicks’ out of shape and completely worthless for almost 3 years now struggling center Eddy Curry.
“I really think down the road he’ll be an asset,” Brown, the Charlotte Bobcats coach, said Friday morning. “I really believe that.”
“Brown said he monitored Curry’s progress from a distance this summer, when Curry shed about 40 pounds with the help of a personal trainer.
“I was in contact with him this summer…” Brown said. “He was losing weight; he was making unbelievable progress.
“If Eddy ever gets himself healthy, and the way Mike coaches, he’ll be a load to try and guard,” Brown said, “because who are you going to come off and help? He’s too good a kid. Hopefully, it will work out. I know what he’s been through this summer, and the sacrifices he made.”
Uhhh, thanks? Can we get Isiah Thomas’ opinion as well? Hell, what’s Don Nelson got to say on the matter??
Better yet — you want him? He’s yours! I’ll bet you Jared Jeffries contract that DW would ship him to you in an overnight box if he can find one big enough.
I’m glad Eddy has fans and supporters around the league, but until he laces up and shows he can stay healthy for more than 4 days at a time and learns how to jump and/or play defense, I’m not sure how he’ll be much of an asset to this team no matter who the coach is.
But thanks for the well wishes, Lar…
Most of you have been following the blog since the doors opened in 2008, but I’ve been writing about the Knicks for a long time dating back to my days at the Knicks fanpage. I offer this for those who think that I’m some sort of organizational apologist.
Again, this is about patience, not about apologies.
So for those who aren’t familiar with my work, here are some samples click on the following links.
Isiah Needs to Draft Deron Williams
Eric Gordon is the Prize of 2008
“…We pass along this news breathlessly before the Knicks try to show up against the Bobcats: Mike D’Antoni has decided not to change the starting five (Wilson Chandler, Chris Duhon, Al Harrington, Jared Jeffries, David Lee) that set the tone for Wednesday’s 22-point barely-show in Miami.
In other words, Danilo Gallinari comes off the bench again. For now…more.”
So it sounds as if Danilo Gallinari‘s shooting performance the other night may earn him a spot in the starting rotation, but if 
true, it would be interesting to see who sits.
I would not sit Jared Jeffries because it forces David Lee to the five. I would sit Wilson Chandler.
Darko Milicic, if cleared and it sounds like he is, needs to see more minutes. He makes them a much better defensive team and passes the ball really well for a big man.
Interesting note from Berman where he says that Coach D’Antoni “convinced” Walsh to draft Gallinari over Eric Gordon.
“…D’Antoni sometimes acts as Gallinari’s personal publicist, perhaps to compensate for convincing team president Donnie Walsh to select the Milan import at No. 6 in the 2008 draft over Clippers potential All-Star Eric Gordon, who played in college in Walsh’s backyard at Indiana.
As comfortable as Gallinari is from the 3-point stripe, he isn’t a versatile scorer. All but one of his shot attempts Wednesday were from beyond the arc…”
That’s news to me if Walsh was convinced by D’Antoni, but the coach has caught serious flack on this blog for numerous reasons. To me, I think the anger is coming from the fact that that the system is not your traditional offense. It appears that all the team does is chuck threes, that’s not what this system is. It’s based on space, and when a team has no one who can beat anyone off the dribble and attack the basket consistently, they are forced to settle further out from the basket.
I do think that this system can win and I think to knock the coach is a cop out. They have to play hard defensively and to quit playing, like they did before the half, is inexcusable. It’s clear that they were frustrated that shots weren’t falling but they have to attack the paint. (more…)
Ah where has the defense gone? Throughout the pre-season all I heard from the Knicks coach and players was how improved their defense was… Well after the season opener I’m not that impressed. How can you allow your opponent to shoot 47-83 (a staggering 56.6%). I don’t understand what happened… They played great team ball and besides for the breakdown in the last 2 minutes of the first half were neck and neck with the Heat. The 2nd half was another story. They put their heads down and seemed to lack any confidence whatsoever. Coach D’Antoni must promote a more balanced offense if this team is going to have success going forward. It is simply a recipe for disaster if you are going to live and die SOLELY on the jumpshot. Some nights it is just not going to fall like last night where the Knicks shot a dismal 10-39 (25.6%) from 3PT range. When the shots aren’t falling they must learn to penetrate and draw fouls in order to tack off some points at the free throw line. Hopefully last night was just one of those weird games that won’t repeat itself. The thing that bothered me the most was their lack of effort in the second half last night. It is quite alarming when your team gives up in the FIRST GAME OF THE REGULAR SEASON. Hopefully they resolve any internal issues that are present and can respond with a great game Friday against the Bobcats who scored 59 points against the Celtics! Would love to hear what you think about the need to diversify their offense approach and intensify their pressure on the defense end of the floor. Does anyone else miss Jeff Van Gundy?
Disgraced ref Tim Donaghy has put pen to ink, and if published, it could be even 
more crushing to the NBA than his gambling problem.
Now you’ve heard me say countless times that the Knicks are very fortunate that the 2007 Suns lost to the Spurs. To me, without question, those Suns were playing at a ridiculous level and were ready to take the West. If so, they would have little resistance in the NBA finals and Mike D’Antoni would probably still be in Phoenix. To me, anyone with two eyeballs knew that something was up that game and if the following excerpts obtained by deadspin are true, then fans like me were right…and this is a time where you don’t want to be right.
“…My favorite Tommy Nunez story is from the 2007 playoffs when the San Antonio Spurs were able to get past the Phoenix Suns in the second round. Of course, what many fans didn’t know was that Phoenix had someone working against them behind the scenes. Nunez was the group supervisor for that playoff series, and he definitely had a rooting interest.
Nunez loved the Hispanic community in San Antonio and had a lot of friends there. He had been a referee for 30 years and loved being on the road; in fact, he said that the whole reason he had become a group supervisor was to keep getting out of the house. So Nunez wanted to come back to San Antonio for the conference finals. Plus, he, like many other referees, disliked Suns owner Robert Sarver for the way he treated officials. Both of these things came into play when he prepared the referees for the games in the staff meetings. I remember laughing with him and saying, “You would love to keep coming back here.” He was pointing out everything that Phoenix was able to get away with and never once told us to look for anything in regard to San Antonio. Nunez should have a championship ring on his finger…”
And it doesn’t stop there for D’Antoni. If you read Seven Seconds or Less, you’d remember the Raja Bell/Kobe incident where D’Antoni made a case to Stu Jackson, who promptly turned the other cheek.
“…You would think that the NBA would love a guy who plays such great defense. Think again! Star stoppers hurt the promotion of marquee players. Fans don’t pay high prices to see players like Raja Bell-they pay to see superstars like Kobe Bryant score 40 points. Basketball purists like to see good defense, but the NBA wants the big names to score big points.If a player of Kobe’s stature collides with the likes of Raja Bell, the call will almost always go for Kobe and against Bell. As part of our ongoing training and game preparation, NBA referees regularly receive game-action video tape from the league office. Over the years, I have reviewed many recorded hours of video involving Raja Bell. The footage I analyzed usually illustrated fouls being called against Bell, rarely for him. The message was subtle but clear-call fouls against the star stopper because he’s hurting the game…”
Can you say Starks/Jordan?
Listen, we understand this is a “star’s league” and the fact that they get preferential treatment doesn’t bother me. What bothers me is that, deep down inside, I knew that this was the case ever since I was a kid who tried to comprehend what these refs were seeing. I could never understand what constituted a foul. Then as I got older it all started to make sense.
Now, the Knicks have seen their fair share of calls, most famously the Hugh Hollins/Hubert Davis one. But I always considered that payback for the times that the Knicks played 5 on 8 against Jordan and the Bulls. Yes, the Bulls were better most nights because of Jordan, but in any important game they didn’t stand a chance.
Again, I’m considering the source, so it’s not going to fully drown my excitement for the NBA season. I love basketball.
All I’m saying is that it, if true, it’s not all that surprising.
Difficult to watch.
All preseason long the team talked about defensive pressure and energy and they had it…for about 12 minutes.
At one point the Heat made 25 of 30 shots.
25 of 30.
And the starters just stopped playing leading to a 34 third quarter points and that turned a 9 point first half lead into a blowout.
I mean, it’s tough to go crazy after one game, but how on earth can a team in its first game just stop playing?
There are no excuses, no explanations. If Wilson Chandler and Nate Robinson continue to struggle, this team has no chance. They are nowhere near the level they were last year.
Neither is Chris Duhon.
But forget the shots, that effort defensively wasn’t seen in the preseason. It was embarrassing. The Heat came in and shoved it down the team’s throat, and I was completely wrong about it.
The Knicks will return to action Friday, in Charlotte.
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