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Recap: Jazz 95 Knicks 93

by Tommy Dee on November 9th, 2009 at 10:03 pm

BOX SCORE

With a 29 point 4th quarter and some defensive energy that hasn’t been seen all year, the Knicks had a chance to win, but came up short when Toney Douglas’ up and under shot hit the back rim.

Move over Chris Duhon, there’s a new lead guard in town.

It’s the second strong game for Douglas, the rookie out of Florida State, and while he may not have the appeal of the guards that many fans are clamoring the Knicks should have taken instead of Jordan Hill, the kid is showing that he can play at this level.

Douglas did only manage one assist in his 23 minutes, but he did create opportunities for himself, and it’s hard to imagine that he has any mojo with his teammates yet. But with that said, the kid is thisclose to taking over major minutes and showing fans what Donnie Walsh saw in him.

Danilo Gallinari struggled against the defensive length of Andrei Kirilenko, who decided despite being a 28% three point shooter, that he’d rip 5 of 8 from downtown.

As Mike Breen put it there is no moral victories here, but I’m just hoping that the time is soon coming to focus on Hill, TD and Gallo and give them the minutes to improve. We know they’ll all be here next year.

For those of you wondering about Eddy Curry, he’ll be in practice tomorrow for the first time this year.
  • bartnyk

    Trade for Bayless Donnie and TMac do something!!!!!!!

  • Magik_Trick

    Barring a trade, Douglas will be starting PG by all-star break

    He has improved his shooting dramatically. Way to work, rook!
    Despite his missed gamewinner, tonight should be a moral victory for Douglas

    But in the end, were still 1-7, and couldnt get a win to save our lives

  • jho

    Yea that was our one hope from this loss, Douglas looks good attacking. He just needs to work on his passing skills, on that last drive he should have really kicked it out.

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    Why do people think it’s so easy to make trades?

  • traps9

    For T-Mac, I’m definitely down.

    Props to TD for the solid showing… But I was just as thrilled with the 2-3. Lee has NO idea what a zone is, but I was shocked at how well they played it. Could be a sign of what’s to come, especially with Curry coming back (cross your fingers I didn’t jinx him)

  • traps9

    People are just crazy and impulsive. On that, though, couldn’t Houston see value in another hustle player like Lee? To make money match would be a B* to get T-Mac (and maybe take an impressive Curry?), but you never know. Shows how much I watch around the league, too – I don’t even know who Bayless is lol

  • traps9

    Yup, to the top to Gallo, but he’ll learn.

  • eli

    i thought he shouldve fed lee at that point..nice that the game got exciting at the end but this cannot go on night after night

  • Nandonator

    Why was Gallo constantly subbed in and out? He had an off day but in his defense it’s hard to get going when you are subbed out every few minutes. In the 4th he was a major part of the rally, finally hitting the 3 then making a nice drive that got him fouled, and after that he never got the ball again only to be subbed out soon after.

    I’d much rather see him help stage a comeback than Al.

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    Gallo had AK47 on him…tough match up for the kid.

  • HaS

    Glad you saw that Tommy, I was going to mention if Toney tried to pass it back to him I think that pass would have had a great chance of being deflected and causing the Knicks to not even get a shot off, so he did the right thing by not passing it there. He picked up his dribble too early was his only mistake.

    It seemed as if Galinari could have inbounded a little sooner though, but hesitated.

    Toney played ok, he’s definitely not a pure point, but he’s a good ball handler and can change the pace of a game on both ends. He’ll be a great backup guard for years to come hopefully.

  • bartnyk

    Walsh has a job to do stop defending him what the hell is he getting paid for, are your on the knicks pay role Tommy Dee if that is your real name *cough* Donne Walsh.

  • bpenn31

    Mike D’antoni is just a plain terrible coach. The Knicks are starved for talent, thats obvious, but his run and gun style of offense didn’t work with good/great players, so why would it work with these bums?? His arrogance and stubborness to not change his philosophy is soooo frustrating. Do they even run plays? I cant recall the last time the Knicks came out of a time out and ran a play and got an easy basket. Can we run Gallo off some goddamn screens??? Run to the 3 point line and wait…. GENIUS. duhon..stoppit. harrington..stoppit. jared giraffries…dunk the ball. your 6 10. larry hughes.. 5 inch vertical…stoppit. J crawford will try to get 75. Give Iverson a chance. He thrives when hes the focus around a bunch of marginal talent. At least I have the Mets…

  • DaGawD_KnowLedge

    let’s see how DOUG plays next game
    yes he need to learn how to pass of the dribble

    tonite was good for the ROOK

    an it’s rare danni boy runs a play
    that’s why it’s called free balling..

  • DaGawD_KnowLedge

    i see craw having a big game
    but can hughes or doug guard him..

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    yes tommy dee is my real name, what’s yours?

    and no, i’m not on the payroll. I asked a simple question. Take a deep breath and re-read.

    Why do you think it’s so easy to make trades that YOU WOULD like?

    what would the blazers get for Bayless?

  • DanL

    I hate when people say his style didn’t work in Phoenix. Do people actually realize how many coaches’ “styles” work?

    How many coaches have won titles over the LAST 25 YEARS?

    KC Jones
    Pat Riley
    Chuck Daly
    Phil Jackson
    Rudy Tomjonavich
    Greg Popavich
    Larry Brown
    Doc Rivers

    8 coaches over the last 25 years have won titles. Does that mean that every other coach who has ever coached in that time coached styles that don’t work? Jeff Van Gundy’s style doesn’t work? Stan Van Gundy’s style doesn’t work? Rick Adelman’s style doesn’t work? Rick Carlisle’s style doesn’t work? Jerry Sloan’s style doesn’t work? George Karl’s style doesn’t work?

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    He has the ability to be a good 3rd guard moving forward, but he could blossom into something more of a PG. I think he has the instincts to be a PG, but his mind is telling him “no one else wants to score and i’m being left open” I loved that he attacked the basket.

    those set up kick outs when a defender has to help. He’ll see that.

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    Walsh has to magically convince a GM to trade a young player or else he’s washed up and not “doing his job?”

    Doesn’t work that way.

    The fact that the Knicks can DISCUSS 2010 is bc of Walsh.

  • SilentJay

    Agreed. The kid definitely has no fear, and in a team full of guys that actually look compeltely confused and lacking agression, it’s nice to see the new face actually taking matters into his own hands, so congrats to him. He’ll definitely be a nice asset off the bench in the future, but as for the present, I’ll definitely take a chance on him so he can work on the rest of his offensive skillset so he can start getting some assists and creating more opportunities. It’ll be good to get chemistry not only with Gallo but with Lee as well.
    Better night for Chandler, but I’m still waiting for him to get rid of the passive attitude he has.
    I enjoyed the second half, but the main focus here is the fact that, once again, they had to attempt an unsuccessful comeback, which hurts. They have to work in their consistency. They need to want it throughout the game, not just in the end, it’s just not good enough.
    I still think that some changes must be made, however difficult it may be to make it happen. DW is one of the better GM’s in the league, right? So let’s see him take some action. If the record continues in this line, someone’s gonna have to be held accountable in more than just in words, but actions. Something must be done to rattle the cages of some guys that just run up and down the court without any productive effort.
    Everyone, from the top to the players, must question their own individual efforts in order to change the attitude.

  • nyknicksfan

    I think TD can be a starter but because no one is hitting shots he is hesitant to pass the ball if larry,gallo,harrington could hit shots consistently you whould see him pass more(you have to say look at TD numbers rather have him shooting than harrington,JJ, duhon) Another thing why isnt hill or darko getting any min are they trying to show JJ off that much they are willing to give inside points away, hell if curry can run the floor i rather have him in then JJ trying to protect the paint lol

  • nyknicksfan

    tommy come on ppl go to espn.com and do the trade thing they have and why bayless i rather have rudy or why cant we trade curry for and for boozer they have almost same amount of money per year lol if trades wher easy we wouldnt have jj,curry

  • italian stallion

    Douglas is showing some ability, but he needs to start racking up some assists to be considered a starting PG.

  • akdrum

    again, I noticed when Lee isn’t on the court they spark…
    Hughes is starting to think he’s the man….NOT!!! But he’s WAY better than Duhon. My friend who graduated from Duke laughs every X I mention Duhon. He said he would start strong (last year) then suck.
    TD23 is great- once MDA start’s putting in M-Landry- then we’ll start seeing some ball.
    I knew they were going to lose when MDA took out Gallo for Sleepy ..er Chandler..
    I am open to A.I being here- for 1 year. But I wouldn’t bum out if DW doesn’t get him. Im behind DW and feel bad for the (rich) coach. Anybody read Sunday Vescey’s column? He said that Mgmt. will get rid of EVERYONE.clean house..LOL! He’s a hoot. So old school. But then again so is D.Lee
    Declare!!!

  • Bob

    he only had one asst

  • DeBusscherescorner

    Toney needs to work on passing? Are we watching the same team? Toney passed the ball so much, I thought he was being too much of a pg. The guy’s dribble and passing has been on the mark since SL. The only problem TD faced since SL was his inconsistant shooting, which any six year old child could tell you were from nerves, not becuase he wasn’t a good shooter. What do you want from the guy? He showed nothing but determination since being drafted by the Knicks. His handle and dribble has been a breath of fresh air. What do you want from him? He could be a great backup? Still? No trades or signing for a pg is going to happen and you still think he should be a backup given his play thus far into the season? You mean he doesn’t deserve an opportunity? Incredible.

    Besides Huges, TD’s defense was the reason why the Knicks won last night. Period. Because Toney jabbed and clogged the middle, the Jazz perimeter players had trouble dumping the ball to the free throw area to disect the zone. Watch from six minutes to the end of the game. When Toney was overzealous, attacking the guards at the top of the key, that’s when the guards had an opportunity to pass the ball to Boozer or OKur for a jumper, continously extending the lead to two or four. If Douglas had stayed put like he did when the Knicks were coming back from twelve down, the Knicks could’ve beat the Jazz easily.

    C’mon, this guy is doing better than half of the team and you’re shooting him down? Typical New York fans. A couple of days ago, someone said that people overrate guys like Chandler and Douglas. It’s not that anyone is overrating them, it’s people underrate them so much when four or five people say these players are good it seems as though they are overrating them. I’m telling you what I know from watching this dude play since his freshman year at Florida State. If you can’t see this guy is the real deal, it makes me question who are real basketball fans and who’s not?

  • pleasepleaseplease

    Seriously, if Walsh wants this team to have at least a chance at improvement he has to

    a) talk to D’Antoni about his ridiculous rotation!

    There is no reason to play Jeffries instead of Milicic or our 8th overall pick or even Marcus Landry. You think you’re showcasing him and up his trade value? Gues what: Everybody around the league knows what JJ can and more importantly can’t do. Letting him make a fool out of himself 30 Minutes a night will only crush his value even more.
    Also: Gallinari needs to stay on the field! Two minutes in, two minutes out, what’s up with that? How is our best shooter supposed to find a rythm that way?

    b) TRADE AL HARRINGTON!

    Yes, when he’s hot he is the best scorer on the team, but even then he takes so many ill adviced shots it’s not even funny. The Knicks would have won this game if D’Antoni would have just sit Harrington and his cold hands. Instead Al goes out and chucks away some godawful contested shots, killing every momentum we just had.
    I like that he’s a Knicks Fan and he obviously tries hard and is willing to be the man out there. But when he has the ball in his hands his brain just makes click and he can’t help himself not to act like a complete moron.
    Trade him for any expiring deal and maybe a low draft pick, give his shots to Gallinari and this team will be MUCH improved!

  • traps9

    He’s just gotta develop the vision, if you can do that. One three on two situation in the lane, he made the pass to the left block (to, I think, JJ) when it was the right block wide open with a cutting Gallo. That, and he seems a little too eager to swing the ball to the wing on the pick and roll (one resulted in an easy read and turnover), but that stuff happens; no game goes perfect, anyway. Very good flashes by TD we saw last night.

  • traps9

    Didn’t change his philosophy? Did you even watch the game?! They ran a ton of half-court sets and played a 2-3 zone for Heaven’s sake. I don’t think D’Antoni’s philosophy is the issue here.

  • DeBusscherescorner

    I agree with you on the nine rotation. Horrible. Maybe if he mixes things up they’ll start winning. How do you expect for guys like Hill, Milic to be apart of the team when they’re consistantly sitting or when there’s no comrodery?

  • JASONHAYES

    My take on the game:

    Didn’t like the zone defense. It was too many holes, in the defense last night. David and jarred were confused multiple times, which left Kirelenko and Okur open for wide open treys. Zone shows no accountability for covering your own man. Thats baby defense!

    Gallo is really being despised, they will never swing the ball his way. I know Kirelenko was defending him, but i’m confident in the kid. He would of definately did his thing. He just has to be aggressive at going at people and not settling for a J. Im sure his talk with Lebron gave him alot of confidence, let him get off now, while its still high.

    Larry is being very professional, I have to respect that. He’s being a true veteran, and trying to do what he can to contribute.

    Last but not least…….TD23. What a game my boy. I just hope you keep it up, so I dont have to watch Steve Urkel, run the point anymore. I swear, Duhon turns the ball over and all I hear is “did I do that?”. LOL….TD23 is what we need! He pushes the rock, plays feisty defense and works hard to improve his game. I really love this kid. I see him being a better shooting version of RONDO. Does anyone see this as well?

  • JASONHAYES

    Alll jokes aside, Im still not happy with trailing by double figures every game, and then having to climb back. There are no more moral victories at 1-7. We need W’s, anything less is a complete overall failure. Only moral victory is for TD23…..everyone else, better get back to work ASAP!

  • JASONHAYES

    No one can guard Crawford to be honest! I’m worried about that too, he’s gonna make us pay. I miss that guy, really wish his contract wasn’t crazy.

  • JASONHAYES

    I know the kid is a rook, and I don’t expect him to be consistent as of yet. But neither is Duhon right now. I can deal with TD23′S inconsistency as long as he continues to develop and improve. Duhon is as good as he’s gonna be.

  • JASONHAYES

    Amen @ Magik_Trick! He’s still learning the speed of the game. If his teamates could make a shot, im sure he would have more than 1 assist.

  • JASONHAYES

    These people play too much NBA LIVE or NBA2K! Thats why they think trading people is so easy….lol

  • DeBusscherescorner

    Timeout! Did you say Steve Urkel?Hahahahahaha

  • MrFurious

    Go with youth. We’re losing anyway, might as well see some hustle & passion instead of the moribund play of our veterans.

  • http://theKnicksBlog.com Tommy Dee

    Saw at least 3 open looks he created that weren’t knocked down…

  • DeBusscherescorner

    What vision? Who is he missing? You’re right, traps, but people make it seems like he’s throwing the ball away consistantly or something. For a guy his age to come in the Nba and keep his dribble and make the right pass, especially in critical situations (Case in point the final two minutes against New Jersey in the final pre-season game) what more do you want? Please, give me his turnover rate. Who would you rather pass the ball Duhon or Doug? because from what I’ve seen from duhon in the past two years is a guy who passes as though he just started to playing basketball three years ago. I mean the guy would dribble down the lane and throw it two hands across his body to the key, only to have it stolen….he does this on a consistant bases. Doug misses cutters? How many time have Duhon missed Chandler who’s standing under the rim waving his arms in the air. Sometimes Duhon is worried about the pick and roll he forgets the others on the court. I’m not against Duhon, but makes a lot of inept plays. Toney’s passes are on point, in a post players hands…THI’S A ROOKIE DOING THIS! C’mon. People need to watch more gameplay footage instead of saying he doesn’t have the vision, which isn’t a 100% , but uncanny compared to many young guards not named Chris, Deron and Parker.

  • HaS

    “Besides Huges, TD’s defense was the reason why the Knicks won last night. Period.”

    The Knicks didn’t win.

  • JASONHAYES

    Put some bifocals on that guy, and he becomes Stever Urkel. Take a good look at him, I kid you not…..lmao

  • HaS

    Wow twice in 24 hrs, I’m agreeing with you?

    You’re right it is difficult to trade players, especially young guys who haven’t gotten a chance to prove themselves. I would think Portland learned their lesson after trading Jermaine O’Neal.

  • BiggieSmalls

    LMAO.. the kool aid comes in three flavors.

  • traps9

    No; I agree with you – TD’s playing well and will continue to get better. Personally, I think he can be a true 1 eventually and would be very happy to see him as a starter by the break. It’s not an overnight thing, but confidence can speed it up.

  • BobbyFromBK

    Saw that Milicic was a DNPCD. Didn’t take long to see why he’s been traded so many times. The guy plays with no passion. I know he’s on a new team, but he plays like he rather be in Serbia with his wife and kid.

  • HaS

    Seriously. smh…

  • knicks613

    tkb,

    I’m very disappointed by the lack of coaching on this team.
    Has d’antoni ever won a game with his end game coaching?
    the last play last night was total chaos. there was no play.
    that’s the 3rd home game that should have been won at the end.

    Also, why can’t they get danilo to be more active off the ball.
    He just sits there on the wing waiting.
    they give him no good screens. No hard cuts through.
    andrei k hit OPEN 3′s.
    He is so good, but too passive.
    Only 7 shots last night.

  • DeBusscherescorner

    “If Douglas had stayed put like he did when the Knicks were coming back from twelve down, the knicks could’ve won easily.” Did you read that? Ever heard of typos? Seriously, what?

  • DeBusscherescorner

    Very true, Traps. Hoping the best for him. Maybe his, Hill and Landry’s development could get us through this year and into 2010.

  • illsun

    TRUER WORDS HAVE NEVER BEEN SPOKEN

  • MrFurious

    ZOMG. STOP. COMMON SENSE IS KRYPTONITE TO SOME OF THESE KNUCKLEHEADS.

    That said, D’Antoni has more talent than he had last year, we need to be playing at least at THAT level…which was still pretty shitty. We’re looking worse. I don’t blame him entirely but he needs to find a way to get more out of this scrap because he has slightly better scrap to work with compared to last year AND they have been playing in his system for a year. There is plenty of blame to go around, no one should be spared.