|
|
|
Newsday’s Barbara Barker had a great piece on Nate Robinson, who now finds himself out of the Knicks 
rotation. It is clear, for now, that the Knicks have a better set rotation without him.
“…In all six of their wins this season, Robinson has played less than 19 minutes. The Knicks are 0-9 when Robinson plays 19 minutes or more and 6-6 when he plays less than 19.
In the past four games, the Knicks have gone 3-1 without Robinson in the rotation. In the only game in which he saw any time, the Knicks beat the Suns on Tuesday. He took only two shots, and half his minutes came in garbage time. Yesterday’s game was his third straight DNP-CD.
D’Antoni has long made it known that Robinson tests his patience, but it seems as though several recent events have caused him to send Robinson into this prolonged exile.
The most notable came eight days ago when Robinson scored 22 points in the fourth quarter of a 114-103 loss to the Magic at the Garden. Orlando continued to pull away from the Knicks even as Robinson continued to score, but he didn’t seem to notice as he jumped around the court with glee and yelled at fans in celebration even while his team was losing.
Robinson was the first player in the locker room after yesterday’s game – probably because he didn’t have to shower. He made a point of saying all the right things, stumbling only slightly when he was asked what he felt when the fans cheered him.
“I love the support,” he said.
Then, just in case it sounded too selfish, he quickly added, “Hopefully, they will continue to come out and support our whole team, and that’s what we need…”
Does this mean no more Will Ferrell?
I said it yesterday and I’ll say it again. I don’t know who most of these fans who come to games are. Not all of them, mind you, but those who decided during the midst of a huge Knick run that saw them take control of the game that it was a good idea to start chanting for Nate.
He’s fun to watch and we all love rooting for the little guy. And it’s too easy to just pin the Knicks’s success on Nate not playing, but come on people.
The team is actually playing some decent basketball over the last week. Can’t you just go to the game and root for the team in white to get a W?
Granted the chats did start when the Knicks were flat and losing, but do we have to hear the chat from now on EVERY time the Knicks are losing?
I hope not.
This just makes the nondeal of Jeffries & Nate to the Kings more galling. You can’t be expected to be a consistent winner with Nate getting 25+ minutes every night. Great talent, but one of those players who has as many negatives as positives. I would mainly insert him when the offense is stalling or we’re trailing big.
Wow so now Nate not playing is the reason the team is winning? Is the point that this team is better off without Nate? Eddie Curry missed those games as well perhaps he is the reason the knicks are winning and he shouldn’t even try to come back. I don’t have a problem with the Nate benching, I love watching the kid play, but understand that his immaturity is maddening to coaches and old school basketball lovers. I have no problem with D’Antoni trying to teach him to play the right way. But as the season wears on and Duhon breaks down (if he isn’t broken already), Tony Douglas makes his rookie mistakes, and injuries hit, we will need Nate down the stretch. Other than Harrington he is one of the few Knicks that can create his own shot and carry us offensively in the 4th qtr.
Bottom line, the team is playing better but if it has any hope of making the playoffs it needs a PG and a shotblocking presence inside, of which Nate is neither. You blame the fans for chanting for Nate but how about the media jumping all over every little streak (good or bad) and being so reactionary as to bring up meaningless stats as the reason the Knicks are successful. The truth is that the team is playing better defense against teams without a true inside presence (Lopez just didn’t have it in the second half, Smith got thrown out in Atlanta, the Suns play our style and Amare is a shell of his former self). I’m ecstatic over the wins but lets put them in perspective.
So the team wins a few games and immediately looks for scapegoats for all the losses other than D’Antoni’s lack of coaching defense and Walsh’s lack of filling the needs of the team this summer. Typical Knicks, and typical reactionary writers who cover them.
pretty much, yeah…they need an angle to fill space…I am no nate fan in so far as i think he has talent but would prefer him elsewhere, but still, pointing fingers at him is silly. How about the guys we rely on like harrington, duhon, hughes, chandler, and lee are just finally showing some team cohesion and efficiency?
So Nate scores 22 in the fourth quarter and gets benched but:
1. Lee can continue his matador D in the paint
2. Duhon can continue to play like garbage
3. Chandler can continue to jack up every shot he sees
sounds like a double standard. Fans cheering isnt “Lame”
. As BB points out — most were little kids wearing Nate jerseys
way to destroy the value of another asset Coach!
u right jho– Nate should be getting 20 minutes a game — not 30.. that is when he is best utilized. But far be it from me to expect a coach to utilize his players correctly.
We beat a one win team now errybody is getting off like playing better is about Nate not on the court.. NOT.
Lee and Chandler are much more valuable to this team than Nate. Duhon is the only guard who can facilitate on a consistent basis, but with the way he jacks up shots I agree he should be given the Nate treatment.
“We beat a one win team now everybody is getting off like playing better is about Nate not on the court.. NOT.”
Why did we win then? You were so sure we were going to lose.
because the Nets are plain awful and the Suns/Wawks were looking past a bad team ontheir schedule.
Lee and Chandler are on teh same losing team as everyone else.. This locker room is fractured — though NO ONE in the mainstream or blog media wants to write about it. — playing favorites and holding grudges ifor reasons no one can explain coherently is a good way to further divide and deteriorate the locker room.
Good for the fans for letting this org know what’s up.. They will be doing the Fire D’Antoini chats soon.
But if the Nets are awful why did you think we would lose to them?
And how do you know the locker room is so fractured? No doubt that morale has been inconsistant but that’s to be expected from any non-playoff team.
And I don’t think the Nate chants were knowledgeable fans letting the organization know what’s up, they just wanted to see Krypto dunk.
writers have alluded to the Locker room being fractured in Blogs but there has been no mainstream newspaper “article” written about it.
Hahn and Isola have said it in their blogs and chats..
I thought we would lose to the Nets originally because they may have come in here as a NO win team and this coach/team would have looked past them and got cocky after a win as they do regularly..when they win.
I thought the Nets would sneak up and steal the win. I was wrong..Im happy for the win but Im not writing articles and posts on how we have “jelled” all of a sudden cause we beat a ONE win team.
do you really need an explaination as to why NATE is on the bench?
Not really,.,. I dont think this coach could provide a valid reason that could not be refuted..
Just put the best players on the court and Coach them.. Dont pout like a baby, make stupid jokes or stare off into space like you have no accountability for the product you put on the floor.
The hubris is really astonishing.
Do you coach Nate? Do you practice with Nate? Do you sit with Nate on the sideline? But yet here you are telling us how he should be “utilized correctly”…I trust D’antoni’s judgment far more than you my friend. Mostly because he’s a professional coach with decades of experience and you are not. Additionally, this is absolutely nothing new, no coach has liked Nate’s game..they praise his athleticism and pull their hair out over his .02 cent head. This is a simple fact
more random thoughts…
“little kids wearing Nate jerseys?.”
Should we be basing rotation and PT on youth merchandising?
“way to destroy the value of another asset Coach!”
…Because his value was SO HIGH in the off season he garnered a grand total of ZERO contract offers. Maybe his value is practically non-existent “as is” through no fault of D’antoni?
“We beat a one win team now errybody is getting off like playing better is about Nate not on the court..”
…I wouldn’t agree with EVERYBODY, I would play Nate in spot duty, but it would appear there is greater evidence to support the “we’re better off without Nate than with him” but in fairness, you could probably make that argument about EVERY KNICK at this point if you tried.
Benching a player (fan popularity or not) for a period to give other guys an opportunity is what a coach should do when you’re team is as bad as this team. Proofs in “the winning”, we’ll see how that goes over the next couple of weeks without Nate. I hardly believe he is the only problem, but i won’t miss him either.
I agree, trust the coach and ditto on most everyrhing you stated.
I agree that “Proofs in ‘the winning’”. That, after all is the bottom line. But there are a ton of people who don’t seem to care about the most obvious aspect in evaluating a strategy…does it work?
You can point out to people the terrific record of every team from which Marbury has been banished over his career soon after he left.
You can do the same about Iverson, pointing out how with his last 4 teams, after he left they are a combined 135 -108, and with him they were 107-109.
Now it’s Nate’s turn, but some people don’t care about the logic of wins and losses and instead want to focus on the flashiness, the histrionics, the ability to selfishly put the ball in the basket to the exclusion of what is good for the team and then blame the coaches and everyone else for the losing, while ignoring the reasons for the losing and the proof: after you bench these guys, the teams improve.
Saying that Nate’s transgressions are the same as Lee’s or Duhon’s problems, or even Chandler’s is patently ridiculous. Nate has shown several times that he doe snot take the game seriously when he’s in. He’s posed when blocking someone only to have the person make a layup while he’s posing. He’s shot at the wrong freaking basket. Look at the difference between Al Harrington’s offensive outburst against the Hawks and Nate’s against the Magic. And I’m not talking about the fact that we gained ground against the Hawks, because Orlando is much better than Atlanta. However Harrington, while he was hot, did not make a fool of himself every time he scored.
Despite his small stature, he has the physical gifts and skill set to make an opposing team’s point guard’s life a living hell, yet he seems more interested in celebrating his individual successes than making sure his team has success right now.
Ultimately Lee’s transgressions, and even Duhon’s come from the fact that we are asking them to do things that aren’t always in their skill sets. Lee’s never been a good interior defender, and it’s made worse by the fact that he’s he only big man in a rotation of wing players. He’s undersized to be guarding centers and then is expected to score 15 – 20 points. He’s taking a beating every night and while I would love for him to play defense, it’s time to stop throwing Lee under a bus for what he doesn’t do and realize that that’s the player we have. Should we get on Dantoni for Milicic not playing? Or HIll? Yes. And you have. But Lee is doing what he knows he’s capable of doing, and think about where we would be without his scoring and rebounding.
Duhon is simply not that good, but he’s the only true point guard in this system. Chandler is coming off Off season sugery, and he’s just now getting his legs back. Should he stop chucking it? Yes. But Chandler also does other things on the court than just score. It’s why Jeffries keeps getting minutes.
The difference between Nate’s problems and Duhon and Lee’s problems are that Nate’s problems are almost all self inflicted and self-fixable. For heaven’s sake, he’s gone through three coaches now, and three coaches have ultimately said he is a big problem for the home team. And one of them was freaking Isaiah Thomas.
This benching shouldn’t last forever, and Nate does have the physical skills and gifts to make us a better team. But it’s telling that in a rotation of just Duhon Larry Hughes and Toney Douglas that Nate can’t find time to do the right things to get quality minutes on the floor.
please do not bring up Zeke as a coach or the Larry Brown episode.. Both were complete disasters..
So NAte has all he skill to make a PG’s life a living hell.. But Lee is undersized and taking a beating every nite? OK.. Biased much are we?
I can easily flip the script.. “Nate is undersized and takes a beating every nite and Lee has the natural skill to be a good defensive player ” and make that debate.
Pick your favorites as a fan.. that is your tight.. and the right of those who were cheering for Nate.. But a COACH should not have that right to just pick favorites, punish one player for one transgression and let other transgressions just slide by.. probably part of the reason The Coach has lost the locker room.
Biggie, you seem to be misunderstanding me. Lee is an undersized center (he’s really an NBA PF, but whatever), Nate is an undersized PG. THat’s where the comparison ends. Lee does not have the physical skills to defend people bigger than he is. He simply does not. He doesn’t have good defensive timing, and while he could do more, like say, giving more fouls, he doesn’t have hte quickness nate has, the hops that nate has, or even the pound for pound strength nate has.
Lee has been burning bigger centers on offense because he has a nice touch around the rim, and he’s quicker than they are. Nate, however, is quicker than everyone else, AND he has the strength not to be backed down into the paint, sometimes by guys almost a foot taller than he is. Lee does not, absolutely does not, have the physical gifts to be guarding centers. Nate has the physical gifts to at least harrass opposing point guards and even some shooting guards far more than he is.
We certainly can’t have someone make the good defensive play in a block, then GIVE UP on the flipping play.
I like Lee, I also like Nate. I want Lee to be tougher on defense, so that even if he can’t get the block he at least puts guys on their rears more often than he does. But we need him on offense and I understand why he might not be so quick to foul. But Nate’s histrionics are unconscionable when he makes the correct play, and then GIVES UP on it letting the opposing team score.
Does Lee have the “quickenss” or timing or whatever you call it.. to stop guards and small forwards from crashing the paint for lay up drills?
Lee is SIX foot NINE.. Let’s stop making excuses.. He’s a poor defender.. Period.. He cant guard Power forwards either. or small forwards.. or anyone for that matter..
yet he gets a pass.
He gets a pass for being a poor defender. The same pass Nate gets since he got a bunch of minutes last year and was still a poor defender. What he doesn’t get a pass for is the histrionics that come along with it.
When’s the last time you saw David Lee get a bucket and then jog up the court jumping around and yelling about how awesome those two points he just got were? When’s the last time you saw another NBA player start shooting at the wrong basket before time ran out (he started the motion he didn’t get the shot off)? During the Atlanta game when Duhon was putting up something like 11 first quarter points which for him counted as an offensive explosion did you see him celebrating after ever made shot?
It’s not that Nate is a poor defender. It’s not that Nate likes celebrating. It’s that nate is a poor defender who likes celebrating while the team is losing.
Biggie, your bitterness and disappointment are clouding your judgment. Cheer up, friend!
Lee’s scoring, rebounding, hustle and team play are not needed? Bench him? You’re making nooooooooooooo sense.
D’A wants him on the floor. He acts like a pro. N8 acts like a twerp.
Be cheery for a day. Look on the bright side of life. : )))))))))
I didnt say bench Lee but I pointed out the incongruity of this decision.
If I had a dime for every player under 6′6 that drives the lane for an easy hoop on Lee i”d have a lot of dimes.
How about Duhon trying to post up Josh Boone and getting the ball thrown back in his face????
If that was Nate dont you think there would be 20 comments and articles on how stupid that looked?
But Duhon, Buckets, Lee, Chander, Hughes all get passes… BIG passes.
They act like pros, not like childish idiots. Ever been a coach or business manager? How much crap do you put up with? I love N8 but he is a twerp and needs to learn how to act like an adult and play team ball. For $5M a year that is expected. T Douglas can show him as he sits and collects DNPs.
Nate is a “twerp”?
That’s a childish thing to call someone..
NEW OXFORD AMERICAN DICTIONARY
twerp |twərp| (also twirp)
noun informal
a silly or annoying person.
ORIGIN late 19th cent.: of unknown origin.
i can see that you have something against Nate by your choice in Name calling.
Silly or annoying? He plays basketball. He isnt sitting in front of you in third grade.
His coach, your bucktooth hillbilly nemesis, disagrees.
i apologized for calling the coach a hilbilly..
you should apologize for that derogatory remark.
but alot of players have flaws in their game,but thats not what this is about.its about acting like an asshole when you should be playing ball
the coach has not lost the locker room.bigs,you know im not a D’ANTONI guy,but during the last 4 or 5 games ,the KNICKS are ,at least trying to look like a serious basketball team,and they mostly are (EFFORT)trying to play dee the right way.all it takes is one guy on defense not to rotate,and it kills the whole scheme.well at any rate,with nate on the bench,the defense is playing better,and that means d’antoni has not lost the locker room.the KNICKS at least look like they are finally paying attention.we shall see how long that lasts in the long run ,one game at a time….as a fan ,i dont give a shit about NATE’s feelings or Nate himself,as an old school fan,i cant stand the “LOOK AT ME” crap ! sure,nate might have some skills,and may befun for some people to watch,but no team will ever miss his eractic play,and me first attitude.Hughes is proving to be much more of a KNOWLEDGEBLE team first gy(SO FAR).Hey im as bitter as they come,but i want wins,and ive been enjoying the last 3 outta four games….hopfully tonite we’ll make it 4 of 5
What are you talking about? Coach is the only one who should be able to choose favorites. He is the one who sees these guys practice, analyzes the games for hours, and knows these players personally. You have to believe that the guy didnt come to NY with some grudge against Nate and love for Chandler or something. He simply knows his system, knows what he needs, and knows it’s not Nate. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why Nate doesn’t fit.
At some point you have to say, hey, I am behind a computer and Coach is a professional coach who has been around the game 30 years. He is not like your average commenter. There is a reason behind his roster moves.
<I.oach is the only one who should be able to choose favorites
really? People in authority can Choose favorites and practice selective enforcement>?
You’ve obviously never managed people in business or been a teacher. Playing “teachers pet” is a great way to divide a group..
oh wait.. thats already happened here…
Biggie, I respect your b-ball acumen, but none of us truly know exactly what occurs in the Knicks locker room.
I can’t imagine that the coach would pull a player from the lineup that would improve the team’s chances of winning, unless he had good cause.
P.S. I can count on less than one hand the amount of times that Nate has passed the ball to Gallinari.
Then again, I could count on less than two hands, the amount of times that Harrington has passed to Gallinari as well!
I think that that is just one part of this team’s problem.
I don’t get why he shouldn’t bring up the fact that Nate has been bench by every coach who has had the “honor” to coach him. Because it doesn’t support your position? Every coach has benched him, but it must be something wrong with the coaches.
I really don’t think that D’antoni is benching Nate because he wants to ‘teach him a lesson’. I think he’s benching him because Nate is not helping the Knicks win. Even when the guy is on fire offensively, he’s not translating that energy into the defensive end. He’s celebrating when the team is losing the game and is losing the season. He’s goofy and happy, which is great, I mean, it’s probably a lot of fun to hang out with him. I’m glad he finds things to be happy about. But he just doesn’t seem to have any desire to win a game. He’s happy to score, or block a shot, but teams are very good in this league and you have to keep pushing and concentrating until the game is won. And I don’t think he’s doing that.
If he was a goofball and had lapses, but still did stuff like lead the team on a comeback from 20 down, or get other guys involved, or win games single-handedly, I think D’antoni would deal with this stuff. But Toney Douglas can hit a shot, he works defensively and he’s trying to learn how to help win a game in the NBA. And he’s all business.
Nate can’t keep his concentration on the task at hand. His job is to win games – it can be fun but you have to do what you’re supposed to do out there. I think Nate isn’t, and he is distracting his teammates with his goofing around. Celebrating a made shot is OK, but if you’re 5-15 and down by 15 points in the fourth quarter, and if your celebration causes you to have to catch up on defense… I mean, Nate can dribble and shoot circles around Duhon but you just can’t do the stuff he’s doing. There’s a time for celebration and he hasn’t reached it by a long shot.
Biggie, you have the same double standard, acting as if Nate doesn’t deserved to be benched based on one single fourth quarter of a losing game, then listing one flaw of some other players as if they have never did anything good.
Nate has an attitude about him that clearly doesn’t fly with D’Antoni. I said this in the post about Coach’s post game comments after the first game he benched Nate – It is important in a D’Antoni offense for everyone to have the same green light to shoot, the system is built on passing the ball and finding the most open man, not the best shooter. The only time Nate finds the open man is when he drives, realizes in the air that there is no chance at a basket, and then chucks it to someone on the perimiter.
And please, tell me what kind of value Nate had before this season. He “allegedly” could have helped trade Jeffries. “Allegedly”. No team showed any interest in the off season, no one was beating down our doors for trades. He’ll end up walking at the end of the year just like he should have at the end of last season – thats what D’Antoni wanted. So it’s not like he did this, if he was making the moves, Nate would be some other team’s problem. So don’t blame D’Antoni for diminishing his value.
And, lastly, I don’t think most people are reacting to the win over the Nets as due to Nate not playing. But we’ve won 3-4, the other two wins against elite teams. The Knicks are playing good ball right now, as much as some fans on this site would rather ignore it and complain.
The reason I came into this thread is because I was going to write a post myself about the “We Want Nate” chants. I know they started when we were down was but they continued after we took the lead and pretty much sealed the game. Why? All I could think of were the guys on this site who complain and complain. Enjoy the win. I’m at the game, watching the Knicks win, high fiving, and everyone around me is chanting for Nate? I was like, hey guys, we are WINNING! WHO CARES?
Keep complaining about Nate. Whatever. He is clearly not going to be here next year. So who cares if he gets 40 minutes a night, 10 minutes a night, whatever. If you don’t care about wins this year, and are only looking towards the development of our future, then why would anyone care about the Nate situation? All it does is give more shots to more players and free up playing time for Douglas.
The other three guys you mentioned all do things that the rest of the team is lacking. Duhon, for all the shit he takes, is the only guy who can set up an offense and run a play. He has been actually getting into the lane lately and breaking free from defenders, even though he hasn’t been putting up shots. He’s been doing a great job running the offense and I give him a lot of the credit for our recent run. I’d love Lee to be a better defender and dive for loose balls, but the guy is still a big body in the post, is the teams best rebounder, and is a great finisher around the rim. Chandler gives the team versatility on defense. Nate holds the ball, dribbles around, and shoots. So does Al, so does Tony Douglas, so does Larry Hughes. But Al has been rebounding and actually, gasp, making plays! Hughes has pretty much been playing point guard. Theres just no room for Nate on the floor right now, D’Antoni knew it before the season, but he had no choice but to try to fit him in. It didnt work.
How can Nate not pass but be second on the team in assists last year?
Marbury lead several teams in assists and yet everyone called him selfish.
Exactly. When the ball is in your hand ALL THE TIME, it’s easy to rack up assists. As I explained, most of Nate’s assists come from him driving to the lane, realizing there is no hope at scoring, and chucking it to someone else. Eventually, that someone else is going to score. Rinse and repeat every possession. Thats what Nate does. He dominates the ball and passes it only when he has failed at every other option in finding a shot. That is not how this offense works.
Come on Biggie. You’re gonna bring up stats now? Watch the games. You’re gonna tell me with a straight face Nate is a distributer or has any sort of passing skills? Marbury is the perfect example and he was 10x a better distributer and passer than Nate was. There was literally no back up guard last season. Nate had the ball in his hands when Duhon didn’t. Obviously that is going to lead to assists.
Nate isnt a point guard.. Never was.. Its not his game.
we’ve done the off season RFA talk a billion times. The lack of interest had nothing to do with Nate or Lee’s talents.
thats bull
the guys had no offers and all it took for the knicks to not match was to offer 2 years.
nate could have been had for 2 years at 3 mil per.
read the old articles and comments about RFA with NAte and Lee.
Im not rehashing it again.
I’m fine with not giving Nate 20mins a game, but I don’t think he should be getting DNP-CD’s. Just like how Duhon shouldn’t be getting 40mins.
But a W is a W.
this is similar to thre preseason when erryone thought we were a 40 win team cause we beat the Nets three times and the Israeli team..
We are awful. Good teams will start to look past us and we will sneak up on some teams (PHX & ATL) when they have off nights cause they are not focused on the game.
After the Blazers toniete we have three on the road against beatabel teams
Lets see 4-0 in the next 4 with Nate grabbing Pine then Ill say there’s something to it.
If the Knicks are serious about a playoff run they have to beat the Blazers without Oden. This team is seriously banged up , has chemistry issues, and is trying to find themselves. Knicks have to take advantage.
This is a game that Curry could really help this team pull out a win. Is he even capable of giving this team 15-20 at this point?
doesnt have to be 4-0…just play better
Ok so the Knicks just have to go UNDEFEANTED against a Western playoff team and then on a 3 game road trip. Then you’ll be convinced. Sounds reasonable.
are they only supposed to Win the “winable games” like at home against the Nets?
Wow those stats are really insane for Nate. I was against the benching at first, but for right now it seems to have energized the team in ways that Nate has shown he can’t. In Atlanta, Duhon had his best game of the season and yesterday Hughes had one of his best games. The Knicks are playing good basketball right now and people are still complaining about the benching? I agree with Clyde who said he thought many of the fans chanting must have been kids. The statistics say it all here: 6-6 when less than 19 minutes to go along with a probably even more damning statistic of a grand total of 2 points now in the knicks 6 wins. Its easy to see why nobody wanted Nate this summer. Hopefully he will get the message and devote himself to being a pest on defense and using his speed to get into the lane and get easy shots for others, although based on the last 4 years Im not sure he will ever get the message.
Clyde also said it is stupid to bench one of the best players on the team for no real reason.. Brren tried to explain it– being the company man that he is — but it sounded as LAME as it is.
Um, that’s not even remotely what Clyde said.
But I forgot, you’re Biggie Smalls, and this is your world – we’re all just living in it.
**rolls eyes as usual when reading Biggie posts**
i heard what i heard./. if you heard something different put it to bytes.
Dont hate.
how can you say “no real reason” you watch Nate running arround missing dee-fense assignmentsand taking ill-advised shots the past 4 years,yapping,starting fights on the bench,Coaches tearing their hair out over him just not listening.and although you might think it was CUTE,when he gave Will FErral his jersey,it was just unprofessional to do it during the course of a game.Larry Brown was right ,Nate is a human highlight reel,but we are trying to play basketball here.5 guys functioning as one
Nate didnt give Will Ferrall his jersey during the course of the game bob..
If you want to throw the no defense and ill advised shot rocks there are a lot of glass houses on Broadway.
Starting fights on the bench? ho hum..
Larry Brown was a pox on this organization. Curse him for ever coming here and wasting a year of my hoop life.
the difference is nate has the talent to be better then that.
Lee is a poor defender, and benching him isnt going to help him defend better.
nates main problem has nothing to do with skill… it is 100% attitude.
He is being benched because its what the coach thinks is the best way to get him to grow up.
I dont even know why i am responding to your post. I swore I wouldnt do it anymore…
OK,he never listens to what the coach tells him to do! ,..thats a good enough reason
So the coach never tells Lee to box out and protect the key from guards driving at will?
i dont know,i dont see david lee arguing with dantoni,i only see nate yapping back at him all the time
Clyde also said afterwards that he understands the reasons and that they are valid reasons.
LMAO.. is that after Garden PR got a hold of him.
Tommy, why when Nate said about the chants he “loves the support” he’s automatically being “selfish”? This is the problem when a player goes in D’Ant’s doghouse … certain folks immediately start with the character assasination crap. If D’ant wants Nate to be a little more mature, fight thru screens, and be more of a pest defensively, then fine …but leave it at that. I don’t see an issue with him acknowledging the fans …that’s more than D’ant did by not finding 1 minute of playing time for the most popular player among the yutes on Kids Day.
Also, please listen to Tripuka, Malik, and the post game show announcers about how Nate is handling this … they’re ALLl saying he’s saying the right things & in each interview I’ve seen, he even compliments MDA. But when/if he eventually gets fed up with the treatment & says something a bit testy, there will be folks who blast him left & right and will call for him to be tried with the terrorists in lower Manhattan.
So get used to the chants, especially when we’re down or when JJ & Du-NON botch things … I have NO problem with fans supporting N8 since (if you notice) he’s the 1st one to cheer on & support his teammates from the bench right now ! Why no stories about how J-Hill dosen’t seem too interested in cheering from the pine and the sullen Darko is slumped over out of site somewhere near the towels?!?!
Why no stories on how the Coach has lost the locker room and how the team is fractured and divided..
Ive seen hints here and there but ZERO in the main stream media particularly.
Meantime Ive heard plenty about other sports teams locker rooms being fractured.. what’s the difference here?
What are these hints?
are you being serious that you have not heard that the Locker room is fractured? With one faction being the veterans on one year deals and another the “rooks” and Gallo who will be here for sure next year?
Common knowledge within the fan community that follows the team like we do.. Not so much if all you do is read the daily paper.
so you got nothing.
read Hahn and Isola’s blog. Listen to Tommy in his “radio show”
Of course our Vets expiring is an issue of concern, but that has been brought up by the media many times. In the beginning of the season the only questions Hughes, Lee and Al ever got are ones about their future with the team. And all they ever say is that they’re concentrating on this season. Are you waiting for some TMZ gossip?
What I want to know is that, if the media and blogs aren’t telling you the locker room is fractured, then who is? Do you have a man on the inside?
Hahn has said it in Chats.. Isola as well ..
If you dont thin so ask Tommy Dee. He knows it.
The Locker room is fractured by the haves and have nots.
If you are afraid by my answers stop asking scary questions.
A bunch of expiring contracts can’t get along? Really? No way. Are you serious? WHAT? THIS IS CRAZY TALK!
I don’t think Isola does chats.
Maybe because, there’s nothing THERE, there.
These hints…do they come from your direct locker room experience? player interviews? janitors? anything other than your own personal bias?
To think that the NY sports media wouldn’t jump on a juicy topic like “D’antoni has lost the lockeroom” if there was even a scintilla of evidence is to completely misunderstand how desperate ALL media is for a scoop to sell page views and papers.
The Knicks have played great, unselfish team ball the last 4 of 5 games, they have taken to D’A’s system of pass pass pass till u find the open man, and hustle like hell on defense, their zones are covering everyone’s deficiencies brilliantly and they have gelled. Biggie, your perspective is out of sorts. Forget about locker room innuendo and your notion of hurt feelings and look at what u see on the court. Face it, D’A is not going to be fired — he’s here for good. Can we talk you down off the ledge? You gonna be morose all season long?
Peace.
Dave
no im good.. perfectly sane and logical.
they won a few games cause teams take them lightly adn tghey hit shots.. Duhon played one game like he wasnt woken up an hour before tip.
Aha, it was an aberration. Now we understand. They have made no progress and it’s all the bucktooth hillbilly’s fault. : )
they should beat the teams they are supposed to. And if a visiting team comes in and expects to roll through here with A W
THey hot shots.. something they have not done consistently all year and you cant say Duhon has played another good game.. can you?
They are supposed to beat PHX and ATL and NJ? And you know that Duhon is a drunkard and the coach is a bucktoothed hillbilly, and his team is showing no effort, and N8 just plays basketball and is a champ for acting like a pro for being benched? Tell us more, Biggie. We want more!
Don’t understand the fans who think Nate should be playing no matter what. There is no doubt Nate is a sparkplug who can score at will. D’Antoni continually says that. There is also no doubt that Nate continues to exhibit immaturity. Coach is simply trying to correct the immaturity. I doubt Nate will be traded as he can be a valuable 6th man for this team. Grow up Nate we need you.
Not saying he s/b playing no matter what … but 3 games of DNPs CD ? That’s bordering on excessive. The league dosen’t hand out suspensions that long for fights!
And in terms of pure on the court results, it seems MDA’s mindset is that Du-NON & JJ will always play no matter HOW BAD their performance !
I don’t think anyone is advocating Nate playing major minutes, but he should be playing some.
3 Ws with no Nate should drive the point home, whatever that point is. Nate has handled this situation perfectly, now lets get him back on the court and use all the ammo we have for the Blazers.
Biggie, what are you talking about with Dantoni losing the locker room? I don’t think its a coincidence that the best knicks win of the season came against his old team. This team sucks and is utterly devoid of talent and chemistry. That is the price of rebuilding. Anywhere near 500. is a miracle to me. Why do people expect them to come out and and win every night? Dantoni made a move to bench Robinson and the team seems to have rallied behind that. They have won 3 out of 4 now and somehow have a better record than Philly with a team with much less talent. Give the guy a break. I agree Bockers about Duhon, it is insane that he gets as many minutes as he does. JJ at least has a point as far as trying to get his trade value up, although we all know thats not happening because he absolutely sucks in every conceivable way.
the Suns were looking past us to their game against the Cavs the next night in teh middle of a four game estern road trip..
I expect the coach to coach like he wants to win every game and the players to put it out there like every game is the 7th in the finals.
Really because it didn’t seem to me that they were looking at the Cavs either considering they got demolished by them. I’m not saying the Knicks are good but you give them absolutely zero credit. And that is amazing that you expect players to put it out there every game but I don’t know if you realized that they don’t do that and it isn’t just because of the coach like you seem to believe. These are grown men and know exactly what they are doing and don’t need to be told to play hard
The Cavs beat the Suns because the Suns play a flawed system that cant stop players… Just because they laid an egg against Cleveland doesnt mean they weren’t looking past us..
Jeez.. you guys got to be kidding me with this stuff./
And what was there flawed system doing during the 15 games they won? Why must you make excuses for the teams we beat? That is for fans of the other team to do. I don’t understand it. We beat an elite team. We’re kidding you but you’re the one bringing up all these ridiculous and baseless excuses to every comment made.
They are playing a flawed system! They were looking past us! D’Antoni has lost the locker room!
Give it up, give the guy some credit. How about, wow, this coach beat the Suns with a bunch of players who dont really wanna be here and know they wont be next year.
I was the one saying that it was a long season and this was not a 12 win team when they were ONE and NINE when most people in here were running for the Kleenex saying we were losing the top pick in the draft..
Beat the Blazers at home and the Hornets, Bobcats and Bulls on the road before you start throwing the chest out and yelling DECLARE.
So when the Suns won 60 games (They won’t this year) and got within a few games of the finals (they won’t this year) they played with a flawed system?
As much flak as Dantoni gets here for being a bad coach, the Suns team that took the spurs to six or seven a few years ago when the Spurs last won a championship, lost in large part because they got burned in the game when players left hte bench. And I’m a Spurs fan; I would much prefer to have a coach like Pop than Dantoni. But on the other hand, if the Suns had been at full power that entire series I would have liked their chances. They were looking great against that great Spurs team.
Dantoni is a better coach than Alvin Gentry. He’s a better coach than Terry Porter. There’s this whole nonsense about him not being a championship coach, but the truth is there are very few championship coaches.
Phil Jackson, Popovich, Larry Brown (when he’s not being a tool). Anyone here think Doc Rivers was a championship coach? Think Boston should fire him? Coaches bring systems. We have to bring players in who match the system. Right now we have only a handful of players that match this one. Gallo is one, Harrington is another (although he needs to pass more), Jeffries for all his warts plays hard and moves the ball well when he’s not making airball shots. Nate could be another in the Leandro Barbosa mold, but doesn’t seem to have enough pride in his team to simply play hard without the celebration and the dancing when we are losing the game.
Biggie has already said the only way he’ll give the Knicks credit is maybe if they beat the Blazers and then win their next 3 games, all on the road.
should we care when or if he gives the knicks credit?
just read his words, his general arguments are don’t believe any stats, your lying eyes or use your brain…believe biggie!
Just another internet Nostradamus, all knowing, all-seeing, and infallible. I wasn’t absolutely sure until this thread but now i know to just skip past whatever he says…for that I am appreciative.
Dont believe what I write.. Pass over it and dont read it.. I really dont care..
But just because you cant come up with a coherent argument for your position doesnt mean you have to resort to name calling and hate .. that is just childish.
Coherent argument? You are throwing baseless accusations out there with no evidence to support it. You say D’Antoni lost the locker, provide an article to back it up then I think most people will start listening more. You say Nate is getting unfairly treated and the Knicks were fortunate to win these games because of the timing and yet the timing of when Nate had played must have just been bad luck for him and teams were really focusing on stopping the Knicks. Face as of the current time the Knicks are playing better with Nate not playing. It can change very quickly and they need him to play but right now they don’t so why would you mess with what is working even if it is 3 out of 4 games against teams that either didn’t care about us (Suns) got unlucky (Hawks) or just suck (Nets). I see no reason to change things up when we are playing noticeably better right now. Maybe it is because of Nate maybe not but why would you change anything if things are going good. There would be zero logic to it, because no matter how you insert Nate he changes the dynamic when he is in the game and right now it isn’t necessary
I said Ill believe that the team can consistently perform better without Nate if they win the next four games. One at home against the Blazers without Oden and three on the road against the Hornets (who we beat alread), Bobcats (and Larry Brown) and the Bulls (with our draft picks playing major roles for THEM) .
What games do you think they are sure to lose?
and they come home after the Bulls and play the Clips the next nite..
Lets see how long the coach can go with a 6 or 7 player rotation.
Biggie, the Suns clearly weren’t looking ahead to the Cavs game as they promptly got destroyed in the 1st quarter 33-14. Of course there’s locker room discord as there always is on bad teams, but to say Dantoni has lost the team without any evidence to back that up is wrong. The team is filled with guys on the last years of the contracts who almost certainly don’t have a part on this team in the future. Any coach would struggle with that. To go along with that, pretty much our whole team is composed of guys that wouldn’t start on any of the good teams in the league. Its just false to say he has lost the locker room.
Especially since, if you watched the last few games, it looks like hte players finally got the system. If you saw the last few games there was a lot of ball movement, a lot of cutting to the hoop which opened up the perimeter, whereas before only Lee was cutting ot the hoop, and defenders could camp on the perimeter along with our guys.
I think that’s what has some people excited about these games. Even in Orlando, where we lost the game, we were playing OUR brand of basketball, instead of some ugly hybrid. If we play like that we’ll win most of the rest of our games against other bad teams. I don’t expect them to keep it up forever, but I would be upset if we took a step back and stopped playing our system. Even most of Duhon’s bad shots that didn’t go in at least seemed within the flow of the game instead of looking forced up.
Ding Ding Ding. This is what I expected to be reading here. We are finally playing the right way.
they are hitting shots. Period.
Nah they are playing better.
The D looks better, the ball movement looks better, and the inside-outside balance looks better.
Oh and Circle, if Dantoni was to put Nate back in the rotation now I think the whole point of this little exercise would be lost. The point that Dantoni was trying to make was that the team was more important than any individual, and the only thing that matters is winning and being focused on winning. If Nate wasn’t going to buy into that, then he wasn’t going to play him. Nate is now watching the team win without any of his antics, and Dantoni should stick with this lineup as long as it continues to play well and hard every night. When they start to struggle again, which they will because they are a bad team, Dantoni will put Nate back in and see if he learned a lesson of humility here that the team is more important then him.
So Al Buckets lowering his head and driving the hoop or chucking up a three 20 times a game is OK as long as he makes it?
Lets get a grip here.. Duhon had a good game in ATL and the NYK won.. Hughes played well another game and they won and they neat a ONE WIN team..
Show me 4-0 against the Blazers, Hornets, Biobcats and Bulls with Nate grabbing Pine then ill rethink..
Otherwise.. this group has more highs and lows than a adolescent girl.
What you don’t seem to be getting is this: It’s not just that Nate doesn’t play defense. You’re right, Lee doesn’t do that either. It’s not just that Nate doesn’t pass. You’re right Harrington doesn’t do that either. It’s not that Nate doesn’t play a team concept, because almost everyone on the roster except for Gallo and probably Jeffries (who although he can’t shoot, he does play within the team concept. He’s just not very good) has been gulity of that. It’s that Nate does all these things AND also celebrates the fact that he’s just done this amazing thing while the team has lost.
when did Nate celebrate after a loss?
BINGO. That block against the Celtics, preening while the play was still going on and someone shot a layup right on him. The histrionics, screaming, taunting and bragging while scoring 22 points in the 4th against Orlando while playing no defense and not helping team cut into the lead but acting like he just won a championship. It’s clearly about him and not the team.
scored on him? Nate was the only player on the court?
how about 2-2 and we keep it close on all games and we play really well?
if we lose two close games cause no one has the balls to take the last shot and make it?
wow…
i can see it now…
knicks down by 1… 10 seconds left.. huges brings the ball up and passes it to harrington who is wide open, but he passes it to gallo behind the arc who has a chance for a shot but instead passes it to chandler who just stands there scared… and time expires.
ive seen it already.
Now that was funny…LMFAO!
I agree with D’antoni…Nate shouldn’t play UNLESS nate grows up…
Our main problem is we have NO LEADER on the court…so when players like nate act immature there is no one that everybody respects who can put him in his place…
I think Nate has A LOT of talent, but why the hell is he throwing shots at the other basket etc. like the game doesn’t matter…BECAUSE it doesn’t matter to him…
You can’t look at coaches like D’Antoni and even Lawrence Frank and judge them until they have a team…Judge D’Antoni at the end of next season..after we retool on talent and hopefully have an on the court leader..
I can take exception with Walsh is the draft picks though….SOOOOO Duhon is playing a ton of minutes right…AAAAAND we want to draft his heir apparent…someone who can really distribute the basketball RIGHT???? So we draft a Forward???? with the 7th Pick and a shoot first Guard at the end of the 2nd round??? HUH?
Okay you didn’t see Jennings…I will let that slide…but then you don’t draft Ty Lawson..who could run the point in his sleep…set-up people in his sleep??? We have to teach Douglas how to set people up….and I like Gallo..but his game is limited to scoring behind the arch…not that it’s a bad thing to be, but wouldn’t we be a much better team with Brook Lopez instead of Gallo…he can score..rebound and block shots on a consistent basis…Gallo is so inconsitent…maybe he will be better next year as this IS his rookie season…We can only hope
I agree with you, but just playing devil’s advocate, this was a really deep draft for point guards. If you believe that Jordan Hill will become legit in this system and you can turn Toney Douglas into a good point for this system, why not get both? Toney Douglas is better than his draft position might otherwise indicate.This way we get guys with potential as opposed to one.
No one foresaw Jennings exploding to be as good as he’s become. Hill still has time to develop into a good player, and Douglas already brings good perimeter defense to a team that has none.
If we could do it over again we would absolutely draft Jennings, but remember that 9 teams drafted someone else instead. Why didn’t Minny just draft Jennings instead of Rubio and Flynn? Why didn’t Golden State get Jennings instead of drafting Curry, another shoot first point guard when they already have one (actually, why didn’t they? Or why didn’t Golden State get Jordan HIll since he would probably fit their system considering the manpower the already have than Curry has/is). Ultimately that’s neither here nor there. We didn’t. Does passing on Jennings look bad? Sure, but a lot of people are kicking themselves over that one.
Jennings did not acquit himself well pre-draft, and ultimately that hurt him.
heretic454….I tried really hard not to reply to your post but come on!!! We had this convo!!! The excuse that 7 other GM’s did not pick Jennings is asinine!! Blake was a no brainer, Evans and Harding fit there needs, the wolves GM was trained by donnie so you take that for what its worth and Don Nelson is a nut case!! So really your saying that donnie is really just as bad a GM as Nelson and the loser running the wolves!! donnie is our GM and in a throw away season you gamble on talent at a position of need for your team PERIOD! I respect Jennings not going top 6 but after that check the mock drafts the kid was the way to go and projected to go between 6 to10 he was the way to go and denial is not a real option while admitting the guy is not only ok it’s true.
We have no PG we have a ton of forwards!! show me another LOTTERY PICK who is to raw to sniff and time in the game!!!
that being said Nate in a package deal has value for a playoff push team, all his flaws aside the guy is instant offense off the bench.
FYI as Miles Mills pointed out, out of the last 100 shots Jennings has taken he’s made 34.
the only problem i have with the Nate benching is ,that he didnt do it last season.it seemed like D’antoni was letting Nate get away with everything.when d’antoni yells at nate for doing something stupid,and instead of listening to the coach,he just YAP YAP YAP back in the coaches face,always full of excuses and saying “it wasnt my fault”yap,yap yap! yeah,this benching shoulda taken place last year,maybe Nate woulda learned a lesson by now
I wrote these stats here a day or two ago after reading them in the NYTimes. Barbara Barkers just added yesterdays game to it. The NYTimes wrote it, not Barbara Barkers.
Keep the Ball moving, don’t be happy if you’re playing great while the team is losing and stay focus only on winning is what D is trying to teach Nate. Don’t count Nate out or be down on D for it.
I like Nate, I h
I like Nate but realistically what professional NBA team has a need for a 5′9″ SG who cannot even cover the opposing teams PG on defense.
He refuses to use his quickness and strength to do the little things one must do to win. He can use his lack of size as an advantage and that’s what D’Ant has tried to explain to him. He should be leading the league in steals.
But all Nate wants to do is put the ball in the hole and nothing else. Therefore he sits and rightfully so.
Not entirely true. He really likes getting blocks too. But he has the ability to become a big time defensive disruptor, and he simply does not do the little things. He has the ability draw a load of charges, get steals, get his hands on a lot of loose balls, and passes, and he simply does not.
agreed.. So soes Lee and Chander yet they are in the EZ Pass lane.
Lee and Chandler don’t celebrate the fact that they suck at it.
so Chanbder can get FULL SLEEVE tattoos on his off days and its all good..
Esp when they tell you not work out for a week after getting ink like that.
do you really think that chandler isnt practicing because he got tattoos?c’mon biggs. he is benched for only one reason…HE ACTS LIKE A CLOWN, even though Chandler sucks and Duhon sucks(i really wish theyd get rid of him)they are playing cuz theyre not acting like clowns in the middle of the game,D’antoni has put up with Nates crap for a year and a quarter,he finally got fed up ,and benched him,its as simple as that.nothing more nothing less.coach’s perogotive
thats not the point.
THe point is that the coach uses discretion on who he wants to discipline and who he gives a pass to.
For some reason Chandler gets a pass .. same with Harrington.. and Duhon the most visible pass. you know he reputation precedes him.
Nat acts like a clown.. its not that big of a deal.. Lebron dances on the sidelines too. Many players do it on winning teams. It doesnt mean you cant win becaude of it but ill tell you.. you cant win with a center who lets people glide to the hoop and a small/power forward who chucks up shots like crazy..and never passes.. we have at least two of these.. maybe three.
good win.. the short rotation is still a concern..
but let me see them win the next three on the road and 5 of their next 6.. they should be winnable games
then ill take a stroll up to the Kool aid bar.
This is the group that thinks they are the smartest fans in the country?
LOL
Half of you are actually complaining about a players minutes when we are winning?
25% of you are complaining about whatever else you can think of after we just went 3-4?
The fact that 25% of NY fans have the slightest clue is a complete disgrace! I blame FOX for making it popular for the people with the lowest IQ’s to speak the loudest. I can’t imagine the whole city is really that full of complete idiots.
Of course I don’t live there any more so I guess I can only hope.
Thank you.
That is the biggest travesty. We just beat 2 elite teams, have won 3 of the last 4, and no one can find any joy or happiness or FUN in it. Basketball is about FUN. Have some sometimes guys. Seriously.
most people seem pretty happy about winning a little, but lets be real, we’re only winning a little. If this team ever sniffs .500 i’ll be outright ecstatic.
A few people have their feelings hurt because their man-crush was benched and seem to think EVERYONE else should be blamed and maligned.
If you look, its the same people who hate day in and day, it takes work and constant vigilance but they’re here each day to crap on a win or loss.
You my friend, are obviously devoid of intelligence, as well as an independent thinking process.
You shouldn’t watch Fox or CNN.
Perhaps Sesame street would suit you.
It’s hilarious and ironic that BiggieSmalls lost the Knicksblog board before D’Antoni lost the Knicks locker room. Give it up, psycho.
makes no sense.. The Coach lost he locker room in the first 15 games.
But funny though.. Stick to jokes and ignore the facts.
I don’t know what games you’re watching Biggie, but considering the players look like they’re playing Dantoni’s system the last few games I’m not sure you can say that the coach has lost hte locker room.
Also, to a certain extent, if you are a player, and you know the coach isn’t going anywhere, and you probably are the end of the season, if you tune out the coach, a lot of htat has to be on you.
Also, can you provide a link showing that Dantoni lost the locker room? I read Hahn blog too, and besides a few times he mentioned that Harrington tried to claim leadership and the locker room was split over that, there has been no indication that Dantoni has lost the locker room. And Hahn even wrote, if I remember correctly that that split was long over and done with.
I havent seen anything written that the locker room split was Long over and done with.. Please provide a link to that.
Glad you saw that the locker room is split..
I believe I saw it in one of Hahn’s Live chats. I don’t have time to look for it now, but it came in one of hte live chats mid november so quite some time ago. He also never said that the lockerorom split was tuning out Dantoni. Nor did he intimate that it was because of Dantoni.
I believe it was merely that Harrington tried to grab leadership and lost because the team was losing.
dude that was like after the first week of the season after duhon called out nate and harrington. it is over and done with. The knicks have won 6 games since then.
Seriously that’s it? An offhand comment by a beat writer in a chat that other people seem to have interpreted very differently?
IS THAT YOUR PROOF THAT D’ANTONI HAS LOST THIS LOCKER ROOM?
When someone of credibility (NOT YOU) a player or a coach or beat writer actually writes an article or makes statement unambiguously suggesting that D’Antoni has LOST THE LOCKER ROOM then I’ll believe it…for now, your just peddling in rumor and your interpretation of those rumors.
Moreover, as I said above, that would be a juicy thing for any blogger or sportswriter and if they had a shred of evidence they would write it up as soon as possible. Hell, Tommy could make a post tomorrow and every sports web site in the country would link to it. Can you imagine the page views and ad revenue with that kind of traffic?
You know why Tommy wouldn’t do it?…because he would have no proof and more importantly, neither do you.
dont be an idiot
uh-oh, Heri is beginning to annoy bloggers here. well that didn’t take long. LoL
pretty soon, he’ll be posting under gazillion different names once you start challenging his statements.
any more Rubio update?
got new braces? LoL
and you are not? TALK HOOPS,AND GET YER HEAD OUTTA HERI’S LAP!
Nate is obviously in D’Antoni’s doghouse and it’s a huge waste of talent, but it’s about time.
Nate Robinson has to grow up, I guess he never understood that he had to be a professional to get minutes – if giving DNP-CD’s was the last option left then D’Antoni HAD to put him in this situation.
I like Nate Robinson but he has been a clown for too long. And there’s a huge difference between Lee’s lack of D (which is a problem strictly from a pure basketball standpoint) and Nate’s lack of professionalism (which is bigger issue). I have a lot of respect for you Biggie – you know what the deal is – but I’m surprised you can’t understand that.
This concept of a “dog house” is childish. The Coach has consistently had a “dog house”. I think that is one of his flaws.
Lee’s D is attrocious. Chandlers shot selection is historically bad. Duhon looks like he is in the bag for 20 out of 21 games.
yet we talk about a “lack of professionalism,” with Nate which nonsense.. When other players dance on the sidelines we hardly hear about a lack of professionalism.
Show me the Money and win consistently without Nate on the court for a week.. 4 out of the next 4..
Everyone agrees that Nate shouldnt be playing 35 a game. Everyone agrees that Nate brings something to the court that no one else does.
What was Nate bringing this year besides scoring? I mean, seriously, everyone on this team except for JJ and arguably Duhon brings scoring, and brings it without the lack of professionalism.
Listen, I like Nate and D’Antoni isn’t Don Nelson but he had to make him understand that he can’t :
A. Pull a Karl Malone in a blow-out loss against the Mavs (last year).
B. Disrespect Herb Williams in front of his teammates.
C. Celebrate when his team is behind by 15 because he’s playing well.
That’s a PURE LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM. I guess D’Antoni tried to tell him that he had to be more serious last season (he was too patient IMO). Obviously Nate didn’t get it. Listen I love him but I UNDERSTAND the DNP-CD’s. It’s about time.
Yes David Lee’s lack of defense is disgraceful, Will’s shot-selection is disgraceful – but those are basketball-related issues. Rondo takes ill-advised jumpshots every now and then (obviously he’s not good enough to make those), and he’s not a perfect basketball player but he’s a respectable player nonetheless. Carlos Boozer’s D is terrible as well but it’s a part of his game – hate it or love it he’ll not be in Sloan’s doghouse for it.
Nate’s problem is deeper, even his teammates don’t defend him anymore. His attitude is definitely questionable.
How about when he made a shot at the wrong basket, and talked back to D’Antoni, who rightfully chewed him out, so much after it that he had to be restrained and silenced by Eddy Curry.
Yes
that was such a non event. the clock expired when Nate got the ball.. there was like four tenths on the clock..
I CONCUR
You forgot other childish on-camera antics by N8 this year. I have NEVER seen a pro athlete do this. Only seen the kids in Little League do this:
At least twice when he did a bonehead thing and D’A got into his face on the sideline N8 turned his hands up and pleaded that it was not his fault but was the other guy’s fault or whatever. RIght in front of everyone. Pathetic. He also turned away a few times as if he was flabbergasted for being blamed for his idiotic lack of team play. That tells me that after hundreds of practices with D’A that he has no brain for acting like a pro and an adult.
What coach would play such a knucklehead? The other guys listen to coaching; N8 acts like a 10 year-old. It’s worn D’A out and I applaud him for setting rules and not letting anyone walk all over him and get away with a double standard. The standard is: act like a pro and play and act for the good of the team, that is what you get paid millions to do.
I get the feeling that Nate and Gallinari have a disconnect, and maybe that is just one of the reasons that Nate is sitting.
It’s unreal to me how much nate seems to “freeze out ” Gallinari.
I mean, if were gonna talk about a split between vets and rooks.
AL BUCKETS also does the freeeeeeez out
He’s a “freeze-out” communist though.
And by the way, how does a coach “lose a team”, and then they win 3 out of 4?
one of the teams has ONE win and Duhon showed up for a game on the road without … ah never mind.. keep hating on the only player on the team with balls.
very tiny balls
LMAO
convincing response to how he lost the locker room but managed to win a few was it not?
I believe that the supposed split was between Harrington and Lee if I recall correctly.
Sounds right. And if i recall correctly, it never made it into a story in any of the big time newspapers, just warranted a blog post. I could be wrong, but Biggie seems to be turning htat into more than it was.
I think it’s time Nate grew up, period.
Here is my complete speculation on why Nate was benched.
So, Coach doesn’t want Nate on the team this season to begin with but we end up keeping him. During Nate’s injury, Coach gains trust in TD, and realizes that even on this team, Nate can only be effective in shorts bursts for minimal minutes because he dominates the ball on offense but can’t guard the other team’s shooting guard, so he can’t be played with Duhon or TD. When Nate returns, getting inconsistent minutes, he gets frustrated and his play suffers – whether it be not hustling all the time, dominating the ball, not moving, etc. Couple that with the visual problem Coach had with Nate shooting at his own basket, and then the celebrations during losses and general showboating attitude, Coach responds by sending him to the bench.
Does that sound too farfetched? The point is, we don’t know whats going on back there. It could be anything. But judging by how Nate was playing before the benching, and how we are playing since, it’s really no big deal.
That sounds like it’s exactly what happened.
No. D’A played N8 but he acted unruly, disrespectful and was insubordinate in front of everyone during games, and D’A likes Douglas’s team ball and D far better than N8’s childish antics.
unruly, desrepctful and insubordinate? come on.. thats just silly high school stuff.
insubordinate? really? this season? i dont think so.
LOL! THAT’S WHY THE COACH AIN’T PLAYING HIM! N8 ACTS LIKE A SILLY HIGH SCHOOL KID!
Yes Big.
Yelling at Herb Williams reveals a poor sense of hierarchy.
You serious dude? Herb chastises him for blowing a defensive assignment and he yells at Herb and turns his back at him?
That isn’t insubordination?
Coach D’Antoni chastises him for shooting at the wrong basket when there was time for a desperation shot at the right one and Nate has to be restrained and silenced by Eddy Curry?
That isn’t insubordination?
Nate scored 22 in the fourth, and the Magic maintained the same margin of lead against us.
Nate is not a winning player, at least on this team he’s not.
Enough said!
I think Robinson could be a winning player, the Magic maintained the lead because the Knicks couldn’t stop the bleeding. The Magic swingmen killed us, Nate was not the culprit.
He singlehandedly beat the Spurs and the Pacers last season, I don’t think he’s natural born loser. He’s just a knucklehead. A talented knucklehead.
Mucha,
I do think that Nate is talented, and has the tools to be winner, but he doesn’t have the mentality to be one.
At least not as of yet.
And this is his fifth season in the league.
I agree.
He might prove doubters wrong though. I think D’Antoni should wait and see how Nate reacts when he pulls him out the doghouse.
where was the rest of the team when the Magic were maintaining the lead?
were they standing around watching?
five players on the court.. cant lay it all on Nate. Thats just silly.
They weren’t celebrating like they’d just won the title when they couldn’t manage to get within more than 10, that’s for sure.
Yea, you’re right, it’s everyone else’s fault.
I always thought he ‘could’ be a winning player too, but the fact of the matter is he is not because being a winner is only half talent… the other half is in your head. He’s a little guy with a great handle who looks slick with the ball in his hands and can jump incredibly highm and that is absolutely it. Maybe he can change and actually learn to care about the game of basketball and the success of his team, but for now i couldn’t agree more with the coach.
I am so happy the coach is continuing to do what he believes is necessary to develop a winning culture and mentality, even while the whole garden is cheering against him. That is what we have needed all these years!: Smart management and coaching who know what they are doing and know how to ignore the screaming masses of ignorant fans. If the masses had it their way we would be starting Nate and AI and be a clown of a team… again…
I second your opinion, and also, if I have to watch a 5′ ?” gifted athlete like Nate go under a pick just one more time, I am going to puke!
good point.. most players on this team go under picks..
lets suspend them all.
agree.
Well said.
Do we have another Marbury type situation? Let me tell you what the problem be. instead of letting the world know Nate will be benched and benching him for his imperfection, how about if we avoid the BS and trade him.
Send Nate to coach Jackson and watch Nate with Kobe win a ring. Kobe would love it. They can deal with Nate if we can’t. They will put him in check if we can’t.
I understand Nate’s problem, but I don’t understand ours of using Nate like the dirty laundry drying out on the bench.
Tic, tic, tic, tic.. It’s a time bomb and we love playing with fire.
TRADE NATE! Don’t start another fiasco for LeBron and company to tune into. You either cut his minutes, or trade him, but we are playing with Marbury-like fire again with this new benching. Will D announce he is moving in a new direction next. Place an ostracized sign on Nate? Trade Nate and fu@k the BS.
phuck lebron,hes as big of an azzhol as nate,lets throw rosin dust in the air,take phony team photos,dance at the foul line and not shake hands with the winners,christ Nate is right up lebrons alley.If lebron werent so good,i’d bench him too for all of his jackass stuff,and if he comes in my bar ill kick his clown ass! lol
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&page=Knicks-091206
An ESPN story by Chris Sheridan
Good piece.
You’d take Chris Sheridan’s opinion over internet commenter BiggieSmalls….whaaaaaat?
LOL
Thankyou, Sheridan, for entitling your article “Knicks Surging Towards Eighth.”
Haha, that is the last thing i want to read in an article right now. Although, there are only 5 winning teams in our conference and as of right now teams like the bucks and bobcats are in the playoffs, so its obviously not impossible, but just too early to be headlining like that.
This is not at ALL a marbury situation. This is a pure basketball decision. Nate is saying the right things and acting mature, and sooner than later he will get back on the court, and who knows, maybe this will ignite him! This isn’t going to turn into a long dragged out issue where we banish someone from the team… It is a calculated decision from a COACHING standpoint, in an attempt to create a more serious mentality, and when nate comes back (which will be soon) he will be expected to be a part of that.
Someone break it sheridan that the coach has given up on this season.. GM too.
We just won 3 of 4 and just barely lost to the nuggets and celtics. If anything, it seems like we came into the season with a “given up” attitude and the coach is doing everything he can to turn that around.
And it seems like sitting nate might have helped the cause, despite your feelings about the situation.
we’ve won 6 out of the first 21 games.
we are likely a 32-35 win team at best.. and we will have to win 29 of the next 61 to do that.
News flash. We just won 3 out of our last 4.
Heri, thats not really a good point that Nate would win a championship with Kobe, hes the best player in the league on the most talented team in the league. The fact of the matter is that Nate is best served playing as 6th man off the bench on a talented team. THe Knicks are not talented, and it doesn’t help them to have a me-first guy like Nate who doesn’t defend at all and doesn’t seem to care about much more than entertaining people. Biggie keeps focusing on Lee and Chandler, yet they are still winning with those guys in the lineup, which the same can not be said for Nate. People seem to love hating on Lee’s defense and him in general, which is just crap. Sure, he’s a horrible defender but his offense creates such mismatches for every center in the league. Just ask “franchise center”???? Brook Lopez and his 1 and 19 nets. Wilson plays great defense even though his chucking is way too much and that is why his minutes have been reduced. What does Nate do to help the team??? He now has 2 points total in the KNicks 6 wins. If you won’t listen to that, then you obviously won’t listen to reason or fact and it is useless to argue with you. The teams winning, and its bull to say that they are winning because teams are looking past them. YOu could say that about every win for every team thats not a perrenial playoff team. Just enjoy the wins and the 1st stretch of good basketball in about a year and stop complaining.
Regardless of what happens with N8 this year, he won’t be with the Knicks next year (or maybe past the trade deadline) … but I would love to see him with the Nets next year as a spark off the bench. If I’m Nyet mgmt, I would look to sign N8 & Al Buckets as 2nd tier FAs with Boozer as my top target. Then you have a 5 of Bro-Lo, Al Buckets & Boozer up front, Harris & C-Lee in the backcourt, with N8, CDR, TerranceWilliams, and a top 3 lottery pick off the bench …. and that team (which is a realistic possibility) could be more competitive than the Knicks if we don’t sign LBJ, Bosh, or D-Wade …
Wow it has been forever since I have last wrote anything on this website, and it’s great to see how many newcomers have joined, kudos to TD and his assistants Chris and Myles… So I remember this off-season Portland was talking a lot about David Lee and they decided to go elsewhere with their money. Now Oden is out and they are a little weaker in the front court. Tonight is the perfect night for the Knicks to showcase Lee to them, he is a perfect fit because he has learned to play the 5 and is a natural 4, which makes him a nice fit for a team that likes to put Lamarcus Aldridge a different positions depending on the matchup. Now I understand ideally everyone would rather trade Curry but that’s not happening they already have one big man with knee problems.
So looking at the Blazers roster I was looking to see who could be a nice fit for this team and I think Bayless and a first round pick is fair value for Lee who could walk next year. What do you think?
ds, I wrote these stats before Dee mentioned them for a reason, but the fact is Nate being placed on the bench to dry may not be the proper answer. Trade him if he’s so bad.
for what? an actual towel? what team is calling for Robinson today?
if we were building up Nate’s value with plenty of Minutes and shots and positive press dont u thing OKC would give us one of their multiple number one picks for him?
Not if the coach is talking him down and sitting him.
hey BIGGIE! youre becoming famous!lol the reason nate is being benched is obvious to me,what i want to know is why isnt DARKO playing?
Yea. That’s exactly what a young impressionable team like the Thunder needs. Nate, to show them how to showboat and mug for the camera after blocking a shot when there is a basketball game going on around them in the meantime.
Rubio was knocked down hard to the floor in his last game, he tried to get up and play, but couldn’t continue. He was sent for an MRI.
Kahn said Rubio’s trade would only go up, he’s wrong, like he was wrong in drafting him.
Not too many teams will be talking trade for Rubio with the way this saga is playing out. Who would want Kahn’s headache? Rubio’s value is down and if hurt, further down it gos. Will Walsh play hard azz in return?
Hey guys im looking at our game against the nets again, and in the first quarter alone Al made at least 3 really good passes. He can think shot first a lot but he is not the black hole people have tried to make him out to be.
thats cuz he thought he was being traded
Why not gift wrap Nate to LeBron as a little gift. They can together dance their way to a ring and Noah’s heart.
as long as the LAKERS are in the NBA,Lebron aint seeing no ring!
Boob go Knicks, are you a Lakers fan like THall also? You remind me of him. You two related? You have a lot in common.
nope ,i hate the lakers,and hey i been busting thalls balls every time he posts shit about you!why would you say such a dastardly thing? im totaly insulted!!! plus i wanted the knicks to take rubio,how dare you? i also hate lebron,and hate the way the knicks are going about rebuilding why would you say im just like THALL?
Please forgive me. How can anyone be so wrong. I’m choking worst than AI. Nate never fu@ked up so bad. How could I be so wrong. No one can be like Thall. Please forgive me.
ok,but remember i hate the lakers so far i hate thall someone told me that you are thall! is it so?
Xrays are negative. Rubio has a deep contusion in the muscles revealed by the xray. The left hip. He’s expected to miss a few games.
ROTFL Heri – buy airplane tickets to Barcelona already.
check this buzz from Portland about Bayless!!
http://www.dwightjaynes.com/does-jerryd-bayless-want-out-of-here?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+DwightJaynes+%28Dwight+Jaynes%29
Mucha, you have it azz backwards. It’s actually Rubio and Walsh playing a chess and poker war with Kahn for an airplane ticket from Barcelona to NY.
It begins. Heri, fyi, I’m not getting involved with you on this blog. I’m happy with a detante. You have me exasperated.
Heri = Thall = Danny Ferry
mucha,HERI=THALL?
I bet a hundred dollars
yall wilding.
facts=donnie 2010 plan might blow up in his face
facts=danni boy is a rucker style coach.
facts=this team’s record should be better.60% coach’s fault.
i hope yall enjoying the kool aid
this team still stinks
9 games under 500.
nate is what he is
this team needs new trainers an everything.
cuz i really wonder what they are teaching.
All of your facts….are not facts at all.
lmao..
it’s on point son..
ofcourse 201- can blow up in his face if he has to sign guys like bosh joe j or gay..
an every1 knows danni boy is a rucker style coach cuz u don’t need to play D in the rucker park tournament
an this team has been coached terrible so far they would of been 8-12..
fact (n) – a truth known by actual experience or observation; something known to be true:
Donnie’s plan “might” blow up in his face is not a fact, it is a possibility. It hasn’t happened, it may happen. Anything may happen.
A Rucker style coach? Is D’Antoni a defensive mastermind? No. But I think that at this point it has been proven that he is not the “no defense” coach that people make him out to be. Just like the Knicks’ offensive totals are inflated by his system, the other team’s offensive stats are inflated too. If you adjust the stats, D’Antoni’s teams are generally in the middle or upper half of the league.
And, this team should be better and it’s the coach’s fault? Again, not fact. This could be your opinion, your speculation, your educated guess, but it is not fact. How much better should this team be? You know down to the percentage. Blame it all on the coaching, yeah. D’Antoni was brought here to coach a certain style of play and the players on this team do not fit that style, yet he must play them anyway for various reasons sent from management. So really, how much better do you expect them to be? And how is that the fault of the coach?
yes those are facts..
mda is middle school basketball coach..
which other coach plays 7 players in all the games?..
That something MIGHT happen is by definition not a fact.
According to you, this is a fact: “I might win the mega millions and give you all the money out of the goodness of my heart.”
All three are either opinions or beliefs. None of them facts. If you need help understanding what a fact is, I would suggest wikipedia.
ok it might happen
but danni boy is a rucker coach is facts.
this team is better than it has played so far is facts.
2010 might be facts
just u wait.
OK BUDDY.
How can a team filled with lousy players be better than it plays?(very zen-like)
lmao..
Hey guys since there in town tonight what would you feel about this hypothetical trade…..
Jeff Pendergraph
Andre Miller
Martell Webster
for
Jared Jeffries
Darko Milicic
Chris Duhon
just a thought.
looks good..
now,if youre portland why would you want those three bums on your team?
Bob…guess you have not been in the loop with the Blazers…there hurt at center and there looking for defensive help not scoring and Miller is not working out for them with Roy. I read about 3 articles of how there styles dont mess. Miller is not starting because of that.
JJ and Darko can play defense in the spots and way they need and Duhon replaces Miller in the back up roll.
Feels good to see Allen Iverson playing again! He’s a little nervous, but looking good. He looking to distribute. Atleast I’ll get to see a B.Jennings vs Allen Iverson matchup….can’t wait for that.
Student vs. The Teacher!!!
Wilson Chandler and Jared Jeffries in the starting line-up, Gallinari on the bench
What the hell are they thinking
Look out for Bayless tonight people.
Knicks doing the little things that get you wins……I LOVE IT!!!
23 point lead can our lottery pick get any run!?! lol