Words we all wished had passed this team over, I’m sure.
But the reality of the situation is that as the All-Star break approaches, this is where we sit. Smack dab in the middle of what has extended into a 6-year rebuilding project, there is a single underlying choice that this team needs to confront.
The NY Times‘ Howard Beck has a good article that sums up the Knicks and the crossroads that the team and its management is at:
“The Knicks’ present is gloomy, their future uncertain, and their short- and long-term goals in clear conflict. Call it an unfortunate but necessary side effect of rebuilding.
“But there are 32 games to play first, and priorities to clarify: Do the Knicks want to make the playoffs at any cost? Or will they focus on developing their young core of Gallinari, Chandler, Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas? It is an internal debate that has been brewing for two years.
Beck does a great job with this article, and I encourage you all to read it in its entirety.
The issue at hand is nothing new to us Knicks faithful. We have been wrought with this internal conflict for a couple years now, and only because the Summer of Dreams is slowly becoming a reality must we revisit it with such an honest dialogue.
But it is a question worth repeating.
What do the Knicks do at this juncture. Do we “play for next year” or do we continue to give our slowly fading playoff hopes as much support as possible, no matter who it might come from…
Of course we play of next year..
Interesting tidbit from the article …
There are also signs of resentment in the locker room over David Lee’s new found stardom. ….. Some players believe that D’Antoni has featured Lee at their expense.
Coming from the NYT gives it a little more weight.
Did you honestly expect that comment about Lee to appear in the TKB page?
I have heard that about 5 players, not just lee, which is why it hasn’t been written about here.
they’re losing, i’m sure not everyone is happy with each other.
oh yeah, and it would have “a little more weight” if there were a quote from a player, even if it were anonymous.
just saying.
the locker room is what it is. Players who won’t be sittiing next to each other next year.
uh oh..
Sings of Yesterday’s twitter spat with Ho Beck coming out here?
print writers are pompous asses in general but they dont really have to give an anonymous quote to add weight to the comment.
if there was an anonymous quote the comment would be why arent these players putting their names to the quote.
It’s not all that far-fetched to think that running the offense through Lee (vs duhon making decisions) has some in the locker room pissed.
but, no one had a problem when it was working in Dec.
not far fetched.. just curious that this is the first we’ve heard about it..
From your information it is 1/3rd or more of the team..
sounds like a story to me.
You can see signs of the tention on the court during games in December and January when DLee steals rebounds from Al Harrington or fails to set a solid screen for Hughes off of the pick and roll.
My new thoughts is that the Knicks should play all their trade bait (Nate, Harrington, Hughes, Jeffries, Lee) as much as possible until the deadline, in the hopes that someone will see them and want them. As soon as the trade deadline passes, Al Harrington and Hughes should be replaced in the rotation with Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas. And maybe even give Marcus Landry some minutes. I could see him developing into a good defender/three point shooter a la Bowen, Ariza, some day.
It probably wouldn’t hurt, as others have suggested, to give Eddy Curry some minutes to make his EC attractive this summer. But he can’t just start throwing it toward the hoop from whatever angle once he’s in the game — that will only demoralize the youngsters.
I really don’t see coach playing Curry this season. Maybe next season if (that’s a really, really big “if”) Eddy is in shape and determined; we can play him and possibly trade him to a team that has financial woes. I think there’s a chance he could be traded next year because of his expiring, but this year there is no chance.
I would really love to see us make a late push for the playoffs. Whoever that is that needs to play in order for us to win, so be it. It’s not the end of the world if we don’t play Hill more (I really like him as a player and i DO think he provides energy for the team). We know Hill is going to be here next year and at least a few more, so I don’t feel it necessary to play him just to developing. He’s developing every day, whether it be in games or practice. He knows his opportunity is coming.
I agree with everything u wrote until Eddy “always eating chicken” Curry came up, I know he lost weight and he’s trying real hard to come back but I think this season was make or break for him to get out the knicks doghouse but he failed miserably at that so he’s getting into Marbury territory as far as playing is concerned.
And playing EC after the break would only take mins away from Hill and wouldn’t be any sort of positive because we wouldn’t even be able to trade him until the summer, and nobody is gonna trade for a player with 11 mill owed to him if he’s only played in maybe 10 games the last 2 seasons. Mcgrady was at least an allstar and might have something left in him EC is nowhere close to that
I was on the side of playing for the playoffs for this season but I’m starting to feel like the “knixpirings” are just out there padding stats now and just causing us to lose lately….. If one of the plans for this season was to prove that we have great young talent why not play them? Du Du, Chuketts, and Peehughes are not gonna be here next year, they don’t have the talent to be starters on even a mediocre team like ours so their deff not good enough for a playoff team so why bother with them?
Showing a lineup of TD, Chandler, Gallo, Lee (at his true position), and Hill at center probably won’t win a bunch of games but at least we get to see what we will more than likely be working with next year (barring we keep Lee)…. I don’t need Hill to turn into Bosh, it would be awesome but not needed, I would be completly satisfied if he polishes his timing and turns into a Gortat, Andersen, Camby hybrid…. He already has a good mid range jumpshot that with practice could be deadly, but his timing defensively is what we truly need for him to improve.
I’m with you. The Knicks have no realistic chance of making a playoff run with this roster, and need to see what kind of talent they have on the bench. Let’s see Lee and Hill play next to each other at the 4 and 5, give TD some time at the point and let Landry develop; but if we can trade for a real point ala TJ Ford that would be fantastic.
lol…. has this guy even looked at our up-coming schedule. there is VERRRRY little chance that we make the playoffs. Play our kids.
So True! The GM and coach are starting to get indigestion realizing how enormous the task will be for next year. They need this diversion! We know this team will be watching the playoffs with us this year.
I dont see any reason to stop trying for the playoffs.
It seems that Hill has been getting more and more burn as the season has gone on. I posted early in the year that it wasnt so important in game 4 how much PT he was getting… but how much he was getting in game 74. I think by season end, he will be getting even more minutes.
TD seems to be progressing slower in his limited PT then Hill. But then, Mike D is normally tough on rookies and he also has Gallo (practically a rookie) getting major min.
It seems like playing the young guys and trying for that 8 spot are one in the same. The only exception right now is TD, and I bet next season we see him get more and more min. The process will prob start once we are officially out of it, if that comes.
It’s all about 2010 in my opinion. Of course the Knicks should try to win as many games as possible but capspace is the priority.
They should :
- Set more screens for Danilo Gallinari and develop his midrange game
- Develop the pick-and-roll with Jordan Hill
- Play or trade Toney Douglas ASAP
I agree totally! Can you even believe there is talk from this organization about a conflict on direction? YIKES! Wasn’t that the foundation of getting under the salary cap so that we could make 2010 our year to break out from under the lost years?
I am so p-i-s-s-ed at this organization if they can’t see the obvious then how will be do the difficult.
Anywhere who thinks this team has a reasonable chance to make the playoffs this year or make it pass the 1st round under the most rosy circumstances, should be put on meds!
We might go into 2010 still not knowing who should be kept or traded. We cannot afford to make mistakes now when 2010 is suppose to be our year.
PLAY THE D-A-M-N youths and if we can somehow make the playoffs with them, so be it!
It’s about 2010-11! It’s about 2010-11! It’s about 2010-11! I wish I could click my heels and go there now because this s-h-i-t is getting old!
I agree with u but it’s not a big conflict when u really think about it, it’s either play the “knixpirings” or put in the youth after the deadline until the season is over…. Now if the conflict was something along the line as “make trades for players that would kill cap space just to make the playoffs this year” vs. “getting as much cap space as possible for 2010″ then that would be a problem, but overall it’s just how are they gonna end the “lost” season which is the dilemma and to me that’s not to serious to worry about.
The whole idea of “conflict” is the sportswriter’s stirring the pot. As Mucha points out and we all know the plan is cap space for July 2010. We all know that the sportwriters guestimated that the Knicks would be out of the playoffs in the bottom 1/3rd in the standing. D’Antoni tries to win every game. He is trying to get his players to play hard the entire game. He is trying to instill winning every game. Does it work. Can it work. NO The players who are unhappy were probably unhappy long before Walsh and D’Antoni came into their lives. We are on schedule. Trade JJ and we will have had a very successful season in that we are on plan.
it’s too early to give up on the season…we’re 4.5 games out and there are 32 games to play
I would never want my team to quit this early
If they try their best and don’t make it, I have no problem
If they quit now, I wouldn’t waste my time following them….would any of you?
The Knicks young players are simply not that good. Gallo, Chandler, Hill and Douglas. If that’s our future core, we are in trouble.
I think we have to admit Gallo is not going to be as good as we would hope. He simply is not athletic enough to be a great NBA player. Period.
We need to do what we are doing, just hold tight and get rid of everyone……starting over with a franchise player, hopefully Lebron but more likely Joe Johnson and simply go from there.
There is no magic potion. Isiah has ruined the team for a decade and its going to be a slow go, unless Lebron comes on board.
Trade Gallo w/Curry to clear cap space right now. Then make a run at Lebron and friend.