Recap: Knicks 99 Hawks 98

i hate to say it but mike is holding gallo down. I saw a quote by dirk the other day where he was like in my rookie year i was totally content in being just a three point shooter but my coach wouldnt let me. Mike D on the other hand has gallo standing at the perimeter at the end of the game. It seems mike is ok with gallo just being a 3pt specialist.

Good win.

I have to wonder how Douglas and Jordan Hill would be playing right now if they had gotten some minutes early in the season and slowly increased them until they were seeing 30+ a game now.

I think trading Hill will come back to haunt the Knicks like so many other players we traded away……..or should I say in Hill’s case gave away.

Good win…..

But in all honesty Atlanta deserved to lose, they really played poorly in crunch time. They started going one on one and taking bad shots instead of what got them close. It seems so many NBA teams go into this watch me individual I’m a star thing. Why don’t these guys understand that to win means to play good basketball and that means team play. Play the right way…..Duh. Yet so many NBA players just don’t get it. Is it that difficult to understand?

And this is were having a Jordan, Bird, Kobe and so on changes a team. Having those type of players eliminates the others from going into that mode. Their status demands that the other players play within the parameters and not go outside the realm of playing the right way.

I will always remember Jordan’s death stare when a player did something stupid, he did it once to Toni Kukoc and Kukoc never did it again. That’s the difference of having a super star and just a team of good players without one. He makes everybody better because he demands what the coach cannot seem to get from some of these players.

It’s the immaturity and selfishness that defeats a team, perfect example was Atlanta tonight. As opposed to the Knicks who played like a veteran more unselfish team.

hard to mention selfishness when Craw made an incredibly beautiful and unselfish play at the end….

just my opinion.

But your take on a star player is well-taken. Johnson is a second piece, not a star.

Good stuff from Toney D. I really like the intensity he brings when he defends. Yeah, he get’s out of control, but it’s completely normal given the little experience he’s got. Hopefully he’ll learn from this and go forward. He’ll need as many minutes as possible from now on.
Gallo looked good tonight, but was kept out of the loop in the end which eventually showed in the closeness of the scoreboard. I hope he can keep it up going into these tough away games coming up. The only thing that bothers me is what little efforts he puts on his rebound. With his height he really should be 9 boards per type of guy.
Big time block by Will, who wasn’t that effective at the beginning, but really came through in the clutch.
Imo, House should really spend more time facilitating points than chucking long jumpers or 3′s.
A win’s a win, and we haven’t seen too many of those lately.

“We should have dominated this series but they match up well and (Mike) D’Antoni’s a great coach,” Smith said.

mike is a great coach. players think very highly of mike as evidence of j smooth’s comment

Tonight was proof of that. A star would’ve done the job, or led better their team throughout the night during the rough patches. Maybe it was me, but the Hawks really played poorly in comparison to what’ they’ve showed thus this season.
But, credit must be given where it’s deserved. God W.

Maybe it really came down on how the Knicks match up purely against Atlanta. But in all honesty, how many games have you seen where the team just got outcoached, either in the clutch, or coming into the 4th with a double digit lead? It’s not only the players fault. They execute what they’re told to.

One of the more exciting Knicks games ive watched in a while, I was flipping out over the Chandler block, its plays like that in a lot season that stick in your head. Very good game and good win

Big block by Chandler at the end.

Gallo played extremely well tonight. Great shooting from the field and he knew when to take it to the baja. He played with confidence tonight and I feel this is only a glimpse of what he has in store. The kid is a all around player. There is nothing that he can’t do. There are areas where he needs improvement on but he has all the skills and to think he’s only going to improve is scary.

lost*

That’s what happens when your coach’s main play involves having a couple of players waiting in the wings to shoot an open 3.
In Gallo’s case, it definitely holds him back as he can’t develop the rest of his game, as he should be. He should be working on his post up game, slashing to the hoop more constantly, among other things, but that can’t happen if he isn’t involved.

Dirk nowitzki had a terrible rookie year and almost left the NBA to go back to Germany.

On NBA TV Jon Barry and Eric Snow were sayin’ good things about Gallo and Chandler as young pieces moving forward. it was nice to hear it on national tv instead of just from clyde and breen.

if the knicks can enter the summer with gallo, chandler, walker, tmac, TD, and maybe sergio as cheap pieces to build around I think they’re in decent shape. i still miss j hill tho.

Tony has the tools to be a very, very good player; but situation and learning curve are also huge factors. But I definitely do agree that he needs to see real minutes from here on out. He’s out of control now, but i think his work ethic and learning curve are good. Maybe I’m wrong, but we;ll see. And as for situation: Well that’s all going to change drastically very soon, so this is pretty much a training camp. Hopefully the change is for the good. (is it possible for it not to be?)
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House’s ability to shake-n-bake, as clyde would say, is impressive; he’s actually a good penetrator; i used to always just peg him as a shooter. People from boston probably consider Galo ‘only a shooter’ so i guess it goes both ways.

Oh and i didn’t mean that this plan will automatically succeed. I just meant, no matter what happens, we’ll probably be better than this team we have now…. Not saying that’s by any stretch a success.

Just wanted to avoid a few responses.

maybe not ,but he will demand the same money as tier one player

plus he screamed for the ball,finally demanding some respect.Hey DVJ,steve Masiello was a good customer of mine when he coached at manhatten….very nice guy…(unfortunatly,Bobby GONZO was a frggn azzhol)

Fantastic game by both Gallo and Douglas. I really think Gallo can be a very good player in this league. But he has to bring an aggressive mentality to the game every night and DEMAND the ball like he did tonight. Also, the coach and pg both have to work to get him the ball. Clyde was saying at half time that the pg has to get the ball to the hot hand and that it would never happen on the 70′s knicks that somebody would get hot and they would only have like 7 shots at half time.

As I have been saying forever about Douglas, this guy is a player. He may not be a pure pg in the passing sense, but any team can use a guy with his defensive intensity, quickness, and scoring ability. Absolutely inexcusable, just like Gallo not getting the ball enough and Hill not playing. These guys should have been playing all year no question. Look at the Nets..they might be the worst team in history but no one questions how good their young talent is..part of the reason is because they have focused on that young talent and made Lopez, Harris, Lee the focal points of their offense. The Knicks have done the opposite for most of the year. Just completely inexplicable and the wrong way to go about rebuilding.

Oh and just wanted to add even though I said it in the other thread. StarksOaksMase, I was completely wrong. That last play was an incredible smart read by Wilson to be in that spot. It originally looked like he was just lucky to be there but he really made a fantastic read on that last play. I still stand by my initial prognosis that Wilson just does not have enough of a basketball iq to be a star. Don’t get me wrong, he is a really solid player who I would love to keep as a role player going forward.

I never compared him to Dirk, which something pak14 did in his post before talking about his development. Mine is on Gallo’s. Any assimilations would seem pointless right now, as he hasn’t reached a point where his skill set is completely developed. Maybe next season we’ll be able to make type of comparisons, I just look for him to find his own game. We’ll see what that turns out to be.

True, but imo he’s not worth it. If it comes to that point, you can get a younger player in Gay that has a lot more upside and can play the SG for a cheaper price. Or at least that’s the way I see it if it comes to that point where your main alternatives deny you.

Nobody’s looking for him to become a star. We can just hope he can keep evolving and growing. To some players, bball IQ is something you gain quickly in your time in high school-college and then complemented with professionals. Maybe Chandler needs to play with a better brand of players to gain some, or maybe he needs the help of a coach to guide him along.
Just throwing a bunch of ideas up in the air. I do think Will’s growth isn’t stopping. He’s still young and has a long way to go in this league, but yes, I would really like it if he gained some court smarts quickly.

yea it was a great play, he really sniffed out that play early on.

I know what your point was comparing Wilson to Harrington. Some guys are so consumed with trying to score when they have the ball, they seem to have blinders on and miss open guys. Its really difficult to teach court vision on offense, but Chandler has all the tools to be a very good all around player.

Wow just watching NBA gametime. Some really big words about Gallo from Brent Barry. First he compared him to Dirk, and then he said with a true pg and a center who commands attention on the pick and roll(he said Lee was good enough so really just a good pg) it’s scary to think how Gallo could develop as a guy with unlimited range and potential. Very big words. Just repeating what he said, although I kind of agree with him. Don’t want to bring out the Gallo haters to bite my head off haha.

Yea I’m starting to lean towards value over big slash if we don’t get one of the 3 legit max guys. I think Amare and Joe J will demand max contracts.I may lean towards getting the value in signing Gay and Lee for 9 or 10 mil per. that way you can fill out your roster and try to win with chemistry.

having said that, i will be pissed if we don’t get one of the big 3.

did see the game but i see t-doug got some burn
thats real good.

how bout the rookie D Col with a season league high 20 assist

that guy is absolutely balling right now. He might insert himself into the ROY conversation by the end of the year. Damn is that guy special or what. On the plus side, this has to make Chris Paul more expendable right? I would think they would try to move one of them if Collison keeps up his ridiculous level of play for the rest of the year?

Gallo showed tonight he can take over a game on the offensive end and played good defense on Johnson on a couple of possesions. Tony also played a good hard game and its games like this where i see flashes of legitimate 8 seed team. If the knicks where able to get Gallo going in more games this year I think he could have kept them in alot of them. Some big shots from al and wilson steps of big. Give me boozer camby and roll playing guard with the nuclues to go along with mcgrady and i think i can bare the pain if lebron stays put. Good W!

Been saying that for a few weeks but many people have been brushing it off!! Not to mention A few months ago I said we should try to trade for him before he got hot and people where saying he was to small and could not shoot! lol That being said if donnie cant see the writing on the wall on a full court press for CP3 he will just certified his nickname donnie alzheimer’s!

you put the money on the table for LBJ and let him think on it while u go hard for CP3 as well as trying to pull a sign and trade with Lee to say portland for Rudy and maybe even Oden!! maybe even a 3 way trade with these 2 teams and us!! yea it will cost us gall & Chandler and maybe even TD but to have a team built around CP3 & LBJ im all for it!

All im saying is if I can see this months in advance and think out side of the box I would hope this old fart we are paying millions to can do the same!

Screw amare,bosh joe joe, boozer Go for CP3 and im telling you that will lead to LBJ, or at the very least you are set at the point with the best PG in the game!!

“Not to mention A few months ago I said we should try to trade for him before he got hot and people where saying he was to small and could not shoot!”

Referring to D Col.

yo black i’m down with that

“It’s not only the players fault. They execute what they’re told to.”

Please correct me if im wrong….
So the coach is telling Al Harrington to chuck 24/7 on the court and to go up against two to four guys and to put his head down while he is shooting, very DAnotino like. So Coach & Herb Williams is telling David Lee to let 5’7 point guards go straight to the basket, plus don’t even bother with the help defense if eddie house, td, sergio is playing bigger guards and getting beat to the rim.
So coach was telling Duhon to miss every shot in the first 52 games. Its the coach fault when we miss free throws to ice game and can’t hit one three pointer out 19 tries.Also it Mike fault that we get techs at the end of game. Alright, its coach fault that we lost two games to the worst team and our defense makes every point guard look like the recreation of Magic Johnson.

How is it his fault when Kris Humphries crosses your only all-star and then proceeds to finish. Maybe Coach don’t preach or advocate defense., but the players don’t even feel a little embarrassed that any player can drop thirty on them in the league. Where is there pride, fire, determination, and their lack of basics ;get it to open man & keep your feet moving on both sides of the court. I didn’t know Mike DANontio knew he was going draft John Wall this upcoming draft, no wonder why he tanked this year hmmmmmm….No, it s the player fault 100%.100%. Yo guys and that fat slob Marc Berman are going to run M’ D out of the town and then watch him get the players he wants (Larry Brown) and the bobcats will beat the Cavs if they meet.

The bulls of 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 had unlimited cap space and the lure of playing in Chicago and i forgot which year(00 or 01) Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, T-Mac, and many more came to visit that off season and they only got Ron Mercer & Brad miller. You can make the excuse that they didn;t want to play in Jordan shadow or the gm jerry reisdorf or whatever his last name was an idiot. But, when the other team that has Cap (Orlando) loses Shaq a fewer years earlier and the bulls with all their pride, tradition, just watches as the Magic got both Hill and T-Mac. And how did that work out for the Magic too, hmmm…grant hill creates the Carl Pavano version of a max contract and T-mac couldn’t lead them out of first round, how many years in the row? three or four.

Just for argument sake bring up the NY Rangers before the lockout in 2005; No cap unlimited amount of cash to throw around to fill your roster. Valeri Kamensky, Theo Fleurry, stephane quantel, Alexi Kovelev, Pavel Bure, Eric Lindros, Anson Carter, Petr Nedved, Vladmir Makavhlov, pete lafonte, Mark messier, Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, and many more= Eight years out of the playoffs.
And most these players in or going to the Hall of Fame of Hockey. Hockey with a cap, devils and red wings still there, because they always build through the draft and pick last every year.

Having money to spend on free agency never works out the way you think or imagine, cap no cap ask the 76ers if they thought Brand was going to be washed up when they give him the max two years ago. Took the Yankees 9 years to win a championship = 1.8 billion dollars investment and the marlins during that time spent thirty million on average won it this past decade also. **** It lets run with the Sergio, Td, Gallo, Chandler, walker and some defensive minded veterans that run their mouth and were a seventh seed with the money intact.

Johnson is a second piece, not a star.

ill remember that if Donnie give him the MAX this summer as the centerpiece of the rebuilding

pretty much spot on..

the coach gave a perpetual green light to habitual ball hogs and let career backups have enough rope to hang themselves and anyone else they could..

the coach has Playing time to dole out.. When these guys who do what you say are out there for 40 plus a night every night regardless of their deficiencies (that you so eloquently point out) that encourages MORE poor play..

these guys blow with the wind.

and I like Gallo.

Why do you think many of us are all for this plan of making the team out of one FAgency but have tried to explain everybody that a true rebiulding process is one made through the draft + summer contracts? I understand DW did what he did because his windows of opportunity was only 2 years to get cap space, but in the process he lost sight where a true reconstruction really is.
Fun dact, out of all the players you named by the Rangers, Kovalvev was the only drafted by them, he saw a conference finals, 1st rond loss, and a stanley cup before being traded away for the bigger names.
You got to keep your hosehold names in you AND mix it up with bigger players. When the Bulls, Nets, Clips stand with a full roster of young talented guys, we’ll stand with 3.

My favorite part of the whole game was reading this tweet from the Sports Guy Bill Simmons: “I’m at NYK-Atl. Seeing David Lee play D in person is almost as fun as seeing LBJ go coast-to-coast. His nickname should be “The Matador.”

Agreed. I distinctly remember Steve Smith alternately bashing and lauding Roy Hibbert over a three-week stretch.

good job.

loved that block!

interesting. i havent heard much mainstream praise of gallo.
it feels kinda cool when the national press is saying nice things abtou one of your players.
kinda tingly.

Kovelev got traded for one of the biggest disappointing players ever to put on New York Ranger Jersey. I agree with you guys one hundred percent that true rebuilding comes from within and by adding other players through free agency. But honestly, was getting JJ off the books really worth it. I love the idea of offering two max guys, but we should have just hold on to him for one year .JJ &curry could have been used in many ways to hasten this rebuild project (trades, cap room to sign another max in the up coming years). Plus Jordan Hill and those draft picks are the way to really build up. Everyone got remember that Hill in his first year and half at arizona was an ok player it was until he got fully accustomed to the game that is when he took it another level. Basically, JJ & curry are the ugly sisters with a wealthy ass father that throws everything at the nearest possible suitor.
Thats what we did, yes we given James the green light to bring a buddy, however, what if we really strike out this offseason & we stuck with Sergio, TD, Bill Walker, Gallo, Chandler, Curry ( second round pick , please fall Soloman Alabi ). To make it worse, what if all these stars demand sign & trades (which Bosh has hinted at) it will 2001 over again. Yah remember 2001, we couldn’t even sign & trade for reggie evans or that bum Brian Grant. The Nets & Bulls are just missing wingmen they have all the pieces to make it enticing for this class (Rose, Noah, Harris, Lopez etc) and the parts & picks to make any sign trade. Clippers got some young talent but they still have alot to prove. I highly doubt James and Wade dream of running with Baron Davis. And lets be real all these players are dominant 24/7 but Wade can not even bolster a 500 record with some young nice talent in Miami and Lebron James, he deserves to be one of the few 99′s in NBA 2k10, yet Dwight Howard ain’t going nowhere for another couple of years. Charolette has proven during the season the they can stop lebron and Co, & regardless of the three game losing streak nobody in the nba can match what the lakers have at the front court, nobody. Chris Bosh has a squad that bolsters ( Caledron, Bargin, and Turk, ) and they have a hard time staying above 500. Depth is the key to beat James, Wade, Bosh, & etc but to remove those future rookie contracts and young players for an opportunity is a mistake. Two max guys shorten bench and the other team just has to stop the side kick and the Knicks become very familiar to that Laker team that got upset by Detriot.

That may be true but Dirk is a force in the NBA now. I hope Gallo can get there and still be a Knick when/if he does. I think ego should always be put aside and Gallo should ask Dirk what is his off season program.

Like I always thought Ben Wallace should have reached out to Karl Malone and Tyson Cahndler should have reached out to Kareem.

Like I want TMacto give Ill Will and Gallo some veteran tips

IMHO
Ialways say styles make fights and the Knicks just matchup well with ATL. They are very similiar in height except ATL has shot blockers and people that play good defense. Three times we’ve beaten ATL and got smashed twice by New Jersey.

The height on NJ disrupts things we normally like to do, I dont know if its Kiki’s inexperience or the teams lack of knowing how to win because man for man I think its NJ >> NY or very close