Knicks 101, Celtics 105: Time Will Tell

Not a lot of positives tonight, as the Knicks, unable to put the Cletics away early, fell apart and could only hang with Boston until the final whistle. Though they were always close, there weren't many moments where I had hope for a lead, or a run, or a frenzied comeback. In my recaps, I'll try not to be too repetitive, so the things deemed problematic or promising the game before might not be mentioned again for a while, though still present. On that note, the rebounding is just as it was, the threes were equally vexing, and Toney Douglas continues to confuse and astound. Also, I think the unpleasantness of the game wore at me over two and a half hours, to the point that I saw too much bad and overlooked the good.

Promising:

• Mozgov Running the Floor - After all the grief I gave him and his presence in the lineup/rotation last game, and intend to this time around too, I'll take a peep at the bright side. Mozgov is fast for his size, and can be a huge benefit if he keeps moving himself up and down the floor with urgency. His two good moments in this game came in the form of a follow-up dunk against three Celtics in transition, and a transition block some time later. With his size and speed, he can shore up the embarrassing transition defense and tidy up the fast break offense. Beyond that, he is by far the biggest player the Knicks have not named Eddy "Falling Apart" Curry and is a better option for guarding Shaquille-like centers than Ronny Turiaf. However--I'm increasingly convinced--that will be the acme of his positive impact for this season. In all, everything about him screams bench role/spot starter.
• Landry Fields Pulling His Weight - This went on pretty fine for the first half, with Fields performing adequately as a rookie starting shooting guard. He took good shots, didn't waste possessions, and was active on defense. He can keep up sufficiently with other guards and swingmen (especially the slower, older ones). He can shoot uncontested shots and is athletic enough to get the rim, when it's somewhat unobstructed. This didn't really hold up in the second half, but the Knicks fell apart as a whole on offense and defense and I'm not so unreasonable to judge Fields too strongly for that. If he can keep "first half Landry" up for the season without having starting go to his head, hitting a rookie wall, or disrupting the offense (if it ever comes together enough to be disrupted), the Knicks will be well off. It will keep Will in the second unit, where he dominates, and will make the Knicks enviably deep when Randolph and Azubuike start playing.

Problematic:

• Transition Defense - Very, very poor, in more than one way. Either the Knicks commit sloppy needless fouls, or shy away and don't defend at all. This is also, not coincidentally, Danilo's weakest area. He took himself out of the game with transition defense fouls and that ruined his whole night. If the Knicks want to run, and that's looking like a bigger and bigger if, they have to be able to defend against the run as well.
• Mozgov Shooting, Defending, Posting Up, etc - As surprisingly good as he is in transition, he is useless in half court. He can't shoot, get to the basket, receive the ball in the paint, post up or clear out space too well. On the other end, he can't play help defense or clog the paint well enough. Again, leave him out of the offense, out of the defense except against fat-asses, and off the court.
• Amare Shying Away (on Defense) - He's very aggressive on offense, and its wonderful to watch. However, on the other end, he doesn't contest shots or take charges. He doesn't just get driven by, he actual steps aside to let his man get to the basket. As eager as he is to block shots from the weakside, he won't raise a hand to the man he's guarding. I can't see Amare having any serious reason to worry about fouling out of too many games (3.4 fouls a game) so he should be more assertive and physical on defense.
• Roger Mason Playing - Kelenna's coming back soon right?
• Wilson Chandler not Shooting Free Throws - As good as he's been (and he's been wonderful), he hasn't shot any free throws (okay, he's had 2). Once his shots stop falling, he's going to be able to keep up his offensive contributions by drawing contact and getting to the line. Even when he is scoring well, it would be good to accentuate that, not with increased shot volume, but by getting fouled and making free throws. It's not even that he hasn't been attacking the basket, he has; it's more that he isn't attacking the opponents, driving against his man or at the opposing center. It'll keep defenders honest and in foul trouble and add some points for the Knicks.
• There are a few other more serious problems, like the offense overall and the rotation, but I want to dedicate a separate post to address that. Look for that today or tomorrow.

Things that Make My Head Hurt:

• Danilo - He was in foul trouble and he was shooting terribly (and taking bad shots), so to an extent he deserved to be benched (He played 12 minutes and ended up with only 3 fouls). But this was probably the perfect game to let him shoot himself into some sort of offensive continuity, and to figure out how to hold back on defense (especially in transition). Going in to the fourth quarter, the Knicks didn't have a realistic shot to win, so unless D'Antoni was kidding himself, he should have let Danilo play and not worry about him putting the game out of reach. On the other hand, Danilo is more talented than this, and needs to start showing it. I still have every faith in him, and want him on this team for the next however many years, but even at the tender age of 22, it's time for him to get consistent.

A Few Final Thoughts:

I'm all thought out.

Stat Attack:

Amare shoots 3 threes and makes 2; Wilson Chandler gets at it defensively (2 steals and 4 blocks); the Knicks rebounding ineptitude makes Paul Pierce look young and spry (14 rebounds); and Rajon Rondo embarrasses the Knicks with a triple double (10, 24, and 10), but also himself with 7 turnovers.

Quote of the Night:

"Pierce can drive by this guy (Danilo) every time."
-Celtics' senile color commentator Tommie Heinsohn revealing he has never actually taken time to watch Danilo play defense.

LeBron Hate of the Night:

So. The Heat are really good, no?

Knicks 98, Raptors 93: More points, please

First of all, the Knicks should have won and should have won by more. But still, starting a new season 1-0, with two significant injuries; I can't complain too much. Excpet that I will (see below).

I'm going to try to do a funky kind of recap for the Knicks games around here. I'm going to list things that were Problematic and things that were Promising. That is to say, things that, if repeated during the season will lead to losses or wins, respectively.

Promising

• Danilo Gallinari doing most things - He did not have a good game, but he hit shots, played defense and was Danilo. Unless he seriously messes up, he's going to be on this list daily. Sorry.
• Felton Driving - He's very good around the basket, and when he drives, is infinitely less likely to take stupid jumpers. He also passed well out of his drives. Probably the second most effective offensive strategy the Knicks have (after the pick and roll)
• Speaking of which: The Pick and Roll - Amare's very good at it. Knicks guards are competent. Enough said, except to add that if it ever stops being a strength, D'Antoni should be fired immediately.
• Ronny Turiaf Existing - He's so funny, with his beard and his insanity, and his gestures and capers. He's also a great defender and hit that one cool shot at the end of the first quarter. Fan-favorite, anyone?
• Opportunistic Defense - The Knicks aren't a good defensive team and shouldn't ever count on defense (outside of Danilo) winning them games. However, D'Antoni's offense depends on turnovers, and it's comforting to see that Knicks players stay active and alert constantly, trying to take the ball away and push it up the court.
• Wilson Chandler - I was going to rant about how he should be starting, but he played so well that I can't complain. Outside of his rebounding and defense, which is never lacking, I was very impressed by his improved offensive game. There ere literally one or two shots I wish he hadn't taken. Out of 18? That's wonderful.
• Offensive Rebounds - This may have been deceptive because they were going up against Andrea Bargiani and the Raptors, but the Knicks tried hard (and successfully) to get second chances which will mitigate the horrible shot selection a little

Problematic

• Defensive Rebounds - On the flip side, it's very troubling when your guards and Wilson Chandler are getting defensive rebounds. It slows down the offense, and it probably means that you're giving away a lot of offensive rebounds to the bad guys. This will be a big problem for the Knicks going down the road.
• Bill Walker - He should not play. The only times I noticed him, Walker was either missing a terrible shot, turning the ball over, or fouling someone. He's sloppy, untalented, and played way too many minutes tonight. The Knicks are lucky he didn't hurt them more, but this list is about things that are troubling, not detrimental. Let's hope this'll go away once the Knicks get their actual rotation players back from injury.
• Three-pointers - The Knicks don't have the greatest three-point shooters, which is made worse by the fact that they throw them up at the worst times. Catch and shoot, fellas, or make the extra pass. I'm not so worried about this because Felton and Chandler seemed committed to driving to the basket.
• Timofey Mozgov - The Knick's can't waste minutes on a player like Mozgov. He may get good (or bearable) at some point, but now isn't the time to develop talent. If the Knicks want to win now, and I strongly believe they should, they should preempt the foul trouble and cut back Mozgov's minutes themselves.

Things that Make my Head Hurt:

• Toney Douglas - He makes bad decisions with the ball on offense, he gambles on defense and plays his man way too much to one side. However, his shots go down more often than not (5-9), he doesn't commit turnovers (1 in 26 minutes), and he isn't embarrassed on defense. This isn't just something weird in the Toronto air tonight either; this was the case all of last season. I guess go with it, until the wheels fall off.
• D'Antoni's timeouts - He calls them at the right times, but they don't have much affect. Yes, its good to call a time out before a 6-0 run becomes a 14-0 run, but the Knicks constantly come out of these time outs looking just as flat, and just as weak defensively as when it was called. Well timed? Yes. Productive? No.

A Few Final Thoughts:

(Okay just one)

A lot of what worried me tonight was because of the lousy Knicks rotation and the suspect bench. However, I'm not freaking out because Anthony Randolph and Kelenna were out (and will be for a while longer). When the recover, and nothings says they shouldn't, the Knicks will be stronger and deeper. And Bill Walker won't play.

Quote of the Night:

I was watching the Raptors broadcast and heard this gem from a segment with their coach:

"Every time Andrea's been thrown a challenge in his entire life, he's accepted it."
-Jay Triano on Andrea Bargiani.

Apparently, Jay has had a keen interest in hsi star player far longer than anyone knew. Stalker.

Lebron Hate of the Night:

Apparently, LeBron wants to set an NBA record for turnovers per game: 17 through 2 games.

(And the Cavs beat the Celtics!)

Jerryd Bayless Traded

He's going to the Hornets for a first-round pick. I'm pulling for ya, Jerryd. Here's hoping you stick, start and dominate.

What does this have to do with this blog or the Knicks? Nothing. I just like the kid.

4 More Days

WIth the Knicks' season beginning in 4 days. I thought I would lay down some predictions for the upcoming campaign. I'll leave the rest of the NBA alone, and focus on the Knicks.

• The Knicks will go 51-31, and comfortably make the playoffs as a fourth or fifth seed.
• Amare will be right at his career averages, even without Steve Nash running the show.
• Raymond Felton will have a modest assists increase, and will shoot in the low 40s, hurt mostly by his ill-timed three point attempts.
• However, he will not take enough shots to hurt the offense.
• Danilo will break 20 points a game at 22 years old. He will hit multiple game winning shots (and miss a good amount too).
• Timothy Mozgov will not start for the whole season; he will be benched in favor or Ronny Turiaf or Anthony Randolph.
• Toney Douglas may start to begin the season, but hewill also go to the bench eventually, way for Wilson Chandler (if he improves his shooting) or Kelenna when he's healthy.
• The Knicks won't have the highest PPG average in the League but will be top 5.
• The defense will be surprising, but not that good. Turiaf, Danilo and the guards will keep just enough pressure on the other team to kee the defense competent.
• The eventual starting lineup will be Felton, Azubuike, Danilo, Amare, Turiaf, with Chandler and Randolph playing very significant bench minutes. Mozgov will also play consistently, and will play more against bigger teams.
  
• The Knicks will beat the Miami Heat at least once this year.
• The Knicks will likewise be embarrassed by some truly awful teams along the way.
• THe Knicks will put up a fight in the second round of the playoffs (If they face Boston, they'll beat them, but probably lose to Miami or Orlando).

I realize these aren't the most earth-shattering or hyper specific predictions, but I am comofrtable in them, and will revist them at the end of the year. I'm optimistic, and I expect big things from the Knicks and from Danilo. I think D'Antoni will remind everyone that he is a good coach, which most writers seem to have forgotten over the past few years. His teams can score, can defend, and he can get most players to perform very well and very consistently.

On Carmelo Anthony

For the past few months, probably the entire offseason, there's been a constant stream of rumors and stories about Carmelo Anthony, and his desire for a trade, and the Knicks. I've been rooting against that becoming a reality the whole time, alternatively wishing that the rumors would just go away or that Carmelo would just get traded to New Jersey. Part of it is because I just don't like Carmelo, and don't think he'll work on the Knicks, which goes back to what I was writing about yesterday. He isn't a good enough spot-up shooter for D'Antoni's style, and he doesn't play off the ball that well, and for D'Antoni the point guard dominates the ball. Besides, with Amare on the team, finding enough shots for both him and Carmelo to be productive will be a struggle. He doesn't defend well, and while the Knicks don't plan to be a defensive force, D'Antoni's Seven Seconds or Less depends at least in part on turnovers, which Carmelo doesn't create.

However, my biggest objection to Carmelo joining the Knicks is that it depends on Danilo Gallinari leaving. I'm not going to try to argue that Danilo is better than Carmelo. But he is younger, and there is every indication he can be as good, if not better, than Anthony. If nothing else, he's already a better defender; probably the most dependable man-to-man defender the Knicks have. He's been here for a while, is comfortable in the system, and by far a better fit for it. Yes, part of my response to this is emotional. I like Danilo and I dislike Carmelo. But I like to think that my like for Danilo comes from the enormous potential he shows, as well as how well he has played within the style the Knicks are trying to develop, and I like to think that my dislike for Carmelo comes out of doubts that he's as dominant a player as he's made out to be as well as because of Stop Snitching.

I will always root for the Knicks, but this next season will be much better--for me personally as well as on the court--if the Knicks stay away from Carmelo, and, more importantly, hang on to Danilo for as long as possible.

Why? Because.

I promised to address why I am writing this blog over the next few days. I also promised to talk a little bit about David Lee today. I will do both, because in a large part, they are one and the same. David Lee isn't a Knick anymore, and Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf, and (hopefully) Kelenna Azubuike have taken his place. The trade happened a while ago yes, but its taken me a while to come to terms with it. Not that I have, or ever had, a problem with the trade. Basketball-wise it was a great move, and without a doubt improved the team. However, this isn't about basketball-wise, or team improvement, or Anthony Randolph. This is about David Lee, and how painful it is that the Knicks lost him.

It took a while--I probably didn't accept it until some time into last season--but David Lee was my favorite Knick. He wasn't perfect, but he was the brightest star in the darkest night. A source of happiness during a time when the Knicks, nightly, seem hell-bent on taking happiness away. It wasn't just his hustle, or his dedicated improvement, or his constantly being underrated, overlooked and under-appreciated. He was an offensive force though no one would admit it. He tried on defense every game, though he was always coming up short. He worked on his jump shot constantly and was finally rewarded by 20 and 10 and an All-Star berth (though grudgingly given).

I'm a Knicks fan by location. I grew up in New York, I grew up to love basketball, and so I grew up to love the New York Knicks. In all honesty, that's a lousy way to pick a team. One should be a fan of, one should love a team that appeals to them personally. The players, the coach, the style of play, the culture, should make sense, should appeal, for someone to be a fan. And this is why David Lee is so special. He made that possible; I was incredibly lucky that the Knicks had David Lee. He was, for the past however many years, a huge part of what made the Knicks make sense to me. I didn't just love them as a New York basketball fan' I loved them because they meant something to me, on a deeper level. Despite the losing records, and the bad times, and the misery of those years, the Knicks were my team because they were my kind of team and David Lee was by far the biggest reason for that. Luckily, that's still the case, and will be the case for as long as I live, but I will always be grateful to David Lee for getting me through those dark years and for reinforcing my fandom and love when there was so much reason to despair.

I don't want to be a fan out of necessity or geography. That's what important to me. That's something only a fan can understand or feel. That's why I'm doing this. Because that's a point of view that gets lost or ignored; it's totally alien to the Knicks organization, but I feel it should be noted and that's what I hope to do. And I hope to complain when there's something not right with the Knicks, when I start to feel like an obligate or geographical fan.

I'll start tomorrow.

Hello

I'm a Knicks fan and I've decided to start a blog. I have a lot to say, by means of introduction, before I start blogging in earnest, and to make it slightly easier to digest, I will present it piecemeal. Basically, I would like to communicate, from a few perspectives, why I'm doing this and doing this now.

To be completely honest, this isn't my first attempt at blogging, or my first attempt at a sports blog. Those previous endeavors only lasted a post or two though, and I'm hoping to have better luck (or perseverance) this time around. I'm optimistic, partly because that's just my character, partly because the Knicks are entering a period in their history where optimism is acceptable. Hand in hand with this, I get the feeling there is more to discuss about the Knicks now than in the recent past. There is room for practical and productive debate, speculation and commentary now that the Knicks are coming into relevance again. The Knicks are in my heart and in my mind as much as they ever were, but it's just that now I feel safe enough that disappointment and futility won't scare me away from this task.

A few more notes. I'm twenty years old as of writing this. This means, among other things, that I have no personal experience with the Knicks before Sprewell's time here. I have a good sense of history, but no serious memory of the Knicks before 1999. My favorite Knick has been and will be David Lee, though he is now a Warrior. Incidentally, this is what I will touch on next. I'm a fan of the NBA in general, and follow many teams fairly closely, so that may creep into this blog now and then. I have a low opinion of LeBron James, despite never having met him personally, and in no way related to his actions regarding the Knicks. I have a tenuous (at best) grasp of advanced statistics (much as I respect them) and don't have much of a knack for analyzing games (much as I watch them). As a result, I will try to keep that out of my writing. All I can promise in terms of content is that, as I keep fairly close and timely tabs on all things Knicks, I will pass on and, most importantly, comment on whatever I feel is interesting or new about the Knicks.

Till tomorrow.