Monday, July 25, 2005
Musings on the rotation
Let's assume LB pays lip service to rebuilding for a moment. We'll assume there will be no Darkos on this team. OK, what do we have (or what should we have):
Point guard -- Steph/Nate
SG -- Jamal/QR
SF -- Ariza
PF -- Tim Thomas/Sweetney
C -- James/Frye
That's my 9 man rotation. First observations: (i) you will have a three guards rotation playing real minutes without many minutes for Rose/Taylor/Jerome Williams; (ii) those three are not much in the way of trade bait; (iii) we are two trips to the DL away from being lousy; and (iv) note that Penny and Allan Houston don't even make the list.
This group does not make the playoffs. It can overachieve to .500 ball, but that won't be good enough. Put simply, the East is much improved all around. Other bad teams are improving quicker than the Knicks -- the Bulls, the Hawks and the Magic won't play in June, but they are getting better in a hurry.
So what does that line up yield? A chance to draft a real scoring small forward, or god forbid a real center.
Point guard -- Steph/Nate
SG -- Jamal/QR
SF -- Ariza
PF -- Tim Thomas/Sweetney
C -- James/Frye
That's my 9 man rotation. First observations: (i) you will have a three guards rotation playing real minutes without many minutes for Rose/Taylor/Jerome Williams; (ii) those three are not much in the way of trade bait; (iii) we are two trips to the DL away from being lousy; and (iv) note that Penny and Allan Houston don't even make the list.
This group does not make the playoffs. It can overachieve to .500 ball, but that won't be good enough. Put simply, the East is much improved all around. Other bad teams are improving quicker than the Knicks -- the Bulls, the Hawks and the Magic won't play in June, but they are getting better in a hurry.
So what does that line up yield? A chance to draft a real scoring small forward, or god forbid a real center.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Larry Brown will be the answer
It seems as if Isiah will pull the trigger on a huge contract for Larry Brown. You can see the press reports already, including references to what LB did with AI when AI was only 22. Again, a Hoya, but not a good example.
Don't get me wrong, AI is an amazing talent, especially at his size. He has shown more than sheer quickness and consistently "will get his" no matter what you do. But will he win a championship? Will play in a system? His assist numbers are better than he gets credit for, but he has his game and everyone has to play around it.
Could LB mold and teach these young guys? Sure he could and he could do it well. Does he want to? Will he want to for 2-3 years? This is not Darko on a championship-caliber team. This is a whole team (beyond Steph) that needs to be tutored and groomed. Even Jamal needs it.
It will be a slippery slope. First, they'll sign a veteran to help the team develop. Think Oakley's second stint with the Bulls. That's OK. It is the second and third guys who are signed/traded for to "add a piece" for a playoff run. You don't want to make the playoffs because you can't win the whole thing. You want the picks. Strike that, you need the picks.
Before 1/31/06, LB will have signed two veterans proving that we aren't rebuilding, we are just running in place.
Don't get me wrong, AI is an amazing talent, especially at his size. He has shown more than sheer quickness and consistently "will get his" no matter what you do. But will he win a championship? Will play in a system? His assist numbers are better than he gets credit for, but he has his game and everyone has to play around it.
Could LB mold and teach these young guys? Sure he could and he could do it well. Does he want to? Will he want to for 2-3 years? This is not Darko on a championship-caliber team. This is a whole team (beyond Steph) that needs to be tutored and groomed. Even Jamal needs it.
It will be a slippery slope. First, they'll sign a veteran to help the team develop. Think Oakley's second stint with the Bulls. That's OK. It is the second and third guys who are signed/traded for to "add a piece" for a playoff run. You don't want to make the playoffs because you can't win the whole thing. You want the picks. Strike that, you need the picks.
Before 1/31/06, LB will have signed two veterans proving that we aren't rebuilding, we are just running in place.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Larry Brown is not the answer
He's left the motor city, another divorce. Isiah should pretend that never happened.
Larry Brown is a coach's coach and an extreme talent. His talent overcomes his shortcomings, most notably his wandering eye. In many circumstances, he is your dream coach. He should not be for the Knicks.
They are rebuilding. Not next year, but the next three years. LB is too old and too seasoned to live through that. He'll make this team be the best it can be in the short term. We don't want that. We want young players to get experience and make the mistakes experience requires. We want a team to gel. Maybe this team will play the best with Frye taking his mintutes at center. We want him to learn to be a forward because that is what he'll be on a great team. Maybe Nate should not be in the rotation, have Jamal and Steph share the load. We want Nate to have minutes and we want to see how he develops. None of that is a hallmark of Larry Brown.
Herb may not be the greatest, but I prefer him to Larry. If Larry wants to trade for a high-priced high-mileage veteran for the stretch run, Isiah will listen. That is exactly what he needs to avoid.
Larry Brown is a coach's coach and an extreme talent. His talent overcomes his shortcomings, most notably his wandering eye. In many circumstances, he is your dream coach. He should not be for the Knicks.
They are rebuilding. Not next year, but the next three years. LB is too old and too seasoned to live through that. He'll make this team be the best it can be in the short term. We don't want that. We want young players to get experience and make the mistakes experience requires. We want a team to gel. Maybe this team will play the best with Frye taking his mintutes at center. We want him to learn to be a forward because that is what he'll be on a great team. Maybe Nate should not be in the rotation, have Jamal and Steph share the load. We want Nate to have minutes and we want to see how he develops. None of that is a hallmark of Larry Brown.
Herb may not be the greatest, but I prefer him to Larry. If Larry wants to trade for a high-priced high-mileage veteran for the stretch run, Isiah will listen. That is exactly what he needs to avoid.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Rebuidling
Are the Knicks going to rebuild? No I don't mean get younger and I don't mean move past Allan Houston. I mean rebuild like the Bulls and the Lakers. It means losing games you should win and it means mistakes being made in the name of experience.
I am not so sure. This draft class appears strong, but remember John Wallace, Walter McCarty and Dontae Jones? That draft looked good too and was not a harbinger of a rebuilding phase.
As a Hoya, I have a sweet spot for Mike Sweetney. Even so, if you are rebuilding, he should not be on the trading block. He is young and cheap. He may never be a star, but he should contribute to a winning team. Quentin is a positive step, but not a magic bullet.
What about Marbury? He cost several picks which would be useful if you are rebuilding and, though not old, he is both high mileage and really suited to the game you don't want to play in the future. But then again, what can you get for him? Surely not the picks you spent.
This coming year will be Isiah's most important. He has to lead the team in a direction. That direction will be with the team for a long time to come. What will he do in January when the Knicks are winning 40% of their games, QR is shooting 30 times a game, Crawford is running while Marbuty is walking, the kids are making mistakes left and right? What about when Ray Allen is available for a sign and trade? Time will tell, but I think we'll see that we're not rebuilding, but trading lots of young possibility for aging and expensive players.
Oh yea, in all of this, did we really spend all that money on a 7 footer to set picks for QR? I know about the Kings series, but c'mon.
I am not so sure. This draft class appears strong, but remember John Wallace, Walter McCarty and Dontae Jones? That draft looked good too and was not a harbinger of a rebuilding phase.
As a Hoya, I have a sweet spot for Mike Sweetney. Even so, if you are rebuilding, he should not be on the trading block. He is young and cheap. He may never be a star, but he should contribute to a winning team. Quentin is a positive step, but not a magic bullet.
What about Marbury? He cost several picks which would be useful if you are rebuilding and, though not old, he is both high mileage and really suited to the game you don't want to play in the future. But then again, what can you get for him? Surely not the picks you spent.
This coming year will be Isiah's most important. He has to lead the team in a direction. That direction will be with the team for a long time to come. What will he do in January when the Knicks are winning 40% of their games, QR is shooting 30 times a game, Crawford is running while Marbuty is walking, the kids are making mistakes left and right? What about when Ray Allen is available for a sign and trade? Time will tell, but I think we'll see that we're not rebuilding, but trading lots of young possibility for aging and expensive players.
Oh yea, in all of this, did we really spend all that money on a 7 footer to set picks for QR? I know about the Kings series, but c'mon.
