The Knicks Fix

Jerome James started tonight against the Orlando Magic alongside Eddy Curry to form the biggest frontcourt the Knicks have seen since the ill-fated Hubie Brown experiment put Patrick Ewing and Bill Cartwright in the paint at the same time.

It was a surprise to everyone, but when you think about it, Isiah Thomas took a pretty good gamble against the right team. Despite being a relatively young and athletic team, the Magic do not run as much as they should. They are also have a pretty tall front court. But, most importantly, James had six fouls to use in defending Dwight Howard early on. Big Jerome could use his body to wear down Howard and save Curry from early foul trouble.

And, as we've pointed out here in the blog and in newsprint, the Knicks' interior defense has been very poor this season. The move sent Channing Frye to the bench and it allowed him to play with the second unit, where he got more looks at the basket and even a few post-ups. Frye finished with 18 points.

So the move worked for one game. But will Isiah stick with it? Sounds like he might.

"I just thought we needed a little bit more interior defense. . . and I thought he could give Eddy a little bit more support in the back line," Thomas said. "It is something that I would like to continue doing, because Jerome brings a defensive presence to the game and it allows Eddy to kind of roam and challenge some shots a little bit more."

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Had to share this: During the second half, Kelvin Cato from the Knick bench was playfully jawing with Howard, telling the young center that Curry was "too much for you to handle!" Howard couldn't disagree. But when Cato then added, "I taught him all that stuff" Howard turned away. The look on the face of Malik Rose, who was sitting next to Cato on the bench, was priceless.

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I got the Colts in a blowout. Peyton already got over the hurdle he needed to get over. Big game for the Dancing Manning.