Thinking small (and about other things)
The formula you saw Coach K employ throughout the Olympics is mainly based on the philosophy Mike D'Antoni (and most of the rest of the world) believes is the best way to play this game. One thing the US always had on the court was an athletic big -- Dwight Howard or Chris Bosh, but rarely together, even against the huge Spainish front line -- and four versatile, interchangeable parts. Many times the "power forward" was someone such as Tayshaun Prince or Carmelo Anthony banging down low.
So from now on, let's not refer to it as the "power forward," which we coined for the Charles Oakley and Karl Malone types, and instead just call it the "4-spot." 
NBA.com
Melo got some love for making an effort on defense (which is like rewarding your kid for washing his hands before dinner) in these Games, but you saw when he was overmatched he quickly got overheated. Melo has offensive skills (his outside shot started coming around later in the tournament) but if you had to rely on him as your four-spot defender all season he'd lose his mind by the all-star break.
Prince is an outstanding defender and very smart. He can get away with things in spots down low but better off using his length and quickness on the wing. Sure there were times LBJ jumped down to pitch in, but we know you don't wear out your superstar by asking him to bang.
Bottom line, Coach K preached defense and talked a lot about defense. But overall you could say that at times Team USA "sacrificed" on the defensive end for the good of the offense. Two bigs can make you too slow, which crushes Isiah Thomas' "power game" theory. So you take one away -- or at least exchange the "power" big for an "perimeter" big (see: Danilo Gallinari or, from D'Antoni's past, Shawn Marion) -- to be more effective on the offensive end and implore your players to play better "team" defense.
Obviously with the tremendous amount of talent Coach K had, this system (make no mistake, this is Mike D's philosophy...Coach K loved it so much he's incorporated it at Duke) worked so fluidly for the U.S.
How can it work for the Knicks? That is what D'Antoni had on his mind all day during his flight from Beijing to New York.
If you take away salaries and the need to improve the stock price for certain big contracts you'd like to move (Z-Bo, for instance), I think D'Antoni would prefer to start with Duhon-Crawford-Chandler-Gallinari and Curry as a five. And if you want to avoid starting a rookie, you go with the experienced Richardson at the 3 and slide Chandler to the 4 spot (he's strong enough to handle himself) similar to how he used Marion in Phoenix.
Here's how it has to work:
Eddy is your low-post guy but he has to be more of a decoy to open up the perimeter for your shooters (Jamal, Q-Rich and Chandler for the most part). You have to position Eddy much like the U.S. positioned Dwight Howard, where he did a lot of flashing into the paint to make the zone defense close up (trust me, teams will zone the spit outta the Knicks until they prove they can knock down shots) which then loosens up the perimeter.
It's up to Curry to make this work with constant movement in the offensive "set". However, in transition you can allow Curry to be the last guy down, the "trailer" on the play. Let him get in the way of the guards as he works his way down the floor, set high screens and then roll and even spot up for the occassional elbow jumper (Curry has the ability to hit them in rhythm, I've seen it after practice).
Whenever Lazy Eddy shows his ugly face, to the bench he goes. Simple enough.
The critical part of the game that Team USA figured out quickly (they were only the best players in the world) was that the ball had to be in constant motion. Consider that at the worst of times for the US offense, players were caught either doing too much one-on-one or holding the ball too long. Michael Redd did this several times when he was out there throughout the tournament. And as the games got more critical, Redd saw less time. There were times the Americans desperately needed someone who could get hot from the outside in a hurry (Redd) but they couldn't afford his tendency to hold the ball and stall the offense.
Therefore, this is why I don't think Stephon Marbury would work, from a strictly basketball point of view. Like Redd, you would think Steph's game is perfectly suited for this system. But if you learn anything from the Olympics (and the Renaldo Balkman trade) it's not like the Paul Westhead fun-n-gun at all. It's not just about get-it-and-go and get more shots off than your opponent and hope that leads to more makes. Stephon does play quickly, but more often than not he plays by himself or plays "off" his teammates rather than with them.
Hey, he got pretty damn far playing that way, but I think it's been proven more often than not that you don't win that way in the NBA game that is more and more moving back to being a team game like it was when Clyde, Pearl, Dave, Dollar Bill and The Captain were playing.
There is a great deal of quick thinking that comes with this style. A lot of read-and-react and discipline. This is what D'Antoni has to see come training camp and in time he'll have to make decisions on players not just based on talent, but intelligence. So you shouldn't focus so much on whether or not Q can hit shots, but whether Duhon can find him in the corner at the right time on the drive-and-kick. It's not about Eddy Curry posting up, but can Eddy catch it in the post, pivot and make that weakside pass to an open man? Can Jamal Crawford find catch-and-shoot rhythm coming off curls instead of needing the And-1 hitch to set up his pull-up?
These guys all can chuck-and-duck. No question. But recall the Olympics again...whenever the U.S. got itself into trouble was when it pounded the ball on the floor instead of passing it. The most important thing to keep in mind when you play in this system is movement. Catch it and do something...NOW. If you watched Team USA, there was a lot of that going on.
I'm really looking forward to training camp the most because -- as far as I understand it -- we're going to be allowed to watch practice. I am curious to see the adjustments Mike plans to make to develop his philosophy with the players he has on the roster. I want to see who gets it, who doesn't and who might be surprisingly more effective than we previously have seen (Jared Jeffries comes to mind).
The system is quite basic with basic fundamentals. Where it gets crazy is when the infinite options that can come out of each basic set start to develop. There will be an evolution process throughout the season as guys start to grasp the system. That process should also weed out the guys who simply don't fit.
* *
A few other observations from the Olympics:
* - A lot of controversy was stirred up about Becky Hammon's decision to play for Mother Russia in the Games after she was not in the mix for the U.S. team. So played because she could and because she wanted to (and I'm sure a few rubles made it even more attractive). Do you really think, however, that deep down the Olympic experience meant something special to her? I don't.
But I wonder why no one seemed as outraged by Chris Kaman, who played for Germany?
* - The way Chris Bosh played has me inking him way up on my grocery list in the Summer of 2010. If you can't get the Big Fish, landing Bosh as your anchor would be a major get. An intense, athletic and smart big like Bosh in the paint is a perfect fit for what D'Antoni likes to do. Bosh isn't a great post-up player, but he does everything else extremely well and he is growing into a leader.
* - Call it sucking up all you want, but I just like the way Mike Breen calls games. He has a genuine enthusiasm for this game and a tremendous amount of "legitimate" knowledge (which means he truly knows the game as opposed to making general observations).
* - I heard that China's original plan to extinguish the Olympic Flame at the closing ceremonies was to have Yao Ming reach up and snuff it with his two fingers.
* - Dwyane Wade professionally gained the most from the Olympic experience because he proved his game is back at an elite level. He, LeBron and Kobe were the three best players. But much of what he did was a result of playing with less pressure because of the talent around him, much like during his NBA championship season with Shaq, et al. Wade is physically back to his old self, but he can't go 82 games throwing himself into traffic like he does, so he'll have to rely on his supporting cast in Miami, which means Michael Beasley will have a big role to play there right from the get. Shawn Marion is playing for a contract, but at the 3 he may prove to be a fish outta water.
* - With London hosting in 2012, Great Britain will have a team in the men's basketball competition (the host city gets an automatic bid). Luol Deng is their best player (Ben Gordon also has British eligibility).
* - God bless the unitard and the Austrailian women's team for wearing it with pride.
* - Thank God, as well, that Marc Gasol didn't wear one. Dude looks like a melted candle.
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Comments (40)
Great article Alan! Thank you. I'm even more optimistic than before.
"* - A lot of controversy was stirred up about Becky Hammon's decision to play for Mother Russia in the Games after she was not in the mix for the U.S. team. So played because she could and because she wanted to (and I'm sure a few rubles made it even more attractive). Do you really think, however, that deep down the Olympic experience meant something special to her? I don't.
"But I wonder why no one seemed as outraged by Chris Kaman, who played for Germany?"
Al,
Russia just pulled its tanks out of Georgia couple of days back. Oh and remember the Cold War? Was in all the papers. Too bad you skipped right to the comics. You might have learned something. Miracles do occur.
We kicked Germany's collective butt 65 years ago. Then in the late-80s, the Berlin Wall came a tumblin' down. Sort of like the intelligent reader's expectations for lucidity and basic factual accuracy on this website. Germany is now one country. Democratic in nature. You know, democracy. The good guys. All of this was in the papers for the past seven decades. Too bad you missed it.
In the future, stick to just screwing up the Knicks and the NBA. When you venture outside of pro hoops to geopolitical issues or just fourth-grade history, you only humiliate yourself and this newspaper.
Of course, that's your strength: self-humiliation.
P.S. Why do I feel like this blog and the Newsday sports department needs a kindergarten teacher and a parole officer more and more with each passing day?
haha love the anonymous posters
Alan - I hope you will get to watch practices because I am very excited about the prospect of D'Antoni getting this team to play the right way. And since you actually watch and care about what's going on instead of throwing rumor-bombs, this is the place to hear what's going on.
I understand every player raved about D'Antoni and the system in Beijing, I think Walsh should get a little respect now for picking a very good coach who is as you say, the future of the league. And clearly its not just Steve Nash that made the system. Like Jackson has adapted his system for the personnel in LA, this system can work without Nash. And going forward, Walsh will continue to get the players he needs to make it work.
Loved Bosh, loved Wade transforming games with the pass, the D, the score. I'll take either of them.
I think Curry continuously on the move and flashing for quick passes is going to be great for his game and his knowledge. Too often he seems rooted to the floor. I think this is mental more than physical. He has great speed, great agility, great feet, and when he moves, he gets of the ground very quickly. I think his problem rebounding and doing things other than scoring is more about him mentally processing the game rather than inability. I think the more he's moving and the more D'Antoni and the staff teach him the game, the better he'll be.
System sounds perfectly suited for Q-Rich's game. He must be amped up.
On a murky day in the city, the TROLL "rears" his ugly head...and by that I mean shoves it (once again) straight up his keister!
Interesting that you posted this because I was thinking along similar lines as I watched the Redeem Team. The biggest thing (IMHO) they did defensively was shut down the passing lanes with their quickness. Coupled with the fact that they forced a team to waste valuable seconds off the shot clock when bringing the ball up -- this is what led to the inefficacy of teams like Greece against them.
I walked away thinking: this is the future of defense in this game. Only problem is that it's a lot easier to do it when you have versatile, athletic guys with height, strength and quickness -- LBJ, Kobe, Prince, D-Wade, Bosh, etc. But you definitely get weaker on the glass (so many OREBs by Spain) and you are vulnerable to a dribble penetrator with quickness (Rudy Fernandez channeling John Starks vs. Jordan on that dunk).
Nonetheless, I saw D'Antoni's vision in reality there. Z-Bo and Steph definitely can't play in that scheme, but guys like Jeffries, Chandler and Gallinari are probably tailor-made for it.
The single biggest issue is that the "5" gets hung out to dry b/c the other 4 guys try and take off on the break. That's where the USA had trouble, no one rebounding and giving up a bunch of offensive rebounds.
Today's NBA player is all about show time, they want to run the break and finish. Why do you think the And1 Tour has a place on TV today?
Eddy Curry cannot and will not be a good even mediocre "5" in this scheme. He DOES NOT rebound...and neither do Star-baby or Craw-Force.
Alan,
Best part of the lineup you laid out is No Zach and no Q..That means we dont need them so lets clear the contracts out!
Just like Dave Ramsey says..You gotta start with paying off your debts and thats all these guys are.
Keeping 2010 alive
with my bizzle iz jizzle jive
Alan,
Best part of the lineup you layed out is No Zach and no Q..That means we dont need them so lets clear the contracts out!
Just like Dave Ramsey says..You gotta start with paying off your debts and thats all these guys are.
Keeping 2010 alive
with my bizzle iz jizzle jive
Very entertaining post Alan, and one that gives Knick fans hope. The biggest issue that D'Antoni faces with implementing his system is IF the team cannot rid itself of Zach Randolph, then Mike will have the anti-D'Antoni system player pouting and unhappy. Randolph cannot/will not pass and thus would kill the system.
And I also agree, Marbury is also the wrong player for this team.
Hopefully, as September rolls around, these two players will somehow find new homes.
Now that I think of it, if rebounding and passing is so important wouldn't it make more sense to start Randolph instead of Curry? He's probably better at all of the above.
Alan,
C'mon, man -- think big.
Bosh is not a fallback option in case LBJ doesn't work out. It's not either/or; it's both/and. If NYK can get their cap number to $25M (that means dumping Jamal, Eddy, Zach, and Jeffries), they'll have room for two max guys.
Throw in Chandler, N8, Gallinari, and Nash signing for the vet's minimum, and life is good.
Mike Breen? Come on Alan. This guy is Famous for performing
"Verbal Felatio" on the entire Suns team every time they come to the Garden. Two years ago, OLD SCHOOL OAK pointed out a Statement Breen made during a Rare Knick blowout on MSG, before injuries overwhelmed the team, and the team was in the playoff hunt, Breen: These Fan's doing this "WAVE" ought to have their Season tickets revoked...??????? There hasn't been much to cheer about the last 7 years, but the fans were enjoying a rare good Knick performance, and deserved to have fun!
Also, I believe it was Marbury who got emphatically
HACKED while taking it to the hole and got a TECH because
he complained.....BREEN stated ..."They should count Tech's as personals???????? " I know I'm not alone wanting to Choke Breen as reads every players past misdeeds off the court, even if it happen 12 years ago! I just turn the Audio off. Give me Gus Johnson and Clyde any day! Let Breen go away with Marbury!
Um ...as "he" reads every player's past misdeeds off the court, even if it happen 12 years ago! Is Mike a He????
Great topic. But I disagree with the perspective, so here we go.
Spain should have beat the U.S. with the Gasol brothers, the 17-year old guard, and PATIENCE.
You mentioned that with the small lineup, Melo was getting frustrated with defending the paint. Scorers hate to defend in the paint. They are "pretty boys"; scorers like to stay "clean" and make their highlight plays without elbows, hip checks and shoves to the back.
The Redeem Team struggled with consistent post play. If P. Gasol stayed on strong side, and his brother on the weak side, and the Rubio kid (nice player, he will be a star in our league very soon) waited on the wing for the bigs to post Melo/Bosh/Wade, Spain would have beat the U.S., but they love the three-point play and went back to shooting it, rather than taking advantage of their big boys in the paint.
You can't live with perimeter shooting. Even the greats struggle occasionally with the outside shooting. Who would have thought Kobe would shoot 28% from the perimeter? When the outside shooting gets cold, a strong post-player becomes your best friend.
Willis, I agree totally with your points on post-players. Shaq screwed it up, and now the NBA needs to fix it. We need more players like King, McHale, Barkley, hey, even Adrian Dantley.
I remember watching Magic Johnson run the Lakers. When Scott, Cooper, Worthy struggled with their jumpshots, he used to signal with two fingers "2-down", a postplay for Kareem/Worthy. Draw the foul. Put pressure on the defense.
Yes, the Knicks probably will start a lineup that you mentioned, but it's fool's gold.
Great article. Sometimes I wonder why I don't write these things myself. Oh yeah. I have another job, and this is yours! It's good that what I saw between the USA team and the Knicks has been validated with your esteemed opinion.
I do think that Marbury is not a fit on the grounds you mentioned. Obviously, his attitude is further reason to ditch him, but I appreciate your not mentioning that. His game doesn't fit, as much as he can claim it does, it just doesn't.
It's too bad that Randolph is not a fit. He's got game. His attitude is better, I think, than people want to believe, and he has a good outside shot. But he simply holds the ball too much. I appreciate your noting that holding the ball too much was Redd's downfall on Team USA, I noticed that too.
Curry might surprise us, though. He's never been expected to do more than just score the ball. Here's my call: If Amare Stoudamire (a truly unintelligent person) can succeed in D'Antoni's offense, then Curry can. As long as Curry stays in shape, he'll be alright.
Also, agreed: Jared Jeffries might suprise us. I really thought he was poorly used by Thomas on this team. If Jeffries can get his shot going, he'll be a contributor.
(Oh yeah. I made a special point to watch Australian Women's basketball myself.)
@ALAN...a really impressive post, extremely well thought through. there is no one in basketball journalism, at least not in the new york area, who is putting so many good ideas into print. i am proud to be a part of this quorum.
i can't help but notice that you didn't include Dlee in the equation. whether by intent or not, i assume this means you feel it is a forgone conclusion that he will not be signing another contract with the knicks.
@WILLIS...the one aspect of your description of curry's role i have trouble wrapping my mind around, is his ability to make decisions with the ball in his hands. from what i saw through the past two years, he was incapable of even managing a basic in-out game plan. yes, he has real physical gifts, including hops, touch and coordination, but i really can't see him prospering in a system that requires good and quick judgements. until the knicks develope a consistent outside shooting game (and honestly, this seems unlikely to happen with jamal, Q and duhon taking most of the shots), teams are going to collapse on fat eddy every time he touches the paint. i hope i am wrong.
still, i am charged up about the upcoming season. and if nothing else, i am convinced that the single most important challenge that walsh faced this summer he addressed in the best possible way: the replacement of issiah with d'antoni. for this alone, he has built up a lot of credit with me.
Good post Alan. Keep the offseason alive. Get that registration going.
Alan,
Top of the line post. Chocked full of info and provocative statements.
However, you are overselling this "D'Antoni system" mythology. Jack McCallum breaks down the D'Antoni "philosophy" magnificiently in ":07 Seconds or Less." D'Antoni's system requires no more thinking than the other systems in the NBA and some might say less because D'Antoni is known for "less is more."
D'Antoni will certainly be a breath of fresh air. He is funny, a good guy and takes a positive approach to life. His "system" does not require genuises -- McCallum refuses to call D'Antoni a genius despite a glowing depiction -- it requires ballers who know their roles and are willing to play his way.
Hey HarleminMD, you know what's good. Good to see you.
Excellent piece.
Gotta love the fact that the guy wearing all those medals in the middle of the picture is the new coach! Watching him move about on the sidelines, seemingly always upbeat and attentive, it just creates a positive energy for the upcoming season.
Also looking forward to see how Rudy Fernandez works out for the Blazers and how Marc Gasol fares with the Grizzlies as they each truly stepped up in the gold medal game.
How many days to training camp...
Sec - Curry's going to have to learn. Remember, the non-offense of Zeke's days was basically give the ball to somebody and everybody else watch. Whether it was Curry, Randolph or Crawford, everybody knew the ball was not coming back out, (somehow Randolph is the only one demonized for this, perhaps because he is good enough for us to expect more) and everybody got some popcorn to watch. Traffic cones could have guarded the passing lanes. So Curry had very little to work with, plus, no incentive. His choice was attempting a pass in a stagnant half court set, or bulling in for the and-one. It will take work, it will take some time, and it'll take the whole team. We have every right to be skeptical that these players will do it, but I think the strategy itself is sound. So look for D'Antoni to tweak it, spoon feed it, and shuffle guys around to find the right mix. As others have written, I think Randolph at the 5 in that role could work well too. He may not be a great defender, but he has pride and never backs down. If he is challenged by D'Antoni to be all he can be, he will come through. He is a baller and a passionate player, I think he'll "get it".
All of these players can benefit, if they trust D'Antoni's system. The "system" part comes in when the ball AND bodies move. Guys will have to make hard cuts to be in the right places for the next pass. If everybody is moving correct, the first pass out of the post is automatic - you shouldn't have to think. That's why I think David Lee's jumper will be in evidence this year. The ball moves in rhythm, you either pass, shoot or drive. No standing around staring at 15 footers wondering if its your turn to shoot - the elephant's grave yard of jumpers. Its simple, yes, but simple is just the beginning. It is the variations that players can take advantage of when the defense makes its first commitments that makes it interesting, and complex. So you go back door, so the player cuts under a screen instead of over, the ball on the pick and roll goes out to a wing and then down to the pick man who's rolled into the paint, whatever. The players must improvise. Clyde will be very happy. The rules governing the improvisation will be simple, but the patters that can emerge from simple rules can be highly complex.
I think the slow-down game that Life was talking about in the 80's is more about the highly structured offense that Riley and Van Gundy and the Pacers utilized to control the number of possessions. It wasn't necessarily about post play - Bernard's knicks were still a pretty free-flowing team. It was a philosophy of control and a fear of mistakes that reflected Riley's personal bent - and a bunch of not very skilled players. It was probably the best way to deal with a Starks - cut down his options, let him exert maximum effort, don't burden him with decision making and the attendant doubt (be afraid when Nate gets the ball, be very afraid). You've only got one all star, make sure he gets the damn ball.
The new Knicks very well might play good team offense and score loads of points, but that's where the comparisons to the old Knicks of the 70s ends -- those teams took pride in playing defense and stopping the other teams and the new Knicks have no clue about how to play defense and I doubt if D'Antoni will focus on defense. The new run 'n gun Knicks will look like an ABA team unless they get a real center and power forward or two.
Breen is good but not one of the best, IMO. He's a bit irritating with his know-it-all mentality and he even questions, corrects and acts superior to Clyde and other color men who played the game. Marv is still the best. Bring Marv back!
DTR
@ Willis - not sure I agree on the Zbo thing. He has a tendency to be selfish AND never make it past the top of the key (where he shoots that 25-footer).
Now don't get me wrong, he was probably one of the best jump shooters last year. The question is: how long will it take before the rest of the team gets annoyed by the spot-up 25-footer before anything gets going on offense?
I double-checked and he WAS our best shooter at 46% (who played a decent # of games) besides D.Lee (55%) and his dunks/lay-ups.
Zbo will need to stop being quicksand to the ball in order to work out!
Love the energy in here, even in the dead of August. Shows how important this stage of the franchise is to Fixer Nation. Love everyone's feedback, aside from the misguided history lesson from the soon-to-be-extinct Anon, who seems to think 25 years after the Cold War ends we're supposed to hate Russia (and that Becky Hammon knew Russia would invade Georgia when she decided to play for them last winter). I stopped hating the Russians when we beat them in 1980 (how could you miss the hockey reference? Quick, someone up his dosage!).
As for Germany, since I'm half-German, maybe I can play for them in 2012, since no one would seem to oppose (aside from, perhaps, Dirk). Moving on...
@Harlem, Lives: Not saying D'Antoni is a "genius" or one needs to be one to play it...just saying you need the right instinct and awareness for it to work. It's like being a race car driver. Everyone knows how to drive, but the ability to do it fast while thinking fast is what makes it a skill.
Gonna spend a little time with the kids before school begins next week so the posts may come less frequent here through Labor Day. Once September arrives, we'll rev up the engine again and get ready for camp.
As BARF used to say, Keep it poppin.
Tossing the keys...
Interesting news, FIBA is changing some rules:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/sports/olympics/26hoops.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=basketball&adxnnlx=1219748813-gSmeDjIO9r+44t3bOJ24ag&oref=slogin
Hopefully Coach D comes back with some committment to D from his time with Coach K and Team USA?
Team USA would not have won many games without their great defense too!
From the Memphis Edge . . .
$$ While the Griz were courting Smith they also had trade discussions regarding New York Knicks power forward Zach Randolph. Those discussions — mostly internal – are still ongoing as Randolph has been made available.
The Griz are willing to part with Darko Milicic (last year’s big free agent signing) in a package that wouldn’t require a core player (OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, etc). What the brain trust seems to be debating is whether Randolph fits the Grizzlies’ style on and off the court.
Randolph is a bonafide low-post scorer who can shoot along the perimeter and rebound. But he doesn’t offer much on defense, something the Griz desperately want to upgrade and Randolph’s character issues may present a problem.
That said, the Griz need talent. Randolph would beef up a thin power forward corps of Hakim Warrick and rookie Darrell Arthur. They’ve got a group of “nice guys” so adding one knucklehead in Randolph shouldn’t be a big deal. Although second-year head coach Marc Iavaroni struggled at times effectively communicating with players, he is credited with helping Phoenix big man Amare Stoudemire take his game to the next level.
@ Old School: That is my point about Randolph. If we are not going to trade him I would much rather see him start over Curry. I'm sure many here disagree with me, but a motivated Randolph brings much more to the table than Curry. It doesn't sound like we are going to need Curry's back to the basket game in this type of offense so why not go with the much more skilled player who makes an effort to grab a rebound and can open up the lane for our slashers with his jump shot. I strongly disagree with Alan, or should I say D'Antoni, that Curry can be an effective passer. I actually think his game would fit much better in Miami, Toronto or another 1/2 court team that has a defensive minded 4.
I know Zach isn't the best on defense but when he plays against guys like Rasheed and Jermaine O'neal, his friends that he takes pride in stopping, you can actually see that he could be an effective defender if he played it consistently. Someone will probably post stats about min/per for Curry and Zach and say Curry is more effective but watching all the Knick games that I do, my personal opinion is that Zach plays better D.
I haven't gotten an answer yet on who is going to be our defensive guru on the coaching staff but whoever it is will have to come up with a lot of ways to use our small but quick team with various forms of ball pressure, traps, showing double teams but getting back to their man, etc. The lineup Alan proposed is small and there aren't alot of good individual defenders and Curry doesn't protect the rim so its going to be a challenge but not impossible. If they can convince Nate to pressure the ball like Mugsy used to do, Crawford to stay on the shooters on the wing and stop reaching, and the small forward to help in passing lanes and traps we could win some games. The problem is, these guys have had multiple coaches and have never made the effort before so a strong personality might be needed. Last year, one of the biggest disappointments was that IT didn't even try to come up with a defensive game plan to hide these guys weaknesses. Even though the team had talent, with IT as coach, I'm not even sure how we won 23 games to be honest with you.
@ Old School: That is my point about Randolph. If we are not going to trade him I would much rather see him start over Curry. I'm sure many here disagree with me, but a motivated Randolph brings much more to the table than Curry. It doesn't sound like we are going to need Curry's back to the basket game in this type of offense so why not go with the much more skilled player who makes an effort to grab a rebound and can open up the lane for our slashers with his jump shot. I strongly disagree with Alan, or should I say D'Antoni, that Curry can be an effective passer. I actually think his game would fit much better in Miami, Toronto or another 1/2 court team that has a defensive minded 4.
I know Zach isn't the best on defense but when he plays against guys like Rasheed and Jermaine O'neal, his friends that he takes pride in stopping, you can actually see that he could be an effective defender if he played it consistently. Someone will probably post stats about min/per for Curry and Zach and say Curry is more effective but watching all the Knick games that I do, my personal opinion is that Zach plays better D.
I haven't gotten an answer yet on who is going to be our defensive guru on the coaching staff but whoever it is will have to come up with a lot of ways to use our small but quick team with various forms of ball pressure, traps, showing double teams but getting back to their man, etc. The lineup Alan proposed is small and there aren't alot of good individual defenders and Curry doesn't protect the rim so its going to be a challenge but not impossible. If they can convince Nate to pressure the ball like Mugsy used to do, Crawford to stay on the shooters on the wing and stop reaching, and the small forward to help in passing lanes and traps we could win some games. The problem is, these guys have had multiple coaches and have never made the effort before so a strong personality might be needed. Last year, one of the biggest disappointments was that IT didn't even try to come up with a defensive game plan to hide these guys weaknesses. Even though the team had talent, with IT as coach, I'm not even sure how we won 23 games to be honest with you.
Hollinger's '06-'07 breakdown of Darko:
"Milicic continued to tantalize with his potential last season, but he also frustrated at other times with his lackadaisical play. His final numbers -- 13.1 points and 9.1 boards per 40 minutes -- were fairly underwhelming for a player with such high expectations, especially since he shot only 45.4 percent from the floor. The one thing he can do really well is block shots. Milicic has long arms and great timing, and as a result he ranked seventh among centers in blocks per minute.
But offensively, he's not doing that much. Between the mediocre shooting percentage and the poor free-throw rate, Milicic ranked just 54th out of 62 centers in true shooting percentage. Additionally, the sweet jumper that was advertised as one of his strengths when he entered the league has never materialized. Milicic made only 12 long 2-pointers all last season, and over the last three years he's at 32.9 percent from that range."
Last season, in 24 mins/game he averaged 1.6 blocks and 6 rebounds, 10.2 reb/40 mins.
I've never really seen him play, but who has really? If he can keep up those rebound and block totals then he might be the defensive complement we need next to Curry. Or if you're not playing them together, those 24 minute totals still look good off the bench.
He's set to make 7mil and 7.5mil over the next two seasons so he'd come off the books in 2010 just like we want. Memphis is under the cap so they can take the extra 7 mil in Zach's contract to make it a 1-for-1 but I'm sure Walsh is looking to get one of their PG's too. I wonder who else we can give up considering we're at the player cap and Crittenton and Lowry are on their rookie contracts? Nate doesn't exactly help out their PG clutter.
I wonder what our offensive firepower would be like without Zach, but I'd support this deal especially if we can come away with one of their PG's.
RIP Kevin Duckworth. He was Eddie Curry b4 there was an Eddie Curry. A big guy with all the potential in the world who just could never put it together. He would show some flashes just like Curry and then regressed. He did play on some great Blazers teams with Clyde, Porter and Kersey though. They were fun to watch and I was one of the few people who thought they were actually going to beat the Bulls because they were more balanced and Drexler's length would give Jordon problems (boy was I wrong).
@ K4L - read the same thing on ESPN today. From everything I read, he seemed to be a very approachable, good-guy type.
I also read he was working at a kids' b-ball camp. He was a guy that gave Ewing fits when they played the Blazers. Very similar game...he had a sweet baseline jumper. RIP to the Duck!
good post, good vibes. the bottom line is D'Antoni is a good coach when he has good players fitting into his scheme. We don't know what this Knick team can do with a good coach, as the last coach WAS NOT A COACH. Isiah was forced to coach, to shine the turd that he wrought upon New York. Larry Brown (a somewhat decent coach) once called Curry a franchise player. Maybe a real coach can bring out his talent, offensively (and defensively, but I doubt it). I believe Marbury WILL fit in the D'Ant offense, wasn't he called the best point guard in the league (oh yeah, that was Steph) :)... I def agree Z-Bo must go, but remember this:
Donnie Walsh + Darko Milicic = Donnie Darko
yo wut up peeps!!!!!
this is a wayyyyyyyyy better blog than Marc Berman's at the New York Post site. ken berger you seem to actually have knowledge of the game compared to that hack marc berman who couldn't tell basketballs from his boyfriend's balls. GO KNICKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope the trade happens with Memphis and also hope that Darko will be part of the mix. Obviously, Darko has a lot of talent and D'Antoni could be the coach to bring out that talent and maximise his potential. I think he would fit in perfectly next to Danillo and the Knicks can play 'small' a lot with these two big guys. With 2 euro players playing next to each other, may be each will find his own comfort zone and make each other better. I just like this idea and would like to see it happen.
I proposed a similar trade on NBA Gauntlet, but giving up Curry. Seriously, why can't anyone on the Knicks get in shape? They need a stricter staff.
constant movement out of eddie curry???
not a shot.you moight want to rethink being
your constant moving guy.
all bigs can hit open jump shots in practice
that is why their in the show. games the real shooters
come out
thanks rick
Just because Coach K used a system similar to what D'antoni used in Phoenix doesn't mean he took it from him. All you have to do is look back to Duke in 2000-2001 to see how small ball was choice on his team. Carlos Boozer (PF) at Center, Shane Battier (SF) at PF, Mike Dunleavy (SF) at SF, Chris Duhon (PG) at SG, and Jason Williams (PG) at PG.
first off, again Marbury will be the starting pg of the knicks, so all you fake fans who keep penciling weak Duhon as the starting pg is in for a shocking surprise...Marbury's game is well respected in the NBA, and these are not the Isiahs and Mills looking at this roster. marbury has a clean slate from Donnie Walsh and he wants him to be the 19 and 9 superstar we acquired before Isiah's antics.
Secondly Eddy Curry and DuckWorths games are Night and DAY, Eddy is all Power , Duckworths was all finese.
What happened is you people listen to these idiot writers who have no history in NYC, and don't know what they're talking about when they LISTEN to Isiah say we needed a pg, no, we have one. And as fair weather and fickle you fake fans are, when Mauby puts up his numbers again, you'll have to jump back on his nuts. Incredible.
I don't care about weak ass Crawford talking, he's a volume shooting bum, I'd take Micheal Redd any day over Crawloser.
You youngsters that post, don't know what you speak of, and you let this young writer tell you his take, which doesn't matter a whole lot to the knicks, he's just a bum reporter on a third rate newspaper. Marbury, who cares what stupid feelings you made for him, He's the only baller I trust on the Knicks, the rest of those bums have nothing. Q has been stealing money. The two real stars on the team Zach and Marbury are who you fake fans want gone. stupid