Knicks 114, Kings 90
SACRAMENTO – The Knicks opened a three-game West Coast jaunt last night here and accomplished something they haven’t done in almost two years: win a road game in California.
Al Harrington, who continued his torrid scoring pace since joining the Knicks, had 33 points in a 114-90 win over the struggling Kings. It was the first win in the Golden State since a 107-106 win over the Lakers on Feb. 13, 2007.
More notably, the Knicks (11-12) are now 2-1 on the road against the West after going winless in all 15 games out West last season.
Harrington, who is averaging 25.5 points per game in 10 games with the Knicks, said the D'Antoni system is "perfect for me" and then dared to start talk of a post-season run.
“We’re really locked in on trying to make the playoffs," he said. "That’s very real. That could be in our future.”
D'Antoni is focusing a little more in the present. Though Quentin Richardson missed the game with flu-like symptoms, last night's game was the closest D'Antoni has come to having a full roster since the Nov. 21 trades that shook up the roster.
“We have the potential to be really good offensively," D'Antoni said. "We’re trying to get good defensively . . . We can get a lot better than this, but it’s a good start.”
It was a great start last night, as it looked to be a laugher after a 43-point explosion in the first quarter, which fell two points shy of tying the franchise record for points in the opening quarter. The Knicks, who shot a blistering 75 percent from the field in the quarter, exploded out of the gate with a 31-15 lead against a noticeably flat Sacramento team that played the night before against the Lakers in Los Angeles. But even without star guard Kevin Martin (ankle), Reggie Theus very much on the hot seat here and the Kings (6-18) could soon wind up the sixth NBA team to make a coaching change this season.
David Lee had 17 points and 19 rebounds for the Knicks, who play the Phoenix Suns on Monday in D'Antoni's first game against his former team.
John Salmons led the Kings with 14 points and Beno Udrih had 13 points and six assists.
The Knicks led by as many as 28 points in the second quarter but, as we’ve seen before this season, found themselves in a much tighter game in the third. The Kings, with a much more concerted effort on defense, rallied to cut it to a 12-point deficit after a layup by Jason Thompson with 2:06 to go.
But then, as an NBA commercial might say, Al Harrington happened. The 6-9 forward scored 11 straight points, including back-to-back threes with 49.5 seconds left and 32.8 seconds left that devastated the Kings comeback hopes. Nate Robinson capped the quarter with another three, with 1.9 seconds left, to give the Knicks a 93-71 advantage going into the fourth.
"Al really saved us," D'Antoni said.
And D'Antoni saved Jerome James' season. After some prodding by the bench, D'Antoni finally agreed to send the 7-1, 320-pound center into the game with 3:51 left and the Knicks comfortably ahead by 23 points. The bench exploded with delight when a wide-smiling James pulled off his warmups and jogged to the scorer's table. He checked in for Harrington.
“These guys know how much I love the game," said James, who made his first appearance of the season and first since Jan. 21 last season. "The know how disappointed I’ve been that I don’t quite fit this system. But they know I still want to play. It’s what we all live for . . . So my teammates saw there was an opportunity for me to get in and they championed it. I appreciate the guys having my back like that because I definitely have their back. You see me every game, I’m cheering for them, I’m hype. I’m living through them. So when I get out there, I’m happy they’re doing that for me too.”
Nate Robinson, who had 19 points in his first game back from a groin injury, thoroughly enjoyed it. "He hasn't played in like three years," Robinson said. "He got in and it was a lot of fun and good to see."
D'Antoni, who has been reluctant to use James in a mascot role late in blowouts, said he appreciated how the players campaigned for their teammate and cheered him on and he marveled at how tight this group of players have become.
“It’s because they care for each other," he said. "I think going into the locker room, for me, it’s great. You’ve got eyes on you, everybody’s looking at you, they’re happy and glad to be there and they’re playing hard. That’s all I could ask for. It’s fun to be around guys that care about each other and it showed tonight in a lot of different ways."
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Comments (34)
Now if only every Knicks game was as dominant. Great to see a blowout in the Knicks favor, in person.
Good yappin' with ya Alan!
Brian from Sacto
I don’t get to hang out here as often as I’d like these days. And I find the David Lee debate a little tedious. The problem is, everybody is right, on some levels. No, he’s not a super-star. But he’s certainly no bum. (I won’t even address the character assassination side of things. It’s just not worthy of this blog, guys. Take that crap outside. Nobody is interested in - or amused by - insults. That’s not why we come here.)
My take on Lee: Of course he’s not a guy you build a team around. But if I had a team that was getting close to contending for a title, I would love to have him on it.
Does he start on a contending team? Probably not . . . yet. But he can anchor a second unit. And see, I’m also not convinced he can’t continue to improve. It’s true, he seemed to plateau after his rookie season. But who wasn’t in a funk on this team for a few years? You gotta believe he’s coming alive again under the new regime. (Tonight’s line of 17/19 is no longer a fluke.)
I just know every time I watch a team win the NBA finals, invariably one or two guys come off the bench and keep making big plays when the team needs them. I can see David Lee playing that role on a second unit for somebody. Look at the role players on the Celtics last year, and how well they played. Then look at how the Lakers bench let them down. C’mon, I don’t have to lecture on the value of role players.
So what’s the debate? Is anyone here saying Lee isn’t even a good role player? C’mon . . he’s a hustle guy, who is as good as anybody in the league at some things, who also has flaws in his game. Clearly, a lot of teams want him. Is he untouchable? Nobody on this team is untouchable. Would I love to keep him? You bet.
Also, the above was written before I read Alan’s new blog. I’m still a little shocked by the new attitude on this team, not to mention the fact that they’re one game under .500. I don’t even want to think about the playoffs. Frankly, without a first-round pick in 2010, and an AWOL lottery pick from this year . . . I think we need a quality, lottery player from one more draft. But look at the difference between the team now and the team a year ago. The difference in talent isn’t huge. For the most part it’s attitude and coaching. Wow. Has Coach of the Year ever had a .500 team?
The racists on this blog are Trane, pverne, Scott, Marburys Agent and Alan Han.
@ sec11rowH
No. You can stick it. Lees boards and points did not have anything to do with it. The Knicks would have won anyway. The sucking sound is your mom.
another lousy super-hyped contributions by DLee
against bigger & taller Kings' frontline.
19 bounds and 17 pts.
coach mike d should bench Lee for not getting 20-20
last night
Big Al put on a clinic against the dismal lottery bound Kings. I hope they don't get Stephen Curry. But I think they need everything else.
Nate wasn't great. I still think he is best suited off the bench for energy.
Now this match up with the Suns scares me. David Lee is good but can't defend Shag fu.
Stoudmire on Chandler. If he holds him down I give him defensive player of the year in his second year.
Richardson on Richardson ? I don't know.
Nash vs Duhon. Past vs. Present OK nice story line.
Ok. The Suns role-players are human with an aging Grant Hill and Matt Barnes I could deal with.
If we win either game in Phx or LA I would be surprised. Emotions for D'Antoni on Monday.
Big Poppa is that Babbling Baboon who
Predicted that Knicks Will Only win 19 Games this Season
Right After the Trade.
Only 8 more wins to go Between Now and Spring.
BB is right, Barkley should Coach this Team.
This Team is Much Better than any Knick Team the Last 5 years.
See it. Believe it. Appreciate it. If not than go Root for the Nets.
Why are some so intent on turning this into Berman's blog? Same unfunny sad soul.
@ Trane: I agree we would be better with a draft pick, but to get an impact player we would have to pick in the top six. They are so many bad teams this year, that would be tough to accomplish. Even if we tried to lose I doubt we would wind up with a worse record then the Thunder, Kings, Wizards, Grizzlies, Clippers, T'wolves, Bobcats or Golden State. Indiana is probably better than the record.
So we will pick between 10-12. With our draft history and no GM right now, why not try to make the playoffs and turn around this losing culture this year. Most of those teams above need veteran talent instead of another pick (can the Grizz or Thunder possible get any younger?) so maybe we somehow pull of a trade. Under normal circumstances a 1st round exit means nothing, maybe for a franchise that hasn't won in 7 years, it might be what it needs. I know I'm more inclined to watch the games now.
I agree with you on Danillo. Curry, James, Marbury and the Rooster are the only bad stories this season.
I was watching some Rubio clips. Kid has talent but seems he doesn't have a jump shot. For anybody who watches oversees b-ball is this observation accurate?
@K4L,
Exactly.
BiggieSmalls and Peaceman belong in Starberman’s blog.
Comments in no particular order:
* Rubio is very inconsistent with his shooting. Seems to have decent form, but his shot needs a more consisten arc.
* Lee is the type of guy any winning team would want. I would like to see some more upper body muscle and better D (both 1/1 and help) out of him, but any top 5 team would want him getting 25-30+ minutes in their rotation.
* Who would have thought that the Knicks would have to worry about not getting a top 10 pick in 2009 because of success this year. Hopefully Gallinari makes it back this year, but if he does not, we can consider him to be out 2009 first round pick. I continue to believe that if he is injury free, he will be a key component in the D'Antoni system.
* I have been stunned at what MDA has been able to do with the guys he has. Definitely on the short list for Coach of the Year at this point.
K4L – I certainly wasn’t arguing for losing intentionally to get into the lottery. I don’t believe in that. Normally, I’d rather have a lottery pick than have the privilege of getting swept in the first round. But you make good points. After all the nonsense this team has been through the last few years, a playoff run could have special meaning for these guys. And it could form a strong foundation for the players who stick around after the summer of 2010.
But let’s be clear about what this team needs. Walsh has done an amazing job clearing so much cap room. (If he can dump Curry too, I wonder if he’ll be close to being able to sign 3 max contracts? Wow.) But that’s still just 2 or 3 players. And this team needs talent up and down the roster. Maybe Danillo will eventually pay off for the team. Maybe Chandler is a keeper. I hope Lee is. But there are still a LOT of slots to fill. And some of that will become relevant once Walsh and D’Antoni start romancing free agents in 18 months. They’re going to look at who’s on the team. Even if Lebron wants to come to New York, you gotta wonder if he’ll want to build another team.
Frankly, I think the summer of 2010 can be a home run for the Knicks (sorry about the mixed sports metaphor) if Lebron never leaves Cleveland. Walsh can still stock the team with all-stars. We know that’s going to happen. Walsh will open Dolan’s checkbook – Yankees style – and we’ll do fine in the free agent market. I think an even bigger concern at this point is, who else will be on the team?
(Submission errors: 3 and counting . . . )
Trane,
Getting rid of Curry will not net us a 3rd FA, but would allow us to resign Lee and Nate without cutting into the 2010 plan of 2 max FA's.
i think lee has become a very good hedge defender on the pick and roll. As for 1 on1 defending, I'm not sure what more you want from a guy who is a pf by trade but has to defend a center every night. I mean even an average to below average center like Hawes is 2-3 inches and 20+ pounds bigger then him. As for outside shooting, when exactly is he in a shooting position on the court. He is always setting picks and if he rolls and gets it, he correctly goes hard to the basket for better or worse. Don't you want him going hard to the basket looking for contact rather then shooting a 15-17 footer he probably has little confidence in.
Trane: a good team plays 7 or 8 players. If, a big if, we sign Lebron (or Wade), Bosh, and a mid-level guy (Nash), and have Lee, Nate, Harrington, Duhon, Danillo and Chandler. That would be a solid core. Plus we have two second round (low salary) picks this year, one next year and a mid first round pick (modest salary) this year.
That is why I think getting these draft picks right is so crucial. SA is successful because of getting Duncan (no brainer) but also building around him successfully by finding gems late in the 1st round (Parker, Manu, etc.). This is a dream scenario but getting rid of Curry's salary could make it possible. Problem is how much money Lee and Nate demand. Does Chandler continue to develop, and does Danillo ever play and ever live up to the hype. We could potentially package our two second round picks to SA or PHX for their first round pick, or Denver's who fear going over the cap. We can get talent on the team, the key was doing what Walsh did dumping high salaries.
Seriously. The chances of ANYONE taking on Cupcake Eddy in a trade are less zero.
he is fat, lazy and doesnt want to even try to get in shape and improve his game. D'Antoni hates him and he will be on the bench in a suit until his 11.2 comes off in 2011/12
@Trane-
Lee's skills should be paid around 6-7 mil a year. That is reasonable As someone said in the previous thread its a shame that teams over pay for RFAs but its a fact of life. Good teams move their RFAs for value before they get priced out. You know his price will be ten plus in the off season.
In watching last nites game it is amazing that Lee is the only Knick under the boards on misses. It seems whenever a shot goes up everyone else releases and Lee is there to fight for the bound.. 27% of the boards is nuts.
@K4L
If, a big if, we sign Lebron (or Wade), Bosh, and a mid-level guy (Nash), and have Lee, Nate, Harrington, Duhon, Danillo and Chandler
The math doesnt work to keep all these unless you can perform Magic and get rid of Curry.. With his bad ticker there is NO WAY anyone takes him. Not even in a package with Lee because the acquiring team has to extend or sign Lee so Eddy and Lee will take up 20+ mil of 2010/11 dollars.
We have to shed more $$$ or we will never pair LeBron with another Whale.
Assuming you keep the rights to Duhon/AH that will hold 19.2 mil against the 10/11 cap.
ill got thru the numbers.. id you want but its the fact.
"With our draft history and no GM right now, why not try to make the playoffs and turn around this losing culture this year."
@Knicks4Life,
The NY Knicks have a GM, his name is Mr. Donnie Walsh. Suggest you look into that you pretentious blowhard. Mr. Walsh has had NOTHING to do with the Knicks ‘draft history’, just like he had nothing to do with the Knicks championship in 73…suggest you figure that out as well.
For someone who whines INCESSANTLY, about the tone of this blog’s comments, your lame ass passive aggresive musings aren't fooling anyone who took Pysch 101 as a freshman. So please, either STFU or be a man…pick one.
Garsh...in the meantime, I'm just GUESSING, that the NY Knicks will continue to try and WIN every game they play, and not be calculating how the difference between a 7 or 11 pick might impress the delusional desires of a smug fantasy GM.
- Cheers to David Lee for 17 points and 19 rebounds with a back that's probably still sore. He made you forget that Sacto had two or more 7-footers on the floor for most of the game. The frontcourt as a whole did a nice job forcing Miller and Hawes to either score from outside or put the ball on the floor, and neither of those two ever got into the flow of the game.
http://www.postingandtoasting.com/2008/12/14/692160/knicks-114-kings-90
lots of infighting in the blog comments. it's a shame.
we're all knick fans.
anyway, back to hahn's post-- a feel-good knicks story. crazy times, indeed.
"lots of infighting in the blog comments. it's a shame.
we're all knick fans."
You would think a true Knick fan would show some respect for Mr. Walsh, Mr. D'Antoni, and Mr. Lee at this point.
@Marbury's Agent
How do you manage to type while fluffing theKnicks players and management?
Seriously man. . Ease up on the filating.. It's ok to critisize the team
K4L/JQ – that all sounds pretty good to me. And the fact is, even if we don’t seduce Lebron away from Cleveland, we’ll still get two premier players. And so, what we look like in camp in 2010 becomes very much a matter now of juggling all those other salaries and contracts. But it sure looks to me like Walsh has a master plan for all of this. And you can’t fault him so far. (Except maybe for the draft pick. But you can’t flunk him on that . . . yet. At this point, it’s gotta be an Incomplete.)
AND the team is already fun to watch. Who would have guessed that was possible so early in the season?
BTW - $6/7 mil for Lee? I don’t know. I guess it sounds right. It’s so crazy what’s happened with salaries. I wouldn’t even pretend to know what’s “fair” here . . .
Submission errors: 3 . . . and counting.
I can't/won't respond to someone who lacks the intellect to understand the difference between a team president and GM. Basketball obviously isn't your thing, go argue baseball with Fire Omar, your done here.
Trane and John Q: good basketball discussion. This is what this blog should be about. Lee is probably going to be closer to $10 mil than $6 mil. Teams like Memphis will probably make him an offer. Good thing for the Knicks is, any team that signs him will be affecting their own money in 2010.
Biggie: Lee is a better rebounder than you are giving him credit for. He was dominating the boards yesterday against a big team thanks in large part to his ability to box out. Lee is just a great rebounder, regardless of whether there are other players around him, but yes with other big flaws in his game. btw players can release and ignite a fast break because Lee and Harrington have been taking care of the boards. Our guards don't have to crash as much.
Let see.
1. Harrington is our 4
2. Lee is our 5 until (or if) we get a real center.
3. Chandler is our 3.
4. Robinson is out new starting 2
5. Duhon is the PG.
Questions:
If we eventually get a shock blocking big man, who sits? Lee or Harrington?
Does Lee become the 4 and Harrington the 3? If we move Harrington to the 3
what happens to Chandler?
Can Gallinari play the 2 for a while when he returns?
No question Lee is a great rebounder... It is amazing though how bad BRad Miller looked... I dont want him anywhere near this team.. Totally wrong...
I.S. .. I liked the 4 forward lineup they had out there.. with Chandler at the 2... with Gallo's handle he can definitely help in the distribution department.
I think with Coach D 2/3/4/5 are interchangeable on the offensive side. it is really 4 wings and a point. You'll have AH, Gallo, Q, Lee, Tiny Tim, Nate, Ill Will and JJ all getting time in mixes and matches and Duhon getting the distributor minutes
@John Q: Tell me a way how Lee and N8 stay on the Knicks team without them accepting a one year deal. They will get offers which the Knicks will not match. So, if Curry is off the books, there will be enough cap space to sign 3 players and then resign the free agents that we want to keep.
I do like both Lee and N8 and want them to remain on the team. But they are becoming RFAs at the wrong time.
IF Curry is off the books we can sign TWO PLAYERS not Three.,
But that is the biggest IF ever.. Curry is NOT getting traded... No one wants him at any price.
When Curry is traded I'm gonna play that funky music! Play that funky music white boy. Lay down and boogie and play that funky music till Heri dies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyLhdPSkU_I
1. Curry has a reputation as a lazy, unmotivated, chronically outof shape player
2. Curry plays little or no D and can do nothing but score in the low post
3. D'antoni can't stand him and will not give him any minutes
4. D'antoni's system is not condusive to Curry's game so there is no possibility if raising his value
5. Curry has a cap busting contract that will pay him 11.2 mil in 10/11
6. Most importantly, Curry has a heart condition that preciydes his contract from being insured
So don't bother practicing those moves anytime soon
Eddy Curry Game-Winning Alleyoop Dunk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks4EOAv7D1k
Uh oh.
Here comes trouble.
This guy Thall is here from Starberman's blog.
These are the type of garbage that Peaceman attracts
and brings to this site.
First he cursed out the bloghost. Then he labeled him
a racist. Peace should be banned here just like @ K.D.
Concerned,
Settle down, son. I'm just posting some youtube vids for my friends at the Knicks Fix unless you want to start something?
Eddy Curry facial on chris bosh and dunks on double team:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9U3bcl_Qpk
As big as he is he can outrun a lot of the big men. Spurs should make this trade when Curry gets healthy!
First off. San Antonio doesnt have any salaries or players that will match off with Curry
second Popovich would quit if they brought Curry in.. Pop loves Defense and Cupcake Eddy has none.
third - San Antonio would not take on the contract as it is uninsured for Eddy's explosce heart condition.
@PretentiousBlowhardforLife
Mr. Donnie Walsh is the NY Knicks...wait for it...GENERAL MANAGER.
That means he negotiates and makes all the decisions about our players, their contracts, their trades, etc.
That also means, with input from his coach and scouts, he makes our DRAFT PICK,,,just like he did with Gallo last summer.
Sorry this is all lost on a pretentious, preening, hilariious hair splitting moron who wants to pretend their is something called a "team president" that must jsut sign the checks every two weeks and make sure no one his hitting on interns.
It is YOU who are the clueless, pompous jerk. It is YOU who have disprespected Mr. Walsh, for no other reason that your ignorant hilarious fantasy GM ego thinks it could do a better job.
There's a reason you're discussing basketball with 3 other clueless egotists, all named Peaceman, and all disrepecting the Knicks management and David Lee...
...and not actually MANAGING a basketball team.
And it's not cause you are such a great performer at whatever you do now...