The Knicks Are Playing Better, But Still Have Areas Of Concern
There is a buzz circulating around NYC as of late. For the past week, the Knicks have actually been playing some decent basketball. They’ve won three in a row and four of their last five (three of which were against winning teams). Coach Mike D’Antoni’s troops have definitely played harder and more importantly, they’ve been playing some defense. Last night against the Blazers, the Knicks forced 19 turnovers and blocked six shots. By the third quarter, New York was blowing out Portland.
Usually, the Knicks are down in the second half by double-digits and are forced to expend a ton of energy just to fight back into games. Lately, it seems they have done a better job not waiting until late into the games to show a pulse. While the Knicks have been killing it this week, I wouldn’t jump on the bandwagon just yet. There are still several areas of concern they must address before you can even start mentioning the “p word.”
Guys need defined roles: Yesterday, Dime’s Austin Burton talked about how Al Harrington has emerged as the team’s go-to-guy, but has also faced some inconsistent minutes. D’Antoni has been shuffling his rotation ever since opening night. Remember when Larry Hughes was blacklisted from the lineup for the first few games? Now it’s Nate Robinson who is racking up the DNP-CD’s. Everyone from Harrington to Toney Douglas have had undefined roles. In order for the Knicks to continue to play well, D’Antoni needs to come up with a more consistent rotation and each player should have a specific role.
They live and die by the three: The Knicks have played better D, but it seems like they rely too much on three-pointers. The Knicks are 5-2 when they shoot over 40 percent from beyond-the-arc. The Knicks are leading the league in three-point attempts at 27.6 per game and they are 7-15 this season. The team needs to find other ways to score in the half-court, whether it is more drives by Wilson Chardler and Harrington or more pick-and-rolls between Chris Duhon and David Lee. The fact that they don’t have a strong inside presence is going to hurt them as they make a push for the playoffs. Jared Jeffries plays his ass off on D, but there’s no way he’ll be able to guard guys like Dwight Howard.
The point guard situation: It’s no secret, Duhon has struggled this season. And even though I just talked about how D’Antoni has been indecisive with different players’ minutes and roles, he’s been consistent with Duhon by keeping him as the starting point guard. Duhon hasn’t shot the ball well, but does a decent job running the offense. Though he starts, he rarely finishes as D’Antoni has opted to go with Hughes down the stretch. Hughes has point guard skills but because of matchups, I’m not sure he can be the full-time point guard. I think Douglas deserves more minutes if they want him to develop. His point guard skills aren’t refined, but he plays every possession hard on both sides of the court.
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December 8th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
oww says:
a lil guy who name rhymes with grandson flemmings wouldve solved some of this
December 8th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Factman says:
Hi, I’m Factman:
Fact: 99.9% of NBA fans would not notice if Larry Huges magically disappeared form the face of the Earth. Please note the 0.1% error of this statistic, which accounts for Larry Huges and his family and friends, not including the Knickerbockers.
You’re Welcome.
December 8th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
scarboroslikechuck says:
Playoff hopes rest not in how well the knicks play, but in how much less they will suck than the bucks, sixers, bulls, and toronto.
December 8th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
LakeShow84 says:
LMAO @ Factman
Areas of concern??
Thats an understatement..
December 8th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Ekstor says:
Gerald, you’ve been getting hammered on your writing and it’s been somewhat unfair.
That said, a proofread could help you catch things like…
“USUALLY, the Knicks are ALWAYS down in the second half…”
Keep the articles coming though.
December 8th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
scotsman says:
why should d’antoni develop consistant rotations when the team is going to change significantly next year? the way i look at it is that he was brought in and told, “doesnt matter what happens this year, we want you to rebuild for 2010 free agency.”
what i see him doing is testing out different players at different positions/roles with different rotations so he knows exactly who he wants stayin on next year and what he wants them doing.
id look to see more consistent rotations come the new year but up to this point i think he is doing exactly what any new manager with a team that needs rebuilding, should be doing.
December 8th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
gup says:
If the Knicks think that Jordan Hill is not going to develop, they should offer him to the Blazers for Bayless.
December 8th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
MBE18 says:
As Knick fan, it has just been nice to see some consistency over the last week.
December 8th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Guitar Hero says:
Trade Nate+Jeffries for cap. That should be the Knicks’ priority.
Then give 80% of Duhon’s minutes to Douglas, BTW.
December 8th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
hahns says:
GUP thats a great idea- portland is in need of big men and we’re in need of jerryd bayless haha
we need to trade nate rob then…bc they’re pretty much the same player. maybe nate rob for batum? would they do that?
December 8th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
MBE18 says:
NY gets Bayless & Oberto, Washington gets Andre Miller & Jared Jeffries and Portland gets Jordan Hill and Caron Butler.
What you guys think?
Jeffries has been playing well, but it saves up money for the offseason.
Would Flip let Miller run the point and let Arenas play off the ball?
Portland gets Caron to help B-ROY/Aldridge and gets POSSIBLE front line help in Jordan Hill.
December 8th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
D. Harris says:
I’m a die hard Knicks fan and I like what I’ve seen over the past week but everyone knows that they’re just stalling until next year. My main request is that Duhon is nowhere near MSG next year and if Jeffries happens to be around that someone limits this guys 3 point attempts, really.
December 9th, 2009 at 5:03 am
Name (required) says:
absolute worst case scenario is that the Knicks win enough games to make the playoffs and management decide to bring back guys like Harrington, Lee, Hughes or Duhon. Id prefer to see them put out a lineup of Douglas, Chandler, Gallo, Hill and a bunch of D-leaguers.
December 9th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Maynard says:
Sorry, but what’s the point of this hand-wringing article? Everyone knows the Knicks are pushing all their chips in for 2010. They’re 7-15. The goal for this season is to not have to hand over the No. 1 pick to the Jazz. If they finish with 37-39 wins, that’s probably about what they can aspire to. Any of these “areas of concern” completely disappear when you have a whole new set of personnel next season. I realize when someone only goes to Knicks games and then has to figure out something to write about, this will tend to happen, but analyzing this year’s team in such a manner seems to be a pointless endeavor.