Yes! and the Foul

Praying that the 2010 plan pays off

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How Plan B became more exciting than Plan A

Jul 21

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter, NBA Talk, Recaps | 1 Comment

So much has been written about “The Decision,” but with some time to reflect, what still sticks out is the spectacular fall from grace that James underwent.  Never has an athlete’s image been tarnished more quickly without a major off-court drama occuring (think Tiger, Kobe, OJ, or Michael Vick) than James’s image.  Lebron didn’t commit any crimes except to disappoint all of us who thought he could be Michael Jordan 2.0.   If anything—and Jordan reflected on this recently—James joining his friends is what the NBA is all about these days: being buddies before competitors.  Thank god for dudes like Kobe and KG.  Wait, did I just write that?!

Strangely enough, during the season, as early as January, I actually thought Lebron would end up in Miami.  Tip of the hat to me!  But, I must admit by the end of the season I finally started to believe New York might be the place if it wasn’t Cleveland. I probably changed my mind daily on what would happen.

Personally, I struggled all season with the idea that Lebron on my Knicks was a good thing.  Yeah, he’s an once in a generation player.  But the fame-whoring, self-marketing, sideline dancing, the nail-biting…  I just don’t think I’d have an easy time rooting for him with my heart.

Instead James, Wade and Bosh have created a team that fans will love to hate.  Almost like the Dallas Cowboys.  It’ll give people a rooting interest, even if it’s just to root against something.  It will give us the most hated team in the NBA since the Riley-era Knicks.  How ironic.

Fortunately, and I sincerely mean it, Lebron isn’t on my Knicks.  With the signing of Amar’e and unforeseen Randolph acquisition, Donnie Walsh was masterful in recreating this team and giving us a season to look forward to.  I rate the summer an A- instead of an A+ only because there wasn’t a PG on the market who is truly perfect for Seven Seconds or Less.

To start, Amar’e was the cream of the free agent, big man crop.  The only true max contract big man out there.  No available player (Lebron and Wade aside) puts fear into the minds of opposing defenses the way Amare does.  I know there are health concerns, but I truly think they are overblown since none of the injuries are recurring.  And, I know Amar’e will miss Steve Nash, but it can be said that Nash will miss Amar’e, too.  In Amar’e, the Knicks finally have one of the top ten players in the league.

Additionally, Amar’e is one of the few players out there confident enough to crave the New York spotlight and the responsibility of being a team leader.  After being considered the second best player on the Suns, he has a big chip on his shoulder and wants to prove he’s in the same class as Lebron or Wade.  He actually wants the challenge of New York and as a fan you have to love it.  Amar’e promises to be the most popular and spectacular Knick since Latrell Sprewell.

Or, maybe he won’t because it doesn’t get more exciting than Anthony Randolph.  When it was finally becoming clear the Knicks probably weren’t getting Lebron, Walsh pulled of the best Knicks trade since Charles Oakley for Marcus Camby.  Instead of losing Lee for nothing in free agency, he pulled of a coup and managed a sign and trade to land Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azuibuke, and Ronny Turiaf (as well as two second round picks).

Physically, Randolph is like a longer version of Kevin Durant. He has the blocking ability of Marcus Camby and potentially the all around game of Scottie Pippen.  Or maybe Kevin Garnett with a handle.  He’s just freaky.  If he can manage to become a consistent outside threat and keep his head screwed on straight, he will be a perennial all-star.

Azuibuke and Turiaf are also welcome addtions.  Buke shoots an excellent percentage from three and plays excellent defense.  Turiaf bring a lot of spirit, defense, and blocking and is a legit center who can play alongside Amar’e.  All three ex-Warriors will give the Knicks much needed scrappiness and defense.

Then Walsh addressed the Knicks lack of point guard depth by signing Ray Felton.  I’m slightly dubious on this signing, worrying about the fit for this team as well as his ability to run D’Antoni’s offense, but I can’t deny that it was a necessary move and huge upgrade over Duhon.  Felton has a reputation for being a great team leader and used to push the ball at UNC.  Charlotte seemed to stifle his game, but he blossomed in his contract year, and was clearly the best free agent guard available.  He and Toney Douglas should be a more than capable point guard tandem, though I worry that neither will excel at the pick and roll with Amar’e.

To round out free agency, the Knicks signed Russian international Timofey Mozgov, a hulking 7 foot center.  Not much is known about him, but there was some considerable buzz about him from overseas scouts.  Most didn’t realize Mozgov wanted to come to the states, and the Knicks seemingly swept in to sign him before anyone else had a chance.  Kudos to Walsh for keeping an eye on the overseas players.  I’m not expecting much from Mozgov except for some put backs and fouls, but if he can do that for 12 minutes a night and play some tough defense, he’ll prove to be a worthy signing.

Finally, the Knicks draft can’t be ignored.  Andy Rautins and Landry Fields were universally panned as draft picks.  But, the Knicks sensibly got guys who fit this team, instead of reaching for fools gold.  The Fields pick in particular got killed, but Fields excelled in summer league and is already making Walsh look smart.  Rautins didn’t find his shot during summer league, but promises to be a three point threat once he gets in the flow of the NBA game and used to the three point line.  Additionally, Walsh picked up Jerome Jordan, a solid if underwhelming 7-footer who should give the Knicks additional presence in the paint moving forward.  It has to be said that Walsh picked up three guys in the second round who could be limited contributors this season.

Baring injuries, here’s how I see the Knicks depth chart this season (with average minutes in parenthesis):

PG: Felton (34) / Douglas (14) / Rautins (-)
SG: Azuibuke (24) / Chandler (14) / Douglas (10) / Walker (-)
SF: Gallo (32) / Chandler (10) / Randolph (6) / Fields (-)
PF: Amare (38) / Randolph (10)
C: Turiaf (24) / Randolph (16) / Mozgov (8) / Jordan (-) / Curry (-)

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And so it begins

May 14

Posted by YesandtheFoul in NBA Talk, Recaps | 5 Comments

The LaBacle is complete.  The Celtics, the best defense in the league, pull it out in game 6 and defeat Lebron James, the best player in the NBA.  But the story will continue to be Game 5 of the Cleveland-Celtics series—perhaps the most curious performance in modern NBA history.  The media hysteria surrounding Lebron’s uncharacteristic performance has been unparalleled.  Perhaps the only other playoff controversy I can compare it to, at least in terms of volume, is when Jordan took off to Atlantic City against the Knicks in the 1993 playoffs.  Just like that scenario, the whole sports world questioned Jordan’s commitment to his team and, ridiculously in retrospect, winning.  Now everyone is questioning if Lebron is a winner.

Lebron has been expected to be a one man show.  And despite all the cliched calls from fans and media that “it’s all about team”, clearly that doesn’t apply to Lebron.  Everyone wanted Lebron to prove he could do it all by himself.  Jordan was long considered a one man show who had to learn how to play team ball.  But, in reality, Lebron has never had 2 teammates half as good as Pippen and Rodman.  Or a coach as good as the often ridiculed Phil Jackson.  Lebron’s teams have simply leaned on him too much and taken all their cues from him.

Fans expected Lebron to simply be able to will his team to a championship.  Just like Jordan did.  Just like Isiah.  Just like Magic or Larry.  But it’s ridiculous.  Basketball has proven time and again to be a team game.  You can say that Hakeem has probably won it all with the least.  But, even he had a team that rose to the occasion.  A team perfectly built to complement Hakeem with are barrage of 3 pointers and great defense.  And, just think how preposterously clutch and nasty Sam Cassell was.  That team had verve.

This Cavs team, Verajao aside, had nothing of the sort.  Shaq was simply old and slow, not to mention withdrawn and distant.  Jamison was destroyed by KG and never gelled with teammates.  Mo Williams had some offensive moments but was destroyed by Rondo.  What was Lebron supposed to do with this cast of characters?

Plain and simple: No one-man-show can do it against what has to be considered the best defensive team in the league for three years running.  Jordan, Kobe, Magic, Larry… none of these guys with this Cavs cast would’ve got by this Celtics team.  It reminds me of a young Jordan being unable to get by the Pistons.

And, it’s not just about this season.  For seven years Lebron hasn’t had a strong enough cast of characters around him.  Nor has he had a cast properly built around him.

So why should he NOT leave Cleveland?!

I’m finally coming around to the fact that Lebron to NY has a real chance of happening.  Forget the latest hot talk about Chicago being the new front runner to land Lebron.  The Jordan shadow is way too strong.  And, really, Chicago just isn’t as exciting as NY from a lifestyle, celebrity and potential money making perspective. And, about all of this Callipari talk, give me a break.

If the Knicks can get Bosh with Lebron, they’d be looking pretty nasty.  Here is your 2010 super-optimistic Knicks depth chart:

PG: LeBron James / Toney Douglas / Sergio Rodriguez (??)
SG: Wilson Chandler / Billy Walker
SF: Danilo Gallinari /
PF: Chris Bosh / Jarvis Varnado (with the 38th pick)
C: Eddy Curry (who magically gets healthy since he’s playing for a contract, the Knicks won’t suck and Lebron is here) / Earl Barron / Artsiom Parakhouski (with the 39th pick)

That’s 11 dudes, with my draft selections, and including Sergio Rodriguez who I’m not too high on keeping.  So here are some potential low cost free agents to round it out:

SF, PF, C:  Tim Thomas – I know that’s weird, but he’s versatile, smart, played well for D’antoni and can probably be had for the minimum.
C, PF: Louis Amundson – Phoenix is going to break the bank to keep Amare, and they have Robin Lopez who starts.  He’d be a nice Verajao-like piece and I have a hard time imagining him get anything more than mid-level money.
PG: Luke Ridnour – Can shoot, and push the pace.  Alongside LBJ his small size and lack of athleticism wouldn’t be exploited.
SG: Kyle Korver – For one obvious reason.  3pt % this year .536.

Here are the other prospective free agents: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FreeAgents-10-11

Pretty impressive.  It all starts to feel possible.

I think the scariest scenario is still the Nets winning the draft and getting John Wall.  With the new Russian billionaire owner (who’d love to open up the Russian market to Lebron and teach him the ways of a billionaire), actually being in the NY market, a ton of cap space, a studly young center, and a tradeable asset in Devin Harris, New Jersey is potentially more attractive than anywhere else.  But, here’s hoping the Nets don’t land the top pick.

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Is David Lee better than…?

Feb 11

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter, Recaps | No Comments

During Tuesday’s miserable loss (or comical loss if you’ve stopped taking the Knicks playoff aspirations seriously), my buddy asked me if I thought Mike D’Antoni is a good coach.  I said, “Definitely, he just doesn’t have that much to work with.  Plus the 2010 situation doesn’t do him any favors.”  The Knicks went on to blow the game with remarkably poor execution down the stretch (First, Duhon dribbling out the shot clock for a last second fadeaway three that missed and forced overtime.  Second, Jared Jeffries hoisting a 3 in OT when behind by 2 with 30 secs left, in some desperate attempt to get a 2 for 1).

But, still I can’t help but think it’s the players inability to execute more than it’s D’Antoni.  There’s NO way D’Antoni drew up those above mentioned plays.  The plays breakdown too easily because D’Antoni doesn’t have a guy out there who commands a double-team, and actually in this case had 2 players on the court (JJ and Du) who are so offensively inept that defenses can’t just sag off them and dare them to beat them.  But, really who else is Mike going to put on the court?  Hill played poorly in the 1st half.  Gallo injured his arm.  Yes, the Knicks should have found Chandler somehow on those plays, and I think those plays were designed to eventually get the ball in his hands, but Chandler was a marked man and didn’t get himself open. Coach has to work with what he’s got and that ain’t much.

I guess the toughest indictments I can make about D’Antoni is: 1) He treats his players like adults who can choose to self-motivate or not.  I actually think this is a good thing and like this about coach, but it isn’t the best approach for this team.  But, that’s just the way it is.  He isn’t an emotional galvanizer like Pat Riley, whose players I’m sure were convinced he’d strike them down with a thunderbolt if they didn’t give it 110%. And, 2) The short rotation bites him in the ass when his team isn’t playing well.  He runs himself out of options.

Anyway the discussion led to some thoughts I’ve been having about David Lee, whose emergence as a team leader (mostly in his own eyes it seems) has coincided with the Knicks’ downward spiral.  Despite his gaudy offensive numbers, Lee’s defensive effort has been abysmal.  He’s getting killed on the defensive glass.  He absolutely refuses to take a hard foul to prevent a basket.  He doesn’t make life the least bit difficult for his man, being unable or unwilling to stay in front of his man or play physical defense.  And, I have to think it’s ‘unwillingness’ considering his ability to attack the offensive glass.  Basically, Lee saves his effort for the offensive end of the floor, and doesn’t want to take fouls because he doesn’t want to risk being taken off the court.

His constant bitching and moaning clearly doesn’t do him any favors either with the refs or his teammates.  Lee’s constantly complaining to refs after every miss, after ever foul called on him, just everything.  Half the time he gets beat down court because of his incessant whining.  It just reeks of a player who thinks he’s better than he is and is more entitled than he is.  And, additionally, for a dude who bitches, he never bitches on behalf of his teammates.  For example, say Jared Jeffries steps in front of someone for a charge (something Lee would never do), and gets called for a defensive foul instead.  Lee never advocates for his teammates or challenges the refs for decisions if he isn’t directly involved in the play.  Think Rasheed Wallace (complainer-in-chief) is going to keep his mouth shut when that happens.  No way.  He’s going to let the ref know it.  But, he’s also letting his teammates know it, too. When a guy only complains for his own plays it makes you think he’s only looking out for himself.  And, Lee really seems to be playing with an attitude that says, “I’m getting my numbers so it isn’t my fault if we lose.”

But, despite all of this, yes, Lee’s the best player on the team.  And if Lee is the best player on your team, how good can your team really be?  I asked my buddy, “On what other team in the league would David Lee be the best player on the team?”  It’s pretty grim, but let’s go down the list for sub-.500 teams:

  • Nets (4-48) – best player who has played (not including injured players) – Is Lee better than Brook Lopez?  It’s close, but Yes (1 vote).
  • Minny (13-40) – Al Jefferson or Kevin Love.  Is Lee better?  No.
  • GS (14-37) – Is Lee better than Monta Ellis?  No.
  • Sacramento (18-34) – Is Lee better than Tyreke Evans?  No.
  • Washington (17-33) – Is Lee better than Antoine Jamison? No.
  • Indiana (18-34) – Is Lee better than Danny Granger? No.
  • Detroit (18-33) – Is Lee better than Ben Gorden? Yes (2 votes)
  • Knicks (19-32)
  • Philly (20-32) – Is Lee better than Andre Iguadala? No.
  • Clips (21-31) – Is Lee better than Chris Kaman? No.
  • Milwaukee (24-27) – Is Lee better than Andrew Bogut? No.
  • Chicago (25-26) – Is Lee better than Derek Rose? Nope.
  • Miami (26-27) – Is Lee better than DWade?  Nuh uh.

So, basically, there are 2 other teams that Lee would be the best player on.  ONLY 2!  Considering that in the NBA success is largely driven by the talent you have on the floor, the Knicks are probably overperforming with the 8th worst record in the league.  So let’s give coach D’Antoni a break, because he’s has the Knicks playing a lot better than we should’ve expected.

UPDATE: Howard Beck at the Times has a similar take on the Knicks lack of talent: Knicks Find That Talent Is Hard to Beat [ NY Times ].  Good read, as always.

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No margin for error. And if the Nets win the draft

Jan 29

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Hypotheticals, Knicks Banter, Recaps | No Comments

Game recap

Another spirited loss for the Knicks last night against the Raptors.  I actual felt my excitement and anxiety levels budge while watching the second half.  What did I take away from it all?

  • The Knicks need a true floor general or leader.  I’ve said it before, but there needs to be someone asserting his will on the game and team.  Coach D didn’t even bother with a lifeless Duhon in the 4th, and instead went with Nate, and let Nate be Nate.  Which meant some great one on one play by Nate and even a few good passes, but a gradual deteriation in the offensive flow.  Like last season, what other options does Mike have but to let his players be themselves?
  • Speaking of deteriorating offensive flow…  Al Harrington.  Kudos on trying to tough it out, especially with Jared Jeffries injured, but Al also managed to pour a vat of glue into the Knick offensive machine.  And having him as the fall back option on the last play was not what I’d have drawn up.  Why not get the ball to Lee as the fall back on that play?
  • We missed Jared Jeffries in the second half defensively.  JJ would’ve been able to double down more effectively on Bosh and also would’ve defended the 3 at the top of the circle.  If he’s out for long, that’ll be the final nail in the playoff coffin.
  • As for Bosh, his battle with Lee was great.  That was some old school, nasty basketball going on.  It was almost like Bosh had had enough of Lee besting him in previous games and decided he was going to show Lee what a real max player is all about.  Lee more than held his own, though Bosh made some great blocks and defensive plays in the fourth to win the battle.  Last night might have been one of the first games where I thought, “wow, maybe Chris Bosh is on ‘that’ level.”

The very different implications for the Knicks if the Nets or Twolves win the John Wall Sweepstakes

As of last night, the Knicks hold the 9th worst record in the league.  Or, we could say the Jazz are holders of the 9th pick in the 2010 draft.  Knicks fans can feel pretty comfortable that our squandered pick, the last remnant of the Isiah/Marbury era (Jeffries and Curry contracts aside), will not turn into John Wall.  Unfortunately, there is a real good chance (25% of the pingpong balls) that the Nets may win the Wall lottery.  And, if that happens, the Knicks may be truly screwed.

Imagine this absolute horror scenerio (for Knicks fans).  The Nets concede they are going nowhere fast and decide they are sellers leading up to the trade deadline.  The obvious bait is Devon Harris, who amazingly has a somewhat untarnished reputation despite how terrible the Nets are.  At 9 mil per thru 2013, Harris might be enticing enough to a team that realizes they aren’t getting in on any game-changing free agents this summer.  Somehow the Nets pull a “Suns trading the Knicks Marbury” and trade Harris for expiring contracts.  By doing this the Nets will have roughly $34 mil in cap space this summer (whereas the Knicks will have about $24 mil).   They’ll be the only team that can lock up 2 completely maxed out players.

Fast forward.  The Nets (with 25% of the ping pong balls) win the lottery.  John Wall is the clear pick.  Maybe the most obvious number one pick since… Lebron James.  Oh boy.  Is John Wall enough of a foundation for Lebron and a BFF to come to the Nets.  I think it just might.   Here is the Nets potential starting line-up in 2010:  Wall / James / Yi / Bosh / Lopez.  That’s pretty frightening.

And what if the Timberwolves win the John Wall lottery?  This could be a dream for the Knicks.  Since they’d HAVE to pick Wall, they’d be forced to trade Flynn, Rubio, or Sessions — Rubio being the most likely candidate.  I imagine the Knicks chances of landing Rubio improves greatly if Wall lands on the Twolves.  And, effectively, landing Rubio may make it easier to attract the free agents we are making space for.

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The problem with moral victories, and the absolute need for a PG (…named Rubio)

Jan 25

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter, Recaps | No Comments

Watching the game against the Lakers on Friday, I couldn’t help but feel that the Knicks had achieved a moral victory of some sort. The Knicks went shot for shot and blow for blow against the best team in the league. Neither team had more than a 6 point lead until the 4th quarter.  It wasn’t until the 4th quarter that the inevitable occurred.  Pau Gasol asserted himself in the paint and subsequently disposed of Lee, Jeffries and Chandler, who all took turns trying to D up the big man.  Heck, even when the loss was apparent, I felt okay about the Knicks’ overall effort and moxie.  I didn’t even mind David Lee getting repeatedly denied by Gasol (who blocked or altered numerous shot attempts) in the fourth.  At least the Knicks attacked.  At least the Knicks fought and gave the Lakers—and the fans—all they had.

It was a strangely satisfying loss. I even thought about writing a post entitled “If ever there were a moral victory…”

And then the Dallas loss happened. And, yes, it felt like a punch in the face.

But, really, should it have? The aberration was the fact that the Knicks were able to stick to the Lakers as well as they did with the same lineup, and with the kind of PG play the Knicks have been getting out of Chris Duhon.  Somehow it feels like the moral victory against the Lakers blew up in their faces.  The Knicks came out chemistry-less, passive and overconfident and it resulted in the most embarrassing loss of the season.

The most remarkable part of the Dallas game was that Jared Jeffries had 14 points in the first half. But, even that makes some sense if you think about it because no team in their right mind actually D’s up JJ. It just so happened that yesterday, Jeffries, in some Bizarro World vortex, knocked down his first half chances. While Dallas gave non-threats Jeffries and Duhon space, they intelligently suffocated Lee, Chandler, and Gallo who were all taken out of their games.

After the first half, it seemed a gift to be down only 16.  I figured the Knicks would come out with spark after an embarrassing first half and make it a game.  Nope.  Duhon once again looked like he was playing a pick up game after being awake for 72 straight hours, clumsily turning the ball over and missing shots.  Barea effortlessly drove around him time and again on the pick and roll, while it never occured to Lee and Chandler come over and help, and maybe knock him on his ass to at least make life a little bit difficult for Dallas.  Drew Gooden played as if he had a vendetta against David Lee, blocking his shot and dominating him as if he were Pau Gasol. And symmetry in the universe was restored when Jeffries missed layups and had rebounds bouncing of the back of his head.

Anyway, it’s easy to blow this loss out of proportion.  But what is absolutely crystal clear, and what can’t be exaggerated is just how desperately Mike D’Antoni needs to bench Chris Duhon — NOW.  I don’t care if Nate is injured.  I don’t care if we need to make a D-league call up.  Duhon is crippling this team in a way that puts the rest of the season in jeopardy.  Every fan in the Knicks’ universe sees this.  Literally, every fan.   It’s simply too much for the Knicks (who start Jeffries and Duhon) to begin every half of basketball 3 on 5 on the offensive end.  And, I can actually live with JJ out there.  He’s our defensive stalwart and he manages to deflect enough balls and keep things fluid on the offensive end.  But, Duhon may single-handedly be sinking the Knicks hopes of competitiveness all by himself.

Which leads us to Marc Berman teasing us with this: Knicks president Walsh still has eyes on Rubio.  Really, teasing us with any hope of landing Ricky Rubio, especially now, is downright cruel.  But, if there is ANY way for the Knicks to pull this off without trading Gallo, I still maintain that if must be done.

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