Yes! and the Foul

Finally on Team Carmelo

Archive for category Recaps

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.

Tags: , ,

Gallinari! With the facial

Jan 4

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

LOTS of interesting things going on around the league, but I’d be remiss to not begin the post with THIS!

Why, oh why, couldn’t we have had Marv Albert calling it: “OHHH, And Gallinari… with… the facial!!”

Continuing with the Marvisms: Have the Knicks ever, and I mean EVER, reached Extensive Garbage Time so early in a game?! Last night’s decimation of the Pacers was so spectacular, so ferocious, so complete that Jordan Hill, Toney Douglas, and Marcus Landry all got on the court at the beginning of the fourth quarter. D’Antoni literally could’ve pulled five random fans out of the stands to play the entire fourth quarter and the Knicks still would’ve won the game.

Quite simply, this is one of those games that gets coaches fired. Last year, the Knicks had a game in Sacramento where we steamrolled a listless Kings so embarassingly that Clyde remarked during the game, “Yeahhh, this is one of those games that gets coaches fired.” A few days later, Reggie Theus was axed.  I know Larry Legend went on the record before the game to support O’Brien, stating that it’s the players not the coach who will be the first to go, but ‘yikes’…

Meanwhile, the Knicks’ team chemistry is at real high point.  Lee, who I’ve always been weary of overrating, has been all-star calliber.  He’s stepping into his 18 foot jump shot so confidently now, hitting at such a respectable clip, that he’s adding a nasty dribble-driving dimension to his game that I didn’t know he was capable of.  Last night, he hit a turnaround J over Hibbert, where Hibbert shook his head in exasperation.

Additionally, Lee’s D has been really impressive, as has the whole team’s defensive effort galvanized by Jared Jeffries.  I don’t think it can be understated how important JJ has been to the Knicks improved play this season.  He’s going to get killed by guys like Hollinger for having a low PER, and by fans who can’t get over his awkward offensive game, but all I know is this: If I had the ball at the top of the key, the last thing I’d want to see is Jared Jeffries swinging his long ass arms wildly in my face.  Yeah, Jared had one point last night, but it was a glorious one point along with some serious disruptive defensive effort, and smart offensive play.

Chandler has also turned around his season.  Maybe his offseason surgery really set him back more than I’d recognized.  All of the sudden, he’s taking it to the hoop, posting up, shooting more foul shots than three pointers.  He deserves a lot of credit for the recent Knicks success, too.  He and Jeffries have become quite a swat team tandem, too, double-up players in the post and making opposing teams miserable.

Is there tape of Gus Johnson calling Nate Robinson’s spectacular Atlanta game?

This has to be put on YouTube.  Please.  Someone.  For now, this video sums it up pretty well.  Favorite part of the vid — at the 1:10 mark, a shot of D’Antoni screaming for Robinson to run the offense, and Nate steps up and drains a three point dagger.  Love it.

On the bell curve of NBA athleticism, Nate is clearly in the 100th percentile with Lebron James.  It’s just shocking what he can do.  But, just as rare is Nate’s ability to just go off — even after a 14 game layoff.  I do like what Mike D had to say about Nate being ready,

“We pay these guys a lot of money to stay ready,” D’Antoni said. “It’s not like, ‘Oh boy, he stayed ready.’ ”He added, “I’m glad he did it, and he should’ve done it.”

Amen.  (and, note to self, Eddy Curry).  But, this was more than being ready.  This was superhuman.

Will the Wizards void Arenas’ contract?

We all knew Gilbert was more than a little bit off, but this gun thing puts him into the Artest-a-sphere.  WTF.  Talk has it that Grunfeld is looking at ways to void Gilbert’s huge contract and I think he might be successful.  Lord knows, NO ONE is trading for Gil’s 4 years and 80 mil.   Really, I think this might have Sprewell choking Carlisimo ramifications.  The image-conscious Stern is not likely to take this lightly.

Either way, the Bullets, er Wizards, have been such a massive disappointment this year that this had to be the final nail in the “time to blow up this team” coffin.  Does Jamison land on the Cavs?  Are the Heat interested in Caron Butler?  There is some talent to be had on this team.  All we need is for one trade before the trade dominos start to fall.

Will the Sixers waive Iverson, and official enter the John Wall sweepstakes?

Speaking of waiving players contracts, apparently the Sixers can waive Iverson soon so as not to have to pay him for the remainder of the season.  Are the Sixers going to pull the plug on their season?  Will they try to get rid of massive contract holding Elton Brand, at the expense of one of their better young players?

Cavs + Knicks = Rival schools, united by fate

Finally, if the Knicks manage to keep up their good play, take advantage of a weak January schedule playing 10 of 14 games against sub-.500 teams, and sneak into the playoffs, they’d potentially have a first round clash with… drumroll… The Cavs in the first round of the playoffs.  Lebron has been laying some serious ass-wuppings on the Knicks the last few years.  But, the prospect of Lebron playing playoff basketball at MSG leads to a LOT of interesting thoughts.  Does Lebron get seduced by the awesomeness of MSG-playoff basketball?  Does Lebron decimate the Knicks so badly that Lebron asks himself, “Why would I join this sorry squad?”  Do the Knicks pull off an upset of major proportions against the Cavs, leading to Lebron thinking “If you can’t beat em, join em.”  Lets hope the Knicks make it competitive and give Lebron something to yearn for.

Tags: , , , ,

Nate goes nuclear

Jan 2

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Recaps | No Comments

That’s the Nate I remember from last year. Guess he got the message. But, really, what Nate was able to do tonight was spectacular. First game after a month, and he was absolutely unstoppable. Doing it without forcing bad shots, but keeping the whole Hawks team on their heels and constantly pressing the action. It was stunning the way he took over the game. His energy and verve are unparallelled.

Not to be overlooked. Wilson Chandler had 17 rebounds. 17!! On top of a great defensive effort. Gallo hit two huge threes in the fourth that brought the Knicks back within striking distance. And most enjoyably, watching the enthusiasm of the Knicks bench for Nate’s heroics.

Overall, the best win of the year against a quality opponent on the road.

Tags:

Is it safe to start believing in this team again?

Dec 8

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter, Recaps | 3 Comments

Holy cow!  3 game win streak.  Are the Knicks actually turning this season around?  My brain says “Be careful, you’ve been down this road before.”  But, my heart resoundingly exclaims, “We’re going to make a run for the playoffs!!!”

My favorite quote from the postgame press conference last night:

“David, he had a big block at the end,” D’Antoni said, adding with a chuckle, “I don’t think I’ve ever said that since I’ve been here.”

Amen, Mike D.

Even ESPN is jumping back on the Knicks bandwagon.  There is this untold story on TrueHoop about the Knicks players bonding on the road during an unplanned search for a decent Thanksgiving dinner.  Chris Duhon recounts that in his two years the team never did anything like this.  Never?!  Geesh.

And, this from Chris Sheridan, who sees the 8th playoff spot well within the realm of possibility with the rest of the East sputtering.

Finally, the Milwaukee Brandon Jennings have lost 7 of 8.  The savior-that-wasn’t is coming back down to earth a bit, shooting dreadfully (under 35%) in 7 of his last 8 games.  Seems opponents are figuring Jennings out a little bit.

Additionally, props to Joakim Noah for having the cajones to let shimmy shaking Lebron know that he’s being a bitch (according to Ric Bucher) for his lame antics.  Seriously.  Does it seem like Lebron’s head is swelling beyond repair?  Does he really need to be doing these Al Harrington / Mark Jackson antics?  Just seems like he’s all about putting on a show these days, and for me, his likability has been tanking.

Tags: , ,

D’Antoni is Walsh’s best asset / Knucklehead Nate

Dec 3

Posted by YesandtheFoul in Knicks Banter, Recaps | 3 Comments

I’ll start with some belated thoughts on beating the Suns:

Thanks to Andrew, I was in attendance for the Knicks win vs. the Suns — truly a bizarro world experience, as Steve Nash was turning the ball over left and right, and the Knicks were making their threes.  The only thing that kept the game close in the first quarter were a number of missed free throws, but fortunately these didn’t come back to haunt the Knicks.  Here’s what I took away from the game.

  • Larry Hughes’ 10 first quarter assist made him look like the best PG on the team.  He pushed the ball, made the easy pass, and kept his options open.  He also made sure to look for Gallinari who got off to a quick start.  All this in contrast to Duhon who shuts down the first option (to run), and only seems to look for David Lee in the post.
  • D’Antoni (and Hughes) exploited Amare’s terrible defense, perfectly.  Throughout the first quarter, the Knicks were running plays to get the ball inside, with Hughes often finding players in the paint for WIDE open layups.  Amare looks incredibly lost on the defensive end.  As bad as Eddy Curry.  Worse than Zach Randolph.  No amount of athleticism can make up for his lack of awareness.  Basically, I don’t think you can have Amare be a franchise player (or 2010 free agent target) because his D is just THAT bad.
  • Jared Jeffries had a great game.  Blocks.  Deflections.  Defense.  Ball movement.  He made a real difference.  And fans still booed him when he missed a contested layup in the third quarter.  Come on, fans, are you even watching?  Boo Jared when he’s playing terribly if you’re going to boo at all.
  • Wilson Chandler D’ed up Nash at the top of the key in a zone like defense worked really well.
  • Darko is done.  Clearly his heart isn’t in it.  I’m sure this story didn’t help his cause. But, no PT in this season’s first extensive garbage time seems to spell the end.  Fans were even chanting for Darko at the end.  Really depressing.
  • Finally, Gallo’s great game has to be mentioned.  He did everything. His two best plays were probably the ferocious block in the third quarter, and the straight on 3 point bomb from about 5 feet behind the line.  Good to see Gallo blow the game open for the Knicks.

In other news:

Good read from Ian Thomson (SI) about how D’Antoni is still Walsh’s most valuable asset moving forward.  Most interesting in the article, though, is Walsh addressing the perception that some holdovers in the scouting department may not have been willing to stick their necks out for fear that they aren’t part of Walsh’s plans moving forward.  Seems that it’s not just the players suffering from the 2010 cloud.

And finally:

Nate was benched last night in the loss against Orlando.  Alan Hahn has the best take on it, asserting that Nate’s clowning around and showmanship are a disruptive and destabilizing force on a team that clearly doesn’t have much sense of ‘team’ or understanding of how to win.  Hahn goes on to say that Nate could help a team with a strong veteran, winning culture, and though Nate would have to approve any trade due to his one year contract, it’s hard to imagine him blocking any trade to a winner.

Frank Isola has another worthwhile take on the Nate situation.

And, finally an article from Hoopsworld where Nate and Al talk about the frustration of losing this season.

Tags: , , ,