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Knight
Posts: 22775
Alba Posts: 2
Joined: 7/21/2005
Member: #968
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In The Paint Inside Practice
Knicks Look Forward to Rose-y Future
by Tom Kertes
GREENBURGH, NY, February 6, 2006 -- For anyone still questioning the Jalen Rose trade, the swing-man’s superb play against Houston -- 16 points, 11 assists, tons of terrific ball movement in his very first game with the team -- provided a resounding reply. “We looked like a different team on offense, didn’t we?” Coach Larry Brown smiled. “And that was without Stephon! We had much better ball movement, therefore we had better control of the pace of the game. Jalen also really helped Jamal (Crawford). Jamal’s been trying so hard to play perfect and play like a point guard…He gave Jamal a lot of opportunities. It’s really amazing that with the number of days we had to practice with him -- which was basically zero -- he had such a feel for what was going on. But it really IS amazing what an experienced ball mover such as Jalen can do for you.”
“And we have another guy around here in a gray (practice) shirt who’s pretty good, I think his name is Marbury,” Rose joked after Knicks practice at the team’s Madison Square Garden Training Center in Greenburgh, New York. “When he comes back, we’ll be great.’’
There’s little question about the impact of what TWO perceptive playmakers, such as Rose and Marbury, out on the floor at the same time can do for a team. When that will happen, however, is the BIG question.
“It’s hard -- but if the trainers and coach tell me the best thing is that I should sit out until the All-Star break than that’s what I will do,” Marbury said about resting his injured left shoulder. “Coach can definitely tell the difference between the way I was playing before the injury and what I was able to do afterwards. It felt better when I came back but I didn’t have any strength. I’m now building and working on my strength. When I get hit on it, it sets me back. It’s hard for me because I use my shoulder so much. I didn’t even realize how much I used my shoulder, every time down the court, going to the basket, just in a variety of different things.”
“Right now I’m feeling as good as when I first came back -- but then I took two or three shots against Atlanta and one more in the Laker game and that set me way back,” Marbury added. “So I just don’t know what’s the best thing to do.”
Brown is equally perplexed. “I’m told (for tomorrow’s Clippers game) he’s doubtful,” he said. “They (the doctors) thought he was ready to come back, he felt he was ready to come back. It’s just one of those things.”
“I would never ask a player to come back,” said Brown. “That’s the last thing I would ever do. I’ve got to trust our medical staff and everybody involved. I know Steph will try to do the right thing.”
“This is a quality player and a quality person. And, with any teammate, you’ve got to look out for what’s best for him.”
Still, a Marbury-Rose duo out on the floor playing beautiful music together has to sound heavenly to Brown’s ears. ”It’s not just the ball movement -- though that’s big -- but you also have another threat,” smiled the coach. “You have an experienced player -- because we have so many young kids. I think it really helps Stephon, it’ll help Jamal. The more guys that are threats, and the more guys who have the ability to pass, the better off everybody is.”
“That’s been the problem all season, having guys who move the ball,” added Brown. “I think they all TRIED to do it. But I think we need more guys with experience, that understand when a guy is open, if we’re double teamed who’s going to be free, guys who can feed it to the post. Eddy (Curry) caught it deeper in the post yesterday than he has all year. So I’m hopeful that’ll improve a well.”
Marbury can’t wait either. “You got two passers and two guys who can make plays,” he said, eyes glowing in anticipation. “It will be a huge help.”
To the Knicks rookies as well -- and that’s in spite of some possible loss of minutes. “Oh, they are going to benefit by having Jalen here,” stressed Brown. “Really, when you think about it, right now Eddy, Channing (Frye), and Qyntel (Woods) will get the bulk of the minutes for the young guys. David Lee, Jackie Butler, Trevor (Ariza) and Nate (Robinson) at times are going to play -- and I think they are going to improve.”
“ Now practices are going to be better with Jalen out there,” said Brown. ‘’He has experience. He makes it easier for them. When you’re playing with Jalen, as opposed to another young guy, you’re more confident. The pro game is like a different sport than college basketball. Jalen is going to hit you when you’re open, he knows rotations, he knows personnel, he’ll get you in positions where you can be successful on both ends of the court. So I think it benefits them all.”
“Steph was doing all that -- but we’ve got to have more of those guys. You can’t just have one guy, especially somebody that people are trying to take things away from. Now if you have two or three guys out there who can move the ball… it just makes it easier for everybody.”
Rose’s all-around presence also steadied the Knicks’ rotation in the Houston game. “I played two centers, two small forwards, two power forwards,” said Brown. “I think if we could have had that from the beginning, our progress would have been steadier.”
“I’m just trying to make guys better, make the game easier,” said Rose. “I knew that Houston was playing me as if I was going to come into the Garden and make a big--time splash. So I wanted to give up a good shot to get a great shot -- and the guys were doing a great job knocking them down.”
“I understand that winning is a process,” added Rose. “I learned that when I was young, watching how the Bulls had to take their lumps. It was the same with the Lakers and the Celtics. You don’t just come in and be a great team overnight. Getting that camaraderie with the guys, getting a set lineup, a set rotation, guys being familiar with one another, people sacrificing for each other, that takes time. Normally, you don’t get that job done in the first year and a half.”
"He only went to Georgia Tech for one year, and that's an engineering school." -LB
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2/6/2006 9:33 PM
about Lee for Ratliff. Rich loves Lee.