And Larry Brown just harp on them to do it the right way?? Why did we have to play half court basketball?? Its funny because when we had the 6 game win streak it all started because the Pheniox Suns forced us to play uptempo basketball and we ended up beating them in triple overtime. Not that we are better than Suns or would be able to play it at that level. But everyone was more comfortable playing that way even Eddie Curry. David Lee & Frye were made for it.

If we would have played uptempo while Brown of course harped on the little things. We would have probably made the playoffs as an 6th-8th seed and lost in the first rd. Brown could have sold the media on how all the players worked so hard and how great they are. Now all of a sudden some of these guys don't look so bad in trades as they do now to other teams. Brown could have then told Isiah what he needed to really turn this team into a contender. Teams would have been a lot more interested and we could started the true transformation of building us into a contender slowly but surely.

The suns played only to there strengths last season. Then decided that they needed more defense. They trade Q for KT. And they rapped Hawks by traded Joe Johnson for draftpicks and prospects. And sign Bell. They did it the easy way. We did it the hard way. Dallas added Jaimison & Walker for cheap. Played to there strengths then traded both of them to get more defensive. They did it the easy way. We did it the hard way.

Its not just Larry's fault because he was under the assumption that managment would get him his players this season. So he did all his moves accordingly. But this should have all been planned out from the door. This should be the plan for next season.

to play uptempo, you need a pass first point guard, you need smart decision makers with the ball, you need skill players at every position, you need reliable jumpshooters, you need rebounders, and you need good help defenders.

in other words, we have the athletes but we are still missing alot of pieces.

and we should've never hired larry brown.

i think if we tried uptempo, we would've looked like golden state. pheonix looks like pheonix b/c of nash.

The need to get back on defense is important. We tried and got blown out a few times.

Then them words got slung round.

because we dont defend and our PG likes to score in the halfcourt...

Posted by gunsnewing:

because we dont defend and our PG likes to score in the halfcourt...

Exactly. The Knicks don't have the 2 key ingredients required to play uptempo. Uptempo plays STARTS with defense, slice it anyway you want, it starts with defense. Secondly, uptempo offense requires PASSING the ball and Marbury is not a passing PG, say whatever you want about 8apg, he's not a passing PG. Besides, Marbury had the chance to play uptempo in Phoenix under D'Antoni and didn't like the system so he was gone. That looks like a great career move.

Posted by BlueSeats:

He [Tim Thomas] said it [playing on the Suns] was the most fun he had had "since probably high school, college" and his early days with the Milwaukee Bucks. "This team, it's like a college atmosphere. We hang out together, we go out to eat together, our wives hang out together. In other situations, you had so much separation. The major goal here is just to win. Everybody's on one page."

That description is in stark contrast to the foreboding, politically charged atmosphere of Madison Square Garden, where Thomas spent a season and a half with the hapless Knicks.

A New Jersey native, Thomas had hoped for better when the Knicks acquired him in a 2004 trade. But, like many players, he often found it difficult to thrive in an offense dominated by point guard Stephon Marbury.

"With a guy like Steph, you can't really get involved unless he lets you get involved," Thomas said. "He's a scoring point guard. And scoring point guards don't really look to give the ball up as much."

In Phoenix, Thomas is yet another role player enjoying a renaissance alongside Nash, the reigning most valuable player.

"He's always looking to give the ball up," Thomas said. "And it makes your job a whole lot easier, because if you run the floor, you definitely know you're going to get it, rather than running the floor knowing that you're not going to get it. And then the next time you don't run the floor and everybody looks at you like you're crazy."

It is just a good situation out there, guys like each other, they act like family, pheonix is a beautiful place from what I hear( i have friends there), great living, good team, good team leader in nash, it is just a good vibe.... an enviornment in which guys tend to overachieve...

Davis still got 15-20 minutes a night during the streak except for 1 game. Likely he was hurt.

the major difference was Davd Lee getting Malik's minutes.

http://www.nba.com/knicks/schedule/

which by the way didn't just abruptly end as the Larry sabatoged the season choir contends. Lee started and played during the 5 game losing streak that followed as well.



[Edited by - McK1 on 05-25-2006 07:39 AM]

bottom line:

Isiah shouldn't have hired Brown. Did he think he could seduce Larry with his charm into changing his coaching philosophy after 30 years?

but since Larry is the coach:

get Rondo.

he'll pressure the ball and force turnovers then NY can run.

^ Wasn't it reasonable in August to anticipate that Brown would adapt to his roster and work with them better than he did?

And more importantly at the moment, is it reasonable to anticipate that Brown will adapt better this year with a year of horror-show under his belt, and work with them better than he did this past year?

Mck1 - do you have kids?

just askin'

Posted by Marv:

^ Wasn't it reasonable in August to anticipate that Brown would adapt to his roster and work with them better than he did?

And more importantly at the moment, is it reasonable to anticipate that Brown will adapt better this year with a year of horror-show under his belt, and work with them better than he did this past year?

Reasonable and Brown don't belong in the same sentence......Its either His right-way or no-way.....I hated the idea of Brown coaching the Knicks from the get-go.....Unfortunately, I waas registered on this site last Summer and was unable to share my Angst while most Knick fans were rejoicing....