not sure if this has been posted...

TSN.ca basketball columnist Tim Chisholm is looking at one NBA team each day for the month of September.

Season Previews
New York Knicks

I don't even know where to start. This is the kind of preview you write in your head a dozen different times before even putting a word down on paper because there are so many ways you can spin this team.

Ultimately, though, the reason I think that it is so difficult to settle on a way to describe this team is because talent-wise, this should be one of the best teams in the league. As ludicrous as it is to even suggest that this team should be the best at anything besides infighting, there is no denying that if this were a video game team, they'd be about as good a team as you could throw together.

Stay with me for a sec on this one. First, this is a team with Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Channing Frye, Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford and Jalen Rose. All players who at one time or another has been considered the cornerstones of their team, with the exception of Frye, who could be considered the future of this team. They have Jared Jefferies, Quentin Richardson and Nate Robinson to throw at teams, and even David Lee showed flashes last year.

However, as we all know, the talent on this team, regardless of how good it may or may not be, is totally irrelevant. In reality, this is an absolute horror show that has no end in sight. The team is so far over the cap they are in danger of tripling the payroll of many NBA clubs. I can't even fathom how untradable most of the players on this team are and the ones that other teams would consider taking on are either too valuable to trade (Frye) or are expiring contracts that the Knicks have to hold on to and let expire if they are to have any hope of getting under the cap.

But all of this is not only common knowledge at this point, it's becoming downright boring. The fact of the matter is Isiah Thomas will probably squeeze a few more wins out of the team than the fifty-million-dollar man could last year, and just settling on a starting lineup would make this season more of a success than last. At the end of the day, though, this team just doesn't have the pieces to make any kind of serious run, regardless of whether or not Thomas' job is on the line (which it very much is).

First of all, this team lacks any kind of leadership that could be counted on to throw water on the fire when things get hot. All of the aged players on this team are only concerned with getting minutes and touches so that they can pad their stats. Players like Marbury and Francis may say all the right things going into the season about doing what it takes to win, but at some point those words have got to fall on deaf ears when they come from those two. Between the two of them they have played in 23 total playoff games, and have demonstrated time and time again that they do not have what it takes to elevate a team and make it win.

On the flip side, young guys like Frye, Curry and Robinson are surrounded by the ‘me-first' attitude that pollutes this locker room, and they may never recover from it. Robinson has already shown that he has precious little time for fundamentals or team play, Curry is not exactly famous for his good work ethic, and Thomas was angling to replace Frye in the lineup with Chris Webber as recently as August.

The point is this squad is in such disarray it isn't even worth looking at them seriously as a team this year. They are a team that has to be looked at years down the road as a means of unearthing any kind of hope that may exist beneath the surface. They need to rid themselves off all of their pollutants and start to acquire some positive role-models for the young guys not only so that they can begin to take the reigns of the team, but so that they can begin to learn what it is to have positive work habits at the NBA level.

This team in a lot of ways represents everything that the NBA is trying to recover from: Bloated, unearned contracts, me-first attitudes, stat-obsessed narcissists who don't play basketball so much as they hold it hostage. The league is working so hard to move away from this version of the league that has existed for much of the post-Jordan era, and in a way it might be best that all of these players seem to end up on one team. Sure, the league would love it if that team wasn't in its biggest market, but the thought of keeping all of these guys away from ‘real' ballers like LeBron James and Chris Paul is just fine in my books. If the old Willis Reed/Walt Frazer Knicks didn't represent my gold standard for NBA teams, I'd say good riddance and let this team rot. As it is, I await the day when this team is worth talking about outside of the tabloid pages.

Probable Starting Line-Up

PG – Stephon Marbury

He is Isiah's boy, and much of Thomas' reputation is tied to Marbury. He was seen as his golden acquisition back in the 03-04 season and he has since watched him become the laughing stock of the NBA. No one can deny that Marbury has oodles of talent, but he chooses to use his abilities for evil instead of good. He's hidden behind his stats for his whole career, never allowing his win-loss percentage to enter into the conversation. There is some solace to be taken in knowing that in ten years he'll be nothing more than a footnote in NBA history, but for now we must live with the knowledge that Marbury wastes as much talent every day as most NBA players would kill to have at their disposal for a whole season.

SG – Jamal Crawford

Crawford represents the only combo guard on the Knicks that didn't self-destruct last year. In fact, when Marbury went out with injury, Crawford stepped up and took control of this team. While he didn't have much more luck than Marbury in terms of wins, he did show that you can put the ball into his hands and trust that he knows what to do with it. On another team, he could probably be a perennial Sixth Man candidate. On the Knicks, he'll just do what he can to prevent his remaining passion for the game from being sucked out of his body.

SF – Jared Jefferies

Another good player stuck in a bad situation, but unlike Crawford he knew what Knick team he was joining when he signed up. A lot of his best traits, like his defense and hustle, will prove useless on such a scattered team, but any positive impact he can have with his work ethic will be a vast improvement on whatever passed for work ethic in these parts last year.

PF – Channing Frye

Going through the starting line-up, this team really doesn't look so bad. Had Frye not injured his ankle last season, he'd probably have had the distinction of being runner-up to Chris Paul for Rookie of the Year. As it was, his solid rookie campaign was cut short and that honor went to Charlie Villanueva. Frye reminds me a lot of Pau Gasol in his formative years; very talented, if a little lacking in intensity. He can score around the basket, hit the midrange jumper and rebound really well. The sooner the Knicks can surround this guy with some solid veterans the sooner they'll reenter relevance in NBA circles. When that might be, however, is anyone's guess.

C – Eddy Curry

Curry did little last year to prove that his contract year in Chicago wasn't financially motivated. Never known for working as hard as he should, Curry looked to finally be turning his career around before forcing a sign-and-trade to New York and reminding everyone why they had written him off years ago. He's such a talented offensive weapon when he wants to be, and he can do just about whatever he wants around the rim to score the ball. If he can report to camp in shape, maybe I'll be changing my tune, but as it stands I firmly believe that Eddy Curry is just a souped-up version of Michael Olowokandi. He oozes potential, but his inability to grasp basic fundamental concepts on the defensive end and his reluctance to work hard on every possession make him the kind of player that one day you just have to realize hit his ceiling a long time ago, and any hope for improvement is just a fool's dream.

so, while hearing these types of statements from a fish, or an islesfat, or a mod, or a bip, it's kind of falling on deaf ears.

However, as the season draws close, it's looking more and more like we're going to need more than just kool aid this year...but nobody is denying that there is a chance. :)

I think this writer really ended up parroting the same old stereotypes of what the Knicks are supposed to be. he didn't look deeper and see that most of the key players on this team aren't headcases. Really its only Steph and Francis that have any real attitude problems. Moreover the team is actually pretty set in terms of quality players at every position. We have a LOT of depth and the only thing that's missing is a clear sense of direction. Thankfully we'll have that this year with Isiah. people love to being up Chaney, Lenny and LB, but each of those guys weren't up to the task. Chaney wasn't good enough. Lenny was too far past his prime and LB was up to too many games. Now we'll have a Coach that REALLY is into the job. You can't underestimate just how much that's gonna mean to this team. The players WANT to win and they WANT to be coached. They just haven't really had anyone who was up to the job. You can tell that Isiah is HIGHLY motivated and he has a VERY good scheme for this roster.

People make the mistake and assume that Isiah doesn't know the game just because he's not a great exec. But that would be a HUGE underestimation of his abilities. He knows what he's talking about and he knows how to coach today's players. I expect that this team will make the playoffs and they'll be a big surprise to the league this year. we're as talented as any team in the East. We just haven't been as prepared and together as a real team should be. I don't expect that to be a problem this year. I expect .500 or better.

Just look at this team and for a minute look at these players. Don't think of them as LB wanted us to think of them, but as Isiah will have them be. Steph, Francis, Jared, Frye, Curry - Jamal, Lee, QRich, Nate - Jalen, James, Balkman, Collins, Taylor & Malik. Teams are going to have a REAL HARD TIME stopping us this year. LB didn't want to coach a team like this, but we know that Isiah does. Just remember that we've got 3 near 7'ers on the floor. We may give up a few inches at SG, but overall this isn't a small team. Besides we have enough versatility on the bench to better matchup with any lineup.

but as it stands I firmly believe that Eddy Curry is just a souped-up version of Michael Olowokandi. He oozes potential, but his inability to grasp basic fundamental concepts on the defensive end and his reluctance to work hard on every possession make him the kind of player that one day you just have to realize hit his ceiling a long time ago, and any hope for improvement is just a fool's dream.

Or a fool's writing. This irritates me. When did Curry hit his celing ... in high school? Curry is all of 23. And has had some career distractions. Namely playing for a very young and poor Bulls team, and then the heart scare.

Just wrong to compare him to Kandi, who is what, 30 now? Kandi never advanced or seemed to get a feel of the game. Curry shoots a very high percentage and is a load down around the hoop. Sure he needs to work on defense, rebounding, and recognizing the double team. Seems easy to knock Curry, but he's not far from being a top center.

I'm most concerned with how the pairing with Frye works out. Seems Curry should be paired with a defender-rebounder type. But maybe the same could be said of Frye. Still, Curry on the block and Frye doing his mid-range game has possibilities.

the thing you have to remember, 40 wins and Isiah's "good exec" rating goes way up as LB's "good coach" rating goes way down.

He accomplishes ANYTHING with this team of players he assembled, all the "he sucks as an exec" arguments go right out the window.

If being a bad exec means you can only get players that respect you and having no ability to judge coaches, then that's one thing, but if he turns the team around with the same players everyone says suck, and they all expire in the next 3 years and we have a $60 mill payroll by the end of next year.

Than everyone will be guilty of not having any patience.

I don't care if it's a 17 game improvement because, according to most, last year was all Larry Brown's fault. If that's true, then our win total from last year should go out the window, shouldn't it? By saying it was all Brown's fault, doesn't it mean that you think they would have won more games last year without Larry?

Okay let's say last year is all LB's fault. That is not too far off anyway. So we throw out last season.

Then what makes them a 50 win team or whatever figure you find acceptable? Shouldn't we just judge how good the team is and draw our projected win total from that?

And do you really believe that the previous season has no bearing on the next? It is not like we have a whole new team! Last year was supposed to be a year to build on. Did that happen? No. So this team will have to develop because it did not happen last year.

Evil, what is an acceptable benchmark to you, and more importantly, what does it mean to you? What makes that benchmark acceptable?

oohah

I think I kinda tipped you off to what I consider acceptable by explaining what I find unacceptable.

I'm not into interpreting. I prefer that folks just come right out and write exactly and specifically what they mean.

So I guess if you want my benchmark, it's 42 wins + playoffs.

I find that acceptable as well. In fact I would be happy with that. Let me ask you this: If the Knicks won less than 42 and made the playoffs would that be acceptable?

Hopefully, Isiah won't have to purge our young core to make this a reality. I don't hate the Knicks as many of you like to believe -- I hate losing.

I have never suggested that you hate the Knicks so I hope you are not referring to me.

Do you really think that IT wants to "purge the young core"? Honestly do you think there is any chance he will do that? I think something resembling the desire to purge the young core that was a major part of what got LB canned.

oohah



[Edited by - oohah on 03-09-2006 9:44 PM]

I agree 43 is happiness...playoffs is a breath of fresh air, both and we will be in a championship run zeke year 5.
3 years ALB.

shaq will be a shell of his former self and detroit will be broken up.

yep...losing record and no playoffs, we start this up again.

To me its just like last season. The record don't mean as much to me as the development of Curry, Frye, Lee. And a lesser extent to me Nate.

If we win 35 games. But Curry, Frye, Lee have strong seasons and show a lot of development. Then I can live with that. The only way those guys do good but we still suck though would be if Marbury & Francis stink up the joint. But Id rather they be the problem then Curry, Frye, Lee, Nate. As they are the future.

Posted by nixluva:

Don't worry about Francis and Steph. This offense is gonna be perfect for them. They get to use a lot of screens and cuts to the basket, which is their stength and a lot less Pure PG stuff. They aren't going to have to think the game so much cuz the options will present themselves due to the motion. If a player is open after getting a screen or making a cut he gets the ball. Its really not that complicated. They don't have to think 5 moves ahead just see what the defense does. It may take a while to master it, but initially they should be able to play well enough to win games.

I don't quite get what you see here. To my knowledge neither Marbury or Francis have really excelled in a motion offense. The last time Marbury was in one was under Frank Johnson, in Phoenix, and the results were poor. His one good season there came after he requested a more structured offense. Eventually Marion, Amare and D'Antoni felt Steph was over-handling and tired of it. Dumping Marbury was part of their plan to bring more motion, life and energy to their offense.

And when has Francis ever been in a motion offense? His best years where when he was allowed to ball dominate with Houston. He had minor success his first season in Orlando in a more open system, but it's hard to say he excelled as he and the team never fell into a comfort zone.

The natural style of both players seems to be an abundance ball handling on the perimeter. Then to pick 'n roll, or to draw the defense and penetrate and finish, kick out, or dump off. That has generally led to the stagnant halfcourt style of ball we've seen from Steph in NY and Francis in Houston, where they are in motion and the other guys stand around and wait. Floor spacing with guys being in their spots for a kickout or dump off has been more important than player movement.

Which isn't to say that we wont win more games than last year. But sometimes when you speak of this offense it sounds as if it's some magical recipe for success. Isiah used it in Indy to far WORSE results than Carlisle who calls EVERY play in a HIGHLY structured offense.

It's still just basketball. Neither Steph or Stevie have established themselves as scorers or facilitators off the ball, but one is going to have to if they're to share court time. And with all the talk of the high post operator, who will it be? Frye, I suppose, but how good of a passer is he, cause I believe that's part of the role. Lee may bet the better passer, but he can't shoot from out there. And it's nice that we'll have a lot of cutters, but who will they be? Lee is good in that capacity, but who else? Wiz fans speak of Jeffries as a guy who can't make a layup. Crawford is another guy who penetrates off the dribble. Nate, Malik, Q... are these guys good slashers?

If/when we do better this year it will be because the guys play harder, and together, without mutiny, drama and quitting.

[Edited by - blueSeats on 09-05-2006 12:56 AM]