X2 bro, he need to work on his midrange game and drive to the basket some more.

How about the Knicks defense tonight??? we held the best team in the league to 38%

GREAT EFFORT

I was just arguing that we have some young players with upside and tonight is a prime example of that. Guys that Isiah drafted because they can defend and they did a nice job tonight. they still have a lot to improve on, but you can see that they can play in this league. The difference in talent was laughable tonight. Dallas has so many scorers that it's crazy. Yet we were able to play with them and defend them pretty well. I like Collins. He does a lot things that are good for team ball.

Agree with elite and rest of forum.

Mardy got his chance he was always a good kid and playing time showed us what he can do.
Balkman and Renaldo are knicks to stay. We like what we seen and once we add more pieces
with the other Knicks (Lee, Marbs) NY will have chance for a good improvement jump next
season.

DEFENSE that is what Zeke should been training these guys on and playing more of it.
Zeke discarded team D' until tonite. He needs to make that his focus. Guys who dont
play D at least for few quarters every full game should be off this team.

yea this last draft class have brought 2 very good complementary players to the knicks. teams that win need players like collins and balkman, committed to D. balkman bringing his energy and collins bringing just overall steady play.

now they just need some studs to carry the team (if eddy ever decided to rebound or play d.....)

Balkman and Collins were 2 VERY solid picks for IT in draft '06.

I don't want to hear about Williams Vs. Balkman anymore! Balkman has the potential to be a star just as much as Williams! Did you see Balkman place his taint on Devin Harriss' skull on the fast break?!?!

I'M GLAD THAT ISIAH DIDN'T LET PHOENIX GRAB THIS SLEEPER GEM NAMED BALKMAN!!!!

Now onto Collins...no, he isn't the flashy player that Williams is, but he has all the potential to be a solid guard, a rock type of player, getting steals and blocks when you need them. I lke his unselfish brand of play, he looks for the open man, he goes to the hole with malice intended, and he won't let no punk bitches throw down no reverses while laughing!!!!

I can't wait to see what he pulls out of his hat with whatever pick he has, I don't care if it is the last pick of the draft!

oohah



[Edited by - oohah on 31-03-2007 11:17 AM]

The Knicks haven't been that exciting since JVG was their coach. The passion and heart that they displayed was awesome.

I think one of the keys about Collins and Balkman is that they play with a lot of confidence. They don't seem at all intimidated by stars and more experienced players and when they make mistakes, particularly on offense, they come back to put a lot of effort on the defensive end of the floor.

I also think we may have been underestimating Collins offensive capabilities. If you watch him handle the ball he looks like he can be very aggressive and not afraid to go to the hole at all. That one play where he tried to dunk it on Dampier (I think) was great to see. People have compared him to Charlie Ward, but I think Collins seems like he has more potential to score more, especially if he can improve his jump shot. I'm not saying he's going to average 15-20ppg, but I can see him averaging 10-13 ppg.

The thing I was thinking last night as watching the team, especially Mardy & Renaldo about how their play reminded me of the 90's Knicks. I happened to watch highlights of game 3 in the 1992 playoff series between the Knicks and Bulls and last night's game had eerie similarities, in terms of hustle, and how a team that was not supposed to compete used heart and toughness to force a close game against a more talented team.

I think these two players' approach to the game is a very good sign for this team's future. This is not to say the team will win a title, but I see reason to believe that this team will be more competitive and grow.

Posted by highfivesucka:

man I was saying how Collins should get more PT to show us what his limits are defensively, and everyone was telling me about "no he is NBADL talent"...

he just needs to learn to make a damn jumpshot. and work on taking his man off the dribble. maybe even working on some sort of post up move because he's got size over a lot of PGs.

I actually think Collins does a pretty good job of taking his man off the dribble, and seems like he could go to the basket more if he wants. Last night I saw him do it several times. He's quicker than I think I've seen him get credit for. He was creating space for himself with crossovers last night, but he was clearly looking to pass first, rather than go to the rack. This may be part of his own style and comfort level, but also what Isiah wants. However, I liked the few times that he did go to the basket when it made sense.