Anybody check the Spurs/Golden State game last night???

Kurt Thomas missed 2 free throws with 4 seconds left with a one point lead...

I don't know what Mike Finley was thinking but you can see him telling Kurt Thomas what he should have did..kind of jesturing to him to shoot it higher that way it has a better chance of going in....

Enter the leadership...Tim Duncan walks in towards them, mushes Finley in the shoulder and embraces Kurt Thomas grabs his head and starts to encourage him. Roger Mason was right there as well. I can imagine what Duncan was telling him..."don't think about it. You're our best free throw shooter! we gonna need you in the future. don't you dare put ur head down!"

Thats leadership...its great to see. There is no doubt that Tim Duncan has control of his guys. He is a true leader. I mean when he comes in and shoves Finley to the side I'm like "yeah son!!!" cuz as a teamate you have to be right there for your boys good or bad. Finley was totally wrong in coming in to chastise Kurts form.

Knicks:

Ok so where is the veteran getting in David Lee's face about protecting the basket? Not disrespecting but telling him what he needs to do as a teamate. Where is that guy to step up and tell Nate Robinson not to yell, "coooooommme oooooon maaaaaaaan!!!!" because Wilcox can't read his mind on a pass? Nate should have simply told Wilcox in an encouraging way like this, "my bad man my bad...you gotta come around baseline on that play. don't worry about it, play D, play D"...maybe later on a time-out he could walk up to Wilcox and repeat it in a positive way giving him a pound....I mean yo thats what I would do!!!

I understand more than anything that this team has no leadership at all. Thats always been the problem. I think D'antoni has changed the culture but on the court??? there is nobody out there that keeps the troops together.

Don't you dare say Q!!!! You never see Q doing anything I talked about above.

Donnie should seriously look into bringing in some leaders...not just a star player....knicks need some high charecter guys. I seriously can't point out one guy that is a bonified leader. The Knicks are too easily rattled and they complain and get down on each other too fast. Even D'antoni said it. I would seriously shake up this team in the off-season. Knicks need to bring in some Charecter guys.

when every player on the roster is on notice and may be gone tomorrow...for the elusive 2010 plan...who can play comfortably enough to become a leader?

Posted by djsunyc:

when every player on the roster is on notice and may be gone tomorrow...for the elusive 2010 plan...who can play comfortably enough to become a leader?

I don't buy that at all. If you are a leader, it don't matter if you have 3 years or 1 year left on your deal. It's the way you act on the court and with your teammates.

Posted by martin:

Posted by djsunyc:

when every player on the roster is on notice and may be gone tomorrow...for the elusive 2010 plan...who can play comfortably enough to become a leader?

I don't buy that at all. If you are a leader, it don't matter if you have 3 years or 1 year left on your deal. It's the way you act on the court and with your teammates.

lee and nate are playing for contracts and are both young. everybody else on the roster is either young like chandler or here for a short term. and none of these guys ever won in the league. there is no opportunity for a leader to emerge if there is one on the roster.

Posted by Bippity10:


But your point is a good one. We haven't had a leader in a while. Our young guys were taught by the Marbury lead era.

You're contradicting yourself. First you say we haven't had a leader, then you say that Marbury lead. I don't think you give Marbs enough credit. He was a leader. Now, you might not like where he lead us, but he was a leader.


[Edited by - basketballjones on 03-25-2009 13:13]

I think this group has played pretty well considering the environment. MDA has done a good job there. After next year the only guys here will be Chandler, Gallo, Lee and Jarred Jefferies and the last one is not because he's wanted.

Posted by djsunyc:

Posted by martin:

Posted by djsunyc:

when every player on the roster is on notice and may be gone tomorrow...for the elusive 2010 plan...who can play comfortably enough to become a leader?

I don't buy that at all. If you are a leader, it don't matter if you have 3 years or 1 year left on your deal. It's the way you act on the court and with your teammates.

lee and nate are playing for contracts and are both young. everybody else on the roster is either young like chandler or here for a short term. and none of these guys ever won in the league. there is no opportunity for a leader to emerge if there is one on the roster.

there is opportunity, just no player with enough character and ability to become a leader.

Malik Rose couldn't become more than a locker room leader cause he didn't have it on the court.

I have no idea why you would bring up Nate or Lee and leader in the same sentence.

Posted by BasketballJones:

Posted by martin:

Posted by djsunyc:

Posted by martin:

Posted by djsunyc:

when every player on the roster is on notice and may be gone tomorrow...for the elusive 2010 plan...who can play comfortably enough to become a leader?

I don't buy that at all. If you are a leader, it don't matter if you have 3 years or 1 year left on your deal. It's the way you act on the court and with your teammates.

lee and nate are playing for contracts and are both young. everybody else on the roster is either young like chandler or here for a short term. and none of these guys ever won in the league. there is no opportunity for a leader to emerge if there is one on the roster.

there is opportunity, just no player with enough character and ability to become a leader.

Malik Rose couldn't become more than a locker room leader cause he didn't have it on the court.

I have no idea why you would bring up Nate or Lee and leader in the same sentence.

I agree that Rose was a great locker room leader. I don't know what he lead them to do in there, but he was great at it.

It was probably especially inspiring to the other players when he wrestled with nate in the shower.

[Edited by - basketballjones on 03-25-2009 13:21]

no one wants to see Nate and Malik in the shower wrestling. That is foreseen.

Well leaders don't emerge...You are born a leader. You can't be a puss one year or part of a year then all of a sudden become a leader...or say "from now on I'm gonna become more of a leader." I mean this isn't the Army....this is basketball. Guys can learn how to be better teamates but leaders are born.

I mean check Duncan...when did he become a leader? lets not get it twisted either...just because he is a star player doesn't mean he is automatically a leader even though they should.

All the best teams are filled with high charecter guys. Check Orlando...Turkalou, Rashard...those guys arent really vocal but they always stick with the game plan no matter what. Extream focus, and trusting their teamates. Even a guy like Anthony Johnson knows how to handle a guy like Nate Robinson. Knicks don't have a guy like Anthony Johnson. Johnson has supreme balls and plays with intensity and respect even though he rarely plays.

Check the Rockets...their team is filled with "bums" built around Yao and Artest...those "bums" are all high charecter guys. Those guys know the game and play with a respect for the game. They love the game and rally each other. They never have a problem with energy.

Utah...yeah you can talk about the coach...but that team at one point or another were playing without Deron, Boozer, AK-47, Haslip, and Okur...almost all at the same time. One word...heart...all those guys play and don't stop. Nobody complains. Everyone just comes in and plays basketball. No excuses. Again thats not the coach...at some point the players have to look in the mirror and look their teamates in the face and say we can do this!!!

I hate that this Knicks team doesn't have these type of players. I mean these guys have been together a long time now...Not winning in this league has nothing to do with it. Again the Knicks aren't that good to begin with..but yo even so they have been in soooo many games but the same lack of mental toughness always shows. Guys get flustered too easily and they don't handle their business with pride.

Posted by martin:

Posted by BasketballJones:

Posted by martin:

Posted by djsunyc:

Posted by martin:

Posted by djsunyc:

when every player on the roster is on notice and may be gone tomorrow...for the elusive 2010 plan...who can play comfortably enough to become a leader?

I don't buy that at all. If you are a leader, it don't matter if you have 3 years or 1 year left on your deal. It's the way you act on the court and with your teammates.

lee and nate are playing for contracts and are both young. everybody else on the roster is either young like chandler or here for a short term. and none of these guys ever won in the league. there is no opportunity for a leader to emerge if there is one on the roster.

there is opportunity, just no player with enough character and ability to become a leader.

Malik Rose couldn't become more than a locker room leader cause he didn't have it on the court.

I have no idea why you would bring up Nate or Lee and leader in the same sentence.

I agree that Rose was a great locker room leader. I don't know what he lead them to do in there, but he was great at it.

It was probably especially inspiring to the other players when he wrestled with nate in the shower.

[Edited by - basketballjones on 03-25-2009 13:21]

no one wants to see Nate and Malik in the shower wrestling. That is foreseen.

um, you're forgetting dj.

Posted by Vmart:

Bring in Nash or Kidd and you have an instant leadership on the court. That is something I'd be willing to invest in. You have to have solid leadership at some point in time get these one of these two and hope that they can rub their skills off on to another player when they are finished playing.

I agree...you bring in someone like that. Thats why I hate Duhon...place Kidd, Nash, or even a lower level point guard in there and the Knicks instantly get way better in the backcourt.

.....but who is gonna be the leader inside? Knicks need a rotation guy(s) that has a personality that will encourage toughness inside. Accountability. We can name our past guys like Oak and Mason..even out favorite ***** Charles Smith would never allow a guy to go to the basket untouched. They would eat the floor or some of their body on the way in. If guys miss a play best believe they will hear it...if they continue to miss the plays...the coach won't need to make a sub cuz the players will tell them to sit down.

Knicks need to comb the league and get some real men on this team.