There is something strange about Amare's shooting percentage thus far this year. He is at .512 this year, below his career percentage of .542. The curious thing is that Amare's career percentage from 3 point range is .277. But Amare is shooting .556 so far this year. (No that is not a typing error.)

Amare's outstanding accuracy from behind the 3 point line this year should change the way our opponent's guard him. .556 from behind the 3 point line requires the opposing center to come out and guard Amare more tightly from behind the 3 point line. At the same time, Chandler, the power forward, is also set up outside of the paint. The interesting thing is that the way the Knicks lineup is presently constituted, our entire starting lineup has a good ability to attack the basket. Felton, Fields, Amare and Chandler all took good advantage of Brook Lopez leaving the paint to guard Amare during the second half of the Net's game. A look at the shot chart for the last two quarters of that game reveals that when they took control of the game. most of the Knicks scoring came from drives to the basket. (I thought Chandler in particular was quite artistic in the way he finished.) The point is that Amare playing center, opens up the middle not just for him, but for the rest of the Knicks as well.

I'm guessing that even after Turiaf returns, the Knicks may continue to start games with Amare at center, Chandler at power forward and Turiaf on the bench. That should allow Amare and Wilson to create big match up problems for their opponents. There is a potential problem with this strategy however when playing against teams like Orlando, where aggressive moves to the basket by Dwight Howard's might threaten that Amare could get in early foul trouble. But for teams with centers who are not big scorers, it seems a better lineup for the Knicks, because Wilson Chandler was clearly playing out of position at shooting guard. The Mayor looks outstanding as a power forward.

Do you think Turiaf goes back to being the starting center when he returns to action?

BRIGGS wrote:

rvwink wrote:Ronnie's previous absence resulted in a 5 games losing streak. Does it surprise anyone that this time around, the Knicks have won two straight, with Ronnie out.

There is something strange about Amare's shooting percentage thus far this year. He is at .512 this year, below his career percentage of .542. The curious thing is that Amare's career percentage from 3 point range is .277. But Amare is shooting .556 so far this year. (No that is not a typing error.)

Amare's outstanding accuracy from behind the 3 point line this year should change the way our opponent's guard him. .556 from behind the 3 point line requires the opposing center to come out and guard Amare more tightly from behind the 3 point line. At the same time, Chandler, the power forward, is also set up outside of the paint. The interesting thing is that the way the Knicks lineup is presently constituted, our entire starting lineup has a good ability to attack the basket. Felton, Fields, Amare and Chandler all took good advantage of Brook Lopez leaving the paint to guard Amare during the second half of the Net's game. A look at the shot chart for the last two quarters of that game reveals that when they took control of the game. most of the Knicks scoring came from drives to the basket. (I thought Chandler in particular was quite artistic in the way he finished.) The point is that Amare playing center, opens up the middle not just for him, but for the rest of the Knicks as well.

I'm guessing that even after Turiaf returns, the Knicks may continue to start games with Amare at center, Chandler at power forward and Turiaf on the bench. That should allow Amare and Wilson to create big match up problems for their opponents. There is a potential problem with this strategy however when playing against teams like Orlando, where aggressive moves to the basket by Dwight Howard's might threaten that Amare could get in early foul trouble. But for teams with centers who are not big scorers, it seems a better lineup for the Knicks, because Wilson Chandler was clearly playing out of position at shooting guard. The Mayor looks outstanding as a power forward.

Do you think Turiaf goes back to being the starting center when he returns to action?

I have a thread down below where I stated the same thing--not that Amare is some kind of 3pt threat--but rather our best line up is a 4-1 set with Amare at C. This is an offensive based team and our best line up to start is the one we have now.

I don't see Turriaf as a guy who will be able to play much more than 12-15 minutes in order to stay healthy. I do think that if the team accepts that Mosgov is not an answer for a burgeoning team in what I would call a wide open east--goes out and get a Carl Landry(for example) gets back Azu healthy at some point--our 2nd unit could be the conduit to a team that wins 50 games and is a real player in the playoffs. I think when you have an MVP type player in Amare with what we have at the other starting positions--you become a serious win now team. We have too many wasted roster spots and the guys are playing too many minutes. I think Mosgov should take a stint in the D league to get used to the up and down and how to handle the ball when its coming at him. He needs to learn one good post up move and how to avoid bumping players so much. But can D Walsh bring in that quality third big--can he get a Landry or a Jason Thompson etc..a cheap proven guy and not wait until we run these guys into the ground? I think a fan has to accept randolph is not a fit here as of now Mosgov is not NBA ready and Turriaf is a 12-15 minute guy--we need to make amove to bring in another guy who can really play. I like Landry hes tough a great scorer who has the D skills and power to guard C& probably easiest to attain.

I still don't understand why you are trying to make the Knicks a small ball team again. Its proven that you must have height at the right position if you want to win a chip. If you want the playoffs then fine, you want to go deep into the playoffs then I suggest that you get someone bigger than Carl Landry. Jason Thompson would be nice pick up as he has height at 6'11''. But don't get so hopped up on small lineups because it will hurt you when the playoffs roll around. Give Mozgov a chance to find himself and let AR at least get some legit minutes on consistent basis before making moves. If AR can find a balance in his game and stop playing small he will contribute very well for the Knicks. I put this on MDA for not getting the most out of AR and Mozgov. There are so many times Mozgov is wide open but is passed up. This is on MDA to find out why he is being missed. I want to know why the Russian PGs were able to get Mozgov on P&R and Knicks PGs are having trouble I don't want to hear its the NBA because lets face it Euro league is a lot more physical than the NBA. As for AR he has to man up stop with the BS dribbling exhibition and play like a big man should. In other words stop trying to be a sg or a pg. This cat needs to go to the school of David Robinson.

Vmart wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

rvwink wrote:Ronnie's previous absence resulted in a 5 games losing streak. Does it surprise anyone that this time around, the Knicks have won two straight, with Ronnie out.

There is something strange about Amare's shooting percentage thus far this year. He is at .512 this year, below his career percentage of .542. The curious thing is that Amare's career percentage from 3 point range is .277. But Amare is shooting .556 so far this year. (No that is not a typing error.)

Amare's outstanding accuracy from behind the 3 point line this year should change the way our opponent's guard him. .556 from behind the 3 point line requires the opposing center to come out and guard Amare more tightly from behind the 3 point line. At the same time, Chandler, the power forward, is also set up outside of the paint. The interesting thing is that the way the Knicks lineup is presently constituted, our entire starting lineup has a good ability to attack the basket. Felton, Fields, Amare and Chandler all took good advantage of Brook Lopez leaving the paint to guard Amare during the second half of the Net's game. A look at the shot chart for the last two quarters of that game reveals that when they took control of the game. most of the Knicks scoring came from drives to the basket. (I thought Chandler in particular was quite artistic in the way he finished.) The point is that Amare playing center, opens up the middle not just for him, but for the rest of the Knicks as well.

I'm guessing that even after Turiaf returns, the Knicks may continue to start games with Amare at center, Chandler at power forward and Turiaf on the bench. That should allow Amare and Wilson to create big match up problems for their opponents. There is a potential problem with this strategy however when playing against teams like Orlando, where aggressive moves to the basket by Dwight Howard's might threaten that Amare could get in early foul trouble. But for teams with centers who are not big scorers, it seems a better lineup for the Knicks, because Wilson Chandler was clearly playing out of position at shooting guard. The Mayor looks outstanding as a power forward.

Do you think Turiaf goes back to being the starting center when he returns to action?

I have a thread down below where I stated the same thing--not that Amare is some kind of 3pt threat--but rather our best line up is a 4-1 set with Amare at C. This is an offensive based team and our best line up to start is the one we have now.

I don't see Turriaf as a guy who will be able to play much more than 12-15 minutes in order to stay healthy. I do think that if the team accepts that Mosgov is not an answer for a burgeoning team in what I would call a wide open east--goes out and get a Carl Landry(for example) gets back Azu healthy at some point--our 2nd unit could be the conduit to a team that wins 50 games and is a real player in the playoffs. I think when you have an MVP type player in Amare with what we have at the other starting positions--you become a serious win now team. We have too many wasted roster spots and the guys are playing too many minutes. I think Mosgov should take a stint in the D league to get used to the up and down and how to handle the ball when its coming at him. He needs to learn one good post up move and how to avoid bumping players so much. But can D Walsh bring in that quality third big--can he get a Landry or a Jason Thompson etc..a cheap proven guy and not wait until we run these guys into the ground? I think a fan has to accept randolph is not a fit here as of now Mosgov is not NBA ready and Turriaf is a 12-15 minute guy--we need to make amove to bring in another guy who can really play. I like Landry hes tough a great scorer who has the D skills and power to guard C& probably easiest to attain.

I still don't understand why you are trying to make the Knicks a small ball team again. Its proven that you must have height at the right position if you want to win a chip. If you want the playoffs then fine, you want to go deep into the playoffs then I suggest that you get someone bigger than Carl Landry. Jason Thompson would be nice pick up as he has height at 6'11''. But don't get so hopped up on small lineups because it will hurt you when the playoffs roll around. Give Mozgov a chance to find himself and let AR at least get some legit minutes on consistent basis before making moves. If AR can find a balance in his game and stop playing small he will contribute very well for the Knicks. I put this on MDA for not getting the most out of AR and Mozgov. There are so many times Mozgov is wide open but is passed up. This is on MDA to find out why he is being missed. I want to know why the Russian PGs were able to get Mozgov on P&R and Knicks PGs are having trouble I don't want to hear its the NBA because lets face it Euro league is a lot more physical than the NBA. As for AR he has to man up stop with the BS dribbling exhibition and play like a big man should. In other words stop trying to be a sg or a pg. This cat needs to go to the school of David Robinson.

Mike is doing everything he can to try and improve the abilities of his guards, but you can't bestow court vision on guys just like that. Guys have to be born with great court vision. Part of the issue is that we're are still working with 2 combo guards that aren't pure passing guards. So what you get is a bit less Nash/Kidd level passing and more scoring at the PG spot. It's a personnel issue and not a coaching issue. You really think that Mike who created this system doesn't know every in and out of how you can score and how a PG can setup his teammates? It really is about the talent you have and their ability to execute what you're teaching them.

The same goes for AR. This system is made for guys that understand the game and can see the floor and where the holes are. If you aren't able to read the floor then you're just standing around out there and not part of the play. Some styles don't have elaborate motion that a player has to remember, so the "dumb" players can get on the floor and just hustle their way to some level of success. In this system you have to know what the play is designed to do and how the defense is likely to respond, then counter that. This is how the PnR, open 3's and cuts to the basket on each play work. Guys like AR haven't gotten a handle on what's happening and it's going to fast for them to process. It will take time for him to get what's happening and what he should be doing. It's like a rookie QB trying to read a NFL defense. The speed overwhelms them.

Would Randolph still be having his current problems if he had spent more time in College?

The additional experience in college would have helped. But the common belief is that if a player has a realistic chance to be a first round lottery pick, you have achieved your purpose, and its time to leave.

Also... whats the college season? 30 games? 4 years of college = a year and a half in the NBA. If Fields left sophmore year w/ the Lopez brothers he would prob be playing in Europe right now.

experience is HUGE

I think a rookie first round contract (extending 3-4 years) is more money than most extended families see in a lifetime, so for him, I believe AR made the right decision.

Could AR (and Mozgov) be trained to play a much more limited game like... I dunno, Udonis Haslem or even Ronny Turiaf?

I actually still believe in Mozgov. I think his troubles stem in large part to adapting to the new culture/language in the US. He's a little outside his comfort zone... and he's a rookie.

AR's been in the league for a few years. You'd think he'd have gained some level of savvy, at least enough for him to stay on the court a bit longer w/o hurting the team. Opposing defenses leave him open so his teammates get him the ball. He doesn't seem to have a clear approach to deciding what to do next - or simply, he's not making choices quickly enough, so openings close, guys get covered, so the opportunity to attack (either by passing or driving) is lost. He doesn't create plays.

jrodmc wrote:

nixluva wrote:You ever watch a kid trying to jump into a double dutch jump rope? The good ones don't take long to figure out when to jump in, but the bad ones stand there a LOT longer and can't seem to seem the timing on when to jump into the ropes without getting tangled up. This is what is happening to AR. The sets have specific movements and timing and he can't figure out when and where to jump in. Then even on D sometimes he gets lost. Not as much as on offense tho. The kind needs more time to work on it and figure things out.

I worry about people who watch others jump rope. Then again, I'd worry about people who comment about people who watch others jump rope.

Running a play is like jumping rope? The kid's what, 21? Run here, do this, set a pick, move here, screen down, clear out. He's playing ball at the highest level on the planet, and he doesn't know what to do when? I've got to believe he's not that stupid, or his timing hasn't developed in 2 or 3 years.

Maybe Don Nelson knows something after all. And don't think it doesn't hurt typing that.

It's not about being stupid. It's about reacting to what presents itself. In basketball the coach calls the play. In a perfect world, you run to a spot, someone else runs to a spot, the ball gets passed somewhere one or two times and then someone shoots it. But in reality there is a defense that also wants to stop that play. So a player must make split second adjustments. According to the play if I swing to you i'm supposed to then roll off a screen to an open spot for a jumper. But the defense is overplaying it, so maybe this time I go back door. Or maybe I don't swing it because there was a switch and now I'm being guarded by the 4 foot PG. Or I know I'm supposed to catch the back door cutter but I'm on fire and they are playing off me, so I'm shooting it. Or, I haven't hit a shot all year so maybe I pass on the shot even though they are playing off me. And now that they are playing off me, what adjustment can I make to my positioning on the floor to make sure that my guy is not clogging the paint and disrupting our offense. Or, Felton is getting beat baseline consistently, so maybe I need to take a half step deeper into the paint so that I am a half step closer to his help. Or maybe if I take a full step the penetrator will be intimidated by my mere precense. etc, etc.

there are a million decisions on the floor on every possession. It is impossible for coaches to coach each and every one of them. Some of this stuff your players have to know on their own. Much of it is innate, but a lot of it can be learned. I see AR trying to learn these little things but is thinking way to much. As he practices and plays more, more of this stuff will become natural to him. But I'm glad that the Knicks are making him learn it now, in the hopes that he won't become an Eddie Curry down the line that never learns it.

martin wrote:not for nothing but Amare has shot a total of 9 3-balls this season, and most of them were last minute variety. That's 1 every 2 games. Don't really think opponents are worried about that. He does shoot very nicely out to 18 feet though.

As long as he keeps improving his mid range game he will be a great player well past his prime, similar to garnett.