http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/23932/knicks-improved-on-d-but-can-stars-buy-in

infinitilov100 wrote:No response because some scout has something positive to say about the Knicks?
Hmmm.

It's a shock to the system. I almost fell off my chair when I read Positive and Knicks in the same sentence.

Bonn1997 wrote:The team has added many good defenders and efficient offensive players. It should win close to 50 games.

The Knicks need to win over 50 wins. I am not gonna worry about title contention or ECF right now. Initially, they just need to come out the gate and play extremely well. No more excuses. Their season starts with the Nets, Heat, 76er's twice then Dallas. These are all teams that should make the playoffs. These first five games will be a good indication and there will be a lot of overreaction and angst win, lose or draw.

Woody is a good coach for a more defensive style of play. His offensive style is to lean on a more conservative offensive style. This should blend well with a team that is focused on D. It will cut down on the number of turnovers and help the defense to do its job more effectively. I think this team is 100% in sync now. I can't remember the last time this team has been setup this well to play a style that should fit the players we have the best. The strength of many of this teams players is defense, with a few exceptions but the mix is just right I think.

NUPE wrote:There will be a lot of overreaction and angst win, lose or draw.

Or as I like to call it - a typical Knicks season.

nixluva wrote:The guy who should get the most credit for the teams D is Glen and not Woody. If you take away Tyson then Woody's defense is no different than MDA's defense. Both use a switching defense that can't work unless you have bigs who can move. That's why MDA loved having Jared. You need players that can cover ground and shut down driving lanes. MDA had made the right choice in selecting Shump a defensive SG who can defend multiple positions on the perimeter. All of this fit the direction of where the team is going. Glen then added Brewer who like Shump is a good perimeter defender, so they've strengthened an already talented defensive team, when Shump returns to add even more depth. Adding Camby reinforces the defense even further protecting the rim. Woody is simply the beneficiary of those moves, he's not some grand architect of defense. He does have a more forceful voice, but he's asking the players to do the same things they did under MDA with a few minor changes. It starts with the defensive talent tho.

Woody is a good coach for a more defensive style of play. His offensive style is to lean on a more conservative offensive style. This should blend well with a team that is focused on D. It will cut down on the number of turnovers and help the defense to do its job more effectively. I think this team is 100% in sync now. I can't remember the last time this team has been setup this well to play a style that should fit the players we have the best. The strength of many of this teams players is defense, with a few exceptions but the mix is just right I think.

I agree with everything except that Glen and not Woody should get most of the credit. They both should get a lot of credit. I think they're a good tandem and each did his part so far to make our team better. Hopefully Woodson has learned from MDA in terms of offense and he should be better than when he coached in Atlanta on his first gig. He had not coached for a while after being fired and already has an 18-6 record as NYK coach. That alone is impressive. No only were they winning towards the end of the season, but they blew most of their opponents away, the first game by 40 plus points.

MSG3 wrote:The only team stopping us from getting out of the East is Miami. I'm confident we can beat Boston, Chicago (with or without Rose), Indiana and NJ.

If Miami does not come with the same urgency as last season and we're healthy and on a roll then I like our chances.

nixluva wrote:The guy who should get the most credit for the teams D is Glen and not Woody. If you take away Tyson then Woody's defense is no different than MDA's defense. Both use a switching defense that can't work unless you have bigs who can move. That's why MDA loved having Jared. You need players that can cover ground and shut down driving lanes. MDA had made the right choice in selecting Shump a defensive SG who can defend multiple positions on the perimeter. All of this fit the direction of where the team is going. Glen then added Brewer who like Shump is a good perimeter defender, so they've strengthened an already talented defensive team, when Shump returns to add even more depth. Adding Camby reinforces the defense even further protecting the rim. Woody is simply the beneficiary of those moves, he's not some grand architect of defense. He does have a more forceful voice, but he's asking the players to do the same things they did under MDA with a few minor changes. It starts with the defensive talent tho.

Woody is a good coach for a more defensive style of play. His offensive style is to lean on a more conservative offensive style. This should blend well with a team that is focused on D. It will cut down on the number of turnovers and help the defense to do its job more effectively. I think this team is 100% in sync now. I can't remember the last time this team has been setup this well to play a style that should fit the players we have the best. The strength of many of this teams players is defense, with a few exceptions but the mix is just right I think.

I agree with just about everything except that Glen and not Woody should get most of the credit. They both should get a lot of credit. I think they're a good tandem and each did his part so far to make our team better. Woodson's team in Atlanta was almost unstoppable defensively and their problem was the offense. Hopefully Woodson has learned from MDA in terms of the offense and he should be better than when he coached Atlanta on his first gig. He had not coached for a while after being fired and already has an 18-6 record as NYK coach. That alone is impressive. No only were they winning towards the end of the season, but they blew most of their opponents away, the first game was by 40 plus points.

fishmike wrote:why is this a suprise? The Knicks should be good. Woody like veteran guys who defend. We got those. He has a PG to set up Amare, he's got an guy he can run the iso-joe offense through in Melo and Felton, Camby, Kurt, Kidd, Chandler, Ronnie Brewer... it will be a good team. Should be a 50 win team. Are the Knicks good enough to get to the finals?

I think its a surprise/shocker because of the source. Espn loves to hate on the Knicks; the only worse haters are Barkley and that writer who used to cover Cleveland (forget his name)