Posted by Paladin55:

Posted by Markji:


But another thing, originally, we had 2 "Big Men" in Reed and Walt Belamy (one of the premier centers and top all-time scorers of his time) and yet we couldn't win. It was only when we traded Bellamy for DeBusschere that we gelled as a team. Same thing in the 90's. We had Ewing and Cartwright. When we traded Cartwright for Oakley, we again became prominant. Both oakley and Dave D could shoot form outside, were tough inside, and played team ball. So 2 Bigs isn't critical. Having a PF and Center who play well together, teamwork, and play smart, and can shoot is critical. I think Gallo can fill that role.

One would think that Zach could fill the role of a Debuschere or Oakley. He rebounds and shoots as well as any PF. Maybe he's lacking the teamwork. Maybe D'A can fix his teamwork problem? (Just a thought; really a hope. A Big hope!).

Forgot about the Bellamy deal. Reed and he were just not simpatico on the inside. Debusschere did have a running hook that he would use at times, but he was primarily a perimeter player, who had good range. Getting rid of Bellamy allowed Reed to roam free on the inside where he was more comfortable.


Very wishful thinking on Randolph, and for me, it is almost sacrilegious to hear Randolph's name mentioned in the same breath as Debusschere, who was my favorite Knick as a kid. I just don't believe that Zach can play the helping D that the Knicks will need to play.

I don't think that Randolph will be around much longer because if Milicic is healthy, anyway, I think they will make the Memphis deal if the Grizzlies are willing.

By the way, IMHO, Frazier was a decent shooter, although he did not have the classic jump shooter release like Bradley or Debusshere. No 3pt range at all- more like 17 ft and under, if you ask me- and more likely to take his man down low for a short jumper, but he could hit the midrange shot when open.

People like to say he played his best ball under Larry Brown. I dunno

Posted by nixluva:

EXCELLENT ARTICLE!!!!! I agree with this observation 110%. This is what i've seen and have been looking forward to from day one. I think it's exactly what we're going to see happen with this team over the next few years.

We can look forward to seeing this team coached like it hasn't been coached in a while. We should see a weeding out process as Mike gets a better look at the players we have and identifies who is smart enough and skilled enough to help us going forward. Until Mike gets these guys in camp and starts to install his system, there's no way any of us can really know who will excel and who won't. We can venture a guess, but it remains to be seen.

I like the idea of using Gallo and Chan as the forwards, it may not happen from day one, but I think it can happen and I think it could work. This is the direction we're headed in folks. So long as the team is built right, I think you can win with just about any style. Like i've said before. The Montana 49'ers and Magic Lakers were primarily offensive teams and won that way. It's not impossible to win with a great offense and a good defense.

Posted by Paladin55:

Posted by Markji:

Gallo's first half in Summer league - he would always be trying to pass the ball, but no one was cutting or doing anything. So he looked lost. Now the rest of the team will learn to play that way also (passing, moving, teamwork). It is inspiring! because that was the Knicks' style when they won championships.

[Edited by - markji on 08-26-2008 07:32 AM]

As an older fan I would love to see this. The only problem is that every guy on the Knicks starting 5 back then on those teams, including the centers- Reed, Lucas, and even Gianelli, could hit jump shots beyond 15 ft, and they had guys coming off the bench who could do the same thing. You also need an intelligent team to play this way, and that is another question I have with the Knicks at this time.

Reed and Debusschere were defensive studs on the inside at that time, and got 10RPG each/game. Reed was also a shot-blocker. We don't have this kind of D inside with our guys now.


You are also dead-on with the Gallo comment. He did make a couple of nice passes, but it looked like our strategy in that game was to hang around the perimeter and wait for open 3s, and the movement by our players was terrible.

But recall the Olympics again...whenever the U.S. got itself into trouble was when it pounded the ball on the floor instead of passing it. The most important thing to keep in mind when you play in this system is movement. Catch it and do something...NOW. If you watched Team USA, there was a lot of that going on.