Posted by sebstar:

Posted by BRIGGS:

I think Douglas = Marcus Banks with much better scoring instincts right out of the box. Remember MDA liked Banks and really wanted to use him to back up Nash and for defense in 3 guard sets

Are you trying to make that comparison just so you can highlight MDA's past evaluation mistake at the point guard position?

that was my quote... and I dont think it was a mistake by MDA. The Suns needed a backup PG and perimeter defense so Banks certainly seemed like a good fit. It just didnt work out and he just didnt play well there. Not every move works out. That one didnt, but I would say it was still a good move based on the team's needs. Banks is probably the only guard that didnt play well in that system.

Posted by sebstar:

Got ya.

Dont know why Banks flopped as hard as he did. Might be issues outside of the court.

it's b/c he's probably a dime a dozen guy that's not really good.

but i think d'antoni's short reign as gm (signing banks and giving diaw a huge deal) and his rotation patterns suggest he likes his guys, doesn't show patience, and only plays those he trusts. which probably also explains why he's not really a development coach and why duhon's a dead man walking after d'antoni talked him up early.

[Edited by - djsunyc on 08-27-2009 4:29 PM]

Posted by djsunyc:

Posted by sebstar:

Got ya.

Dont know why Banks flopped as hard as he did. Might be issues outside of the court.

it's b/c he's probably a dime a dozen guy that's not really good.

but i think d'antoni's short reign as gm (signing banks and giving diaw a huge deal) and his rotation patterns suggest he likes his guys, doesn't show patience, and only plays those he trusts. which probably also explains why he's not really a development coach and why duhon's a dead man walking after d'antoni talked him up early.

[Edited by - djsunyc on 08-27-2009 4:29 PM]

is it me or did you just describe every head coach in the NBA?

Diaw deserved that deal... he had an amazing year on both ends of the court. Then he celebrated by getting fat.

^dude, I think they were talking about the knicks draft pick... not the band....sorry.

4 POINTS

"Also a few air balls from 6 feet isnt an easy accomplishment--that means you are scared."

Toney knew that succeeding in the NBA required him to transition to playing the point. His primary Summer League objective was to turn off his scoring instincts and prove to Mike D that he could distribute the ball effectively. Last year he carried a team on his back into the NCAA's. "Scared" isn't a problem for TD, he stopped thinking about scoring and the lack of focus affected his shooting.

For those who thought his defense was not up to par, I disagree. He was a great defender in college. What happens when you get to the NBA or even Summer League, the quality of the athlete gets much better, and you can't be as aggressive as you were in college. I think all you are seeing is an adjustment to respect the faster speed of the NBA game. The key to being a top notch defender is lateral speed with Toney has, and second a priority decision that defense is very important. Toney definitely has that too.

Some wrote Toney wasn't involved in how the Sessions deal played out. There was a quote from Donnie Walsh a while back. He said that he wasn't negotiating with Sessions because he needed to wait and see how well Toney Douglas did in Summer League. It makes a huge difference if you have Toney Douglas as a back up point guard, because the consequences if you don't get Sessions are easier to handle. He did the same trick drafting Jordan Hill. Although we won't necessarily like it, we can better afford to lose David Lee because Jordan can help take his place.

Sessions is not an ideal point guard for the Knicks because of his outside shooting. He may eventually improve his shooting significantly and then again he may not. Signing him to a long term deal is too much of a bet, and too little of a sure thing. Fact is, we simply don't know if Sessions is going to be a better point guard than Toney Douglas. If that is the case, why invest $12 million if what you are getting is necessarily better than what you already have?