martin wrote:

JohnWallace44 wrote:Martin, is www.kneejerk.com available?

DouglasDuhon is terrible enough that you could start anyone and it would probably be an improvement, but Douglas is not the be-all-end-all player for us at the position unfortunately. I see him as being a BJ Armstrong, Fisher type, which is good enough when you have all-stars at the other spots, but should be a backup.

What I was very happy to see is that Douglas seems to be taking the plays that the defense gives you in this offense. Where Duhon had been seeing open lanes to the basket and saying, no thank you, for some unkown reason, Douglas was finishing those plays.

Same plays have been there for Duhon, but he just wasn't playing like he was interested in finishing them.

Playing Douglas will eliminate some of the massive deficits we've been finding ourselves in, but I don't see the skills in his game to put us over the top at all. Gallo, Chandler and Al need to be the primary scoring options. Lee should get the garbage points, and the PG just needs to take what's there.

Douglas is not here to put the Knicks over the top or be an all-star. He plays tenacious D, he stays in front of his man, he pushes the ball, he rebounds, he deflects, he steals, and he is a proven scorer. He still has to prove he can do all of those things at the NBA level consistently, but we already know his work ethic is there. Dude just went head to head with perhaps the #2 PG in the league and didn't look foolish. IMHO, per his experience, he is not a liability and shows good potential to be a 2-way starter.

I have no idea where you get the BJ and/or Fisher comparisons. Those guys were/are primarily one dimensional - life outside playing next to a super-duper star would show those guys to be bench dudes.

Sorry, that should have said "Duhon is terrible enough"

You don't think Douglas is similar to Fisher? Guy who plays pressure defense, can score, but ideally not as a primary option. They can score in about the same way. How do you mean Fish is one dimensional?

Really like what he showed last night, but no way is he a legit starter for any team but the Knickerbockers.

JohnWallace44 wrote:Really like what he showed last night, but no way is he a legit starter for any team but the Knickerbockers.

isn't that like, you know, a knee jerk reaction? Let's watch the guy develop over the year.

What I don't think Walsh can do is to lose focus on the fact that PG is still our most glaring need even with Douglas.

We need a SG badly, but this offense just doesn't work well without a top flight PG. I don't think that anyone who's being honest with themselves really thinks that Douglas has the potential to be the player to make this system go in a starting role.

Is one going to fall out of the sky? No. That is why we have a GM though. There were 7 PG's taken in the last draft that I think will end up being starters. It's not impossible to find them.

If players decide to come out ahead of the new CBA then this draft will be artificially deep. If we purchase a late pick like we did with Douglas, then yes, we probably can get a developmental PG that can run this system well.

If I'm the GM of a D'Antoni coached team, I'm looking for a 6'5" PG who can finish.

Wall, Lee, Shumpert, White, Warren, Jasper - That's six guys that will more than likely be in this draft who fit the bill.

There are guys like Crittendon who are in the mold of what we need and are riding the pine. Not sure if he's the long term solution, but there are players like him that would help for this year at least.

JohnWallace44 wrote:Cooch, TD is better than Duhon already, that's a small win for us. Not a bad thing.

What I don't think Walsh can do is to lose focus on the fact that PG is still our most glaring need even with Douglas.

We need a SG badly, but this offense just doesn't work well without a top flight PG. I don't think that anyone who's being honest with themselves really thinks that Douglas has the potential to be the player to make this system go in a starting role.

Is one going to fall out of the sky? No. That is why we have a GM though. There were 7 PG's taken in the last draft that I think will end up being starters. It's not impossible to find them.

If players decide to come out ahead of the new CBA then this draft will be artificially deep. If we purchase a late pick like we did with Douglas, then yes, we probably can get a developmental PG that can run this system well.

If I'm the GM of a D'Antoni coached team, I'm looking for a 6'5" PG who can finish.

Wall, Lee, Shumpert, White, Warren, Jasper - That's six guys that will more than likely be in this draft who fit the bill.

There are guys like Crittendon who are in the mold of what we need and are riding the pine. Not sure if he's the long term solution, but there are players like him that would help for this year at least.

I think TD might have the potential to be a starter that makes this system go- especially with a possible Lebron as an addition.

Its early - we don't know yet about TD- the one thing he does have is speed.

And Nash is 6'3" - don't know why we would need someone in the 6'5" category.

JamaicanJetFan wrote:I love everything TD has done so far, but I sure hope his passing skills improve over the course of the year.

I think that comes with playing time. He seems like a smart dude and jumping in the air before passing, a cardinal sin as per Clyde, will stop.

What I'm lookin for is the Nash factor! Can he learn how to make Gallo, Chan and Lee better by using his great speed to penetrate, draw and kick? It's just one more step to add to what he's already doing. Learn how to keep your head up and know where your guys are, then when a defender comes to help zip the ball to the man he just left! Also leading and directing guys to setup for pick n roll or other sets. With time he might get good enough at it to be at least what Duhon was to start of last year, but better D and pushing the ball.