EnySpree wrote:Stop calling Shump a point guard....he's not a point guard. Enough already with that. He's a damn good shooting guard. Practice and experience is all he needs.kid is a natural scorer...a natural defender....he can handle and has good vision....he is not Rondo. Cut it out

EnySpree wrote:Stop calling Shump a point guard....he's not a point guard. Enough already with that. He's a damn good shooting guard. Practice and experience is all he needs.kid is a natural scorer...a natural defender....he can handle and has good vision....he is not Rondo. Cut it out

Iman is more of a PG than TD and the proper term is COMBO guard. TD in his college career never avg'd 4 or 5 assists like Iman did in his college career. He doesn't have to be limited to just being a PG or a SG. He's clearly more of a scorer but that doesn't preclude him from creating either. Both MDA and Walsh feel the kid could run the point, but it's so early why even worry about it? The original plan was to play CB at the 2 and let Iman play the point. It's not like he NEVER played the point before and we're asking him to do something he can't do. He's a combo guard and let's leave it at that.

EnySpree wrote:Stop calling Shump a point guard....he's not a point guard. Enough already with that. He's a damn good shooting guard. Practice and experience is all he needs.kid is a natural scorer...a natural defender....he can handle and has good vision....he is not Rondo. Cut it out

You don't have either the authority or the knowledge to tell me what to write and what not to write? State your own opinions, but don't come on like you are the Knick's Police.

Shump thinks he can be a point guard, and others like Donnie Walsh and MDA agree. Baron Davis is not someone that the Knicks can depend on. We need a quality point guard backup, and I like Shump for the job. Its important to know who you can push around and who you can't.

With Bibby, TD, Fields, Jefferies, Jorts playing as needed.

NY can still be active come trading deadline, as they now have the pieces they need.

Fields is more of a 3 and should be used as such. TD is solid and he and Shumpert will solidify the 2 spot.

There was a good chunk of time during Friday's practice when Iman Shumpert was wearing a blue jersey. That meant he was the point guard in the first unit, playing alongside Landry Fields, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler.

Mike D'Antoni said afterward that Toney Douglas also ran the team, and he wanted to switch it up with Shumpert because "we're just trying to get everybody used to playing with certain people." While D'Antoni is likely to name Douglas the starter for Sunday's season opener, he's been impressed with Shumpert's playmaking abilities.

D'Antoni has the luxury of using Anthony as his point-forward, but an actual point guard who can make things happen will be necessary at times when Melo is playing off the ball. Eventually, it will be Baron Davis, but in the meantime before the All-Star is healthy, don't be surprised if that player ends up being Shumpert, not Douglas.

The deciding factors will likely be Shumpert's athleticism and 6-5, 220-pound size, which will allow him to stick with stronger and quicker point guards, such as Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose and Russell Wesbrook. D'Antoni called Shumpert's defense "really good." Offensively, Douglas has more experience at the one, but he's undersized. At the end of the day, he's better suited for the team's sixth-man role. The name of his game is scoring, and Shumpert's, as D'Antoni alluded to it on Friday, is facilitating.

"[Iman's] shown that he makes simple plays, and if he can do that, he'll play," D'Antoni said. "Now whether right now in his rookie year can he run a team exactly the way we want it after two weeks of practice? I don't know. But if we've got other guys helping out, he can definitely play. We'll just cover that as we go forward."

By the look and sound of it, as D'Antoni said that he'll "probably" go with the usual starting five against the Celtics, Christmas Day could offer a surprising Knicks offering.

loweyecue wrote:If he can run the pick and roll, then he is already an upgrade. Just don't think he is a long term PG solution. But he is definitely worth a try till Baron is back.

Iman thinks of himself as a PG. He has played the position for years and tho he's not a PURE passer, I think he has some ability. Look at a player like Billups. He's no real PG either. Not if you compare him to guys like CP3, Kidd, Nash, Deron... Iman could eventually develop into a better version of Billups. I'm not saying this is his future long term, but for now there's a good chance he'd be better than anyone else we've got before Baron gets back.

Remember the original plan was to have Iman run the point with CB playing SG. There's a reason why they wanted to do that and it had to do with their belief in Iman's PG skills and his ability to learn. I don't know how well Iman will adjust to slowing down enough to run the sets but we know MDA is willing to test it out. I'm intrigued by the possibilities.

Now enter Shumpert. His height is 6' 5.5", versus 6'1" for RR. His wingspan is 6'9.5" i.e. slightly longer than Rondo. His standing reach is therefore longer than Rondo's. He seems every bit as athletic as Rondo is and may be one of the very people playing point guard in the NBA who defensively will match up well with Rajon Rondo.

MDA was preparing in today's scrimage to put the Iman into the Celtics game to guard Rajon Rondo. He will likely do it either before or after Toney Douglas plays. Either way, it should be exciting to watch. It seems likely to me that having the Iman guarding Rajon Rondo, will improve the Knick's chance of winning the upcoming Celtics game. Thanks to Shump Shump's new role, I am predicting a victory for the Knicks.