MS wrote:I'm all for the transformation of this team. I am just unsure why the Knicks drafted a player they can't use and resigned a guard they don't want to play. The same way they let Marbury play the preseason and then bench him to prove a point. The team can be professional while acting professional. The don't need to create a problem.

There was no reason to exhaust the starters the night before in Detriot with a back to back on deck. Hill should have seen time. I don't buy this rythm routine Mike is talking about. Douglas isn't a player that can't play and then come in and make a difference. We needed to build some value with Eddy and he could have very easily put a little pressure on lopez for 10-15 minutes. Lee can't always win the matchup.

Showing Nate how to be a professional is something that was needed. However I just don't want to see a double standard. Losing two games for hanging on the rim and launching the ball everytime you get it isn't professional either. He should have made the point with Nate last season, but was riding him because he was playing exceptional ball.

Just be the same coach no matter the circumstance.

MS - the coach played 9 players last night. You want to see Hill, Nate and Eddy play also. There is no way to get 12 players meaningful minutes. Most good coaches that I've seen have a core set of players that they settle on. They aren't always the best players on the team or the guys that are the hottest but at some point the coach has to decide who is going to play and who is not. They can change their rotation sometimes but they can't flip-flop who their core is on a nightly basis.

I would not be surprised to see Nate get a chance at some point this season it depends how things play out. You can be sure when he does and someone else is out of the rotation, this board will be in an uproar that someone else should be playing.

Creative coach..described in the media as "a players coach"...settles differences with players by feuding with them. Eventually becomes a bitter alcoholic.

ex: Al Harrington and Nellie were basically at each other's throats.

Anthony Randolph is supposed to be the warrior big with the most potential but his playing time has yo-yoed.

I don't think MDA or Don Nelson just woke up one morning and decided they were going to be a-holes to their players for no reason.

Something obviously happened during a game or practice and they made a conscious decision to bench that player until that player decided to get with the program.

If you've said the same thing 50,000 times to a player and they keep repeating the same mistakes it would seem like the last resort would be to take away the one thing EVERY decent, young or contract seeking player cares about: playing time. The only guys who could take a DNP-CD and shrug it off are Jerome James types.

I would hope that MDA made every effort to communicate with Nate before he decided to use the nuclear option.

Until one/both of them decide to release a tell-all book we'll probably never get the real story.

Maybe years and years of being a coach and dealing with players who came from teams where inmates were running the asylum (doubt that Al Harrington learned great habits on those Pacers teams with Artest, Tinsely, etc) just gives these guys a short fuse.

MS wrote:Douglas and Bender aren't bringing much of anything to the table. So essentially you are counting on 6 guys and Jefferies who is one of the worst offensive players in the league.

I like the direction of the team. But I think Eddy needs to play a little. Frankly it's ****ing embarrassing that no one can feed the post and get a big man the ball when he gets position. I have seen Mike leave larry hughes in when he has 5 to's and is shooting 1-6. I have seen Duhon ignore Gallo and play some of the worst basketball in the leauge for 3 weeks. Maybe what Mike is doing is make people hungry maybe doesn't. But Curry is going to be here now regardless. I would like to see him used for 15 minutes a night. He is in shape and he looked aggressive against the celtics. Mike was talking about his role getting him involved and know he isn't playing him.

We are going to need a big at somepoint against the Celtics, Cavs, Magic and Hawks. The Playoffs are important for experience and even for exposure. I think the Knicks have a chance to do some good things but I would rather see Nate and Eddy as the season progresses get another chance and if they aren't professional fine, then they sit. Hopefully this works out as a benefit

I think the later the season gets..the more 2nd half fades you'll see and MDA will be forced to play more guys. Dunno if that results in any more Ws.

Howard Beck if the times actually addressed this whole issue:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/sports/basketball/31knicks.html?ref=basketball

The most amusing thing about all this is this:

The ends are justifying the means, at least so far. The Knicks won 9 of 15 games in December, one of their best months in years. Despite the occasional hiccup, they are playing consistently solid basketball. They remain firmly in the hunt for a playoff berth, despite a ghastly 1-9 start.

When was the last time we won 9 out of 15 games. You would think after a solid decade of misery we would all be frikkin ecstatic.

Marv wrote:bip sounds grouchy. i don't think he got the toys he asked for for christmas.

Shut up jerkoff!!!!!!!Now where is my friggin xbox. Why didn't anyone by me an xbox!!!!!!?????????

joec32033 wrote:

Bippity10 wrote:

Marv wrote:bip sounds grouchy. i don't think he got the toys he asked for for christmas.

Shut up jerkoff!!!!!!!Now where is my friggin xbox. Why didn't anyone by me an xbox!!!!!!?????????

Post counts are like tickets at Dave and Buster's. I heard that if you get 10,000 Martin and Andrew give you a PS3.

Sounds to me like Bip got an xbox with the red ring of death from Martin and Andrew

We don't need to max out guys minutes they are going to break down. I would rather see the minutes that bender gets go to hill/curry. Both of which are much more important parts to this team. Next year Bender may have a role.

Detriot is a perfect example. You couldn't get Hill in the game?

TMS wrote:i'd respect MDA's methods a lot more if he weren't such a phoney sometimes... stop the BS Mike.

Man you really are nitpicking when it comes to MDA. Coaches in general get into giving the media something to chew on, but not really always how they feel. Zeke was famous for saying that he'd lie to the media from time to time. Coaches are in a tough spot really. The media is always there looking for something to run with and they have to say something even if it's not what they may really feel inside. Riley would say stuff just to send a message thru the press. LB is famous for ripping his players in the press even tho it was overboard at times. I mean really MDA was supposed to be this players coach that had no discipline. Now he makes a stand on principle based on setting a winning tone and people actually have a problem with that.

We're winning at a much better % than in the 1st month. How much better do you think the team could be? No losses? Maybe with Nate with win 1 or 2 more games or maybe we loose a few more. This isn't a team that we can expect to just win at a clip much better than we've been doing of late. MDA's many years of coaching experience is probably telling him this, but some of the rest of us haven't gotten the message. This is not a great team. The way we're playing is pretty damn good considering what we have. There's still a chance that Nate get's back in the rotation and I hope that he has improved on his D and team play, so that he can have a positive impact in helping us get more wins.

OldFan wrote:

TMS wrote:i'd respect MDA's methods a lot more if he weren't such a phoney sometimes... stop the BS Mike.

I don't know that MDA is a phoney to his players and management or not. We only know what he says to the press and I don't think any of us have any idea what the best method of handling the NY press is.

according to the players he doesn't say anything to them at all when he decides to bench them, but he has a lot to say to the press which rings of phonyness when you look at what's actually going on during games... IMO, lack of communication & taking such an authoritarian approach between players & coaches is a problem no matter what coach we're talking about... Tom Coughlin ran into big issues w/that the first couple years he was a coach of the Giants... he tried to make an example of some veterans on the team that it was his way or the highway by fining guys like Mike Strahan for not showing up early to team meetings, & it backfired bigtime, he almost lost the team completely & it almost ended up costing him his job in the process... then he finally eased up & started communicating more through some select veterans on the team & tried not to take such a black & white approach, & the players began to respect him a lot more... they now have a Super Bowl trophy... even when Coughlin wanted to make an example of idiots like Plaxico for not following team rules, he only benched him for a half of a game, but he put him back in the game cuz winning took precedence over any stupid discipline he was trying to dish out.

MDA has a reputation for being a player's coach, but i don't see it... he's very passive aggressive w/his methods... he puts on a smile, praises the players in the press & tells us all how great guys like Marbury & Nate have been through their benchings & what not... even says it's not personal with those guys & he respects them too much to play them sporadic minutes... all the while these guys have become dead to him... he's an ice cold manipulator of people with his smooth tongue & country boy smile, & some of u are all too ready to eat it up... sorry, but i call a spade a spade, & to me, MDA is a phony... he's a great coach, don't get me wrong, & i'm happy to have him as our coach, but i don't like the BS he dishes out all the time & i think he needs to ease up a little bit in his passive aggressive tendencies.

OldFan wrote:Bender is only getting 11 minutes a game. Don't see how Curry and Hill splitting those minutes is going to help.

u don't see how getting a rookie some playing time during a game would help? how else is he supposed to be developed? i thought MDA said it was all about that this year, to get our young guys to grow & see what we have? have Jordan Hill & Toney Douglas gotten a fair chance to show their skills this year? come on OldFan, you're a reasonably thinking poster on this board, i know u can't believe that.