Olbrannon, I was joking with the owned statement - as Martin said (I don't cause trouble on the boards that I can remember). Perhaps the problem with a board is you can't tell as it's just print. To say what I did as childish though doesn't make sense after your obtuse and oblique statement, which actually made me laugh, hence the Clyde remark. Perhaps we just got a mirror here between us.

I think I said it before. It's pretty clear that age plays a big role in drafting - upside. We got lucky with Fields for a variety of reasons. He was playing in a bad conference, on a bad team, he was a senior, not much playing time before, etc. So, he slipped through the radar. After the Hill pick (or is it trade?) I'll take it, not to mention bad years or drafting.

BRIGGS wrote:Looked like mDA was btchn @ Fields yesterday. Seems like he needs someone to yell at.

I'm confused by the guy. They say he is a players coach but perhaps that's in practice. Right now I'd really rather have Mark Jackson as then we'd get to see more defense and less predictable throw the ball to Amare type plays.

Anyway, Fields is a pretty smart cat. I wonder what he will be like in another month as he is playing pretty solid.

earthmansurfer wrote:Right now I'd really rather have Mark Jackson as then we'd get to see more defense and less predictable throw the ball to Amare type plays.

last year Knicks were 29th in Defensive Efficiency. This year 11th.

earthmansurfer wrote:Nice quote Martin. I don't give basketball great importance, so I'm not exactly frustrate - just not happy with the team. The 4th quarter meltdowns and the predictable plays to Amare are too reminiscent of last year. I don't understand how such a talented offensive coach's team has such problems in the 4th.

I'm not sure how to judge the defensive efficiency stat. It looks like a big improvement but when I watch the team it seems different and when i look at the following stats as well:
In points given up we are 27th out of 30th.
In point differential we are 20th...
In points scored we are 8th. (And yet I complain about our offensive execution due to the before mentioned reasons. But now see next point)
Our field goal percentage is 27th. (This confirms we are not efficient and instead relying on many possessions.)
Our field goal percentage allowed is 24th.
These stats tell me a lot.

the one constant that we must take into consideration is pace. Knicks play at a fast pace, so there will be more shots and more points all-together. That's why I like to look at efficiency which has as baseline of points a team scores per 100 possessions (thus negativing pace).

In your above, it would throw a wrench into point given up, points scored. point differential is just a measure of Wins and Losses (for the most part).

FG% allowed would be a very good indicator of defense. And straight FG% is tough unless you are looking at TS% (Effective FG% with FT% thrown in).

Olbrannon wrote:

earthmansurfer wrote:Looks like Fields came down to earth, which is normal after a big game. Didn't see the game but heard he played solid but with a few mistakes.

Olbrannon, I was joking with the owned statement - as Martin said (I don't cause trouble on the boards that I can remember). Perhaps the problem with a board is you can't tell as it's just print. To say what I did as childish though doesn't make sense after your obtuse and oblique statement, which actually made me laugh, hence the Clyde remark. Perhaps we just got a mirror here between us.

I think I said it before. It's pretty clear that age plays a big role in drafting - upside. We got lucky with Fields for a variety of reasons. He was playing in a bad conference, on a bad team, he was a senior, not much playing time before, etc. So, he slipped through the radar. After the Hill pick (or is it trade?) I'll take it, not to mention bad years or drafting.

"My wife once observed that sarcasm doesn't translate well from the Net. She might well have gotten that somewhere else. It is very true...nor does tone of voice. Hence the use of emotes. They are a good thing. Helps to convey the writers tone...but it isn't perfect. I say all this because in order to be productive people need to communicate without offending one another. That isn't always possible. But I will try."

A quote from my initial blog. Not much point in directing you there unless you like linux ;)

I get bit worked up sometimes. Armenian and French blood I guess.

Well said. Actually, I just switched back to XP after 2 years on Ubuntu. I actually really liked it but due to running it on a laptop I think I could never get it going 100%. I will probably try it again down the line, especially since most of my computer use is just surfing the net. I was running a dual boot and every so often the Windows partition would get messed up. I have to say (with some pain) that XP has been running like a champ for me. I was anti-Microsoft for years, having worked in IT and with Linux, but now I'm not the IT guy anymore and just want less headaches. Hit the underdog part of my ego, but I accept it now.

I actually love the French, they are constantly protesting stuff here in Europe. I don't know, an Italian and Lebanese mix might top yours! eheheh