Posted by Marv:
Posted by islesfan:
Posted by Marv:
Posted by islesfan:
WHEN it became clear earlier this week that Danilo Gallinari will undergo back surgery, Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni was quick to characterize the rookie's abbreviated season as a learning experience rather than a wasted year.
Considering the investment made in the 20-year-old Italian, you expect the Knicks to stay upbeat about their first-round draft choice even though his 28-game season could qualify as "Much ado about nothing." He averaged just 6.1 points and 2.0 rebounds while displaying a nice jumper, but lacking strength and the ability to score off the dribble.
Nevertheless, D'Antoni remains confident the sixth overall selection is on track to be "a very high level player." That outlook remains a tough sell particularly last night when the player chosen after Gallinari, Eric Gordon, scored 19 points to help the Clippers to a 140-135 overtime win over the struggling Knicks.
"It's good he sampled the NBA a little bit and knows what he has to do," D'Antoni said of Gallinari. "Now it's just a question of getting healthy, getting physically stronger and that will come naturally. I think his future is bright."
Time will tell if the first selection of the Donnie Walsh-D'Antoni era was a home run or a whiff, but the notion of whether the 2008-09 season has been a learning experience or a waste of time can be applied not just to Gallinari but the entire team.
When it's all said and done, all the highlights of 2008-09 have come off the court rather than on it. The jettison of Stephon Marbury and the clearing of cap space for the 2010 free-agent shopping spree are about all the Knicks have to brag about as their losing streak reached six games.
The loss of Gallinari is the exclamation point on this wasted season. As the Knicks' highest draft selection since 1986, he is the one player expected to have a huge part in the future of this franchise; the one player, who figures to get big minutes alongside LeBron James or Dwyane Wade or whoever arrives in 2010. Everyone else on the roster, aside from perhaps 2007 pick Wilson Chandler, is expendable and may not be here two years from now.
The Knicks might point to career years by David Lee and Nate Robinson as reflections of the positive influence D'Antoni has had. But despite the double-doubles Lee has amassed and Robinson's occasional scoring outbursts, neither has proven worthy of a long-term deal for the kind of big money that might limit cap space in 2010.
That's why this year was all about Gallinari and whether he could validate the Knicks' first-round selection and secure a prominent role in the franchise's future. Neither of those questions was answered this season. Couple that with a thus far disappointing finish and the only positive about 2008-2009 was clearing room for 2010.
george.willis@nypost.com
Just another whiny anal crybaby, I guess. Or someone who can see the obvious when it's right in front of him.
It's funny, the people who are sticking their heads in the sand now are the same ones who praised Isiah for 3 years before they opened their eyes to how stupid most of his moves were. That's not to say that this situation is anywhere near as bad as it was then under Isiah, but isn't it just possible that major missteps have been taken and very little progress has been made?
Does george willis post to this site 20 times a day with the same whimpering whining posts? like a spoiled child would when he’s not getting every single thing that he wants every minute ? if he were doing that, then yes indeed george willis would be a whiny anal crybaby.
But he’s not. He’s simply failing to note the difference in the quality of the games the knicks players have put out this year, and he’s neglecting to characterize gallinari’s year accurately in terms of his injury.
So I guess it's not possible that missteps have been made and you think everything is perfect.
As far as the repetition that you have a problem with, it goes both ways. I don't see you admonishing nixluva or misterearl for saying the same things over and over and over again. Maybe it's just people who don't have a pollyannish mentality that you take offense to.
oh earl and I have gotten into it PLENTY of times. and nixluva is never provocative or antagonistic in his posts, so I don't think there's anything anyone reacts to there.
but what do you think of someone who's polluted every game thread this year with anti-knick snippiness, ridicule of good games by a knick player, dismissal of wins and gross overreaction to losses? think that person might be a small-minded petty poster who doesn't know how to play nicely in the sandbox with others and can only find a place for himself on this board by being a pest?
"polluted every game thread this year with anti-knick snippiness" - And I'm the one that's anal? Most of that is just having some fun watching a game. I'm sure when you and your friends sit around and watch a game, none of you make jokes or snide comments, you just sit there and stroke each other over how great everything is. That must be a lot of fun.
"ridicule of good games by a knick player" - I like to think that I'm keeping things in perspective and offering an alternative viewpoint. For example, I'm not going to be impressed by unconscionable chucking that leads to 30+ point games. Ooops, there I go ridiculing good games again.
"dismissal of wins" - Since the beginning of the year I said that wins and losses didn't matter for a rebuilding team. I wasn't expecting lots of wins and would rather they lost games to improve their playoff position. Throughout the year I've said almost nothing about most wins and losses until D'Antoni made his stupid comments about a short sighted playoff push that would put development on the backburner.
"gross overreaction to losses" - That's just a BS statement. Prior to D'Antoni's playoff push, the only way I even reacted to a loss was if it was a particularly heinous one which could have been avoidable if not for bad coaching or a boneheaded move by a player. Like the game in Portland where D'Antoni decided not to give a foul when they had one to give and only seconds remaining with a 1 pt lead. Or the first Al Harrington bonehead play.
Was I all those names you called me when I was making even stronger comments from the very beginning of the Isiah years? What have I said this year that was so off base? I still don't get what your problem is. Do you think what I say has no basis? Do you think what I say has basis but don't like the fact that I might repeat the same general ideas? Do you not like the way I say things and would accept them if I was more like the bizarro nixluva?
All those names you called me can also be used to label some of the people who don't happen to agree with me. But I would never expect you to call them out the same way. The hypocrisy and double standard on this board is ridiculous. As amazing as it might be for all you small minded pollyanna's, it might be shocking to you but regardless of how we express it, both lovers and haters want the same thing, for this team and that's for them to be a legitimately good team that we can all be happy and proud to watch. You think that if they had drafted a center in Lopez who could anchor the position for the next 10 years instead of a kid with a bad back, that I'd be this negative? Do you think that if they played defense the way they apparently did last night, on a consistent basis, that I'd be nearly as negative? My suggestion to you and others is to get off your high horse and stop pretending that you alone know the best way to express your fandom. If I was just spouting nonsensical garbage, that would be one thing but based on the viewpoints of people paid to watch sports and who have actually played the game, what I'm saying makes a lot of sense.
If it didn’t work in Phoenix with Nash and Stoutamire... it’s just not a winning formula. It’s an entertaining formula, but not a winning one. - Derek Harper talking about D'Antoni's System
3/27/2009 11:39 AM
nice
all of this fighting is really hurting my feeeeeelings