Don't know if this was posted yet-

In keeping with the knee-jerk spirit of New York sports journalism, the Knicks’ pre-season victory in San Antonio may qualify as the first turning point of the season and cause enough to begin drawing conclusions about the newly redesigned roster.

Of course, far more significant than an exhibition win is how people played and who pulled through at decisive moments. Close observers of the NBA can detect key trends even during mundane stretches of play, and there is a reason that head coach Larry Brown is the brightest tactician in basketball.

For those who take notice of these patterns, it is unclear whether the future of the Knicks will include Stephon Marbury. One of Brown’s notable pre-season experiments has been to put Jamal Crawford at the point for extended periods and crunch time. Playing point guard forces Crawford to drive and pass and gear down his long-range jumper to a secondary option. As a wing player, Crawford flashes brilliance amid a torrent of painfully bad shots. But he’s a different player when playmaking focuses his game, and his range and height are extraordinary for the position. Handing Crawford the ball could be what transforms the second-year Knick from a big talent into a big contributor.

On the other hand, converting Marbury to the two-guard – which begs the dubious comparison to Allen Iverson, whom Brown successfully moved off the ball in Philadelphia – is a switch that is not likely to click. It’s a fact of life (and major problem) in New York that the team does not run especially well with Marbury at the point and he probably cannot add to the bottom line at shooting guard either. Even with Allan Houston’s retirement, the Knicks have a deep backcourt and not enough time or balls to go around. Their young players deserve the chance to grow in New York and keeping Marbury around may only hinder the team’s progress. The question then becomes, what GM out there would take Marbury and his hefty salary and what can the Knicks get back in return?

There are several new bigs in the frontcourt as well, including Eddy Curry and Channing Frye, who led the Knicks back against the Spurs with 19 points and 8 rebounds. The 8th overall pick in the NBA Draft, Frye so far has demonstrated the skill set and aggressiveness to quiet critics and possibly earn him major minutes at power forward. From one to five, the Knicks’ best lineup may be Crawford, Quentin Richardson, Trevor Ariza, Frye and Curry.

Everyone around the league is eager to see what kind of excitement the 5’9” rookie Nate Robinson will generate at the Garden. His speed and determination off the bench could have a quantifiable impact on the Knicks’ fortunes, as part of what could be a formidable second unit that includes the energy of rookie power forward David Lee.

The GM Isiah Thomas has done an impressive job of increasing the team’s size (now suddenly one of the biggest and deepest front lines in the NBA), while getting more athletic and younger. He’s also managed to regularize the Knick rotation some after years of a mismatched roster with players who were too small and/or playing out of position.

Still, there is little argument that defense and rebounding are serious concerns for this club. From getting out to shooters to keeping people in front of them on the perimeter, the Knicks have everything to prove and even Brown will have his hands full changing the organization’s habits.

Richardson can pitch in admirably on the boards at the small forward spot but Curry is a weak-rebounding center who will be the focal point of Brown’s efforts to re-instill team tenacity from the ground up. While people will measure Curry’s success on whether he can improve on his 16-point per-game average, the true test will be whether he can clog the middle and give the Knicks an interior presence.

I'm still one of the few that believe marbs at the point is what's best for this team...Crawford coming in as the 6th man is the best move for our team IMHO. Take our chances with the kids (reezy and co.) at the wing and see what we can do while Q is out...if Craw performs admirably at the 2, then he starts and we slide Q to the 3, however, based on the philly game, Crawford will be on the court at the end of the game with Q and Marbs, so who starts isn't a question.

What I'm saying is that the best starting lineup for the knicks is Marbs, Crawford, Q, Frye and Curry.

That gives us the balance necessary...if they can't defend, we bring in the lock down/hustle.

no doubt

I'm really in love with Crawford as 6th man. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that a knick wins sixth man of the year this year.

no doubt