I get the impression that the first few games are treated as extended training camp, as evidenced by LB's statements that the team needed longer camp and that LB was unsure of who to play. His choices evidence the same point. Malik Rose had no business being in yesterday's game when NY needed to score. The Young Guns, tired or else, were beating their opponents. The substitutions were not rational at that time. The change in the inactive list, moving Lee off and Mo T on makes little sense at this juncture... there was not nearly enough time for such a change to become necessary. Lee could not have improved nor Mo T worsened in such a short period. Leaving Curry on the bench when we needed to score? He was our best scoring option when he was on the court. That also made no sense.

LB cannot be worrying about stats or W/L, he must be looking at the team long term. Still testing lineups, perhaps proving which players are not capable of playing on this team. This makes me think that Marbs, Craw, Q and James are not fitted for this team in the longterm. NRob may fit into that category unless LB makes him a project.

Lupica had a great take on the game:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/story/363126p-309269c.html

A glimpse of a bright future,
grisly present
...
There was a time in the second half, what became a rousing second half for a while, when the five players Brown had on the court were the three No. 1 draft choices (Channing Frye, David Lee, Nate Robinson), the team's No. 2 pick from last year (Trevor Ariza) and Crawford. It might have been the youngest team the Knicks ever have fielded in a game that counted.

Sometimes the five on the court were Marbury, Frye (12 points, six rebounds), Robinson (seven points, three assists), Lee (eight points, 10 rebounds) and Ariza (11 points, six rebounds). There was even one play in front of the Knicks' bench when you looked down and saw three players diving for a loose ball:

Frye.

Lee.

Robinson.
...
Maybe next time he will let them try. For now he will keep mixing and matching young and old until the Knicks can start getting rid of some of the stiffs on this team in December, when trades can be made. Until then, Brown tries to figure out which of his veterans, some on the way out, can help him in the short run. It is, after all, the job he signed on for.

"You can see there's some hope," Brown said about an hour after the game.
...
Isiah had what might turn out to be a tremendous draft if the three kids are the real deal. He did fine with Ariza the year before. He did fine signing this coach.
...
But it becomes increasingly clear that after all the player moves of the last two years, more have to be coming. You bring in Brown to coach, you better get him players he wants to coach.

For now, Brown tries to figure it all out with the players he has. Young and old. He does it in games that count, knowing how much Knick fans are counting on him, knowing that fans will only set expectations so low with a high-profile coach like this. The coach did give them a glimpse of the future yesterday. The kids gave him a run.

My favorite part:

Maybe they can get him a game or two on the road.

I'm serious, he is definitely ignoring the Wins and Losses, he's helping zeke figure out who to trade for [insert player to put us over the top here]

[Edited by - rvhoss on 11-07-2005 4:39 PM]