Man, I loved the win against Portland. Now, here's my thoughts on this team after the first 10 games.

1.
We finally saw Marbury doing what he does best, attacking the basket with determination & swagger. There was no hesitation or doubt in him. The offense flowed better, way better.
But how come? Was Marbury given the green light to attack freely? Or did he comform to Larry's game and it just clicked? Larry's post game comment gave me an impression that it was more of Marbury given freedom to do his thing. Thoughts?

2.
We're seeing how effective both Curry and Frye could become as low post presence. Could they become the next twin towers ala Robinson/Duncan? They are both only 22yrs old now and if they continue to improve under LB for the next 3 yrs, could they become the best frontcourt scoring tandem in the entire NBA? No, no, seriously... Maybe you think I'm smoking too much here, but I think these guys could bring so much scoring power, and both of them may demamd double-teaming when they get hot. This kind of legit low post scoring is something this team did not have for so long (except for when McDyess was exploding during preseason games a few yrs back - LOL). And you don't see this much firepower in most other teams' 4&5 combo. Is this too optimistic? (I'm specifically talking about scoring here. They both need to improve their defensive positioning, rebounding, staying out of foul trouble, shot blocking, etc.)

3.
The players need to learn better conditioning (Curry/Q/JJ), and the team still have looooong ways to go to become competitve. But if this team clicks - with Marbury, Craw, Q, Frye, Curry, Lee, Nate, MoT, Butler, Rose, Ariza, and JJ all understanding Larry's game and their roles, playing tough grinding defense and more coordinated inside/outside offense, this team could become something special. No, not a contender yet, but possibly a playoff team this yr and definetely a playoff team and more in the next season, especially if Isiah uses Penny & AD's ending contract wisely. True ro False? What's the key missing ingredient to the success of this team long term?

playoff team and more? no you are on crack. MAYBE they will win a game or two in the first round, just maybe

Good points. What Isaiah accomplished in two years is take a team with older mediocre personnel and come up with a team with younger players who have promise. That's a great accomplishment. The playoffs is a possibility this year, but the vision must continue to be the future.

With regard to Marbury, assuming that he's not moved or a taller player who can run the offense is acquired, I think he and Brown will reach a compromise that will have him doing more to spread the ball, while still attacking the basket. You can't make apples out of oranges. Marbury will do his best to distribute the ball, but attacking the basket is what he's good at.

Curry and Frye definitely give us a good inside duo for the future. Curry seems to have a good attitude about improving his game, but he's a much slower learner than Frye.

Posted by TheSage:

Ok -I will say it-if the knx keep progressing they ARE a playoff team this year. Up front they have a Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside in Curry and Frye. Normally teams will get their inside out presence from C or PF and SF or SG. Here we can have it from C AND PF. If Q returns to form, it will give us a second consistent o/s option. Both Steph and Craw can drive the lane and dish. I like what Taylor has done -he has shown more grit than I thought he had with better D and boarding. He has always been an inside presence offensively. The ingredients are there to be more than a team that just makes the playoffs but it may take longer than one season.

[Edited by - TheSage on 11-21-2005 07:54 AM]

I don't know if this team can reach the playoff this season. I doubt it. I think the EAST ranking will be like this: 1.Detroit, 2-5.Cleveland/Indiana/Milwaukee/Miami, 6-8. Washington/Chicago/NJ/Philly/NY fighting over the 3 spots. So unless NY can win the Atlantic, it'll be very tough to make the playoff.

I'm very excited about the long term prospect of this team considering the talent and age of the players. But in the short-term, we'll continue to see lots of growing pains, and that will definetely hurt the chances of this team winning the Atlantic div.

Long-term, I like the bigs we have. Curry/Frye/Lee/Butler are all good. Craw is a different player now. He's def learning and he isn't dumb. I think he will be a solid PG by the end of this season. Nate will be good too. He's way too crazy now, but he'll learn. I'm a bit worried about Steph/Ariza. Steph's gotta comform to Larry's way of playing or he needs to play the 2. Ariza while still very young must show signs that he's improving his shooting and handle. Q/JJ - they need to get in game shape before we can discuss them.

The team as currently constructed is a playoff contender.

That's nothing to be ashamed about, but that's also all we'll ever be (again, as currently constructed)