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holfresh
Posts: 38679
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Joined: 1/14/2006
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This is a little interesting...Good to see everyone on the same page.....
Knicks: A Ball of Confusion or on Right Track?
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By REUTERS
Published: February 24, 2006
Filed at 0:34 a.m. ET
Skip to next paragraph Reuters
NEW YORK (Reuters) - There is a temptation to call the New York Knicks a ball of confusion, yet general manager Isiah Thomas insists they are moving in the right direction.
New addition Steve Francis, an accomplished guard acquired from Orlando before Thursday's NBA trade deadline, shares the explosive skills and style of backcourt mate Stephon Marbury, a scorer who has struggled to please coach Larry Brown.
Before the deadline, Brown said he hoped to add defensive grit and a true distributor at point guard.
Thomas sees progress in his Knicks, whose 15-38 record is second-worst in the NBA despite a league-high payroll that exceeds the league's salary cap by more than $60 million.
``The record doesn't indicate the success we have had in upgrading the roster and upgrading the talent,'' said Thomas, pointing out the average age of the team is about five years younger than the roster he inherited some two years ago.
``We have a lot of players other teams want and we have two draft picks. We feel good about the direction we are headed. Our future is bright.''
Brown said after Thursday's practice that he and Thomas were on the same page about adding Francis, whose great leaping ability and tenacity make him a strong rebounder for a guard.
The coach, however, will need to find unison with Marbury.
Marbury said after practice it was only natural now for the Knicks to adopt a run-and-gun, free-flowing fastbreak attack given the new backcourt.
``When we get it going and when we figure it out, we'll be tough to stop. That's a fact,'' said Marbury. ``I don't see too many guards that will want to see us every night.''
Marbury, who also clashed with Brown's orthodox approach to leading an offense when he played for him on the disappointing 2004 U.S. Olympic team, said the Knicks should change style.
``I don't think we should be running any set plays. I think we should be pushing the ball every chance we get because we've got so many athletic guys on the team and so many guys that can make plays,'' he said. ``I think we should run and gun.''
MAD SCIENTIST
Brown, a mad scientist in his first Knicks season experimenting with 32 different lineups as he gauges the talents of a youthful and ever-changing squad, will go back to the drawing board to figure a way to make the Francis/Marbury tandem work.
The 65-year-old Hall of Fame coach wore a tight grin in deflecting a suggestion the Knicks try a free-wheeling style.
``The only way you can run is if you get stops,'' Brown said. ''We lead the league in fouls, that stops you from running. We lead the league in turnovers, that makes other teams run. We haven't been the best defensive rebounding team, which keeps you from running and we've given up a lot of points.
``If we get stops and we keep people off the line and we defensive rebound, we'll have ample opportunities to run and I'd be a happy person.''
Francis, who did not practice because Trevor Ariza, one of the Knicks sent in return to the Magic, had not yet passed his physical, took the middle ground.
``We'll have opportunities to push the ball, and other times when we'll have to set up,'' said Francis. ``What we need to do is try to win some games and try to gain confidence.''
Francis, like Marbury, is 29, has played for several teams and never advanced in the playoffs. He suggested he and Marbury could turn their disappointments into success together.
``You have to have some scars if you want to succeed. That's how I look at it,'' he said. ``People here in New York can say the same thing. They've been bumped around. You just have to come out fighting.
[Edited by - holfresh on 02-24-2006 03:02 AM]
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