Knicks brace themselves for start of a new year
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rvhoss
Posts: 24943 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 11/2/2004 Member: #777 Switzerland |
10/2/2006 11:04 AM
Not sure if posted...
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/457593p-385140c.html The chances of the Knicks winning the NBA title this year are about as good as Larry Brown buying his kids a pair of Stephon Marbury's discounted sneakers. It is 34 years and counting since the Knicks last sat atop the basketball world and six years since they could even call themselves the best team in the metro area. They won't break either dubious streak this year but will be better simply because they cannot possibly be any worse. Instead of a Hall of Fame coach at the helm, the Knicks have a Hall of Fame point guard calling the shots. Isiah Thomas has never been out of the first round as a head coach or an executive, and now Garden chairman James Dolan is giving him one year to turn things around. (Of course, this is actually Year 4 in the organization for Thomas.) As the Knicks head to Charleston, S.C., today for training camp, here are the key issues Thomas faces: Can Marbury win games on the court and friends in the locker room? The surly point guard says he is a changed man, but only time will tell. He is still capable of being an All-Star, but the jury is still out on whether he and Steve Francis can co-exist. Also, while Brown was constantly badgering Marbury, few noticed that Marbury was shows signs of breaking down physically. Is Eddy Curry a baby Shaq or a more athletic Oliver Miller? Curry had his moments last season but he needs to become a more ferocious rebounder and stay out of foul trouble. Age, however, is on his side - he's just 23. Who will get hit with the sophomore jinx? Channing Frye, David Lee and Nate Robinson all showed promise in their rookie years and will all get a chance to play. Robinson - "we couldn't guard him," says Pacers coach Rick Carlisle - has a chance to be a solid player if he can stay focused. Frank Isola all kool aid all the time.
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nixluva
Posts: 56258 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 10/5/2004 Member: #758 USA |
10/2/2006 11:09 AM
Posted by rvhoss: I think Isola was reaching with that comment about Steph showing signs of breaking down. The guy got hurt running thru a pick and landed wrong and hurt his Knee. That's not breaking down. Those are injuries anyone can get at any age. Steph didn't look like he was breaking down the games just before the injury when he was playing at an All Star level. That just another media guy trying to find something negative to right. When it comes to Steph they just can't help themselves. |
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BlueSeats
Posts: 27272 Alba Posts: 41 Joined: 11/6/2005 Member: #1024 |
10/2/2006 11:23 AM
Posted by nixluva:Posted by rvhoss: You seeem to be confusing Marbury;'s shoulder injury of January with his knee "injury" of March or April. He was playing nowhere near an all-str level when he's knee gave out. he was whining, bickering and quitting. |
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SugarRayRichardson
Posts: 21557 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 8/28/2006 Member: #1169 |
10/2/2006 11:35 AM
Posted by nixluva:Posted by rvhoss: He actually has slowed tremendously via lateral movement over the last 2 years. In the past his defense on other teams point guards was bad due to a lack of effort. Now he physically doesnt have the lateral quickness to stay with other teams point guards. I LOVED how Curry just exploded in the 4th, speaking as a fan of the Raptors, Curry looked well, scary I think is the word. Or Shaq-like
Curry: 19.1ppg-7.3rpg-58%fg
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nixluva
Posts: 56258 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 10/5/2004 Member: #758 USA |
10/2/2006 11:47 AM
Posted by BlueSeats:Posted by nixluva:Posted by rvhoss: |
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Bippity10
Posts: 13999 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 1/26/2004 Member: #574 |
10/2/2006 11:56 AM
How does LB's name keep coming up?
I just hope that people will like me
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BRIGGS
Posts: 53275 Alba Posts: 7 Joined: 7/30/2002 Member: #303 |
10/2/2006 11:56 AM
Posted by SugarRayRichardson:Posted by nixluva:Posted by rvhoss: thats a big time reason why im not high on his team. if your lead guards sck defensively and you have no shot blockers[i think we were last in the league?] teams will be able to do what they want when they want offensively. marbury and francis are just a year older and have a LOT of miles on them. RIP Crushalot😞
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nixluva
Posts: 56258 Alba Posts: 0 Joined: 10/5/2004 Member: #758 USA |
10/2/2006 12:50 PM
Posted by BRIGGS:Posted by SugarRayRichardson:Posted by nixluva:Posted by rvhoss: I think its a bit premature to assume that we won't be able to play any kind of D. For one thing we might see the zone a bit this year. There are lots of other defensive tactics that can be employed other than what we saw last year. We also have to remember that with so many changing lineups, it puts even more pressure on you defensively. You can't jell as a unit if you're constantly changing the lineup. Add to that the fact that we had guys playing out of position, like Malik at the 3 and the fact that we had kids who weren't used to playing NBA defense. The number one thing that could've helped this team was to have some consistency. The team actually got worse defensively as the year went along. In the 1st month they gave up an avg of only 88.3ppg. 89ppg in Dec. 101 in Jan. I think this team has enough to actually be pretty decent on D, not great, but good enough. You have to provide the team with a gameplan they can execute and give them consistency. Also being more efficient on offense will help this teams D. They can't give up 17+ Turnovers again. |
Knicks brace themselves for start of a new year