Game Recap:

Marbury - Had a solid game. He shared the ball and played decent (but not great) defense. Most importantly, he appeared happy on the court.

Francis - Had a solid game. Seems to be focused more on defense. However, he is going to have problems guarding starting SG's in this league. Both he and Marbury need to pass and create a little more than I saw last night for this team to be effective against the better teams in the league. He also needs to work on his perimeter shot.

Jefferies - He is exactly what we needed. He was guarding everybody and was very disruptive on the defensive end. He still needs to develop a jumpshot.

Frye - This guy was simply awesome. It looks like his defense AND rebounding have improved from last year. Like I said this summer, I think Frye is going to be the franchise player for this team in the future. He needs more touches and needs to block a few more shots, but he improved in almost every aspect of his game from last year.

Curry - I was disappointed in what I saw from Curry. He is still committing offensive fouls at an alarming rate. His help defense was terrible and it is clear he has a long way to go before he can be a franchise center. He did not seem winded, but other than possibly improved conditioning, I did not see any improvement in his game. That being said, it is clear the guy is going to score 14-16 point off of pure natural ability. He has great hands and if Marbury and Francise can create for him, he can be an effective offensive player for us.

QRich - Man was I happy to see this guy get healthy. He looks like a totally different player. He was much more aggressive and effective on offense. He still missed a few 3 pointers, but it is clear that his shot is on more than it was last year. Plus, his defense was once again solid. With him and Jefferies at the SF spot, the Knicks should be able to slow down the other teams top wing scorers, which did not happen last year.

Crawford - He had a decent game. His defense is solid but he is still a little light to guard opposing SG. I think he will be fine this year and pick up where he left off last year.

Lee- He had an awesome game. His rebounding and hustle is definitely needed. Now that Frye has bulked up, our best frountcourt lineup is Frye (C), Lee (PF), and Jeffries/Q-Rich. He is a good finisher and has just enough post moves to be effective one-on-one. I think he needs to add a little more strength if he is going to play PF fulltime, and he still needs to work on his jumpshot, but other than that, he really has improved his game.

Nate - He was solid but really needs to learn how to be a PG. He still takes too many ill-advised jumpshots. I like how he took Marcus Williams scoring on him personally, but he needs to improve his focus on defense. Overall, Nate played like Nate. Nate, however, needs to improve his understanding of the PG position and his decision-making. He will be a good change of pace point for us and will help get us in an uptempo mode.

Balkman - If this kid ever develops a consistent jumpshot he will be a star player. His defense was solid, but he gambles too much, which led to him getting beat a couple of times. He can rebound and run the break like a point guard. He is ALWAYS around the ball. With him and Lee on the court at the same time, this team will get alot of second chance shots. He is a shot blocker and takes pride in locking his man down. He has a quick first step and can get by opposing SF. It was awesome when he made that 3 pointer in the corner. This kid just needs to keep working on his game and he will be a starter for us before too long.

Collins - This kid is a very solid defensive player. He also seems to understand the game. His main problem, which is a big one, is that he just does not seem to be able to score. He needs to shoot about 750-1000 jumpshots a day to get some confidence in his jumpshot. IF he can develop a shot, he can be a good player. He has skills as a big PG (decent crossover, sees the floor, solid passer, makes sound decisions) and can lock down opposing PGs and SGs. I hope he develops some offense, because I think the kid can play.

Overall, I think the team looked good but not great. It is clear they still are learning the offense and roles have not been clearly defined yet. However, Fyre, Lee, and Q-Rich are definitely better than last year. Marbury and Francise appear to be playing under control. The only player that really disappointed me was Curry, especially on the defensive end. He needs to be a shot-blocker and help out our guards. It is clear we are going to win more games, but the team needs to improve on defense if we are going to make the playoffs.

Anyone still want Kurt back in exchange for Nate and Q?

I saw the first have got to watch the second.

My thoughts on the first half were

Good-
Marbury, Francis, Jamal, Q, Balkman, Lee, Frye looked really good. Jefferies didn't look bad, but he didn't look great either. That from behind block by Frye is exactly the type of hustle defensive plays he needs to make to take that next step. I liked Breen's description of Balkman "he runs like a bull in a china shop". Same could be said of Sprewell.

Bad
Curry looked horrible. Physically didn't look as bad as ecpected, and made some quick moved (that spin on the alley oop was perfect footwork and balance). But this is stuff he is known to be able to do-why he was such a prized pick in H.S. He looked like exactly the same player as last season-doesn't look like he improved anything, added any new moves, nothing.

Marcus Williams. Marcus Williams. Marcus Williams.

I wanted Collins but may have whiffed on him, but when Williams was available I wanted him at 20. Still say we should have gotten him. But Balkman is making me believe we should have taken him at 29.

Still depressing Isiah could have had the best of both world's and passed.


Also, iis it me or is Francis starting to look alarmingly like IT??

Steph - what I already expected he could do. He was more aggressive than even I expected.

Francis - I think he'll have better games. He was under control and that's a good thing. The guy gets bashed, but in Isiah's offense he'll have the freedom to get off cuz he's a GREAT talent and in this offense, great physical ability is rewarded. The great floor spacing, motion and passing will lead to a lot of open lanes for him.

Jared - He's everything I expected. Does a lot of little things. Add another good passer and decision maker out there. Still wish he was better offensively but that may improve. Love having his size and length out there. 3 asts, 1 blk, 1 stl & 5 rebs is a good start.

Frye - I think they have to get him the ball more, cuz he's so pure. 7 defensive rebs & 1 blk in only 22 mins is excellent. It shows a focus on getting in there and getting that ball on the defensive end. I'm VERY pleased by that. Keep it up.

Curry - Not his best work. I still think as the season goes on that he's gonna get the swing of things and be a force. For him 5 defensive rebs in only 21 mins is also very good. I hope he can get better on D tho. I just don't think he's ever going to be very good on D, but if he could just keep working and make progress it would help.

QRich - Excellent. That's what we were looking for last year. His body language looks totally diffferent. Like someone took a lead pipe out of his spine. He must really have had big problems with that back last year.

DLee - Excellent. This guy was one of my favorites from day one. I LOVE his energy and hustle and now he looks even more comfortable and sure of himself. He did a little of everything. 6 rebs, 2 asts, 1 stl 1 blk. I LOVE that.

Jamal - Not great shooting, but I loved his energy and attitude he brought to the game. It's not always about the tangible and he certainly brought a good spirit to things. You could almost feel the team energy level pick up.

Nate - the guy is a scorer and basically a hustle guy. I really don't care if he's not a PG. Let him give us what he has to offer and it fits well with this team and Isiah's scheme, which doesn't call for PG play so much in order to succeed.

Balkman - Like Lee this guy just gets in there and makes stuff happen. I really didn't think he'd play at all during the early part of the season, but maybe he can fight his way in there, cuz he brings something that Jalen just can't bring. Even without the ball this guy is productive and helps the team. Then add in what he does when he has the ball as well.

I think this should be the Ten man rotation right here.

Isiah - Excellent. It's only a preseason game, but I like what he's doing with the team so far. He get's bashed and SO MANY doubted him, I just want to see this team continue to grow and improve. It won't always be great, but I like the direction this team is going in. I like the body language and the team looks like a TEAM again. There are those who think some of us are crazy for having faith in him and this team, but I think at least from this extremely small sampling, you can see what we've been talking about. Let's all hope this team can just keep it going and get better. This should be a really interesting year if they do.

Marbury was Marbury.

Francis- I'm still not sold on Francis, he forces way too many shots for my liking.

Frye played well but they don't get him the damn ball enough! The guy is calling for it everytime down, they have to get him the ball, let the offense run through him.

Curry- I've had enough of this guy. He's still overweight and he's still committing WAY TO MANY offensive fouls. At this point, I don't think the guy is ever going to learn and this what disappoints me most.

Jeffries- LOVED what he brought to the starting lineup. Albeit one preseason game, I feel vindicated for blabbering on and on about how Isiah should get him on the Knicks. Filled up the statsheet and played pretty good defense. I simply love what he brings to the team.

Lee- What can you say about him? He is such an active player and he rebounds the ball so well. The jumper was a little off tonite but I've seen him draining that jumper in summer league and at the end of last year, so I'm not to worried about it. Lee needs 20-25 minutes a game this year.

Balkman- You can pinpoint me as a big nay-sayer of the Balkman pick and I still am, Marcus Williams showed everyone he has great game and can really orchestrate an offense. ASIDE from that, I will say Balkman had a nice game, when him and Lee are in the game at the same time, its trouble for opponents. Balk has a nice handle on the ball and since he's so active he gets a ton of rebounds. I like the player, just still don't like the pick.

QRich- Great to see Q looking like he can move again. Hopefully the back issues are behind him and if they are, we should see a much different player. He looked pretty good last nite, not great but he looked pretty good.

Craw- Not his best game. The shot wasn't there at all but it will be. I really don't have much to say about Craw, it wasn't there last nite but it's only the first preseason game. Sidenote, I still want Craw to be captain of the team, I just think theres a calming affect when he's in the game. I dunno.

Thats about it from me. Overall, I still really worry about the Knicks defense, it was horrible. Both teams fouled a ton and the Knicks couldn't hit ANY of their free-throws. The offense looks good and Lee, Balk, Jeffries bring a ton of energy to this team. Im not worried about the Knicks scoring points, I don't think thats going to be a problem but I have a SERIOUS worry about them giving up points. Overall, C+

I'll actually start with the team:

Started off kinda sluggish as we had a lot of turnovers and allowed a lot of backdoor plays for the Nets. But by the second quarter, we seemed to play much better. RJ played great against us throughout the game regardless, when he was in that is. We did seem to play together though, made the extra pass a lot, didn't depend too much on the one on one. We played some good basketball, even though we were a bit sloppy.

Individuals:

Marbury- Kinda quiet, but still got his scoring and his passing was alright. Not really good at feeding the post regardless. He and Francis didn't do a great job looking for Frye, even though he played much better than Curry. Bad defense by Marbs.

Francis- Even though he had a lot of turnovers and missed shots, I thought he played alright. He seemed to rush his passes and shots and he just needs to slow down and take his time. I think this is what Francis just needs to work on most. I didn't really pay attention to his D.

Crawford- Miss his shots but did good at going with the flow of the offense. Played quite aggresive early on. Didn't seem to have many problems with the defense.

Balkman- Showed some of his skills. Great overall game. He's gonna force himself in the starting lineup if others slack.

Curry- Sucked. Had a couple of nice one on one moves in the post but that's really it. He's lazy and doesn't know how to play. Frustrating.

Frye and Lee-Played great on both ends. Lee showed off some moves which was great. Both of them hustle nicely.

Jefferies- Played solid D and had some boards, but his offense was real poor. We'll see how he turns out as the season goes though. I like him.

Quentin- Played great on both ends. Looks very very mobile and he HUSTLES. He definitely could be the starting 3 at this point. Had some nice moves.

Good game by the whole team even though the Nets didn't have Kidd and Carter.

just to add some things I didn't see anyone else say.

1. Would have liked to see Frye featured more, especially in pick and rolls/pops. He is deadly from 12-18 feet, I'd like to see that utilized. He had a nice bank shot formt he elbow. I'd also like to some him featured more in the post. He just needs the rock more.

2. Did not see one pick and roll in the entire game run by us. I like the offense, but I think thats a mistake, that is one of the things Marbury does at a very high level, we should utilize the pick and roll. However, that offense looks very effective, but how will it look when teams zone up on us? Either way, I am impressed with effective it is for a team without shooters.

3. We scored easily with a minimum of outside shooting. Its good, but, that shooting must improve. Crawford clanked many, Q clanked a couple, we know we need it, but even decent shooters were missing mid range shots. We want be able to maintain without that. Teams will zone us to death.

4. Curry's help defense is beyond horrible. He reacts late and positions himself so he will not be able to have an impact on the play. He's scared, or tired, or dumb or all of the above. I really do not get it. his help defense really cannot be any worse. He cannot begin to think about protecting the paint. Some of those offensive fouls were bad calls, but he will get those same bad calls during the season, so he just has to adjust. Imma gonna hurt him if he doesn't figure that out this season.

5. Balkman and Lee. Hustling to perfection. I loved their teamwork and loved them on d. I'd go small with lee and ba;k as 3 and 4, Frye at 5, Steph and Steve at 1 and 2. Thats a quick defensive lineup that will crash boards, and play d, and push it on the break.

6. Balkman and JJeff show better shooting touch than they are given credit for. Neither of them is as poor offensively as JYD or Bo Outlaw, and thats certainly how they were billed. They both can develop into decent scoringg options. I'd even say that in our offense they already are. JJ looks like he was a great pickup so far.

7. We sorely need to make some trades, because we meed shooters. Hopefully, Nate, Frye, Q, or Craw can really fill the role and help spread the d, but it si beyond crucial for us.

Posted by Marv:

very good post killa. what did you think of marbs' performance?

He was solid. Nothing spectacular, but he played the offense Zeke designed. He was aggressive to the hole. I would have liked to see him get Frye the ball at least 1 time that I can remember. But overall, I do not worry about Marbury, especially not in preseason games. He is the best player on the team, he can do what it takes to help us win. Its the other guys I worry about: Curry, Craw, Q, Francis. Those are guys with question marks to me, because they are all wildly inconsistent, or they have been as knicks.