Andrew
Posts: 26600
Alba Posts: 2
Joined: 7/24/2001
Member: #1 USA
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From Insider:
A lot more ying and no more yang. The Knicks went into the off-season determined to rid the team of the fundamental imbalances that have plagued them in the past. Too many guards, not enough big men.
So what did the Knicks do? Sign Clarence Weatherspoon, another undersized power forward. Trade Glen Rice for another shooting guard. Add another point guard, Howard Eisley, who is really a shooting guard. And, re-sign for the max a shooting guard who claims to be the best shooting guard in the game but who may not be the best shooting guard on his own team.
Alan? Allen? Allan Houston who?
If shooting was the only requirement to play shooting guard for the New York Knicks, they wouldn't need Latrell Sprewell.
But they do.
While Houston was the leading scorer for the Knicks in their only two playoff wins last season, he contributed a total of seven assists, one block and zero offensive rebounds as New York was eliminated in five first-round games.
Sprewell, on the other hand, threw down 18.4 points, 3 boards and 3.4 assists per game as the undersized starting small forward. Larry Johnson was the undersized starting power forward. Marcus Camby was the undersized starting center.
Allan Houston. 6-foot-6, 200 pounds.
Latrell Sprewell. 6-foot-5, 190 pounds.
While the Knicks were busy being outrun, outmuscled and outmanned, Allan Houston decided that it was about time he take his new MAX contract and declare that he was the best shooting guard in the NBA and that he hasn't been able to prove it because of the sacrifices he was asked to make as a shooting guard with the Knicks.
Maybe Houston thought that leadng the team in scoring at 18.7 and taking a shot every 2 minutes 21 seconds for the Knicks wasn't enough. Sprewell was second on the team with 17.7 shooting every 2:28. Glen Rice was next at 12 points per game shooting every 2:59.
After all, Houston shot 45 percent from the field, 38 percent from three-point range and 91 percent from the line. Maybe he's right. During those same playoffs, when given more shots, he averaged 20.8 points on 59 percent shooting. But at the same time, he grabbed only 1.8 rebounds and handed out a mere 1.4 assists.
But this isn't anything new for the guy claiming to be better than Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Ray Allen.
For the year, Allan Houston shot a better percentage than all of them save Allen, but was outscored by all of them among other things.
Rebounding per game: McGrady, 7.5 Bryant, 5.9 Carter, 5.5 Allen, 5.2 Iverson, 3.8 Houston, 3.6
Assists: Bryant, 5.0 Iverson, 4.6 McGrady, 4.6 Allen, 4.6 Carter, 3.9 Houston, 2.2
Steals per game: Iverson, 2.5 Bryant, 1.6 Carter, 1.5 McGrady, 1.5 Allen, 1.5 Houston, 0.6
Blocks per game: McGrady, 1.5 Carter, 1 Bryant, 0.6 Allen, 0.2 Iverson, 0.2 Houston, 0.1
Notorious gunner Bryant tallied more than twice as many assists. McGrady snatched more than twice as many rebounds. Even Iverson, at half a foot shorter, grabbed more boards. Houston's an absolute liability on defense.
Maybe the Knicks are praying that everyone will play the zone full time.
Houston doesn't fare any better in head-to-to head competition with these other shooting guards. These are the averages when they've played each other:
Iverson: 31 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists on 40 percent shooting McGrady: 26 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5 assists on 44 percent shooting Carter: 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4.4 assists on 40 percent shooting Allen: 23 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists on 53 percent shooting Bryant: 23 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4 assists, 38 percent shooting Houston: 18 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists on 44 percent shooting
Against the elite shooting guards in the NBA, Allan Houston is being outclassed night after night.
In fact, he isn't even the best shooting guard on his own team.Despite a payroll bursting at the seams, the Knicks are a team loaded with line up deficiencies and Houston, one of the few Knicks actually playing his true position, is only adding to them.
Part-time point guard Mark Jackson averaged more rebounds. Part-time point guard Chris Childs averaged more blocks. Power forward Larry Johnson averaged as many assists. Erick Strickland averaged more steals in less than half as much playing time.
Who's really making the sacrifice?
In the five games that Sprewell missed last season, Houston got all the shots he wanted and averaged 22 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 50 percent shooting as the Knicks went 3-2.
In the four games that Houston missed last season, Sprewell got to play his natural position and averaged 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists on 53 percent shooting as the Knicks went 3-1.
In Sprewell's final full year as a shooting guard, he averaged 24.2 points, 4.6 boards and 6.3 assists for the Warriors.
With two different teams over 8 seasons, Houston has never averaged more than 19.7 points, 3.6 rebounds or 3 assists.
And as you can see, it isn't because he's busy setting up his teammates with passes or defending someone on the perimeter.
Spree plays small forward because he can. Houston plays shooting guard because the only thing he can do is shoot.
He is a taller Steve Kerr. A better looking Craig Hodges. Reggie Miller without the guts. Chris Mullin without the grit. Me or you with another 10 inches and a green light in our wildest dreams.
Kobe got the ring. Iverson got the MVP. Ray Allen won the three-point shooting contest and McGrady was the Most Improved Player. Carter got everything else.
Who does Allan Houston think he is? Or more importantly, who do the Knicks think he is?
PURE KNICKS LOVE
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