Knick lineup fit for Kings

Isiah readies Quentin to settle starters

BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Larry Brown was seen as the mad scientist, experimenting with lineups at a dizzying rate during his one season in New York. To Knicks management, Brown was just mad, period, as he used an NBA-record 42 different starting lineups.

Isiah Thomas will not come close to matching Brown's mark but did hint yesterday that more change, or "tinkering" as he called it, is on the way.

The starting lineup Thomas says he envisioned in October could make its debut today against the Sacramento Kings for the Knicks' annual Martin Luther King matinee at the Garden. Thomas has used eight starting lineups over 38 games and is ready to try No. 9. The new group would include Quentin Richardson replacing Jamal Crawford at shooting guard.

Richardson and Jared Jeffries have started two games together - the Knicks are 1-1 - but Richardson, Jeffries and Channing Frye have yet to be in the same starting lineup.

"There's going to be an adjustment," Thomas said following yesterday's two-hour practice in Greenburgh. "There's going to be a period here where we're probably going to tinker and make one more change now that I think Richardson's got his legs back under him.

"Hopefully we can get back to the way we envisioned playing when we were in training camp. There will be one more change ... a couple of more changes as we go down the road."

Thomas refused to say when he would unveil his new lineup, but when asked if he'll wait one more game, he replied: "I wouldn't say that."

Crawford prefers to start, but with Nate Robinson struggling, Thomas has the flexibility to bring Crawford off the bench at either guard position. Richardson provides better defense, rebounding and is a more reliable three-point shooting threat.

The Knicks are 10-11 with Crawford and Stephon Marbury as the starting backcourt, even though neither tends to play well in the same game as the other. In seven games in which Marbury has scored 20 or more points with Crawford in the starting lineup, Crawford has made just 38 of 121 shots. The theory is that Crawford places too much pressure on himself to keep pace with Marbury's scoring. By comparison, in 10 games in which Crawford has scored 20 or more as a starter, Marbury has made 52 of 128 shots.

By saying that there are a "couple of more changes" on the horizon, Thomas leaves open the possibility that David Lee could replace Jeffries in the starting lineup. Thomas is reluctant to start Lee ahead of Frye because the Knicks wouldn't have enough perimeter shooters with Lee and Jeffries on the floor at the same time.

Jeffries faces an important role today as Ron Artest plays his first game at the Garden in 26 months. Artest scored a career-high 39 points two weeks ago in Sacramento and the Queensbridge and St. John's product always gets up to the play the team that passed on him in the 1999 NBA draft.

The Kings scored 112 points in the victory over the Knicks on Jan. 2. Three days ago, the Knicks allowed Charlotte to score 126 points on 59% shooting. Thomas insists the Knicks defended well against the Bobcats, saying, "Good offense beats good defense.

"We lost the game playing the way that we want to play," Thomas added. "When you do things right, there is very little the defender can do. They executed to perfection."

Thomas compared it to his days in Indiana. He even managed to take a subtle shot at Larry Bird by saying, "Every year we got a little better and the year I got fired was the year they won 61 games and then they dropped back down. It takes a while before you figure it out in this league."

Of course, today's projected starting lineup features players who have been around for 11 years (Marbury), six years (Curry and Richardson) and five years (Jeffries). Frye is a second-year forward.

"When you're building it from the bottom, it goes in stages," Thomas said. "That's why some coaches only want to coach the great players and the veteran teams and want nothing to do with youth ... It's not necessarily a problem. It's one of the good journeys you have with a team."

By saying that there are a "couple of more changes" on the horizon, Thomas leaves open the possibility that David Lee could replace Jeffries in the starting lineup.

Posted by nyk4ever:

Posted by TMS:

By saying that there are a "couple of more changes" on the horizon, Thomas leaves open the possibility that David Lee could replace Jeffries in the starting lineup.

didn't catch the opening of the game, but did D Lee start today?

No, Q replaced Crawford.

Posted by Bonn1997:

The team's best lineup by far is

Curry
Lee
Q
Crawford
Marbury

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by Allanfan20:

Posted by Bonn1997:

The team's best lineup by far is

Curry
Lee
Q
Crawford
Marbury

Heeeey, wasn't this the lineup I wouldn't shut up about before the season started, and nobody listened? lol

It's a nice lineup b/c Marbury does a pretty good job against the big guards, Q can rotate from the 2 to the 3 at any given moment, Lee can play his D and Crawford can cause disturbance along the perimeter, and guys compliment eachother nicely on offense and you can use it for long stretches. Once Curry improves his defense, that can be a possible playoff damaging lineup.

I can't remember but anyone who picked Lee over Frye before this season started is very perceptive (more so than I am). Frye came off a year when he was top 5 in rookie voting and a lot of people weren't even willing to trade him for KG!

Right, now they want him gone for the likes of a ruben patterson.

Posted by Allanfan20:

Posted by Bonn1997:

The team's best lineup by far is

Curry
Lee
Q
Crawford
Marbury

Heeeey, wasn't this the lineup I wouldn't shut up about before the season started, and nobody listened? lol

It's a nice lineup b/c Marbury does a pretty good job against the big guards, Q can rotate from the 2 to the 3 at any given moment, Lee can play his D and Crawford can cause disturbance along the perimeter, and guys compliment eachother nicely on offense and you can use it for long stretches. Once Curry improves his defense, that can be a possible playoff damaging lineup.