|
djsunyc
Posts: 44929
Alba Posts: 42
Joined: 1/16/2004
Member: #536
|
Grading the '06-'07 Knicks
The Knicks season wasn’t a complete failure but I can’t give the team a passing grade for winning 33 games. Maybe James Dolan has lower standards but it is up the media and the fans to expect more. Here are the grades:
Stephon Marbury – The petulant point guard showed that he was willing to play hurt and buy into the team concept, even though it took more than a year for Marbury to realize that the Knicks needed to establish Eddy Curry first and foremost in order to grow. It’s also telling that once Marbury assumed a greater scoring role with Jamal Crawford and Quentin Richardson sidelined, the team headed south in the standings.
But all in all it was a soild bounce-back season for Marbury from mid-December on. Had he arrived for training camp in shape, maybe he does better than averaging 10.1 points, 4.5 assists, 2.3 turnovers and shoots higher than 39 percent. Maybe the Knicks do better than 6-11 in November and make a serious run at the playoffs. B
Eddy Curry – Cleared a huge hurdle this season by understanding that the offense needs to run through him. He demanded the ball and even chewed out teammates when they wouldn’t pass. Curry didn’t have much success against the league’s elite big men but luckily for the Knicks there aren’t many of those guys around.
Despite the push to make Curry an All-Star, sources indicate that Curry didn’t come close to getting enough votes from the conference coaches to make the team. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Curry rarely defends and doesn’t rebound enough. There is plenty of room for growth for the likeable center. B
David Lee – He has the right blend of arrogance, confidence and unselfishness. He believes he belongs and plays like it. The notion that fans love him because he is white is somewhat insulting. Maybe there is some segment of Knicks supporters who viewed Lee through that prism. I believe the fans admire Lee for the same reasons they admired Sprewell, Oakley and Starks -- he plays with heart and toughness and leaves everything he has on the floor.
Lee has a knack for rebounding that can’t be taught but he needs to improve his jump shot. B
Jamal Crawford – A former NBA coach who keeps in touch with Isiah Thomas claims that “he loves Jamal, that’s why Jamal can shoot whenever he wants. Steph and Steve (Francis) don’t have that same freedom.” Crawford plays like he has a constant green light and despite some of his flaws – turnovers, little defense – he is extremely talented. He was enjoying his finest season until an undetected ankle injury ruined his and the Knicks' year. B minus
Renaldo Balkman – A tireless worker and a tremendous athlete, Balkman also loves doing windows and has the ability to be a lock-down defender. He’s also another guy that needs to improve his offensive game in order to take the next step as a player. Had he played more games, he would have earned a higher grade. C plus
Malik Rose – He was a pro’s pro right until the end. Isiah should have found more minutes for Rose, who is one of the few Knicks who thinks defense first. He would have fit right in with the 90’s Knicks. C plus
Mardy Collins – His improvement has made Nate Robinson expendable which may be the best thing to come out of this season. Thomas did a good job drafting a big guard who demonstrates poise and toughness. Has the chance to be a solid pro. C
Quentin Richardson – Was well on his way to having a strong season before chronic back trouble ruined it. He’s one of the Knicks' few two-way players but you have to wonder if his back surgery marks the beginning of the end for Q as a full-time player. C
Channing Frye – I’m not sure if he wasn’t used the right way or if he just isn’t that good. He may have been the best first quarter player in the league – at least offensively – but he gives you little rebounding, toughness and defense at the power forward position. I’m guessing he’s gone by next season. D
Jared Jeffries – Isiah’s big free agent signing had wrist surgery in October and never really got going. His presence meant fewer minutes for Lee and Balkman as Thomas seemed to want to justify Jeffries’ bloated contract. The one plus is that Jeffries works as hard as anyone on the team. Unfortunately, that work didn’t translate to the court. D
Steve Francis – Has anyone ever fallen so far so quickly? Stevie Disenfranchised never wanted to be in New York, Isiah never wanted him and it showed. He wasn’t the best influence on Nate Robinson either. F
Nate Robinson – Plays every game as if it is the And-1 Mix Tape Tour. He doesn’t take his job seriously and subsequently no one takes him seriously. It’s a shame because he has lots to offer but he needs to grow up. Or maybe he just wants to be a novelty act for the rest of his career. F
Jerome James – The least he can do is get in shape. May have the worst body in the NBA. F
Kelvin Cato and Randolph Morris – Didn’t see enough to fairly judge either one. Incomplete
Isiah Thomas – He walked into a perfect situation because there was no way the Knicks wouldn’t win more than 23 games. Especially when Thomas had a luxury never afforded his predecessor Larry Brown: the support of management.
Thomas got his team to play hard which is half the battle in the NBA. He also deserves credit for his tough love approach with Marbury and for establishing Curry as a consistent scorer.
He should get knocked for sticking with Jeffries over Lee and he has to take some responsibility for the team's 4-15 finish.
But the worst moment of Thomas' year was how he constantly used the excuse of injuries for keeping the Knicks out of the playoffs. If your leader makes excuses, the players will follow suit. Just once I would have liked to have heard Thomas utter the phrase “We have more than enough to win with.” I mean, really, isn’t this why the Knicks have the league’s highest payroll? If any team had the resources to survive injuries it should have been the Knicks. Or else why did he sign or acquire some of these guys in the first place?
It would also be nice if he would open up to the media more but that is more of a by-product of the Knicks' paranoid media relations department. That said, his professionalism on a daily basis was greatly appreciated. C plus
Coaching staff – This could have been a disaster considering that the staff included a couple of Brown holdovers, Dave Hanners and Phil Ford. But Thomas did a good job of delegating with all of his assistants, including Mark Aguirre, Herb Williams and George Glymph. Aguirre deserves a lot of credit for Currys’ improvement.
Thomas’ right-hand man, Brendan Suhr, is still one of the best in the business. B
Medical staff – You get the feeling that if Thomas is going to use injuries as an excuse, someone from the medical staff is going to take the fall. And this goes above trainers Roger Hinds and Antony Goenaga, who handled themselves like pros. Crawford’s injury wasn’t diagnosed until two months after he originally got hurt. And someone has to explain how Lee said that doctors told him his injury would take “days, not weeks” to heal, only to have him miss the final two months. D[/b]
[Edited by - djsunyc on 04-19-2007 1:51 PM]
|
4/19/2007 3:37 PM