or: Five Keys To The 2007-08 Rollercoaster Season

5. The competition for backup point guard. The Knicks will go only so far as their laed guard directs them. Mardy Collins versus Nate Robinson is the duel to watch in training camp and pre season. Advantage: Philly cheese steaks

4. "Hey, where DID that extra draft pick come from?" Randolph Morris' learning curve slides quicker to the positive than expected. Jerome James reports to camp ready but is beaten out at backup center as Morris flashes better footwork and versatlity. Advantage: Tubby Smith

3. Jared Jeffries keeps the beard and is detained at every airport on the east coast. Wilson Chandler dunks over Lebron and sends shock waves heard all the way to The Bada-Bing in New Jersey. The cast of the Sopranos become Knicks regulars by February. Advantage: Paulie

2. Which Knicks Assistant Coach takes over for Isiah Thomas when he takes a paid leave of absence in January?
Advantage: Mark Aguirre

1. Four guys need to improve their free throw percentages:

Curry 61%

Collins 59%

Balkman 57%

Jeffries 46%

i think the key to the season is best 8 or 9 play. guys who aren't producing have got to take a seat. multi-million-dollar egos are gonna have to get bruised.

"We don't make the sleeze, we just are drawn to the stench"

Unfortunately Nalod, sleeze sells. I have come here not to praise or bury the Knicks but to attempt to figure out, based on some random samples and gut feelings, what brand of basketball the chosen few will play.

anyone who shoots under 70% from the free throw line is a 4th quarter liability.







The Knicks need to win the games decided by fewer than 4 points

Posted by BasketballJones:

Basketball..... I vaguely remember the term. What does it refer to again?

Remember when "refer" was the problem?

Posted by TMS:

i'm looking forward to seeing what excuse is used this year for not meeting expectations.

It's obviously already Anucha's fault.

I'm most curious to see how Zach does in his 1st year. So far, Q and Jared didn't do so well in the 1st yr here. I hope that is just a fluke.

I agree with Marv on the rotation. Only I think it's likely to be 9-10 guys based on how many guys we have and the fact that few are truly consistent. I'd prefer a solid 9, with 10 under special circumstances.

Also interested in who get's cut, since it doesn't look like we'll see a trade. James, Jones, Dickau and Malik are my top picks. I'll have to start a riot if DNic get's cut. At leasst give him a chance to stick. We already know what the 4 I just mentioned can't do.

nixluva - Zach is the potential straw that stirs the drink.

The extent to which he modifies his playing personality and embraces/adapts to New York will be one of the most interesting sub-plots of October and November.

Knicks fans will respond if he hits his first shot.

I expect a positive domino effect on the frontcourt as pressure is relieved on Eddy to provide the bulk of the scoring load on a nightly basis. There can be nights when he goes for 20+ or under 15, don't matter so long as the ball is shared. David Lee provides a change of pace when foul trouble rears its ugly head or when Zeke decides to go smaller and quicker at either 4 or 5.

Jared Jeffries, should the beard be a source of strength, must raise the level of production or his minutes are reduced until he is dealt. I still like the idea of a 6'11 dude at the three spot.

Now, here's where it gets interesting

"No matter the outcome of the case, this is what we now know about the world’s most famous arena: a third-rate basketball star like Stephon Marbury has the run of the building and can lower the behavioral bar to a setting somewhere between disgust and disgrace.

He can get a cousin — Hassan Gonsalves — onto the payroll to harass women and lure Kathleen Decker, a young intern from Browne Sanders’s staff, into a relationship.

Marbury can throw a tantrum when the free ride ends with his cousin’s dismissal, throwing around the much-discussed B word in reference to Browne Sanders, embellished by a mention of her race — this according to Moran’s notes from a conversation with a Garden staff member during the in-house investigation of Browne Sanders’s claims.

Marbury can have sex in his truck with the aforementioned intern, who at the time was only 22. He can show up in Moran’s notes saying this about Browne Sanders: “It’s not her team. I run things.”

And this, “We’ll see what happens to her next year.”

- Harvey Araton

Araton has been one of the most respected writers in my select few of those I follow. His analysis is unflinching.

As the offseason shindig with Marbury bends into training camp, the focus will be on his performance more than ever.

With a talented, poised and well-eduacted, Mardy Collins in the second chair at lead guard, THIS will be the position to keep an eye on.

I was priviledged to observe Mardy up close in Las Vegas. Even though he never suited up, I watched his interaction with fans and his demeanor off the court while the games were being played. In his t-shirt and jean shorts, Mardy blended into the crowd and went unnoticed by most. While David Lee and Malik Rose relaxed in the stands, he stood along the baseline wall, about 20 feet behind the basket, and studied the action carefully. Focused. Quiet. At ease with himself.

It could be a parable for how he plays the game if given the opportunity.

Posted by Panos:

Posted by misterearl:

Marbury can have sex in his truck with the aforementioned intern, who at the time was only 22. He can show up in Moran’s notes saying this about Browne Sanders: “It’s not her team. I run things.”

Hold on a second. I'm as big a critic of Moronbury as anybody, but the fact that this intern was "only" 22 has absolutely no significance. He's what? 29? What's the point here?
Even if he was 49, I don't see the point in bringing up her age. She's old enough to make her own decisions.

that was a quote in an article by Harvey in the Times.

Knicks Need To Model Their Offense After Utah's

selected verses from Hollinger article

http://www.nysun.com/article/63420?page_no=1

Here's why imitating is so tempting: The Jazz do the same thing and are way better at it than the Knicks and Magic. Utah ranked third in the NBA in Offensive Efficiency last season (my measure of a team's points scored per 100 possessions), as they were better at minimizing the inevitable turnovers than the others and even more dominant on the glass. Contrast that to the Knicks, who ranked 17th, or the Magic, who were 22nd, and it's easy to see why the Jazz made the Western Conference finals while the other two teams were golfing by early May.

Talent obviously plays a role. Boozer may not be as big or powerful as Curry is, but he's a much better athlete and a far more refined basketball player; Utah also has a fantastic point guard in Deron Williams to get him the rock.

But once you add Randolph to the picture, are the Jazz really any better off talent-wise?

Best of all, Utah's system helps mask one of their big weaknesses — a lack of deep shooters. The Knicks' plan to isolate Curry and space the floor works really well if the guys around him can burn defenses from deep. If it works, great — that's how San Antonio kills people. But if not, it only creates more crowds for Curry to deal with.

But in a five-man, flowing, motion offense like Utah's the defenders spend more time preoccupied with their own man's movement and fighting through the myriad screens. So you'll see fewer defenders abandoning Jared Jeffries to double Curry before the ball has even been passed.

Granted, no scheme is a panacea. Ultimately, the players need to execute, and too often New York's haven't. But I can't help wondering if the Knicks' overpowering frontcourt couldn't stand to learn something from a team that utilizes similar talent with far better results. So, as odd a couple as they'd make, let's keep our fingers crossed that Isiah Thomas has spent his time away from court this summer watching and learning from Jerry Sloan.

offensively, imho, it's quite simple: pick and roll marbury + zach on one side. play crawford + curry in the post on the other side. nothing else is really needed. just shove those play down everybody's throats.

[Edited by - djsunyc on 09-26-2007 10:43 AM]