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VDesai
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Knicks Have Offensive Concerns Up and Down Their Roster
Basketball
BY JOHN HOLLINGER
November 28, 2007
URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/67112
What more can we possibly say about the Knicks?
As it turns out, plenty. Because while all of our attention has wandered off to the admittedly enthralling drama involving Isiah Thomas, Stephon Marbury, and the general demolition of a once-proud franchise, there are also basketball games being played and 11 other guys on the roster competing in them.
So in that vein, let's do something novel today — let's look at the rest of the Knicks, and try not to utter the names of coach what's-his-face and his over-entitled point guard for the rest of this column. As it turns out, there are a lot of interesting developments that would warrant our attention were we not so engrossed in certain players taking unauthorized vacations.
The main one is this: Other than Monday night's unexpected explosion against Utah, the Knicks have not been a good offensive team this year. They rank only 24th in the league in Offensive Efficiency (my measure of a team's points per 100 possessions), which is the main reason they've started so poorly.
This is important, because any shred of hope the Knicks have of being competitive this season depends on them having one of the league's top 10 offenses. We know this isn't going to be a good defensive team, not with slugs like Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph "guarding" the rim and a slew of guards more interested in buckets than stops. But if the Knicks can't even play offense, there aren't going to win. So any recipe for turning this team around has to start at that end.
Let's start up front, because the team throws the ball inside on almost every play. This is where the new pairing of Curry and Randolph should give the Knicks an overwhelming advantage. However, the worry was that there wasn't enough room on the low block for both players to operate, and it turns out there's quite a bit of truth to this.
Curry has gone on as though not much changed, getting all his usual opportunities down low while the Knicks again force feed the ball to him. Through 12 games, Curry actually has even more shot attempts per game than a year ago (12.8 to 12.5) despite playing nearly three minute a game fewer. He's also markedly reduced his turnovers to 2.2 per game from 3.6 a year earlier, so overall he's off to a very nice start — the only reason his scoring average is down is because of the reduced minutes.
Randolph, on the other hand, has suffered. A year ago in Portland, he was the Blazers' Curry — getting lots of chances close to the rim as the focal point of the offense. He's still getting nearly as many touches, but because of Curry's presence, they're often much farther from the basket. Randolph has been forced to play away from the rim more often, and although he has a soft touch from outside, any opponent would prefer to let him rain jumpers than post up if given the choice. The results speak for themselves: He's lost a full five points per game off his scoring average.
Of course, both Randolph and Curry might be more effective if New York could get more production from the outside. Post players like those two can thrive if the threat of 3-point shooters dissuades double-teams. Unfortunately, the Knicks have made only 32.3% this year, giving defenders free reign to collapse on the big guys.
The biggest disappointment has been Quentin Richardson. Despite my admiration for him as one of the few Knicks willing to do the dirty work on D, his season thus far has been a complete disaster. Richardson is hitting only 31.1% from the floor and 23.5% on 3-pointers, which is brutal considering the 3-pointer is his main offensive weapon. Richardson's shooting is crucial because it's an element the other New York small forwards lack. Jared Jeffries, Renaldo Balkman, and Wilson Chandler haven't made a single 3 between them.
The other problem with the team's 3-point percentage is one of shot selection, a familiar ailment for New York's guards. As you might have guessed, Jamal Crawford is the primary offender. He's still in love with his jump shot even though he's more effective when he's driving, and the results are plain to see — he's taking five 3-point attempts a game but making only 30.8%, dragging down his overall shooting percentage with it.
The Knicks have one other issue offensively, and it's a surprising one — the bench. Entering the year, New York looked to be one of the deepest teams in the league, something that figured to be a major advantage once the injuries started piling up in mid-winter.
But it hasn't worked out that way so far. Only one New York reserve, David Lee, has played up to par in the early going. Balkman has struggled with injuries and hasn't provided anywhere near the burst he did a year ago. Fred Jones has shot 39.7% in nine games, and Jeffries and Mardy Collins have been all but useless. Those three are known more for their defense, yes, but their production has fallen short of even our lowered expectations.
Then there's Nate Robinson. Remember how everyone talked about how Nate was more mature this year, how he played summer league and looked so great in preseason? Well, now that the real games have started, Nate can't buy a bucket. Weirdly, he's shooting 40.9% on 3-pointers but a ghastly 33.3% inside the arc. Since he's not out there for his passing, Nate has to make shots to have value; thus, so far he's had little. No wonder Isiah was so willing to welcome Marbury back and bury the hatchet.
Overall, the Knicks' offensive woes are multifaceted, and unless they change, outbursts like Monday's against Utah will be incredibly rare. They have to figure out how to get Zach the rock in better positions while still feeding Curry, teach Crawford what a good shot is (or least, what a good shot isn't), snap Q out of this horrific slump, and get the bench providing the spark it gave a year ago.
If they succeed in this, it's still early enough to mount a charge for a playoff spot. If they don't, the Knicks might as well book their table in Secaucus for the draft lottery right now, because no matter how much damage control Zeke and Starbury do, the team won't score nearly enough to stay in the race.
jhollinger@nysun.com
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