franco12 wrote:I thought the exact same thing while watching the game- Duhon just seemed to be in mid season form from last year when we thought he was worn down and hampered by his back.

Maybe Duhon, like Jefferies, is $5mm garbage?

You, sir, I beleive are mistaken. Jeffries is $12m garbage ($6m per for 2 years).

What I mean is that between Al, Nate, Gallo or Chandler the team could "decide" to have a star and feature a player. They don't do that though and I think it hurts them when they go into shooting slumps like last night. When Miami goes cold they just clear out for Wade. Its something you need to have as a fallback option.

Everything basically comes back to the fact that we have terrible point guard play in a league that suddenly has lots of really good point guards. Too bad there weren't any point guards available in the last draft... oh wait.

TheGame wrote:IMO, Duhon is a marginal talent at best. But the real reason we are noticing the difference in his play now as opposed to last year is because teams have caught up. At the beginning of last season, teams were not used to the Knicks playing the way they did. It took them a few weeks to figure us out, but once they did, the pick and roll play lost some of its initial effectiveness. Now teams are ready for us, so I doubt you will see Duhon play at the level of the beginning of last year, even if he is healthy.

This.

Duhon isn't good enough to make these adjustments.

EwingsGlass wrote:Without yelling that the sky is falling after one game, this team needs a star. Harrington is a good player and I wouldn't mind him in a Lamar Odom type role on a championship squad, but it is clear that we need a marquee player. Or two. I fully support the two Max free agents plan-- 1 in 2010 and a second in 2011.

But other teams lack marquee players and don't suck as bad as we do.
Hey, how about we win 40 games? I'm wondering if this squad didn't over acheive last year

JohnWallace44 wrote:EwingsGlass - you're 100% right, but the thing is that they seem to be consciously trying not to have a star.

What I mean is that between Al, Nate, Gallo or Chandler the team could "decide" to have a star and feature a player. They don't do that though and I think it hurts them when they go into shooting slumps like last night. When Miami goes cold they just clear out for Wade. Its something you need to have as a fallback option.

Everything basically comes back to the fact that we have terrible point guard play in a league that suddenly has lots of really good point guards. Too bad there weren't any point guards available in the last draft... oh wait.

I drink a lot of kool-aid, but I don't think that any of Al, Nate, Gallo or Chandler really have the make-up to be a star. Harrington is the most talented and the most likely candidate, but at the end of the day, he doesn't have it. I would put him down as a borderline all-star if this team really showcased him more. Gallo isn't there yet, I am starting to think his ceiling is Detlef Schrempf-- not bad, but again, not a marquee star. Chandler is athletic, but he is my bench-tweener on a championship squad, not my starting 2-guard. Nate, well, his flashes of being a lil Dwade make him a prime candidate for stardom, but he doesn't have the head for it. Lee is a solid rotation player on a bad team. His lack of defense will keep him out of the starting lineup on a championship squad.

I think using $$$, glamour and the lights on Broadway are the most likely way to bring in a star. It may not be Lebron next year. But it definitely isn't anyone on this squad. Showcasing a player doesn't make him a star.