Knicks find answers without A.I.
PER Diem: Dec. 14, 2009Comment Email Print Share By John Hollinger
ESPN.com
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The Knicks have won four straight and five of their last six. Is passing on Iverson the reason why?
Remember how people used to say that every team Stephon Marbury left improved dramatically upon his departure?
Now we're seeing a similar phenomenon with one of Marbury's contemporaries. After Allen Iverson exited Philadelphia for the first time early in 2006-07, the 76ers rallied to make a surprise playoff appearance. The Nuggets dealt him early last season and zoomed all the way to the conference finals, which was the team's best NBA finish ever. And while this season's Pistons haven't rallied yet, they've managed largely to replicate last season's performance despite numerous injuries.
If anything, the pace of the Iverson effect has accelerated. The Sixers haven't won a game since Iverson rejoined the team, while the Grizzlies experienced the opposite phenomenon after his brief stay in Memphis. After a 1-8 start with Iverson on the roster, the Grizzlies have won nine times in 14 games after Sunday night's 118-90 blowout of the Heat in Miami. Seemingly hopeless just three weeks ago, the Grizzlies are now on pace for a win total in the mid-30s -- if they were in the East and the season ended today, they'd be a playoff team.
And then there are the Knicks. New York bypassed the process of signing Iverson entirely -- just mentioning the possibility of signing Iverson and getting to the brink, before deciding to move on, appeared to improve the team significantly.
Since ending their dalliance with "The Answer," the Knicks have gone 6-6, including their current four-game win streak. That statement dramatically understates how well they've played, as it was quite possibly their toughest stretch of the season. New York's losses came at the hands of the Lakers, Nuggets, Celtics and Magic (twice); the only stinker was on the road in Sacramento. Meanwhile, New York flogged Phoenix by 27, beat Atlanta on the road, and knocked off the Blazers and Hornets convincingly.
So profound has been their success that they're on Page 1 of the Power Rankings for the first time in memory. Today's Playoff Odds give them better than 50-50 odds of making the postseason, which is another phrase we haven't heard in the Big Apple for several years.
How have the Knicks accomplished this? The unconsummated affair with Iverson is actually just a coincidence; at almost the same time, the Knicks shifted around their rotation. For instance, the day they stopped pursuing Iverson (Nov. 20) was also the day they decided to stop bothering to play perennial disappointment Darko Milicic, who hasn't seen a minute since.
Another example is guard Nate Robinson. Although he's put up decent individual numbers, the Knicks banished him to the bench because of his bizarre behavior -- including shooting at the Sixers' basket just after the buzzer in an early-season game and cavorting with Orlando players before a recent loss. Although Robinson's on-court versus off-court stats aren't that bad, New York has yet to win game in which he's played more than 15 minutes.
With those two out of the picture and rookie Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas also seeing less duty, Mike D'Antoni has done what he does best -- limit the rotation to seven guys and make sure all of them get plenty of minutes and shots.
Three players in particular have benefited. The first is Al Harrington, who is having a career year after a very slow start; New York's renaissance corresponds almost exactly with his rediscovery of his shooting stroke in mid-November. Harrington is averaging 25.6 points per 40 minutes and has broken the 20-point plateau six times in his past 11 games, including 30 against Boston's vaunted D and 41 in a close loss to the Nuggets.
Second is guard Larry Hughes, who has proven far more potent than expected as a playmaker despite his usual wayward shooting (39.4 percent). His 5.7 assists per 40 minutes help offset the disappointing start by Chris Duhon, and his newfound passing ability makes him a useful creator in the backcourt when Duhon leaves the game. It's Hughes' ability to play the point that has allowed D'Antoni to limit his rotation to seven players.
And finally there's center David Lee. He's added a stronger midrange game to his arsenal and has proved more accurate than ever, shooting 57.3 percent from the floor. And he's shooting a lot -- his 20.7 Usage Rate is easily a career high -- and as a result he's added three points to his 40-minute scoring rate. Lee has been good enough that if the Knicks can get somewhere close to .500 by the All-Star break, he has a great shot at making his first All-Star team.
Knicks fans may have missed all this in their lamentation over New York's failure in the draft. Both Brandon Jennings and Ty Lawson slipped through the Knicks' grasp with the eighth overall pick while the player New York picked, Hill, can hardly get off the bench.
That's particularly painful in light of Duhon's struggles. He's shooting just 32.8 percent from the floor and averaging a measly 9.8 points per 40 minutes. But as the only pure point guard on the roster, he almost has to play for D'Antoni's system to function. One can only wonder how well the team might be playing with Jennings or Lawson at the controls.
Nonetheless, the Knicks are much improved, which has fans in the Apple reinvigorated and those in Utah worried. (The Jazz own New York's first-round pick in 2010.) New York's renewed vigor could have important implications going forward as well. It should be much it easier to persuade a top-level free agent to join their roster next season if the Knicks aren't viewed as such a daunting rebuilding project. That's especially true when you consider the rapid development of 21-year-old Danilo Gallinari, who's thriving in his first full, healthy season with a 17.3 PER and a league-leading 64 3-pointers made.
Of course, much water must go under the bridge between now and then, and we're still talking about a team that's 8-15. If they don't take advantage of a stretch of winnable games coming up this month, they may not get nearly as close to .500 as our current projections indicate.
But the mere fact that the Knicks are threatening to become relevant is a newsworthy development in light of the horrors of the past half-decade. It's something that would be much more apparent if they hadn't been playing such a rough schedule the past few weeks. Iverson or not, they appear to have found enough answers to have a good shot at the playoffs.
lol @ being BANNED by Martin since 11/07/10 (for asking if Mr. Earl had a point). Really, Martin? C'mon. This is the internet. I've seen much worse on this site. By Earl himself. Drop the hypocrisy.
12/14/2009 7:58 PM
