David Lee, the all-star that isn't
By Kelly Dwyer

David Lee(notes) is not going to make the All-Star team. In 2009-10, at least.

He's averaging 19.4 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. The last statistic on the list is tops among NBA centers. The other two statistics are veddy, veddy fine.

And he's not an All-Star. Or, he's not on the All-Star team. But he is an all-star. Capitalization, non-capitalization, intended.
You see, Kevin Garnett(notes) made the All-Star team as a starter, and while Kevin Garnett might be one of the more unheralded NBA legends of any generation, despite all his popularity and status, he didn't deserve to make the All-Star team. And that moved everyone down one spot. And Al Horford(notes) made the team, because Al Horford's having an All-Star season. Same with Josh Smith(notes), who didn't make the team.

And because the Knicks will probably not make the playoffs, because Lee's defense is worse than Horford's, and because people think his stats are completely inflated by the pace of Mike D'Antoni's whims, David Lee is not an All-Star.

The problem I have with that — and the problem I'm sure you have, Knicks fans — is that David Lee is an all-star.

And for now, for this season and as it's been for the last few seasons, you're just going to have to be cool with that.

Cold comfort, I know. Because it's been a miserable run since Jeff Van Gundy stepped down in the winter of 2001. Or since the Raptors semi-surprisingly dismissed the Knicks in the 2001 playoffs. Or since you guys fell short against Indiana in 2000. Or the Bulls or Rockets in years prior. Or since 1973. However you want to call it, I know it hasn't been easy.

But Lee was your guy since the beginning. He was the reason you knew Larry Brown was a right nutter, bent on losing games on purpose in order to drive Isiah Thomas from the GM position. How he started Lee in Memphis because Lee is from the St. Louis area, which is not the Memphis area, during his rookie year. You ever driven to Memphis? You hit St. Louis, a fabulous town in its own right, and you go, "[Shoot], we're just now getting to St. Louis? We still have two hours left?"

Memphis ain't St. Louis, David Lee was only a starter as a gimmick. And once the Knicks started to win in the winter of 2005-06, because Lee was playing so well, Larry Brown sat him. Because he wanted to lose games. Yes, I'm a mainstream writer on a popular website, and I'm admitting that Larry Brown lost games on purpose in order to put a like-minded lackey in at the GM position.

Lee sat and he dealt with it. And likely, around the same time, Mike Kurylo taught you about per-minute, pace-adjusted stats. And he told you what you probably already knew - that Lee should be playing more. But the Knicks didn't want to hear it. They had Eddy Curry(notes). They flippin' traded for Zach Randolph(notes), who was bloody awful back then. They played these two lugubrious doofs ahead of Lee, who should have been starting.

Thomas was chased out, Randolph was miraculously dealt and Lee got a gig — a starting gig — in 2008-09. Just in time for Mike D'Antoni. And when Lee put up the same stats he was averaging (a bit worse, actually) per-minute with the new guy at the helm, while starting, people passed it off as a system thing. Numbers due to pace.

Never mind that these people never paid attention to pace in any other instance. Never mind that these people didn't seem to holler when another fast-paced function of Mike D'Antoni's system won two dubious MVP awards.
Then this year? Lee learns to shoot. He racks up big assist totals on a team that doesn't really shoot that well. Or, at all. He puts up more than 19 points and 11 rebounds. He's flippin' fantastic.

And the Knicks? They're eighth in possessions per game. Eighth! Not first or second, fighting with the Warriors and staving off the Suns. They're slower than the Lakers, who feature an oak tree at point guard, a guy with nine fingers at off guard and a 1983 Range Rover at small forward.

But, somehow, Lee is a "system guy." Only gets his stats due to that fast pace. That eighth-ranked pace.

You're used to this, NYC. You might have the world's biggest persecution complex, but guess what? So do the world's biggest religions. And with Lee? Well, you're used to him getting screwed over. This is nothing new. This is nothing you're not used to.

It won't help things, not when Chris Duhon(notes) is shooting 1 for 7 again and Al Harrington(notes) is writing "MLE, Lakers, K, thx" on his sneakers. But you know what's up. You've known for a while, now.

David Lee's an all-star.

Fuck the NBA

klintorious wrote:Lee would be in if he were black

You are wrong.
In NBA Affirmative action works in reverse way - white players should get preference as endangered spices.

But an All Star is someone who can take over a game when it matters most- either on offense or defense. And last night, Lee did neither.

He might have filled the stat sheet up, but when it mattered most, Lee did not shine.

klintorious wrote:Nychump,

Worst 1 on 1 defender in the league? Seriously? The same guy who always gets a hand up in his man's face when they shoot? Why the **** would a genuine Knicks fan talk **** on the guy who is undoubtedly his team's best player and ONLY legitimate keeper going into next season? Is it his pigmental tone, or are you simply smoking crack out of a dirty pipe on a daily basis?

Are you watching the games? David Lee plays extremely soft post defense (except for last night). He also NEVER attempts to alter shots when small guards drive into the paint. I know he's not a shotblocker and he can't pick up too many fouls since we need him but at least show some effort. Lee takes no pride and feels no disrespect when a 6' guard makes lay-up after lay-up over him. As a fan, it's extremely frustrating having grown up watching Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason. Those guys would drop guards hard on the floor if they tried to make a lay-up over them. I've been watching NBA basketball for over 20 years and Lee is one of the worst defensive players I have ever seen. Standing flat footed with your hands up is a not good defense for a power forward.

Kevin Garnett is not an All-Star then, ever. That guy wilts under pressure and always passes off the ball with the game on the line. Al Horford is taking over the game when it matters? I don't think so. It's not that easy to do what Lee does very few people in the league can do it.

Year after year I have heard so much bull**** on this kid and a lot of it on this board. Product of the system, NO-D Lee, he can't shoot. Bosh is an All-Star and a max player according to half the league and one of the best fowards in the game. There really isn't much of a difference there.

29pts 18rbs. The game is an All-Star period. He plays center and outscores, out rebounds, out assists Horford, who is the better defender by far, but head to head this season we are 2-1 against the Hawks. I have no problem with Josh Smith the best player on the Hawks making it over Johnson, but Horford that is a joke.

GodSave,
I do believe that the effort is not there on defense most of the time. He goes through the motions, gets to the spot, shows weakly, and gets ready to board or take it out of bounds off of a score. There is no fire to prevent the score. I agree that it's possible he could improve, but we haven't seen much so far.
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Lee is an excellent and crafty offensive player, and I yell and cheer him on when I'm at the games. But the drop-off between his O and D is so profound as to constitute almost a "fatal flaw". By which I mean games are lost, crucial possessions do not have a favorable outcome for the Knicks, consistently due to lack of defense by our best overall (yet very flawed) player. And by most of our players, too.

And finally, don't be sucker and merely point to the stat sheet to make the case that Lee is a great player. He is very adept at putting up numbers, but unless you're naive you know that the numbers don't consistently tell the story of winning and losing. Lee is a super obvious case in point. Watch the games, watch the crucial possessions. Watch the hemorraging on defense.

I want him to do well, rather I want the Knicks to do well, and for that to happen we must not overestimate Lee's omnipotence. He's not all that.

GodSaveTheKnicks wrote:Lee's not a great defender but I don't think he just doesn't give a ****. Steve Nash isn't a great defender but it's not because he doesn't give a ****. sergio and nyc..y'all are a wee bit over the top. There is still a chance he will learn to be a better defender like he learned to be a better shooter.

Amare Stoudemire also seems to have the same issues with defense..only he is turning down $17M and wants the max and has been in the league longer than Lee.

Lee isn't the biggest problem on this team.

There is a huge difference between having a weak defender at PG and having a weak defender at PF/C. You can win with a weak defender at PG. You cannot and will not win with a weak defender at PF/C. Which is why I'm very cautious about re-signing David Lee. The thought of him defending the paint with the game on the line in a Playoff game scares me to death. We can have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and we might not win because of frontcourt defense.

$10mil per year is the most I offer a guy who won't play any defense. More that that and he becomes a liability.