Mike D'Antoni

When something is not working, effective leadership knows how to make the appropriate changes. The five game losing streak is deeper than scoreboard results. When Kevin Love dropped 30 and 30 it was time for Mozgov to stay in the game and work him over. Foul trouble be damned. If they bring a 6'10 center to the fight, you bring a seven foot Russian. The three point shot is not a strategy. It is the easy way out of poor execution on offense. There is no excuse for a sequence of four consecutive missed three point shots as evidenced in the Minnesota game where the Knicks were just 3-of-10 from behind the arc and shot 30 percent from the field in the third quarter to escort the Wolves back into the game.

Stoudemire

Not a playmaker? Say what? Of course he is not a "playmaker." Never was. Never will be. A playmaker directs the show. Amar'e is a follower and a finisher. Unfortunately, when you are the highest paid player on Broadway it can distort your self importance. No one wants to admit it, but Amar'e is a liability on he break due to his poor ball handling and passing ability on the run. You cannot hide the fact that unless he is handed the ball with 12 feet of the rim, his offense does not fit the uptempo scheme. Forget the pick and roll. Just get him the damn ball in the paint and stand back.

SSOL - No

Ray Felton

Has the keys to the car but driving an oversized Escalade on The FDR Drive is unlike driving a Jeep Cherokee on Billy Graham Parkway in Charlotte. Midtown traffic takes some getting used to and it is apparent Felton is still searching for his mojo in crunch time.

SSOL - Maybe

Landry Fields

The second half shots that Felton and Douglas are taking from deep should be donated to Fields on the baseline. He will get to the free throw line and make the shot as a bonus. Come to think of it, no more three point shots in the second half. Fields is the Knicks best shooter. Whether he can elevate his game to a point where he can be trusted to take a game-altering shot is something that rookies are normally not expected to contribute. You forgot he was a rookie, huh?

SSOL - C'mon man, "When he is on the court, good things happen." - Clyde

Mozgov

Mozgov needs just one signature move on offense. He is talented enough to focus on one spot on the floor and patent his approach. He is a-gile, mo-bile and potentially hoss-tile. think a seven foot Jack Sikma... in about three years. Work on the mid-range step back jumper son. And don't forget to box out.

SSOL - No

Gallo

An enigma only because there are so many expectations. New York loves to build guys up, only to tear them down. Gallo has only played a total of 119 games in his NBA career and shot only 42 per cent from the field. That is barely equivalent to a season and a half. By comparison, the mercurial but inconsistent Jamal Crawford barely shot 41 per cent from the field over his 3.5 years in New York. Which guy would you rather have taking the shot? Yeah, I know, but it's just for entertainment purposes.

SSOL - Yes

Anthony Randolph

If the (cough) SSOL scheme calls for gazelles, then you gotta play the gazelles. He defies a position designation. It is on D'Antoni to create a scheme that can accommodate an unorthodox weird skill set. That is no simple task. Randolph is a better ball handler than Amar'e. Play him and allow him to work through his mistakes but give him a clearly defined role. This will not have immediate results as he is still a baby in NBA experience, but you gotta find out. No one ever gained experience from the bench.

SSOL - Yes

Chandler

I love The Mayor but he does not have the improvisation skills at high speed. Mold him in the image of a mid range shooter like Chet Walker (that's old school) and you could book him for 18 and 9. Going 29 per cent from three point range (lowest among rotation players) is never cool. The coach needs to rein him in and set limits.

SSOL - No

Turiaf

Heart and soul. Period. But he is not a center. Play him at forward and find another big man to shut down the middle.

SSOL - No, he is halfcourt material all the way

Douglas

Harry Douglas Sr didn't raise no fools and Toney will hear it from pops every night that he does not make crisp decisions. You thought he sophomore slump was a myth, huh? No worries, if anyone is intelligent enough to learn from his mistakes, Toney will do what he do.

SSOL - No

That's nine

Earl, I gotta hand it to you, that's the most honest and objective assessment of yours that I've ever written.
Thank you.

Good stuff Earl. Not sending Mosgov in against Love was puzzling and its not the first time its happened where we needed him in the paint in crunch time. When Mosgov played against Team USA, the guards were doing a better job of getting him the ball where he likes it. I didn't catch the last game (not on league pass) but it looks like so far this season that they aren't really getting the most out of him, like AR.

The guy only knows Pnr which is why they were thrilled to get him, just can't get him the ball. Turiaf is the only player that felton runs the PnR pretty decent with