http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/the-knicks-fix-1.812055/grateful-for-that-new-arena-smell-1.2576309

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Nowadays he [Curry] is looking very, very heavy again, though it should be said that Curry ran hard through a post-practice scrimmage today. If anything, he made sure to at least prove two things: 1. he can run full-court without getting injured. 2. he's not injured.

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After 67-year-old Zydrunas Ilgauskas dominated the Knicks in that killer first quarter on Tuesday, it was quite evident the size issue needed to be addressed. It was, but mainly by making adjustments with strategy. Mike D'Antoni may seem stubborn to most fans who are quick to shred the gameplan after one bad quarter, but he's absolutely correct here when he says the small lineup -- with the 6-10 Stoudemire at center and 6-8 Wilson Chandler at power forward -- is the best strategy for the team right now even with size on the bench, such as 6-10 Anthony Randolph and 7-1 Timofey Mozgov.

And that's what makes sense about playing 6-8 Shawne Williams at the four when Chandler goes to the bench, because the lineup stays consistent. With Williams you have another player who can stretch the floor with his ability to shoot the corner three and he doesn't hurt you because he is a good defender.

But make no mistake, if the Knicks can somehow find a way to acquire Marcus Camby -- if or when the Trail Blazers decide to move the veteran shot-blocker -- Camby would step right into the center spot and slide Stoudemire back to where he is most comfortable, at power forward.

* - Randolph had a few standout moments in the post-practice scrimmage, mainly on drives to the basket in transition, especially when Curry didn't get down the floor fast enough to keep pace. But Randolph also had a few mental mistakes and bad decisions that had a couple of teammates frustrated with him. Again, it goes back to two major issues: strength around the rim (he is easily overpowered) and decision-making (he is prone to taking bad shots). For those who demand he should play, you need to first consider who he would replace. Williams has the four spot for the reasons we explained above and Turiaf is an easy choice as backup center.

* - Kelenna Azubuike also participated in the full-court run and though he clearly pushed himself to keep pace and showed no fear on drives to the basket, he still is lacking the necessary lift and quickness he'll need to be effective in a live NBA game.

orangeblobman wrote:What is curry doing with himself that he can't get in game shapefor 3 years now
. That's not normal.

You'd think he'd burn some of it off just running from the law.

martin wrote:

tkf wrote:

AnubisADL wrote:I think Randolph needs clearly defined role. Maybe D'Antoni's offensive freedom is not ideal for Randolph.

good point. too much offensive freedom in GS, andhe had some problems, maybe it is the same thing here.. this is whyI said, he needs to embrace a role similar to that of turiaf.. focus on defense and rebounding and slowly impliment his offense... I think this will work well for him..

Fields has a clearly defined role on the team. So does Turiaf. And so does Williams.

I consider all of those guys role players for the Knicks and they are all new.

AR probably has a role too, he just don't understand the offensive/defensive schemes, his role or, most likely, all 3.

How about he as a very low IQ to begin with, now when i look at his youtube clips, even when he had it going, the shot selections were terrible, they just happen to go in, and they lost the game anyway.

Wilson's clearly got the upper hand now, while TT still seems satisfied with the emotional swat to the seats. And that's after a few years under Larry Brown. Some guys just don't have it.

Another similar precedessor at LSU was Stromile Swift. Tantalized Grizzlies fans with his awesomeness, but was known for missing/forgetting plays.

As a player who picked up basketball late, AR needs A LOT of reps to get his bball IQ to where it needs to be - and I'd say maybe he's better off being told some very specific parameters and getting some D-league time. He needs to eat/sleep/play basketball more than his NBA counterparts to catch up.

This team is perhaps 1 rebounder/shotblocker and a creative SF/SG away from being a legit title contender. I don't want the coach to change just to force a kid in there just cuz he's got tantalizing talent. If he can't learn how to play winning BB why do we need him? AR has to keep working and listening to his teammates and coaches. I actually hope that we can get him going, but if we can't then better to use his value and get someone here that can help.

I'm pretty sure the coaching staff has emphasized this. Our offense is predicated on starting with the PnR and then zipping the ball around with smart passes if defenses just stuff the paint to try to stop Amear. If AR is out there making stupid decisions with the ball or taking shots he hasn't show any type of ability to make that screws up everything. I already get stressed out watching TD who isn't always terrible with shot selection/decisions making. Having 2 regular rotation players like that wouldn't be great.

It does still baffle me when AR doesn't come in at the tail end of blowouts till there's only like 2-3 minutes late. Perhaps MDA is scared of putting in the bench players too early and letting a team back in the game and facing the wrath of the UK board.

martin wrote:

cheers wrote:

Ira wrote:When Azubuike gets back to playing shape, he'll be a big plus off the bench. I'm very disappointed that AR is such a bust. We should trade him for anyone useful that we can get.

i dont trust mda bust-o-radar on players.. record shows once the mda banished player is on another team, the player performs.

we have a player friendly system, but not a friendly coach. maybe its what was needed along with stat being here. but it cant always be the stick all the time (ar.) or the throw you in the deep water hope you swim stuff (timo.)

timo needed spot minutes in the rotation where he could be most effective (plus build confidence get comfortable) like taking advantage of his defense when needed. instead of just throwing him into unfamiliar nba waters and saying, go swim. then when he's drowning pulling him out and banning him from the pool. and ar.. well that story been told often enough.

name them

the ones often named but excuses are given why they failed and not mda. nate failed not mda. though nate was the catalyst for the celtics late rally victory win over the knicks. jordan hill failed not mda, though jordan hill cracked the rotation of the houston rockets. darko failed not mda though darko is a big the knicks need right now. in time ar will be added to mda's list of fails.