Random Thoughts
Losing 5 of 6 will sober up anyone. The Knicks played on adrenaline for about a week after the trade. Then Chauncey was injured and someone discovered you cannot play without a center on the roster. Any pleasant dreams of a playoff run start to fade with the knowledge that starting Shelden Williams is a clear sign of desperation. Any success past the first round of the playoffs would be unexpected and exciting.
Now that the reception is over and the honeymoon afterglow has worn off, the difficult task of team building continues. That is a process forged in tough losses, mental errors, coaches testing new shift lines and everyone getting to know total strangers on and off the court. It does not happen in a month. That process will force everyone to make adjustments. Everyone. The best way to build team mojo is to follow a 3-8 stretch with a 12-1 run.
Summer League rosters come out the first week in July.
Things to fix: (other than the obvious 6'11 post presence who can score inside the paint)
Leadership Guard. If Billups walks, there is not one guard who can be trusted to drive the car. You need one to start and another off the bench. Forget Toney Douglas for a moment. Until Douglas learns to be consistent, he stunts the cohesion of the all star frontcourt. This affects shot distribution and selection. Shooting under 40 per cent (38 to be exact) with two all stars means there is much work to be done to get better shots. The good news is that Landry Fields continues to shoot over 50 per cent for the season but gets single digit shot attempts on most nights. Get him the ball more often.
Power forward. Amare is a warrior and that is a concern as he wears down during the marathon season. His minutes need to be monitored and another proven 6'10+ four MUST be signed over the summer. If Billups decides that he can survive one more year away from his family ... cool. That's five.
Sidebar alert. Carmelo needs to take his off season conditioning program to another level. The turmoil and distraction around his place of employment is off the table. He needs to whip himself into the best shape of his career to play both ends of the court. No excuses. You want to be a max player. You need to run the floor like a max player.
The Plan.
If Donnie Walsh is signed to an extension that would be great. Every day that passes without a new contract is one more picture taken down from the wall in his office. I trust he will locate two guards who can be trusted with the ball, an intimidating power forward and two centers who can manage the paint. That makes nine. Anything Derrick Brown brings is a bonus. Turiaf can stay as backup center insurance policy and honorary Drew "Bundini" Brown.
Player turnover is killing continuity.
Most important, we must keep Carmelo, Stoudemire, Fields and even Shawne Williams... together. That's four. What do they all have in common? This is their FIRST year in New York.
I don't want the Knicks to ever make a trade deadline deal again. Ever.
