http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/7364/a-joke-becomes-a-reality-for-chandlerReally good info from Jared Z on what he saw so far from Knicks.
First Full Practice Footnotes
Chandler has no plans to follow Stoudemire's off-the-court footsteps, from fashion to entertainment. "No, honestly. I don't expect anything now, except for going home and getting good naps and icing." Chandler still needs time to take in New York City; he's really only been here when the Mavericks came to town. He said his favorite spots so far are trendy restaurants Tao and Mr. Chow. By the way, he's listed at 7-1, but his posture is so straight that he looks 7-5 standing next to him. That's probably the same posture that rubbed off on Stoudemire, who claims stretching his back during the offseason helped him grow an inch to 6-11.D'Antoni on a potential Shawne Williams re-signing: "Well, we don't know. I mean, that's Glen [Grunwald]. I'm sure he's working on it and we're going to try to get the best player that we can get, and [Shawne's] definitely in that mix." Speaking of Grunwald, he's proving himself to be worth more to the franchise than an "interim" general manager. In fact, he's already in contention for Executive of the Year after landing Chandler.
D'Antoni on working with Mike Woodson: "Defensively we're going to do exactly what we did last year. The idea is to just get them motivated and keep them up there in a different voice, which can help. Mike will be great on the defensive end, and as all the other coaches. Again, we're getting into a little habit of offense-defense coaches, but you coach the whole game. He'll help me on the offensive end and defensive end -- wherever we need him at. He's a very good coach, as the other guys, and we'll sit in the room together and figure out what we need to do, and do it."
Practice observations: When the media was allowed inside to watch, Woodson was teaching the players how to rotate efficiently to defend the corner three. That lasted for about 15 minutes. Afterward, they ran pick-and-roll drills in five-on-five, game-speed simulation for about 45 minutes. Shumpert's decision-making obviously needs some work, but his shooting form and athleticism is terrific. He jumps nearly as high from beyond the arc as Ray Allen does. After Shumpert was drafted, D'Antoni mentioned his accuracy from long range during his pre-draft workout sealed the selection in his mind, and you could see why on Sunday.
Josh Harrellson hasn't gotten much attention since arriving in Tarrytown, but he could see the court early on during the season for several reasons: he's a big body at 275 pounds, he can set strong picks and dribble around the perimeter with ease and without hesitation (benefits for spacing and initiating the pick-and-roll), and he has range out to 3-point territory.
Fields changed his jersey to number 2 to accommodate Chandler's No. 6. He also looked like a changed man on the court, resembling Richard Hamilton coming off screens and driving the lane. If Fields can be consistent from downtown during the season, which he was during practice, D'Antoni will never think twice about benching him in place of Shumpert or Bill Walker.
Mike Bibby, who's wearing No. 20, was already putting his foot down in his first practice -- with the media, that is. "I don't have nothing to prove," he said. "Ever since I came in, people have doubted me. I'm going into my 14th year. I don't care what you guys say. I don't care what anybody says about me. I've always been like that. I'm going to go out and do whatever it takes to help the team win. If that stands for me standing on the sidelines cheering, that's what I've got to do. I'm here to win and play the role that they want me to play -- whatever it is."
12/12/2011 2:15 AM