Allanfan20 wrote:Childs2Dudley wrote:Balkman is not the 10th man based on 1 game. Please.
Agreed. He played above his head but usually, the quality in his game isn't usually nearly that high.
The question is did Balkman just have a great day, or is he perhaps a different player that when Knick fans last saw him? (David Lee is proof that players are capable of getting significantly better over time.) Balkman demonstrates different skill sets both in shooting accuracy and in moving around to get free on the offensive side of the court. I don't think it is a fluke. MDA is likely to find future opportunities for his defensive guarding and rebounding talents fortified by the new offensive skills he has developed. (I doubt MDA would have left him in the game that long, unless he was thinking of playing him during the season.)
Balkman has had authority problems both with his college coach, and with MDA. D'Antoni shipped him for next to nothing out because he appeared unwilling to learn how to play the way MDA wanted his players to play. Perhaps before it was too late, Balkman has decided he needed to change change things up, or his NBA career was coming to an end. Perhaps making final decisions about Balkman based on what he did a few years ago isn't ideal. I thought he had no chance to make the team until I saw how much more confident he was on the offensive side of the court.
