Posted by bernard:

3 - Team is not playing like it has a coach, much less a good one. Not taking advantage of our mismatches and not doing anything to cover up for opponents mismatches. Yes, it's early, but Lenny watch is about to dominate the tabloids if they don't show more.

I dont know why I never picked up on this but main man martin said the same thing last night. Lenny is not exploiting their mismatches. He should've told Craw to play point and distribute and let Steph shoot all night.

The most annoying thing last night was watching TT, unsuccessfully, fight for position in the post against MANU GINOBLI!!!

Posted by Bonn1997:

the loss to Boston was the only one of the six games that surprised me. In general the team still looks like the 45 win team I thought they were. They just have a rough schedule right now.

So now strength of schedule matters to you? Last year you completely dismissed the fact that the Knicks played one of their toughest parts of their schedule when Layden was still GM. But now you take that into account? That's pretty funny.

Here's whats wrong with the team: Isiah Thomas. He's the one who traded for Tim Thomas. He's the one that just had to have Lenny Wilkens as the coach. He's the one that hand picked every assistant on this team and who answer, not to Wilkens, but to Isiah. He's the one who put this disjointed team of unwanted players together. This is what happens when you just acquire players without a plan of how they're all going to fit. But Isiah did get headlines though, thank goodness for that.

Allow me to be the first to start the "Fire Isiah" chants.

Here are the main problems

1. Isiah isn't sure what he wants to do with this team, he wanted to make the team more athletic, but he did so by picking up players who are not proven winners, they are whiners, who think they are above the team

2. He panicked and hired Lenny Wilkens, when he should have waited and offered the job to Doc Rivers.

3. As bad as Mutumbo was at times, he still took pride protecting the basket and we don't have anyone to protect the baskets

4. Tim Thomas

5. The Knicks really have no brains, so they don't run an offense everything is one on one, they force shots, and don't get back

6. Tim Thomas doesn't try, Marbury can't defend anyone, Crawford is concerned about one thing shooting he has never play de in his life.

7. The only players that should recieve a pay check our Kurt Thomas, Ariza, Williams, and Sweets, because they are the only players that always try and don't take plays off......

Ohh and who was it that said preseason is preseason. You get blown out it doesn't matter where you are its a matter of pride and this team has none. In 5 games 2 blowouts, and its going to continue

look at how bad the Sonics were last year, and now they are off to a 7-1 start. Denver has the same team plus one of the best PFs in the league and they are 2-5. Man guys are really panicking around here its pretty silly.

yes TT has sucked and thats been a major problem. Its hard to learn chemistry and get comfortable when your playing the NBA's best every night.

right.. so I wonder if their fans are in panick mode begging for the coach to be fired? How is Melo in an Olympic funk? The dude didnt play. But you made my point exactly... its silly to look at a 6 game stretch and panic, especially when your team is still in major flux. The Knicks have one starter from last year: KT.

Did people think that this wasnt going to take ANY time or patience? That our 19 year rookie spark was going to go out and shut down NBA vets? That Sweetney's 40 whatever games last year was enough seasoning to start his low post domination of the NBA? That 5 games was enough for Crawford to unlearn the bad habits of playing on a losing team for 4 year?

I remember hearing how good Spree's defense was when we first got him. Yet every night his man was open for 3's because he wasnt rotating properly. It took him about 40 games to fit in with that group. As did Camby.

On a side note did anyone see the crossover Crawford put on Ginobili on that fast break?

Patience people... remember we are talking about winning 45 games and getting our young players better?

yes, it is about patience. and i know this. i know it'll take time.

it's just frustrating that's all. absolutely frustrating. over the long haul is how we can really evaluate each player, coach, and gm and the team as a whole.

but on a nightly basis, after watching them basically give up down the stretch, it's just frustrating.

i thought forcefeeding tim was a great coaching move by lenny. he tried to exploit that matchup. tim just missed his shots but i'm not upset about that. i like how nazr got touches down low. everybody on the team were missing except kurt.

defensively is where i see no improvement. i think that's the place where another player needs to be added. looking at this unit, even after 50 games, it's tough to see them improving that drastically defensively. they can improve but they'll never be known as a defensive team.

offensively, yes, they need time to gel. that i understand.

but it doesn't take away the frustration while watching them night in and night out. but hopefully, in the end, the team evolves into something substantial.

Crawford struggled when his role became poorly defined in Chicago, when they kept switching him from being in vs out of the starting lineup and starting at PG versus SG. Let's just give him one consistent role that is his to keep unless he truly loses it.

Posted by fishmike:

this team just needs time. Last night they played hard and didnt execute. The Pacers game they executed well (at least on offense) but didnt play hard on defense.

I'm glad someone mentioned Detroit. The year they signed Billups to the full MLE they went 32-50. I think Stackhouse won a scoring title and they were a bad team. Ben Wallace was a liability on offense, Stackhouse was selfish and Billups couldnt lead. Rather than make major changes the only player Dumars added was Cliff Robinson. The next year they went 50-32. Sometime chemistry takes time.

We havent even seen this group play together enough to know is Lenny is the problem or not. Maybe Steph is the problem, or maybe we just need a center that can play defense. Maybe we just need 40 games for Ariza and Sweetney to get more comfortable. Maybe we just need time.

This is why fans panick and good GMs dont. Dumars didnt, hopefully Isiah doesnt either.

Great post. I've been saying all along that beginners rush to judgment. I'm hoping for a better start, but I would not be surprised if the team started the year 2-6 based on our schedule BUT then turned things around because the schedule improves.

well let me add my two cents

there is a reason why lenny wilkens is the head coach and you guys are forum posters on the internet. i know you guys will find that hard to believe but anyway

there is nothing wrong with the team. the team is basically the same team from last year. under .500

i think it's the fans who have something wrong with them when they fool themselves into thinking the knicks are bound for the NBA Finals

wake up

http://www.knickerblogger.net/

Interesting article on Knickerblogger.net on defense and eFG% = effective shooting percentage.

"Getting back to the Knicks' woes, their opponents have been shooting the lights out with a 52.6% eFG%. That's a whooping 12% better than the league average (47.1%). Only the Hawks & Nuggets are worse, while teams like the Hornets, Bulls, and Sixers rank just above the Knicks. Those aren't a group of teams you want to be associated with defensively. Right now when teams are facing the Knicks, they're getting a better look at the rim than the Tidy Bowl Man.

It's fair to say that 5 games is too small a sample size to make a huge deal over. However consider this: not once this season have the Knicks' held their opponent's eFG% under the league average. Three of their opponents shot over 50%, with the Celtics a shade under 60%. When teams that were below average shooters last year (Clippers & Sixers) are having good shooting nights against New York, it's time to raise the red flag.

What's interesting is last year the Knicks contested shots very well, allowing an eFG% of only 46.1%. So what happened in a year? The roster overhaul could be the answer as the Knicks no longer have defensive minded players like Deke, Frank Williams, Shanderson and Charlie Ward. Easily 4 of the Knick starters are not thought of as above average defenders, and the 5th, Kurt Thomas, is not a shot blocking big man. Actually the entire roster is void of either a shot blocker or a "defensive stopper".

This defensive weakness coincides with another Knick sore spot, depth at center. Nazr Mohammed is poor on the defensive end, and isn't reliable on a day-to-day basis. Against the Clippers he only played 12 minutes, because he forced himself to the bench with constant foul trouble. His strength is on the offensive end of the court, as witnessed by his 11 offensive rebound effort against the Pacers. The Knicks would benefit by having a center that could disrupt the other team's offense, a ying to Mohammed's yang. Marbury, Crawford, and whoever is the PF (Thomas or Sweetney) are good enough offensively to carry a millstone at center. The Knicks won't be able to get a guy like Theo Ratliff without giving up something big in return, but there are cheaper alternatives out there. Shot blocking machine Dan Gadzuric is loosing minutes to Zaza "Gabor" Pachulia, and would have a cheaper price tag considering Milwaukee's depth at center."

Another thing that pisses me off is WHY THE HELL DOES NAZR MISS AT LEAST 2-3 LAYUPS A GAME?? ITS A DAM LAY UP, every time he misses a lay up I wanna punch my hand through my tv...and we all need to be patient, when the schedule first came out I thought they would either be 2-6 or 3-5 after 8 games so I'm not really surprised but the schedule does let up so we should be able to pick up some W's, but we have to really start learning how to win on the road.

Also what happened last night with Ariza, he didnt play at all in the second half until garbage time. WTF is that about?? its not like TT was playing good.