Picking the 15th Knick
by Seth on Sep 2, 2010 12:21 PM EDT
in Miscellaneous
24 comments
First of all, I recommend checking out Anthony Donahue's interview with Patrick Ewing Jr., the Knicks' recent training camp invitee. Li'l Pat is a charismatic bloke, and "Rice Balls" gets some interesting, direct responses from him. That's no small feat in early September, when "just working hard" and "I think we have a good team this year" are the answers du jour.
On a related note, I've spent the last few days in my Thinking Cave, fraternizing with spiders and raccoons and pondering existence. One of the discussion points was the role of the fifteenth man on a basketball team such as the Knicks. This stems back to a dinner conversation I had with Seth the Greater (née Seth Pollack) regarding the Suns' bench. My quesadilla and I were baffled that Taylor Griffin had stuck in Phoenix for so much of the '09-'10 season (He spent some time in the D-League and has since been waived, but still...). How could Griffin- who's a decent enough player but doesn't have much to offer on an NBA floor at this point- hold a spot on the Suns when so many other guys with more potential were stranded elsewhere? Seth and his omelet explained that T-Griff wasn't the most talented player, but he worked his ass off, did what he was told, and ran guys like Amar'e Stoudemire ragged in practice. He also played a total of 32 minutes last season. As is often the case when talking to Seth the Greater, I felt enlightened.
Wednesday Bat-Eared Foxes
by Seth on Sep 1, 2010 10:01 AM EDT
in Mammals
35 comments
Source: Wiki commons
Ba-de-ya, friends. As we turn one page closer to Basketballtober, I've got some bat-eared links to share with all of you. Keep commenting and posting, by the way. Charlie, Gian, and I have some ideas and posts planned in the near future, but it's just the funnest when everybody's contributing. Anyway, on to the links.
Am I right or am I left? A different perspective on the Knicks wing positions
by Osborn on Aug 31, 2010 4:30 PM EDT
in Miscellaneous
25 comments
In terms of debate, few topics have plagued the Knicks community (specifically the Posting & Toasting community) as much as "who should start at shooting guard?" Some contend that it should be Wilson Chandler, who is probably the best athlete the Knicks have who can somewhat capably cover two-guards. Others opine that, pending health, it shouldn't be any other player than Kelenna Azubuike, who is one of the better shooters the Knicks have to offer. Others make a similar case for newly acquired Roger Mason Jr. Miketheintern's recent post on rotations offers a hyper-height line-up with Danilo Gallinari at the two. Throw in Bill Walker, Toney Douglas and potentially Landry Fields, and you have a bona fide debate not only concerning starters/non-starters, but playing time in general. Will Mike D'Antoni go with a longer rotation than he has in the past? Will We see Anthony Randolph at the three-spot? Will Gallinari prove to be defensively capable of defending quicker shooting guards even a little bit?
Well, I would like to offer a different perspective. Rather than basing wing-rotations on experience, pedigree and defensive identity, I'd like to offer some food for thought concerning something that hasn't been a topic of consideration: shooting percentages.
25 comments | 5 recs |
For those of you who missed the games (myself included), deez here are Timofey Mozgov highlights from Russia's game against Puerto Rico (he swats Humpty!). I found this at Knicks Tweets, where you can also see Timmy's reel versus Turkey. (Videos made by TKB's own Pav).
Moore: "Let the kids have their fun."
Matt Moore's treatise on the '10-'11 Knicks is just splendid. I think the optimists among us have a lot more faith than Moore in New York's ability to compete for real this season, but Matt nails it with regards to this team's youthful majesty.
Sunday Muntjacs
by Seth on Aug 29, 2010 10:22 AM EDT
in Mammals
32 comments
Source: Wiki commons
Good morrow, beaugregories. Sorry if posting's been a little slow while each of the P&T bros is out of their respective towns. Nevertheless, I've got some links to share with y'all.
Jump if you dare.
Knicks give Ewing Jr. a non-guaranteed, roster-dependent contract
by Osborn on Aug 27, 2010 5:12 PM EDT
34 comments
As Kupe noticed and Howard Beck first reported, the son of the legend has a contract in place with the Knicks that becomes guaranteed if and when he makes the team out of training camp. So, while this is most definitely news, it is not set in stone as was first thought.
I, for one, like Ewing's chances. Aside from the "writing on the wall" angle pertaining to the presence of his signature on an official dotted line, he has always been an NBA prospect. He was a pretty damn good player at Indiana and Georgetown and, as Beck writes, he tore up the D-League to the tune of 17 and 9, give or take some decimals. At 26 he's still green, and he has the pedigree, body and confidence to do some damage, particularly on the break. Although Ewing's spot on the team is not guaranteed, and he likely would not get significant minutes, I can't help but to get excited about this.
Good Luck Pat.
Kelenna Azubuike may not be ready.
by Seth on Aug 27, 2010 10:07 AM EDT
in News
30 comments
The word all summer has been that the newly acquired Kelenna Azubuike would be ready to rumble come training camp, his torn patellar tendon fully recovered. As Howard Beck of the Times tells it, the Knicks aren't so sure anymore:
"We’re not sure," said the team president Donnie Walsh, who described a torn patellar tendon as "one of the worst injuries in the league."
Azubuike spent most of the summer rehabilitating with a private trainer. He just began working with the Knicks’ staff this week, so team officials do not yet have a firm assessment. Azubuike is not yet running or jumping, which suggests that he is a long way from playing high-level basketball.
"I think it’s 50-50 whether he’ll be ready for training camp right now," D’Antoni said. "He thinks he will be."
As Beck notes, Azubuike would be the front-runner for the starting two-spot if healthy. The good news is that the Knicks are deep enough now to permit Kelenna as much time as he needs to reach 100%. Wilson Chandler and Bill Walker are both capable starting shooting guards, and the recently added Roger Mason should be in the running as well. We want as much Azubuike as possible, but there's no need to rush a man.
(Tip of the hat to Big C).
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