Talking Knicks
by Robert Curre on Nov 29, 2011 4:10 PM EST
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Now that we are assured that there will be a season it is time to get excited about the 2011-12 Knicks.
First off I am really intrigued to see the impact Chauncey Billups has on the team this season. Billups comes into this season with the second longest playoff streak among starting point guards, only Jason Kidd has a longer one and with Kidd there is a caveat, he was traded from a Nets team that would not have made the playoffs to a mavericks team that did. Billups .656 winning percentage over the last 11 years as a starter is the best among active point guards. The Knicks averaged 108 pts per game last season with Billups running the point and that was with his not knowing the offense or having time to develop chemistry with Amare or the other Knicks who were left after the trade. Billups has proven over his career to be very efficient and effective at running offenses. D'Antoni's best offensive team was the 2004-05 Suns who averaged 110.4 pts per game. I believe that with Billups fully on page with D'Antoni and the other players on this team that the Knicks will blow that number out of the water.
Next I will be watching Shawne Williams closely. This guy had NBA scouts drooling when he left Memphis in 2006. He could always poop from the corner but in addition he was a slasher back in those days who used to draw his defender in and then blow by him for powerful finishes at the rim. At 6'9 and 230lbs scouts were comparing him to Rashard Lewis (the young healthy Rashard Lewis). Williams was a lock to be a top five pick that year, until an arrest for marijuana possession a month prior to the draft caused his stock to plummet. Even so, the Pacers took him with the 17th pick in the draft. That year he became the first Pacer rookie to score double figures in his debut (that's right Reggie Miller didn't do that), scoring 13 points. He then followed that up with a 19 point performance in 21 minutes two games later. Williams played well initially out of the gate, but then discipline problems dried his minutes up to next to nothing and finally a knee injury ended his rookie campaign after 46 games. Still the Pacers saw potential and brought him back. Williams 2nd year got off to a bad start first he came in out of shape, then missed practices and off the court arrests caused the Pacers to suspend him for the rest of the season. The Pacers shipped him to Dallas that off-season where he lasted 15 games before they released him. Williams spent the next year and a half out of basketball and in and out of trouble. His weight ballooned up to almost 300lbs and if not for an intervention by his former coach Calipari we may have never have heard from Extra E again. However Calipari convinced him to get in shape and then convinced Larry Brown to give him a shot on the Bobcats' summer league squad. Williams impressed the Bobcats' coaches enough that they offered him a training camp invite, but another arrest caused Charlotte to back away from him, which is how he got to us. Extra E shocked us by not only making the team but earning a spot in D'Antoni's rotation. But something was missing, sure the corner poops were still there, but the assortment of drives and pull up jumpers that had scouts drooling back in 2006 were gone. In fact Williams looked scared to death any time he put the ball on the floor last year. This off-season Williams said he was dedicating himself to getting that back, by working on his ball handling and his pull up jumpshot. If he can regain some of his mojo, Extra E will go along way to helping solidify our bench and give us consistent production off of it. I will be pulling for him, but I will admit it will be bittersweet because if he can regain the game that had him considered one of the top prospects in the 2006 draft, then his price tag will be a lot more expensive when we try to sign him next year which may price him out of our market. But for now we will have him so let's hope he is successful.
Billups and Extra E two reasons to watch the Knicks this season.
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I'm interested to see how Landry bounces back after last years miserable ending.
Stainer of mountaintops.
this.
year for him will be huge.
Flash in the pan? Or real player?
I think it was Bobby V who said: "You are never as good as you are when you are at your best, and you are not as bad as when you are at your worst."
Like the really funny uncle with a healthy bourbon habit who matches every brilliant Thanksgiving story with one or two ill-advised racist jokes or boob grabs, we’re stuck with Melo. So we might as well learn to love him — quirks and all. http://knickerblogger.net/2011-report-card-carmelo-anthony/
i saw u replying to someone nugget fan who wanted Jerome Jordan..So much for much "robbing" the Knicks lol. They are still not satisfied with what they got.
My message to Nuggets fans: Faaaaahhhhck you!
robbing?
I think it was Bobby V who said: "You are never as good as you are when you are at your best, and you are not as bad as when you are at your worst."
Like the really funny uncle with a healthy bourbon habit who matches every brilliant Thanksgiving story with one or two ill-advised racist jokes or boob grabs, we’re stuck with Melo. So we might as well learn to love him — quirks and all. http://knickerblogger.net/2011-report-card-carmelo-anthony/
Good stuff.
Didn’t know Poop’s back-story. If he fleshes out the rest of his game he’ll be dynamite.
by Crackback on Nov 29, 2011 5:56 PM EST via mobile reply actions
It's shocking to hear that about E (having floor skills)
Cuz I can remember so many games where teams started keying in on stopping his poopage and we were like, put it on the floor, and he’d remind of just how bad an idea that was. He definately looked scared at the worse, indecisive at the least. Being able to do that and finish would be deadly, and even being able to drive and flip off to a streaking Amar’e in the lane for a jam or Melo /Billups up top for an uncontested 3 would help open things up.
We still need a solid healthy dude to defend the paint allow Amar’e to be a help defender and not the main line of defense. He’s gotta be able to grab 8 boards minimum if the rest round out as usual 8 Amar’e, 8 Melo, 7 Fields, 4 at the point guard for 35 Reb’s Per for just the starting 5.
I’m really also looking forward to a healthy Douglas. Without the shoulder injury, TD could be a ruthless shooter off the bench and I always forget about Bully but he finally showed some scrappiness towards the end of the season. He also showed some boneheadedness at times and played outta control, but he showed promise nonetheless. If some of that explosiveness is returning to his game, Bully is an asset this year.
I have high hopes for Jorts off the bench also starting out this year, but maybe our biggest unknown as to what kind of player he really is, that is all I have is high hopes, wit no idea on how he’ll pan out. Ronnie to me has the most to prove though. His scrappiness changed the complexion of many a game, but also missed many a game. While his heroics won’t always fill a stat sheet, there comes a time it has to start filling the stat sheet in the form of consistently being able to grab boards.
Cuz I can remember so many games where teams started keying in on stopping his poopage and we were like, put it on the floor, and he’d remind of just how bad an idea that was.
Yeah, that one game where he passed up the three and drove in for a floater on the last possession. He didn’t look confident at all with that part of his game.
TYBG
Yep and it is sad because that is what made him so effective in college
He played Power forward and even some Center at Memphis and he would pull bigs away from the basket and then drive by them for dunks. It just goes to show how quickly a guy’s skills can atrophy when he is out of the game. Remember he was literally out of basketball entirely for a year and a half before coming to us.
by Robert Curre on Nov 30, 2011 10:44 AM EST up reply actions
I was at that game
I was ecstatic to see an open Poope in the corner, and then my face went to sheer horror when he put it on the floor.
I do feel like he started to improve a little bit in that area towards the end of the season. Maybe I have a skewed memory, but I seem to recall a few instances of him putting in on the floor for an escape dribble and pull up J, or taking it to the hole
Alot of what will happen with guys like Jorts this year will depend on how the team plays early on.
D’Antoni is in the last year of his deal and does not expect to make it passed the first 20 games if the team gets off to a slow start. Mike will start out playing a sizeable rotation 10 maybe 11 guys but if the team gets out of the gate1-5 Mike will hit the panic button and hit it quickly. We all know the D’Antoni’s “save my own ass plan,” is to play small, play fast and not play more than 8 guys. When the team started out 3-8 last year that is exactly what he did. He put Amare at Center, moved Chandler to the 4 and rolled with it. He won 13 out of the next 14 games and save the season and therefore his ass. He will do that again even quicker this year. So you heard it here first bad start and it’s sorry Amar’e but get your ass out there at Center, Oh yeah Melo you start at the 4, Fields your the 3 man, Shumpy I need your defense and as much as I hate to trust my ass to a rookie I don’t have much choice you are in at the 2 with Billups. Douglas, Extra E, and Ronny you’re my bench mob, if somebody gets tired Walker you’ll get 5 minutes more if you show me something. The rest of you clowns don’t even think about asking for minutes or when you are gonna play cause you’re not! So Derrick Brown you want minutes or Jorts you want burn, then you talk to Woodson because he will be coaching this team by next week if I don’t get some wins, so nothing personal but “FUCK YOU!” He did it last year, He’ll do it quicker this year!
by Robert Curre on Nov 30, 2011 11:11 AM EST up reply actions
Very much looking forward to our backcourt this year
A healthy and rested Billups should be great. Same goes for Toney Douglas who I’m expecting big things from this year.
I’m including Landry in this because he started at the 2 last year. We all know Shumpert’s been working his tail off, but I’ve also heard Landry’s been working on his 3 pt. shooting and ball-handling. I can’t wait for these guys to compete for minutes this season
shumpert and landry...
practice battles are going to be nuts. i can see these 2 kids really challenging each other in practice, and i can see the 2 of them evolving into a very interesting, big backcourt with strong defense and rebounding. of course it’s early, but they both seem to have great attitudes and work ethic.
by bucketsncents on Nov 30, 2011 6:30 AM EST up reply actions
What games were you watching dude?
Landry shot around 40% from 3 last year and even with his end of the year slump the kid still ended up shooting .393 from 3 which for a role player who spots up and takes maybe 3 or 4 3’s a game at the most is more than decent.
by Robert Curre on Nov 30, 2011 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
maybe shumpert can replace rautins on the tv show
rautins is a stiff
/// aighttho.com \/// twitter.com/aighttho \
Andy actually looked pretty good playing for Canada this summer
Somebody clearly showed Andy where the weight room was last year cause he has clearly put on about 10-15lbs of muscle and his handle looked alot better. He had 18 points and 9 assists against Puerto Rico and he was going up against JJ Barea most of the game. Barea had 21 points but still Andy more than held his own against a legit NBA player who is not considered a stiff. I say that Andy might actually see some meaningful minutes this year if he continues to improve and not just a handful of minutes in garbage time like last year.
by Robert Curre on Nov 30, 2011 10:57 AM EST up reply actions
Andy was also hurt last year
Needed some sort of surgery in the offseason. I’m puzzled as to why Rautins couldn’t be at least a decent backup point guard. I guess it’s possible he’s just too damn slow, but he’s got size and he can shoot and he’s always been a pretty good passer. I think that in college he shot so much from the college 3 point line that he had trouble adjusting, but I agree that the guy should be useful as a backup.
Get The Frickin' Rebound
Of course
Whatever Andy’s injury was, it wasn’t a factor in his dismal TV performance. I actually think Jorts would be a good replacement for Andy on the show. But really, they should have tournament of 1 on 1 games to determine who joins Landry, with Landry as the ref.
Get The Frickin' Rebound
Being slow is not Andy's problem he actually is not that slow
Andy needed to get stronger and his handle was weak. Really folks Steve Nash is slow, Billups has always been slow, Jason Kidd hasn’t blown by anybody in a decade. But these guys have excellent ball handling skills and are strong with the dribble. You don’t think of Chauncey as having great handle but he is so damn strong that is rare that another guard can press him and pick his pocket. That happened to Andy alot.
by Robert Curre on Nov 30, 2011 11:37 AM EST up reply actions
Chauncey was Slow... Eh
Maybe now that he’s aged a little bit.
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere...It's up to you, New York, New York!!!!
Chauncey has always been slow. however he has always been strong
and if you have power you don’t need to out quick a guy into the paint, if you can get your shoulder out in front just a little, he has no chance of keeping you out of the paint even if he is quicker than you.
by Robert Curre on Nov 30, 2011 11:50 AM EST up reply actions
Strength has always been his strength
But I always thought when he was on Detroit he had a very quick first step off the dribble.
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere...It's up to you, New York, New York!!!!
by MrWilliams on Nov 30, 2011 2:09 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
i feel like
what makes someone fast in the NBA is a quick first step, not actual running speed.
I think it was Bobby V who said: "You are never as good as you are when you are at your best, and you are not as bad as when you are at your worst."
Like the really funny uncle with a healthy bourbon habit who matches every brilliant Thanksgiving story with one or two ill-advised racist jokes or boob grabs, we’re stuck with Melo. So we might as well learn to love him — quirks and all. http://knickerblogger.net/2011-report-card-carmelo-anthony/
Your analysis is refreshing as always
I’ve seen lots of players with pretty handles get the ball stolen a lot, and lots of players with not-so-pretty handles somehow not lose the ball. The whole package is a mixture of strength, smarts, vision, and quickness. Sometimes this is just an instinctive thing with players and they either have it or they don’t. I hope Andy can improve at it.
Get The Frickin' Rebound
Granted it was Fiba action but Andy definitely looked stronger on the ball
and more confident with what he was doing with it, this summer.
by Robert Curre on Nov 30, 2011 2:32 PM EST up reply actions
I think part of his problem
Was his nerves. I mean, that one game against Utah the crowd was on its feet chanting “An-dy Rau-tins!” For someone who had hardly played I bet he was pretty nervous. Likewise he knew if he showed something real he’d start to get rotation time, so he probably psyched himself out.
I’d love it if he came to camp and showed something, but if not, I don’t have a problem with cutting ties and opening a roster spot
loved reading this...
i think the kids got some chops. didn’t know about his progress, but i liked the pick, the pedigree, the size, the shooting ability and the court vision.
by bucketsncents on Nov 30, 2011 9:57 PM EST up reply actions
They will not compete for minutes. I do not understand why you guys keep saying that
especially since D’Antoni clearly stated when he said that Shumpert will definitely be in his rotation that Shumpert’s minutes will not come at the expense of Fields. In fact if Bill Walker doesn’t get the lead out of his ass and start playing some defense, then it will be Walker who needs to battle for minutes, because D’Antoni will probably end up sliding Landry down to SF when Melo goes to the bench and Shumpert enters the game. So actually Landry may end up seeing his minutes go up this year not down.
by Robert Curre on Nov 30, 2011 10:52 AM EST up reply actions
Fields will get plenty of floor time. No indication or reasoning why he shouldn’t with the Knicks projected roster
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere...It's up to you, New York, New York!!!!
by MrWilliams on Nov 30, 2011 2:13 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Especially since Shumpert and Fields will not be playing the same position
which means even when Shumpert is on the floor there will be times he will be on it with Fields.
by Robert Curre on Nov 30, 2011 2:30 PM EST up reply actions
You always say that and have never onced linked this D'Antoni interview
Otherwise I’m going with what I’ve seen. Landry started at the 2 last year. Shumpert will likely switch between playing the PG and SG, as does TD. You know Billups is gonna get minutes at the PG spot, so that gives Douglas and Shumpert a shot at playing backup PG, and if not, they’ll be fighting for time as 2-guard. OBviously Melo’s gonna play alot at SF, so Landry’s not gonna see a ton of time there. Meaning, Landry is gonna have to fight for his minutes at the 2, just like Shumpert will
You should try actually following the Knicks and what the people who make the decisions
about the team say. But as for D’Antoni’s opinions about Shumpert. Go to NBA.com and look for the following video clip:
► 5:04► 5:04 Mike D’Antoni on Iman Shumpert (6/24)
by Robert Curre on Nov 30, 2011 3:10 PM EST up reply actions
I do follow that
But I also follow what I’ve seen on the court, and common sense. Common sense says that Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony will play the majority of their minutes at the PG and SF positions. That means Toney Douglas and Iman Shumpert – whose positions are PG and SG – and Landry Fields – who plays SG and SF – will be left fighting for minutes.
Not that hard to figure out
Look the man said himself that Shumpert will play point guard but will be used to
guard 1’s,2’s,and some 3’s we might disagree but he is the coach and makes out the lineup. secondly, commonsense should tell you that a 35 year old point guard who will be demanded to push the tempo will need to have his minutes cut back in order not to fall apart. No way Chauncey lasts 35 minutes a night pushing the pace the way D’Antoni wants him to. So Chauncey will play fewer minutes. Secondly there is a guy named Bill Walker who was getting mins last yr who may be shit out of luck this year, because D’Antoni is more focused on defense and Fields and Shumpert are more willing defenders than he is. So Shumpert, Douglas, and Fields will have ample minutes. and Do not be suprised if you see them all on the floor at the same time for significant stretches during the season with Shumpert running the point but guarding the 2 on defense, Douglas playing the 2 on offense and guarding the point on defense, and Fields playing the 3.
by Robert Curre on Nov 30, 2011 3:38 PM EST up reply actions
What do you guys think
about Shumpert getting the starting point job next year? From what I’ve seen from him I think he can do it if he gets decent run this year as a backup
I don't know if I'd really like it
If we didn’t get CP3 or D-Will, there are a bunch of very good lower level PGs available that I’d rather get. Guys like Felton, Mo Williams, Jameer Nelson, DJ Augustine, etc.
rec'd for being a post about current knicks
i want to see how fields reacts to the end of last season and how iman develops.
most of all though i want to see if chauncey can run the system, or at least a pick and roll with amare.
I really the Pick and Pop
with Melo on the wing side with his strong hand.
Rather than Billups. And since the same play doesn’t run every time. I’d like to see Billups run the offense separately just after transition and in the first 5-10 seconds of the shot clock. Billups is too good at making quick decisions with players moving and stopping on a dime for pull up jumpers. AND using Melo just for isolation on the wing doesn’t work. Melo is to big of an offensive threat to not run the offense through.
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere...It's up to you, New York, New York!!!!
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