Knicks Lose to Bobcats in Double OT

This gamne was so horrifyingly bad that I've been at a loss for words to write about it.

Before the season began D'Antoni lectured the media that the Knicks would have to play beyond expectations in order to make the playoffs.

What we've been witness to in the first two games is a team in utter chaos and certainly far from coming in with any expectation to play beyond their capabilities. Hahn reporting Duhon's commentary;

“We’re not that good. We can’t come in here and joke around and take the game lightly."

Inspirational stuff, eh? In other words, playing over our heads is not happening, we aren't good enough to beat a lousy team.

Thank god we didn't sign any PGs this off season.

It is true that the Knicks went down by 21 points or so and "came back" to tie. But the giddy excitement of eventuall taking a two point lead made them forget how to shoot, dribble, and just look like they weren't lost.

The game was a farce and if this is what major market teams have to do to hope to acquire talent then this league and the game is in serious trouble. There is no excuse for forcing this kind of vacant incompetence on fans who expect more.

Knicks Lose Ugly to Heat

After a reasonablt played first quarter and a poorly played but not disastrous second quarter, the Knicks experienced a total meltdown in the third and never recovered.

Chandler and Lee played well, Darko had spot minutes that shone and Gallo hit a lot of threes when the game was out of reach.

Good Lord we need anyone who knows how to shoot.

On the positive side Knicks are 0-1 but Cavs are 0-2.

Only 45 wins left to go.

Will Lebron Become a Celtic?

The Cavs lost to the Celtics last night and the Celtics looked like a Juggernaut.

And this is after the Knicks softened the Celtics up in pre-season. It doesn't look good for Cleveland this year to win much of anything. And that's why the stars seem to be aligning for the Cavaliers to trade Lebron in February.

By doing so the Cavaliers will be in a much stronger bargaining position than this coming summer when the free agents come available. After all, if they trade LeBron for some talent they can lock up with the advantages of having the rights to that player.

We'll make a bold prediction here that Lebron James will be packaged with Mo Williams in exchange for Rajon Rondo, Big Baby, Ray Allen, and a couple of Boston's future #1 picks come February.

Rondo isn't in the long-term Boston plans and Big Baby has been problematic. Ray Allen will assure the Cavs make the playoffs with no more or less success than LeBron will have.

LeBron will join a winning organization that's loaded for bear and Cleveland will receive two young players who in Rajon and Big Baby who they can build around, they'll have cap space galore with Allen, Z, and Shaq coming off the books.

Just thinking aloud.

Observations on the Knicks Win over the Nets

Last night, the Knicks pine brothers beat the Nets - just barely.

If last night was any indication of things to come, this is going to be less of a surprise season and far more of a shocking and wacky one.

The back court showed what they are capable of doing. Duhon showing he can score, Nate showing energy, and Douglas showing some offense. On the flip side, they showed a propensity for poor passing, turnovers. over-dribbling,and poor judgment as well.

Milicic and Nate continue to click nicely and Darko adds a lot to the defensive presence. Lee had an off night and Landry came back down to earth.

The second quarter showed what the Knicks can do to any team in the league and, that is, crush them with a rain of three pointers. The third and fourth quarters, showed how bad the Knicks can play when they deviate from SSOL.


This bi-polar Knick profile is likely to play out all year long for better or worse. Let's just not pretend we're surprised.

Observations on beating the Celtics

Given my well-known animus for the Celtics, this win is specially gratifying.

The Celtics have shiny stars for public consumption who are reinforced by a thuggish bench. Don't let anyone fool you in to believing this game means the Knicks are becoming an elite team but neither does it mean that the Celtics didn't want the win. They did and their second string players are as good and far rougher than many NBA teams.

The Knicks did well to win. Let's dig into some of the details.

First, the Celtics have been out to humiliate Galinari for the past two games. The Celtics announcers continue to hang D'Antoni's "best shooter" remark around Gallo's neck and took great pleasure in Gallo's early misses. By the third quarter, with Gallo getting to the line and sinking threes, they STFU.

On the court, both Pierce and Rondo took particular pleasure in physically intimidating Gallinari as if to question his NBA cajones.

While Gallo's offense was a welcome awakening, the truth of the matter is that Gallo is very raw. He is overly sensitive about calls and has an almost childish demeanor when hopelessly complaining. Gallo's scoring was his best reaction to Pierce, Rondo, and Daniels. But the idea that a whiny court demeanor will project well as a floor leader is dubious.

But Knicks fans getting too carried away with the offensive stats need to acknowledge that Gallinari was pathetically inadequate defensively. He got beat repeatedly and awkwardly on a number of occasions. He is two or three years away from being a high-quality player on defense. And even that depends on whether or not he can improve his quickness.

The second player worth mentioning is David Lee. The man is rock solid. At the very beginning of the second half, surrounded by three Celtics, Lee somehow manages to come away with the rebound. He is amazingly always around the ball.

For all of the talk about signing a second FA this summer, Lee remains the most unappreciated and underestimated talent in the league. When this game's stats are analyzed, remember that Lee's numbers came against Perkins, Big Baby, and Rasheed Wallace. Don't even begin to talk to me about inflated numbers for Lee. He makes this team go and his pick and roll [with Duhon] repeatedly paralyzed the Celts.

Nate Robinson was a dynamo last night. He had a very, very impressive performance with one troubling caveat. Marquis Daniels totally owned Nate when going to the basket. In any game where the Knicks have a lead, Nate will be a weak-link defensive match-up. Size simply matters.

Finally, Jeffries, though unspectacular, is becoming a lunch-pail warrior for the Knicks. He beings an array of intangible, disruptive defensive tools to the game. He alters shots and passes, rebounds, and uses his length to force turnovers. Knicks fans obsessed with his contract should open their eyes a crack to witness a comeback story in the making.

Observations On Beating the Nets and Macabi

As the pre-season goes on I find myself wondering where the Knicks will find improvement over last season. Fans of this blog agree that IFF (if and only if) the Knicks play above their abilities can they improve their record significantly. And fans hope they improve enough so as to make the playoffs.

But in the win over the Nets, there are few players looking as though they're in extraordinary condition, and fewer who look poised to have a breakout year. In fact of the players drafted by the Knicks playing in the Macabi game, Marcej Lampe was the most impressive of the bunch.

Yes, it is premature to judge the results of these games because much tinkering is going on and the quality of competition is almost laughable.

But the concerns I have are threefold.

1.) Duhon looks flat. If he plays above his head he will be merely competent and in pre-season he's not playing above his head. Complicating this, is the fact that the Knicks STILL have no competent backup for Duhon. Nate Robinson can be a spark-plug off the bench, it's true. But N8 is not necessarily a solution here.

And while Toney Douglas continues to impress, much of his ability to impress is based on how flat-out awful our back court is.

2.) There is not a competent two-guard on the roster. Swingman Marcus Landry has been more impressive that Chandler and Hughes. Toney Douglas looks to see a lot of playing time here and that is not a good thing.

3.) Of the handful of SF candidates, Chandler is devolving into a poor outside shooter at the sacrifice of his inside game which remains a strong point. Like Nate he appears to be more suited to come off the bench than start.

Gallo looks like an over-rated pick at this point in time. While he shows flashes of talent, it is not necessarily NBA talent. Fans who buy into the hype project an All-Star. He's looking more like the Darko Milicic of SFs, limited, useful, but not a key player.

Expect a lot of Harrington and Jeffries at SF. Jeffries and Lee being the only two players looking as though they will have breakout years thus far.

If the Knicks are to improve, it will be the success or failure of D'Antoni's system that will get them there.

Observations on Losing to the 76ers

This was largely an unwatchable pre-season effort by the Knicks yet they lost by just a few points.

Once again, the Knicks were stone cold shooters. The second quarter, however was a highlight reel for the Knicks. They played some nice defense, triggered turnovers, and took a lead in the game. This was a sneak preview of what we hope will become typical rather than exceptional and periodic play.

Darko was looking good on defense, passing well, and surprisingly, is beginning to have some very nice chemistry with N8. They may become a very entertaining vaudeville act before long skunking opponents on offense.

Lee continues to be tenacious. Harrington shows signs of playing for keeps as well. Douglas and Hill were engaged and playing like they mean it.

Hughes has yet to find his shot. Gallo is an enigma.

Chandler was disappointing on both ends.

Duhon is becoming an invisible PG - no impact. And that's the first red flag for this season.

Observations on Losing to the Celtics

This was an ugly and unworthy game.

Throughout the Knicks were not hitting open shots. The Knicks poor shooting had very little to do with the Celtics defense. Lee, Chandler, and Gallinari were stone cold for most of the game.

Hughes has yet to fire up his offense. Jeffries, Darko, and Douglas who shouldn't shoot as much showed why.

Hopefully the Knicks never have an offensive outing this bad during the season.

Bad as the offense was in terms of scoring, the bright side was that often these were wide open, uncontested shots. That bodes well for the offensive scheme. As Frazier pointed out in commentary, however, having a player who recognizes the need to drive and score during droughts would be nice.

The highlight of the game was Milicic's disruptive presence. He played noticeable defense and re-routed the occasional loose ball back to the Knicks. What he gives he sometimes gives back but still represents a positive presence.

Toney Douglas continues to impress on defense.

Late in the game, Jordan Hill showed some heads up play and demonstrated some promise.

Though the Knicks lost, the game remained close until Chandler and Lee were injured in the second-half. Both appear to be alright but the runaway Knick meltdown in their absence shows just how integral Lee and to a lesser degree Chandler are to this team.

The Celtics continue their tradition as a classless bunch of thugs and this game is not indicative of how the Knicks will play them during the season. Gallo got his first taste of these goons and Lee will have something to remember these guys by come season play.

It is too early to call the Chandler at the two-guard a bust experiment but Gallo did not look ready for prime time starters duty at the three.

And Boston likes to play rough. It would be sweet to have Eddy Curry in game shape when Boston comes around. Lee, Jeffries, and Milicic got roughed up pretty good for a pre-season game.

Knicks Lose to Boston

Meh. Pre-season.

Observations on Beating the Nets

I finally got an opportunity to watch the Knicks/Nets game that the Knicks 'won'.

First, the first half of the game was much better played than the second when different and secondary lineups were more likely to be clumsy.

However, what struck me is improved teamwork specifically when Lee, Harrington N8, Gallinari, and Douglas were on the floor.This both implied and demonstrated a greater trust in each other and the system.

There are a lot of Lee critics out there but this guy plays hard, plays smart, and has become a cornerstone of the current team.

The second big change in the Knicks is what one announcer called, the swarming defense. I'm one of the Toney Douglas critics eating crow this week. TD needs to learn when to shoot but his tenacity and hustle on both ends of the court is a much needed shot in the arm for those of us who believe defense is the cornerstone of winning. But the active hands and feet of the front-court players was a joy to behold. This must be sustained to over-achieve and to have any shot at the playoffs.

The biggest pleasant surprise was Jared Jeffries play. He is shooting with confidence and maybe finally settling in to being a Knick asset rather than also-ran. If Jeffries can be counted on to slow or shut-down some of the league's more potent offensive players then the Knicks by swarm and a rain of treys should squeeze out some surprise wins against the league's elite teams.

Darko Milicic looked as if he can be at least as good as Chris Dudley for us. His play is sufficient to provide the Knicks with a serious presence down low on a situational basis. And if he can do that effectively on a consistent basis, that's plenty from a pine bro.

I liken Wilson Chandler's play to Charles Oakley-lite. This guy plays the game like a silent, gentleman thug and I have to say it's a sublime experience. For many years we've lamented that the Knicks lacked toughness but Chandler is increasingly impressing me as a quietly tough and tenacious assassin.

In closing, we haven't lost a game in months. Let's keep it that way.

Wow, Just Wow

A story about Ted Williams' head has made the news and it ain't good. The Huffington Post reports in Ted Williams' Severed Head Abused In Cryonics Facility: Former Exec:

In "Frozen," Larry Johnson, a former executive at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Ariz., writes that Williams' head, which had been severed and frozen for storage, was abused at the facility. Johnson claims a technician took baseball-like swings at Williams' frozen head with a monkey wrench.

Personally, I find nothing funny about this story. The person responsible should be hung by their, well, excuse the phrase... balls.