# I have a feeling



## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

This team is not going to be very good. As good a talent evaluator as IT is, he is equally bad at assembling a balanced team. I suspect that playing Curry and Zach together will only serve to detract from each others success, rather than enhance it. Defensively, there is NO inside presence and the perimeter defense may be even worse. I think the wheels are going to come off early and the fans are going to be pissed. He may not finish the year.


----------



## Krstic All-Star (Mar 9, 2005)

I agree. Watching Curry and Randolph 'on defense' together is frighteningly bad.


----------



## HB (May 1, 2004)

The problem also happens to be too many players with similar skill sets. Everyone of them seems like a one on one type player and not enough true role players. A good point guard will be able to get everyone involved, but who knows if Marbury is capable of that.


----------



## Truknicksfan (Mar 25, 2005)

> This team is not going to be very good. As good a talent evaluator as IT is, he is equally bad at assembling a balanced team. I suspect that playing Curry and Zach together will only serve to detract from each others success, rather than enhance it. Defensively, there is NO inside presence and the perimeter defense may be even worse. I think the wheels are going to come off early and the fans are going to be pissed. He may not finish the year.


You may be right, but I hope your not concluding that from 2 preseason L's.

We have to give them time to develop some chemistry. Remember they have done NOT A THING as far as playing together this offseason. Give the team a few weeks into the season before we start to spectate on if this is going to work or not.

Also, or our perimeter defense is just painful to watch. I swear Nate and JC have two left feet. Another reason why Mardy should be such a big part of this team instead of nate. Mardy is a defender, a passer, a leader and can drive to the basket.(D-Nic also was pretty good at defending in the summer league)


----------



## USSKittyHawk (Jul 22, 2005)

Truknicksfan said:


> You may be right, but I hope your not concluding that from 2 preseason L's.
> 
> We have to give them time to develop some chemistry. Remember they have done NOT A THING as far as playing together this offseason. Give the team a few weeks into the season before we start to spectate on if this is going to work or not.
> 
> Also, or our perimeter defense is just painful to watch. I swear Nate and JC have two left feet. Another reason why Mardy should be such a big part of this team instead of nate. Mardy is a defender, a passer, a leader and can drive to the basket.(D-Nic also was pretty good at defending in the summer league)


I'm not going to jump the gun either Tru, but Dog is making valid points. They don't know the meaning of defense, and if they can't defend in the East, they won't win nothing. I have a feeling Fred Jones will more than likely get a lot more playing time than we expected because he is probably one of the better defenders on this team alongside Mardy. Isiah may have to trade away a few key players, we are just stockpiled with an arsenal of players, who can't defend a stop sign. We still missing that key shot blocker that has eluded us over the years. I sure wish we could somehow get Marcus Camby back and somehow get rid of either Curry or Zach (prefer to get rid of Curry) so that Zach can have a defender up front to offset his weak defense. Nate at this point can go, I won't lose sleep over it.


----------



## Samael (Sep 1, 2005)

I'm gonna comment solely on the Zach/Curry combo. 

The problem is that IT is using Zach in the same way he used Frye purely as a perimeter/baseline jump shooter when he's with Curry on the Floor. 

And when he does decide to utilize Zach in the post, he rests Curry and brings in David Lee and of course now David Lee is now playing Zach's position and he doesn't have a consistent perimeter shot like Zach so David Lee's man roams and goes to help double Zach in the post rendering Zach's post game useless. WTF??

And to make things even more difficult both Zach and Curry are black holes, it would be nice to utilize them in a moving high/low but both morons whenever they get the ball it never comes out. 

I hope IT figures this out because I know it could be a devastating combo on offense when utilized properly as for defense well... lets just hope that they out score the other team instead.


----------



## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

You're missing the point. There is a TOTAL lack of inside defensive presence, and that can't be "schemed". In addition, pairing very similar players almost always results in diminished production from both, or a big drop form one of them. We are now officially earthbound at the 4 and 5. This team does indeed have talent but it is really mis-matched. There will be some really good nights that will have everyone talking about how far we will go, and there will be many more that have folks complaining about no shooting, no defense, no flow, and no win. Kiyaman is much closer to the truth than most realize.


----------



## USSKittyHawk (Jul 22, 2005)

> Stop! It is only preseason. This is only the second game with the power post duo of Zach and Eddy. Yes, the New York Knickerbockers have been thrashed by two division rivals by an average of 25 points. But facts are still facts. The Knicks interior defense has shown more cleavage than Pam Anderson. Their offense has looked breathtakingly bad. New team, same results or same old Knicks are not the motto’s the marketing guys upstairs were thinking. Nonetheless, this dismal start has causes a personal epiphany.
> 
> Follow me on this one. Isaiah’s obtuse almost improvisational team building skill set is devoid of logic. Clueless is clearly a word that should be attached Isaiah’s tenure with these Knicks. It is apparent to all that Isaiah has missed the memo on chemistry. His “wildly experimental” platform conjures up images of another iconoclast. His name was Doctor Frankenstein.
> 
> ...


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/NBA-RAW

If I didn't know better, I would think Kiya or Dog wrote this. :biggrin:


----------



## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

Funny girl....... It doesn't take any real special insight to see that the team is a mess. The more pressure IT feels, the more likely he is to make dumb moves (Zach as exhibit "A"). Look at it like an outsider and not as a fan, and you'll see.


----------



## mediocre man (Feb 24, 2004)

Although Curry is probably more mobile than Jamaal Magloire, watching he and Zach last season in the game at the same time was painful as all hell.


----------



## knickstorm (Jun 22, 2003)

ddnt take a 40 point whooping by the celtics to let me know this team wasnt going to be any good........they'll be lucky to make the playoffs, just a bunch of discombobulated talent on this tea,


----------



## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

while i agree the interior defense is not good there is something to remember ...it was just as bad last year and it wasn't the reason the team couldn't make the playoffs .

defensively i would rather have randolph than frye just because he boards well , Frye wasn't a good man defender or a good help guy although he was/is a better help defender than randolph though probably not any better defending his man.

i see the same issues basically the team had last year and pretty much the same strengths , but i think the team will be better defensively anyway if only marginally because the perimeter defense should be better because craw has some more meat on him , balkman's role will be expanded as will mardy's and craw's backup will actually play defense and spell him providing a defensive boost and JC will have to play better defense or he'll sit more.

i dont put much stock in a 2-2 preseason different teams try to get different things out of the exibition games , the knicks are trying new things and trying to gell with randolph and curry on the court at the same time.


----------



## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*Pre-season has nothing to do with it*

Anybody can see this team has real issues. There is NO WAY they are better defensively this year because of the reasons you give. Jc's lack of defense had nothing to do with his build. It had everything to do with his lack of effort. As bad as the bigs are, the guards are even worse. Opposing backcourts are shooting what? 90% against us? You honestly think the lack of defense didn't keep us out of the playoffs? Wow...you're a strange cat. Just missed by a little and we absolutely sucked on that end. Decent defense and we cruise into the playoffs. JC has been horrible so far and no sign of him sitting. Balkman will be Balkman and Mardy is not seeing much time. IT is trying to emphasize offense (no mater what he says) and its failing miserably.


----------



## ChosenFEW (Jun 23, 2005)

i wont say that alpha just made the revelation of the century with his post... most of what he said many have been saying for a while now. 

but yea we need to straighten this out ASAP.


----------



## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

*Re: Pre-season has nothing to do with it*



alphaorange said:


> Anybody can see this team has real issues. There is NO WAY they are better defensively this year because of the reasons you give. Jc's lack of defense had nothing to do with his build. It had everything to do with his lack of effort. As bad as the bigs are, the guards are even worse. Opposing backcourts are shooting what? 90% against us? You honestly think the lack of defense didn't keep us out of the playoffs? Wow...you're a strange cat. Just missed by a little and we absolutely sucked on that end. Decent defense and we cruise into the playoffs. JC has been horrible so far and no sign of him sitting. Balkman will be Balkman and Mardy is not seeing much time. IT is trying to emphasize offense (no mater what he says) and its failing miserably.



I don't think you read my posts as well as you think you do.

i never said they didn't have real issues and before a season even starts i'd like to know how you know what they have and have not improved on during a season that hasn't even started yet .

i am writing what i think will happen , you are trying to state fact as if you have something real to back it up with.

the knicks are 2-2 if the preseason mattered that would mean they improved to a .500 team , but of course it doesn't matter all that really matters is what they want to accomplish which is getting Zach in sync with his teammates and improving upon what they have done in practice .

i never stated they were a defensive team so I dont know why you were trying to assert to me that they are an offensive team .

I know that.

in fact here is a fact for you in the last 11 years nba teams that finish in the top 10 in offense make the playoffs over 90% of the time .

100 out of a possible 110 teams made the playoffs , being an offensive team is a far better thing than being a defensive team if the goal is to make the playoffs ...thats a fact and it will continue to be a fact as long as the team with the most points win.

the story is of course different in the playoffs but if you are going to go all preachy on me you should do so with the knowledge that its falling on deaf ears until you get your facts straight both on the situation and what you are responding to when you reply to my posts.

i think the defense is going to be marginally better probably about 20th overall in the league a nice step up from the 25th where they finished last season...i never once said it was going to be good or even avg. only better than last season...you say different, fine we have 6 months to see who is right , but neither is going to be proven right in the preseason because the games dont count and i assume you know that.

i think crawford will play better defense next season in part because of his new muscle , but also because Zeke has some things he didn't have last year .

another decent post passer in mardy , because marbury pretty much sucks at as does nate, also fred jones is a quality backup at the 2 who plays defense and is an ok entry feeder, last season if JC didn't put out on defense it really didn't matter because he was really needed to get Eddy the ball...now he isn't so needed , his backups will play the defense he may not plus they can get eddy and zach the ball so the team doesn't lose so much on that end.

i think also you underestimate the impact balkman will have on games when he is healthy , he is by far the team's best defender and his energy is sometimes infectious making the rest of the players on the floor play harder and sometimes better, its really hard to get a read on a team's offense if its missing its best scorer ...the same is true on defense with a team missing its best defender.

fyi the wizards were a worse defensive team than the knicks last year and made the playoffs , the lakers just as bad , (something like .2 in difference, in def. efficiency the were ranked slightly ahead of the knicks at 24) they too made the playoffs , being a bad defensive team doesn't keep you out the playoffs , being a bad defensive team *and not being able to score well* will keep you out the playoffs.

do you think the warriors are a good defensive team .

how many blocks per game do boozer and okur avg.?

if they combined for 1 a game i'd be pretty surprised

do you think teams worry if the can score on the suns?

it would be nice if the knicks were a good defensive team , but all the gloom and doom about it doesn't make sense .

especially after a preseason game loss.


----------



## KVIP112 (Oct 31, 2005)

If we get a mid round pick I want us drafting Hibbert or Thabeet, a defensive big to come off the bench with Lee is all we need.


----------



## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

I've been saying this since last year. Defense and outside shooting have plagued this team for a while now.


----------



## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

Hibbert will be top five unless he regresses and Thabeet is not the answer. he is beyond raw and hasn't even done anything at the NCAA level.


----------



## alphaorange (Jul 2, 2006)

*Re: Pre-season has nothing to do with it*

Grinch, I never said you claimed us to be a defensive team. I said that IT was emphasizing defense....right. It would also be interesting to see how those offensive teams were on defense as well. My guess is that many, if not most, were also in the top ten in defense. This team is NOT going to be the offensive juggernaut that many think we are. We are just a group of individually offensive talents that will never quite mesh.


----------



## Da Grinch (Aug 17, 2002)

*Re: Pre-season has nothing to do with it*



alphaorange said:


> Grinch, I never said you claimed us to be a defensive team. I said that IT was emphasizing defense....right. It would also be interesting to see how those offensive teams were on defense as well. My guess is that many, if not most, were also in the top ten in defense. This team is NOT going to be the offensive juggernaut that many think we are. We are just a group of individually offensive talents that will never quite mesh.


because i dont feel like going back a bunch of years i'll give you info on the last 2 years via knickerblogger.net.

out of 20 possible teams 7 of the teams that were top 10 in offense were also 10 in defense .

18 of those 20 made the playoffs (raptors and sonics from 2005-06 did not)and all 10 from last season , 

FYI the raptors and sonics were actually last and 2nd to last in the league in defense that season (in fact they were last and 2nd to last for the last 11 years they were that bad defensively), so you really are making mountains out of molehills , the knicks would have to regress defensively to the point where they are significantly worse than they were last season on defense to be as bad as those teams were 114.3 points per 100 possesions for the raptors and 115.9 for the sonics ...the knicks last season were at 110.7, i dont see that happening they have added more defensive players and the defensive players they already have except for james should all be better if only marginally than they were last year for reasons of health and experience .

i am not calling them a jugganaught but after a horrible novemeber they made it to the top 10 by mid march i dont see why they would be worse than that with randolph instead of frye ...if they had the injuries they had last season i dont think it would have been as bad simply because randolph is on the roster because he could pick up some of the slack ...whereas last season no one else did.


----------



## Numero Uno (Oct 21, 2007)

This team isn't good, it hasn't been good, and it won't be good for a while.


----------



## ChosenFEW (Jun 23, 2005)

hmmmm.........

i wonder what people think now lol.....

its amazing what a few wins or losses will do

by the way alpha. I WILL bump this thread when the knicks make the playoffs


----------



## R-Star (Jun 13, 2002)

I have feelings too, no one ever wants to talk about them though. I end up just bottling them up inside. I dont think its very healthy.


----------



## Truknicksfan (Mar 25, 2005)

> by the way alpha. I WILL bump this thread when the knicks make the playoffs


Im bumping this thread to give Alpha some props. Saw this coming before game one of the regualr season. :cheers:


----------



## knickstorm (Jun 22, 2003)

Truknicksfan said:


> Im bumping this thread to give Alpha some props. Saw this coming before game one of the regualr season. :cheers:


i think by oct 19 we all knew this team was trash.........i mean they just got whooped by the celtics by 40 then the nets in back to back games...........too bad we didnt get that demetris nichols, probably would've saved the day for us.


----------

