The Line-Up Theory: How Mike D’Antoni Can Save Knicks Roster, Future… & Isiah’s Legacy
May 14, 2008
The New York Daily News Mike Lupica’s most recent headline reads: “Mike D’Antoni has Stiff Task Ahead Leading Isiah Thomas’ Stiffs”. Lupica claims D’Antoni must clean up a mess that is “the biggest in the history of Madison Square Garden”, and that Thomas put together “the most wretched Knicks team of them all”. Lupica did not mention if Thomas had any role in bombing the World Trade Center.
What changes happen to the roster remain to be seen, however, this is what D’Antoni said at yesterday’s press conference: “I look at the roster and that’s the roster I’m going to win with” . Assuming that there is not an off-season roster overhaul D’Antoni could answer a very important question about this last year’s abysmal season: How much was the roster or how much was the coaching? Because Isiah Thomas is so hated in so many quarters of the mainstream media, few writers have even bothered to ask this question.
Vitriol for Isiah the GM managed to overshadow one of the worst coaching performances in NBA history. What was inexplicable was Isiah’s: terrible handling of Stephon Marbury; starting 5 scorers who all needed the ball to be effective; unwillingness to break-up the Eddy-Zach starting combo; refusal to bench an inneffective Quentin Richardson; keeping Renaldo Balkman & Wilson Chandler chained to bench; and running no last minute plays besides top-of-key isolations for Jamal Crawford. As a result the trade stock of virtually every Knicks player went down the tubes.
So should the Knicks rush to overhaul the roster? No, not during the first year — unless they can get decent return value. If not, then D’Antoni could be the one to restore their worth. However, it might be a good time to trade Zach Randolph and bring the roster back to two years ago where actual growth was taking place. Yes, GROWTH. It might be hard to remember these days, but sandwiched in between the two most inexplicable coaching performances in Knick history (Isiah last year; Larry “42 Line-ups” Brown 3 years ago) the Knicks actually put together half a season of promise. Let’s review what the media has forgot — or never cared to notice.
The Hidden Half-a-Season of Hope:
It all started on December 6, 2006 — not a randomly picked date. It was the first day that Steve Francis was benched thus eliminating the clearly dysfunctional starting Marbury-Francis backcourt. For the next 41 games – exactly half a season — Francis would not start another game, and the Knicks would go 21-20 before multiple season-ending injuries took hold (to David Lee, Jamal, & Q). Also during that span, Isiah had line-ups with usually two starters that did not need the ball (i.e. David Lee, Jared Jeffries or Channing Frye) who were content to let scorers like Marbury, Curry, and Crawford find their groove. There was visible player roles, player development, and chemistry building while the Knicks — win or lose — showed effort and heart. The span also included five razor-thin losses including back-to-back losses on buzzer-beating heartbreakers.
Player Development: During those 41 games, the Knicks also went a very impressive 16-6 when Eddy Curry scored 20+ points, lending credence to Isiah’s pre-Zach plan that an active and developing Eddy Curry had future growth and promise. Besides Curry being mentioned as a possible all-star candidate at the time, Marbury’s harshest critics praised Stephon’s new “leadership” as his scoring and shooting percentage significantly increased after a miserable November. The mainstream media also ran with the narrative that “the Denver fight brought the Knicks together” but the reality was far more tangible. The removal of Steve Francis combined with the line-up changes initially forced by the Denver suspensions created a far more functional starting line-up for the Knicks. One that would allow Marbury, Curry, and Crawford to maximize their assets and complement – not duplicate — their weaknesses. Crawford and Curry were even good for an alley-oop or two a night — something that D’Antoni may want to revisit… But that player development would be short-lived as injuries ended the Knicks playoff hopes, and last year the Eddy-Zach frontcourt would replicate the previous disaster of the Marbury-Francis backcourt.
The Line-Up Theory: Excuse me for being skeptical that the Knicks roster isn’t quite as bad as Mike Lupica says it is. Why did Marbury magically ”become a leader” after the line-up changes two years ago? Is it a coincidence that the Knicks suddenly played better once awful Eddy-Zach-Quentin frontline were separated after every miserable first quarter? (check the Knicks first quarter stats sometime). Why did the Knicks suddenly play with more “fire” whenever they had a mixture of offensive and defensive players on the court at the same time? In a word: coaching.
For only half a season during the last three years did the Knicks receive any semblance of it — and they played .500 ball while growing. By fixing the Knicks short-term line-up flaws, Mike D’Antoni could add at least 15 wins, and restore value to several Knicks instead of trading them away for 20 cents on the dollar. D’Antoni may turn the Knicks back into a .500 team overnight– and by doing so, give Walsh the ammunition to turn the Knicks into a championship team.
———————
May 12, 2008: Donnie Walsh’s First Blunder or Future Knicks Media War?
May 10, 2008: Breaking News: Knicks Hire Mike D’Antoni
April 4, 2008: Knicks Media Amnesia: Donnie Walsh’s Free Ride
Jan 12, 2008: Eddy-Zach Blues 3: Knicks Spot 10 Points — Again
Dec 20, 2008: Fire Isiah: Is Mass Hysteria Real or Media Fueled?
Dec 19, 2008: Blame Coach Isiah: 7 Reasons Why Thomas Went Wrong
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15 Responses to “The Line-Up Theory: How Mike D’Antoni Can Save Knicks Roster, Future… & Isiah’s Legacy”
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Hmpf. No doubt Zeke coached that team down. Most level-headed fans saw a .500 team in that roster and obviously they didn’t come close to fulfilling that potential. But I think that’s about the max out of them snips an snails, depending on what kind of ceiling you see out of Lee and Chandler. Curry’s still a headcase, for all his paint dominance, he still won’t give you much night-in-night-out on the defensive end and turns the ball over like someone poured listerine on his cupcakes.
Gotta agree with you tho that if D’Antoni installs anything close to a sensible lineup, it will lift all the boats.
Hm. I tawt I saw a roster rout afoot. But mebbe they’ll be lookin to go slower.
Zeke’s main problem with the roster (one of MODI’s points), was starting too many scorers. You have to have some players on the roster that are willing to do something besides score. I thought that it would have been better to start Lee and Balkman, and benching Curry or Randolph and definitely Q, therefore giving the Knicks some defensive prowess on the front line. That half a season of hope may have been what ultimately did Zeke in. People saw what the Knicks could be, and believed that the Knicks should have been better than what they were getting. I always wondered about not playing Randolph Morris. I believe I read on a blog somewhere (SML?) that the thinking about not playing Morris had to do with making sure that another team wouldn’t try to snap him up when he becomes a free agent. Honestly, I can’t see the team getting honest value for the players that are on the roster right now. Everyone is going to try to short change the Knicks, so your best choice might be to try to stick with the roster and try to mold the style of play to the team.
Folly, yeah .500 is probably max as currently constructed, but it makes more sense to get fair value for your pieces… however, if Curry can somehow get in shape, I wouldn’t necessarily dismiss him in the D’Antoni system… Nate and Chandler will probably be the biggest beneficiaries…
kos, for the life of me I will never understand Zeke’s 5-scorer line ups… his unwillingness to mix offensive players with defensive players was mind-boggling… if they don’t get rid of him, don’t be surprised to see a big Marbury turnaround…
[…] Can Mike D’Antoni salvage the current Knicks roster? MODI makes a good case. [Sports on My Mind] […]
Isiah is a stubborn bastard and it’s one of the main reasons I stopped defending him. The double standard he is judeged by is still bothersome, but I can’t defend stupidity.
Big Man, I’ll still defend the GM, just not the coach… and yes, the double standard is bothersome to say the least… to hear not a single question at Walsh’s press conference about the dismantling of the Pacers championship team is ridiculous…
Very true Modi and bigman…………..also I am still waiting for the media to put some heat on Paxson………….the worst GM in the league.
MODI- I will further your 2007 point by stating the Knicks played BETTER after Crawford got hurt as well, even though it was shortlived due to the loss of Lee and Q-Rich. Crawford MUST be removed, because this is the one player who does NOTHING but score. When you take the key components necessary to be successful as a guard, Crawford only does one thing well and that’s take his man off the dribble. He is a one on one player. He doesn’t pass well off the dribble. He doesn’t penetrate off his dribble to the rim. He doesn’t shoot well on the spot up. He doesn’t shoot well coming off screens. He doesn’t post well. He doesn’t throw effective post entry passes outside of the occasional hilight reel lob pass. The ONLY reason Crawful gets any support are due to his wicked moves which draws oooos and aaahs.
As a Knick fan, I am STUNNED at how many stupid ass Knick fans there are. There are too many big mouthed Knick fans between the ages of 16-30 in my opinion. These kids don’t know shit about the game. The sorry treatment of Marbury is beyond a disgrace. It’s a mixture of racism, stupidity and lack of basketball knowledge that has created and supported this Marbury bashing. There CAN’T be Knick fans from the 90’s who boo Marbury. I refuse to believe it because I believe those fans had an appreciation for skill. There are those of us who DO recognize that Marbury’s skills would allow him to run with guys like Mase, Pat, Oak, Spree and Allan. Are there any Knick fans who believe Crawful, Miss-Q, Nate, Curry could get run on those Knick teams?
If anyone out there does think so, you guys are simply beyond stupid.
Jimmy, now I think that you KNOW that I’m with you on the crawford deal (”The Seduction”: Starring Jamal Crawford - http://www.cosellout.com/?p=229 )
… I do, however, believe that he is 6th man material…
origin, Paxson is now getting maybe 10% of Isiah heat at best…
Yeah, at the beginning of the season I was one of those Knicks fans who put his foot in his mouth by prediciting the Knicks would play .500 ball and squeeze into the playoffs. I defended Zeke and Marbury with passion, and I even thought the Zach-Eddy frontcourt held promise.
By the New Year I had to shut it down and become a member of the “silent majority” who still supports the team, but from afar (from far far away). And I do mean the “silent” majority, not the loudmouths and blowhards who mix “racism, stupidity, and lack of bball knowledge” into all of their criticism, like Jimmy said above. I just closed my eyes, stopped watching games (which I’d never done before), and prayed for Zeke to go away. I feel for him and what these racist sportswriters have put him through, but he’s killed this team. Not for any of the reasons these racists continually shout about, but as a coach he’s killed the team from inside out, for all the reasons Modi mentioned in his post.
Now Zeke is out of the picture. Hopefully, he’ll get smart and do what Michael Jackson did, what OJ Simpson should have done, and what Barry Bonds may be forced to do, i.e., “disappear” for a while. Let these racists remove his name from their articles, columns, and broadcasts. Let them focus on a “new nigger du jour” (no more “race cards,” the MSM is now serving race burgers with extra “Mayo” - with over 300 million served…). Perhaps Zeke can resurface in a year or two in another location with a clean slate and a fresh perspective. Sad that it’s come to that. But it could be worse - and has been for so many Black men in America. I know because I see them walking the streets aimlessly, muttering to themselves and/or to their tormentors, both real and imagined.
And so it’s a couple of white guys to the rescue now, Walsh and D’Antoni. Ok, whatever. This ain’t rocket science, partisan politics, or world affairs. Roll the ball out and let’s see what they can do. I think D’Antoni can squeeze a few wins out of this team, but he is not a championship coach, and he will crack under pressure. Still, he should be good enough to get the ball rolling again. But when LeKong comes in 2010 - and he will come - D’Antoni will have to step aside and make room for The Closer, whoever that may be.
Time will tell. In the meantime, yeah, I’m still a fan.
The Last Poet stated it much more eloquently than I did.
MODI- Crawford is TOO LIMITED to be a 6th man. His game is so deficient, it makes no sense to even include him in any rotation for 25-30 minutes. He needs to be TRADED for a more rounded player, like a sharpshooting 2 guard like Mo Pete.
LP, Isiah may not need to dissappear. If there is not a great roster overhaul, we can see the value of his acquisitions more clearly, than what the media tells us. i, for one, am not convinced that Eddy Curry is a bum. Let’s see what Wilson Chandler can do? Will Nate become Leandro Barbosa? With more time can D-Lee grab 11-12 boards a game? How valuable is Balkman? Let’s see and then decide…
And yes, the media double-standard applied to isiah is despicable. Bird and Paxson both inherited far better situations and fucked them up….
Jimmy, i will take a sharp shooter any day of the week over Crawford because we need a “floor-spreader” and that would also complement marbury’s game nicely. …but in place of that, I like Jamal as a 6th man because you can ride him to victory if hot, and sit his ass down if not…
Modi,
Good read, but betting on Curry & Crawford is a sure shot to the lottery. We have gone round and round about these two, but there is a reason that the teams they play for continue to lose. Chicago make a heck of a jump when Crawford was traded to the Knicks. It isn’t just the poor shooting, but bad shots, unforced turnovers, and horrendous defense. Other then that, he’s a great player.
Curry is one dimensional(scoring), you can’t blame Zach for Curry not rebounding the previous six seasons. You can’t blame Zach for Curry’s poor conditioning, nonexistent defense, and his inability to pass out of the double teams. In my opinion Curry is a good backup center. Put him in the game to score, a bigger version of Vinnie Johnson. It is hard for most to see big men, as strictly a scorer off the bench, but that’s Curry and nothing else. If you expect more from Curry you’ll only be disappointed.
I am an Isiah fan, but I thought he quit on the team, and the team quit on him very early in the season. It was obvious in the early blow-outs that something had to be done, and it is always easier to get rid of the coach, than twelve -players that underperformed.
Peace & Blessings
MODI- A sixth man is pretty necessary for a successful team and Crawford is too streaky to play that roll for a winning squad. i know you think he is useful, but this guy is incapable of making a team a success. He simply isn’t good enough.