Comments on: 2009 Game Thread: NYK @ CHI

By: daJudge

daJudge — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:41:33 +0000

I said I would continue to re-evalute my feelings on the Coach. With respect to Nate: IMO there is a fundamental difference between asserting power and asserting authority. A leader has power over people. A leader also has authority over a group. To me it’s often essential to assert authority over a group, like a team. Power is different and I think the Nate situation demonstrates the distinction. To send a message to Nate and the team, a short benching would have clearly asserted Coach’s authority. This would not be personal, and be (perhaps???) in the team’s best interest. It would be legit. In my view, it’s gone on far too long, it is not in the team’s best interest and has morphed into the assertion of power. In sharp contrast, I witnessed Red Holtzman plainly and totally assert authority over his team, without the personal power issue ever arising. It was obvious last night that the Knicks were gassed, the jumpers were flat and, on top of everything, they were a guard short. Keeping Nate on the bench was not in the team’s best interest and the coach’s motivation bears scrutiny.

By: rrude

rrude — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:58:05 +0000

I have to say, I am starting to doubt D’Antoni. Set aside arguments about the importance of coaching in general. Grant that there’s an element of no-win situation to this season. There’s still some really dubious stuff going on.

How is it almost every other team finds a few minutes for their rookies, and still manages to win as many or more games than us? If you take Mike at face value–it’s about winning games–then our rooks must just be bad, while everyone else’s are at least decent bench players.

Why does it seem like he can’t fathom changing game plans within a single game, or even worse that it takes several games for him to catch on that something needs to be addressed? The last two games, the opposition played the pick and roll well, and the Knicks completely lost it on O. No response. The last two games, several players looked tired for most of the second half, but D’Antoni refused to trot out any of the other players on the bench. Are they that bad? Having Nate create his own shot for 6 minutes wouldn’t have been okay compared to what was already going on on the court? (btw, Mike was totally full of bull when he said TD is better suited to coming for a few, Nate needs time to warm up: I have seen Nate come in and hit a three within seconds more than once.)

I know the Curry thing is probably mandated by the fact that they want to trade him–although playing him is likely to make that more impossible–but it only took me a minute to see something was horribly wrong with him in there. By the next game I just went to do some chores when he came in, because I knew we’d fall apart again. Brutal. Obviously he’s not in there to help us win or because he does things the right way, so I wish Mike would stop using that as his reason for making decisions.

Say what you want about coaching being negligible over the long haul, but I thought coaching decisions/inaction directly contributed to these two losses.

By: Z-man

Z-man — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:23:23 +0000

That was a poorly coached game, period. Nate should have played and D’Antoni had the perfect PR excuse to play him w/o losing face. Instead, he put Nate in the position of making him look bad. Dumb.

What’s with the reverting back to the 40+ 3pt attempts?

By: Brian Cronin

Brian Cronin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:23:04 +0000

So all those threes in the fourth quarter that were @ a foot short that was just random??

It wasn’t even just threes!

Lee was short on jumpers, Harrington was short on short jumpers! It was so clear that these guys were gassed.

Playing a seven-man rotation (which the Knicks basically do) is tiring enough, to go to a six-man rotation is mind-boggling stubborn on D’Antoni’s part.

By: Nick C.

Nick C. — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:18:07 +0000

Did D’Antoni really say they didn’t look tired??? Really??? So all those threes in the fourth quarter that were @ a foot short that was just random?? I’ve been as big a Nate basher as there is but c’mon enough is enough. At least he could add a third play (try to dribble to the hoop) to pick and roll and fire away a three. Oh and Curry seems to be a 3 minute death knell. 3 consecutive possessions: miss, 1-2 FT and off. foul. At least its a step up form previous games where it was steal after steal mixed in with a TO trying to throw down low.

By: Thomas B.

Thomas B. — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:43:24 +0000

Aaahhhhhhh. This is more like it. This is what I got used to over the last 9 years, losing streaks. When the Knicks start a losing streak its like an old friend coming to visit. Welcome reality. It’s been far to long.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:56:00 +0000

greatscott,

ballsy prediction. tomorrow night will be tough but I do like our chances at home a lot better than on the road. at least we will get the calls!

By: BigBlueAL

BigBlueAL — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:55:41 +0000

True Sandy. Still would rather have Nate play than Toney D at this stage of the season when the playoffs is still a very realistic possibility though.

Look in the end they lost 2 road games in which they shouldve won. They have 3 very winnable home games in a row before hosting the Heat on Christmas day. If they can win these next 3 games, or at least get revenge on the Bobcats and Bulls next week (not feeling good about the Clippers game tomorrow night) then everything is fine again for the time being.

The thing about all the 3′s shot tonight was how they had stopped going 3 crazy during their winning streak yet all of a sudden tonight after getting so many easy open 3′s in the 1st quarter they just wouldnt stop taking them for some reason.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:51:01 +0000

anyone will look bad in spot minutes bigblueal. once he starts getting consistent minutes like he did earlier in the season he will pick it up.

irvin,

i don’t think there are D’Antoni apologists, just those who understand what D’Antoni is working with. some games he will make mistakes and some games he will look great. he is still an above average coach in a league where players matter a lot more…

By: BigBlueAL

BigBlueAL — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:48:05 +0000

Douglas has looked horrible whenever he has played lately. It really is about time he starts playing Nate again.