Author: DCrockett17

As I probably won’t get to see any more Summer League games because of travel, I’ll take this opportunity to read way too much into New York’s first game. My proviso about pre-season in any sport is that it’s data, and all data tells you something. The trick is to figure what it tells you and what it doesn’t. Summer league can tell you if a player has NBA athleticism (or compensatory skills). It can tell you about a player’s current skill set, which can also indicate where that player needs improvement. That said, here’s what I think I learned …continue reading

I want to offer a few thoughts on the L’Affair de Donald. I only just this morning got a chance to listen to the recorded conversation that apparently took place between L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his girlfriend V. Stiviano, as reported by TMZ. In the absence of any denials from Sterling’s representatives the veracity question seems to be resolved. The only remaining open question is whether Sterling could reasonably expect privacy over an argument with his girlfriend, which hinges on his complicity in the conversation’s recording. (TMZ is reporting that Sterling was fully complicit.) I cannot imagine that …continue reading

Since no one has said anything since the presser, I’ll take the first crack at the Jackson hire. I’m sitting at Panera allegedly working on a manuscript revision, but I need something to get my writing mojo going. I suppose I should re-introduce myself. I go way back at Knickerblogger.net but haven’t posted in quite some time. Life thangs and such. I live in Columbia, South Carolina and work at (the first) USC. I grew up in East Orange rooting for the Mets of Mookie, Doc, and Straw, and the Nets of Otis (Birdsong) and Buck (Williams). When the Hoya …continue reading

Former Kansas Jayhawks, and perennial bench-warming big man, Cole Aldrich, will compete for a roster spot with the Knicks. Aldrich has been a quality rebounder and shot-blocker in limited minutes.

Season Age Tm G MP PER TS% ORB% DRB% BLK% 2010-11 28 DAL 74 2059 18.4 0.697 12.2 26.6 3 2011-12 29 NYK 62 2061 18.7 0.708 11.8 22.7 3.4 2012-13 30 NYK 66 2164 18.9 0.671 14.1 24.3 3 Career 790 22508 16.1 0.615 12.8 24.1 3.7 (Table from basketball-reference.com) Jonathan already said much of what needed to be said about Chandler’s importance to the Knicks earlier this week. Chandler’s 2013 was what we have come to think of as pretty darn Chandler-y. His past three regular seasons, one in Dallas and two in New York, all of which have seen …continue reading

ESPN New York beat writer Jared Zwerling is saying that the Knicks plan to fill out the roster with two bigs, two point guards, and a wing. Two PGs seems a bit excessive. I’d be a little surprised if that were the mix. I take a look at some available players who could fill the various roles. I’m not going to include much on the guys we already know (e.g., Kenyon Martin, Jerome Jordan, Chris Smith).   BACKUP PG OPTIONS Nate Robinson – It’s unlikely he signs for what NY can offer, but it’s not unthinkable. The Negatives: We know a lot about what he …continue reading