“Chauncey is not a spectacular player, he is not even a statistically special player. His presence, his character, his leadership, his locker room demeanor, all these little things that coaches love to talk about and drink beers over, Chauncey has and now gives to us, and gives us the opportunity to be a great team.”

So George, what about his 60% ts% and the 19 points per game he is averaging? What about the 7.2 assists versus just 1.6 turnovers, or the 1.5 steals he has averaged so far?

Don’t I have a bet with someone about Wilson Chandler’s ts% this year? Thomas B, was that you?

Nah, not me. I think I’m only on the hook with Mike K. for the Knicks getting more than 34 1/2 wins. If i lose, I have to write an article of the subject of his choice. It’ll probably be a review of every Ween album. Oh Lord, take me now if that happens.

I’m not sure what else he should be doing out there. I’d rather he not jack up 4-5 jumpers a game. There was a possession near the end of the Knicks game yesterday in crunch time where the Knicks desperately needed a made basket. The bal rotated on the outside and Chandler took a covered trey and missed badly. If Lee becomes a player like that, I don’t see how it will make the offense better.”

The first season Marbury was on the Knicks, we made the playoffs off Marbury and Kurt Thomas running the pick-n-roll. Thomas was especially effective with that pick and pop move since he was $ from 15-18 feet and was always open. If Lee could become as effective at shooting from that range he would undoubtably be an allstar since he would get that open look all night. Considering Lee’s work ethic and the fact he comes back every season improved, I wouldn’t be too suprised if he has that shot in 2-3 seasons.

I do agree that I would like to see Lee doing most of his damage in the paint, but if he could get a reliable shot it could be the difference between a good starter and an allstar.

I’ll never cave because I don’t think it’s necessary for him to shoot them. I think it’s necessary for his defender to know that if he sags off him, he CAN and will make enough of them to hurt. That kind of thing will take his game to the next level and also help his teamates. I think he knows that (he has said as much) and that’s why he worked on it in the offseason and is taking more of them when open this year.

I think you are right. His handle is not that good. It’s something he’s going to have to work on to get to the next level, especially if he’s going to play more 3. I think that lack of skill is probably because he played mostly the 4 in college. He has probably been trying to make the transition to a 3 because he’s undersized, but D’Antoni is playing him both ways.

IS – At some point, you will cave and admit that it doesn’t really matter whether Lee shoots the outside jumper.

Re Denver – It’s an interesting story. I think schedule has something to do with it. And while Carmelo has scored abysmally, he has averaged nearly 9 rebounds per 36, and 3.8 assists. His WP is down, but not as much as I would have expected, still very much on the positive side of the ledger.

Anderson has played very well. Actually, the way he is playing isn’t a surprise. He is posting identical numbers to what he did before his various problems took him off the court.

But I think the answer in Denver right now is the play of Nene, who has posted a WP48 of .248 to date while contributing to the sixth best defense in the league. His on/off stands at +13.4, second highest on the team.

Billups has also played great basketball, but that really isn’t the surprise. Nene shouldn’t really be that much of a surprise either. He has been a very productive player in the past. But he has never been an elite player. Right now, he is making that 10 million dollar contract look like a bargain.