Comments on: Knicks 114, Bucks 108

By: SeeWhyDee77

SeeWhyDee77 — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:19:59 +0000

Jim Cavan:.I didn’t get that sense at all. If anything, Stat — while off a bit — looked far more comfortable than Melo.

I apologize...I shoulda been more clear. I was speaking of his defense. And maybe I shouldn't have said it like that becuz it's great that Stat was tryin 2 focus more defensively becuz he knows we need it and Melo's presence allows him to not hafta go so hard offensively. But it looked like he was trying too hard on defense to prove a point instead of jus..i don't know..playing defense? Add that to his late game offensive farts and I guess maybe I read too much into it.

By: d-mar

d-mar — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:44:16 +0000

BTW, go to the ESPN.com NBA home page, and check out the mug shots of 6 guys who got traded. 5 of them have smiles on their faces, while Kendrick Perkins looks like he wants to kill somebody. Pretty funny.

By: d-mar

d-mar — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:40:59 +0000

OK, I’m starting to come around on the JJ idea. It would be great to have someone you could throw out there to try and lock down on an opposing PG like Rose or even an LBJ. And JJ always seemed to bother Rondo, which can’t hurt. I do worry about opposing defenses not having to guard him, but agree that defense is where we are lacking, so maybe not a bad idea.

By: Frank

Frank — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:55:13 +0000

I am actually for the JJ re-signing. He may be bad on offense but what he brings on defense more than makes up for it IMHO. Knicks were 6 points better on defense with him on the floor last year and were basically a wash with or without him on offense:

http://www.82games.com/0910/09NYK16.HTM#onoff

This is one situation in which I think +/- numbers may actually be representative — because whoever JJ came in for is probably just as bad a defender as whoever he comes in for this year.

Another benefit of JJ is that he can do a credible job of guarding the quick PGs that Billups may have trouble with. And between the steals and charges he takes, he does create extra possessions for us.

Like someone wrote above – there are no perfect pickups at this point, and though I would love to take a flyer on Sean Williams, I highly doubt that D’Antoni would or should play a guy who doesn’t know the system at all over a guy who knows it very well.

By: endyendy

endyendy — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:28:44 +0000

I don’t really consider Ford an upgrade from Douglas, but I agree on Williams especially if Balkman is going to receive no playing time. Do we really need Roger Mason on the bench?

I’m also hoping that, good defense being 99% effort, STAT and Melo decide to step it up and set the tone for this team. Our offense should be fine, so if we can just put in the time on the other side of the court this team can be a tough out in the playoffs. I also wonder if STAT will be more willing to take chances and challenge at the rim with the belief that Melo and Billups can help carry the offense if he gets into foul trouble.

By: Nick C.

Nick C. — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:27:46 +0000

Sean Williams seems like a good idea and he had flashes with the Nets, but I can’t help but think of him as Anthony Randolph part 2 if he gets signed. Though it doesn’t matter if the chatter is accurate Jefferies will be back to annoy us all once more. I don’t get it. He has a career high of the 8.0 R/36 6.8 career, and career 0.8 blk/36. Why not play the other guy I can’t stand, Balkman, who at least can do both of those and dribble a rebound up court without turning it over more often than not.

By: ASyrett19

ASyrett19 — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 16:17:02 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Gq7Ik9ywU

Instead of bringing back Jeffries, I think we should take a chance with Sean Williams. I got to see him play at BC and he is a good defender and shot-blocker. He’s not useless on offense and can score on occasional dunks and jumpers. Off the court issues and mindset were the only thing holding him back, and I think he’d be more focused the second time around after riding the bus in the minors. I could see him becoming a similar player to the Birdman (wish we could have gotten him in the trade).

I haven’t heard anything about teams looking at TJ Ford. Him and Williams would fill the Knicks two big needs.

By: Dan Panorama

Dan Panorama — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:35:56 +0000

I can’t believe I’m saying this after all the misery he represented, but losing Jeffries was a serious blow last year the second half of the season. As long as he’s on a reasonable contract he’s a major asset. The Knicks have a ton of offense now which masks his horrifying game there and he really opens up a lot of possibilities on defense. Knicks will have to overachieve on team defense with their roster and Jeffries has proven very valuable in this role because he can be used in so many ways. There was a stretch last year that I loved in which D’antoni kept using him to guard the opposing teams PGs (!), much to their surprise and frustration. How many other players could play center and also pull off something like that? When you consider how often we’re going to screw up our rotations on picks, having someone like Jeffries who can guard whatever position he gets stuck with at the moment is a real plus.

By: Z-man

Z-man — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:45:05 +0000

Powe is redundant.
Murphy is good, but we are not on his list of teams.
Barron flopped earlier this year and played well for us but in completely meaningless games.

Hey, the guy the Celts picked up from the D-league was not horrible for 5-10 minute guy, maybe we should take a flyer on Sean Williams.

By: Z-man

Z-man — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:41:42 +0000

Z: I can’t grasp why D’Antoni likes Jeffries but not Balkman. Jeffries he only played because Walsh was trying to trade him, right?!? You mean, he actually LIKED what Jeffries was doing on the court?! Yikes!Balk man he never gave a chance to, which irritated me. Balkman was a great rebounder for us, and thrived in the open court. He had a good handle and could lead the break as his own outlet pass. He was twice the offensive threat of Jeffries because he could get offensive rebounds and score putbacks, something Jeffries routinely bricked.Considering what we know about D’Antoni, namely that he only plays guys who can shoot, why the he’ll would he want to play Jared Jeffries?? (this is a recurring nightmare, isn’t it…)

Balkman, like AR, has a very low b-ball IQ, especially on offense but on D as well. Considering Karl's parting shot at Melo's D, isn't it telling that he didn't play Balkman either? Jeffries and Turiaf, on the other hand, are much smarter players with limited skills. My gripe on JJ was what we were paying him, and what he cost us even when we got rid of him.

d-mar: I agree with most, Murphy would be a much better addition than Jeff-rightened. D’Antoni’s offense is all about spreading the floor, and when ever Jeffries would be in the game, it would be 4 on 5 on offense, and Amare’s game would suffer the most with teams sending extra defenders at him. Getting a defensive specialist always sounds great in concept, but he’s gotta be able to hit an open shot a la Bowen.

4 on 5 is different when 3 of those 4 are Melo, Stat and Billups. The bottom line is that we desperately need some defense. JJ is not ideal, but he blocks shots and defends, knows the system and comes on the cheap.