Comments on: Knicks 2010 Season Preview Part 4

By: Owen

Owen — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:09:00 +0000

Denver has Lawson, Balkman of course (who has been tearing it up in preseason), they seem to be collecting a lot of player who could or should be Knicks. I would put Birdman on that list too.

Here is a snippet from today’s article in the Denver Post…

“Liking Lawson.

Denver rookie Ty Lawson, the little point guard, again made the most of his time on the court, scoring six points (on 3-for-4 shooting) in 16 minutes, tallying an assist and a steal too.

“He has an ability that we don’t have — he’s quick, you can’t keep him in front of you and he doesn’t ever lose control of his ability to find the play,” Karl said. “I’ve been amazed by his knack defensively — he gets his hands in on steals, he reads well and he’s a little tougher.”

Karl has said there have been “sleepless nights” as he anticipates which point guard will play more off the bench — Lawson or Anthony Carter. Carter, a veteran, will likely get more minutes in the first couple of months as Lawson learns the pro game. Karl said there probably won’t be situations where Carter (6-feet-2) and Lawson (5-11) are on the court together, but there are times where Lawson will play with Chauncey Billups (6-3).”

By: ess-dog

ess-dog — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:22:49 +0000

Interesting. That could explain why Lee is tops on our list (defensive rebounding.) What is Darko’s rebound rate though? I don’t feel like it jumps off the page… but the shotblocking is there and you can see his ability to fill lanes.
A Larry Brown team would definitely go with a Lee/Darko frontcourt, but it seems like that just flies in the face of what D’Antoni’s system is all about.
What’s interesting about Channing Frye in Phoenix is that ironically, I could see D’Antoni wanting Frye to play next to Lee (the bet is that Hill will work out even better.)

By: Rashidi

Rashidi — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:32:52 +0000

I believe basketball-reference.com’s DRTG is pretty basic and accurate. Defensive Rating = points allowed per 100 possessions while player was on court. Darko ranked 1st on his team in DRTG (among players w/ 1000 mins).

I believe where a player ranks on a team is more important than the actual numerical rating, because a player’s teammates have such a huge impact on DRTG. Artest’s DRTG took a big hit when he went to the Kings from the Pacers, and then went back to normal when he joined the Rockets. He was the best defender on the Kings, it just so happened the poor defenders around him dragged his “rating” down.

Grizzlies DRTG (1000+ mins)
Milicic 107
Arthur 107
Gasol 108
Warrick 110
Gay 110
Lowry 110
Conley 111
Mayo 112
Ross 112

Knicks DRTG (1000+ mins)
Lee 108
Harrington 110
Chandler 110
Robinson 111
Jeffries 111
Richardson 112
Duhon 113

I believe the reason front court players are towards the top is that the rebounds they get prevent offensive rebounds, which are usually converted at a high rate. Either way, adding the best defender on the #21 defensive team to the #23 defensive team can only help. It’s not a huge addition, just a solid one.

By: Rashidi

Rashidi — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:13:21 +0000

I’m no longer a fan of 82games’ positional defense stats as they don’t tell the full story. They only tell us how the counterpart performed, not how the team performed.

For instance, if someone is playing good team defense that occasionally leads to his own man getting extra points (due to offensive boards, an open look), I would consider that more valuable defensively than a player who is not offering help and still gets scored on when he stays at home on his man (i.e. David Lee at center).

Also those Harrington #’s most likely belong to Jared Jeffries, as I believe JJ is in all the lineups where Harrington is listed at “center”.

By: d-mar

d-mar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:39:54 +0000

Kevin – re: Jeffries – I’ve been pleasantly surprised at what I’ve seen in the preseason – he’s actually finishing at the rim and making a few shots and not destroying the offense like he used to. Of course, it’s only preseason (take note DeJuan Blair groupies) so I won’t believe he’s evolved much as a player until I see him perform during the regular season. But something seems to have changed for the better about his overall game.

By: rayhed

rayhed — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:55:13 +0000

the knicks are actually on a win streak- oh my god

By: Z

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:48:28 +0000

So Crawford and Hunter were cut but Landry made the team. Pretty cool.

And now we have one open roster spot (and one more to open up in about six weeks).

By: mj1

mj1 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:00:56 +0000

There is one other Curry stat that you are over looking.

Same agent as Lebron.

That means that however the NYK handle this situation, they can’t do it in a way that would upset the Lebron applecart. Because of this Curry will be given EVERY chance to succeed, short of that, if he is traded, it will only be in a situation the both he and his (and Lebron’s) agent sign off on.