NYT: Another New Knicks Attraction: Depth
February 23rd, 2012 by Jim Cavan | @JPCavan | Comments | Permalink |
Over at the Old Gray Lady, I talked about the Knicks’ new-found depth, and how that’s, like, a good thing. It is, right? OK, good.
Just one month ago, the Knicks found themselves mired in a six-game skid – a streak punctuated by their double overtime loss to Denver on Jan. 21. In that home loss to the Nuggets, Josh Harrellson – the surprisingly productive second-round rookie forward – would sustain a wrist injury, further depleting what was already considered one of the thinnest rosters in the N.B.A.
Read the rest of the story at NYT’s Off the Dribble blog!
Beyond his work for KnickerBlogger, Jim is a contributor to the New York Times Off the Dribble NBA blog, ESPN.com, and The Classical. He is currently working on a biography of Robert Silverman, titled "Clownin' and Astoundin.'" Follow him on Twitter @JPCavan.
Great article Jim. What’s your view on tonight’s game?
Enjoyed the article, and always enjoy the recaps, wicked sense of humor. It is fair to say that the second team of Barron(once he gets used o being upright again), Shump/JR, Jeffries/Novak and Jorts would be a better FIRST team than the knicks have had pre-Amare in years?
sorry for the type-o’s. Meant to type ‘is it’ and ‘used to’.
Thanks man! Like everyone else, I expect a slugfest. I certainly don’t think the Heat can hold Lin to 10 points, which seems more of an important goal to them than winning. Either way, it’s a great barometer for how far we’ve come. My prediction? Stat has a breakout game.
Appreciate it! And yes, absolutely.
If the Heat are focused on keeping Lin below 10 points, they certainly can do so. They can effectively deny Lin the ball and double team him as soon as he crosses half court. The question is whether the Knicks would be able to take advantage of the rest of the Heat defense. Dallas tried this tactic, and Lin was effective in getting the ball into the hands of others to trigger the 4 on 3 offense.
Will the refs allow LeBron to maul Lin or will LeBron find himself in foul trouble (very wishful thinking).?
Is Shump playing tonight? We’re probably gonna need some of his perimeter D.
Great stuff Jim and so true. We really are a good team with decent depth as you point out. Looking forward to the game tonight, but I’m nervous. The weird part is that I am almost more concerned about the public/fan reaction to a loss than the actual result. That’s the thing about all this input flying at you as a fan. Used to be you could just curse out the Post or the Daily News and get to the next game. Anyway Jim, keep up the awesome work.
Rumor has it this game is so huge in Miami, they’re expecting at least half the fans to be there by the opening tip.
Thanks, Judge!
FTW!
haha
Remember when Earl Barron was sitting on our bench? Now its Earl and Baron (JR and Boom Dizzle). What a difference a few years make.
I concur. STAT will be the X-Factor tonight. Find Miami’s focus slightly immature and perhaps a little enlightening.
I am not Kobe’s biggest fan and I hate the Celtics but I respect their attitude. They do their talking on the court and your nothing until you have beat them.
The problem with focusing in on Lin is that if it does not put him off and he starts to drop 20-30 then it gets in your own head. It only puts them up there to be shot at as well, puzzling to me.
Just imagine the headlines if Lin does score 20+ and LeBron does guard him for 30 secs of the game…..
+5
You’d think more people would want to be there when Lebron throws all that free cocaine up in the air before the game.
not bad haha
And that’s just the Knicks fans. Should this count as a home game for us?
I don’t think he can, or the NBA would be pissed that he pulled out of the slam dunk silliness.
Pringles said yesterday that Shump was going to sit at least through the All-Star break.
I really wonder / worry about who gets what mins when Shump/shump, Jort/jort are back. How do you guys feel about the following questions that are not unique:
1. Will Mike D be OK with a 9-10 man rotation, or will he shorten?
2. Is Walker out? please, please, please!!
3. Is Jorts needed? I think it comes down to him or Novak, and I’d rather Novak takes the 3′s.
4. Is Mike D smart / un-stubborn enough to play to the matchup and hot hand vs. his set rotation?
5. does B-Dizzle play the 2 at all? Does Landry play the 3?
6. does an actual “second unit” develop, or is it pretty much shift in and out based on foul trouble, etc??
I would really love to see the depth used in such a way that we give different looks…..defensive team, small ball team, 3 pt shooting team, so they don’t know what’s coming. I’d love to see Lin, Smith, Melo, Novak and Jorts on the court together…..Lin driving, 3 guys on the arc, Melo everywhere, and you can’t double him. Bill Walker watching, hopefully in a nice suit instead of shorts.
WHAT THE HELL is the deal with the 15 step Landry / Lin thing before the game? I’m not even sure what to call it.
They’re being nerds (Stanford/Harvard), reading a book, putting on their glasses, adjusting their pocket protectors, etc.
OK….so, like Xavier McDaniel used to do.
The book they are “reading” is actually the Bible, hence the pointing to the sky at the end of the handshake.
I’d love to see a secong unit develop, with Boom Dizzle / J.R / Shump / Novak / Jorts
that could be a really explosive 2nd team, great 3 point shooting, 2 very good wing defenders and Baron orchestrating it.
10 man rotation, Fields is the odd man out.
Chandler/Amare/Melo/Shumpert/Lin
Jorts/Jeffries/Novak/Smith/Davis
Fields has been playing better lately, but this is the ten I’d like to see D’Antoni go with.
and yes, Walker is as deeply buried as Douglas.
It’s doesn’t work like Beetlejuice. Saying it repeatedly won’t make it happen.
Fields will keep playing and frankly, it’s better this way.
he’s been much more effective lately and we can definitely resign him regardless of anything else.
putting all our chips on J.R Smith just to watch him go away (understandably so) for a much bigger contract than the one we can offer him won’t be nice.
it seems really obvious, let’s see what happens if everyone actually stays healthy.