Comments on: Would you have kept Rose and Taylor’s contracts?

By: al

al — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 16:14:55 +0000

The Knicks are is a desperate need of a new owner who is willing to support this team with a real business savvy approach. The Knicks are the laughing stock of the sport world because they have an owner who does not understand business. I want to start the Fire Dolan! Fire Dolan! chant in every game. We need to run him out of MSG and NYC; he must be a Celtic’s or Sixer’s secret spy. Isiah is just the village idiot who has to do Dolan’s dirty work.

On the basketball side, Curry is not a true center and has a lot to be desire. His progress this year is not impressive a all; how many turnover can he make (he should be called butterfingers Curry). Balkman is playing his rookie year and has a high adrenaline but lets see next year and his sophomore jitters. The brightest spot in the Knicks is Lee who is a throwback player and does not fit in a selfish mode of the Knicks. It is sad that Knicks fans have to suffer through this and the worst is that there is no end in site (as long as Dolan is incharged).

Fire Dolan! Fire Dolan! and run him out of town….

By: Sly Williams

Sly Williams — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 12:05:10 +0000

“seems you?re making a mountain out of a molehill”
We are Knick fans. We haven’t seen anything but molehills in 6 years, since Larry Johnson was still playing. Don’t ruin our fantasy! Curry and Marbury are the greatest players ever, having their best season. If Balkman becomes Jordan, and we get a few lucky breaks, we could win 40 next season. No really. Don’t give up now, when we are so close to becoming average! How were we to know that Isiah would continue to be terrible, and this over aged, injury-prone team would continue to be old and injury-prone? So close, I tell you, so close.

By: TC

TC — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 02:10:24 +0000

Wow, this has been an entertaining thread. Folks, I’m not a Knick fan (per se, though I’m a huge fan of some of your players), but following this thread, it seems that Dan Panorama suggested that Balkman had the potential to develop a jumper a la Wallace because they are similarly athletic. And then nesta took that and suggested by that logic any player who shoots a lot can be expected to improve. I think the difference between Wallace and Balkman is that we’d heard that Wallace had an all-round game (at least out here West I had) while I think from the get-go, Balkman wasn’t lauded for his offensive game. Still, given his engine and athletic ability, it’s possible…..but seriously guys, though I don’t know ya, seems you’re making a mountain out of a molehill..

By: xduckshoex

xduckshoex — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 22:17:32 +0000

A college three is an NBA mid-range jumper, all I was using the college threes to show is that Jordan had a mid-range game before he even got to the pros. Developing a three point shot was just a matter of extending that range. Balkman doesn’t even had a mid-range game. I wouldn’t trust him shooting from outside 10 feet.

And Sly, thanks for the link.

By: Marc R

Marc R — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 15:35:02 +0000

“?Er, the NCAA didn?t institute the 3 point shot until 1986, which was 2 years after Michael Jordan left North Carolina.

Fictional stats are SO much fun. ?

Ignorant smart ass remarks are SO much fun.

The NCAA adopted the rule as a collective that year because the individual conferences already had it in place but at varying distances; the NCAA just standardized it.”

Point taken. It would have been nice though if you, in the interest of full disclosure, pointed out that Jordan’s 3 point stats (45%) were for one year and had a sample size of just over 70 shots. And the line was only 19 feet away, barely more than a free throw. Not very revealing.

By: T-Mart

T-Mart — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 14:38:14 +0000

Nesta, Im not even going to waste my time responding to you if you’re going to take every cherry-picked short line out of context from my response to you.

By: Sly Williams

Sly Williams — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 11:09:06 +0000

“Thanks for the info. Is there a link to the article”

Here is the link to the Seattle Times article:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003642561_threemoments30.html

By: xduckshoex

xduckshoex — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 04:22:18 +0000

“I found a reference that the ACC adopted a 17?9?? 3-pt line for this 1 season (Seattle Times). ”

Thanks for the info. Is there a link to the article, or is it an archived article that one would have to pay for?

Other conferences had three point lines back as far as 22′. I know the Southern Conference did for sure. So it’s safe to say that Jordan was comfortable shooting mid range jumpers before he ever got to the NBA.

By: nesta

nesta — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 03:29:39 +0000

“Every other player that gets drafted, especially in this era, one of the first comments is, if this kid developed a good 15-footer, he is going to dominate. Do you think Dick Vitale is saying this because it?s good for his health?”

I certainly don’t listen to anything Vitale says.

There is a difference between improving, which I expect all young players to do, and completely developing a skill for which a player shows no aptitude.

——————–
“When you are out their playing with people it becomes quickly obvious who has confidence playing and who does not, in all facets of the game. Especially when it comes to jumper?s, you can just tell when someone is confident.”

I would love to play against players like this, brimming with confidence and throwing up garbage. Meanwhile I’ll pick the skilled players for my team, and win every time.

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“Have you seen how many times Channing Frye has passed the ball away when he has had wide-open looks this season, when in the same situation last season he would have just shot it? That is because he is afraid to shoot it. And he is afraid to shoot it because he has no confidence and thinks he will miss the shot and let everyone else down.”

Could be. Could also be unsure of his role in the offense, rarely playing the post, now focused on Fat Eddy, still trying to learn how best to complement everyone else.

I’d still rather see Frye with the ball 20 feet from the hoop than Balkman.

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“Jordan was starting from scratch just like Balkman is.”

Congratulations on this brilliant comment.

It’s already been shown Jordan was making the shorter college threes. Balkman barely shot the three in college, and shot them poorly. Jordan could make free throws, Balkman can’t even do that. Jordan had a good stroke, Balkman does not. “Starting from scratch”? Now I wonder who’s never played hoops before. Balkman will likely improve. There is NO evidence he will EVER become a good three-point shooter.

By: Sly Williams

Sly Williams — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 03:07:09 +0000

“There was not a NCAA-wide standard, those threes ranged anywhere from 19-22 feet.”
I found a reference that the ACC adopted a 17’9” 3-pt line for this 1 season (Seattle Times).

When Balkman was drafted there were comparisons to Rodman, and their 1st seasons are numerically very similar (even in min/G), and Balkman is 3 years younger as a rookie. Rodman of course showed immense improvement even after this late start, even becoming an acceptable 3-pt shooter for a time.