Ill tell you why; they are the most offensively undisciplined team in the league. There is no accountability in D'Antoni's run and chuck offense, everybody has a green light to throw the ball at the rim from anywhere on the floor. One thing I’ve noticed during the terrible 6 game losing streak is that after the games all you hear from the coaching staff is how they just need to make shots. How many losses will it take for the coaching staff to understand that its time to address something different like, oh I don’t know we take WAY to many shots from the perimeter and the only times we've had success over this abysmal stretch is when they have been aggressive going to the hole. How about nobody on the team telling people to stop settling and play like you want to win a freaking game. Do you think Kobe would stay silent during a stretch like this...NO because you know if you settle and don't give 100% you would be hearing from number 24.
With an offense based on getting shots up quick and having more possessions you are bound to have bad shooting nights, what is unacceptable is that the Knicks don’t seem to have a contingency plan for those nights. It seems they are reserved to the fact that if they don’t shoot well they will lose. Mike D'Antoni is supposed to be one of the finest offensive minds in the NBA but seems to have no answer to this recurring problem. Compound that with the fact that the Knicks allow their poor shooting to affect every other aspect of their game and you have a 3-8 start.
Its clear that the defense is better than last year, however once they stop hitting shots they become complacent and the bad habits start to creep up. I understand Amare is the superstar and he has to be aggressive but he can’t turn the ball over 5 times a game. D'Antoni sees the need to talk about how Landry Fields, "cuts too much" when he has been the most consistent and impressive Knick, but fails to mention that Amare consistently fumbles the ball out of bounds like a hot pan out the oven. There seem to be a lot of issues the Knicks have to work out, maybe the Knicks start hitting shots and this will all go away but I know one thing...they cant continue to play like this.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Ladies and Gentleman: Wilson Chandler
The Knicks have found their second scoring option to Amare Stoudemire in Wilson Chandler. Wilson Chandler is averaging 21 points, 10 rebounds and shooting 45% from the field in the first three games. This is after Wilson tore up preseason shooting 47.4% from the field and 47% from three. His production was nothing to sneeze at considering he just began resuming basketball activities mid-september coming off of surgery.
His reward for a productive preseason was presented in the form of a newly assigned bench role. At first glance the move was glaring, about as glaring as the favoritism D'Antoni was showing to the bricking Gallinari. However due to the surprising play of rookie Landry Fields known to some(Walt Clyde Frazier) as a precocious neophyte, D'antoni has Chandler coming off the bench forcing him to be aggressive every minute hes out on the floor. Chandler has always been at his best when he is aggressive, his major issue was the consistency of that aggression.
He has shown in the first three games that the preseason wasnt a spike in production but a new level of it. With the spotlight on Gallinari to take the next step in his development, Chandler was quietly taking his.
His reward for a productive preseason was presented in the form of a newly assigned bench role. At first glance the move was glaring, about as glaring as the favoritism D'Antoni was showing to the bricking Gallinari. However due to the surprising play of rookie Landry Fields known to some(Walt Clyde Frazier) as a precocious neophyte, D'antoni has Chandler coming off the bench forcing him to be aggressive every minute hes out on the floor. Chandler has always been at his best when he is aggressive, his major issue was the consistency of that aggression.
He has shown in the first three games that the preseason wasnt a spike in production but a new level of it. With the spotlight on Gallinari to take the next step in his development, Chandler was quietly taking his.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The New York Sack Exchange is out of the recession!!
After a record breaking defensive performance against the Chicago Bears last week (10 Sacks), the Giants continued their dominance shutting down the very potent Houston Texans Offense. After a dissapointing 1-2 start the Giants are now 3-2 sitting atop the NFC East division.
These past two weeks have marked the resurgence of the defense Giants fans grew to love from their Superbowl run. They have not only shown the capacity to disrupt the passing game with their pass rush, they also shut down the run game limiting the NFL's leading rusher Arian Foster to 25 yards on 11 rushes after shutting down Chris Johnson for 3 quarters and Matt Forte for 4.
The offense, which was the strength of the team last year, finally got back to their scoring ways with 24 points in the first half and finishing with 34. Aside from two baffling throws from Eli Manning that led to interceptions he looked sharp connecting with breakout player of the year candidate Hakeem Nicks for 12 receptions for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns. If the defense can play the way its capable of and the offense can repeat their success from last year look for the G-Men to turn some heads this year.
These past two weeks have marked the resurgence of the defense Giants fans grew to love from their Superbowl run. They have not only shown the capacity to disrupt the passing game with their pass rush, they also shut down the run game limiting the NFL's leading rusher Arian Foster to 25 yards on 11 rushes after shutting down Chris Johnson for 3 quarters and Matt Forte for 4.
The offense, which was the strength of the team last year, finally got back to their scoring ways with 24 points in the first half and finishing with 34. Aside from two baffling throws from Eli Manning that led to interceptions he looked sharp connecting with breakout player of the year candidate Hakeem Nicks for 12 receptions for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns. If the defense can play the way its capable of and the offense can repeat their success from last year look for the G-Men to turn some heads this year.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Preseason opener a Success?
In their first showing of the year the Knicks beat Armani Jeans Milano 125-113 in a turnover ridden eurofest. Although it was just the first preseason game there are a few noticeable things in the win.
-Amare Stoudemire is a BEAST!! As much as Knicks fans loved David Lee, the difference between him and Amare is glaring. Amare is stocked with an array of various spin moves, dribble drives and rim rattlers. He was simply dominate in this one netting 32 points in only 28 minutes.
-Blocks, blocks and more blocks. Even though the Knicks gave up a sad 113 to AJM, there were very few uncontested drives to the basket, something that haunted the Knicks last year. Between Anthony Randolph, Timofey Mosgov and Ronny Turiaf look for the Knicks to climb out of the cellar in the blocks per game department.
-Danilo Gallinari will get all the opportunities to be the number two guy to Amare. He had plenty of open looks off of the Raymond Felton, Amare pick and roll set. He did shoot too much from the outside(5-11), but look for him to assert himself going to the rack as the preseason moves on.
-Silent Wil scored the quietest 17 points I've ever seen, I was in shock when I saw the box score after the game. He didn't look like he was going full speed yet as he gets his legs under him after offseason surgery, but he looked good attacking the basket and hitting the mid range jumper.
-If your playing the Knicks this season be prepared to be violated by Toney Douglas and Raymond Felton. They will be all up in your shorts for 48 minutes and I love it. They both played fiesty and aggressive on defense, something that has been evident in training camp.
-Speaking of Raymond Felton, on offense he didn't really look for his shot(2 of 5), it looks like his focus is getting into the offense and getting guys shots(8 assists). Look for him to be more aggressive as the preseason progresses.
-Timofey Mosgov and Anthony Randolph are young talents that still need some work but will have an immediate impact on the team. Mosgov looked as mobile and smart as advertised but will still need to work on positioning and staying out of foul trouble. Randolph was definitely looking to score this game scoring 16 points on 7-11 shooting, perhaps a little too much as Mike D'Antoni expressed with a classic "pass the F*&$^n ball".
Overall there were tons of turnovers(28), something to be expected in the first preseason game, but there was certainly promise. I will curb my enthusiasm and reserve predictions until they start playing NBA talent.
-Amare Stoudemire is a BEAST!! As much as Knicks fans loved David Lee, the difference between him and Amare is glaring. Amare is stocked with an array of various spin moves, dribble drives and rim rattlers. He was simply dominate in this one netting 32 points in only 28 minutes.
-Blocks, blocks and more blocks. Even though the Knicks gave up a sad 113 to AJM, there were very few uncontested drives to the basket, something that haunted the Knicks last year. Between Anthony Randolph, Timofey Mosgov and Ronny Turiaf look for the Knicks to climb out of the cellar in the blocks per game department.
-Danilo Gallinari will get all the opportunities to be the number two guy to Amare. He had plenty of open looks off of the Raymond Felton, Amare pick and roll set. He did shoot too much from the outside(5-11), but look for him to assert himself going to the rack as the preseason moves on.
-Silent Wil scored the quietest 17 points I've ever seen, I was in shock when I saw the box score after the game. He didn't look like he was going full speed yet as he gets his legs under him after offseason surgery, but he looked good attacking the basket and hitting the mid range jumper.
-If your playing the Knicks this season be prepared to be violated by Toney Douglas and Raymond Felton. They will be all up in your shorts for 48 minutes and I love it. They both played fiesty and aggressive on defense, something that has been evident in training camp.
-Speaking of Raymond Felton, on offense he didn't really look for his shot(2 of 5), it looks like his focus is getting into the offense and getting guys shots(8 assists). Look for him to be more aggressive as the preseason progresses.
-Timofey Mosgov and Anthony Randolph are young talents that still need some work but will have an immediate impact on the team. Mosgov looked as mobile and smart as advertised but will still need to work on positioning and staying out of foul trouble. Randolph was definitely looking to score this game scoring 16 points on 7-11 shooting, perhaps a little too much as Mike D'Antoni expressed with a classic "pass the F*&$^n ball".
Overall there were tons of turnovers(28), something to be expected in the first preseason game, but there was certainly promise. I will curb my enthusiasm and reserve predictions until they start playing NBA talent.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Knicks Training Camp Begins!!!!
The Knicks began training camp today with a two-a-day session. Morning session was mostly conditioning drills, running and fast break drills etc. The evening session consisted of several scrimmages. The first team was Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Amare Stoudemire and Ronny Turiaf. The second team was Toney Douglas, Roger Mason, Bill Walker, Anthony Randolph and Timofey Mosgov. The third group was comprised of rookies Andy Rautins and Landry Fields, free agents patrick Ewing Jr. and Shawne Willaims and dead beat Eddy Curry.
Some notes from the day:
-Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton were named co-captains so look for them to set the tone for the team.
-Felton's jumpshot looked much improved, a major factor in pick and roll effectiveness giving the Knicks a threat at the top of the screen. He also had good chemistry with Amare which will be the key to the Knicks success this year.
-Amare was Amare, in great shape, looked comfortable in the system, ran the floor well, oh and he gave Timofey Mosgov the business on a nice dribble drive. Video Courtesy of Tommy Dee at theknicksblog.com.
-Eddy Curry looked lost and struggled the most through the conditioning drills...nothing new to report here.
-Anthony Randolph hit a couple jumpshots and looked good on the defensive end. Need to see more from him to get any kind of analysis.
-Danilo Gallinari was sniping as usual, looked good and in shape.
-Timofey Mosgov is legit, hes huge, looked good in transition, athletic, good feet and soft hands just needs to be refined a little. If he continues on this path look for him to be a starter sooner than later.
Knicks have a few more days of two a days then they are off to Italy to begin the preseason. More posts on training camp as it comes.
Some notes from the day:
-Amare Stoudemire and Raymond Felton were named co-captains so look for them to set the tone for the team.
-Felton's jumpshot looked much improved, a major factor in pick and roll effectiveness giving the Knicks a threat at the top of the screen. He also had good chemistry with Amare which will be the key to the Knicks success this year.
-Amare was Amare, in great shape, looked comfortable in the system, ran the floor well, oh and he gave Timofey Mosgov the business on a nice dribble drive. Video Courtesy of Tommy Dee at theknicksblog.com.
-Eddy Curry looked lost and struggled the most through the conditioning drills...nothing new to report here.
-Anthony Randolph hit a couple jumpshots and looked good on the defensive end. Need to see more from him to get any kind of analysis.
-Danilo Gallinari was sniping as usual, looked good and in shape.
-Timofey Mosgov is legit, hes huge, looked good in transition, athletic, good feet and soft hands just needs to be refined a little. If he continues on this path look for him to be a starter sooner than later.
Knicks have a few more days of two a days then they are off to Italy to begin the preseason. More posts on training camp as it comes.
Week 2 Recap
The Giants got rocked...period. Hopefully week 3 against the Tennessee Titans(1-1) will make me feel better.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Giants 31 Panthers 18 Week 1 Recap
The Giants opened their brand new stadium with a 31-18 victory over the Carolina Panthers. This game was important to the Giants for many reasons, first game in the new stadium, multiple players coming back from serious injuries(Kenny Phillips and Keith Bulluck) and because the last time these teams met Carolina embarrassed the Giants in a 41-9 demolition. In the rematch the Giants showed that the defense is no longer the sieve that it was last year, and the offense, drops and all, is picking up where it left off last year. Here are some notes from the game.
-Hakeem Nicks showed his play-making ability with 3 TD receptions. He got separation consistently and showed great ball skills, pause.
-Ahmad Bradshaw had a good game, some big losses on runs hurt his numbers a little but expect that to happen because of all his cut back and reverse field runs. He finished with 76 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries.
-Eli Manning had a really good game he was accurate and made good decisions but 3 interceptions off of drops will hurt you. He also had 3 touchdowns and showed his mastery of the offense.
-The defensive secondary for the Giants looked like a strength this week with 3 interceptions and held Matt Moore to a 42% completion percentage and 32.6 passer rating. They were swarming around the ball and safeties Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle looked like a nasty combination.
-The defensive line looked suspect in the first half but got tons of pressure in the second half with four sacks and 2 forced fumbles. The Giants rotation is so deep with Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka all making plays, it might be too early to say they have returned to their Superbowl form but look for a big improvement from last year.
-Special teams is a big issue right now for the G-men, punter Matt dodge was kicking ducks like he has all preseason and kickoff coverage was terrible giving the panthers great field position most of the game.
Overall the Giants played well, they played sloppy at times but they looked in control for most of the Game. They will be playing the Colts next week, if they want to win that game they will definitely need to keep those turnovers in check because Peyton Manning will not throw 3 interceptions in the end zone...you can take that to the bank.
-Hakeem Nicks showed his play-making ability with 3 TD receptions. He got separation consistently and showed great ball skills, pause.
-Ahmad Bradshaw had a good game, some big losses on runs hurt his numbers a little but expect that to happen because of all his cut back and reverse field runs. He finished with 76 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries.
-Eli Manning had a really good game he was accurate and made good decisions but 3 interceptions off of drops will hurt you. He also had 3 touchdowns and showed his mastery of the offense.
-The defensive secondary for the Giants looked like a strength this week with 3 interceptions and held Matt Moore to a 42% completion percentage and 32.6 passer rating. They were swarming around the ball and safeties Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle looked like a nasty combination.
-The defensive line looked suspect in the first half but got tons of pressure in the second half with four sacks and 2 forced fumbles. The Giants rotation is so deep with Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka all making plays, it might be too early to say they have returned to their Superbowl form but look for a big improvement from last year.
-Special teams is a big issue right now for the G-men, punter Matt dodge was kicking ducks like he has all preseason and kickoff coverage was terrible giving the panthers great field position most of the game.
Overall the Giants played well, they played sloppy at times but they looked in control for most of the Game. They will be playing the Colts next week, if they want to win that game they will definitely need to keep those turnovers in check because Peyton Manning will not throw 3 interceptions in the end zone...you can take that to the bank.
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