Wow..what a difference a month makes. A month ago, Knicks fans and management were wondering if they should even bring Carmelo over here during the middle of the season because they didn't want to mess up the "chemistry" the Knicks seemed to be having. I mean, why mess with a good thing, right? Especially since the Knicks seems to be the only team he wants to play for, why not wait until the end of the season and get him for free? Well Knicks fans, the time to push the panic button is here. With the Knicks losing 11 out of their last 19 games, the Knicks are officially in a tailspin and, if they continue playing the way they have been, are in danger of losing their spot in the playoffs.
Whoa whoa whoa, you might say. There's no way they are in danger of losing their spot in the playoffs, right? A month ago, they were solidly in the 6th spot with no real chance of falling out of it, right? Not to the lowly Sixers and Pacers? EHHHHH...WRONG! I am not sure a lot of Knicks fan realize this but their poor play of late means the Knicks are only 3.5 games ahead of the number 8 team. In other words, all it would take for the Knicks to drop out of the playoff picture is for the Knicks to lose 4 games and the Pacers to win 4 games during that span. For a team that a month ago was a no doubter for the playoffs, this is a scary new possibility. And as Knicks fans all know, anything less than a playoff berth this year would be a failure for this team. As bad as the Knicks have been, there was way too much hope (and money) being spent on this season for it to end without a playoff berth.
So what do the Knicks have to do? Well for starters, Donnie Walsh needs to work his magic and do what he needs to do to get Carmelo Anthony here before the trading deadline. Although I think the Knicks are still Melo's preferred destination, waiting until the trading deadline will only foster the doubt in his mind that the Knicks really want him if it hasn't already. Melo is scared about the collective bargaining agreement next year and wants to be signed or traded before the season is over and if the Knicks don't do something soon, the Nuggets may very well be there to secure his money for him. Also, this is the perfect time to pick him up. For one, the Knicks need a new energy and spark to snap them out of this funk they have been playing through. And two, the Knicks have very few games next week (1 to be exact) going into the All-Star Break. That leaves plenty of practice time which will be needed if the Knicks land Melo and he is to learn D'Antoni's system. If the Knicks wait until after the break, the schedule picks back up again and it would be hard to integrate him into the system especially when teams will be gearing up for the postseason.
The next thing the Knicks need to do is shore up their defense. Sounds easy, right? The Knicks are such an aggravating team to be a fan of because their play is so inconsistent. At times, their defensive effort is swarming and amazing and at other times, they look like spectators. Easy way to fix this solution? Play the players that put the defensive effort in. Gallo may not be the best defender but at least he tries. Play the Gallos, the Mosgov's and the Stoudemires..which of course the Knicks have. Likewise, bench the players that don't. Shawne Williams. Now, I know what you're thinking. How is the benching of one player going to really help the Knicks? Because I have seen him play and his defensive collapses happen on game changing moments where all the Knicks need is one stop and the Knicks have all the momentum. But nope, there's Shawne Williams missing three's and leaving men wide open. I get why D'Antoni of course plays Shawne Williams. His offense is focused on the three and Shawne Williams was the best in the league in three point field goal percentage (he has since dropped to number 2). But honestly, you only have to watch Shawne Williams play for like 5 minutes to realize he can't defend for his life. He almost never and I mean NEVER gets his hands up on his man and if he leaves his man wide open at the three point line while he is under the basket (which happens ALL the time. Watch the games and let me know if I am wrong here), he almost never runs out to put his hands up on his man. And now the one thing he was in the game for, hitting three's, he's not even doing anymore. Bench him! Screw it. At this point, the Knicks should replace him with Walker (who's defense is slightly better) or Rautins. They have nothing to lose at this point.
A third thing the Knicks can do to stop the losing? Get back to the pick and roll! It's not hard people. It was their bread and butter when they had Chris Duhon and David Lee. You don't think it would flourish with Felton and Stoudemire running it? The few times they have used it consistently (a month or so ago and at the beginning of the year) it was an unstoppable play. GET BACK TO IT. End of story.
There is this fear I have of Stoudemire realizing he made a mistake and getting tired of playing with young players who are inconsistent at best. I am afraid Stoudemire will turn into Marbury and lose interest. Not to insult Stoudemire though. I know he has more heart in his pinky than Marbury has in his whole body and that Marbury was just a plain old douche that didn't show up to practice or only played hard when he wanted to. But a veteran, especially a veteran who only has experienced success in his career, only needs to lose so many games before he gets disenfranchised. I think that breaking point for Stoudemire is a long ways away too. But its out there and its something Knicks management, players and fans should be aware of.
On a more light-hearted note, every wonder where Walt Clyde Frazier's outrageous outfits have been coming from lately? None other than Indian tailor Mohan "Mike" Ramchandani. Nice work, Mohan. Only Walt Clyde Frazier could pull these looks off:
What a pimp! I love him..lol :)
I wanted to end on a funny note. So, the following is a video of Landry Fields pretending to be a Modell's employee trying to sell his own jersey. This is a real video people and its hilarious. Thanks, Marcy for giving me the heads up on this! :)
Freagin' hilarious..LOL. Love this dude and his impression of Stoudemire is spot on. If basketball doesn't work out, this dude can definitely have a career in sales :)
Whoa whoa whoa, you might say. There's no way they are in danger of losing their spot in the playoffs, right? A month ago, they were solidly in the 6th spot with no real chance of falling out of it, right? Not to the lowly Sixers and Pacers? EHHHHH...WRONG! I am not sure a lot of Knicks fan realize this but their poor play of late means the Knicks are only 3.5 games ahead of the number 8 team. In other words, all it would take for the Knicks to drop out of the playoff picture is for the Knicks to lose 4 games and the Pacers to win 4 games during that span. For a team that a month ago was a no doubter for the playoffs, this is a scary new possibility. And as Knicks fans all know, anything less than a playoff berth this year would be a failure for this team. As bad as the Knicks have been, there was way too much hope (and money) being spent on this season for it to end without a playoff berth.
So what do the Knicks have to do? Well for starters, Donnie Walsh needs to work his magic and do what he needs to do to get Carmelo Anthony here before the trading deadline. Although I think the Knicks are still Melo's preferred destination, waiting until the trading deadline will only foster the doubt in his mind that the Knicks really want him if it hasn't already. Melo is scared about the collective bargaining agreement next year and wants to be signed or traded before the season is over and if the Knicks don't do something soon, the Nuggets may very well be there to secure his money for him. Also, this is the perfect time to pick him up. For one, the Knicks need a new energy and spark to snap them out of this funk they have been playing through. And two, the Knicks have very few games next week (1 to be exact) going into the All-Star Break. That leaves plenty of practice time which will be needed if the Knicks land Melo and he is to learn D'Antoni's system. If the Knicks wait until after the break, the schedule picks back up again and it would be hard to integrate him into the system especially when teams will be gearing up for the postseason.
The next thing the Knicks need to do is shore up their defense. Sounds easy, right? The Knicks are such an aggravating team to be a fan of because their play is so inconsistent. At times, their defensive effort is swarming and amazing and at other times, they look like spectators. Easy way to fix this solution? Play the players that put the defensive effort in. Gallo may not be the best defender but at least he tries. Play the Gallos, the Mosgov's and the Stoudemires..which of course the Knicks have. Likewise, bench the players that don't. Shawne Williams. Now, I know what you're thinking. How is the benching of one player going to really help the Knicks? Because I have seen him play and his defensive collapses happen on game changing moments where all the Knicks need is one stop and the Knicks have all the momentum. But nope, there's Shawne Williams missing three's and leaving men wide open. I get why D'Antoni of course plays Shawne Williams. His offense is focused on the three and Shawne Williams was the best in the league in three point field goal percentage (he has since dropped to number 2). But honestly, you only have to watch Shawne Williams play for like 5 minutes to realize he can't defend for his life. He almost never and I mean NEVER gets his hands up on his man and if he leaves his man wide open at the three point line while he is under the basket (which happens ALL the time. Watch the games and let me know if I am wrong here), he almost never runs out to put his hands up on his man. And now the one thing he was in the game for, hitting three's, he's not even doing anymore. Bench him! Screw it. At this point, the Knicks should replace him with Walker (who's defense is slightly better) or Rautins. They have nothing to lose at this point.
A third thing the Knicks can do to stop the losing? Get back to the pick and roll! It's not hard people. It was their bread and butter when they had Chris Duhon and David Lee. You don't think it would flourish with Felton and Stoudemire running it? The few times they have used it consistently (a month or so ago and at the beginning of the year) it was an unstoppable play. GET BACK TO IT. End of story.
There is this fear I have of Stoudemire realizing he made a mistake and getting tired of playing with young players who are inconsistent at best. I am afraid Stoudemire will turn into Marbury and lose interest. Not to insult Stoudemire though. I know he has more heart in his pinky than Marbury has in his whole body and that Marbury was just a plain old douche that didn't show up to practice or only played hard when he wanted to. But a veteran, especially a veteran who only has experienced success in his career, only needs to lose so many games before he gets disenfranchised. I think that breaking point for Stoudemire is a long ways away too. But its out there and its something Knicks management, players and fans should be aware of.
On a more light-hearted note, every wonder where Walt Clyde Frazier's outrageous outfits have been coming from lately? None other than Indian tailor Mohan "Mike" Ramchandani. Nice work, Mohan. Only Walt Clyde Frazier could pull these looks off:
What a pimp! I love him..lol :)
I wanted to end on a funny note. So, the following is a video of Landry Fields pretending to be a Modell's employee trying to sell his own jersey. This is a real video people and its hilarious. Thanks, Marcy for giving me the heads up on this! :)
Freagin' hilarious..LOL. Love this dude and his impression of Stoudemire is spot on. If basketball doesn't work out, this dude can definitely have a career in sales :)
