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| Considered a reach pick by many, Landry Fields has shined for the Knicks (NYT) |
Time to give a quick update after the Knicks preview I posted. After a mind-boggling shooting performance of 16-24 from 3-Land the Knicks beat up on the Bulls in Chicago. It was great to see a team effort on a night that Amare did not play well and continued to make a lot of turnovers (above his career avg. so far). Toney Douglas continues to impress as does Raymond Felton, both with their D, abilities to increase tempo of the game and certainly the three point shooting.
A friend of mine pointed out my lack of discussion of Landry Fields who is now the starting shooting guard for the New York Knicks. He has not disappointed. David Thorpe from ESPN has him listed as the #5 rookie.
His shooting and scoring make you forget he is a rookie and his rebounding has been a big bonus as the Knicks need all the help they can get in this area.
The extra time off the Knicks got because of the asbestos issue in the Garden may have been what Danilo Gallinari needed to get out of his shooting slump as he broke out last night with 24 points (7-11 shooting, 4-4 from 3 and 6-6 from the line). He has been nursing a wrist and he says it is still not 100%.
After the game last night Amare Stoudemire pointed out that the league’s scouting report on the Knicks is clog the lane and let the Knicks shoot. Last night they moved the ball and nailed the wide open threes. There is a learning process going on with so many new players getting used to a new system and playing with each other. Anthony Randolph saw his first action last night which was less than 3 minutes. When he gets healthy he will eat into the time of several Knicks.
Hoops is all about the team game, making the extra pass, help defense/protecting the rim. In the NBA it is also about matchups. The Knicks defense looks encouraging thus far. Amare is the low post horse and the go to guy, the pick and roll will get better and let’s hope the draining of open triples continues after last night. Tonight they go back to back in a very winnable game vs. #1 overall draft pick John Wall and Ernie Grunfeld’s Washington Wizards.
A long time ago in a land known as the town of Cortlandt, myself and a few other suffering young (8th grade) Knicks fans established a fan club for the Knicks role player Ernie Grunfeld. I still have my Ernie autograph which stirs up memories of the fan club meetings that featured 2 on 2 hoops tournaments, various snacks including bagel dogs, and stuff the Knicks sent us free in the mail. This years team is like those teams of the mid 80’s pre-Ewing in that no one expects them to win it all but they will entertain you.
This is worth the read. Many adjectives and emotions after reading this, the 3 comments after the story sum it up pretty well.
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I think that cancelled Magic game may wind up being the turning point of the early season. The loss to Portland was really dispiriting considering the late blown lead, and odds are the Magic would have come in and beaten the Knicks. Going to Chicago 1-3 may have led to another L, which would have put them in poor position to take advantage of the upcoming slate of winnable games against the Wizards, Philly, Bucks, Warriors and TWolves. Instead, they are 2-2 with a real chance to be 5-4 or 6-3 in a week, which is really important. Amare really hasn't played that well, but their depth is the Knicks' strength. Last night, they started Q4 with Douglas, Fields, Amare, Turiaf and Billy Walker...and pushed a 9 point lead to 16. I hope that (A), they don't fall in love with the 3 point shot to the exclusion of ball movement and (B) they don't allow so much penetration. It also didn't hurt last night that Deng, Noah and Rose sat for the final 9 minutes of the game. As for Ernie Grunfeld, I have a portrait of him painted by a kid named Bernt.
ReplyDeletePoints well taken regarding the cancelled game being a bonus for the teams confidence. The weird game cancellation reminded me of the old rumor regarding Kevin Costner, Cal Ripken and "the streak" being saved by a cancelled game. Check it out at snopes.com.
ReplyDeleteAlong with depth I think you have to include youth and athleticism that makes this team so different. Players liek Walker, Douglas and Turiaf are showing the energy that has been lacking on Knicks teams for many moons!
Great Pic! Looks like Landry just hit a bunt triple in the picture.......... right in the mug of the bust known as Darko! That is great hustle!
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