Knicks Facts

Thread dedicato ad articoli, tweet, post per non dimenticare come erano (e sono) le cose, o come queste si sono evolute nel corso del tempo.

12/03/2014 - La trade-Bargnani? Voluta dalla CAA, la quale ha convinto Dolan scavalcando Grunwald

13/02/2014 - When Will NY Knicks Learn Carmelo Anthony Hero Ball Doesn't Work in the Clutch?

05/02/2014 - Programmare? E' inapplicabile a NY!

13/03/2013 - STAT's bad contract a necessary evil

28/01/2011 - Carmelo Anthony clutcher

Edited by SkydAnc3R - 15/3/2014, 12:00

13/02/2014 - When Will NY Knicks Learn Carmelo Anthony Hero Ball Doesn't Work in the Clutch?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1958557...k-in-the-clutch

When the television networks play highlights of the New York Knicks' 106-101 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings, they will likely focus on star Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony's inability to hit a long, contested jumper at the end of regulation.

The shot would have won the game for New York, and it's the kind of big-time shot a franchise player like Anthony is supposed to make.

That kind of oversimplified thinking isn't fair to Anthony, the poor New York fans forced to suffer through Knicks games or team sports in general.

Every basketball observer in the Tri-State Area knew Knicks head coach Mike Woodson was simply going to isolate Melo, far from the basket, without a screen, decoy or anything else that might have relieved some of the pressure. Sure, the forward was visibly gassed after playing every minute of the second half and could have used some help from the other four teammates legally required to stand on the court, but that would have violated every principle these Knicks stand for.

Even before Melo's off-balance prayer clanged off the rim, Knicks fans were taking to Twitter to voice their disgust—not with the player but with the coach who left him hanging out to dry.



The Knicks do indeed have a "Carmelo Anthony Hero Ball" problem, but it is no fault of Anthony. It is the fault of an organization and coaching staff who have over the past few years repeatedly ignored, especially in the waning moments of close games, the most basic tenets of team basketball.

After the game, Woodson quickly laid the blame on the players for not executing his play at the end of regulation, per The Wall Street Journal's Chris Herring:


Nobody's buying it. The "dump it off to Melo and get out of the way" last-minute offense has been a hallmark of Woodson's time in New York. And Anthony's clutch numbers have suffered as a result.

Since he has come to New York, Anthony has transformed from one of the most clutch scorers in the league to a player seemingly incapable of scoring a bucket in the closing minutes, per Bleacher Report's Dan Favale:


So what changed? has Melo morphed into a loser, a player incapable of rising to the occasion? Or is he simply the victim of the Knicks' outdated philosophy on how to win a game at the buzzer?

What Could the Knicks Have Done Differently?

Anything.

When a basketball team's last-second offense has invariably come down to the same player taking impossible shots—and said player has hit precisely none of them during the season—then literally any other option is preferable.

For example, the Knicks might have done well to run a play for Amar'e Stoudemire, who had shot an impressive 9-of-13 at that point in the game. Even if Woodson didn't want to utilize Stoudemire in the post with six seconds left, he and Melo have proven to be adept in the two-man game. At the very least, Stoudemire stood a better chance of drawing a foul.

Instead, Woodson kept Stoudemire in the game for defensive purposes (which makes no sense) while ignoring him on offense during that last fateful minute.

But the Knicks likely would have avoided the last-second tie altogether if he had stuck with Pablo Prigioni (their best remaining defensive guard) over Tim Hardaway (their worst defensive guard) during the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Hardaway repeatedly lost Sacramento guard Jimmer Fredette, who scored nine of his career-high 24 points in the fourth.

Woodson's lineups were even more ludicrous than usual, as injuries to J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert gave him an excuse to experiment with his beloved "big" lineups. In overtime, Woodson fashioned his pièce de résistance: a lineup of Raymond Felton, Anthony, Stoudemire, Jeremy Tyler and Tyson Chandler. It was almost as if Woodson knew this was likely to be his final game as coach, and he wanted to go out with the biggest, craziest lineup imaginable.

After the game, Woodson tried to justify his big lineups, per ESPN New York's Ohm Youngmisuk:


But his explanation didn't jive with Woodson's lineup preferences this season, according to Herring:



Will the Knicks Learn Their Lesson?

Dogs can learn to roll over. Apes can learn sign language. But the Knicks? I'm not sure they will ever learn that basketball is a team sport.

This isn't just a Mike Woodson problem; it has been a hallmark of the Knicks since the dawn of the James Dolan era. This is why they blow endless draft picks on big names like Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry and Andrea Bargnani. It is why they traded a boatload of assets to acquire Anthony, despite the fact that they seemingly had all the leverage at the time.

To the Dolan Knicks, basketball is not a team sport; it is a game of competing stars. Role players are useless. Running plays is pointless. The team with the biggest star wins. And when the game is on the line, the star should be handed the ball and be allowed to "do his thing."

That is the Dolan basketball credo. He is the kind of basketball fan who watches clips of Michael Jordan's game-winners and willfully ignores the times Jordan passed to ball to the likes of Steve Kerr in the clutch. That's fine for a casual fan, but it's no way for an NBA owner to think, particularly one as hands-on as Dolan.

The owner found a willing disciple for his juvenile basketball philosophy in Mike Woodson, but the sheer volume of losses will ultimately doom the coach. After all, Dolan can't very well fire himself, can he?

If Dolan hires another like-minded coach, then the Knicks are likely to continue putting Carmelo Anthony in hero-ball situations with the game on the line. Anthony can either learn to endure the losing or take less money to ply his trade for a smarter franchise.

Programmare? E' inapplicabile a NY!
https://newyorkknicksitalia.forumfree.it/?t...684&p=551475831

E mi spiego subito, la Storia recente lo dice, e la Storia recente coincide con la totale presa di potere di James Dolan nel 2001, prima era il proprietario assieme alla famiglia, dal 2001 è diventato anche il capo della baracca.

Se uno analizza cosa è successo dal 2001 capirà che con Dolan al comando di tutto, non si potrà mai fare un discorso "3-4 anni di Lotteria e si rifonda e poi eventualmente ci si rafforza sul mercato" perché dal 2001 in poi abbiamo ceduto questi picks:

- 2 prime scelte Draft 2001
- 2 prime scelte Draft 2002 (una la mitica Nené per McDyess...)
- 1 prima scelta Draft 2004
- 1 swap scelta 2006
- 1 swap scelta 2007
- 1 scelta 2010
- 1 scelta 2012
- 1 scelta 2014
- swap scelta 2016 e cessione (Bargnani trade)

Abbiamo ceduto 9 prime scelte e fatto 3 swap di scelte (2 con la Curry trade con cui furono presi grazie agli swap LaMarcus Aldrige e Noah....) e al di là della Melo trade l'unica in cui abbiamo cmq preso un giocatore di alto livello giovane (aveva 26 anni, un sicuro Hall of Famer), abbiamo ceduto prime scelte per prendere gente come Mark Jackson che aveva 37 anni se non erro, gente come Shandon Anderson, gente come appunto Curry o Bargnani......

Il tutto perché è chiaro che con Dolan al timone c'è una politica di prendere appena si può, nomi da vendere alla piazza, da mettere sui tabelloni per continuare ad aumentare i costi dei biglietti etc.etc. L'aspetto tecnico è l'ultima cosa che conta, quando fu preso McDyess fu lo stesso, al posto di tenersi il pick e Camby si prese il nome, nonostante fosse reduce da un grave infortunio! E sempre così è stato, prendere nomi da vendere sui cartelloni, non costruire con criterio, prendere nomi su nomi, una politica stile Real Madrid via....

Ulteriore esempio: se nel 2015 non faranno cazzate prima e avranno soldi, secondo voi andranno all in su un Kevin Love o proveranno a prendere non so un Gasol? Ma cercheranno Love perché pur essendo allo stato attuale un giocatore inferiore, è un nome che fa più clamore, da vendere meglio!
Se ci saranno 30 milioni per dire, al posto di provare non so a prendere una coppia Dragic- Gasol punteranno ad un nome dandogli tutto, un Kevin Love appunto o un Rondo (indipendentemente dalla condizione fisica) perché si potrà vendere il Big Name alla piazza e continuare con questa politica di entertainment, piuttosto che ragionare in termini cestistici!

Ci sarà sempre questa "politica" e niente ricostruzioni serie, via Draft e/o free agency, non succederà MAI che ad inizio season si punterà al tank pesante perché c'è LeBron James al Draft (ed è successo, noi siamo andati in Lotteria perché scarsi ma senza puntarci come hanno fatto altri team!), se avessimo il pick quest'anno non andremmo dritti in Lotteria visto come vanno le cose, facendo come Sixers o Boston etc.etc. non si potrebbe, ma non perché lo dico io, ma perché è stato sempre così, arrivi in Lotteria perché sei scarso non perché ad inizio season ci hai puntato seriamente, perché ad inizio season devi cmq vendere qualcosa per giustificare i prezzi etc.etc.

Gli unici 2 anni in cui si è avuto un piano sono stati dal 2008 al 2010 con Walsh (messo lì anche da una forte spinta dell'NBA per via di come andavano le cose a NY e a cui Dolan ha detto ok forzatamente) perché c'era James, e si è potuto vendere il discorso si rifonda e si punta a LeBron perché era LeBron, altrimenti anche se ci fossero stati free agent come Wade, Bosh, Amare etc.etc. Dolan non avrebbe mai dato carta bianca con 2 anni di team indifferente per puntare a Wade o Bosh, non lo avrebbe mai accettato!

E poi, sfuggito LeBron cosa è successo? Che Dolan cmq voleva qualcosa e si è dovuto prendere cmq Amare, quando magari un management libero di scegliere senza proprietà che rompe, magari avrebbe detto "ok niente LBJ, alta Lotteria e prendiamo asset su asset, giovani da scambiare eventualmente ma come base di partenza e nel 2011 abbiamo spazio e andiamo su Melo e nel 2012 avendo sempre spazio su CP3, Howard etc.etc."

Ma un discorso del genere a Dolan non lo puoi fare, perché dopo 2 anni non di mediocrità ma proprio di "indifferenza" non lo avrebbe tollerato, perché a lui interessa vendere il prodotto e quindi deve metterci dei testimonial in grado di giustificare il costo di biglietti, sponsor, contratti TV etc.etc.

O prendiamo il 2015, cioè alla fine ci saranno Love (se non lo muovono prima), Rondo (per cui vale il discorso di Love) che va valutato col ginocchio e cmq avrà 30 anni e poi chi? Marc Gasol, Dragic e stop, Parker sarà 34enne, Aldrige probabile rinnova prima con POR, poi un sacco d buoni giocatori come Milsapp per fare un nome, puoi costruire con criterio una squadra di alto livello (un trio Gasol, Dragic, Milsapp con Melo sarebbe ottimo per dire) ma sia i Milsapp o i Dragic non sono "cool" da vendere e quindi si andrà all in su i nomi (pochi) cool da vendere!
Quando invece una franchigia seria, se non riesce a costruire prendendo 3-4 giocatori di livello vero ma meno cool, passerebbe la mano andando a puntare sul 2016 (Durant, Hibbert, Noah) e/o soprattutto 2017 (Rose, Westbrook, Steph Curry, Blake Griffin, Ibaka, Howard) costruendo via Draft nell'attesa!!!

Ma questo lo farebbe una franchigia seria, o meglio, una franchigia a cui interessa principalmente il lato sportivo e non economico!

Sino a quando la baracca la guida Dolan sarà inutile fare discorso costruire così o costruire cosà, non accadrà mai, si costruire come capita, alla cazzo, prendendo nomi da vendere e stop, l'unica reale speranza è prendere da aprile un coach coi controcoglione a cui venga data libertà decisionale nell'area tecnica per via del pedigreee che ha, sperando che la strada che questo coach decide di scegliere non venga messa in discussione da Dolan dopo 2 mesi.......

Tra l'altro in queste ore si parla di Woodson sulla graticola e si conferma la totale incapacità del management: è sulla graticola causa si i risultati ma principalmente perché Chandler gli ha dato parecchie bordare pubbliche, Amare di nuovo ha detto che non gioca per via del minutaggio deciso da Woodson e non dai medici e quindi lo spogliatoio sta decidendo le sorti di Woodson! Ecco il tutto a buoi scappati, con poco più di una trentina di odissee da giocare ancora, e il tutto ripeto non deciso 2 mesi fa per motivi tecnici dal management che sperava di riaddrizzare la season, no deciso dai giocatori che si lamentano e poi scendono in campo molli come ricotta.....

Altro che pensare a ricostruire così o cosà, siamo messi molto molto male..........

28/01/2011 - Trailing by one or two points, or tied, in the final 24 seconds of regular-season and playoff games since 1996-97, with a minimum of 30 shots. From Alok Pattani of ESPN Stats & Information.

Player Makes Attempts FG%
Carmelo Anthony 21 44 47.7

http://espn.go.com/blog/TrueHoop/post/_/id...-in-crunch-time

13/03/2013 - STAT's bad contract a necessary evil
It's OK to call Stoudemire's a bum deal - but it was one the Knicks needed to make
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id...-necessary-evil

As the New York Knicks appear to be coming undone limb by limb, Amar'e Stoudemire starts to look like the worst kind of $100 million investment. He is a physical wreck before his time, maybe the oldest 30-year-old star in the league.

No, this five-year contract won't live to see a happy ending. And no, the Knicks can't amnesty that maddening fact out of their lives, not after using the one-and-done provision in the most recent labor agreement to fire Chauncey Billups and hire Tyson Chandler.

But it's just as easy to lump Stoudemire's contract in with those given the likes of Eddy Curry and Jerome James, or to equate his $100 million with the $100 million handed Allan Houston before he broke down way back when, as it is to forget that the bad business deal with Stoudemire was a necessary business deal with Stoudemire, too.

The Knicks had effectively tanked two seasons to clear out money for the Summer Of LeBron and the great free-agent class of 2010. Though they once dreamed up a scenario in which LeBron James, Joe Johnson and Stoudemire would accept less-than-max money to form a big three in New York, it became painfully clear in the early hours of free agency that the Knicks weren't landing two big names, never mind three, and that they would be lucky to land one.

But after enduring nine consecutive losing seasons, after posting an average record of 31-51 over those nine seasons, they absolutely had to sign one free agent from the group of James, Johnson, Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Something -- even a second-tier star such as Carlos Boozer (unrestricted) or Rudy Gay (restricted) -- would've been better than nothing.

The Knicks just couldn't strike out looking on LeBron and everyone else. They would've been the league laughingstock -- for old times' sake -- if they ended up with truckloads of available cash and nobody willing to take it.

Amar'e Stoudemire was willing to take it, if only because his own team, the Phoenix Suns, wouldn't guarantee him a full scholarship after he suffered serious knee and eye injuries. Insurance or no insurance, the Knicks weren't asking too many questions. Their coach, Mike D'Antoni, didn't want a reunion with Stoudemire after clashing with him in Phoenix, but he walked into a breakfast meeting with his former player understanding how badly his bosses needed this to work out.

D'Antoni walked out of that breakfast meeting declaring that Stoudemire was a changed man, all grown up and worthy of being a Knick. Jim Dolan, owner, consummated the deal on a handshake at the Four Seasons. "The Knicks are back," Stoudemire now-famously said in his first media briefing, and more than 2&189; seasons later, guess what?

He's sort of right. They're back to being relevant. They're back in first place in the Atlantic, a division they haven't won since 1994.

In the 209 regular-season games played since the Stoudemire signing, the Knicks are 23 games above .500 and on schedule for a third consecutive winning season and third consecutive trip to the playoffs. In the 209 regular-season games played before the Stoudemire signing, the Knicks were 63 games below .500 and lame enough to extend their streak of playoff-free years to six.

Of course, with injuries costing him significant time and with the record showing that Carmelo Anthony's Knicks might be better off without him, Stoudemire can't be cited as the on-court reason for the team's relative success. He was the central figure on the pre-Melo Knicks team that went 28-26 and restored some order to the Garden, but ever since -- with the exception of the fleeting, only-in-New York phenomenon that was Linsanity -- this team has been defined by Anthony and the other pieces (Chandler, Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, J.R. Smith) brought in to support him, for better or worse.

But here's the thing: Carmelo Anthony never would've become a Knick if Amar'e Stoudemire had never become a Knick. If Dolan and his basketball man at the time, Donnie Walsh, didn't take the gamble Phoenix refused, Anthony would've forced Denver to trade him to New Jersey/Brooklyn or somewhere else.

No Melo probably means no Chandler and definitely means no shot the Knicks are a 38-23 team trying to figure out how to survive Melo's knee pains, protect its divisional lead and maintain its wobbly hold on the No. 2 seed in the East.

"When I signed here in New York," Stoudemire said after the Anthony trade was complete, "that pretty much opened the eyes for the rest of the basketball world that, 'New York is a place where I will go now.'"

Stoudemire made the Knicks a credible option for other stars. It's why Chris Paul was interested before he found bliss, and Blake Griffin, in Los Angeles. It's why a member of Josh Smith's immediate family asked a longtime league official to help place Smith with the Knicks long before Atlanta started shopping him.

Pedro Martinez had the same impact on the Mets after signing in December 2004, for four years and $53 million. Like Stoudemire, Martinez delivered a strong first season in New York before physically falling apart. And like Stoudemire's deal, Martinez's was one that had to be made. Acquiring Pedro made the Mets legitimate enough to acquire Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Billy Wagner, players who helped them get to within one game of the 2006 World Series.

These Knicks haven't matched those Mets, not yet anyway. The Knicks have claimed one playoff victory (as in a game, not a series) with Stoudemire on the roster, and the power forward injured himself in the 2011 series with Boston by trying a school-yard dunk in warm-ups, and again in the 2012 series with Miami by losing a bloody MMA fight with a fire extinguisher case.

The fans still love Amar'e anyway, because they remember that he was here first, that he accepted the same Knicks offer that scared everyone else away. The fans know Stoudemire changed a wretched culture. The fans know the guy he replaced, David Lee -- another crowd-pleaser now at the center of Golden State's resurgence -- couldn't elevate the Knicks with his double-doubles; they were a combined 42 games under .500 in Lee's final two seasons.

Even before Stoudemire arrived, the Knicks made some moves that compromised their chances of ever beating what the Heat would become. In the 2009 draft, they picked Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings. By 2010, they couldn't build a team or presentation worthy of LeBron's serious consideration.

Last summer, when they could've used Dolan's limitless resources (isn't that supposed to be the one advantage to having him as your owner?) to sign Felton and Jeremy Lin, the Knicks let the 23-year-old Lin walk without receiving a single asset in return and continued wasting a roster spot at his position on Pablo Prigioni. Glen Grunwald, general manager, also spent more than $15 million of Dolan's Lin savings on Marcus Camby (including $2 million sent to Houston in the trade), and already Camby's three-year deal feels longer than A-Rod's 10-year deal.

Only now it's a five-year contract that inspires the most scrutiny. Facing another long rehab after yet another knee surgery, Stoudemire will almost certainly end up in the bin with other signings gone south. His legs and his back have betrayed his best intentions, not to mention the Knicks' nine-figure faith.

But without Stoudemire's $100 million contract, there would be no Melo homecoming in Denver on Wednesday night. There would be no Melo, in fact, and no chance the Knicks could secure the 2-seed in the East and maintain a puncher's chance (OK, a Buster Douglas-times-10 chance) to knock out Miami in seven.

So in the end, it's OK to call Stoudemire's a bum deal. Just don't forget to call it a necessary one, too.

Phil Jackson Could Be Perfect Mentor for Ailing Knicks, but It Won't Be Easy
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1990985...new-york-knicks

And it was CAA, according to sources, that persuaded Dolan to make the ill-fated trade for its client Andrea Bargnani—over the concerns of the Knicks’ front office.