January 5th, 2007 Knicks vs. Houston:
1) Eddy-Zach start game together.;
2) By the time pairing is split up near end of first quarter, the Knicks trail by 20-9;
3) Yao goes off;
4) Knicks lose 103-91
January 9th, 2007 Knicks vs. Houston:
1) Eddy-Zach start game together;
2) By the time pairing is split up near end of first quarter, the Knicks trail by 21-11;
3) Yao goes off;
4) Knicks lose 101-92.
Remove the first quarter Eddy-Zach pairing and the combined Knicks-Houston scores are dead even at 163-163. That’s two games right there for the taking. How many other games do they win this season with E & Z split up? Just how many games have the Knicks given away in the 1st and even 3rd quarters?
Each Houston game featured one positive substitution adjustment. Last week, Isiah sat down a season-long ineffective Quentin Richardson after only 9 minutes of play. Yesterday, Thomas finally split up the Eddy-Zach pair for almost the entire remaining portion of the game after the first quarter. They essentially susbstituted for each other the rest of the way. Are these signs evidence that Isiah starting to get it? …That the Zach-Eddy pairing is structurally flawed and will never work? That the defense becomes exponentially worse… That the Eddy-Zach-Q tripling is by far the worst complementary frontline in the NBA? …The fact that Q is just not the same shooter he was a year ago? Is it possible that he will FINALLY make these adjustments permanent for an entire 48 minutes?
We are still keeping score:
17 Times: Eddy-Zach have started and the first quarter ending with a deficit of 5 or higher.
0 times: Eddy-Zach starting line-up produced a 5+ first quarter.
Split Eddy-Zach; start Lee, sit Q, and free Renaldo – STOP THE MADNESS!
Related:
- Eddy-Zach Blues Part I: An Analysis of All Knicks 1st Quarters
- Eddy-Zach Blues Part II: Houston and Season Deja Vu
- Eddy-Zach Blues Part III: Knicks Spot 10 Points Again
More:
- Knicks Line-Up Change 10 Point Plan: Open Letter to Isiah
- Blame COACH Isiah, 7 Reasons where Isiah Went Wrong
- Fire Isiah: Is Mass Hysteria Real or Media-Fueled?
18 assists, 15 turnovers. Eeeegad!!
Q-Rich was -15 for the night in +/-. He was by far the worst Knick. Agreed that the Richardson-Randolph-Curry lineup needs to be split up.
1) Bench Richardson. The Robinson-Marbury-Crawford lineup, though small and undersized (and under-defensive), also allows for the best combination of perimeter shooters. The Knicks can’t go inside-out if the “out” ain’t working, and it hasn’t all year (Richardson’s 31% shooting, for example).
It won’t fix all the problems (the porous defense, for example), but it’s a start.
Would you roll with a lineup of Curry-Randolph-Lee-Balkman-Marbury??
I’m not sure who that comment is directed at T3 (Modi or me), but in my opinion… nah. For Curry and Randolph together to have chance of working, the Knicks need an outside threat. Not a driver/slasher, but just a spot up shooter. A slasher (Marbury) would just crash into the already crowded paint. The opposing team can just collapse onto the paint to guard the Knicks. That’s why you see so many open jumpers for Richardson (resulting in bricks, Marbury, Crawford, Lee… even Randolph, when he’s out there away from the paint. The other team has no reason to play the Knicks honest, so they can cheat towards the paint. Battier, a SF, had four blocks yesterday, all in the paint area (none on perimeter shots)!
That’s why Marbury, and Crawford, have been much less effective at getting to the free throw line this season… they aren’t driving, and aren’t getting foul calls. The Knicks were one of the top three teams last year (I believe) in FTAs. No so this year, right?
The Knicks just don’t have a spot up shooter like that… if Richardson had been able to do that this year, the Knicks would have a better record.
I’m starting to come around to the idea of trading Randolph for Redd. It’s very unlikely, but it would fix one of the biggest needs for the Knicks.
Coming around to trading Randolph for Redd? We’d have to make that one in a heartbeat.
(Full disclosure: I like Zach, but that trade’s a no-brainer.)
good analysis SML — especially about free throws, and while your comments may help ofense to some degree there is nothing that will help them on defense except splitting them up. Temple, it is a defensive structural flaw that will never work. Period. Their defense doesn’t become merely twice as bas, but 5 times as bad.
It will take more than Randolph to get Redd, but the dream was nice! But I believe Redd is getable!
Just for a little perspective…on the Knicks guards getting to the line —
Last year, if NBA.com is to be trusted, Marbury was 14th overall among guards in free throws attempts and 10th in the Eastern Conference. He shot the lowest percentage among those guards (mostly pure 2′s). Crawford was #34 in terms of FTAs. They ranked 18th and 23rd resp. in terms of avg. FTA per game.
That’s not great. I don’t even know if it’s mediocre — but if you ask me, since that’s some fair to middling slashing, they need to work on their spot up jumpers too.
When Crawford gets a handle, learns to pass, and play defense, he’ll be a great player.
BTW, Do you think the Bucks would take Crawford and Randolph for Redd or would they need a bunch more?
Okay, so I got a bit lazy, and now had to do some research on the Knicks’ guards to back up what I said!
Last season, the Knicks had three guards in the top-23 (among guards) in FTA per game: Marbury (14th), Francis (21st), Crawford (23rd). As a team, the team averaged 29.2 FTA/gm, good for 6th in the NBA.
Only three other teams had even two guards in the top-23 in FTA/gm last year (which is fine, because you only start two guards anyway): Philly (AI and AI2, but note that AI got traded to Denver after 20 games); Detroit (Billups – 11th, and Hamilton – 16th), and Golden State (Baron – 12th, Ellis – 22nd). So Crawford and Marbury were about the second or third best backcourt in the league at getting to the line last year.
This year, the Knicks average 26.6 FTA (12th). That’s despite adding Randolph, who was 19th in the NBA last year in FTA/gm (and even better than Francis in that regard, averaging 7.1 FTA/gm).
So here’s my thought: the Knicks are failing to draw fouls, even though they have a team that should be leading the league in that regard. It would certainly help the Knicks in many ways (slow down the game for the big men so they won’t tire; slow game means less defense that needs to be played; foul trouble for the other team means they have to dig into their bench). Yet they haven’t been able to do that this year. They haven’t been pounding the ball inside to Curry, or driving to the basket. Instead it’s been a poor perimeter game that’s been driving the offense, whether Richardson’s missed open threes, Randolph’s perimeter shooting (good, but not effective for the Knicks team), or Crawford and Marbury’s one on one pull up jumpers/runners/drives that go nowhere.
It’s a longshot, but if the Knicks could increase their free throws, their fouls drawn, they could have much more success.
SML, nice post, which leads me to think that the refs aren’t calling the game in favor or ZBo or Curry in the paint.
Donaghy? I doubt it.
But the perception of the Knicks in the MSM and in turn, Stern, doesn’t help matters.
Most people are saying that they are over-feeding Curry in the post (and Tad’s Steak on 34th)…
I can’t help but think how much of a disappointment QRich has been. Hate to pile it on him…but he’s been a big ZERO.
Damn Temple…at 6’5, JCraw’s handle is about the only thing he has going for him. Don’t take that away from him…lol
The Bucks aren’t exactly tearing the league up with Redd in the lineup.
Like the Knicks, they aren’t in a position to ask for the moon in trade talks.
The only positive that can be drawn from a losing season is trade talks with other losing teams. They will be less inclined to think that you are cheating them. You both suck. You both are looking to get better. And because you’re records are obviously bad there’s nothing left to hide.
Now, dealing with a winning team, the Knicks would have to give a lot more than they receive. To the Spurs, the Knicks are desperate. But from Miami’s perspective…we’re in the same boat. We’re just trying to scratch each other’s backs.
Or should we just throw out the stats altogether with respect to the Knick guards since Francis only played 44 games and Crawford 59?
I dig your point SML. There is no question those three players could get to the line. And, there is no question that increasing the number of fouls drawn would improve their chances. And there’s the rub.
Curry and Marbury are poor free throw shooters relative to their position. Perhaps the best options for the dribble drive game are Crawford (arguably his ONLY asset) and some of the role players.
I think what you’re saying is is that this is a true mess.
I’m being facetious. Of course Curry remains the number one option. It would be nice if he could get out of the Shaq-Wilt Zone in terms of FT%.
SML, great stats and I cosign your post! We don’t get to the line! Now without touching the BARF ref theory (which may have some merit), i bring it back to the Zach-Eddy pairing. Marbury is far less agressive while defering to the post and those two guys clog up the lanes wher marbury might roam. Curry is great at getting to the line when frequently fed
“Most people are saying that they are over-feeding Curry in the post (and Tad’s Steak on 34th)…” …I love it BARF! …the Warriors also weren’t tearing up the league when we snatched Sprewell. Operation “Get Redd” must be in effect. he is that perimeter shooter that we desparately need. Zack and Craw for Redd and Mason right now.
Temple, thanks for bringing free throws into the discussion. Free throws are huge because they could be relied on on off shooting nights. The extra attempts more than make up for the lower shooting %. …Curry is bad but NOT shaq-Wilt Zone at all…
Can’t the Knicks just spot teams 10 points and play 3 quarter of basketball with line-ups that actually mesh instead of subjecting us to failed experiment that is Curry Randolph
I say send Crawford in any trade that anyone anywhere is willing to make under any conditions. The man does one thing well: shoot on the move. Oh, and shoot free throws…that’s it.
The thing that I like about Randolph, though, is his proven ability to score against elite competition. I don’t like how he’s played so far and certainly don’t disagree with your collective assessment of his defensive limitations. A player of Redd’s stature would be outstanding…and I suspect that Zach would fare quite well in Milwaukee.
Jones, that is EXACTLY right! That is EXACTLY what the Knicks do!
T3, I wouldn’t go that far as Craw can be valuable as a 6th man sparkplug, but I would definitely trade him for a perimeter shooter for a team that needed a slasher…
Modi,
Resolved.
Steady,
I don’t think that this is resolved because of tonight’s great win. Detroit played 4 in 5 nights, shot only 30%, and our bench played great. As long as E-Z-Q are starting, we will lose… despite the exception that was their good 3rd quarter…
However, it is nice to see Renaldo getting some burn!!!!