Blame COACH Isiah, Not GM: 7 Reasons Why Thomas Went Wrong
“Fire Isiah” chants can be heard from the rafters, can be read in newspapers, and are daily fodder for talk radio. But what has gotten far less discussion in mainstream media is any thoughtful separation between “Isiah-the-coach” and “Isiah the GM”. Such a discussion might mess up the only existing narrative put forth by our media which is: "Isiah Thomas (and James Dolan) are the worst executives in the history of sports". But a close look reveal that in 2007 Isiah the GM is not the problem, Isiah the Coach is.
Isiah-the-Coach: He performed well last year. Knick fans will tell you that wins were scarce, but the effort and energy was there every single night. The year brought optimism for this year because in between the terrible opeming adjustment period (pre-Denver fight) and before the major injuries hit in March, the Knicks played .500 ball for more than two months and was on course for the playoffs. This year was supposed to be the next step. So what went wrong? Didn’t Isiah buy all the ingredients? As such shouldn’t he know how to cook this meal? Yeah he should… but he didn’t, and here is why:
So Where Did Isiah-the-Coach Go Wrong?
1) Death by “White Chocolate”: November 11, 2007 might very well might be the day the Knicks 2007 season died. The Knicks were 2-2 and played all four games quite hard. Then the following surreal sequence occurred: 1) Knicks beating Miami entire game; 2) With less than two minutes left, Miami steals a victory away from the Knicks; 3) Why? Stephon Marbury’s atrocious defense allows a broken down Jason Williams to reach back into his Sactown “White Chocolate” glory days; 4) an incensed Thomas overreacts and tells Marbury that he will not start the next game; 5) An incensed Marbury overreacts and goes AWOL after allegedly issuing threats to Isiah; 5) A gleeful New York media overreacts and goes buck wild in widening the chasm between the two; 6) Marbury comes back to team after missing a game; 7) team allegedly takes straw poll to see if Marbury should play; 
Allegedly, the poll answer is “no”; 9) Isiah plays Marbury anyway; 10) Because of benching fiasco, Isiah’s influence over Marbury may be permanently lost; 11) Because Thomas ignores straw poll, his influence over entire team may be permanently lost. …Damn that Jason Williams! It is quite possible that this article should have ended right here.
3) Substitution Patterns: As Michael Dunleavy put on his best Michael Jordan impression on Monday, once again I found myself yelling at my TV set: “put Jared Jeffries in the game, put Jared Jeffries in the game!”. The long-armed defensive Jeffries seemed like the perfect fit to cool off the “red-hot Dunleavy” (if I had a dime for everytime…). Jeffries did not play one minute. Was the Jeffries move the decision-maker in an eventual 27-point blowout? Not quite. Was it a moment that symbolized the entire season? Definitely. But rather than bring up every other Dunleavy-like moment where a new player gets a career high against the Knicks, let’s get to my biggest gripe:
4) Why can’t Renaldo Balkman get more burn? Firstly, Q Richardson’s off-season back-surgery and hyper-extended elbow seem to have drastically affected his shooting (32%!) this year. Also, the Knicks are 5-4 when Balkman gets at least 15 minutes per game. Does that small sample of a stat mean anything? I’m really not sure, but let’s find out!!! There seems to be a positive chain reaction when Renaldo is on the court. But the issue is bigger than Renaldo. It’s about…
5) Developing Talent: Last year Thomas did a good job at developing young talent. Eddy Curry began to develop into a low post offensive force, and for the first time in his career he started to be regularly double-teamed. Before his injury David Lee had a breakout year while averaging a double-double. Rookies Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins also showed budding promise. Besides Balkman, this year we were supposed to see Eddy pass out of the double-team, Lee add a jumper to his rebounding, and Collins get on the floor. It hasn’t happened. If all of these guys "hit their ceiling" then it is a GM thing. If not then it is a coaching thing. Sometimes it’s hard to tell.
6) Zach and Eddy: On paper getting Randolph and Fred Jones for Channing Frye and Steve Francis is a steal. However, unless Zach is going to regularly get 5 assists a night like he did this past Saturday, his arrival seems to have stunted Eddy’s continued growth offensively. And if he is not needed to do heavy lifting offensively, Curry should not be on the floor. Curry will never rebound and play D, but can thrive in a system where he is paired up with a defensive-minded, shot-blocking power forward. Given his rare dominant low-post offense, and reasonable contract (9M), he could be a valuable trade asset to another team that complements his weaknesses. In the short-run Zach and Eddy’s minutes really must be limited together even if it means having one coming off the bench as a super-sub. Lee might not bring you much better interior defense, but he will get some extra rebounds, put-backs, and leave more space in that post for Zach or Eddy to get into their flow.
What now short-run? So what went wrong since the budding promise of last year? Was it the Marbury benching? The straw poll? The frozen starting line-up? His substitution patterns? The pressure from the early losses? The vicious New York media? The booing fans? All of the above? Who knows? But this team has regressed instead of moved forward. It is now reported that Isiah is FINALLY considering some line-up changes and won’t even rule out removing himself. StopMikeLupica already proposed the Isiah-the-GM remove Isiah-the-coach scenario and implement Herb Williams (see Pat Riley-Stan Van Gundy in Miami). If there isn’t drastic improvement by the end of December, we are on board with this plan. Does that mean the popular and only-media-mentioned “blow the whole team up” plan is best. No. This talented squad deserves to be coached correctly to see what it can really do. If Isiah can’t do it, someone else should.
What now long-run? One or two trades are still in order to correct the structural flaws on this roster. Despite the unrealistic "chemistry critics", the Knick’s past trade assets gave Thomas no such luxury to worry about “chemistry” while desperate for acquiring talent. Now with upcoming expiring contracts (Marbury, Rose, Jones) and a deep young roster of assets (Curry, Balkman, & Lee) there is reasonable room for improvement. Wasn’t it only last year that Danny Ainge was in the running for the worst executive in basketball?
Final Disclaimer: If the Knicks go on an 18 game winning streak, please disregard this article!
[1] The exception to this rule is when a team gets that lucky #1 pick in one of those special lucky years (i.e. Lew Alcindor to Bucks)
as always, thank goodness for you, MODI. excellent breakdown, i have to agree with all of it.
what do you think of this?
starting lineup:
c- RMo (20 mins max ttl)
PF- Zbo
SF- Balkman
SG- Q/Jeffries (depending on matchup; Q for all his offensive weakness right now at least hustles for rebs)
PG - starbury (limit to 30 mins)
2nd unit:
December 19th, 2007 at 7:25 amC - Curry (doesn’t start, no burn end of games, but can play hard for 20 mins or so)
PF - Lee (also plays some b/u center)
SF - Jeffries/Q (depending on matchup, how things are going)
SG - Crawford (if he’s hot, we win, if he’s not, he’s not gonna hurt us as much)
PG - Jones/N8 (PT depending on matchup/who’s playing better on the night)
p.s. forgot to add that the idea behind that starting lineup is that you make starbury and zbo the show and the other three crash the boards and play … second unit scorers are curry and crawford (and/or n8 when he’s in)
just trying to promote better balance
December 19th, 2007 at 7:28 amModi,
December 19th, 2007 at 11:53 amIn my opinion Jason Wm’s shot did not unravel the Knicks season. My old B-Ball coach instilled in me that games are won and lost in the offseason. The Knicks early season games have been lost because the players did not commit to winning in the off-season. Unlike KG & the Celts who worked out together, had intense practices, took preseason games seriously and reported in shape(even Big Baby), Curry and the guys appeared to “talk” about winning as opposed to preparing to win physically and mentally. I do not think the Knicks’ players have “The Will to Win”.
If Curry’s conditioning was better, he would have more agility, jumper quicker for rebounds and block shots, and play better overall Defense. In addition the Curry/Zach combo would work better because Curry could do more then just score. The results of poor conditioning have been games similar to Indiana, 2 rebounds in 30 minutes, and terrible, just terrible defense.
Also Isiah, Coach & GM has to take responsibility for the results. I do believe that the relationships that he established w/ players as a GM while recruiting or trading for them has compromised his ability to make hard decisions. Does Crawford continue to start regardless of his erractic play because he signed as a free agent and later helped recruit Curry. Does Q start because he’s tough, but is lacking ability. Is it reasonable to pine for Jerome James return to good health. Modi, I believe that Isiah the GM relationships w/ players, has put Isiah the coach in a tough position
Modi,
December 19th, 2007 at 1:27 pmI agree with your statement that it takes 5-6 years to turn around a horrendous roster. I think (part of) the reason Isiah has come under so much fire is because when he took over, he didn’t step up and say, “this team currently stinks and we’re REBUILDING, and we’re not going to be a serious contender for 4-5 years.” That would have bought him some time from the fans and media. Instead every year since he took over as GM I’ve heard, “this is a good team, we’re going to make the playoffs.” (Cue Jim Mora, “playoffs?!, PLAYOFFS?!) So when the team flounders people question Isiah’s credibility and wonder if he know’s what he’s talking about. The Knicks are currently tied with Miami for the WORST record in the Eastern conference, and to quote another football coach, “you are what your record says you are”
Folly, I agree that I like Crawford and Curry playing together so they either both start or both come off bench. So I’m with you there. Now I can’t say that I’m with you on Randloph Morris. If I personally had to take a first stab it would be Marbury, Jones or Q, Balkman or Jeffries, Zbo, Lee starting.
Statesman, you make some excellent points, particularly about the off-season and conditioning. But most of all I agree with this statement:”I believe that Isiah the GM relationships w/ players, has put Isiah the coach in a tough position”. I’ve been saying this point but failed to include it in the article. I may add an update to round it out.
Jones, your point well taken and definitely has some merit, but let’s be honest here. If Isiah said: “this team currently stinks and we’re REBUILDING, and we’re not going to be a serious contender for 4-5 years.”… his ass would have been fired immediately. Perhaps you can pull that shit off in Indiana or someplace else… has Thomas been disingenouus? Yes. Should anyone have to be employed under the working conditions that are New York City and the vicious NYC press. No.
December 19th, 2007 at 1:48 pmAlso, statesman, didn’t I once propose the Isiah-as-GM compromising the Isiah-as-Coach theory and didn’t you pooh-pooh it:-)
December 19th, 2007 at 1:55 pmModi,
No that is not true. What you proposed and what I am saying are different. You stated that Isiah the coach is Attempting to make Isiah the GM look good. Why I disagreed w/ this theory is that if Isiah the coach looks bad then Isiah the GM looks bad, and vice versa. I do not believe that Isiah is attempting to justify his signings or trades, because they are ALL his players. If this was the case, then Randolph Morris would not have 22 DNPs.
My statement is based on a relationship perspective. I believe that he has allowed himself to become too close, w/ guys and therefore is no longer objective w/ his decision making. He has allowed the human element to penetrate his decisions. He believe’s that Q, is a good guy and he pulls for Q, even though Q, is not as good of a player as Balk. You do remember the Heat he took for drafting Balk. If he was using your theory Balk would have more minutes. Your theory would result in major minutes for Jeffreys. He is close to Crawford, so he allows Crawford to play even when he hurts the team.
Modi although our conclusions are similar, our premise are different.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:21 pmStatesman, your points are well taken, and you are probably right.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:08 pmStatesman, in saying Zeke-the-coach is trying to justify Zeke-the-GM, then wouldn’t the emphasis be on playing the biggest contracts? Isn’t that what’s happening, basically?
December 19th, 2007 at 3:22 pmYou know what, I that that back. Nemind.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:22 pmFolly, to your point my original thinking was that Isiah-the-coach was more invested in his “signature trades” (Curry, Zach-Curry experiment) that he is ultimately being judged on. That is what i meant with regard Isiah-the-coach” trying to justify “Isiah the GM”. However, I think Statesman probably hits the nail on the head of his personal relationships made as GM has messed with his ability to remain objective as coach. I mean, Q’s shooting % is there for all to see… His injuries have clearly taken a toll…
December 19th, 2007 at 4:15 pm1 down, 17 more in a row to go.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:05 pmmodi, i hope ny does go on a 18-game winning streak
hey, if the loyal soldier herb can’t step in I’d just as soon see what dave hanners could do with this squad. that summer league was running and gunning teams out of the building.
great stuff as usual MODI!
December 20th, 2007 at 3:13 amSome good stuff here. If all that you’ve posited in number 1 is true, I’d have some real concerns. Those are indicators of a crisis in leadership - as if the permutations and lawsuits were not sufficient - but that level of internal vacillation would be fatal. I can imagine that same dynamic in a family…Dad overreacts - family seeks to impose discipline - dad overrules family decision. After that, you’ve got nothing. The family will no longer commit to that investment to impose its will to correct behavior. The disincentives are too high.
December 20th, 2007 at 3:14 pmI don’t watch the Snickerbockers enough to know what the lineup or primary approach should be. I wish you had given us more of your sentiment in that area. I know you’d rather see Renaldo starting ahead of Q. For my money, Crawford has to sit as well because he’s such a Walking Turnover. I don’t hate the player. I hate his game. Sometimes it’s a player thing, sometimes it’s a game thing…it’s hard to tell.
C’mon Modi…gimme the starting five (yeah, that’s right - the starting five) and the rotations against some of their contenders for the 8th and final playoff spot. It’s time you put up.
December 20th, 2007 at 3:20 pmI’m pretty sure that all of #1 is true. Of course, the news about the straw poll comes from the always dubious “sources”
Okay, I see that you are calling me out! If I were coach, I would start with this and make adjustments as I saw fit..
Marbury
Jones
Balkman
Zach
Lee
This five would run a lot more and would create offense from defense. Marbury’s game would also improve as a result.
I like Curry and Jamal coming off the bench together because they have a chemistry with one another. If Curry is hot, keep him in. If not, sit him down. Ask him to play 20-25 minutes hard, at least until he gets in better shape. Q and Nate also come off bench. Jeffries is a wild card only to be used if defensive matchups dictate his presence ot if Balkman is inneffective.
December 20th, 2007 at 3:44 pmThere. That was painless and mad helpful…I appreciate it. I like your thinking here. Sign me up to watch that team. I like the perimeter defense. I like the offensive balance with Marbury and Zach working the inside outside game.
If Lee was a real center, I’d be pleased - but he can and will run - and that’s worth more at this stage.
Question: Do you believe he’ll be as effective a rebounder with this group on the court? Do you believe Freddie Jones and Balkman can knock down enough open jumpers off Steph’s penetration and Zach’s kick outs to be effective? If not, would you consider substituting another perimeter player in their place?
Thanks again.
December 20th, 2007 at 4:08 pmGood question. I am concerned that this line-up doesn’t have enough offensive fire-power. If Jamal and Curry came off the bench, I would also consider Q back as a starter over Balkman, particlarly if he can shoot like last night. Three scorers on the floor is usually the preferred ratio. Jones will miss some easy shots, but I really like his D.
– No Balkman can’t knock down a jumper to save his life, however, like Lee he has a great nose for the ball and can get those putbacks that demoralize another team. With Randolph, Lee, and Balkman in the game at the same time they own the glass. However, it comes at a cost of cringing at some of Lee and Balks misses.
– Did you say “Zach’s kickouts”? never seen it happen so I cvan’t answer the question.
– the key is marbury. he can be very effective but his role has to be clearly defined. i feel like he hasn’t been used right the last three years. Id he gets into the flow really early, it tends to carry over for the rest of the game. If he hasn’t penetrated once in the first quarter then the whole game is usually shot.
Here is the bottom line: for defensive reasons, i don’t really like Marbury and Jamal in the backcourt at the same time and don’t really like Zach and Eddy in the front court at the same time. You could hide one liability in either situation, but not two. Lee is not much better of a defender, but he makes up for it with boards, putbacks, and being in the right place at the right time.
December 20th, 2007 at 4:56 pmVery interesting site with openminded fans. I balled from PSAL to Ruckers to CUNY. I have a better grasp than most fans who never played the game at higher level than pick up games with friends. Trust me when I say this about Stephon and Jamal. Marbury and Crawford don’t work, because the only accomplished player at his position is Marbury. Crawford plays tooo much 1 on 1 ball to be successful in halfcourt situations. Marbury, like any successful point guard, needs a shooter who makes you pay for double teams in the post or on penetrations from the perimeter. Marbury, on this team, must be made the main weapon on the offense. If you remove everyone’s scoring skills and judged them on their overall basketball skill (dribbling, defending, passing, rebounding, etc etc) the better players would be Lee, Balkman, Marbury, Z-BO. This team needs to play the guys who can benefit from the most talented player on the court. That player is Stephon Marbury. Make no mistake about it. When it comes to the best penetrator, scorer, passer, dribbler, that man would be Marbury. Jamal, Nate, Jones and Collins are very limited players. They don’t have combined skills that are needed to be successful players in the halfcourt. They are turnover prone players waiting to happen outside of transition. Isiah has to admit his mistakes and return this team to Stephon Marbury. He has to make these players respect Marbury no matter the cost. And if there are players who aren’t willing to cooperate, then Zeke needs to get them out of town. Unfortunately, the suggested moves won’t improve the team greatly, because the team simply doesn’t have a shooter in the backcourt that can compete defensively with opposing 2 guards in the NBA. This team has needed a legit shooting guard since Houston retired. The team is also seriously lacking a big man on the baseline who can defend the lane and baseline with impunity. Giving the ball back to Marbury will bring some sense of sanity back to the Knicks, not to mention more wins. I’m all for it.
December 24th, 2007 at 3:39 amJimmy, thanks for dropping by and i respect the knowledge you bring. There is something to be said that comes from real life knowledge of playing the game that can’t easily be extracted just from watching it. That perspective is certainly welcomed.
Personally I like Crawford as the sparkplug 6th man.
What Marbury also brings that is important is that he gets fouled. It seems that marbury must reach a certain level of agressiveness on the court to be effective. When he gets too passive early he might tend to be passive the whole game.
I completely agree that the long-range shooter and low-post defender are the Knicks greatest needs.
If mardy collins can ev er develop a jump shot what do you see as his future in this league?
December 24th, 2007 at 4:15 amMODI- Mardy’s dribble isn’t good enough to play point in the NBA. A guy like him needs to depend on a jumper, but his release is very slow. Mardy can score if he is matched up with a point guard he can overpower, but that would entail him being having the ball in his hands a little too much. I don’t see him ever being anything more than a back up.
Marbury’s strength is getting fouled, but the real fear with Stephon is his ability to get right to the rim. That makes defenses very aware and leads to players leaving their own man to cover for the guy Marbury just beat. I rather see Marbury force 10 drives to the basket where players have to leave their man to help out. He either gets fouled or he leaves rebounds up there for guys like Lee and ZBO to take advantage of. He breaks down defenses either 1 on 1 or off the pick and roll. Stephon doesn’t do the Jamal thing and pull up for a little 10 foot floater.
You’re right about Jamal. No winning team starts Crawford. He just isn’t good enough offensively nor defensively for 40 minutes.
December 24th, 2007 at 9:16 amModi/Jimmy,
Modi- I glad you were amused…in whatever way,
December 24th, 2007 at 3:45 pmThe “Kink-pin” analogy is reflective of this crackhead coaching.
In any case,why is everyone been so wrapped up with the talent aspect of an athlete’s resume as oppposed to his ability to make others players around him better.Talent and ability mean absolutely nothing unless they are paired with IQ(*IQ’s surrounding him) and Historic Knowledge of his expertise. Lets look at all the athlete’s that have come into the league straight otta’ high school(1995-current) and have contributed to championships,(1). And he came into a situation with all of the above mentioned and continues to seek out a situation that will make him a champion again. O’ congrats to him on becoming the youngest player to ever get 20k.
I thought Walt Clyde Frasier did an excellent job in his book “THE GAME INSIDE THE GAME” pointing out today’s players simply not being as smart as the players from his era. Clyde outlined Steph as the NYK who he though had the best game inside the game. For reasons you guys stated, Steph has the savy to get to the rim and we know the rest.
I have the propensity to view players based on their ability to reinvent/recreate their games,acquire as well as develope other areas of their game,and consistanly play at high level(no matter what the level of skill around him is). Starbury has not done that.This is the 2x All Star’s 11th season.That means there were 8 yrs that another PG played at a relatively higher level then he. All Star teams do not neccessarily suggest that a player is not playing at a high level ,but my point is you are who you are, no matter where you go. 2 for 10, as we can attribute none of those appearances to his tenure as a NYK. He Must show consistantcy!
Much can be made of his relationships with his team mates and all of his coaches. But the very core of the teams success is deeply rooted in Stephon Marbury’s personality as much as his play. I myself am having a hard time dealing with the inconsistant play and lack of owness on his and coach Thomas’s behalf when it comes to shouldering the burden of a lose or why you are losing. Yes Steph has been used wrong and will continue to be ,until he is definatively assigned an identity/role. He does not know if he is a point guard or a two guard? He states he is struggling in his role because he was asked to get the other players more involved.I expect some backlash from the change of mentality of a scoring pg guard, but indentity theft explains what happened when he recorded a game last year without a FG attempt, at which point mother Marbury reminded him he was. Great Job MOM!
I have been very critical in my assessment of Marbury since back in NY…and the one thing that is apparent to me… is his lack of leadership and inability to support his team mates. Why are we hearing reports that Jamal Crawford is now stepping up to the plate and becoming a leader? Has his play demonstrated he ready to lead?
In my view yes! Here’s why, Jamal obviously is very streaky (So is Allen I., DWade,& 1x NYK Spree..all bad shot shooters w/ bad Shooting%’s)with a knack for the big shot. But his ability to create his own shot in a stagnant ‘half court’offesene has save the NYK on countless possesions/games where the shot clock/game clock is 4secs or less. Which results in low percentage shots and most often turnovers (which coaches that “SIT DOWN’ for 38min. with inexperienced TALENT on the floor should take the blame for!)Jamal could stand to put on some more muscle, but has developed an expectionable mid-range(floating whatever you call it) game..which equates for a majority of the foul calls he gets. However ,I can not stress enough how he continues to bail out the defense when he settles for the jumper, flat out he can get any shot he wants..because of his handle!, it is a matter of a mental approach towards your opponent, understanding high percentage offense’s work the ball to get open shots, and get to the freethrow line..and actually make their freethrows!
Jamal is a walking turnover?
DWade,J.Kidd,Lebron,Dwight Howard,Kobe,Shaq,Baron Davis,Allen I, and Zach(3.1) Randolph all have turned the ball over more the Jamal(2.9) has this season.This comes with handling a bulk of the offense! Numbers dont lie…people do!
Area’s for improvement: look no further than efficiency! That which comes with familiarity with your coach, your teammates and their ability to get you the ball where you are most effective.
I am not opposed to Crawford coming of the bench, However I would be concerned with how his response, considering his acceptance of the leadership role of this team. He ,like Marbury may be confused by his deployment and may never accept it as… ‘what is in the teams best interest.’ I just find it ironic that you would in some ways reduce a players role when they have expressed interest in accepting more responsibilty. Lastly, the kid is our best clutch performer. ‘U cant coach that!’
Jimmy - I hope that your assessment on Mardy is wrong. I never realized that his handle is that bad. I like that he defends, rebounds, and spreads it around. Sometimes he infutriates me when he won’t take the wide open jumper. The lack of confidence reminds me of Charlie Ward in his early years. I also saw that he has a slow release but couldn’t tell if he was just being too tentative as a young player…
Ehus, thank you for you very well thought out analysis. I am not interested in “reducing Jamal’s role” any more than Greg Popvich is interested in reducing Manu Ginobli’s role. I believe Crawford’s game is suited for that 6th man role, and I also don’t like Marbury and Crawford together defensively in the backcourt. Less time as a tandem will mean less defensive possessions and more time where each can become aggressive. The choice to start Marbury is based on the fact that he is more likely to spread the ball around the perimeter in my view, more likely to create fouls IF AGGRESSIVE, and more likely to create better perimeter defense with someone like Fred Jones in the game.
Craw has already been a 6th man for the Knicks and handled it quite fine. If he is the leader that you say he is, then it shouldn’t be a problem. Of course, at the end of the 4th quarter, Crawford and his clutch shooting remains in the game. No argument there.
PS: in the future break up your post with space between paragraphs as it becomes a much easier read…
December 24th, 2007 at 6:55 pmEHUS- You shouldn’t ever put Jamal in the same sentence with elite players in the league. Marbury is the team’s point guard and also their best perimeter scorer. That’s the problem. The team doesn’t have sufficient talent. You seriously overrate Jamal’s game. His crossover is his only move. He depends on it entirely too much and it doesn’t work when the defense is keying up on him late in the game. Has Jamal ever beaten anyone off the crossover in the 4th quarter of a game? Want the difference between Marbury and Crawford? Nobody sends a double to Crawford at the end of the game. Marbury tries to isolate at the end of the game and the double arrives IMMEDIATELY. Crawford doesn’t command the respect Stephon does on the court. That’s the difference between an upper level player like Marbury and a 2nd rate guy like Jamal. Crawford is nothing more than a glorified Ricky Davis. Nothing more, nothing less. For the last 3 years, the Knicks have been on the way to nowhere. Why isn’t someone looking to add Crawford to their playoff roster? Simple answer there………..
I don’t see how you can be critical of Stephon Marbury and his All-Star appearances. Much of it is politics. Marbury should have been on more than 2, but that’s life. Crawford has never made an All-Star team and somehow Zeke has managed to make Crawford more of a weapon than Stephon! How does this team belong to Curry and Crawford before Stephon? As far as I am concerned, Zach and Marbury should be option #1 and #2 on this roster. Curry and Crawford should be bit pieces. This is where I think Zeke has officially lost his mind. To make things worse, the fans are wondering whether Marbury is a pg or an off-guard. Who cares? The fact of the matter is the Knicks don’t have the talent to sustain themselves without Marbury scoring more. Have the Knicks EVER shown the ability to win games without Marbury having a heavy influence in the scoring? NO! Why this extraordinarily STUPID strategy of making 3 players better scoring options than Stephon? What’s with the insanity?
I say this. If you remove Crawford from this team and put in a true shooting guard playing 35 minutes (Wally Z or someone of that ilk) the Knicks will have much better floor balance. Not only does Marbury become a more viable threat (you can’t help out on Marbury when he heads to the basket), but you also relieve the pressure on Z-BO when he is in the post. Even Curry benefits. Jamal Crawford is a HUGE detriment on this team. His halfcourt offense is not above average and his defense is straight up miserable. If Seattle gave me Wally Z for Crawford tomorrow, Crawford is on a plane out West the same day. Zeke’s arrogance has completely taken over his mindset. His coaching decisions border on total INEPTITUDE. What coach would give the ball to Curry and Crawford over a proven scorer/passer in Marbury? Does Don Nelson make Baron Davis a 3rd or 4th option? No! Remind me when Wade was turned into a 3rd option in Miami?
December 25th, 2007 at 10:24 pmMODI- I would much rather have the ball in Marbury’s hands than Crawford’s at the end of the game. His creativity is limited and his ability to score in the 4th quarter is overrated. As I stated in the previous post, a zone busting shooter would be a better fit on this team. The day Crawford commands a double in the 4th is the day I respect Crawford’s game. The NBA certainly doesn’t respect his game in the 4th. Stephon Marbury DOES have the coaches’ respect. They 100% double him or commit to a zone for fear of his penetrating skill. You don’t see that when Crawford has the ball at the end of the game.
Mardy is a nice defensive guard. He would be nice for 15 minutes a game. Zeke should have tabbed Millsap or Daniel Gibson over Collins. Guys like Collins you can find on the scrap heap in the semi-pro leagues.
December 25th, 2007 at 10:45 pmJimmy, I do agree that Crawford is overrated, but don’t have as low opinion of him as you do. However, I do a agree that a shooter at the 2 would be far more valuable than a slasher given the Knicks current make-up.
My assessment of Crawford at the end of games has to do with seeing him hit many clutch shots at the end of games with less than 20 seconds left. He does have a knack for the clutch and his ability to create helps him out.
Yes, Millsap would have been great, but you can say that every year about any team by finding the one or two 2nd rounders that turned out to be steals… I would like to see Marcy develop some more before deciding his ceiling for potential.
December 25th, 2007 at 11:21 pmfivestar…
G6hnhuo5hfnvt5TyoD4bhQqAw…
March 12th, 2008 at 3:26 am