The Knicks have finally done what their supporters were asking for:
changes! Isiah was finally fired and for his place, GM Donnie Walsh has
hired Mike D'Antoni, the former coach of the Suns and the past seasons
of the Knicks and D'Antoni have been antagonistic. While D'Antoni had a
232-96 record in the past four seasons in Phoenix, the Knicks had a
112-216 record in the same period. Normally when a team is rebuilding,
it's usual to see a lot of trades, after all when something went wrong
in the past, it's normal that teams try to get some new players on
their roster. The Wolves traded Kevin Garnett, Seattle traded Ray
Allen, Portland traded Zach Randolph, New Jersey traded Jason Kidd and
I could stay here giving examples of that for the whole day.
But what happens with the Knicks is that Donnie Walsh hasn't been
able to trade at least one of the Knicks theoric Big Three: Stephon
Marbury, Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry. The reason is actually simple to
explain. These three players have very heavy contracts and nobody wants
to have them right now, as they are known for creating problems in the
locker room and not being able to play as well as they were supposed to
do, according to their big contracts.
D'Antoni had in Phoenix a guard, who was a leader on the field and
with an extraordinary vision of the game: Steve Nash. He had a very
powerful big man, capable of slaughtering his opponents on the paint:
Amare Stoudemire. And besides these two players, D'Antoni also had a
very quick forward, who was capable of scoring a lot of points in fast
breaks: Shawn Marion. The version of D'Antoni in New York will have to
be totally different, unless there is a last minute trade, as comparing
Marbury, Randolph and Curry to Nash, Stoudemire and Marion is like
comparing water to wine: it's incomparable!
Either winning or losing, the Knicks will play on a totally style
this season with D'Antoni, if we consider that the Knicks had actually
a style of play with Isiah Thomas. The run and gun will be good to
watch in the MSG, but the problems begin for this team in the PG
position. Unless a miracle happens, Stephon Marbury won't be the same
player he was a couple of seasons ago, when he was averaging 20ppg and
8 apg. He will now have the role of being the backup of Chris Duhon,
who will be the starting PG of the team and he is a player more known
for being a good defender than being a good offensive guard. His
character and leadership will be unquestionable, but the Knicks will
also need a guard with great offensive skills. This position will be
the key of the success or not of the Knicks this season.
The backcourt of the Knicks will be completed with Jamal Crawford
and Nate Robinson, who are perfect for D'Antoni's system, as they are
players who are more concerned with the offense than with defense.
Crawford was the team's best scorer last season, with 20.6 ppg and
41.0% FG. He has also averaged 5.0 apg and certainly it won't be hard
for him to at least equal these numbers this season. With Robinson, the
situation is basically the same. His speed will be a weapon in the
offense and Robinson has been showing on the preseason that he is in
good form and perfectly adapted to the new style of play of the Knicks.
Danilo Gallinari was a very risky draft pick, having in account
that there were very good players still in the draft, when the Knicks
used their #6 draft pick. D'Antoni knows the Italian basketball very
well and also Gallinari's father, but until what point will the Italian
rookie have an immediate impact on the league? If he is able to
correspond to the expectations, then the Knicks will gain a versatile
player, capable of being dangerous in any zone of the field, however
that task won't be easy and the last player being selected on a very
high position on the draft is still yet to make a big impact on the
league: Andrea Bargnani. He will compete with Quentin Richardson for
the SF position, who is the player who D'Antoni knows better, as they
were together in Phoenix a couple of seasons ago. A curious fact is
that Richardson has made 230 3pts shots in three seasons in New York.
The same Richardson who has made 226 3pts shots just in one season in
Phoenix, where he led the league in the 2004-2005 season.
The frontcourt of the team has the problems I've previously refered
with Randolph and Curry. Will these two players be capable to adapt to
a run and gun system? A positive factor is that D'Antoni will be more
concerned with offense than with defense and that's good news, as these
two players are known for their terrible defensive skills. Randolph
will be able to continue using his good mid-range shot and it won't be
hard for him to average a double double, like he did last season (17.6
ppg and 10.3 rpg). The player who can be more benefited with these
changes is David Lee, as he has been the most supported player by the
crowd, as he gives everything he has on the field and that's a strong
enough motive, having in account the rest of the options the Knicks
have in the frontcourt. Lee has great conditions to have a career
season, now that Isiah Thomas (who misused him big time) is gone.
D'Antoni has already starting to use him more and as he is a player who
moves very well, he will fit very well on the run and gun system. He
was a starter in 3 preseason games and he has averaged 10.5 ppg and
12.0 rpg, with 74% FG!
The Knicks will compete on the hardest division of the East,
together with Boston, Toronto and Philadelphia. Mike D'Antoni will need
to prove that he can do miracles this season or that Marbury, Randolph
or Curry can become into the players everybody was expecting them to
be, when they joined the Knicks. If that happens, the team will be
competitive. In one way or another, the Knicks will be a funny team to
watch this season.
Get Andre Gomes' 1st Half
NBA Season Package at Pregame Pros!