In Phil We Trust?

It’s now been almost two full seasons with Phil Jackson at the head of the Knicks, and what do they have to show for it? Two losing seasons, (the first one being the worst record in team history), an aging roster, a disgruntled “superstar,” and a terrible decision to hire a rookie coach, only to replace him midway through his second season with a guy who is not much better. 

You can make a strong argument that the Knicks are worse off now, than they were when Phil took over. The only bright spot in this situation is the rookie phenom Kristaps Porzingis. There’s not much else on the roster that looks to have any potential going forward, save for maybe Jerian Grant.

The Knicks have ton of questions going into this upcoming offseason. They’ll have some money to spend in free agency, but as shown in the last few years, what big names are going to want to come here? What do they do with Carmelo Anthony? There were rumors of a trade that involved Melo right before the trade deadline. Do you attempt to trade your “best” player for draft picks and young players, and start building the future around Porzingis? These are questions that will indeed need to be answered. But the biggest question of all, and the one that needs to be answered before any of these other moves will be made, is what to do with Phil Jackson?

Phil Jackson is a proven coach, in the discussion for being the greatest of all time, there’s no denying that. But his track record as an executive has not been so impressive. The Knicks record so far in his two years at the helm is: 48 wins and 112 losses.

Phil has a great basketball mind, as you can see from his multiple coaching championships with the Bulls in the mid 90’s and the Lakers in the early 2000’s. But is he too brilliant for him to be able to teach his principles and coaches to other coaches? They say that great players don’t make for great coaches, mainly because for most great players, the game came so easy to them. It can be a frustrating process to try and teach something to someone that comes as second nature to you. Just try teaching one of your older relatives about how to use a computer or use a smartphone, and you’ll understand how it feels. Is it difficult for Phil to pass on his triangle offense and coaching philosophies to his disciples?

Phil’s coaching tree has not been successful in the NBA (besides Steve Kerr, but look at the roster he has in Golden State). The likes of Frank Hamblen, Bill Cartwright, Jim Cleamons, Brian Shaw, Kurt Rambis, and Derek Fisher have failed miserably in their attempts at coaching.

These coaches are trying to use the same principles and philosophy that Phil Jackson used during his coaching career, but can’t do so with the same success. Kurt Rambis, the current coach in New York, is not the future of the Knicks. There have been rumors that Phil might step in and split time with Rambis, and coach the team during home games next season. To have two separate coaches running a team at the same time sounds like a mess.

So what are the options?

1. Hire Luke Walton in the offseason. Luke is  from the Phil tree, but he has some recent coaching experience with the Golden State Warriors (unlike Derek Fisher who came straight from the hardwood to the bench). Luke is pretty unproven as a head coach, but did fill in for Steve Kerr earlier this season and coached the Warriors to a 39-4 record. He has the potential to be a good head coach in this league. We already know where Rambis’ ceiling is, and it doesn’t seem to be that high. The sky could be the limit for Walton if they could surround Porzingis with some young talent. There’s no guarantee that he would come here, or even be interested in a head coaching position. He’s currently apart of one of, if not the greatest teams in NBA history, and I’m sure there will be many suitors for his services come this offseason. 
2. Phil Jackson comes down from the front office and coaches the team full time. No part time business, come down and clean up the mess that is this franchise. Phil is a great coach, and an even better motivator. If there is anyone that can get the most out of his roster, it is Phil. He had some health issues that made him step down from the Lakers coaching position, and eventually brought him to the front office of the Knicks. If he is healthy enough to commit to the team full time as a coach, then he should.
3. Scrap the whole Phil experiment, let him go his own way, and bring in a guy like Tom Thibodeau as the head coach. Phil and Tom have two completely philosophies, and would never be able to work together. Tom is not currently coaching, and has said publicly that he would be interested in coaching the Knicks.   There will be other coaches available, but Thibodeau might be the best of the bunch. 

It will certainly be a pivotal offseason for the Knicks, as they seem to be trending downward. It will be interesting how it plays out, and definitely something that Knicks fans will be keeping an eye on. My prediction: the Knicks swing and miss on Walton, and end up giving Rambis a full training camp and offseason to see what he can do next year. Unfortunately this is the last thing I want to happen, but then again it’s the Knicks, so I am sure they will disappoint me yet again.

Toney Douglas > Mike Bibby

Remember that guy Toney Douglas who was a fan favorite at the garden last year and who was supposed to be the starting point guard for the 2011-2012 Knicks? That's the same guy who shot close to 40% from 3 point range in the previous two seasons and has been known and was drafted for his ability to play defense on the perimeter.

With the recent injuries to Amar'e Stoudemire, Jared Jeffries and Jeremy Lin the Knicks rotation has had some minutes available at the guard spots. With Lin being injured on Monday night, Mike Bibby was inserted into the rotation as the backup point guard to Baron Davis. Davis is still getting into game shape so Bibby was on the court in some key minutes in the most important game of the season for the Knicks so far.

Bibby was a great player in Sacramento and even in Atlanta. He struggled last year with the Miami Heat and has yet to find his range from the 3 point line which was his strength for most of his career. He struggles on the defense end of the floor, especially against younger and quicker point guards, and doesn't bring much to the offense end of the court as far as penetrating and creativity.

So why not give Toney Douglas another shot? No doubt about it Toney struggled at the start of the season when he was asked to be the starting point guard on a team with high aspirations. He was still recovering from having off season shoulder surgery, and was asked to play point guard in a system that is built for a facilitator and not a scorer at the position. Toney has always been considered in between a 1 and a 2 but his defense and accuracy from behind the arc is something that this team could use off the bench.

With a new coach and a new system why not wipe the slate clean on Douglas and give him some minutes off the bench and see what he has. With all the injuries piling up, and the grueling compact season coming down to the final stretch, you never know when you might need him.

Can Melo Fit?

 

Now that we know that Jeremy Lin is for real, the next question is how will Amar'e and Melo fit in with the new style of offense. Many believe that Stoudemire will actually greatly benefit from Lin as his point guard because Amar'e has thrived in this type of system when a true PG was there to run the offense. Amar'e had great seasons with Steve Nash and was an all star last year playing with Raymond Felton for the first half of the season. Stoudemire has struggled at times this season on the offensive end, but the emergence of Lin and the Knicks  reverting back to a true D'Antoni system offense of ball movement and pick and rolls will benefit Amar'e.

Carmelo Anthony on the other hand is another story. Most have speculated that Melo will struggle to adapt to the way the Knicks have been playing in his absence. They say that Melo needs the ball in his hand to be productive. I tend to disagree with most. Obviously Melo is one of the top scorers in the game when it comes to one on one isolation, but he has proven that when he has successful point guard, he can play off the ball as well. In recent interviews he has said all the right things, saying that it is his job to fit in to what Lin is doing, that he can play with anybody, and that he is excited to finally have a point guard that can run the offense. Knicks fans were starting to unfairly boo Melo before his injury. He was asked to play a position he was uncomfortable with.  the point-forward, having to run the offense after Toney Douglas and Iman Shumpert struggled in the beginning of the season to do so.

Jeremy Lin has made everyone around him better. He has transformed five fingers into a fist, and substituting Jared Jeffries and Bill Walker with Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony is sure to make the Knicks a better team. It will take time for Amar'e and Melo to gel in the new offense and get used to playing with Lin, but if they buy in, the Knicks will be back in discussion for one of the top half seeds for the playoffs.

Knicks win streak hits 3 as Jeremy Lin continues to shine

The first time could be luck, the second time could be a trend but after a third straight game in which Jeremy Lin has shined, you can tell that he is the real deal.

Lin had 23 points and a career high 10 assists as the New York Knicks defeated the Washington Wizards 107-93 at the Verizon Center on Wednesday Night. 

This was the first start on the road for Lin, and he was surprised to receiver a warm ovation from the fans when during his introduction before the game. The fans in Washington continued to give him support after every made basket and even began chanting his name at the end of the game.

"Like I said after the last game, I wouldn't have imagined this” said Lin after the roller coaster ride of the past week.  “Thanks for them for coming out and they came out strong for the Knicks tonight. We had a lot of energy that came from them.”

Lin has been the talk of the town in the Asian-American community and tonight showed the support they have for him as there was multiple signs with his name and even some Taiwanese flags spread throughout the arena.

Lin has raised the level of play for the Knicks and his play making ability has helped Steve Novak burst onto the scene after being buried on the Knicks bench. Novak had 19 points on Wednesday and was 5-9 from downtown. 

Another playing thriving from the play of Jeremy Lin is Tyson Chandler. Chandler was involved in a boatload of pick and roll plays on Wednesday and finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds, two points shy of his career high.

No one has been more excited about the play of Jeremy Lin than Coach Mike D’Antoni. Many have been clamoring for D’Antoni’s job after he has struggled integrating Carmelo Anthony into the offense. The Knicks have struggled running D’Antoni’s offense without a true point guard, and Lin has come on the scene right in the Knick of time(pun intended). 

"I think it's for real," Coach D'Antoni said. "The things that are real are his vision, which won't change; his speed, which won't change; his knowledge of the game, which won't change. I think it can only get better."

After two hot shooting games, the Knicks shot just 25 percent from the field in the first quarter and were trailing 23-17. Lin got into foul trouble and had to sit the final four minutes of the first quarter. The Knicks outscored the Wizards 35-23 in the second quarter, thanks to Steve Novak who was on fire connecting on four 3-pointers to give the Knicks a 52-46 halftime lead.

Washington went on a 10-2 run to begin the third quarter before Lin took over. He made play after play in the third and scored 12 points to put the Knicks ahead 77-68 entering the fourth. 

The closest the Wizards got in the fourth was five points at 79-72, but strong play from Lin and rookie Iman Shumpert , who had 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, helped the Knicks pull out their third victory in as many games, and kept the Linsanity going.

In Davis We Trust (Or at Least Hope)

Knicks' point guard Baron Davis practiced with the team on Monday for the first time since being acquired in mid December. This was the first time Davis has seen the court in nine months as he has been recovering from a herniated disk in his back. Coach Mike D'Antoni and the Knicks are in desperate need of a spark at the point guard position. The Knicks' offense has struggled without a true point guard to run the D'Antoni offense. With great scorers like Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire on the team, many thought that defense, not offense, would be the side of the ball that was struggling. The offense has looked stagnant with Anthony playing the point-forward position after D'Antoni tried to run the offense through combo guards Toney Douglas and rookie Iman Shumpert. The Knicks lead the league in isolation plays so far this season, and fans have become restless and have even booed Carmelo Anthony when he runs the offense by holding the ball at the elbow for 10 seconds, as he shimmy and shakes followed by hoisting up a brick. In fairness Anthony has been bothered by injuries, particular to his non shooting hand and wrist but the lack of a true point guard is the main reason for his and his teammates struggles.

In Baron Davis coach D'Antoni, as well as Knicks' fans see a band-aid that can help patch up the offense and make this team into the championship contender that many deemed it would be at the start of the season. Their view is very optimistic and they hope they get the Baron Davis that is an all star point guard and not the one who has struggled in the past couple of years dealing with injuries. The Knicks' season and possibly coach D'Antoni's job will rely on how well Davis performs when he eventually gets into some game action. He is sure to struggle in his first couple of games, having to get acclimated with the Knicks' offense, as well as his teammates. Only time will tell if this glimmer of hope will provide a light at the end of the tunnel.

Knicks poor execution down the stretch has them coming home down 0-2

The title says it all. The final two minutes is where they separate the men from the boys, and unfortunately for the Knicks, they have some maturing to do. The Knicks had a lead in the final minute of each of the last two games, and have come away empty handed in Boston.

Many analysts believed that the Knicks had to win at least one game of the first two in order to upset Boston, and I agree with them. Winning 4 of the next 5 games against a powerhouse like Boston would be an incredible feat, but it is extremely unlikely that it would happen, especially with the uncertainty of stars Amare Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups.

In Game 1, the Knicks were simply wetting their playoff whistle. Having only half of a season together, this group of players is still trying to gel. Their finish to the season raised excitement in Knicks nation, and the fans thought they could take on the world. Well the two games in Boston gave them a dose of reality. The Knicks are on their way, but are not an elite team yet. Elite teams can get a defensive stop in the last minute and make big shots when the game is theirs for the taking. The Knicks were dominating game 1, even with Carmelo Anthony being in foul trouble for most of the first half. The Knicks led basically the whole way, by double digits for a time, but you always knew that the Celtics were going to make their run, which they did. Some questionable calls by the refs down the stretch definitely helped them out, but when your an elite team and your playing at home, your going to get those calls. Still the Knicks were in it and had poor execution in their final possession. First off, not having a timeout to advance the ball is poor management by coach D'Antoni. I know he used a lot of timeouts to try and stop the Celtics runs, but you have to leave yourself with a couple of timeouts when you know the game is going to close. After a couple of poor defensive possessions the Knicks were down 2 with about 15 seconds to go. So with no timeouts, and no play called,  the Knicks put the ball into Melo's hand to win the game. If they had a timeout, maybe they would have called a play to get the ball to Stoudemire who was on fire, and who made two ridiculous plays in the final minutes to keep the Knicks in it. Now I don't have a problem with Melo taking the shot, I just wish it was a better shot and not a 29 foot 3 pointer. He missed, and the Knicks didn't even try to foul Garnett even though there was a couple of seconds left. It was an extremely heartbreaking loss for the Knicks and their fans.

In game 2 the tale of the first 46 minutes were a little different, but the final 2 ended up the same. The Knicks were struggling shooting the ball, had to battle to keep the game close. The Celtics led most of the way, with the Knicks chipping away every minute trying to come back and take the lead. The Knicks lost Amare to injury in the 2nd quarter, and he missed the entire second half. This was the second time in two games the Knicks had to play without one of their stars, this time without Amare and Billups, and they still managed to be right there in the end thanks to Carmelo Anthony's brilliant 42 point 17 rebounds performance. But again it came down to the final minutes, and again the Knicks struggled with execution and strategy.
After the Celtics took a :20 timeout with about 30 seconds remaining, coach D'Antoni took a :20 timeout right after the Celtics broke their huddle. I'm criticizing this because again at the end of the game the Knicks had no timeouts left to advance the ball.

They let Garnett score with some defensive pressure, and then after their last timeout they come with a play. Carmelo gets triple teamed and dishes it down low to Jared Jeffries who was wide open, and despite his offensive ineptitude, had scored a beautiful layup a minute earlier. Garnett comes over to Jeffries, and he tries a bounce pass to Bill Walker but Garnett's long arms grab the ball and as he is laying down he call timeout with about 4 seconds left. Down by 1, if the Knicks fouled quickly, they still would have had about 2 seconds to get off a good shot that could've won or at least tied the game, depending on if the Celtics made their free throws or not. But for some reason Anthony had no idea that Delonte West could go in the backcourt, which he did, and caught the ball and burned off 3.4 seconds and eventually go fouled with .6 remaining. You have to wonder if D'Antoni mentioned anything in the huddle if the Celtics could catch it in the backcourt, but even so, you should know that as a player. So West made both free throws, and the Knicks were left down by 3 with no timeouts, and had to heave a 3/4 court shot that came up well short. Another disappointing loss where the game was up in the air and the Knicks couldn't close the deal.

Just getting to the playoffs is a great accomplishment for the Knicks this season, and they seem to be heading in the right direction for the future, but after watching these two games, what fan couldn't ask for more from this team. They are going blow for blow with one of the best teams of recent years and they are lasting until the final seconds. Hopefully they can win a game or two at home and make this is a series, but if not, the Knicks fan who has been in pain for many years can now truly feel that the Knicks' time is almost here. It might not be this year, but with other teams getting older and most of the Knicks players being in their prime or younger, you can bet that the Knicks are back to being a perennial playoff team, and with a tweaking here or there, they could be a championship contender. The Knicks have been the laughing stock of the league for far too long.  The regular season is the regular season, but with the last two tight, hard fought playoff games, the NBA better take notice that the Knicks have arrived and that these Knicks will be around for sometime.

Knicks face off with rival Celtics in opening round of the playoffs

The New York Knicks are in the playoffs. Man it feels good to say that. The Knicks have missed out on postseason play since 2004, when they got swept by the New Jersey Nets in 4 games. The last time they actually won a playoff game was 10 years ago in 2001 when they defeated the Toronto Raptors.

The Knicks who are the 6th seed, will face off with the Boston Celtics, who finished 3rd in the Eastern Conference.  The Celtics have dominated the Knicks in recent years after the acquisitions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen In 2007. The Celtics have been a force since revamping their roster, winning a championship in 2008, and they have consistently been at the top of the East in the past couple of seasons. The Knicks have played them tough during the season series, and with the roll that they have been on recently, have some confidence entering the playoff series.

The Celtics on the other hand have been playing poorly in recent weeks. They traded away their big man Kendrick Perkins for Jeff Green at the trade deadline, and haven’t been the same team since. If there was ever a good time to catch the Celtics, it would have to be right now. A lot of people were saying that the Miami Heat would be a less daunting opponent than then the Celtics, but I tend to disagree. Don’t get me wrong, these are two great teams that I am talking about, and Paul Pierce is a Knicks killer, but I much rather play the aging, struggling Celtics, than the young, athletic, and thriving Miami Heat.  Hopefully we have the opportunity to play the Heat later in the playoffs.

The Knicks and Coach Mike D’Antoni have transformed their style of play since the early struggles following the blockbuster trade, which brought in Carmelo Anthony. They have become more of a traditional offense, using the fast break when it is available, but really pulling back and setting up the offense. This better suits the team as presently constituted, as Melo and Stoudemire like to have the ball in their hands and create their own shot. Melo is especially good at this. It took some time to figure out, but the new style has the Knicks playing as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference in the recent weeks, and Anthony received back-to-back Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors during the stretch.  Also since the change in styles, the Knicks have suddenly started to play some defense. I wouldn’t call them a shut down defense by any means, but the way Carmelo and others have hustled and played determined defense when it matters most, you can see they want to win. We can only hope that this will continue in the playoffs, as they are going to need to get big stops at the end of games to be able to compete with the defensive minded Celtics.

The New York-Boston rivalry will be renewed on Sunday night, and it should make for a gritty and physical series. Don't count the Knicks out, who now have three legitimate big shot makers in Melo, Stat, and Billups to go to at the end of the game. Most of the games should be close, and it will come down to who can make a couple of stops, and who can make the big shot at the end. The Celtics have proven in the past that they are capable of this, and it's the Knicks turn to show what they are made of.

MSG in April; Does It Get Any Better

Photo courtesy of New York Rangers

Now that playoff time has come for the NBA and NHL and the Knicks and Rangers are still relevant, one question must be asked; does it get any better?? The answer is No with a capital N and regardless of what late april brings its the fashion of how both teams advanced to the post season that made it all worth it. First the Knicks, go back to the morning of March 28th, 2011, losers of 6 straight including a loss on the previous night to the Bobcats and hope was dim. Fast forward 2 weeks (and 7 wins later) and the Knicks are arguably the hottest team heading into the playoffs. They'll have no easy task as they face a team thats beat them all three times they've faced off this season; the Boston Celtics.

Out of all the teams the 'bockers' could have faced in the opening round, the C's are the absolute worst matchup for them. The nucleus of this team has been together since 2007 and have been to the NBA Finals twice since then, taking home one ring in 2008. The Miami Heat would have been a much more suitable matchup for the Knicks who are in the playoffs for the first time since the 03-04' season, splitting the season series 2-2 with Miami and if your a history buff you know that the Knicks own a 3-1 lead in the history of these two franchises meeting in the post season, the Heats only series win was the 1997 Eastern Confrence Semifinals in which the series went 7 games and the Heat would go on to lose 4-1 to the eventual world champion Chicago Bulls and the imfamous game 5 "flu game" for Michael Jordan.

If the playoff series is anything like the first 3 meetings of this season, the Knicks and Celtics can both expect a hard fought blood bath in the opening round of what seems to be only the infant stage of a long string of playoff runs for the rejuvenated New York Knicks in the coming years. Over to the Blueshirts, although their playoff drought hasn't nearly been as long as the team they share the building with, the ability to produce in the post season hasn't been there in a while, do I even have to state when the last time that was? (I'll give you a hint: the NHL All Star Game was hosted at MSG that year and Mike Richter was the MVP of the All Star Game).

The Rangers face the Capitals in the opening round of the playoffs, two franchises that respect each other but love to beat each other as well. The Rangers are looking to avenge a playoff loss from 2 years ago that had New York up 3-2 in the series and lost 2 straight to be sent packing early. The Washington Capitals are looking to avenge losing 3 of 4 to the Rangers in this years regular season series as well as a first round exit from last years playoffs to the underestimated Montreal Canadiens. The last time both the Knicks and Rangers made it to their respective championships I was 4 years old so I certainly don't know how it feels to have both teams successful simultaneously but it's definetely a good time to be in the greatest city in the world especially if your a fan of both these teams.