Tag Archives: Linsanity

November 16, 2013 · 5:56 pm

Knicks/Rockets postgame

A few thoughts about the Knicks following yet another narrow loss to the Houston Rockets:

Howard and Bargs battling
Courtesy of Washingtonpost.com

1. I fully expected this game to be a blowout considering Tyson Chandler’s absence and a true legitimate big man at the 5 playing across from Bargnani. So pardon the collective surprise of the NBA viewing republic when the stat sheet came out and Bargs was outplaying the “last real center alive”. Dwight ended the game with 7 points and 15 rebounds while Bargnani finished with 24 points and 5 rebounds. While points and rebounds won’t completely tell the tale, consider that Bargs was a +7 for the night while Dwight was a -1 on the all important +/- scale of measuring one’s importance to a team’s outcome on any given night. Bargs was not shy of bodying up with Howard who seemed surprised by Bargs aggressive and effective play.

2. I’m a fan of Chandler Parsons as are any folk who know anything about basketball. Parsons has an innate sense of cutting and passing and has a great ball fake that almost always causes defenders to leave their feet. On this team he’s a perfect third and even fourth option on most nights. He’s also a willing contributor, a term I give to players who are happy to be around better players and completely understanding of their position on the pecking order. While Parsons usually gets stats-heavy geeks frothing at the mouth, any NBA fan can tell you that you need one of those guys on your team. His ball fake and extra pass on the final HOU possession (not counting the last two where they had to hit free throws) led to the James Harden foul on the three point shot. He easily could’ve shot that after the ball fake pried him loose of the defender but he knew to get the ball to the open star of the team because that’s what you pay them to do: hit big shots when it counts. Parsons wont ever earn a max extension but he’s a vital cog on any team hoping to contend.

3. Which leads me to the guy who fouled Harden on that fateful play. Ray Felton has taken a step back in his defensive ability this season; an ability that was played up too much last season. Felton has deceptive speed for a guy who looks like someone who walks into the gym and sits by the juice bar the entire time. Felton fell straight into Harden when all he had to do was to do a swing by. This is the problem with the switch-happy, help heavy defense that Woodson employs. It forces players with bad defensive reactions to make you guessed it, bad defensive reactions. To fall straight into Harden, a guy who will fall to the floor if a breeze blew hard enough, gave him the authority to initiate the contact necessary to force the zebras to blow the whistle.

4. Bargnani has played three consecutive good games which leads to the eventual fateful decision that Woodson has to make when Tyson Chandler returns. Does he stick with the big frontcourt of Chandler, Melo and Bargs? Or does he make Bargnani the sixth man and keep only two of Melo, Bargs, and Chandler, on the court at once? It would make sense that they not combine the three. I’m not going to fault Woody for going to the super big line up for a few more games before making an astute decision but there’s still almost 4-6 weeks to go before Tyson is slated to come back so there’s plenty of time for Woodson to stew and make up his mind. In the meantime consider that since Tyson went out in the home loss to the Bobcats, Bargs is averaging 21.3 points, 6 rebounds and a +1 rating. If you take out that atrocity of a Spurs loss his averages would look even better: 23 ppg, 7.7 rebounds, and a cumulative +27 rating or a +9 rating average. Many would blame it on the spacing that a defensive minded center like Tyson takes away from the Knicks offense (the same reason that many thought the Amar’e, Tyson and Melo front court couldn’t work), but its worth wondering if this four game sample is indicative of how this offense will continue to go if you remove ONE of the three from the line up.

5a. Metta World Peace continues to struggle offensively that its difficult sometimes to watch him with the ball without

Knicks and Rockets get testy

screaming at the television to pass the ball. At the end of the day though Metta’s impact on the floor won’t be offensively, though whatever he gives will be a plus. Metta’s impact will be on both establishing a tougher mindset by being an intimidating presence on the court, and also being a defensive presence. In years past the Knicks would’ve raised arms and admitted defeat by the second quarter of that T-Wolves game when after the first quarter the Knicks were down 41-19, but the Knicks made a game of it once Metta came in the game. I’m not saying he was the reason the Knicks almost won the game but he was a big presence on the court that slowed the Wolves down and forced some turnovers. His +17 in that game is eye opening. Even in games like the ones with the Bulls where their physicality would’ve normally forced the Knicks into submission they hung in there until D. Rose hit that impossible floater over two Knicks to give the Bulls a one point game.

5b. Last year the Knicks were 22-17 in games decided by five points or less. Which was good for 15th in the NBA. This year they are 2-4 which is good for 17th in the NBA. Last year most observers would agree was the best of almost every possible scenario for the Knicks which led to their 54 win season. This year their early season struggles are being attributed to regression to the mean. While its still early one of the things I expect to happen is for the Knicks to win more close games. Of course this has as much to do with health as anything so in the next 4-6 weeks they may pile a few more losses without a defensive presence like Tyson Chandler who says this year he’s healthier than he was last year. Call it more of a guess based on a gut feeling rather than any statistical measure.

5c. Which brings me to the recent conversation started by Matt Barnes in-the-heat-of-the-moment tweet with the n-word included. Barnes expressed frustration at his teammates and having to constantly come to their aid and in a roundabout way called his teammates soft. Which, if you wanted to make the case about the Knicks- was also true last year. Teams often played aggressive with Melo hoping to take him out of the game with no real enforcer to tell them to knock it off which necessitated the Kenyon Martin grab at the end of the season. The Knicks doubled down with Metta this year and though the record may not reflect it, have reaped some reward out of Metta and Kenyon’s presence. With Chandler out teams may see fit to treat the paint like the runway at JFK, but having guys like Kenyon and Metta can atleast be some point of resistance for lesser tough guys to just use and abuse the painted area of the court. While most celebrate KG’s toughness as a necessary component for the Nets to really make noise this year, its important to use Metta and Kenyon in spots where necessary- like now. To play zone and have them guard the rim and let people know that if they must drive to the paint, expect a few hard fouls. If you’re foolish enough to repeatedly absorb that kind of punishment do so at your own discretion. The record may not show it, but time will ultimately prove these two free agent acquisitions right.

6. Tough losses early in the year are a little easier to stomach for a number of reasons. Usually teams are nursing stars back from injuries so their usage stats will show that they aren’t really playing a high volume of minutes. Despite having a pre-season teams are still figuring out lineup configurations like the Knicks. Players who aren’t physically ready for the season need time to round themselves into shape. Bad teams don’t know they are bad and jump on good teams who aren’t expecting it. The Knicks really only fall into one of those categories but its easy to get caught up in an early season swoon given how quickly the Knicks jumped out of the gate last year. Their quick start helped them weather the expected mid-season swoon and ultimately led them to a solid stretch run-run. It will be interesting to see if the Knicks catch fire in the middle of the season and still have a late season surge.

7. James Harden doesn’t seem like the most popular player on his team. While he was down on the court not too many teammates came to check on him. Add that to Dwight Howard’s fake ass routine you can see why the Rockets haven’t jumped out the gate. Clearly the OKC/HOU trade worked out more for Houston because it helped convince Dwight to choose the Rockets over the Lakers last summer. But one has to wonder if Harden’s ability to win championships wouldn’t have been served better by being on OKC’s roster. Both front offices are forward thinking organizations who don’t operate under burdensome ownership groups. Both have several assets at all times to make a huge trade and both teams are not shy at making big deals if it serves the interest of winning a championship. Houston’s game plan of accumulating assets has now worked in their favor again. Omer Asik is demanding a trade and according to the sage Adrian Woj, the Rockets are shopping Asik for either “an impact player or a lottery pick”. If they get either consider it a steal but its worth noting that its the right move to make. You have to ask for the sun, moon and the stars when you have an asset the likes of Asik- a young cost controlled defensive center. Imagine they get a 2014 first round pick from a team that may wind up in the lottery thanks to an ownership group desperate to make a run at the playoffs? Think Charlotte who have two 2014 protected first round draft picks (they traded their own to Chicago- Lord help them), or Memphis who have opened the season rather sluggish and may need to reconfigure their roster and send a bad contract out (think Zack Randolph). Keep an eye out.

8. Speaking of the Dwightmare, its almost inexcusable how much he struggled against the defense of Andrea Bargnani. Don’t adjust your screen you read right! Dwight wasn’t able to muscle in the paint and very rarely plays aggressive. He plays mad and usually that leads to inexcusable turnovers or very poor decisions. Charles Barkley’s disbelief that now playing for an organization that has Hakeem on the payroll and Kevin McHale as his coach was a tad bit early though. McHale and Hakeem had more post moves than a mailman working during Christmas time, but that kind of foundational training takes time. But now this would make those two the third and fourth Hall of Fame post players who Dwight has had access to on a daily basis since he came into the league and he’s STILL this bad? Patrick Ewing (Orlando), and Kareem Abdul Jabbar (Lakers) haven’t helped Dwight realize his potential. At some point the whispers and rumors that Dwight is as bad and overrated as we are seeing off the floor as on the floor may in fact be coming true. He has to get something going. In my opinion, he and Lebron James are the only two players who can physically overwhelm opponents. It took time for Lebron to figure out how and when and it may be that Dwight just needed the right complement of superstars around him. Lets see if Dwight figures it out when we check back in later this year.

9. I would be remiss and not fulfilling my journalistic duty if I were to ignore the return of Linsanity to Madison Square Garden. Look, I’m on record as saying that letting Lin walk was dumb for virtually every reason you can wonder. But let’s not rehash the past. Its nice to see him develop at the old age of 25 and mostly its his jump shot that has developed. Looks pure and just so much more polished. He also saved his best for last shooting 4 of 6 in the final quarter to help lead the Rockets to the win. Lin is out of the starting line up and ultimately it will be the best thing for him to develop his game playing with either Harden or Howard rather than in tandem for now. He’s shooting better than 50% from three which will eventually come down but if his 3pt FG% steadies at over 40%, it will be much tougher to clog up lanes and defend both Lin and Harden who’s first inclination is to drive to the basket and score. If you keep Lin, Parsons, Harden and Howard, all you need is a competent 2nd big who can grab rebounds or have soft hands to collect easy passes in the paint that will result when the defense collapses to close on one of Harden or Lin driving to the hoop. The home run move would be Houston picking Phoenix’s pocket for Channing Frye a big who can stretch defenses even further because of his ability to stroke the three. Of course that would be a perfect scenario for Houston but not that unrealistic. Phoenix’s GM Ryan McDonough is doing what Darryl Morey would in his position: accumulate assets, draft well and stock up for a big move. With potentially four first round picks in 2014, a draft being compared to the one in 2003 draft in terms of depth of impact talent the Suns are positioned to really rebuild very quickly. Getting an Asik for Frye deal would be great but that won’t happen because McDonough is looking to shed salary rather than take on more. Frye for a 2014 first round pick would be glorious for McDonough but I doubt Morey is looking to trade out of this draft of all places. Doesn’t seem like a match but based purely on basketball, it makes all the sense in the world.

10. And still i say #KNICKSTAPE

More coming later….

Sports Rounds 2/21/2012

The Knicks lost to the Nets last night 100-92. Deron Williams had 38 points and could’ve had 40+ had he not fouled out. Tim Smith of the Daily News writes that perhaps Deron Williams, like the NBA, isn’t too fond of being a backstory to Linsanity. Marc Berman of the Post says that Carmelo Anthony’s return proved disastrous as the Linsane Knicks looked confused after getting off to a fast start in the first quarter. Tim Bontemps of the Post wrote that Baron Davis didn’t prove to be the presence that Knick fans had hoped for a month ago but having a motivated and healthy Baron would help too. Stefan Bondy of the Daily News writes that Deron Williams had a point to prove and circled this date on his calendar.

Before people look at the scoreboard and put two and two together that because of Carmelo Anthony’s return the Knicks lost should promptly roll up their newspaper or turn off their IPads, close up their laptops and promptly smack themselves in their face with it. I will continue to insist that despite the return of the Melo-Man, Linsanity should only be strengthened despite conventional wisdom stating the opposite. We all know that Carmelo loves to ISO and take his own shot but so does JR Smith, why bring two one dimensional players on board? At least JR looks like he gives a damn on defense. And that’s where the Knicks have been brutal. Carmelo AND Amar’e logging major minutes on the other end of the ball creates a bigger problem than anything on the offensive end. The Knicks defensively looked lost and couldn’t stop Deron Williams coming off screens, on help defense, on drives right into the painted area, they just do not help the cause.

There was a bit of me that wanted to see the original group that helped the Knicks to so many wins these last few nights on the floor but D’Antoni rightfully so (Can’t believe I’m saying this) stuck with the new group for as long as he possibly could. The grouping you want on the floor is the one where Lin is the PG, Landry is the shooting guard, and its Melo, Amar’e and Tyson Chandler. THOSE GUYS need to learn how to play well together on both sides of the ball so its counterproductive to immediately remove them for a lesser team despite the success. Melo’s man is routinely left open and routinely has open shots and should camp out in the corner. Melo’s always been lax on the defensive end and that more than anything is what scares me about his return. IF Melo’s return is a problem on offense I put that squarely on the shoulders of the point guard. We’ve now removed the interim tag off of Jeremy Lin and have approved his status as NBA point guard and not as overnight fluke. The boy can ball but now what? Easy. His job is to provide the ball to his scorers in the best way possible. Nothing more, nothing less. Does that mean less shot attempts? Maybe. But knowing the flow of the game must be one of his duties and that is something that Lin didn’t do until late.

He seemed hesitant to be aggressive because Melo was there. Why on earth did he do that? His job is to distribute the basketball to the open man but you can’t do that when you’re NOT driving. The defense won’t collapse and defenders won’t leave their man thus leaving no one open. Melo wasn’t running through screens, the Knicks were still running the pick and roll offense without any one actually rolling. That was their problem offensively. Ball movement doesn’t just mean that Spalding touches everyone’s hand. It means that there are guys moving around constantly shifting position causing havoc on the defense trying to read and stay in front of their man. There was more of that wonderful: stay in one spot and let the ball come to you and let’s everyone move out of the way as Melo posts up his defender. That’s the kind of shit that brought Lin into the world, hopefully its not the shit he creates that will take him out. Lin must realize this and end it quick. HE must be aggressive to the rim if no one else will.

But the reason the Knicks lost is because they missed their threes while Deron Williams threw up enough threes and made enough to put the gellin in progress Knicks in enough of a hole that they had to abandon their live-game practice and had to actually play ball. By then the Nets had hit too many threes and had too many buckets and Kris Humphries had taken Tyson Chandler, and Carmelo Anthony off their games by doing it the old fashioned way: boxing out on the boards and causing mayhem on offense. Say what you will about his dating life but he sure was a disruptive presence, enough for Tyson to go chasing after him on the bench (though I thought that it was just Tyson going to ask him if it was ok if he saw Kim for a date) and for Melo to trip him while going up the court and draw a technical.

The game was way too physical early on and by the time the referees started calling it tight both teams were already pissed off at each other that there was going to be some frustration let loose. The Knicks were just outshot and the fact was Deron Williams put on a clinic. The man couldn’t miss. Even when the Knicks trapped him, they immediately ran screens for him and Landry couldn’t get through them in enough time to disrupt his shot which was just Drain-O all the time. Forget the fact that this is a top-tier point guard who took to heart alot of the negative press he had recieved as a result of Linsanity’s arrival at his expense. Having to read the musings of some fans who felt that Deron had gotten schooled by an Ivy Leaguer must’ve gotten him bent out of shape and decided to give the Harvard grad a little taste of state run higher education from Arizona University. The former Wildcat did enough on offense to put the Knicks away but it was the rebounding of Kris Humphries NOT allowing the Knicks to get second chance points like they did against the Mavs. Fact is, the Knicks lost this game because the other team outplayed them, namely two guys.

As for Iman Shumpert’s absence being a major miss, yes I would agree his defense would’ve helped on Deron Williams. He’s got the quickness to stay with him and the long reach to disrupt his shots which the other Knicks just don’t have. We dont know if it would’ve mattered with Deron Williams being this hot but it couldn’t have been worse. Either way, the major thing the Knicks don’t need is to limit the minutes of the rotation. If that means less minutes for guys like Melo and Amar’e then so be it. The fact is, the Knicks are in the business of winning games and for the next few, while the results may not be there, D’Antoni has to go with a steady mixing and matching to figure out who can play with who without the defense completely collapsing. The Knicks rested Shump today and will probably do the same against Atlanta in order for him to be at close to 100% for another major test against Lebron, Wade and the Heat.

Yesterday, with pitchers and catchers reporting and the first sign that baseball is coming back, Mariano Rivera decided his fate after the end of the 2012 season….but isn’t JUST YET SAYING WHAT IT IS. But that didn’t stop reporters from suggesting that the 42 year old baseball player is considering retirement. Joel Sherman of the Post writes that his early arrival to Spring Training was a sign. John Harper of the Daily News wrote that perhaps vocal chord surgery put a scare in Rivera making the immortal Mariano feel mortal again. Erik Boland of Newsday writes that despite all the uncertainty Mariano tried to convey it was clear what he was trying to spell out.

Like Mariano himself said: every year he comes in with a mindset that this may be his final season and while this may very well be his last, the thing about this announcement is that Mariano is pretty certain about his fate. Despite my anti-Yankee sentiment I’ve always maintained I look at them with open eyes. Mariano is the greatest closer hands down, in the history of the game. I know other closers will say that this version of the closer is different than the guy who would routinely pitch two or three innings to earn a save but there aren’t many guys who do what Mariano does at such a high level with just one pitch. Nobody who has his kind of accuracy in locating pitches and keeping hitters routinely off balance. Nobody who came into a game and the opposing team’s confidence fell flat. During that late 90’s run, NOBODY wanted to see Mariano Rivera in the game except the Yankees and their fans. Much of his later years success was built off that reputation and much of his record was accumulated and padded thanks to a menacing stare and an ability to put the ball wherever he wanted to much to the hitters dismay. He never threw it right down the middle, instead, nibbled on corners and broke bats and hearts.

He wore number forty two and at age 42, he seems ready to call it quits and perhaps his early arrival to Spring Training did say something: that perhaps he’d like to savor EVERYTHING about being a baseball player one last time. That perhaps going through a spring training and a full complement of workouts is something he doesn’t need for his playing career as much as he needs for his memory. To store. To cherish. To be able to bond with his teammates over a hot spring day in sunny Floriday. To enjoy Jeter, the final Core Four Member still remaining, and his company. To teach his magical cutter to young teammates who had his poster on their wall growing up. To take a victory lap through all the ballparks in baseball and enjoy the cheers AND the boos (both signs of respect) for a man who was a champion in spirit as much as occupation. A man who grew from humble roots and origin to become a success here in America. A man who never forgot who he was and his Christian background. A man who never allowed himself to be poisoned by fame and fortune but remained humble in victory AND defeat. I’ve long considered Mariano Rivera one of the greatest players in the history of the game because of his accomplishments but he’s one of my favorite players because of his personality, attitude and his ability to be humble about it all. He’s great. He knows it. He just wants to take in Spring and Summer, October and perhaps the Canyon of Heroes all one last time.

Daily Round up 2/17/2012

We’ve got Lin-Sanity. We’ve got pitchers and catchers but before that, we’ve got sadness.

Mets Hall of Fame Catcher Gary Carter, who earlier had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of Brain cancer, died from complications of it at the age of 57 yesterday. So many reactions including Mike Lupica of the Daily News, Newsday’s Steven Marcus and David Lennon, George Vecsey of the New York Times writes a touching piece about how the pain of his mother’s death remained in this happy go lucky guy. Howie Rose remembers the trade that brought him here and thinking that this was the final piece of the Mets championship puzzle according to Mike Vaccaro of the Post. Marty Noble, formerly of Newsday and now for MLB.com wrote what I think is the quintessential piece on Gary Carter and is a must read for those who never knew him.

I wasn’t there for 1986 and wasn’t a baseball fan until the 1992 season when the Mets had all but traded away the remaining pieces of the great 80’s teams so I never got a true appreciation for them. I read about them in Jeff Pearlman’s book, “the Bad Guys Won” which for anyone who has read it will tell you, gives you about as clear a picture of the destruction and absolute chaos that reigned during that period.

It will also tell you the story of Mr. Gary Carter who was as straight laced and nice as they come. Teammates mocked his clean lifestyle though he never tried to openly rub it in their face. Of course, others never saw that. Carter loved the spotlight, loved being the guy and many always accused him of having a nose for the camera because he liked that sort of thing. There was a duality there that can’t be ignored according to players but as an outsider I think you CAN overthink. Being the goody-two shoes in a clubhouse full of rowdies and drug users and alcoholics can make you seem weird and different and not like the rest of them but Carter fit into the Met dynamic. He was an integral piece. He was the missing piece for sure on a team that was determined to shove their greatness into other teams faces. There were the 1985 Bears who Super Bowl Shuffled and the 1986 Mets who tap danced on opponents face. The classic line is that before he went to bat in Game 6 of that infamous World Series of 1986 he screamed out that he “wasn’t gonna be the last out”. It was a point of pride and an almost boastful tone for a guy who everyone knew to NOT be that.

In his later years he openly campaigned to be the Mets manager. Even then it seemed boastful but it couldn’t be completely the Kid. His nickname tells you everything you need to know about him. Marty Noble writes that much like Peter Pan, the kid who never grew up, Carter needed to crow too. He had plenty of things to say about plenty of issues. He was openly Christian before it became all the rage in 2011 and 2012. The thing is, Gary Carter was indeed the conscience of the Mets. Darryl Strawberry was on the Mike Francesa show and admitted that the world would be a better place if everyone cared like Gary Carter or acted like Gary Carter and he himself knows, on his own road to recovery from the demons that took hold of him in the 80’s and still live in him, that had he taken Carter’s advice back then he would be in a better state. But the Mets weren’t perfect and much of his clean living wasn’t cool enough for the Mets in the 80’s when it was all hard living and hard partying. Gary Carter in my book will be remembered as a Met legend and the admitted final piece of the puzzle that sent the Mets from potential contender for a World Series title to favorites. The Kid will live on through the memories Met fans have of him and as they pour in today, let’s remember that he died way too young just like the old saying always warns us, but we’re happy that the pain of his cancer won’t affect him anymore and his family has peace.

Linsanity has gone above and beyond everyone’s sorted expectation of it. Its lasted well beyond its 15 minutes which makes you think that this is indeed more than just a fairy tale, its a real deal story about hard work and perseverance that can be a testament to everyone concerned. Peter Vecsey drops some hardcore Knowledge on you suckaz in his latest column including a few shots at Money Mayweather who seems to be out of it when it comes to opining about the Knicks Cinderella man. Frank Isola of the Daily News brings the thunder on Knicks assistant Kenny Atkinson who is the man BEHIND the man. Marc Berman writes about the disbelief that Lin and Melo have over the theory that these two can’t co-exist when they are on the court together.

Look, three weeks ago the Knicks were in a bad place mentally and physically. Now, we are talking about challenging for the four seed in the East. Go ahead, tell me I’m crazy for actively thinking about it? Conventional wisdom says that if the Knicks avoid the Bulls or Heat in the first round the Knicks have a great opportunity to build up momentum and the idea is to get a home series in the first round and with this built up momentum its very realistic that happens. I love the story of Kenny Atkinson because it shows that there are so many moving parts to this Jeremy Lin story and its not just a fairy tale-out-of-the-blue type of deal. This is a moment he’s been coached up for and he’s improved and it goes to prove the theory that he is a guy who is READY for the opportunity presented before him.

As for the Mayweather comments, I hate to say it but there is a racial component here that can’t be ignored. IS he getting the attention that he’s getting now because of his race? Maybe. But was he overlooked for this long because of it too? YES. The race issue isn’t something that’s eagerly brought up because it can lead to a dangerous conversation that ends up with some kind of racially insensitive comment that is misconstrued. Here’s what I will say about it: the race factor plays a role in Lin’s story but to say that black players don’t get this kind of attention is beyond foolish. Look at Lin’s numbers: the only guys that are doing what he’s doing over the last seven games are guys named Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo and you mean to tell me Floyd that THEY DONT GET ATTENTION? This is the kind of faulty logic and reasoning that I can’t comprehend and this kind of situation invites unfortunately. EVERYONE wants to be part of the discussion and have a an original point of view on. EVEN IF it don’t make no GOD DAMN SENSE!

The Kenny Atkinson story goes to show you that this is not some sort of fluke and not some sort of magical pixie dust that fell upon him to give him this ability. Its actual skill and talent that has been harnessed by good coaching and sound fundamentals and a willingness to be ready when the time came for it. No matter HOW he got here, the fact is, he’s here. If the Laker game proved anything its that the kid can score if he wants to. The Minnesota game proved that he can will his team and lead his team back even when all signs point to a loss. The Toronto game proved to us that IF he’s tasked with taking a last second shot, he isn’t afraid of the moment and is willing to do what is necessary. What the Kings game showed is that when he has superstars to throw the ball to, his points go down but his assists go up. I’m not too worried about the turnover stat line because that just goes with the growing pains of knowing where his players WANT the ball. His ability to find them in stride will come and I’m happy that its coming in games against lesser opponents.

The biggest effect this Lin-Sanity is having is this: look at his teammates. Look at how they are reacting. Look at how they have been galvanized and brought together. Incredible how this kid can do that for this team. It was interesting to me, watching the reaction of his teammates after hitting the game winning shot in Toronto, who came to embrace him: Jared Jeffries, who he’s singlehandedly turned Knick fans opinion on, Steve Novak, who seems like the deep ball shooter to spread the defense out that the Knicks have been waiting for, and Landry Fields who’s playing like the player we saw in the first half. Billy Walker, who I absolutely abhor has played some semblance of good basketball and for me the biggest kudos goes to Toney Douglas who could have been bitter. Who could’ve sulked and complained. He’s been practicing hard and waiting for his moment to contribute and trust me on this: there will be a moment this season when Toney Douglas will make a HUGE PLAY for the Knicks because he’s capable and he’s never afraid of the moment. TRUST ME.

I’m not worried about Melo joining the party though league sources say it won’t be tonight. With the addition of JR Smith, the lethal 3 point shooter, the Knicks should be a much deeper team and imagine this: you get Josh Harrelson and Baron Davis back in a few weeks and then look at this team that Mike D’Antoni has: Lin, Fields, Melo, Amare, Chandler as starters, Davis, Shumpert, Harrleson, Novak, Jeffries, Smith as part of the rotation. That’s eleven deep. ELEVEN. What a difference two weeks makes!

Tag Archives: Linsanity

Knicks/Rockets postgame

Sports Rounds 2/21/2012

Daily Round up 2/17/2012

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