mafra
Legend
'Melo & Amar'e call out JR SMith & I-Shump: Knicks losers b/c SG duo are failures
What happened this season: The answer is simple: our doofusly-inept SG duo of Smith-Shump... that's what happened. And, the definition of insanity: repeating a pattern, expecting alternate results.
Amar'e's comments are an indictment on JR-Shump... who else are his comments aimed at? THEY ARE DIRECTED STRAIGHT AT THE COMMITTMENT & PROFESSIONALISM of that duo. WHY? Because both are too talented to be performing at their current level the last 2 seasons.
"At this point I think we just got to look ourselves in the mirror and see if we're putting forth the effort that we need to win,"Stoudemire said. "We got to take it upon ourselves to see if we're getting ourselves prepared for the game or having the right mentality to play a game at a high level." (ESPN)
“He has his opinion,’’ Anthony said. “Sometimes we go out there and it’s like we don’t want to be out there. We’re not giving effort like we’re supposed to. As leader of the team, he had the right to step up to the plate.’’ (NY Post)
– Iman Shumpert is in a definite slump. He was 3-for-13 vs. Miami after going 9-for-30 on the three-game Southwest trip. But Shumpert also brought a rare scowl to Fisher’s face vs. Miami when he gambled for a steal against Dwyane Wade, who rambled past him for an easy deuce. Late in the game, Wade ripped an offensive rebound out of the fellow Chicagoan’s hands. Yes, the shooting guard malaise – with J.R. Smith playing erratically, too – is major trouble. (NY Post)
WOW and wowwowowwowow, to hear these comments after what occurred last year.
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First, let’s look at the center position. Last year we had an injured and then an un-motivated Tyson Chandler. Chandler had issues in his personal life, and after that Game-6 loss in Indy… ‘Melo and TC had beef and something came between the two. Not that it was an irreparable rift, but after the injury and then the slow start, and the losing, there was just no returning. I can’t blame PJ for trading TC, and you see it this year… how TC is playing, that he simply quite on the team last year.
This season, Daly is really limited. And his heart and passion has always been an issue and a question mark. TC was competitive and wanted to win and loved playing hoops. Daly has the heart of Edy Curry , and that’s not a good thing. He’s OK, and for the price, he is serviceable… but he is limited, and merely a role player.
Other than that, the closest thing we have to a center is playing in DEN. The MOZ. So, the Knicks have no C, and that is a bad thing when you are asking guys like STAT, Anthony, Smith, and Acy to be the PF.
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Now let’s look at the PG position. We’ve been trying to find a PG since we drafted Mark Jackson and Rod Strickland, and then dealt them both… Ward was serviceable, but other than that… Geez, raise your hand if you recall a legit PG. We had a Marbury spurt… but since then…eck.
The pin-pongs teased us… revenge of Ewing… by dangling bothRussell Westbrook and Steph Curry in front of our bulging eyes -- RW went 2 picks ahead of Gallo and Curry went 1 pick ahead of Hill – in 2008 and 2009. Donnie Walsh’s lone responsibility was to find an all-star PG to run D’antoni’s system, which would entice Lebron to come aboard. HE FAILED. Trading Crawford and Randolph for nothing, and passing on Jennings and Lawson didn’t help either.
When ‘Melo arrived, we looked unbeatable when we good-to-quality PG play. 2 years ago, with Kidd and a pretty good Felton more often than naught, we were a 50-win squad and #2 seed. We were 1 game away from forcing a game-7, in our house, to play in Conf Finals. Indy shot about 25 more FTs than us, the notion of verticality was born, and we barely lost a close battle.
Last year, without KIDD, and Felton going thru a divorce and legal issues, we had the worst PG play in the NBA. Scouts said there were about 20 backups and 10 college PGs better than ours.
Anyway, this is why I had hopes for this season. I felt the addition of Calderon was going to be H-U-G-E… Why? Because when ‘Melo gets slightly above average PG play… his teams have proven to be forces to be reckoned with. Calderon didn’t need to be great, just be himself… which was a big upgrade over what we had last year. Unfortunately, he got hurt and missed 15 games… This allowed the losing to seep in… and that mentality to resurface. IF HE WERE HERE… we easily are 8-9, or something, instead of 4-13.
Larkin is basically a rookie and Priggs is on his last legs…Both are nothing more than backup, serviceable, role players. So, in essence, KNICKS had no PG for the first ? of the season.
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MOVING on to the SF/PF spots… Our team basically is comprised of about 8 players that fit this role. Melo, Acy, Amar’e, Smith, Bargnani, Wear, Aldrich, Early. This is the strength of our team… but only 1 is a star (Melo) and 1 playing at a “high” level (Amar’e). The other guys just offer energy and grit and we are happy when they contribute anything. However, I don’t think the problem is our Forwards. If we had better guards, and a C, this would be fine enough of a unit to contend for a title.
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ALL OF THIS BRINGS ME BACK TO where I began… THE SG is the biggest problem this year.
Why?
B/C we had an injury at the PG spot and we lack talent at the C spot… The SGs were supposed to pick up the slack and help carry the load… Be a bridge until Calderon returned, and the trading deadline arrived. JR was going to be more like 2012 than the 2013 version, and a healthy Shump playing for a contract was going to make that jump...
This means JR Smith and I-Shumpert are to blame, and are the sole culprits behind our losing... We expect much more from them b/c they have LEGIT NBA talent. I understand they are inconsistent, b/c if they were consistent they would be above average to almost-all-star caliber players. BUT... this is more than that... thy are consistently disappointing.
When JR Smith was 6[SUP]th[/SUP]-man of Year two years ago, he averaged 18 ppg. Now he is averaging 9! NINE!Half the production! He is shooting 27% from downtown. He also averaged 5 rpg, and now that is down to 2. This is all about heart and effort baby.
Then there is Shumpert. He is about the same as he was 2 years ago stat-wise, but his defense has declined… And he’s failed to make that leap we were hoping for from the finally-healthy-4[SUP]th[/SUP]-year player. He was the wild card… could he become a #3 option, to pair with Calderonand Amar’e, to take the load off Melo? We hoped... but.... vedict is now in: NOPE. He has floundered when we needed him most.
The first 20 games is evident of who JR and Shump are. They are no-show players when it counts. They are Mr. Afternoon guys, who dominate the gym at noon but disappear when the second half arrives.
They cannot be a #3 option on a contending team, they will not produce in the clutch when playoffs arrive…
If JR and Shump averaged 15 ppg, consistently poured in 30 combined points and 10 rpg, with some assists and steals… Knicks would be golden right now.They flopped and let the team down.
STAT’s and Melo’s comments are eye openers. It’s one thing to just not be able to do it b/c you lack the talent, or because you fail to live up to the talent… but in their respective cases… JR and Shump have failed the team b/c of mentality and preparation. Melo and Stat know this b/c the are there everyday d see the work that's put in, or not in this case. To me, that is unacceptable. This means both should (and will be) traded the moment PJ is able. If I have to, I cut JR.
Give THjr and Early the minutes and see if they can have a role moving fwd. Woodson might have destroyed Shump, or maybe the injury, or maybe JR… Either way, get something while you can and be done with it.
Since we have already fallen ten below .500, and since we know this team has no heart to battle back from adversity… Take a page out ofthe SA playbook…
- Do not push ‘Melo this season.
- Find out who has will/heart and will be here next year.
- Give minutes/experience to the kids and allow for the keepable assets to learn the Triangle system
- Race LA, PHI, CHAR and whoever to the NBA lottery jackpot.
- Make trades thinking about future… Amar’e, Bargnani, Shump should return something.
As REAL Knick fans, we should be on board with this,encourage it, and see the start to this season as a blessing. A lottery pick and cap space will put us in a great position next season, to go with more cap space the year after that. Most importantly, the guys who care more about being known as an NBA player than about winning… guys who want to make albums and go clubbing over battling in MIL on a Tuesday night… clear and sanitize the locker room… Let Fisher and PJ instill their mentality… B/c this is all about 2015 and beyond.
Perchance to dream... maybe we land Okafor or the next Duncan?
What happened this season: The answer is simple: our doofusly-inept SG duo of Smith-Shump... that's what happened. And, the definition of insanity: repeating a pattern, expecting alternate results.
Amar'e's comments are an indictment on JR-Shump... who else are his comments aimed at? THEY ARE DIRECTED STRAIGHT AT THE COMMITTMENT & PROFESSIONALISM of that duo. WHY? Because both are too talented to be performing at their current level the last 2 seasons.
"At this point I think we just got to look ourselves in the mirror and see if we're putting forth the effort that we need to win,"Stoudemire said. "We got to take it upon ourselves to see if we're getting ourselves prepared for the game or having the right mentality to play a game at a high level." (ESPN)
“He has his opinion,’’ Anthony said. “Sometimes we go out there and it’s like we don’t want to be out there. We’re not giving effort like we’re supposed to. As leader of the team, he had the right to step up to the plate.’’ (NY Post)
– Iman Shumpert is in a definite slump. He was 3-for-13 vs. Miami after going 9-for-30 on the three-game Southwest trip. But Shumpert also brought a rare scowl to Fisher’s face vs. Miami when he gambled for a steal against Dwyane Wade, who rambled past him for an easy deuce. Late in the game, Wade ripped an offensive rebound out of the fellow Chicagoan’s hands. Yes, the shooting guard malaise – with J.R. Smith playing erratically, too – is major trouble. (NY Post)
WOW and wowwowowwowow, to hear these comments after what occurred last year.
----------------
First, let’s look at the center position. Last year we had an injured and then an un-motivated Tyson Chandler. Chandler had issues in his personal life, and after that Game-6 loss in Indy… ‘Melo and TC had beef and something came between the two. Not that it was an irreparable rift, but after the injury and then the slow start, and the losing, there was just no returning. I can’t blame PJ for trading TC, and you see it this year… how TC is playing, that he simply quite on the team last year.
This season, Daly is really limited. And his heart and passion has always been an issue and a question mark. TC was competitive and wanted to win and loved playing hoops. Daly has the heart of Edy Curry , and that’s not a good thing. He’s OK, and for the price, he is serviceable… but he is limited, and merely a role player.
Other than that, the closest thing we have to a center is playing in DEN. The MOZ. So, the Knicks have no C, and that is a bad thing when you are asking guys like STAT, Anthony, Smith, and Acy to be the PF.
--------------------
Now let’s look at the PG position. We’ve been trying to find a PG since we drafted Mark Jackson and Rod Strickland, and then dealt them both… Ward was serviceable, but other than that… Geez, raise your hand if you recall a legit PG. We had a Marbury spurt… but since then…eck.
The pin-pongs teased us… revenge of Ewing… by dangling bothRussell Westbrook and Steph Curry in front of our bulging eyes -- RW went 2 picks ahead of Gallo and Curry went 1 pick ahead of Hill – in 2008 and 2009. Donnie Walsh’s lone responsibility was to find an all-star PG to run D’antoni’s system, which would entice Lebron to come aboard. HE FAILED. Trading Crawford and Randolph for nothing, and passing on Jennings and Lawson didn’t help either.
When ‘Melo arrived, we looked unbeatable when we good-to-quality PG play. 2 years ago, with Kidd and a pretty good Felton more often than naught, we were a 50-win squad and #2 seed. We were 1 game away from forcing a game-7, in our house, to play in Conf Finals. Indy shot about 25 more FTs than us, the notion of verticality was born, and we barely lost a close battle.
Last year, without KIDD, and Felton going thru a divorce and legal issues, we had the worst PG play in the NBA. Scouts said there were about 20 backups and 10 college PGs better than ours.
Anyway, this is why I had hopes for this season. I felt the addition of Calderon was going to be H-U-G-E… Why? Because when ‘Melo gets slightly above average PG play… his teams have proven to be forces to be reckoned with. Calderon didn’t need to be great, just be himself… which was a big upgrade over what we had last year. Unfortunately, he got hurt and missed 15 games… This allowed the losing to seep in… and that mentality to resurface. IF HE WERE HERE… we easily are 8-9, or something, instead of 4-13.
Larkin is basically a rookie and Priggs is on his last legs…Both are nothing more than backup, serviceable, role players. So, in essence, KNICKS had no PG for the first ? of the season.
---------------
MOVING on to the SF/PF spots… Our team basically is comprised of about 8 players that fit this role. Melo, Acy, Amar’e, Smith, Bargnani, Wear, Aldrich, Early. This is the strength of our team… but only 1 is a star (Melo) and 1 playing at a “high” level (Amar’e). The other guys just offer energy and grit and we are happy when they contribute anything. However, I don’t think the problem is our Forwards. If we had better guards, and a C, this would be fine enough of a unit to contend for a title.
---------------
ALL OF THIS BRINGS ME BACK TO where I began… THE SG is the biggest problem this year.
Why?
B/C we had an injury at the PG spot and we lack talent at the C spot… The SGs were supposed to pick up the slack and help carry the load… Be a bridge until Calderon returned, and the trading deadline arrived. JR was going to be more like 2012 than the 2013 version, and a healthy Shump playing for a contract was going to make that jump...
This means JR Smith and I-Shumpert are to blame, and are the sole culprits behind our losing... We expect much more from them b/c they have LEGIT NBA talent. I understand they are inconsistent, b/c if they were consistent they would be above average to almost-all-star caliber players. BUT... this is more than that... thy are consistently disappointing.
When JR Smith was 6[SUP]th[/SUP]-man of Year two years ago, he averaged 18 ppg. Now he is averaging 9! NINE!Half the production! He is shooting 27% from downtown. He also averaged 5 rpg, and now that is down to 2. This is all about heart and effort baby.
Then there is Shumpert. He is about the same as he was 2 years ago stat-wise, but his defense has declined… And he’s failed to make that leap we were hoping for from the finally-healthy-4[SUP]th[/SUP]-year player. He was the wild card… could he become a #3 option, to pair with Calderonand Amar’e, to take the load off Melo? We hoped... but.... vedict is now in: NOPE. He has floundered when we needed him most.
The first 20 games is evident of who JR and Shump are. They are no-show players when it counts. They are Mr. Afternoon guys, who dominate the gym at noon but disappear when the second half arrives.
They cannot be a #3 option on a contending team, they will not produce in the clutch when playoffs arrive…
If JR and Shump averaged 15 ppg, consistently poured in 30 combined points and 10 rpg, with some assists and steals… Knicks would be golden right now.They flopped and let the team down.
STAT’s and Melo’s comments are eye openers. It’s one thing to just not be able to do it b/c you lack the talent, or because you fail to live up to the talent… but in their respective cases… JR and Shump have failed the team b/c of mentality and preparation. Melo and Stat know this b/c the are there everyday d see the work that's put in, or not in this case. To me, that is unacceptable. This means both should (and will be) traded the moment PJ is able. If I have to, I cut JR.
Give THjr and Early the minutes and see if they can have a role moving fwd. Woodson might have destroyed Shump, or maybe the injury, or maybe JR… Either way, get something while you can and be done with it.
Since we have already fallen ten below .500, and since we know this team has no heart to battle back from adversity… Take a page out ofthe SA playbook…
- Do not push ‘Melo this season.
- Find out who has will/heart and will be here next year.
- Give minutes/experience to the kids and allow for the keepable assets to learn the Triangle system
- Race LA, PHI, CHAR and whoever to the NBA lottery jackpot.
- Make trades thinking about future… Amar’e, Bargnani, Shump should return something.
As REAL Knick fans, we should be on board with this,encourage it, and see the start to this season as a blessing. A lottery pick and cap space will put us in a great position next season, to go with more cap space the year after that. Most importantly, the guys who care more about being known as an NBA player than about winning… guys who want to make albums and go clubbing over battling in MIL on a Tuesday night… clear and sanitize the locker room… Let Fisher and PJ instill their mentality… B/c this is all about 2015 and beyond.
Perchance to dream... maybe we land Okafor or the next Duncan?
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