Knicks "AINT" feeling MDA

These Knicks don't have a clue

No toughness, no D, no faith in one another. Can D'Antoni fix it? He'd better, and fast.


NEW YORK -- Monday night started with the New York Knicks introducing the Boston Celtics to a team we hadn't seen since the days of Pat Riley, Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason.
It continued with blood splattered on the Madison Square Garden floor, punctuated with near fisticuffs from Amare Stoudemire -- and teammates surprisingly eager to come to his aid. But once the final buzzer sounded and it was time to exhale, seconds removed from evident demoralization of a 96-86 defeat, it was clear these latest representatives of Gotham City didn't warrant any comparisons at all.
Just pity!
There are no Oakleys or Masons, just Ronny Turiaf and Jared Jeffries. There isn't a Riley on the bench, just Mike D'Antoni, who appears to detest everything Riley represented when he was with the Knicks -- meaning rigidity and toughness. By now we've also learned, excruciatingly, that there is no defense, very little toughness or offensive efficiency, no team in any sense that really matters. Just a collection of NBA-caliber talent paid to wear blue-and-orange uniforms.
The Stephen A. Smith Show


<center> </center> Catch Stephen A. on 1050 ESPN, weeknights from 7-9 p.m. More ?


Point guard Chauncey Billups wasn't shy about saying, "We're struggling right now, ain't no doubt about it," and his candor should be appreciated. Considering the misfit squad that keeps diminishing our hopes and expectations for the 2010-11 season with each passing game, it is good that we can't call the players liars as well.
A season is not made in a week or two any more than a stellar game epitomizes greatness. But if what we've witnessed in the past nine days symbolizes anything, it is that the Knicks are falling apart before our very eyes.
They've lost to sub-.500 teams. They've made marginal opposing players look like All-Stars. They've appeared disoriented in running plays, at getting to key spots on the floor and forcing misses, transforming themselves into laughingstocks. Privately, as a result, they have lost faith in one another.
But especially in their coach.
"We panicked," D'Antoni said after the Knicks were outscored 23-4 in the game's final 7:26, with the Celtics holding them to 1-for-11 shooting from the field, including three turnovers in that span. "We didn't play the way we're capable of playing. Obviously, we're getting to the point where we've got to figure something out."
It would really, really behoove D'Antoni to do so. Because things just ain't pretty for him right now.
There's a reason Carmelo Anthony hasn't been interested in speaking to the media lately. Check Grandma's old adage to figure out why: When you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Since you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who'll say something nice about D'Antoni these days, it all makes sense.
"I love Coach," Stoudemire told me recently. "He knows what he's doing. We just need to make adjustments, that's all."
Actually, that's not all.
The Knicks religiously have been in the league's bottom five defensively since D'Antoni arrived in 2008. Recently, Anthony has echoed the need for defensive schemes and principles. And he's not alone, with a bevy of other Knicks feeling that way, creating a divisive atmosphere that's bound to implode.

Knicks Blog

nyk.gif
Looking for more information on your Knicks? ESPNNewYork.com has you covered. Blog


After their loss to the Celtics, Billups, Stoudemire, Anthony, Jeffries and others were experts in evasive measures. "We sense the momentum -- we're not stupid," one Knick told me. "We can feel the heat coming in [D'Antoni's] direction. We're staying clear of that mess."
Publicly, that is!
Privately, the Knicks question whether they should just run up and down the floor jacking up shots. They've wondered somewhat aloud whether the game should be slowed to let Stoudemire and Anthony operate in a more structured offense. Defensively, they're offended by the notion of that word and their team being mentioned in the same breath. They don't like being laughed at. And tension is elevating because of it.
Down the hall, away from players, reporters are whispering about hearing assistant coaches worry that Anthony is going to get them fired. Anthony's mood and demeanor say he wouldn't mind that at all. Nobody's taking Stoudemire's compliments seriously because D'Antoni is connected to that $100 million check he's cashing.
"It's bad over there," one Celtic, who's tight with several of the Knicks, told me after the game. "Right or wrong, they're not feeling [D'Antoni]. They just ain't."
Neither is the rest of New York. Not when the Knicks are 7-9 since Anthony arrived, having lost two games to Cleveland and two more to the Indiana Pacers, not to mention Friday's game in Detroit when the Knicks couldn't get any stops in the fourth quarter. And then there was that abysmal first quarter of their very next game in Milwaukee, in which they trailed 32-9 and emerged with another loss.
"Tough moments happen sometimes," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who had his share of scary moments on Monday night, watching Ray Allen lie bloodied on the floor in the third quarter after a nasty collision, then later witnessing Kevin Garnett sprawled on the floor after diving for a loose ball. "What folks may not realize is that you stay the course. You do what you do. You don't deviate from what's worked for you in the past."
It depends on the definition of "worked." For Rivers, it translates to championships. For D'Antoni, "contention" would do just fine.
Surrendering 33 points in the fourth quarter on 70 percent shooting and relegating oneself to a No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference doesn't qualify as contending. Not now. Now with this roster. Not if you're the no-defense-playing Knicks, surrendering six dunks on seven shots in the post during crunch time.
"We just need time together, to practice somewhere other than in the middle of games," Billups deadpanned.
He should have plenty of time come April, from the looks of things.
D'Antoni? Perhaps a little more than that, if things don't change quickly, fast and in a hurry.
Follow Stephen A. Smith on Twitter:

Well it was bound to happen. Seems like most of the team feels the same way most of the "SMART" fans do. :peace:
 

HarshMello

Benchwarmer
I think the Melo trade was a last desperate attempt by MDA to hold on to his job next season.

I don't think it's going to work. :barf:
 

Knicksdabest

Benchwarmer
lol this was a ticking timebomb after the ridicule for months on the non-existant defense. cant wait till he leaves!:peace:
 

KBlack25

Starter
If true Melo certainly knows this now that he is a Knick and is most likely the reason it appears the relationship is strained. MDA is probably on his way out...

I would bet MDA is on his way out too. But we still need better interior presence no matter who comes in (probably some off-brand wack coach, not Phil, Pop or Sloan or anyone that will truly help us) before we compete for a title.
 
I would bet MDA is on his way out too. But we still need better interior presence no matter who comes in (probably some off-brand wack coach, not Phil, Pop or Sloan or anyone that will truly help us) before we compete for a title.

Sloan too old. Phil aint coming. Pop I'm not sure. Laimbeer would be good. I have a feeling he's destined for greatness. He learned from a great NBA coach.
 

Blumatic

Rotation player
All of this eerily sound like the 9-8 Miami Heat in the beginning of the season.
Lebron was doubting Wade. Riley would come down soon. Melo not object to coaching changes. No belief in head coach.

All we need now is Melo bumping MDA in shoulder right after a timeout.
 

nuckles2k2

Superstar
I seriously wonder if Ron Adams can be had. I don't know if he'd want to make another move a year after hooking up with Thibbs and that monster of a defense he gets to run in Chi-town...but his body of work speaks for itself.
 
LOL Stephen A. Smith is a hypocrate!

He was the one screaming the loudest for the Melo trade and how we're gonna rock the east with 2 All Stars!

Now all of a sudden this team is wack...come on Stephen stay real!



If only we could play Atlanta in the playoffs...they're the team we're most likely to beat. They suck this season just got torn apart by Rose and Deng on their own.
 

nuckles2k2

Superstar
LOL Stephen A. Smith is a hypocrate!

He was the one screaming the loudest for the Melo trade and how we're gonna rock the east with 2 All Stars!

Now all of a sudden this team is wack...come on Stephen stay real!



If only we could play Atlanta in the playoffs...they're the team we're most likely to beat. They suck this season just got torn apart by Rose and Deng on their own.

I love how Stephen A. Smith is a hypocrite because the players are in the locker room questioning the fashion in which they're being coached. He didn't say I "think" or I "believe" he said: "Privately, the Knicks question whether they should just run up and down the floor jacking up shots. They've wondered somewhat aloud whether the game should be slowed to let Stoudemire and Anthony operate in a more structured offense. Defensively, they're offended by the notion of that word and their team being mentioned in the same breath. They don't like being laughed at. And tension is elevating because of it."

There's no opinion in there...he's reporting what he's observing. How that makes him a hypocrite is puzzling.

I also love how the players concerns seem to differ from all of those trying to explain why MDA can have success at some arbitrary date in the future, and why you should ignore what's actually happening.

Like I've stated over and over and over....stop looking at wins and losses as self contained events that have no insightful info to offer...and look at how the team is winning and losing. It's very similar to the Knicks the past 2 seasons, same philosophies, same deficiencies, same losses. And apparently Knicks players see it as well...as you assume they would, being professionals and all.
 

Red

TYPE-A
These Knicks don't have a clue

No toughness, no D, no faith in one another. Can D'Antoni fix it? He'd better, and fast.


NEW YORK -- Monday night started with the New York Knicks introducing the Boston Celtics to a team we hadn't seen since the days of Pat Riley, Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason.
It continued with blood splattered on the Madison Square Garden floor, punctuated with near fisticuffs from Amare Stoudemire -- and teammates surprisingly eager to come to his aid. But once the final buzzer sounded and it was time to exhale, seconds removed from evident demoralization of a 96-86 defeat, it was clear these latest representatives of Gotham City didn't warrant any comparisons at all.
Just pity!
There are no Oakleys or Masons, just Ronny Turiaf and Jared Jeffries. There isn't a Riley on the bench, just Mike D'Antoni, who appears to detest everything Riley represented when he was with the Knicks -- meaning rigidity and toughness. By now we've also learned, excruciatingly, that there is no defense, very little toughness or offensive efficiency, no team in any sense that really matters. Just a collection of NBA-caliber talent paid to wear blue-and-orange uniforms.
The Stephen A. Smith Show


<center> </center> Catch Stephen A. on 1050 ESPN, weeknights from 7-9 p.m. More ?


Point guard Chauncey Billups wasn't shy about saying, "We're struggling right now, ain't no doubt about it," and his candor should be appreciated. Considering the misfit squad that keeps diminishing our hopes and expectations for the 2010-11 season with each passing game, it is good that we can't call the players liars as well.
A season is not made in a week or two any more than a stellar game epitomizes greatness. But if what we've witnessed in the past nine days symbolizes anything, it is that the Knicks are falling apart before our very eyes.
They've lost to sub-.500 teams. They've made marginal opposing players look like All-Stars. They've appeared disoriented in running plays, at getting to key spots on the floor and forcing misses, transforming themselves into laughingstocks. Privately, as a result, they have lost faith in one another.
But especially in their coach.
"We panicked," D'Antoni said after the Knicks were outscored 23-4 in the game's final 7:26, with the Celtics holding them to 1-for-11 shooting from the field, including three turnovers in that span. "We didn't play the way we're capable of playing. Obviously, we're getting to the point where we've got to figure something out."
It would really, really behoove D'Antoni to do so. Because things just ain't pretty for him right now.
There's a reason Carmelo Anthony hasn't been interested in speaking to the media lately. Check Grandma's old adage to figure out why: When you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Since you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who'll say something nice about D'Antoni these days, it all makes sense.
"I love Coach," Stoudemire told me recently. "He knows what he's doing. We just need to make adjustments, that's all."
Actually, that's not all.
The Knicks religiously have been in the league's bottom five defensively since D'Antoni arrived in 2008. Recently, Anthony has echoed the need for defensive schemes and principles. And he's not alone, with a bevy of other Knicks feeling that way, creating a divisive atmosphere that's bound to implode.

Knicks Blog

nyk.gif
Looking for more information on your Knicks? ESPNNewYork.com has you covered. Blog


After their loss to the Celtics, Billups, Stoudemire, Anthony, Jeffries and others were experts in evasive measures. "We sense the momentum -- we're not stupid," one Knick told me. "We can feel the heat coming in [D'Antoni's] direction. We're staying clear of that mess."
Publicly, that is!
Privately, the Knicks question whether they should just run up and down the floor jacking up shots. They've wondered somewhat aloud whether the game should be slowed to let Stoudemire and Anthony operate in a more structured offense. Defensively, they're offended by the notion of that word and their team being mentioned in the same breath. They don't like being laughed at. And tension is elevating because of it.
Down the hall, away from players, reporters are whispering about hearing assistant coaches worry that Anthony is going to get them fired. Anthony's mood and demeanor say he wouldn't mind that at all. Nobody's taking Stoudemire's compliments seriously because D'Antoni is connected to that $100 million check he's cashing.
"It's bad over there," one Celtic, who's tight with several of the Knicks, told me after the game. "Right or wrong, they're not feeling [D'Antoni]. They just ain't."
Neither is the rest of New York. Not when the Knicks are 7-9 since Anthony arrived, having lost two games to Cleveland and two more to the Indiana Pacers, not to mention Friday's game in Detroit when the Knicks couldn't get any stops in the fourth quarter. And then there was that abysmal first quarter of their very next game in Milwaukee, in which they trailed 32-9 and emerged with another loss.
"Tough moments happen sometimes," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who had his share of scary moments on Monday night, watching Ray Allen lie bloodied on the floor in the third quarter after a nasty collision, then later witnessing Kevin Garnett sprawled on the floor after diving for a loose ball. "What folks may not realize is that you stay the course. You do what you do. You don't deviate from what's worked for you in the past."
It depends on the definition of "worked." For Rivers, it translates to championships. For D'Antoni, "contention" would do just fine.
Surrendering 33 points in the fourth quarter on 70 percent shooting and relegating oneself to a No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference doesn't qualify as contending. Not now. Now with this roster. Not if you're the no-defense-playing Knicks, surrendering six dunks on seven shots in the post during crunch time.
"We just need time together, to practice somewhere other than in the middle of games," Billups deadpanned.
He should have plenty of time come April, from the looks of things.
D'Antoni? Perhaps a little more than that, if things don't change quickly, fast and in a hurry.
Follow Stephen A. Smith on Twitter:

Well it was bound to happen. Seems like most of the team feels the same way most of the "SMART" fans do. :peace:

But when I said it, I was "emotional", and "owning myself"... whatever dumba$$ sh*t that means..smh

Listen our window is now!


IT HAS BEEN DECIDED. MIKE D'ANTONI IS WRONG FOR OUR FUTURE ENDEVOURS.

I'm not playing anymore waitng games. Next order of business, a replacement and real coach.

Good thread.
 

Red

TYPE-A
LOL Stephen A. Smith is a hypocrate!

He was the one screaming the loudest for the Melo trade and how we're gonna rock the east with 2 All Stars!

Now all of a sudden this team is wack...come on Stephen stay real!



If only we could play Atlanta in the playoffs...they're the team we're most likely to beat. They suck this season just got torn apart by Rose and Deng on their own.

This has nothing to do with Stephen.

This upgrade just illuminated our glaring deficiency.

Look at it this way...

If I told you LAST summer the Knicks traded Gallo, Wil, Moz + for Melo

You would of bust on yourself. Let's remain focused on the real issue.
 

KBlack25

Starter
This has nothing to do with Stephen.

This upgrade just illuminated our glaring deficiency.

Look at it this way...

If I told you LAST summer the Knicks traded Gallo, Wil, Moz + for Melo

You would of bust on yourself. Let's remain focused on the real issue.

But getting him in the summer would have given Melo a full training camp and a full season to acclimate himself to his teammates...it would have been a different scenario. We are expecting him and the team to immediately come together, when in reality these guys have been together one month with not a ton of high-intensity practices together.
 
Top