Red
TYPE-A
I know Mike... I saw it for years, yet I am not bald (on my head )
...we must reevaluate our talent.
First off there's this:
Speedball officially died in Westchester on Thursday.
Interim Knicks coach Mike Woodson staged his first practice Thursday and reporters got to see implementation of a host of structured, deliberate set plays that was absent in the read-and-ract Mike D’Antoni speedball offense. D’Antoni resigned Wednesday, feeling he didn’t have enough guys buying into the share-the-ball system, specifically Carmelo Anthony.
Amar'e Stoudemire admitted the offensive system is changing dramatically under Woodson in blending more toward the superstars, less toward Linsanity. Woodson admitted afterward point guard Jeremy Lin still is in a “learning stage.’’
"He's going to utilize his leading scorers, myself and Carmelo (Anthony), make sure he takes advantage of every opportunity on the court,'' Stoudemire said after practice. "We've been profound scorers all our careers. He wants to make sure we take advantage of that."
“It’s going to be different for us,’’ Stoudemire added. “Coach Woodson has his offense and offensive schemes. We have to readjust to that. We are all receiving it well. We’re excited about it. We can’t wait to play in the new offense.‘’
We know the offense will be more traditional- ran through Stat & Melo in the post, and on the wing.
Similar to George Carl's (and many others) fundamental approach of producing high percentage shots at volume, we can expect a few anomalies to become present:
1. We will draw fouls at an enormous pace
2. We will play at a slower pace than years past
3. We will play more half-court ball that is heavily relied upon in the playoffs
4. We are in YET ANOTHER readjustment/acclimation stage
Then there's the question of Point Guard; that being: WHICH PG FITS OUR SYSTEM BEST?
This is an all important question, debated for years under our previous coach, using his system as a reference point.
Any combination of Lin, BD, JR, Bambi Fields, and Shump can be implored and our new philosophy should dictate this primarily.
Lets admit the truth; Lin is "still learning" and CANNOT be relied upon in the playoffs at this point. This DOES NOT mean he can't or won't flourish, as his clutchness has been on display for the world to see. That type of intangible is invaluable. Conversely, Bambi Fields has the reputation in his young career as being passive and weak when the bright lights are on. I see this as a sign.
To be fair, JR as well as Fields have just as much an opportunity to shine within this new system as anyone. With STAT & Melo being Batman & Robin I believe...
BD should start at PG. I've seen his athletic ability semi-return, his shot improve, and his reacclimation process go smoothly. Unfortunately that was in a different system.
BD however CAN be relied upon come playoff time. He has the resume, the veteran respect, the decision making ablilty, and the passing skills to compliment STAT & Melo. He also has a fair shot at the PG spot sans the Linsanity hype. F*ck pleasing the Asian fan... no offense. W's mean more.
My main concern is can BD knock down the kick-out with consistency? I have no doubt he will do as a PG should; know when to drive, know how to get hot players the ball, know how to control the tempo.
My secondary concern is can BD stop the penetration? I have confiednce he can. His footwork looks good.
That leaves us with the two.
Offense, although sporadic comes with both JR and Shump; JR being the most likely to succeed offensively. Shump remaining a question mark for the bright lights.
The nod goes to Shump in my opinion for a few reasons. He's our best perimeter defender. Although the leadership has changed, the fact that we need to surround STAT & Melo with quality defenders remains. It makes sense to balance the starting unit with defense and versatility. Shump has the job of deprogramming his shoot first mentality to becoming more of facilitator and hustle guy. I'm ordering Bambi Fields to relinquish his notes immediately!
JR provides a better scoring option to compliment the 2nd unit and give Lin and Novak a potent trio (who can't play defense as well, but hey who cares, we need scoring off-the-bench. We don't plan on having to fight back so often :thumbsup. Jorts can help with that too, although he too needs to be reprogrammed at the finer (expected) arts of a big man.
Starters: BD, SHUMP, MELO, STAT, TC (gives us veteran savvy, needed in the playoffs- if we make it :crossfingers:. While reducing the likelihood of errors by Lin and Fields, who are young and need better defense to take the pressure of our bigs)
Bench: LIN, JR, FIELDS, JJ, Jorts (gives us a 2nd unit with scoring, speed, defensive versatility, and a bunch of dudes with something to prove in various capacities.
Your thoughts?
*Jerome Jordan is the honorable mention after Jorts. Novak is a lock as our 2nd unit scorer. White Men Can Jump-shoot. :thumbsup:
**Bibby can get the garbage minutes after we're up 20.
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