What will get the Knicks into the NBA Finals next year? A f'n miracle.
Were not going to make it to the Finals next year. Lets aim for something like 2010. No team goes from not making the playoffs to winning a title. In order to make a big time jump you have to atleast have some sort of playoff experience. Think back to the early 90s, we got swept and beat up by the Bulls but that experience made us a better team and then we began to advance farther and farther.
And Paul Pierce is great, but he isn't a guy that single handedly gets you to the next level. What has boston done with him?
Turn nate into Steve Nash. Come on dude seriously if you think thats possible youve lost your mind.
2010? I think that is a stretch man...I do not think the team we have assembled will ever get past the second round just for the plain fact that we do not have enough three demensional ball players, just take a look:
Almost what we need:
Marbs: his scoring ability has always been above average and he finally is playing D, but he still does not have an exceptional assist to turnover ratio to be a championship caliber type player unfortunately and it only gets worse as the list goes on...
DLee: Love the guy, reminds me of a guy who would have fit in great with our generation's glory team of Oak, Ewing, Starks, etc., but he still is a huge liability on D. He has the toughness to play D, but he gets beat alot by either bigger or quicker guys, BUT this is something that he can fix and I do envision him (if he learns how to hit a 10-15 ft jumper) as an all-star type player that can lead by example a team to championship...We just have to wait and see what he does next season.
QRich: Everything about this guy is good, he can post up, hit threes, play perimeter D, and feed Curry the ball, BUT the guy has a bad back...He is alot like LJ2 believe it or not and coincidentally, LJ had to retire due to a bad back...Hope history does not repeat itself because QRich def is a guy we want around for the long haul.
Craw: He just barely makes my list here...If anyone flourished under Next Town Brown, Crawford did...He definitely was our team MVP last year, but that the equivalent of patting your kid on the back when they get a C- on a major exam. He playing decent D last year and I was excited about his progression, but it def was not evident this season. He has the ability to make others around him better, especially Curry, but his wild shooting has always been suspect and he does generate alot of turnovers...So basically, he is an all or nothing guy, kind of like a poor mans Starks that plays suspect D, but not horrendous D (see Curry).
Rose: Believe it or not, we need more guys like Rose...He is probably the only High IQ BBall guy we got...He is not very athletic and never has been, but he knows how to play the game and that is why he is still in the league...If our guys could understand the game like him and come in cold turkey and contribute like he does everytime his number is called, we would be in the playoffs no doubt in my mind.
The Enigma:
Nate: I think everyone can agree that we all have a love-hate relationship with him...Everytime we make a decision of wanting to send him back to Seattle, he does something spectacular on offense or blocks a guys 1 to 2 ft taller than him..So, we say okay he good enough to stay and then he completely blows an assignment on D or gets blocked by challenging a shot-blocker that has a clear advantage over him...He is clearly an enigma and I honestly do not have a clear stand on him...I dont know if he is going to be playing big minutes for a successful team or be on the Globetrotters...Just do not know.
One Dimensional Guys:
Balk: Love him and until further notice, he is only going to be a garbage guy who brings energy into the game...But, if he learns how to hit jumpshots and FTs, could turn out to be an outstanding player for us either starting or off the bench.
Mardy: Ive been reading alot of blogs bashing him about his TOs...But guys guess what, he is a rookie getting the first major minutes of his career! Give him time...He plays excellent D, the only guy that can get onball steals and he can penetrate to the hope...Like Balk, if he learns how to hit FTs and outside shots, could be a Derek Harper type player.
Curry: I like his offensive game when he tries...When he tries, he makes it look so easy and routine, but he has ZERO drive..He has gotten more emotional during the games, but he still does not play Defense...I do not think I have ever seen someone play as bad of defense as he does...He is absolutely pathetic. I seriously think he is scared of the contact...I dont care if he gets seven boards a game because we do have a team that rebounds well, but his D has to get at least mediocre if we have a chance to be an above average team in this league.
Frye: Very soft, but he is still too big and slow to play SF. I am really pulling for him to be successful on our team because he is a great team player and PR guy. He needs to be more aggressive on the offensive end too so he get to the line more b/c he is one of our only good FT shooters...If he can find a good balance to his inside/outside game and play western conf. PF D (see Dirk), then he is def worth keeping, but now I do not see him helping us to a championship.
Morris: Do not know much about him so can not comment, but I am sure he is a better defender than Curry.
The Weight:
Franchise: I keep envisioning him and Steff in the backcourt causing havoc on both sides on the ball, but he just does not fit b/c he suffers from that ego shit that Steff had the last couple of years...Once Steff knocked that BS off this year, he had one of his most "productive" all around seasons of his career but Franchise is just too stupid to realize he is not "Franchise" anymore but a has been scorer now with a bum knee...He in no feasible way will help us to the next level.
JJ20: The better of the two JJ (if thats even possible). He breaks up passes....(Pause). Well, that is all I have seen him do...Maybe he is a good defender I guess, but has not shown me and I am sure most of you that he is anything special...But his offensive game is horrendous. He is the opposite of Curry on O, pathetic...I wish I could count how many layups he has blown this year! It is very sad and until he is a Bruce Bowen type, he will help us none on the court.
JJ13: We all knew he was going to be a bum after the Curry trade..Though he seems like a great team guy and I would probably enjoy having a beer with him, he seems completely lost when he gets his five mins a game...We should keep him though for hacking purposes; could come in handy if we want to hurt someone in the playoffs.
Cato: Should have gotten more playing time, but he'll be gone next year.
Wow, I just realized how long this post was, sorry about that...But, with our abundance of one-dimensional players, we can not peak past the second round...So, I really think with this particular group, it is up to four guys, Lee, Curry, Balk, and Mardy to step up their weaknesses...If these four can develop a 3 dimensional game, then we will be in very good shape b/c we will be extremely deep in all areas, but not if there is no progression in their flaws
then we are just going to keep being a shitty team.