Knicks slumping at 6-8, and the #2 team in the West is......................The Utah Jazz?
This is why I love the NBA.. The Knicks have one of the best rosters (talented) in the league and they are struggling.. And the Jazz, whou clearly should be rebuilding with their young players (Kanter, Favors, Hayward, Burkes) but they are killin in...
Who would have thought?
I told you guys.. This JV Big3 is not going to win a ring or even reach the NBA Finals. They probably won't even reach the ECF. Stoudemire and Anthony disregard playing defense and Tyson Chandler is NOT going to bring the K.G. effect to the Knicks because Tyson Chandler in his prime is nowhere near the defender that KG was 3-4 years ago.
This is a good team and will probably win a series in the playoffs, but they are the new Atlanta Hawks. They have a bunch of players that player as individuals and aren't going to move further in the playoffs unless they begin playing as a team both offensively and defensively.
The only way I see this team as a contender is if they finally fire D'Antoni and let Mike Woodson take charge.
I'm very happy Utah's playing well (certainly better than I expected), but their schedule has been cake so far. Most of their games have been played at home or against subpar teams. I'd love for them to make the playoffs and I'll happily eat crow if they do, but I just can't see it.
Also, keep in mind that Utah got off to great starts in their two worst seasons over the course of the last 29 years.
In 2004-2005, Utah started off 8-3 and finished with a record of 26-56.
In 2010-2011, Utah was 27-14 halfway through the season and finished 39-43.
/\ Utah's only losing seasons since 1982-1983.
Hope I'm wrong though.
Mike D'Antoni isn't the answer for the Knicks, sorry. They don't have the PG they need to be good in his system. Mike Woodson isn't the answer either I don't think either. He was a decent coach for the Hawks, but he is not likely going to get the Knicks over the top with his plodding offensive philosophy. Tyson Chandler was an anchor for the Mavs because the Mavs were well-coached defensively, but he was never a real anchor to a defense before last year and the Knicks do not have the coaching on the defensive end to mask the fact that he chases blocks and gets out of position far too easily. He has a steep price tag too. The Knicks need more pieces that actually fit together. Toney Douglas isn't good, and Landry Fields is not a starter. At all. And their bench is mediocre, at absolute best. Even though Shumpert is a fan favorite he still has not improved at ANYTHING since college since his Fr. year. He's a pesky defender with the size and athleticism to make plays in spurts, but he's still inefficient, overly agressive, not the shooter he thinks he is, and not a real PG. He has upside, but how long can we say that if he's been the same player for almost 4 years now. He's still not a smart player yet. The Knicks need to make changes.
Hey while we are on the subject of those older Jazz seasons, I'd like to bring up an argueing point again for the 2003-2004 Utah jazz, and more specifically how in the hell jerry sloan didnt win coach of the year that year when he went 42-40 behind these players.
Andrei Kirilenko, Matt Harpring, Carlos Arroyo, Greg ostertag, Jarron Collins, Gordon Giricek, Ben &$#%#&@! Handgloten, Mo Williams, Michael Ruffin, a 70 yr old tom gugliotta, think we also had a 70 yr old danny manning.
This still &$#%#&@! me off to this day, i cant remember who else was on that team but I'm sure they where just about as irrelevant as the rest of them. However I dont think its far fetched at all to think this team would be able to make a push for a playoff birth this season, I never understood why people where so intrigued with both the Nuggets and 76ers, yet in the same breath disregarded the Jazz. Although each of these teams have different stregnths, they all have a team that is somewhat similar in the fact that they have a ton of depth, and no real go to superstar. Rather than depending and riding on the back of 1 superstar every night, they have the luxury of multiple options every given night and can play the player who's hot that night.
^With any other coach, that 03-04 Jazz team is a 25 win team, Sloans system really got the best out of all of his players.
Today we'll get to see what the Jazz are made of, in a big national Television game against the Mavs, who are reeling after two straight heart breaking losses.
Damn, I typed a hella long post and lost it all.
Basically Lin will help orchestrate their offense, and if Anothny can blend in adn he and Amare can play some D, they will be dangerous.
It could be a lot more worse, they could have lost every game after Melo went down, and be 9-19 with a depressed Amare, and a gimpy Melo. Losing both at the same time was the worst case scenario, and aside Lin and Chandler, and Fields, it was a team full of scrubs.
After 14 games, it's obvious that Knicks are having trouble getting any flow in their offense, and Tyson Chandler hasn't done much to help them defensively, and their other players are liabilities on the defensive end.
Stoudemire has really beome a driving jumpshooting guy, and hasn't had a guy to set him up for the easy layup. Ever since Ray Felton left, he has had a great deal of trouble finding any flow in his offense, and D'Antoni really has to hope B Diddy gives a boost when he gets back, cause this team has no thythem offensively, and has very little depth and quality play outside of Melo, and even he had a hard time scoring today. I don't think that Melo and Stoudemire compliment each other at all. Melo needs the ball on the wing, and best suited with a low post guy that bangs and can get boards, three point shooters, and a point that can get dribble penetration, and although he thrives in a high paced offense, he is a ball stoper, and needs the ball to score.
Amare just needs a Point with great court vision, and guys on the perimeter that demand constant attention. His game is based around getting it 10 feet out, facing up, and them either making a move, dribing, or pulling up. Melo takes touches away from Amare and vice-versa, but the main thing is that their styles haven't meshed into a free flow type explosive offense we all thought they would be.
Now about the Jazz, they have really surprised me. Early on we thought they would be one of the worst teams in the league. But now they are really thriving in an offense centered around Jefferson and Millsap, and they are doing this while relying on young guys, and having an 11 man rotation. No one is playing more than 33 minutes a game, and Millsap is having a great season, 16 and 8 playing less than 30 minutes a game. And some of their younger guys are only going to get better, and plus their guys are going to stay fresh, and they play a defesive styled game, and I really think that they'll win around 39 games this season, and if this keeps up, they might be able to surprise soem of us in the playoffs.