This topic contains 12 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by 
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- Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 4:37am #13207
rtbtParticipantD’Antoni was an excellent coach in Phoenix. I’m still not sure if it was him, the players he had in the city of the sun, and/or a combination of both. However, he’s doing a terrible job in New York.
One of my biggest complaints about D’Antoni is his fascination with an 8 man rotation, which wears out your players prematurely over an 82 game season. It’s also very bad for the self confidence of the guys who aren’t in the rotation. It’s only natural to lose your confidence when the coach displays no faith in your ability to come off the bench.
Another huge problem with his rotation in New York is the lack of big men. D’Antoni immediately excluded his only real big guy at the time, Darko Milicic, from the rotation. I realize Milicic isn’t exactly an all star and his offensive skill set is very limited. But on the plus side, he’s 7 feet tall, he can run the court, rebound, and block some shots, something seriously lacking in the current 8 man rotation.
That decision meant David Lee, a guy who is a 6 ft 9 inch power forward, was forced to play center all season. I love David Lee, but he’s over matched against some of the bigger centers in the league. In addition, Lee doesn’t have a PF who can help with rebounding.
So in addition to playing porous defense, the Knicks are horrible on the boards. New York is next to last in Rebounding Differential in the league, only Golden State is worse. Last night against Milwaukee, they were out rebounded by an astonishing total of 61 to 35! You might find it hard to believe, but yes, you read that correctly.
Basketball 101: You can’t win without the ball.
By the way, if you’re interested, Cleveland is number 1 in Rebounding Differential.
0 - Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 4:47am #259585
tli232Agreed. However, personel is a big concern as the other legit rotation big is… Al Harrington aka Get Buckets Jr. (after Ricky Davis). There’s no chance they can rebound effectively
0- Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 4:54am #259587
knicks82ParticipantI do agree with the lack of a big man being a huge problem. I mean I thought Darko was gonna make a difference, he played the first several games of the season and that was it, I didnt think he played bad but for whatever reason Dantoni didnt like him.
I dont think the 8 man rotation is that big a deal, I mean if you look at it, most teams only use 8 or 9 men. I think the Knicks should look at signing Dwayne Jones from the D-League.0
- Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 8:18am #259614
IndianaBasketballParticipantI’m all for narrowing down your rotation to eight men during the playoffs, but during the regular season? That’s crazy… A sure fire way to wear your players out.
0 - Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 8:20am #259615
GoDubs510Participantno point to criticize d’antoni till we see who he has on his team next year. NYK is a joke now. Everyone knows they are waiting till 2010. Doubt they’ll get lebron, but they will get 2 allstar level guys. Even if it is Amare+ Joe johnson.
Once D’Antoni has a legitimate playoff team
I think more criticism should be paid to donny walsh for passing on B.Jennings
0 - Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 8:21am #259617
IndianaBasketballParticipantIt was a co-decision, Walsh AND D’Antoni, to pass up Brandon Jennings.
0 - Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 8:27am #259620
knicksfreakParticipantYou cant criticize D’Antoni for not playing Milicic. Darko obviously didnt deserve to play so he didnt. Its not like D’Antoni was benching a stud just because. (in this case)
The problem with having too many players in a rotation is continuity. Players cannot gain any momentum and its tough to come into games cold and be expected to play superbly. NBA veterans should be able to last through the grind of an 82 game season.
The Knicks are playing terrible lately because they cannot get the ball into the hoop. They’ve had many great looks but just cant get them down. Sergio only had one assist but he made at least 3 very good passes that I recall that should have resulted in easy buckets.
Although House only shot 25% the other night, its nice to have a guy on the team that you dont have to hold your breath about if the ball is going to go in.
Harrington seems like the odd man out now(besides Duhon) and its a shame that we couldnt get the deal done of him for Tyrus Thomas. Thomas would have fit great next to Lee and helped with some of our size problems we currently have. Where’s Sean Williams at?
0 - Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 10:02am #259596
rtbtParticipanttli232, I agree that the Knicks don’t have the personnel. Having said that, earlier in the season they had Milicic, who is 7 feet tall and 275 pounds. Although he’s weak on offense, he can run the court, he can rebound, and block a few shots, something the Knicks desperately need. I realize Milicic isn’t the answer, but he was all they had and he refused to use him. I’m beginning to wonder if the allegation against D’Antoni, that he focuses far too much on offense, is true. How many times must your team get killed on the boards before you insert a big man into the lineup?
And knicks82, I disagree with you about the 8 man rotation in the NBA. It’s a very long, physically draining season which means you simply cannot play the same 8 guys all year. And don’t forget my other point, what happens to the confidence of the guys on the bench who never play?
And keep this in mind, sooner or later you’re going to have injuries and/or foul trouble in your 8 man rotation. After that happens, then you have to depend on a guy who hardly played all year.
0 - Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 3:29pm #259639
rtbtParticipantknicksfreak wrote, “NBA veterans should be able to last through the grind of an 82 game season.”
What planet are you living on? An 82 game schedule is far too much running and jumping for the human body to endure. And that’s not counting the playoffs which go on for another 1 1/2 months. NBA players have numerous knee surgeries because the body can only take so much. And let’s not forget if you play the same 8 guys every night, they’re going to accumulate more injuries than they would if given adequate rest.
The NBA regular season used to be 70 games, which was more than twice as many as college teams played. I understand there were some complaints back then that the 70 game season was too much. But money rules in our culture, so instead of cutting back on the total, the season was actually expanded to 82 games. Are you kidding? That’s almost three times as many as college teams play.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the NBA also decided to expand the playoffs. I think there used to be a best 2 of 3 and a best 3 of 5, or something similar. Now there are more playoff games than ever. In fact, the wear & tear / injury problems are so bad that the length of the season is actually on the agenda to be discussed during the next union contract.
As I mentioned above, putting aside the physical punishment to the body over 82 games, the psychological damage of essentially telling the guys who aren’t in the 8 man rotation that I have no faith in you could have serious implications. There will come a time, either because of injury or fouls, when you need those guys on the bench. And if they haven’t played under game situations on a regular basis, you really can’t expect them to perform at their best.
A smart coach will have a 9-10 man rotation during the regular season, and as Tezo83 pointed out above, then go to an 8 man rotation during the playoffs if you feel that is appropriate.
0 - Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 3:39pm #259779
quinceyhodgesthe 82 game season is long but i always felt that if one team can get through it and play at high energy then why cant another. i can understand the coaches rotation because past the 8 guys no one else really did much to earn more playing time. im sure if he had better players he would have a bigger rotation. but if you only have 8 guys who contribute towards you winning games then thats what you have to go with. maybe im wrong but im sure there are other teams with 8 man rotations who do pretty well. im not sure how good of a coach he is but a coach is only as good as his players for the most part. and if they arent real good then they have to run the plays he gives to them as well as play good defense. people say he doesnt care about defense but isnt that up to the players to play good defense?..im sure if b.bowen,jordan,pippen, rondo were running his offense they would score alot of points but would also take pride in not letting there man score. has it occurred to some that maybe he has to run more to tire the other team out because his players arent good defenders?..i means its pretty well known that d.lee, amare, nash arent real good defenders right?
0 - Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 3:58pm #259786
knicks82Participantgo look at any other rotation on a team..rarely do more than 9 guys play in a game, and usuall that ninth guy will be lucky to play 10 minutes. Lakers are a real good example.
0 - Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 4:09pm #259790
quinceyhodgesim sure those other teams have better players as well
0 - Posted on: Tue, 02/23/2010 - 4:12pm #259791
quinceyhodgeswhen i check the roster i see 11 guys played 11 or more minutes a game with only 3 other guys playing
9min, 9min, 6min
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