The Chicken or the Egg?
Madison Square Garden has become a stable nesting ground for boo-birds lately, as the
Knicks have dragged their way to an embarrassing 6-14 record through the first quarter of the season. Recent reports suggest that Isiah Thomas is unhappy with the fans, labeling their relentless booing as the culprit for the team's dismal play.
Nowadays many of the Garden faithful have been heard booing Thomas and his players during player introductions. However, the heavy showering of jeers normally only begins to surface once the team digs itself into a routine early double-digit deficit.
The age-old question can be applied to this current Knicks' situation - Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Which came first, the poor play or the booing?
While Thomas has blamed the fans for the team's lackluster starts, the onus can only be placed on himself when you look at the lineups he has put on the floor so far this season.
The
Knicks have a very talented roster, but the majority of their personnel are blatantly one-dimensional ballplayers. For every offensive-minded player who lacks defensive intensity and the notion to distribute the ball to his teammates (think
Eddy Curry), they have a ruthless defensive-oriented player who looks immediately to pass because he's incapable of putting the ball in the hoop (think
Jared Jeffries).
The sole purpose of constructing a team with the intention of developing team chemistry is to integrate these differing styles of play so that they complement one another properly. This is where Isiah Thomas is guilty of being the chicken.
His normal starting five consists of
Stephon Marbury,
Jamal Crawford,
Quentin Richardson,
Zach Randolph, and
Eddy Curry. His second team often consists of
Fred Jones,
David Lee,
Renaldo Balkman, and
Jared Jeffries. This demonstrates that Thomas likes to deploy two units: one comprised solely of selfish ball-hogs who lack any tenacity on defense or on the boards, while the second group loves nothing more than shutting down their man defensively and getting to the ball at all costs.
Perhaps if Thomas decided to intertwine his first and second units, he would be able to avoid the routine mid-first quarter timeout with the
Knicks already down twelve and the looming Garden fans already calling for their heads. Not a single player in his starting lineup is renowned for having defensive competence and blocked shots occur as often as
New York City subway stations get cleaned.
Isiah Thomas has been reluctant in the past to shake up his starting lineup because he feels that he likes to insert his 'energy guys' including Balkman, Lee, and
Nate Robinson when the team needs a boost. But wouldn't the team best be served by having these sparkplugs in the game from the onset? Why wait until the team is facing a ten-point deficit to bring in guys who are willing to push the envelope and change the tempo of the game?
So what starting lineup should Isiah Thomas consider using? Let's take a closer look.
With the recent absence of point guard
Stephon Marbury, it is clear he is the most capable distributor (7.3 assists per 48 min) on the roster and the only 'starter' who can really bring a nasty defensive edge when needed. His ability to penetrate the lane and kick the ball to open teammates gives the
Knicks better ball movement. He can also take command of the game in spurts and is shooting 42% from downtown. He must remain the starting point guard.
The strongest part of
Jamal Crawford's game is his uncanny ability to catch fire and score at will when bobbing and weaving at the top of the key. His numbers also suggest that he is the second-most capable ball distributor on the roster (5.4 assists per 48 min), and thus should lead the second unit.
Stepping into the shooting guard position should be Marbury's current replacement in the starting five,
Fred Jones. He has been a solid defender and is putting up 14.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per 48 min while shooting a healthy 34% from three-point.
Quentin Richardson needs to take a seat. While his rebounding has been effective, his defense and conditioning are severely suspect and his shot has been just unbearably awful (32% from field, 28% from three). His extreme competitiveness and fiery demeanor in the huddle are often the cause for his overrated status as a 'stout defender.'
He has to be replaced by second-year standout
Renaldo Balkman. While Balkman doesn't offer much offensively, he has grabbed 10.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and leads the team with 1.47 blocks per 48 min. His defensive prowess is unmatched on the roster and his 54% shooting from the field can be attributed to his superior awareness around the hoop for easy put-backs off of offensive rebounds.
The pairing of
Eddy Curry and
Zach Randolph must take a detour if Isiah wishes to right this sinking ship. Both guys are much better without the other on the floor, and both guys are capable of having the offense run through them. While both are sluggish and uninspired on defense, Randolph is a prolific rebounder, which gives him the nod over Curry in the starting five. Z-Bo has delivered 25.0 points, 14.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.21 steals per 48 minutes, compared to Eddy's 24.1, 8.8, 0.9, and 0.42, respectively.
The last starting roster spot belongs to the ball-hawking Mr. Intangibles
David Lee. Lee has been efficient on defense and just as dominant as Randolph on the boards. His 17.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per 48 min give the
Knicks ample second chance opportunities to control the game while he pairs with Balkman to put-back any shot left short by the guards.
This new starting five of Marbury, Jones, Balkman, Randolph, and Lee will give the
Knicks a penetrating distributor, two three-point threats, a low post monster, a lock-down defender, three complimentary solid defenders, three guys to clean the boards, and two to thrive on put-back baskets under the hoop.
The second unit will enlist the dynamic offensive pairing of
Jamal Crawford and
Eddy Curry, who have developed a strong bond on and off the court since their playing days in
Chicago. Richardson and Robinson will not only offer Crawford and Curry options to kick to for open three-point shots, but will also team with defensive specialist
Jared Jeffries to supply the team with solid rebounding (Richardson 10.0, Robinson 6.9, and Jeffries 8.9 rebounds per 48 min).
This rotation shake-up is just what the
Knicks need to get back on track. Despite their woeful record, they are still easily within striking range of reaching the playoffs. They are only three games out of the eighth seed with over sixty games left to play.
The most difficult part of this situation is that Isiah's current lineup is currently stocked with some of the biggest egos and playing-time whiners in the league. It would take a miracle for Zeke to have the guts to remove the aforementioned three starters from the opening lineup to better set the team up to succeed.
Going back to the original question - what exactly is causing this disgraceful play by this talented and deep
Knicks team? Is it the booing that is causing them to lose confidence and thus affecting their ability to compete at a high level? Or is it Isiah's one-dimensional rotations that put them in a position to fail, which ultimately leads to booing?
This dilemma seems a little easier for Thomas to answer than the age-old question of whether the chicken or the egg came first…
This is one of the most reasonable and true articles that i have read on the Knicks so i thought i would post it. The beginning was great and it stressesall the things that i have been saying for a while. That we need to contradict player styles kind of like we need to go after Okafor and Artest would be niceas well. I dont quite agree with the new lineups thta he mentioned but this guy has the right idea about all of it. I think Crawford definitley needs to starthe is a top scorer and i honestly believe he will be premier in two years or so given we do the right things around him. But his scoring abilities are nuts. Ialso would rather Jeffries startng over Balkman, not because i like him more but because Jeffries has more experience. He already started and excelled on aplayoff team before and was the guy that they threw on the other teams best player and his versatility allowed them to do so whether the other teams bestplayer was like a 2-4. He is also taller than Balkman at 6'11, which will allow him to make up some for our sooft D down low. And i dont think Balkman isready to start... yet . I think right now he is not as complete as Jeffries (who isnt complete eeither) but Balkman is more of just an energy guy...now. I alsodont think Curry should be the center of ANY offense, but the fact that this guy has him out of the lineup at least means he has the right idea. This is agreat read on the team, but NONE of this will happen unless Isiah goes. Cause like this article mentions which is what i like and what i always say is that wehave the talent it is just the teams Isiah puts out there that is making us suck. That is why i get mad watching this team play like !+#+ and dump it intofatty. Because unlike the past this team is good, they just need to be coached better. No doubt in my mind that they are a playoff team.... talent wise, andlike i say chemistry aint even the problem its Isiahs starategy. the fffensive scheme is HORRIBLE. How do we have all these offensive guys, but still onlyaverage 90 ppg one of the lower amounts in the L) we are a top team offensively. i will admit, even with the right guyss we are still one of the worserdefensive teams in the league, but we should be top 5 or at least top 10 in offense. Its the startegy that holds us pack, or a lack of a strategy, not theplayers. And as for defense... without ANy shot blockers and with Curry/Randolph and even guys like Crawford. We are by no means a good defensive team, but weshould not be THIS bad if it wasnt for Isiah. If we get the right guys in there, like inserting Lee + Jeffries into the lineup, we will no means be a topdefensive team but not this bad, i would have to say around 20th in the leaue, maybe higher. But overall we are not this bad, just patheticly coached.
.....just blow this team up......Phil Jackson wouldn't even win with this team
