khandor’s sports blog

In last night’s victory against the Detroit Pistons, embattled New York Knick’s head coach, Mike D’Antoni, unveiled a new Starting Line-up for the home team:

PG, Tracy McGrady [6-8, 223], 34:28/MP
OG, Bill Walker [6-6, 230], 36:27/MP
SF, Danilo Gallinari [6-10, 225], 37:24/MP
PF, Al Harrington [6-9, 250], 35:45/MP
C, David Lee [6-9, 250], 43:56/MP

and, then, chose to give only 2 other players a significant number of minutes coming off the bench:

PG, Sergio Rodriguez [6-3, 176], 29:44/MP
OG/PG, Eddie House [6-1, 180], 19:27/MP

in what turned out to be a very tight, and effective, 7-Man rotation:

Detroit Pistons 104
NEW YORK KNICKS 128
Boxscore 

During this game, the Knicks used the following 5-Man Units with the associated +/- results:

While some observers in the on-line hoops community might be scratching their heads today about the level of success which New York enjoyed last night, while playing without a “traditional” Point Guard in their Starting Unit, it should come as no surprise at all to regular readers of this blog.

If Mike D’Antoni elects to stick with this arrangement, which dramatically improves New York’s ability to REBOUND the ball for significant segments within a game, it will be very interesting, indeed, to see how this new 7-Man rotation holds up for the Knicks over their next 3 games:

at TORONTO RAPTORS [.500+; Tied for 24th in Rebounding Differential]
vs New Jersey
vs Atlanta [.500+; Tied for 24th in Rebounding Differential]

prior to heading out on the road for 5 consecutive games:

at SAN ANTONIO [.500+; 3rd in Rebounding Differential]
at MEMPHIS [.500+; 2nd in Rebounding Differential]
at DALLAS [.500+; 18th in Rebounding Differential]
at PHILADELPHIA
at BOSTON [.500+; 23rd in Rebounding Differential]

If any of New York’s upcoming opponents are asleep at the switch, during this late season stretch of games, it should not come as any sort of surprise to that team’s fans to see the Knicks rise up and steal more than 1 or 2 of these specific match-ups. 

—————————–

PS. Yours truly has advocated that Tracy McGrady be used at the Point Guard position, going back in time to his initial years in the NBA with the Toronto Raptors. Even after all these years, it is still gratifying to see him succeed when placed in this specific role by his head coach. Oh, what the Raptors could well have developed into, way back then, if the people responsible for running the franchise had truly known what they were doing, from a basketball acumen standpoint with the triumpherate of T-Mac/PG, Vince Carter/OG and Doug Christie/SF on their roster, in conjunction with a slew of solid Bigs that included the likes of Antonio Davis/PF, Kevin Willis/PF, Charles Oakley/PF, Jerome Williams/PF, Keon Clark/PF and Hakeem Olajuwon/C, over a series of years from 1998 to 2002. 

In the interview Bryan Colangelo did with Eric Smith [FAN590], prior to the Raptors’ win vs the Bulls [Nov 11 2009], he said the following words:

“We’ll know what we’ve got by the end of the month.”

The Bosh Factor: Bryan Colangelo Won’t Be Patient With Early Losses

At the time, Toronto’s W-L Record was 3-4/.429.

11 days later, it is now 6-7/.462, good enough for 2nd place in the Atlantic Division and 9th place in the Eastern Conference.

Beginning with this afternoon’s home game vs Orlando, the Raptors will play 7 games over the next 11 days:

Game 14 Sun Nov 22 vs Orl [10-3/.769; 1st Southeast, 2nd EC]

Game 15 Tue Nov 24 vs Ind [5-5/.500; 4th Central, 8th EC]
Game 16 Wed Nov 25 @ CHA [3-9/.250; 4th (tie) Southeast, 10th (tie) EC]

Game 17 Fri Nov 27 @ BOS [9-4/.692; 1st Atlantic, 4th EC]

Game 18 Sun Nov 29 vs Pho [10-3/.769; 1st Pacific, 1st (tie) WC]

Game 19 Tue Dec 01 vs Was [3-9/.250; 4th (tie) Southeast, 12th (tie) EC]
Game 20 Wed Dec 02 @ ATL [11-3/.786; 1st Southeast, 1st EC]

which will take the team to the 1/4 pole of the regular season schedule.

This is the specific stretch of games that will reveal exactly what type of team the Raptors have, at the moment, and what can be expected from this group for the remainder of the season should there be no further major player personnel and/or coaching changes going forward.

While some voices in Raptorville believe the team’s performance during this stretch will turn out to be a source of tremendous optimism, and preceed a gradual upswing in the standings, as the season progresses …

45 Wins, and How the Raptors Will Get There [5-2, Nov 22 to Dec 02]

looking ahead, in September, from the vantage point of an astute NBA observer, this corner did not share that same perspective:

Raptors half-way through their first 20 games

According to his record, as a General Manager, Bryan Colangelo has a well-documented history of making an assessment of his team’s situation sometime in the first two weeks of December.

Tic toc, tic toc, tic toc … [Apr 11 2008]

If he likes what he has seen to that point, he continues moving forward, as is.

If, however, he does NOT like what he “thinks” he sees from his team … then, the fanbase best be prepared for a seismic shift, in terms of either player personnel and/or the head coach position.

Of scorpions, frogs, GMs & coaches [Apr 30 2008]

Wait a second … what’s really going on here [Dec 04 2008]

What is really going on here: Part II [Dec 05 2008]

Of scorpions, frogs, GMs & faces of the franchise [Mar 25 2009]

The next 2 weeks should prove to be a most interesting time in the 15 year history of the Toronto Raptors franchise. 

Related:

VC Declines Honour

When certain Raptors fans cannot accept legitimate criticism of the former No. 1 [overall] Draft Pick/2006, they should be pointed toward this specific assessment of his individual game, which includes Offense, Defense and Rebounding:

SI.com’s NBA Enemy Lines: An opposing team’s scout sizes up the Raptors
Andrea Bargnani has to become more “NBA-ized.” By that I mean he still has a lot of that European stuff to his game. He doesn’t get back fast enough defensively, he doesn’t get physical enough and he settles too much for the jump shot as a 7-footer. He should be more of an asset inside, especially as a rebounder, though I did see signs of him trying to do that last year. He hasn’t shown that he’s a real tough, hard-nosed guy. He’s very skilled and he knows how to play, but he needs to be more in tune with what it takes to be successful in the NBA.

Right now, Bargnani can’t defend any position other than the 5, so he has to get stronger and do his work early defensively rather than wait for his man to take position in the post and then try to guard him, because by then it’s too late. He doesn’t move his feet well defensively, and that needs to be addressed in order for him to take it to the next level and be a starting center for a playoff team. As a 4 man, he can’t guard the position at all. I guess he needs to model his game after Mehmet Okur, a perimeter-shooting center who can handle himself physically inside. I trust Bargnani as a shooter. If it’s not a highly contested shot, I feel like it’s going to go in. He has a great release, form and arc with great range and pretty good quickness to get the shot off.

———————————

Those with credible basketball experience are the ones who can see clearly what this young man’s specific strengths and weaknesses actually are, as a highly serviceable [back-up?] Center, in the NBA:

STRENGTHS
1. Has a high offensive skill level and knows “how” to play on this side of the floor.
2. A trustworthy shooter … but, only of shots which are not highly contested.
3. Good form on his perimeter shot with an adequately quick release.

WEAKNESSES
1. Doesn’t get back quickly enough in defensive transition.
2. Lacks NBA “physicality”, “strength” and “toughness”.
3. Not enough of an asset as a rebounder.
4. Cannot defend ANY position other than Center.
5. Fails to do “early work” defensively vs his individual check.
6. Fails to “move his feet well” on defense.
7. Cannot guard the Power Forward position at all.

not those who think that he is still capable of becoming a “franchise” player, as a perimeter-based Power [or over-sized Small] Forward.

———————————–

PS. As well, please take note that when a real life NBA scout describes what he actually sees when he looks at and assesses the abilities of an NBA player he DOES NOT include a single “game stat average” in that evaluation.

Finally … a stats guru speaks who is at least on the right track.

How stats apply to individual match-ups for elite level NBA coaches
WW: Tracy McGrady is a player who has never helped his team as much as people thought. Allen Iverson — for one or two years he was really good.

The best player of the decade, though, I’d say, was Kevin Garnett. We have a rating over the last eight or nine years, and Garnett comes out number one. And I think everybody else [other stat experts] has that too, so that’s nice.

Although I don’t like Garnett. When I watch on TV, he’s turning too edgy. Chippy attitude.

Another guy who is totally overrated is Amare Stoudemire. I mean, he’s a stat stuffer. Troy Murphy gets great stats, but never does much for the team.

(UPDATE: Winston amends this statement: “With Golden State Troy Murphy was a stat stuffer who did little to help the team but with Indiana the last two years he has improved to where he is an above average NBA player.”)

There’s a bunch of guys like that.

Andre Iguodala, though. Whenever he’s on the court for Philadelphia, they’re great. Whenever he’s off, they suck. God knows why he’s a good player. I watch him play, and I don’t know. (More on Iguodala.)

Jason Kidd is a little like that, but you can see why he makes guys better. But not Iguodala.

HA: Sometimes I feel like I can see Kidd’s greatness, but other times, at this stage of his career, I can’t. 

WW: Kidd can’t guard a fast guard. They go right by him like he’s standing still. They always did. Against Chris Paul … Jason Kidd might as well be standing still on defense.

But the interesting thing: Devin Harris can nail Tony Parker. But Steve Nash can beat Devin Harris. But Parker can beat Nash.

It’s not transitive. We can show that. That’s really interesting. That shouldn’t be. But it is. There are probably a lot of other things like that.

If coaches see other examples of things like that, we can back them up with data. Del Harris really got to like us, I think, because a lot of times our numbers confirmed what he thought. It’s hard to argue with the numbers when you’ve got a full amount of data on it.

Last year [Maverick assistant] Terry Stotts did a really great job asking us questions. Before the Spurs series, they asked us about Antoine Wright.  He’s not on the team anymore, thank god. OK, he had a bad rating in our system. But the fascinating thing was, when he played small forward, he was good. When he played shooting guard, he was terrible. So we can break that down. I can find every combination where he was small forward and he was good. Every combination where he was shooting guard he was terrible. 

Against the Spurs, they used him as a small forward and he was great. Every time he played for Howard at small forward, they killed the Spurs.

Things like this … I needed the coach to ask me the question because I would have never thought of it. You don’t just throw the numbers at the coach, because, I mean, 500,000 numbers! But if the coach understands what he’s doing, and says “I think Antoine Wright can play small forward can you tell me if that’s true?” That’s how you use the stuff.

———————————

THIS is the direction in which basketball analysis NEEDS to go.

Sincere thanks to you … Wayne Winston!

PS. It’s the job of an elite level basketball coach to answer correctly the questions which Wayne Winston doesn’t happen to have the specific training, knowledge base and experience to discern properly on his own … e.g. What really makes Andre Iguodala as good as he is given what the “average” stats/numbers have to say about his level of play?  Those who can DO THAT are the ones with the type of Basketball Analysis/Acumen you SHOULD BE listening to in order to better understand, How The NBA Game Actually Works, Based On Individual Match-ups.

PPS. Class for NBA 101 is now finished for today … or, in fact, for some of you, at least, it may just be starting … from scratch.

PPPS. Btw … What Wayne Winston had to say in this piece about there being no distinction necessary between the use of players like Brandon Bass [#4/PF] and Dirk Nowitzki [#5/C], on the court together, regardless of their position, and the effect/thinking of Mike D’Antoni, just happens to be wrong.

Gallinari Practices and the Knicks can barely contain themselves
The superlatives and expectations keep growing for Gallinari, the sixth overall pick in the 2008 draft. He showed no signs of discomfort in Tuesday’s two practices, or any indication that he had undergone minor back surgery five months ago.

He did, however, show off his full range of skills while playing with the first unit in the evening scrimmage.

Standing on the perimeter, Gallinari beat Larry Hughes off the dribble and fed David Lee inside for a layup attempt. (Lee missed.) When Al Harrington missed a 3-pointer, Gallinari soared in for a putback dunk. And in the highlight of the night, Gallinari spun past Ron Howard and flew in for a two-handed dunk. He missed a 3-pointer, but shooting is one skill the Knicks know Gallinari has in abundance.

D’Antoni has never wavered in his enthusiasm for Gallinari and is not concerned about raising expectations. Gallinari, 21, said he was not concerned either.

“I’m happy for that, because I think that if a player wants to be at a good level, you need responsibility, you need expectations,” Gallinari said, adding: “I like that. I know how to deal with that.”

———————————————

Remember the words, “Larry Nowitzki”, and exactly where you read them first.

If Gallinari can stay healthy this season … those who think that the Knicks are simply going to be push-overs in the EC [including many of the good folks in Raptorville] will be in for a rather Rude Awakening v1.

[ ... which, almost, unbelievably, led to this, this, this and, then, finally, this and this ... when we were all a great deal younger than today.]

Related:

Best shooter I’ve ever seen

For those questioning the merit of yesterday’s poll which asked visitors to select between Andrea Bargnani and Danilo Gallinari … and the suggestion made by yours truly that the 2nd year New York Knick might just be the first coming of a hybrid ‘Larry Nowitzki’ … comes this news today, in the form of an absolutely stunning quote from a reputable source:

Knicks don’t expect too much from Curry

Coach Mike D’Antoni had a far more positive take on Danilo Gallinari, the 2008 lottery pick who finally is 100 percent healthy after a rookie season plagued by a back injury that was corrected by surgery in April. D’Antoni called Gallinari “the best shooter I’ve ever seen” and pointed out that in the 28 games he played last season, the Knicks were 14-14.

D’Antoni acknowledged that the 21-year-old needs to get stronger, but he also suggested that the multi-talented Gallinari could play a key role in the team’s achieving what most people see as an improbable result this season: a playoff berth.

“I think we can fool a lot of people,” D’Antoni said, “and I think we can overachieve.”

——————————————–

High praise indeed, especially, when you consider some of the other players who the current Knicks head coach has previously had the good fortune of working with [A] in Phoenix … including Steve Nash, a former 2-time NBA MVP … and [B] with the USA’s Men’s National Team … including Kobe Bryant, a former NBA MVP, and Michael Redd, widely acknowledged as one of the best pure spot-up shooters in the NBA today.

khandor giveth … and, sometimes, khandor taketh away.

No one’s perfect. That’s a fact of life; Kelly Dwyer, included.

———-

Anthony Morrow hits for 47 summer league points
And the name I kept hearing was “Marco Belinelli,” who played exceedingly well in Golden State’s 2007 summer league outfit.

Here’s the problem with that. Marco’s international stats translated horribly to the NBA. He was not, nor should have ever been, on any team’s radar. The Warriors, smitten with the idea of an international big guard named “Marco,” went ahead anyway. And a month after drafting the guy, seemed pretty happy when he went off in the NBA-sponsored offseason tournaments.

But Marco went right back to being Marco once the NBA season started. And it’s not a case of the guy not getting the minutes he deserved. I’m sure Belinelli is a lovely chap, but he’s not NBA material.

Morrow is. Morrow proved that in 2008-09, not in the summer leagues, and Thursday’s 47 should be a reminder of such.

The Warriors, who I must remind you are “a joke of an organization,” probably don’t want to know. Not while Nelson is running things, especially. He gets bored, and he plays to the ignorance of fair weather fans.

The ignorance, and this isn’t their fault (they’d rather pay attention to the 49ers) that tells you that Morrow’s hot 2008-09 start was a bit of a fluke, and it’s OK to slowly decrease his minutes until you get to 7.6 minutes per game in February.

(Well, Kelly, he shot 36 percent in February. Which came first, the low minutes, or the bad shooting? Nellie’s been at this since the 1960s, and he’s reacting to Morrow’s cold touch.)

No, he’s being Nellie. You try coming off the bench for seven minutes toward the end of a 20-point loss and firing up a 24-footer two and a half hours after warming up. It’s bound to go in, no matter how good a shooter you are, about 36 percent of the time.

Of course, Morrow averaged nearly 41 minutes per game in April, but that’s how this joke of an organization works. Poorly.

The point I’m getting at is that, overall, Morrow is a stud. The guy shot 47 percent on three-pointers last year. Couple that with a 6-6 frame, and you have a player that should be starting, or at least playing more than 22 minutes a night (his average). Or, and I know I haven’t been doing this since the 1960s, playing consistent minutes, as opposed to 41 minutes in April, and 7.6 minutes in February.

The problem here is that, as unorthodox as Nellie is, the man completely falls in line with NBA orthodoxy when it comes to sitting or starting guys he likes. He’ll twist things to his advantage, every time, just as long as it leaves him looking like a plucky upstart who was thisclose to taking down the well-heeled favorite.

Morrow’s an unheralded shooter? Then you can move him around a bit. He’s always replaceable. He’ll always be on the bench, ready to shoot.

Anthony Randolph doesn’t have much of a jump shot? He hasn’t put on weight? Well, then there’s no way he can score, consistently. Even though he’s scoring, you know, pretty damn consistently. Even though he’s giving you eight and six with a block and a steal in only 18 minutes AT AGE 19, without you running any plays for him.

So just remember this, in January. Morrow’s no fluke. Randolph is still a stud. They can both play, even if they aren’t, and while Stephen Jackson is still averaging 41 minutes a night.

———-

FYI …

Here’s a version of the comment which was left by yours truly a few minutes ago on Ball Don’t Lie:

KD,

You are right about Anthony Morrow.

You are [really!!!] right about Anthony Randolph.

You are right about G-State, in general.

You are wrong, however, about both Don Nelson and Marco B.

Don is a terrific unorthodox coach that does things in a way that others … who are not good head coaches, in their own right … simply DO NOT understand. That said … it’s THOSE other people who are WRONG if/when they try to put down what Mr. Nelson has accomplished in this League, as a terrific head coach. He may not be YOUR kind of head coach but he is still terrific, nonetheless.

[Please Note: In the NBA, you simply DO NOT amass the number of Wins and Losses that Don Nelson has to his credit WITHOUT being an outstanding head coach.]

Likewise with Marco Belinelli … you are WRONG to think that he is NOT a NBA player. This could not possibly further from the truth actually. Marco is a perfect example of a very good basketball player who has specific strengths and weaknesses and is doomed to failure IF HE DOESN’T GET THE CHANCE TO PLAY FOR A COACH WITH WHOM HE FITS ON A PERSONAL LEVEL AND WHO APPRECIATES HIS INDIVIDUAL GAME FOR EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

Marco’s game simply doesn’t fit with who Don Nelson is, as a very good NBA head coach … but it is not correct to classify Marco as being something other than a legit NBA player.

e.g. If Marco B is traded to New York and gets the chance to function under a coach like Mike D’Antoni .. the offensive gifts that he has would have a chance to flourish.

Marco needs a change of scenery.

IMO, however, he is a totally different player than, say, JC Navarro … who is not a NBA player … and just needs a chance to strut his “stuff” on a consistent basis with a coach who isn’t looking for an “athletic stud” and will be in his corner as a STARTING POINT GUARD in the NBA.

For D’Antoni’s Knicks, Marco would be a “star” player … in the mold of a poor man’s Steve Nash.

———-

That said …

Kelly remains a gifted new-age sports writer who each of you should be reading on a daily basis.

He connects, with power, on a much more frequent basis than he strikes out.

* Tyler Hansbrough makes his summer league debut. Those who think that Larry Bird made a mistake with the No. 13 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft are going to be in for a surprise this season.

* Colangelo works fast and hard to get Turkoglu. Hedo is many things but a player who “creates” shots working off the dribble he is not. Expect THAT from him, without the benefit of a pick and you’ll be in for disappointment Raptors fans.

* What’s next? As the old adage goes: “Some of the best deals a team ever makes are the ones it doesn’t make, in the first place.” Solace for Blazers fans in the aftermath of winning losing the Hedo Turkoglu Sweepstakes.

* Buyer Beware! Things are not always as they first appear to be, when it comes to advantageous signings during the NBA’s free agency period.  

* Nick Collison says Thunder is ready for the next step. Sleep on Oklahoma City this coming season at your own peril.

Watching Luis Scola dismantle the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1st quarter of last night’s Game 6, the following thought came to mind …

Q. Do most so-called NBA experts/observers really truly understand just how good, and skilled, and smart, and tenacious, etc., the 2004 Olympic Games [Athens] Men’s Basketball Champions actually were?

A. Not a chance.

———————————

However, if you want to pass yourself off as someone who has a thorough knowledge of the game of basketball, you really SHOULD.

STARTERS
PG/Pepe Sanchez
OG/Manu Ginobili
SF/Andres Nocioni
PF/Luis Scola
C/Fabricio Oberto

KEY SUBS
Alejandro Montecchia [G]
Carlos Delfino [G/F]
Walter Herrmann [F]
Ruben Wolkowisky [F/C]

This is a team which had at least 9 players who were more than capable of holding their own against the very best in the world, and was full value for winning their [i] quarter-final vs Greece [host], [ii] semi-final vs the USA and [iii] final vs Italy, after starting the tournament with an 0-2 record.

If that exact team would have been able to stay together for the 2008 Olympic Games [Beijing] Men’s Basketball Tournament, this past summer, and been 100% healthy, there is simply no telling whether the following group of players, coaches and administrators:

Jason Kidd
Dwyane Wade
Kobe Bryant
Lebron James
Chris Bosh

Chris Paul
Deron Williams
Michael Redd
Carmelo Anthony
Tayshaun Prince
Carlos Boozer
Dwight Howard

Mike Krzyzewski
Mike D’Antoni
Nate McMillan

Jerry Colangelo

would still enjoy the stellar reputations they have today and have been strong & cohesive enough to reclaim the Gold Medal for the Red, White & Blue.

Oh, but, what a game THAT would have been to witness.

Today’s question comes courtesy of “John Palandra” [a comment contributor at From Deep].

Based on talent and productivity at the Center position … and, assuming for a moment that the Collective Bargaining Agreement [CBA] would actually allow the deal to go through, which it would NOT, in real life …

 Loading ...

According to John P:

David Lee [6-9, 240, drafted by the Knicks, No. 30, overall, in 2005; $1.8 M, 1 yr] is not an example of a Less-than Top Tier Center in the NBA today who 

Andrea Bargnani [7-0, 250, drafted by the Raptors, No 1, overall, in 2006; $5.2 M, 2 yrs] would struggle to match-up with on an everyday basis, given their specific skill sets and assorted other personal attributes.

This is a perspective which is not shared by yours truly.

According to this corner David Lee is:

* A PLUS [+] Defensive Player [both Team and Individually]
* A PLUS [+] Rebounder
* An EVEN [0] Offensive Player

if/when he’s matched-up against Il Mago.