Knicks Need Change NOW

 One of my colleagues and I were discussing the New York Knicks earlier today, he brought to my attention that the Knicks were 7th in Defensive Efficiency. Mike D'Antoni and "defense" in the same breath? Hard to believe as a Knicks fan or just as a basketball fan, taking that into consideration it's even harder to accept that the Knicks problems are actually on the offensive end. D'Antoini was the architect of the 7 seconds or less high powered offense he implemented in Phoenix ran by Steve Nash. Nash had Amare Stoudamire, Shawn Marion and a plethora of lethal 3point shooters.

Looking at the current Knicks roster it's not hard to see that it's not a great fit, the system doesn't fit the players. Unlike in Phoenix were there was only 1 Big, there are two in New York in Amare and Tyson Chandler. Neither of the two are true back to the basket post players, they both are outstanding pick & roll players. Unfortunately the Knicks only use Chandler in those situations, Amare has only been in 17 Pick & Roll opportunities this year where Chandler has been involved in 40 P&R plays. Chandler is ranked 2nd in the league as a roll man in the P&R, he's shooting 77.8% in those situations. Amare is by far the more offensively gifted player of the two, for him to not be put in as many P&R situations doesn't make sense. Amare has had 39 post up opportunities this season, he's only converted 10 of those chances. D'Antoin SHOULD know how to use one of his former players, but from the numbers we see that is not the case. One of the other problems for the Knicks is rebounding, Tyson & Amare are both averaging 6 rebounds a game. That HAS to improve, so much attention has been put on the defensive end that EVERY other part of the game has drastically regressed.

The BIGGEST issue for the Knicks may be at the Point Guard position, there is no true floor leader. Toney Douglas is averaging 13 points & 4 assists this season, he is not a very good P&R player at all. Douglas turns the ball over 14% of the time in P&R situations, only 29% of the time does a P&R situation involving Douglas result in a made basket. Douglas is 19 of 59 in P&R opportunities, overall Douglas is shooting 32% from the field and 26.2% from beyond the arch. He's taken 84 three pointers this year, he's only hit 22 of them. The Knicks have Rookie Iman Shumpert, but he splits time between both guard spots. They need to figure out if he's their future at point guard or not, he does need to be on the floor because of his defensive ability.

Lastly Carmelo Anthony, he's shouldering much of the blame for New York's struggles. Melo is playing hurt, but what's hurting Melo more is his new responsibility of being the sole playmaker on the floor. Outside of Melo, no other Knick can truly create for others. Far from what most believe, Melo is having a good year. He's averaging 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. Melo has been much more involved in P&R situations this year as the ball handler rather than the roll man. According to Synergy Sports, Melo is in fact the best P&R ball handler on the Knicks as those situations result in made baskets  57.3% of the time. Melo is also the best post up player on his team as well, he shoots 48.4% in from that area which is far better than his teammates Tyson & Amare. The problem for Melo this year? Far too much responsibility, Melo is an assassin on the offensive end. There is a drastic difference between someone who CAN pass and someone who is a DISTRIBUTOR, Melo has had to be a distributor this year rather than himself. He's done an admirable job shouldering the load this year; the problem is not him, but the lack of a floor leader on the Knicks roster.


If the Knicks wish to turn this around, it may be time to go acquire a point guard that can DISTRIBUTE the ball. The other option is fully implementing Shumpert into the starting line-up and grooming him to be THAT guy at the position. Either way a change needs to be made and D'Antoni needs to be replaced. It's his offensive philosophy, it doesn't fit his current roster and he hasn't made any adjustments. It's still early in the season so a change can be made and not derail this season's goals. The bottom line being the Knicks aren't utilizing there players correctly, it's truly hurting them.


What do you think the problem with the Knicks are?? Leave your comments below!!

Under Rated, Under Appreciated

There are many great stories in this year's early NBA Season, there are many players have great seasons that aren't being recognized. This post is for those players, the ones deserving of headlines that aren't getting nearly as much attention as their play warrants.

Kyle Lowry- I had a chance to watch Lowry a couple of times during the lockout in the BBNS(Basketball Never Stops) Games, he played for Team Philly. Lowry reminded me that he is the same kid who oozed potential at Villanova. The difference, he's just flat out BETTER and hardly anyone has taken notice. Lowry has led the Rockets to an 8-7 record while posting 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists this season. He's does most of his damage out of Pick & Roll situations and Dribble Handoffs. When operating out of the P&R Lowry's FG% is 49.1 inside the arch, outside the arch(3pt) his percentage is 47.1%. Lowry is ranked 7th in the league in converting P&R situations. He makes the most of his trips to the line as well, knocking down his free throws at a 91% clip. So when you get a chance, take the time to watch one of the leagues best point guards. Lowry plays point the RIGHT way, he does whatever his team needs him to do depending on the night. The Rockets should be lucky to have him!

Kevin Love- He doesn't jump over cars, isn't blessed with elite athleticism, but what he does give you are NUMBERS. Love dropped some weight and has done even better this season after averaging a ridiculous 20 points and 15 rebounds last year. THIS season Love is averaging 25 and 15, what's so impressive is that his FG% has gone UP! Love is shooting 47.6% from 2 and a staggering 44% from 3, last night he came off a screen to hit a game winning 3 vs the Clippers. Love does most of his damage on the glass, but he is evolving into a better player in post up situations. Love's greatest gift might be his ability to convert spot up opportunities. Love is shooting 37.9% behind the arch in spot up situations, as  big that is phenomenal.  Love does a great job of converting his opportunities at the line, he shoots 78% from the line. The addition of Rubio has only helped Love, Minnesota would be foolish to break that paring up. Love NEEDS to be considered as one of the best Power Forwards in the League right now!

 
Chris Bosh- Bosh takes a lot of bashing for his role in Miami, he's often forgotten and not taken seriously as far as star-power goes. In many eyes it's LeBron & Wade, Chris is often thrown in with the others. Well Bosh deserves credit for what he did last year and for what he's done this year. Bosh is the 3rd best player on that team, he's also one of the most consistent averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds. Wade and James have a huge impact on his rebound numbers, both are very good rebounders for their positions. Bosh averaged 18 & 8 last year as well while shooting 49% from the field and 20% from 3. Bosh has improved his efficiency, this year he's shooting 54.3% from the field. Bosh had been amazingly efficient in isolation situations, Bosh isn't your typical big so he gets more isolation attempts than typical post up opportunities. He's ranked 5th in the league in converting isolation situations, shooting a blistering 57.1%. As a big, Bosh gets many opportunities in the Heat offense as the Roll man in the P&R. Bosh is also 5th in the league converting those opportunities, shooting 62.5% in those situations. As for the free throw line, Bosh only shoots 68%.  Bosh doesn't nearly get the credit he deserves, but he is one of the better power forwards in the league. In his last season in Toronto before joining the Heat, Bosh averaged 24 & 10 while shooting 51.8% from the floor. In the 2009-2010 season Bosh was ranked 187th in the league as the Roll man. Hows that for improvement, from 187th to 5th?

Ryan Anderson- Anderson is the forgotten man in Orlando, not saying that the numbers Dwight's putting up aren't impressive. Anderson averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds in 23 minutes of play last year, he shot 42% from the field and 33% from 3. This year, Anderson's minutes have increase and so have his stats. Ryan is averaging 19 points and 6 rebounds in 31 min a game, he's shooting 48.8% from the field and a ridiculous 44% from deep. Anderson has done a good job scoring in the post and behind the arch to complement Dwight this season.


Marc Gasol- As Pau's little brother, Marc doesn't get much attention outside of Memphis. Marc has been doing a great job this year considering his partner in crime Zach Randolph has been out for a while now. Marc is averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks a game for the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol picked up his level of play when you look back at his numbers from last year; which were 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block. He's even more efficient this year by shooting 62% from the floor compared to last year's 52%. Gasol is a horse on the boards, converting 85% of his offensive rebound opportunities! Considering he's a center, Gasol does a heck of a job from the free throw line shooting 81%. Gasol has been the anchor for the Grizzlies this year, they're dealing with the loss of Randolph and Rudy Gay is still trying to get back to his old self. There's not many TRUE centers in the league, Marc is one of them and deserves to be recognized as such!!

Leave your comments/thoughts below, thanks for reading!!!

Manager No More

2005 feels like it was ages ago, the #1 overall pick that year belonged to the San Francisco 49ers. They selected a Junior QB from Utah, Alex Smith. Smith barely played his Freshman season, made some strides his Sophomore year, and blew up in his Junior year. Smith threw for 2952 yards, ran for 631 yards, and scored a total of 42 Touchdowns( 32 passing,10 rushing). Smith's College coach was Urban Meyer, Smith was a dual threat and led Utah to an undefeated season. Utah was one of three teams to be undefeated that year, the other two being USC and Auburn. Utah played #20 Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl and Smith led them to a 35-7 win.

Fast forward to the 2005-2006 NFL Season, Smith is now a member of a once proud Franchise. It is truly in a state of transition with Smith being the first piece of the rebuilding effort. Smith played in 9 games his rookie year, his numbers were horrendous. He threw 1 Touchdown and 11 Interceptions, his Quarterback rating for that year was an offensive 40.8. The 49ers brought in Norv Turner as the Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach and Smith improved drastically from his Rookie campaign. The next year Turner left the 49ers to become the Head Coach of the San Diego Chargers, Smith got hurt 7 games in to that season(his third). Quietly in 2009 and 2010 Smith made strides, he was labeled a bust since he wasn't putting up the type of numbers that most deem appropriate of the #1 overall pick. Smith's rating in 2009 was 81.5 with 18 TDs and 12 INTs; in 2010 Smith posted a rating of 82.1 with 14 TDs and 10 INTs.

The NFL Lockout is over, teams haven't had any contact with their players. The 49ers have a new head coach in Jim Harbaugh, Alex Smith finally has a chance to get a new start via Free Agency and he chooses to stay. Smith was extended an extension before the Lockout, it wasn't signed until afterwards. Harbaugh showed his faith in Smith by giving him a playbook, Smith held several "Camps" during the Lockout teaching players the plays. Alex didn't want to start over, he felt he owed the 49ers his best. He wanted to prove that he could play the QB position at a high level, he wanted to prove that they didn't "waste" that #1 Overall pick back in 2005.

The 49ers finished the regular season 13-3, they had one of the best defenses in the league as well as one of the best rushing attacks. Their perceived achilles heel was the passing game and the man playing QB. While several "Elite" QBs were putting up video game type numbers, Alex was simply doing what was asked of him. To most outside the San Fran fan base, that meant NOTHING. The 49ers were winning solely because of their defense and "soft" schedule. They didn't have a soft schedule, they had one of the hardest road schedules in football. They played every member of the NFC East and went 3-1, they also played the Ravens and Steelers. Frank Gore didn't finish as the NFL's leading rusher, nor did the 49ers finish the season as the #1 ranked rushing offense. Which means Alex Smith must have did something OTHER than hand the ball off to Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter.

Smith threw for 3,144 yards, 17 TD's and 5 INT's which gave him a QB rating of 90.7. Smith finished the regular season 9th in Passer Rating in the NFL. The ability to limit his turnovers helped the 49ers lead the league in Turnover Differential, Smith had the lowest amount of INTs of any QB in the entire league. As the season progressed teams focused on shutting down Frank Gore and the running game, dared Alex to beat them and he did. The Giants tried to put the ball in Alex's hands, as did the Steelers, the Lions, and many more. When called upon, Mr. Smith has made plays ALL SEASON LONG. The most recent example being this past weekend when the 49ers beat the Saints, Smith out-dueled Drew Brees in a wild Fourth quarter. Going into the game Smith got little credit, after the game wasn't any difference outside of the 49ers fan base. Smith made history by throwing 3 TDs, rushing for one, and not turning the ball over. That achievement made him part of elite company, only 5 other QB's in NFL History have done that in the Post Season.

This is not a plea for Smith to be considered an "Elite"QB, nor is it evidence of a Pro-Bowl Snub. However, this is a plea for those to be patient before labeling someone a bust or writing a player off. If people can pull for Tebow (whose coach just so happened to be Urban Meyer), how can you not pull for this kid? He CHOSE to stay and prove himself rather than leave and start fresh, it takes a unique type of character to make that decision. Seven Coordinators, several head coaches, multiple playbooks, and seven years later Smith has started to figure it out. Managers don't achieve what Smith did this past season, managers are complacent in their roles. Smith is far from an Elite QB, he is the epitome of elite character though. Smith has exceeded his perceived role as game manager, could you MANAGE to respect him as more?

Thank you for reading, please leave your thoughts/comments below!!

Decisions, Decisions- Sacramento Kings

DeMarcus Cousins is off to a good start this year on the court, off the court is a different story. Cousins was "flagged" by many teams on draft day two years ago, mainly for character "concerns." In his rookie season he averaged 14 pts & 8 rebs, this year he's averaging 13 pts & 11rebs. Talent is certainly not an issue, Cousins is an old-school big. A 5 that can play with his back to the basket as well as face up, he's even armed with a midrange jumper. What's the problem?

There's speculation that Cousins demanded a trade, there's been concrete incidents in the past with members of the Kings coaching staff as well. From the Kings standpoint, it's easy to see why Cousins NEEDS to go. The biggest problem in all of this is getting equal value for his talent, just don't see it happening. Think back to when Stephon Marbuy and Lamar Odom got traded early in their careers, neither the Clippers or the Timberwolves got great talent in return. It got to the point that their teams just wanted them gone, that may be the case for Cousins and the Kings.

The Kings are truly in a sticky situation, do you keep him around and it gets worse or jettison him off for little to nothing? Decisions, decisions; What is Left on The Floor blogger Mike Sykes goes on to share that it's much deeper than just Cousins in his most recent post(http://ballahollicsonly.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/crazy-cousins/). I tend to agree, if the issue is truly deeper than just Cousins why shouldn't they change coaches before giving up on such a talented young player?

If in fact this does get to the point that it's "just get him out of here," look for Miami to pounce first. Cousins is only 21, there is more than enough veterans on that team to keep him in check. Boston would be in the equation as well, I repeat this only happens if the Kings get to THIS point. The ball is in your court Sacramento, immensely TALENTED 21 year old NBA centers don't grow on trees.  Ideally they would remain patient and get the best deal, don't just give Cousins away for the sake of getting him out of Sactown.

What do you think will happen, will the Kings trade Cousins? Will they keep him and just continue to move forward? Or as Mr. Sykes so eloquently brought up, do they keep Cousins or Westpaul?

Leave your answers,thoughts, and comments below!!

Irsay Rearranging Furniture-Colts Front Office

The Indianapolis Colts ousted three members of their front office, they happen to be family. Bill and Chris Polian are no longer part of the Colts organization, this should surprise no one. It does make one wonder as to why it took so long? As for the third member,  it was head coach Jim Caldwell.

Teams never really know how good a General Manager is until the injury bug hits a team, than you find out how solid that 53 man roster really is. Well it hit the fan for the Colts this year, never in their wildest nightmares would they have thought Peyton Manning would be out for an ENTIRE season. Obviously that would change a team's expectations instantly, it still shouldn't have been THIS bad. The Colts finished with a 2-14 record, which means that #18 masked many if not ALL of their countless deficiencies as a team. The Colts do not have any depth what so ever, why wouldn't their be a contingency plan in place? No backup QB that the organization could trust to keep the team afloat? The defense looked even more horrendous than normal and the line isn't as good when Manning isn't back there attacking the defense. Can you remember any GREAT pickups by the Colts during the past 3-4 NFL Drafts? Depth is imperative in any sport, injuries are inevitable and when they hit, they HIT!

Caldwell was not retained either, what coach would have done better given these circumstances? This was not on the coach, he did what he could with what he HAD sans Manning. Then again, most coaches have a say-so in draft day decisions. That might be where the issue was with Caldwell, as a whole those three men failed the organization routinely every year in the draft. One might counter by saying the Colts always pick late because of their success. Teams such as the Ravens, Steelers, Patriots, and Packers pick late as well and they still acquire quality depth via the draft.

Did these men deserve to lose their jobs, what will happen with the Colts Front Office? Does Peyton return or does he retire?

Leave your thoughts and comments below!!

KD & Russ....Steph & KG Part 2???

Last night the Oklahoma City Thunder held on to beat the Memphis Grizzlies, it's often said that winning cures all. That is not always the case, it was reported by Darnell Mayberry that Durant and Westbrook had a "heated" discussion during a second quarter timeout. This is not the first time these two have gotten into it with each other either, many on the OKC side of things insist that it's not a big deal. Nothing more than two competitors in the heat of battle, ESPN's J.A. Adande obviously feels different in a piece he wrote for TrueHoop Blog on ESPN.com.

Adande titles the piece, "Why Westbrook won't work in OKC." Here's a piece from Adande's post, " He's told friends he feels Thunder coach Scott Brooks blames him for losses, while the credit for victories goes to Durant." If that is indeed how Westbrook feels, it may be time to get him out of OKC sooner rather later. There's no point in risking this "issue" finally blowing up during a Playoff run, the Thunder can't afford that. Adande then goes on to include finances as another reason for getting rid of Westbrook, which does make sense due to the amount of money he'd earn coming off of his rookie deal this season.

This situation reminds me a bit of one years ago, the marriage of Stephon Marbury and Kevin Garnett. In Minnesota, KG was seen as the franchise player and Steph must have felt something like Westbrook may feel now. It worked on the court at first, it was a match made in basketball heaven because the complemented each other. Steph had the ability to run the team as well as put pressure on the D with his own offense, which in turn freed up KG. KG like Durant, was sort of a quiet person in terms of demanding the ball in crunch time. Keep that in mind as Steph often took the big shots, which had many wondering as to why the ball wasn't going to KG. No disrespect to KG, but he wasn't nearly as gifted offensively as Durant was and Westbrook isnt' as offensively gifted as Steph was. The bottom line being that one of the two parties felt unappreciated, seen as a scapegoat, as well as a "cancer."

Those on the outside looking in, especially from afar will look at this situation and immediately label Westbrook as the "Cancer." Same thing happened in Minnesota, yet they never recovered after getting rid of Steph. KG never had a better running mate, nothing close as he wasted away in basketball purgatory aka Minneapolis. Steph, labeled a cancer by then became a journeyman bouncing from team to team. In hindsight, it probably would have been better for the Wolves if they had let KG & Steph work it out. That's why this situation is monumental for the Thunder as a Franchise, can you afford to give Westbrook up with confidence that you'll find something better?

Durant and Westbrook are extremely young, there's plenty of time for them to figure this out. There are many ways Westbrook impacts a game outside of scoring, especially on the boards and defensively. OKC may find someone to replace the offense, but what about the rest? Is it worth it, only time will tell what will come out of this IF ANYTHING. The silver lining being the Thunder are 3-0 on this shortened season, it could be worse.


What would you do, trade or keep Russell Westbrook? Leave your thoughts below!!

Norris Cole-School Name>Player's Game??

Norris Cole made a splash on scouts radar with his performance at the Deron Williams Skill Academy; he not only held his own, but even out played some of the higher touted guards at that camp. It's no surprise when you look at Cole's college statistics, Cole improved his numbers EVERY SEASON. Cole reminded me of a "poor man's" Kemba Walker and I mean that with no disrespect, the only reason I use "poor man's" is that he went to a smaller school which left him under the radar. Their games have many similarities as well. The biggest similarity, they are both FEARLESS in "the moment."Cole is a big school talent that attended a small school, had he attended a Duke or Kentucky than we would have ALL known who he was.

Cole's College Statistics: Sophomore- 13.3pts, 2.5reb, 2.4ast, 1.2 stl, while shooting 45% from the floor. Junior-16.3pts, 2.8reb, 4.4ast, 1.8stl, while shooting 43% from the floor. Senior-21.7pts, 5.8 reb, 5.3 ast, while shooting 44% from the floor. 

What that shows me is that his game evolved every year, he went from a pure scorer to more of a complete point guard. He started to get his teammates involved more every year, he learned how to lead a team. Cole's knock on him going into the draft was that he was wrongly labeled a "combo" guard, what's wrong with a point guard that can get his teammates involved as well as get himself going when needed. That's what makes a "complete" point guard, no one mentioned the fact that he was on the boards the way he was, or that he was working on defense as evident by his steal numbers.

Am I running a campaign for Cole to start over Chalmers, not quite. I'm simply saying that every team in the league that still needs point guard help failed by letting him slip that far. In just two NBA games, Cole has garnered national attention by his play. Cole is not in awe of his teammates, rather he holds himself accountable and plays as if he's an equal out on the floor. So him stepping up wasn't a surprise to me, the kid had 14 points in the 4th with Rajon Rondo guarding him. There aren't many better defenders in the league at that position, Cole's ability to score means the Celtics had to play HONEST on the defensive end down the stretch. They couldn't use Rondo's peskiness as a help defender, Cole commands respect with his scoring touch. Had this been last year, had it been Chalmers on the floor I truly believe the Heat would have caved and lost this game. Chalmers is a good spot up shooter, but he is a shooter and nothing more. That's the beauty in having Cole on the floor, he can SHOOT, but he is a better SCORER of the basketball than Chalmers.

Cole's great play last night did nothing more than affirm my belief that scouts, like fans get enamored with the school next to the player's name rather than the player's tools. It's validation that he was lottery type talent and scouts missed on him, I understand he went to Cleveland State but how did you not SEE what he brought to the table. For a small school guy, he came to the table with many strengths and few questions in terms of talent. There weren't any red flags character wise, so can you tell me what it was other than seeing "Cleveland St." at the top of the scouting report?

Here's Chad Ford's Player Evaluation of Norris Cole: Strengths- Steady, true point guard. Very Complete Skill Set. Great Basketball IQ. Good shooter with Range. Solid athlete.

Negatives- Doesn't do any one thing great. Playing under the radar.

Player Traits: Shooting, Penetrating, Passing.

What are your thoughts upon reading that, how is passing on a point guard with that scouting report not a mistake? Share your thoughts and comments below!!