Knicks Win First Pre-Season Game Over Nets 115-107

BOXSCORE

Usually the preseason games don’t tell you much about how a team will fare in the regular season.  That is still true, except the Knicks preseason debut offered a bit more hope than last years managerial disaster when Stephen Marbury was still inexplicably in the picture and everyone was claiming it had no impact on the team. 

Yesterday, as the Knicks beat the New Jersey Nets in the first  game of the preseason, the major concerns were on the court and not the sidelines.  Thankfully, basketball is back and we did learn a few things that make us a bit more hopeful about how prepared the Knicks will be starting October 28.

— The Knicks will play more defense this year.  The defensive activity was a welcome sight after D’Antoni insisted that his team was playing defense by playing better offense last year.  The Knicks had five blocks by half-time and Harrington was among the players taking charges.  The Knicks still tended to roll out the red carpet for anyone driving through the lane from the top of the key.

— Danilo Galinari seems healthy, but not well conditioned and not prepared to assume the mantle as a star (6 pts and 5 assts in 26 minutes).  He will need the season to learn the NBA game and how he fits into it. His strength is that he can shoot when he gets set and he still can pass well when he is out of control.  Late in the game, he missed the entire basket badly with two barely contested shots after he set his feet.  At least they haven’t said his back was the reason and the plus for him is that Newsday, which is owned by the Dolan’s, has already made his “intelligence” a headline when his play did not even earn a by line.  (Call me when Toney Douglas or Wilson Chandler get a headline for smart basketball play. LOL).

— Jared Jeffries just won’t go away.  Jared is one of D’Antoni’s favorites although the fans don’t care much for him and his contract.  But as they say on Thomas the Engine, Jared is a useful engine.  He works as hard as anyone every year to improve. This year he added a three point shot which seemed as accurate as Galinari’s against the Nets as he hit three in a row (3 for 4 from tre arc).  It is clearly a matter of confidence, but if he can hit that shot with some regularity, he just stepped into Bruce Bowen territory.  Still, he has had such hard luck in training camps and pre-seasons that he should probably sit until October 28th at this point.

— Toney Douglas (8 pts, 3 assts and 5 boards in 23 minutes) is relentless defensively although his man did get a step on him every once in a while.  He seemed to wear down later in the game and not to be as certain about his decisions. Two for nine shooting.

— Chris Duhon (5 points and 4 assists in 25 minutes) was consistently the same as he was last year.  Not spectacular and a little reckless with the pass when caught off his feet..

— Wilson Chandler (21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) has clearly been advised to be more aggressive to the hoop and with his shot.  You can see how the Knicks can easily resort to one-on-one play with Galinari, Harrington, Robinson and Chandler on the floor and each one pressing to make something happen.  Wilson was also aggressive on defense. 

— It is hard to believe that Al Harrington (23pts, 5 boards) may be the Knicks emotional leader. Certainly he will be the scoring leader.  His shot is sweet and when he is hot, there is no one on the team better at shooting and creating his own shot – not even Gallo.

— We learned that Nate Robinson is getting $4 million this year.  Nate gets $4 mil and DLee gets $7 mil.  There is a little something wrong with that financial picture, but that is on Nate and his agent.

— David Lee (20 pts, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals).–

— The Nets looked very young but they have some interesting talent in Chris Douglas-Roberts, Devin Harris, Brooke Lopez and Terrance Williams.  Let’s see if this coach can get them to adopt some winning ways.

Check Out The Game Time LBE for more insight.

Knicks Top 10 Plays 2008-2009, Courtesy of NBA.com

It’s almost time folks.   As the debate about the efficacy of the so-called 2010 plan goes into repetitious overdrive, despite the quality of the 2009-10 home team, we are ready for some action.  Any action.  For the moment, we can look back and enjoy some of the best plays of last year’s campaign.

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One Knick personnel move went slightly unnoticed yesterday:  The Athlon NBA preview magazine was released and this year the New York-New Jersey edition features Chris Duhon.  Chris Duhon moved to the status of Knicks model or model Knick. . . . I hope he has a great year. . . .  Fanatics might be interested in an opinion piece on Eddie Curry which appears at the Dime spot.  According to the headline, Eddie Curry will be a mini-beast in 09-10. I hope he has a great year too. . . . Cablevision, after announcing that it would spin off the Knicks and other assets, has just priced an offering of $900 million in notes so that it could repurchase stock from unit CSC Holdings Inc. Earlier Cablevision announced plans to sell $500 Million in notes. Shares rose 0.2% to $24.07 in after-hours trading. The stock is up 42% this year.  Curry, Duhon and Knicks fans may have bad years, but Dolan probably won’t, even in this economy. . . .Speaking of Cablevision which owns Newsday and the New York Knicks, it appears that the Fix’s (Newsday’s Knicks blog) aesthetics are repaired in the comment section, though the Knicks 2010 Plan promotional material in the sports commentary remains the same. . . . The Knicks 2010 Plan is really a basketball executive diet which will go on the market in 2011 even if it fails.  I can hear Donnie Walsh now: “Try K2012 and gain more cap space in your pants.  I lost 3 pounds, $30 million and one job in three off-seasons”. Just Bloggin, kinda, sorta.

Oh I forgot, Follow me on twitter so I can direct your azz back to this site.  Hey, don’t hate the playa, hate the game. LOL. Have a joyous day.

It’s Summer League Time In Las Vegas

Hey folks, the NBA Summer League got under way in Las Vegas on Friday.  For those who don’t know, you can check it ALL out LIVE or ON DEMAND from your computer for $14.99 on NBA SUMMER LEAGUE BROADBAND. If you just want to see your beloved Knicks, you can check out all five games on MSG Network: July 14 vs. Memphis at 6 p.m., July 15 vs. Detroit at 4 p.m., July 17 vs. Sacramento at 6 p.m., July 18 vs. Chicago at 6 p.m. and July 19 vs. Washington at 4 p.m.

Although the Knicks don’t play until Tuesday, players, management and the local beats have gathered which means news is being made or created.  First the bad-sad news.  Patrick Ewing, Jr. apparently has not recovered from the knee injury he suffered in the D League in March.  He has been scratched from Summer League play. We all know what that means for his chances of making the Knicks this fall.  That’s unfortunate.

The Rooster is not crowing yet, but he is smiling, working out, and being crowned (as in slapped upside the head) as the savior who will lure a significant star in 2010. With free agents spurning the Knicks, D’Antoni is placing the responsibility for the Knicks to look attractive in 2010 to the development of Danilo, who barely had a rookie season last fall. Courtesy of our man Steady, do you think Danilo will be our marquee star this upcoming season?

According to Alan Hahn, Danilo is optimistic that he will be ready, at 100%, when the season begins.  Marc Berman reports that the pain is “barely on the radar.” Howard Beck, who suggests that Gallo is key to a LeBron James signing, reports, “He has a hop in his step, and his 3-point stroke is as fluid as ever. He even looks a little thicker in his shoulders and upper arms, a good sign for a growing young power forward. He turns 21 next month and is still filling out his 6-foot-10 frame.” According to Marc Berman, Gallo was doing back exercises with the trainers although he popped up with a smile and much less pain.

The good news is that Toney Douglas has been very impressive. Mark Berman writes “ In today’s first day of summer league practice, Douglas stood out in the two-a-day sessions. He looks well capable of handling the backup point guard duties.” The word on the street is that TD will be the surprise of the season for us.

Our other rook, Jordan Hill, has signed his first contract.  According to the beats, he looks a little raw though athletic.  Hahn wrote, “Jordan Hill took a pounding from Sene, who is known to foul a lil bit. Hill looked like he had trouble getting his legs under him, but one noticeable trait was how he got after the ball. The post moves are raw and hesitant. He’s got some work to do.”

Of course, the Summer League is a sign of promise for other teams that don’t need it.  The Pistons’ first round draft choice, DaJuan Summers, at 6’8”, 240lbs abused the Kings for 24 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.Brandon Jennings debut on Friday was so-so in a victory over the Mavericks Summer League squad. His final line read 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.  According to Aran Smith of NBADraft.net, Saturday, Day 2 had a number of break out performances:

The second day of the summer league saw a number of break out performances including rookies Rodrigue Beaubois (34 pts), Stephen Curry (29 pts), Tyreke Evans (25 pts), Chase Budinger (25 pts), DeMar DeRozan (20 pts) Austin Daye (19 pts), and DaJuan Summers (19 pts). Other top performers included Cartier Martin (27 pts), Adam Morrison (22 pts), and Quincy Douby (21 pts).

I can’t wait until I can see the team with my own eyes.  The bad news is that I haven’t been able to secure press credentials yet, so I guess I’ll need to take a suit jacket and tie with me so that I can look like I’m important and official enough not to harass for hanging out in the locker room or sneaking into the press area to plug in my computer. While I’m at it, I think I’ll bring my white doctor’s smock from Halloween circa 1977 (it might be a little tight in the waist) while I’m at it.

LIVES

P.S. Can We Get Our First Summer Role Call Gentle Folks?  DLT? PEACE? O&B? ANTI-SPORTS, et al?

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