66 games……how much of a difference is there between 66 & 82? Well, if all other components were consistent to a standard season then it might not be much of a difference, but when you all but eliminate the preseason and training camp then you see a few problems present themselves. I told myself and any one that asked that I wouldn’t look to judge the Knicks much good or bad until they got 20 games into this campaign. Tonight is game 22 and yes the report thus far is a bad as advertised as 8 - 13. I’d give the team a D without hesitation. Now that doesn’t mean things can’t or won’t improve but thus far almost everything that can go bad has. DNP’s due to Injury from Melo & Stat, poor offensive flow w/ no true point guard to direct things. Amare’s room down low is now clogged with Melo & Chandler in the mix and unfortunately Stoudamire’s jump shot has been off through this 1st third of the season. Last year’s standout rookie Laundry Fields had a horrible month as well.
Interestingly enough one of the few “positives” is the Knicks improved defense and aggressive steals numbers. The Knicks haven’t become a defensive force by any means but clearly Tyson Chandler is having an effect in conjunction with the almost 3 steals a game from promising rookie Iman Shumpert.
The Knicks had a chance to take the Atlantic division early, but a surprising start by the 76ers and the resurgence of Boston has the Knicks in 3rd in the division and looking from the outside of the playoff picture. Will Baron Davis help things? I think he can at least stabilize and get things spotted in the proper direction. I honestly feel that a backcourt scorer who shoots at a 40% clip behind the 3 point line is ideally what the Knicks need. They lack spacing and have too many bodies running around without defenders having to honor the long ball. I could stand for a coaching change but hey that's just me......
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