How is it that a team like the Houston Rockets that boasts a rotation of role players and nobodies, is 4-2, and has competed in every game this season? These are the players in Rick Adelman’s rotation:
- Trevor Ariza
- Carl Landry
- Shane Battier
- Aaron Brooks
- Luis Scola
- Chuck Hayes
- Chase Budinger
- Kyle Lowery
Is that a rotation that so clearly outshines what the Knicks put out on the floor, so much so that they can take teams to overtime (LA Lakers) that would surely build a 20-30 point lead on the Knicks in the first quarter?
What is the difference between these two squads? Why can’t the Knicks play like the 1999-2000 Orlando Magic, which had no bonafide stars, and players who knew they wouldn’t stick around after that season, yet still managed to win 41 games?
My theory is that the Houston Rockets realize that they suck. They realize that they are outmatched on the talent flank in most games and they know that they have to make up for it with heart and effort. The current Knicks, by contrast, are a collection of players with an overinflated sense of their value.
Larry Hughes makes $14 million this year. It is possible that he thinks he’s already proven himself a successful player in this league, otherwise, he couldn’t have earned that contract. He earned that money taking any old shot he liked.
Al Harrington makes $10 million and he did it playing his game. Why should he buy-in to the system whole-heartedly when he’s already proven his value and worth around the league, doing what he has always done (being a complete ball stopper)?
Wilson Chandler is the future, right? The next Matrix. Why shouldn’t he run up and down the court firing indiscriminately.
Jarred Jeffries? Man did he put in work over the summer. Now he’s a marksman. He doesn’t have the same limitations he previously had, and he’s going to pull the trigger more than he used to. Nevermind that everyone but him seems to notice that these shots aren’t falling.
David Lee? Same story. He put in work on that jumper, and yes it has improved, but I am pretty confident that any team will feel comfortable letting David Lee try to trade baskets with a legitimate scorer on the other side. It is pretty infuriating watching the team concede that the best look they are going to get on a possession is a David Lee 18 footer.
Nate Robinson? Nobody can stop him. His shot is deadly. Any shot he takes is a good shot, even if there are 22 seconds left on the shot clock and the D is back, and there’s nobody to corral the board, because it’s going to go in.
None of these guys realize their limitations. They play with an inflated sense of their skills. They don’t make the effort on the defense because they are convinced that they outscore the other team. Nevermind that none of them move without the ball. Nevermind that in reality, they have the 4th worst FG% in the league and have already lost to the teams that are last (Bobcats) and third to last (Bucks) in FG%.
The Rockets’ players on the other hand are a hodge-podge group of blue collar workers, none of whom (yet) have settled into the complacency afforded many of the Knicks by virtue of a monstrous contract. They know that they are basically scrubs, and if they want to win they have to work, get dirty, mix it up, move without the ball, fight. They aren’t so heartless that they give up offensive rebounds off of missed free-throws multiple times a game.
If the Knicks are going to lose, why do it on the backs of heartless veterans that don’t realize their limitations. Instead, Coach D’Antoni should start to play guys who want to do what it takes to win, even if they can’t make it happen because they aren’t good enough, yet. At least they’ll try. So I think Coach D’Antoni should play Toney Douglas and bench Chris Duhon. I think he should play Jordan Hill and bench Jarred Jeffries and take minutes away from Al Harrington. Hell, play Marcus Landry and tell Wilson Chandler to take a seat. If he’s anything like his brother, he’ll earn more minutes if given the chance.
If it isn’t clear to the Knicks, it is clear to everyone else. They are scrubs, and they better start playing like it.
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This is a such a cogent point and a truly great post. I think it cuts straight to the heart of the issue.
The NBA is always populated with players who are legends in their own minds. But for years now the Knicks have seemed to collect them like baseball cards.
Out of everyone, to me, Lee is the most maddening because he talks a good game and he puts up good numbers, but it’s ultimately smoke and mirrors. His game and sound bites are the illusion of playing with pride and passion when, in reality, at this point I suspect he’s not doing much more than playing for a big contract.
Very well said. I posted something to the similar on on another site. I’m not sure about D. Lee though. I really fee like he is over-matched on the post on a typical night. He cannot guard A. Bogut or big centers. This is also the reason he has trouble giving weakside help. He is stuck on his big guy. Granted, he could do a lot more but I really think he needs someone down there to bang with him. J Hill, maybe?
IMO……
One reason that Houston does well is that they accumulate low usage scorers that are very efficient and good at other things.
Most fans, sports writers etc… look at how many points per game a guy scores.
The more sophisticated ones look at how many points a guy scores per 36 minutes of playing.
The most sophisticated fans look at the players eFG%, TS% etc… to see how efficiently he scored.
They want to know if he draws fouls and goes to the line a lot, hits a high enough percentage of his 3 pointers to justify taking them, hits a high percentage around the basket etc…
Houston plays smart basketball.
The Knicks player dumber than a rock (especially Harrington, Chandler, and Robinson)
All Houston’s players play within their skill set, rebound well, don’t turnover the ball a lot etc… They look like role players because they don’t score a lot of points but they play very well and very smart.
@Stallion: I agree with all that for the most part though I think it doesn’t take into account the ways in which players contribute without the ball in their hands. For instance, Chandler, despite being a shockingly bad offensive player, manages to be a net positive during the minutes he’s out on the court. Almost invariably, the team is better when he’s out there. I think it might be because, though his shot selection is appalling and he shows no aptitude for dissecting defense, at least he doesn’t grind down offensive possessions like Nate and Harrington do.
How could you forget Chris Duhon?
I kid, I kid.
What must be kept from this awful start is that whatever passion, will or desire to win that once existed in many of these players is something non existent right now. Last year at least they could run and gun. Now that actually is a nice memory. I’ve always considered Duhon a player that lacks passion, but puts up with that with hard work (last season of course), now in his case everything is different. A coach’s job is not only to create a system around the players he has, but to keep that unwillingness to go down without a fight mentality always present. That this team just doesn’t have, at all. Not in the vets eyes. They don’t want it. They gave up on themselves and their teammates. I actually appreciate Hughes’ professionalism and integrity, because although he’s no a good player (decent most likely) but has managed to pick up his offensive production and try to defend. Gallo is stuck in a hell hole, where he, and three other guys (Douglas, Hill, Chandler) want to achieve something.
What saddens me about Will is that his expected improvement went completely to hell, to such point that I think it would be best for this team if he’s traded (or packaged with JJ, for example) before his value gets any lower. It might be too early to call that, but this team, in just 7 games, managed to dig themselves a hole pretty deep. Things must change for a decent attempt at light.
This team needs to be rattled in some way or another. The best way to do that is to take old negative faces out and bring new faces with desire in. That’ll give the rest a message (if management, of course, is seeing what’s going on with the Knicks): play or get out. That goes Mike D, as well. He needs to step it up. He is, after all, the coach of this team.
It has been horrible. What ever happened to the pick and roll I never see the knicks run it and when they do they seem to fail either on the pick or the pass to the role.
Lets just trade for Iverson. Maybe the grizzlies will be desperate enough to take jefferies or curry.
On the same note any way we can use our trade exception and mobley’s contract to get our draft pick back from the jazz. bc I have a feeling we are not making the playoffs
JOHN WALL 2010!
Hate to rain on your parade even more, but the Knicks don’t even have their lottery pick this summer. Isiah traded it years ago for Stephon Marbury.
Oh I know I was just praying we would get one through a trade