|
|
and no, it's not because both of them went to FSU
Donnie Walsh spent nine days on the road with his basketball team, evaluating everything from Mike D'Antoni to the equipment manager.
Walsh, the Knicks' president, saw the good and bad of his team as well as the promising and the hopeless. No one knows exactly what Walsh, a lawyer at heart, is thinking because he's an old-school executive who likes to play it close to the vest. But several players and moments definitely stick out and we are free to assume what impressions the Knicks left him. Here are a few:
Toney Douglas: The rookie point guard was promoted to the starting lineup and performed well, particularly on the defensive end. One Celtics scout raved about Douglas' toughness and competitive spirit. That's not surprising since Walsh saw those same characteristics in Douglas when he decided to buy his draft rights from the Lakers for $3 million.
Whether Douglas can be a starting point guard on a championship-caliber team is debatable. Of course, that was also the knock on Charlie Ward, another physically and mentally tough guard from Florida State who guided the Knicks to the NBA Finals.
Eddy Curry: Walsh is not... [Read More]
|
From what I've seen thus far from Tracy McGrady is a player who can't, at this point, consistently handle the impact of the NBA game. He's trying to get by on his size and his ability to see over defenders. Unfortunately on this team, one of their bigger weaknesses is the ability to create and attack off the pick and roll.
If there is no attack from the guard in a pick and roll, at least some action going to the basket, there is no reason for an opposing defender to help. Most cases, the players will just switch and negate the pick and roll altogether.
As a result, McGrady has settled for far too many jump shots, and the offensive ball movement thus has struggled. He has been kept on basketball's version of a "pitch count" by Mike D'Antoni, as McGrady has been playing around 25 minutes per game. Judging from players who have had micro-fracture surgery, the days of McGrady playing 45-48 minutes per game are probably over.
"You know what I miss?" McGrady recently told the Daily News. "Certainly, I miss being in close games. Down the stretch of games and just being able to take over a game ... you know, I miss... [Read More]
|
|
0 Replies
