New York Knicks Betting Articles: 2006 Early Season Analysis
Controversy abounded when Larry Brown left the Pistons for the New York Knicks. The Knicks and his high salary were the perfect challenge for Brown and, of course, it hasn’t been easy. Brown is so adamant about not playing rookies that he barely played first-round pick Darko Milicic while in Detroit. In New York, he doesn’t have much of a choice: They’re inexperienced rookies or overpaid veterans.
Some of their rookies have been playing very well. Channing Frye has come out of nowhere to emerge as the favorite for Rookie of the Year. Frye’s basic game: shoot from outside and collapse against the glass. But he does it so well and so prolifically that he has so far been the Knicks’ best big man. Nate Robinson is not a very good defender but he is pretty quick to the basket. A very impressive stat is that New York only allows 8.7 3-pointers per game, impressive because sometimes it’s hard to control all those rookies.
Other movements have been a failure so far. Jerome James has done virtually nothing other than grow up since he’s been in New York. Quentin Richardson’s sole purpose was to hit 3-pointers, but with the Knicks shying away from outside shots, Richardson has been completely useless. And while Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford are good scorers, they’ve done a lousy job managing the basketball with an NBA-high 17.5 turnovers per game.
There have been rumors that the Knicks are in talks with Minnesota for Kevin Garnett. That would be the only possible move to guarantee that Isaiah Thomas keeps his job. As Elgin Baylor has shown us, great basketball players are not great executives. Thomas continues Scott Layden’s legacy of bad moves. At Center, getting Jerome James on a six-year, $36 million deal was one thing. But then he went after Eddy Curry and got him for $60 million, and now James is coming off the bench. Why recruit Nate Robinson when you already have Jamal Crawford? A lot of money also goes to Richardson. Not enough faith has been placed in the young Knicks.
New York has plenty of players to cover all five positions. Whether they are the correct five is another story. The Atlantic Division that is currently tied with the Nets and Sixers is wide open. The Knicks can make a move if they improve several things. Turnovers committed can be stifled if Marbury and Crawford are not allowed to go it alone all the time. Next year should be better for them. As for this one, it’s unlikely. New York needs to win 25 at home to even have a chance.
