SB Nation - Larry Hughes

Larry Brown's Young Players in the 2000s

David Arnott — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:28:19 -0000

Rookies! You're getting this many minutes, so show me what you've got!

Let's take a look at the rookies and second year players Larry Brown has coached this decade. I'll list the teams, the players, and their minutes per game. Guys who went on to reasonably decent role player NBA careers or better are italicized.

This ignores Games Played, and obviously, some guys were blocked by legit starters, but... well... draw your own conclusions. All numbers are from the invaluable Basketball-Reference.com.

===

99-00 76ers -- Ira Bowman (1.8), Larry Hughes (20.4), Jumaine Jones (4.2), Todd MacCulloch (9.4), Nazr Mohammed (6.8)

00-01 76ers -- Raja Bell (6.0), Rodney Buford (12.2), Jumaine Jones (13.3), Todd MacCulloch (9.5), Pepe Sanchez (4.8)

01-02 76ers -- Raja Bell (12.0), Damone Brown (3.9), Speedy Claxton (22.8), Samuel Dalembert (5.2), Alvin Jones (5.5), Jabari Smith (10.0)

02-03 76ers -- Efthimi Rentzias (4.1), John Salmons (7.9), Kenny Satterfield (4.8)

03-04 Pistons -- Darko Milicic (4.7), Mehmet Okur (22.3), Tayshaun Prince (32.9)

04-05 Pistons -- Carlos Delfino (15.3), Ronald Dupree (10.0), Horace Jenkins (6.9), Darko Milicic (6.9), Smush Parker (10.0)

05-06 Knicks -- Trevor Ariza (19.7), Jackie Butler (13.5), Channing Frye (24.2), David Lee (16.9), Nate Robinson (21.4), Ime Udoka (14.3)

===

The first major caveat of a backwards-looking glance like this is that we don't know if Brown's methods helped or hurt anyone. Maybe John Salmons really did need to be eased into the rotation at just under 8 minutes per game, and that was the stepping stone experience he needed. Maybe Efthimi Rentzias was railroaded by Brown's total shutdown, and he's selling insurance in Greece because no one else would give him a chance after that.

So, should we be worried by the fact that not a single star has emerged from Larry Brown's influence, with the exception, perhaps, of Tayshaun Prince?

What I see from this list is that Brown will play the guys he thinks are going to help him immediately, and if a guy can't, he'll sit until he's older. That kills the guys whose ceilings are "decent starter". Todd MacCulloch was no great shakes, but he started at center for back to back NBA Finals teams. Samuel Dalembert won't blow you away with his game, but the year after Brown left, he missed the entire season on the injured list, then the next year began starting and has started at center in Philly ever since.

I get the distinct sense it's a very college-hoops-oriented approach: freshmen and sophomores have a higher bar to clear to prove they should play over juniors and seniors. Of course, in the NBA, young players are paid far below their free market value (as are superstars), so it behooves teams to get production from young players while they're cheap instead of sitting them until they reach their qualifying offer years, when their salaries will come more in line with their potential production.

Knicks 106, Nets 97

Seth — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:11:22 -0000

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Like many Knicks games this season, tonight's win over the Nets was a tale of two halves. Thankfully, the opponent was helpless enough to render New York's own mood swings less than fatal. In the first half, we saw the familiar Knicks. They actually scored pretty effectively, but gave the Nets absolutely anything they wanted on the other end. The first two quarters today comprised the Nets' best half of the season. They league's worst team scored 61 points in the opening periods, keyed by Devin Harris, who drove to the rim and pulled-up from midrange pretty much unimpeded. In the second half? 36. The Knicks tightened up their defense and (aided slightly by the Nets' natural instincts to implode) turned a losing effort into a decisive win.

Notes, after the jump...

- Danilo Gallinari was back in uniform tonight (with a shooter's sleeve!), but Mike D'Antoni opted to ride the hot hand and keep Al Harrington in the starting lineup, which paid off nicely. From the outset, Al recognized the speed advantage he had over Josh Boone and exploited it mercilessly. Harrington's spin move is deadly, and he utilized it early and often to blow past Boone and finish at the rim. On the game, Al limited himself to only three threes, and did most of his work around the basket. He didn't just score either, finishing with a superb 24 points (10-18), 14 boards, and 5 assists in 40 minutes. Al's a hell of a player, and if he was always this motivated, nobody would be in favor of trading him.

- Just to emphasize that the quality of Harrington's dominant performance was a welcome departure from the usual, Clyde reacted to a gorgeous pass thrown Al to David Lee with "where did that come from!?".

- David Lee couldn't do much to stop Brook Lopez on offense (as Clyde said, "size matters"), but give credit to both Lee and Harrington for superb box-outs throughout the game. Lopez was muscled out of a number of rebounds, and finished with only 6 of his own. Lee and Harrington had 9 and 14 boards respectively, and worked hard for them.

- Lee also had his offense going, and kept Lopez honest by nailing his mid-range jumpers. That opened up the paint for Lee and others, as big Brookie had to step out to contest the J. That's an under-rated weapon, and it was a pleasure to see Dave score confidently from outside.

- Chris Duhon started attacking the rim, but just couldn't get a roll. He ended up 2-12, but I will say that he was, for the most part, missing the kinds of shots we'd like to see him take. There were more quick drives to the rim and less out-of-rhythm threes. That counts for something, I think. Not a great game, though.

- Danilo Gallinari made a relatively brief appearance today, probably owing to both his still-injured forearm and the recent resurgence of Al Harrington. Gallo was able to make an impact in his 21 minutes, though, with 3 three-pointers and 4 rebounds to his name.

- The Knicks were at their very worst in the second quarter, and it was a little disarming. One would like to think that the main advantage the Knicks have over a team like the Nets is their second unit, but Kiki Vandeweghe's bench thrived against the second-string Knicks. Rafer Alston (3-11) didn't shoot well, but had an easy team finding teammates like Keyon Dooling (4-7) for open shots. The pace quickened in the second, which you would think of as Knick-friendly, but New Jersey actually opened up a double-digit lead for part of the quarter.

- Chris Douglas-Roberts is very talented, very cool, and makes Joey look very wise. I love Gallo and wouldn't change a thing about that draft, but...damn.

- I'm disappointed in Clyde for not rhyming "Dooling" with something.

- This game was especially well mic'd, and we got to hear a lot of the on-court banter, including Al Harrington, after taking a hard fast break foul from Devin Harris, grumbling "I'm never gonna try and dunk again" while being peeled off the floor.

- Mike D'Antoni wielded his zone defense a few times, including in that second quarter in order to stifle the Nets' run. It worked pretty nicely for stretches, as Jared Jeffries or Wilson Chandler was able to roam the middle and help out on Brook Lopez to limit his touches and force other Nets to create offense.

- Al Trautwig casually snuck in a pretty ominous line during the halftime show: "The Knicks are what Chris Duhon is". Yikes.

- The young Garden audience (it was a noon start) spent much of the second half huffing and puffing at Mike D'Antoni's doghouse, begging for Nate Robinson. Chants of "we want Nate!" rained down even as the Knicks pulled away for the win, which leads me to conclude that the majority of New York-area youth don't do what Toney Douglas do just yet. This disappoints me. Weren't you little brats listening?

- In the third quarter, it was Larry Hughes of all people that keyed the run that eventually became the win. Hughes scored 12 in the period, including a personal stretch of 8 straight, and the Nets could never recover. Can't blame them. I've only just recovered.

- The guy who initiates that "I SAY D, YOU SAY FENSE!" chant sounds a lot like Xzibit to me. Since I haven't been to a game in a while, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that the Garden hype guy actually is Xzibit, since that's not at all out of the question, given his other work.

The Knicks have now won three of their last four, and look to add to their recent success tomorrow night against the Blazers. I have to be in class for pretty much the duration of the game (I know, right?), so I'll be in the market for a guest-recapper if anybody's interested. Let me know.

Orlando Magic 118, New York Knicks 104

erivera7 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:15:23 -0000

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Wearing the classic black pinstriped jerseys in celebration of its past, as part of NBA Hardwood Classics Night at the O-Rena, the Orlando Magic were able to defeat the New York Knicks - a squad playing on a back-to-back - by the score of 118-104 in a game that showcased an elite team's depth more than anything else. Nate Robinson, for whatever reason, was a DNP - Coach's Decision for the Knicks. Six Magic players scored in double-figures, highlighted by efficient performances from Matt Barnes (12 points, 5-8 FG), Brandon Bass (17 points, 7-12 FG), Dwight Howard (19 points, 6-7 FG, 7-10 FT), Rashard Lewis (20 points, 6-8 FG, 5-7 3PT), and Mickael Pietrus (17 points, 6-10 FG, 5-8 3PT). Every Magic player who suited up saw minutes last night and pitched in whenever possible.

A team win, in the truest sense of the term.

Team	Pace	Efficiency	eFG%	FT Rate	OReb%	TO Rate
Knicks	94	110.3	52.4%	19.0	27.7	19.1
Magic	94	125.2	61.5%	28.2	34.3	20.2
Green denotes a stat better than the team's season average; red denotes a stat worse than the team's season average.

In the first quarter, as has been a recurring theme for the Magic lately, Howard touched the basketball early and often in the post on 4-out/1-in offensive sets. Knowing that David Lee couldn't guard him, Dwight got deep positioning against him a couple of instances - drawing a foul and making a layup. The times that Howard wasn't defended by Lee, he was being guarded by Wilson Chandler. Yes, Chandler, a 6'8'' forward. A few times, Wilson was caught guarding Dwight after switching on a pick and roll, for example. Needless to say, it was no contest for Howard (though Chandler did draw an offensive foul on one possession), who ended up seeing double-teams the remainder of the night once Mike D'Antoni saw that his interior D was being shredded.

New York's defense in the period was terrible, at times, to be frank. On one possession, Jason Williams executed a 1/5 pick & roll with Dwight and got a ridiculously easy layup off of it. Instead of switching or trapping or showing/hedging or going under the pick, the defenders for the Knicks did none of the above during the play sequence.

If one remembers a few days ago, I stated that if Stan Van Gundy wishes to explore the possibility, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea for Bass to play at the five when the matchups are favorable.

Last night, the matchups were favorable and it's no coincidence that Stan elected to play Brandon at the center position the majority of the time while he was on the floor (for roughly 18 minutes). In the second quarter, Bass got things going very quickly on the offensive side of the ball once he checked into the game, posting up in 4-out/1-in offensive sets and getting easy layups on back-to-back possessions. When Brandon wasn't posting up, he was hitting his mid-range jumper or getting garbage points off of an offensive rebound. To put it simply, Bass was the playmaker in the second unit and a workhorse on offense.

However, once the third quarter rolled around, it was the Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus show from long distance.

After back-to-back threes from Larry Hughes of Hey Larry Hughes, Please Stop Taking So Many Bad Shots fame - sorry, couldn't resist - and Chris Duhon forced Van Gundy to call a timeout early in the period, something must of happened in the Orlando huddle because Lewis and Pietrus went bonkers following the stoppage of play. Perhaps each channeling their inner-Dennis Scott.

THIRD QUARTER

- [9:31] Lewis, three-point 24' jump shot (Carter assist)

- [8:54] Pietrus, three-point 23' jump shot (Williams assist)

- [8:00] Pietrus, three-point 27' jump shot

- [7:23] Pietrus, three-point 24' jump shot (Lewis assist)

- [6:04] Lewis, three-point 23' fast break jump shot (Carter assist)

- [4:20] Lewis, three-point 27' jump shot (Carter assist)

- [3:28] Lewis, three-point 26' jump shot (Williams assist)

- [2:38] Pietrus, three-point 26' fast break jump shot (Williams assist)

Mickael and Rashard accounted for eight of the 11 field goals in the quarter (they combined to make 10 threes in 15 attempts; the remainder of the team went 0-15 from beyond the arc). The Magic, after scoring 20 points in the second quarter, scored 41 points in the subsequent period. Perhaps Orlando was motivated to put a dent in the scoreboard and prove a point after the Atlanta Hawks (42 points in the second quarter) and the Dallas Mavericks (49 points in the second quarter) went on offensive sprees in their respective games during the evening. I'm being facetious, of course. Nevertheless, the Magic (as has been the case before) showed how explosive its offense can be when the squad is hitting on all cylinders for an extended amount of time.

By the end of the third quarter, Orlando built up a comfortable lead of 22 points. It's no surprise, then, that the Magic coasted the remainder of the contest.

Before I wrap things up, there's a few things that are worth noting from the game.

The pick & roll defense for Orlando was excellent, given that Duhon and Lee didn't do as much damage as they did when these two teams met this past Sunday. The Magic, as Van Gundy alluded to in the presser, did a much better job of being more active and rotating quicker in the pick & roll, denying the pass, and forcing the Knicks to score baskets in other ways. In essence, Orlando did to New York what it's been doing to other squads in the NBA for a while - force the team to shoot contested jumpshots. That, when getting down to the nuts and bolts of it, is how the Magic's defense excels. The team defense for Orlando, however, started out good but slowly waned in the second half.

Vince Carter had a rather pedestrian performance for the Magic but what was most impressive about him, though, was that he didn't make a bad situation worse. As the game progressed and the shots weren't falling for Carter, he scaled back his offense and looked to contribute in other ways for Orlando. Look no further than above in the play-by-play data, where Vince assisted on some threes from Rashard. Carter deserves some credit for cutting his losses, so to speak, and getting his teammates involved offensively.

Lastly, it's one game and it may or may not be a trend but it's becoming increasingly obvious that Bass should see more minutes at center - again - when the matchups are favorable. The issue with Brandon, and this has been brought up before by myself and others, has been his defense and the fact that the offense suffers when he's on the court. But the catch is that this occurs when Bass plays power forward. When Brandon plays center, things are different, especially on the offensive side of the ball. With Bass at the five, the Magic are still able to execute its 4-out/1-in offensive sets, which is important because the roster is built around that philosophy. Although Brandon isn't a better passer than Dwight in the post, his skills on offense are much more diverse (having the mid-range jumper in his arsenal being the main difference). As such, Orlando is still efficient and potent on offense. It's a perfect marriage, of sorts, because it allows Bass to play his game with effectiveness but it still allows the Magic to maintain a stretch four on the court with Anderson or Lewis. Of course, Brandon's defense is still a work in progress, but it's been better. And all of this effects Marcin Gortat, a player that might see his minutes cut a bit thanks to Bass.

Ah, the ebb and flow of NBA rotations.

With the win, the Orlando Magic will now trek to the West Coast for the team's first lengthy road trip of the regular season. For Ryan Anderson, a Cal alum, it'll be a homecoming for him. For Matt Barnes, a UCLA alum, it'll not only be a homecoming for him but also a reunion tour, of sorts, as he'll face off against three former teams - the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Phoenix Suns.

Fun.

As for the competition, it should be a good test for the team.

Magic 118, Knicks 104

Seth — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:25:45 -0000

More photos » by Phelan M. Ebenhack - AP

This game was ugly. Can't blame either of these guys for crying. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

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Well, that wave of competence didn't ride long, did it? In fact, the Knicks picked up just about where they left off on Sunday against the Magic. After keeping things relatively competitive in the first half, New York once again allowed the Orlando gunners to shoot the game out of reach. After a brilliant performance last night, tonight was more of the usual. The defense was consistently a step slow, the shot selection was poor, and the team-wide verve from Tuesday had completely faded. Much of that can be credited to the Magic, who moved the ball briskly on offense, defended superbly on and off the ball, and generally made the Suns look like a gaggle of chumps by comparison.

Some notes, after the jump...

- Tonight's big story was the full-on explosion of something that smoldered and sparked last night. Nate Robinson did not play. Not a single minute. Alan Hahn just tweeted D'Antoni's explanation of the benching, and it's equal parts vague and threatening:

"It’s just something we’re trying to build a winning group and you have to go with that."

"We want to win and if he’s conducive to winning then he’ll obviously be back in the lineup. If not, then not."

Coach has been peeved by Robinson's flimsy defense and occasional displays of immaturity, and this is clearly his way of sending a message. Particularly following Nate's torrid fourth quarter on Sunday, that's a strong message to send. And you know what? As much as Nate's presence is missed, I'm on board. It's refreshing to see someone really challenge the little dude- who's now in his fifth year, mind you- to focus and play to his potential. If benching is D'Antoni's best answer, then so be it. I ask only that he be even-handed. If Nate has to ride the pine for stretches, then Al Harrington should probably take a seat as well, and Chris Duhon should be hit over the head with a chair. Each of those guys has been equally disappointing in the talent-to-output ratio.

- Harrington, Robinson, and Jared Jeffries were seen dancing and singing along to "We Will Rock You" during the pre-game festivities. Toney Douglas did not look impressed. Listening to Queen is apparently not what Toney Douglas do. You're all on notice. More on TD later.

- The earliest indicator that Orlando wasn't going to fold defensively like Phoenix did was the way they covered baseline cuts to the basket. Larry Hughes got his early assists against Phoenix because he repeatedly hit Knick forwards in stride off of backdoor cuts. Dwight Howard et al., though, did a superb job of identifying and reacting to any off-the-ball movement, and Hughes repeatedly had to swallow his pass when Howard flashed in front of the cutter. This made for some rather unsightly outside shots.

- On the other end, Howard simply couldn't be stopped by any combination of miniature Knicks. Guys doubled, but they couldn't really use the baseline properly or close him off from passes except for a few instances. Whatever. It's not like we have to worry about that matchup in the postseason.

- Danilo Gallinari, for his part, did not return to his comfortable corner hideout, but he did post a prolific but sub-optimal shooting night. Gallo buried a three within 15 seconds of tipoff, and didn't stop shooting after that. As the game progressed, though, Danilo's shots grew more and more forced, and he ended up with an unsightly (but not awful) 5-14 line. I was happy to see the kid get that many shots up, and ecstatic that he attempted 10 free throws, but he's gotta strike a balance between coasting and chucking. It feels weird to say that after lamenting Danilo's lack of shots in previous games, but I really expect the best from him.

Meanwhile, Gallinari's simply got to adapt better on defense. We know Danilo is athletic enough to defend capably (see Tuesday's game), but he doesn't always have his head on straight. Case in point: If Mickael Pietrus has just hit three straight three-pointers, CLOSE OUT. Let him beat you off the dribble. Bite on his pump fakes. Just make him do something different. I guess that comes with familiarity and coaching, but like I said, I expect the best from Danilo Gallinari. Not a terrible game for The Cock, but there's room to improve.

- Al Harrington is dedicated to keeping the memories of past Knicks alive. Not only does he pull the chair like Malik Rose used to, he's resurrected Quentin Richardson's tendency to scream "HEY" whenever he feels contact.

- 8 first quarter turnovers is probably not an ideal statistic if you're trying to win a basketball game, especially when you shoot as poorly as the Knicks do. Can't waste possessions.

- In Nate's absence, Toney Douglas was the first guard off the bench. In the second quarter, and also in garbage time later on, Toney DWTDD like he's been known to. Toney scored a quick 17 points on 7-11 shooting in 20 minutes. I'm still not blown away by his passing, but the rook's range and intermediate game (such a pretty floater!) make me drool just a little. I continue to be impressed by his D as well, though someone needs to tell him to use his forearms, not his hands.

- Remember that time David Lee told me he intended to keep his mouth shut amongst the replacement refs? Well, we've got regular refs now, but Dave ain't exactly minding his manners. Lee bitches constantly, and it got to the point that D'Antoni scolded him for dawdling up the court because he was chewing out an official. I don't especially care...just saying. I don't like getting LIED TO, David.

- While we're talking about him, I was happy to see Lee drag Dwight Howard out of his domain by making catches near the perimeter, but I found myself wishing he'd take Howard off the dribble instead of attempting jumpers.

- It's weird how much Jared Jeffries's jumper form has regressed since he was wetting J's in preseason. It's like the warm weather loosened up some ligaments in his wrist that have since reverted to a state that causes his shots to spin in three different directions simultaneously.

- At the risk of sounding psychotic, I'd really like to cook and eat Dwight Howard's shoulders, and then do the same with Brandon Bass's to compare taste and texture. I'd bet Anthony Johnson would make a fine cut of meat as well. Word has it they hand-feed him beer and massage him daily to marble the fat.

- Rashard Lewis is probably kinda gamy. I'm sorry. I'll stop.

- Wilson Chandler might not be rising as high as he was last season, but his second jump is pretty quick for a guy who recently had ankle surgery. For a guy that takes a lot of tough shots near the rim, the ability to get his own rebound and stick it back is prized. 24 (10-18) and 5 for Wil, by the way, though it seemed like all of that came in garbage time.

- This movie Brothers looks really rough. Similar story to Pearl Harbor, but probably a lot less funny when you're high.

- Mickael Pietrus shimmies? Nobody informed me that Mickael Pietrus shimmies. Do other people in Guadeloupe shimmy? Did a Guadeloupean invent the shimmy? I always thought the shimmy was strictly American. If that's a foreign import, than what else have we got? Monster trucks?

- Speaking of Pietrus, MSG accidentally displayed his game stats alongside a photo of Donté Greene, which is their subtle way of reminding us that all sorts of fringe starters have looked like All-Stars against the Knicks this season.

- Chris Tucker was at Amway Arena tonight. King Kong ain't got shit on him, if you catch my drift.

- I was really psyched for extended garbage time, but Toney and Wil were the only two to really have an impact. Marcus Landry missed a bunch (1-5), and Jordan Hill was a little less trigger-happy than last night. He hit one of two jumpers and got the wind knocked out of him by Brandon Bass's ass a few times.

- Darko Milicic was bench-bound again tonight, which would qualify as a DNP-BMDISETDHITTSOAK. Enjoy. (Incidentally, your winner from last night is FreeBradshaw. Well done, sir.)

Anyway, after last night's sudden and overwhelming majesty, tonight was a hasty retreat to mediocre Knicks basketball. I wouldn't expect otherwise. Next game's Friday in Atlanta. We'll talk before then.

Knicks 126, Suns 99

Seth — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:06:33 -0000

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Wow. In a season full of miscues and misery, that was just what the doctor ordered. The Knicks invited the Suns into the Garden, spanked them mercilessly, then sent the league's best team packing. Shots fell and the defense clicked as the Knicks built a lead and never really looked back. A number of different players stepped up and filled their roles with aplomb. Phoenix, meanwhile, played the part of the home team, flubbing easy plays and exerting very little effort en route to their first sub-100-point output of the season. The Knicks' best stuff and the Suns' worst just happened to coincide, and I must say it was positively exquisite.

Notes, after the jump...

I mentioned that each Knick played his role brilliantly. I wasn't kidding. Check it:

- Wilson Chandler got things started by driving to the basket on offense, getting fouled early and connecting at the line. Later, he canned a couple open threes (2-3) and otherwise let the offense come to him. On the other end, D'Antoni chose to match Wil with Steve Nash, which worked nicely, as Chandler was quick enough to stay near (not in front of. Nobody does that.) Nash, and big enough to disrupt his passes and switch onto Amare' Stoudemire when picks were set.

- Chris Duhon (2-8) didn't shoot as well as he did in the previous game, but hit a pretty big three, dished out 5 assists, and spent 23 minutes on the bench. Perfect.

- Al Harrington (8-14) took a reasonable number of shots and hit most of them. He also pulled down 8 rebounds.

- David Lee registered 24 points and 8 boards, actually made an effort to defend Stoudemire, and didn't get embarrassed on help defense because the Suns hardly attacked the rim. Lee's hands were up, too, as indicated by his 4 steals.

Those Knicks did their jobs. These Knicks went above and beyond:

- Larry Hughes up and stole the point guard reins from Chris Duhon in early going, dropping 8 dimes in the first quarter and finishing with 12 on the night. He demanded the ball, directed traffic in the halfcourt set, and hit cutters with pinpoint passes. It was beautiful. Hughes's 11 points and 4 steals were just gravy. That little display of competent point guard play was tremendous. Not to continue to dump on Duhon after a win, but Larry's leadership made a massive difference. Evidence: The Knicks started the second quarter with Hughes on the floor and won the first 4 minutes 12-10. Duhon then checked in for Hughes, and the Suns promptly went on an 8-3 run. Hughes then re-entered, and the Knicks won the next four and half minutes 17-12. I'm not just saying...I'm just saying...

- I can't say enough about Jared Jeffries's play. He was mostly a garbagebro on offense (4-6, 10 points), and I mean that in the best way possible. The rest of his line, though, is what stands out. 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and a steal are marks of a job well done by Jeffries, and he did that in just 25 minutes. Jared's quiet contributions helped keep the Knicks afloat when it looked like the Suns were poised to strike. Superb game.

- Finally, a big ol' Rooster Salute for Danilo Gallinari. Gallo asserted himself just like we hoped he would, finishing with 27 points, 10 boards, and 2 monstrous Cock-blocks. Gallo was potent from downtown (6-12, and it would've been more with a kinder rim), but didn't just settle for threes. He looked much more confident and made his way into the center of the court to participate more in the offensive flow. There were backdoor cuts, frontdoor cuts, and even a stop-and-pop banker from about 12 feet out.If you're on Twitter, hit up @gallinari8888 and tell him to keep up the great work. Gallo's shot at stardom is tied to the kind of confidence and aggression we saw him from him tonight.

The rest of the notes:

- Billie Jean King was interviewed by Al Trautwig at courtside, and finished her conversation by calling Trautwig "Babes". The following dialogue ensued:

Breen: "Did she just call Al 'Babes?'"

Clyde: "She's from the 70s."

Breen: "Don't you go call Al that now."

- King also took the opportunity to smack some tennis balls into the crowd during a timeout. One of them whizzed perilously close to Channing Frye's head, and Frye reacted with that memorable look of puzzlement we first witnessed in his "sometimes, dinner was just crackers" Garden of Dreams commercial. If you remember that MSG ad, you're officially a pimp by P&T standards (and a moron by everyone else's standards, but forget those guys.)

- Nate Robinson got very little burn in this one. The way Hughes was playing, I guess he wasn't really needed. Robinson didn't show any blatant displeasure, and actually did a nice job pushing the tempo in his 10 minutes.

- Amare' Stoudemire, who I'd typically consider to be a pretty good shot-blocker, didn't even bother to contest a lot of the Knicks' drives into the paint. Either Stoudemire's defense has fallen off or David Lee is contagious.

- Apparently some sort of rodeo is coming to MSG, and I feel obligated to pass along the information that the Garden will be "filled with the world's toughest cowboys and rankest bulls". I know P&T folks like their bulls rank, so I figured I'd share for those of you who missed the ad.

- P&T hero Frederic Weis coined the term "Knickslexia" to describe the phenomenon of reading a winning Knicks score backwards, because your tendency to assume they're losing overrides what you actually perceive. If you checked out the 71-58 score at halftime, odds are you got all kinds of Knickslexic.

- Robin Lopez is something else. No, really. He's something else.

- Clyde always mocks Mike Breen for being a ballhog on the basketball court. Do we have any evidence that these two have actually played ball together? If so, is it on video? If so, can I have it?

- Goran Dragic probably doesn't wear a diaper on the court, but he might.

- With the season's first real blowout came the season's first real garbage time. It was magical. Toney Douglas DWTDD for a sec, burying two threes and handing out a couple assists. Jordan Hill shot and missed a bunch (2-7) but looked active (to use the adjective that's gradually becoming his middle name) and showed off some of his typically fluid moves, with a jump shot to boot. Jordan Hill is pretty good at basketball. Mark my words. Marcus Landry got to spin as well, and hit a three just to ice the cake.

- Darko Milicic, despite chants from the crowd, was a DNP-BHWCSIYMHPGT. See if you can crack that one.

Tonight was marvelous. Thanks go to everybody who commented, and also to the Knicks for putting together a masterpiece of a performance in beating the league's best team. I got a little choked up for a bit there.

I'm sure we'll have video and some more excitement in the morning, but there isn't much time to bask. The Knicks head straight to Orlando for another meeting with the Magic tomorrow night. Could they possibly keep the dream alive?

No More Answers

aramnath — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:26:29 -0000

More photos » by Jesse D. Garrabrant - NBAE/Getty Images

Allen Iverson rarely wanted to listen to anyone and was satisfied playing his way. (Photo by: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images)

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The Philadelphia 76ers and Allen Iverson are close to agreeing on a one-year deal. If I were Louis Williams, Jrue Holiday, Marreese Speights and Thaddeus Young I would be very pissed. The odds of Iverson passing the ball their way at any point this season seems remote.

The 76ers motivation in making this move cannot be motivated by anything else but putting butts in the stands, because in terms of basketball it makes no sense. This is a guy that refuses to come off the bench even though his skills are clearly in decline.

His teammates in Memphis don't seem to be missing him much, playing surprisingly well out in the West so far this year and the Nuggets flourished when they swapped him for Chauncey Billups last year.

When A.I. was in his prime he was simply a great scorer that on any given night could win you a game and on the nights he was off was a disaster. The Sixers tried to put him next to Jerry Stackhouse, Larry Hugher and Andre Iguodala, who all certainly had their limitations, but found it impossible to co-exist next to a player like Iverson who needed the ball at all times to be effective. It's no surprise all three played better without A.I.

Iverson always lacked the ability that Jordan, Bird, Magic, Kobe, Lebron, Duncan etc. have in elevating the level of play of his supporting cast. Iverson maximized his abilities in becoming a great scorer, but creating for others always seemed distasteful to him and frankly may always have been beyond his capabilities.

Now with Iverson dominating the ball, Philadelphia's promising youth will be the ones to suffer. Players like Speights and Young will see less touches in the post and will be resigned to setting picks and rolling to the hoop for passes that will rarely come their way. Williams will struggle playing alongside Iverson and Holiday will see reduced minutes stunting his development as a rookie.

Defensively, Iverson has become non-existant. Before he used to play the passing lanes extremely well and was among the league leaders in steals every year. Now his loss in speed and explosion have taken that away from him too.

There certainly is some kind of justice in A.I. coming back to the team where he made his name and which led to an NBA Finals berth, but at what cost? Bringing back Iverson is simply a desperate gambit to make this team competitive now. I'm not sure if he's even capable of that anymore. I know that I wouldn't take a guy past his prime and incapable of playing any way but his own on my team.

Poll

Would you want your favorite team to sign Iverson?

Yes, he's still got something left in the tank

18 votes

If he agreed to come off the bench and come to practice

9 votes

No, he's finished

7 votes

34 votes | Poll has closed

Game Preview: Suns vs. Knicks (And Mike D'Antoni)

Wil Cantrell — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:42:46 -0000

More photos » by Jim Prisching - AP

"Please Santa, please bring me a Steve Nash for Christmas." (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

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Tonight the Suns play game three of their current 4 game road trip against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Suns enter the game on a 4 game win streak, but are facing the next couple weeks without Leandro Barbosa.

While the Knicks as a basketball team aren't incredibly interesting, this match-up interests all of us for one particular reason: Mike D'Antoni.

The architect of 7SOL in Phoenix is attempting the East Coast version on a cash strapped, Isiah Thomas/James Dolan destroyed franchise that can only look to the future for any kind of hope. The Knicks are currently 3-14, in the midst of a 5 game slide, in which they most recently lost to the Orlando Magic. While the Knicks and their fans do not have much to be happy about this season, at least they can say they aren't in last place, thanks to the 0-17 New Jersey Nets.

Since both squads emphasize the offensive side of things, here is a little statistical comparison:

TEAM	PPG	FG%	3PT%	FT%	RB/G
PHX	112.0	50.7	44.5	72.8	42.2
NYK	101.9	43.8	31.8	78.6	40.0

OK, that's pretty boring. So why don't we try something a bit different in this preview? I'd now like to introduce, perhaps, for the third or fourth time on BSOTS, the most used FIVE-MAN FLOOR UNITS for the Knicks and Suns. This is a statistic I found out there on the inter-wide web that basically measures the effectiveness of a particular group of players by combined average +/-:

New York Knicks

UNIT	MIN	+/-	WIN%
DUHON-HUGHES-GALLINARI-CHANDLER-LEE	149.9	-25	38.4

Ouch. the most commonly used unit for the Knicks throws down a whopping +/- of -25.

Phoenix Suns:

UNIT	MIN	+/-	WIN%
NASH-RICHARDSON-HILL-STOUDAMIRE-FRYE	256.6	+40	53.8

Our starting five, and most often used unit averages a +40.

Obviously the numbers don't tell the whole story here, and we can argue that +/- has its significant flaws, but heck, it looks good right now! Now, on to the players

Players

Guards

Chris Duhon-runs the point and leads the Knicks with 6 assists a game. It's safe to say he's not a scoring threat at 7 ppg, and at present, shooting 28% from the field. Look for a Duhon/Lee pick 'n roll set from time to time.

Nate Robinson-we all know Nate can play. Against the Magic, Robinson popped off the bench to go 10-11 from the field for 22 points. Of course he may not be out of the D'Antoni doghouse after burying a three on his own basket after time expired.

Larry Hughes-is Larry Hughes, shooting 39% from the field and 28% from 3-point range. J-Rich should enjoy posting Larry, driving on Larry, shooting over Larry, etc.

Bigs

Al Harrington-At 19 a game, Al leads the Knicks in scoring and manages 6 boards a game. But like most of the Knicks, he is a subpar 44% from the field and an attrocious 29% from three point land, which is interesting, because he continues to hoist them up, second only to Gallinari in attempts with 89.

Danilo Gallinari-the 6th pick in the 2008 draft seems to be improving, at 13.1 ppg, but the gripe on him seems to be his tendency to sit in the corner and watch the game. Still he's capable of getting hot behind the arc.

David Lee-averaging 18 and 10, Lee can flat play. I anticipate Frye, Amare, and perhaps Rolo/Lou matching up at times to slow down Lee, especially on the boards.

The rest: Wilson Chandler (11.9 ppg) Darko Milicic is evidently homesick, Jordan Hill (unsurprisingly) has seen time in only 8 games, and Eddy Curry (chuckle) has played in 4 games, which probably averages out to about 3 million dollars a minute or something obscene.

Overview

So the Suns are looking good and Knicks are not. Again, like many of these awful teams we have been playing of late, there is always a pitfall lurking, especially on the road. This writer likes our chances tonight, but we could be in for a barn burner with little defense being played and many three pointers being hoisted.

And....As a Very Special post Thanksgiving Treat...A Short Q&A with Seth over at Posting and Toasting regarding the state of the Knickerbockers:

Me: First off, how are you all enjoying D'Antoni as your coach?

Seth: Mike D'Antoni's had a rough time in his first years as coach, but I think a lot of Knick fans would agree that he can't be fully judged until 2010 rolls around and the Knicks (hopefully have something resembling a competitive roster. In the meantime, D'Antoni's plenty likable and forthright, which is a welcome departure from his predecessors. There have been complaints about his lineup management (why aren't the rookies playing more?) and control over shot distribution (why isn't Danilo Gallinari getting more touches?), as well as his unwavering attachment to Chris Duhon, who has been appallingly ineffective. All that said, D'Antoni's seat won't even be warm until the Knicks use their forthcoming cap space.

Me: Is the run and gun everything you'd hoped for?

Seth: It sure isn't when the shots aren't falling. The Knicks have reined in their heaving a little bit, but are still the 23rd in the league in FG% and 22nd in 3P%. There have been plenty of open shots, but guys like Duhon, Robinson, Chandler, and Hughes have all gone cold for long stretches of the first 17 games, while the Knicks' deadliest shooter, Danilo Gallinari, isn't taking enough shots. It gets ugly.

Me: What are Knicks fans most frustrated about this season? (Besides simply losing) Is it that Jordan Hill and the youngsters don't see much playing time? Is it Duhon's performance in general? or the combination of all that and Gallinari not living up to his potential as the 6th pick in the draft?

Seth: You pretty much hit the three biggest issues. Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas should not only get to spin because this is a losing team and there's plenty of room for them to development, but because they've actually proven to be more effective than some of the vets. Chris Duhon finally registered a decent offensive game on Sunday against Orlando, but has spent most of the season shuffling around and bricking jumpers. He hasn't been the leader nor the offensive threat necessary to pilot the D'Antoni offense. Finally, I keep harping on this, but Danilo Gallinari needs the ball!

Me: Lastly, what else should we desert rats know about your squad?

Seth: If (when) tonight's game turns into a blowout, you can hopefully look forward to Marcus Landry making an appearance. The undrafted rookie hustles and bangs just like his older brother Carl, and he's also got decent range for a big man. If D'Antoni ever fully commits to playing the young guns, Li'l Landry will make a name for himself.

Link Fun

Posting and Toasting
Knicks Statistics
Suns Statistics
Mike D'Antoni deserves criticism...but why? - Posting and Toasting
Guess who's upset about a certain Mustachioed coach not developing young players?
azcentral.com blogs - Coro's Suns dish - PaulCoro - Nash for CP3? For Kobe? Anyone?
Coro's Suns dish: Steve Nash has posted six games of 16 assists or more this season in 17 games. That is one more than he had all of last season. Something tells me he is about to put up a crazy number again tonight. This is the building in which he has posted assist...
D'Antoni's system gets mixed results
Mike D'Antoni swore you would never know whether it was his system or Steve Nash that made the Suns. He joked that he would walk away when Nash did in order to keep it secret. But some think they figured it out, now that D'Antoni's New York Knicks are woeful at 3-14 and the Suns visit here as a NBA-best 14-3 with Nash playing like his MVP days.
Lost at a Knicks game - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN
This is HILARIOUS!
SUNS: Q&A With Al McCoy: "The Real McCoy"
More movie and TV comments « Channing Frye's Blog
Nash Still Burns for Phoenix - Bethlehem Shoals - The Baseline - Sporting News
Amare Loves the Animals - Bethlehem Shoals - The Baseline - Sporting News
Kobe Bryant has highest 'basketball IQ,' poll says - Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sports
According to NBA players and coaches at least one other point guard has a higher basketball IQ than Steve Nash...
Create A Caption #40 Winner - Third Quarter Collapse
Guess who is being heckled for taking and missing too many three's....hint: tattoo

Kings 111, Knicks 97

Seth — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:12:41 -0000

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

"Not to beat a dead horse, but guys are getting out of the way on those drives".- Mike Breen (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

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I've got like two pages of notes, but it's pretty much the same nonsense we've been going over. The Knicks spend most of their time playing like they don't care, and tonight they didn't even bother to make a run. Donté Greene, bless his little heart, had the game of his career against a Knick defense that didn't contest shots on the perimeter, or under the basket, or anywhere in between.

Only adding insult to injury was the fact that some of our beloved youngsters actually got some burn...and didn't look so hot. Danilo Gallinari was terribly apprehensive. More capon than cock. On one end, his touches were punctuated by either missed off-balance threes or drives that ended with a kick-out. The moves were more or less there; he just wouldn't pull the trigger on the right shots. On defense, Gallo drifted far too much and repeatedly left his man (usually Andres Nocioni) open on the perimeter or free to cut backdoor. Toney Douglas, meanwhile, wasn't hitting his shots (1-6), and kept getting hung out to dry on defense. Toney plays D the right way- up close and personal- but does so with the expectation that his teammates will help out. On the Knicks, that's an ill-fated assumption. The other guys don't exactly DWTDD. Jordan Hill, for his part, was pretty active in 9 minutes. Jordan missed both his shots, but his four rebounds and two blocked shots didn't go unnoticed.

The rest of the guys did their own little things. Larry Hughes, Al Harrington, Wilson Chandler, and Chris Duhon shot 10-38 collectively. Duhon bricked one fourth quarter attempt so badly that they needed a pole to get it out from behind the shot clock. I kid you not. Nate Robinson shot well, but spent too much time preening for the friends and family in attendance to play any defense. David Lee recorded a triple-double with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists on Sacramento baskets.

If there is anything positive to be taken from tonight's spectacle, it's that Danilo Gallinari's new spiky hairstyle looks like a cockscomb, which is most definitely intentional.

Oh, and folk hero Marcus Landry managed to post a +8 in his three minutes of garbage time. That's worthy of a starting spot, and I'm only half kidding.

The Knicks' next game is on Friday in Denver. If they can't find some semblance of teamwork and commitment between now and then, we're in for a long night. Thanks to everybody who came out for the game thread. Y'all are troopers. Keep commenting along and your participation will one day be rewarded with wins. We'll talk tomorrow. Goodnight.

Preview: Knicks at Kings

Ziller — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:00:27 -0000

by Mike Groll - AP

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That's low, Al Harrington. Real fricking low.

THE OPPONENT

This is going to blow your fricking mind: the Knicks defense is better than the Knicks offense.

That is more of a commentary on the dreadful shooting the Knicks have given the world this season. New York ranks 22nd in effective field goal percentage, and 24th in three-point shooting. This is particularly problematic because the Knicks have taken more threes than anyone else. A full 32 percent of New York's FGAs are threes, which is outpaced by Orlando (34 percent) but still bloody robust. And, again, bloody, considering New York hits only 31 percent of those. That's an eFG of about 46 percent on threes, which is comparable with lower echelon two-point shooting. While threes are among the most efficient shots in the game, you do need to remain fairly good at hitting them to reap the benefits.

As for New York's defense: opponents turn the ball over quite a bit against the Knicks. Larry Hughes is the only passing lane wizard on the squad, but Sacramento has shown such a propensity to turn the ball over lately that even Eddy Curry could morph into a hawk before our eyes. A frightening visage, no doubt.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Al Harrington	14	31.1	6.7	15.1	44.3	1.4	5.1	28.2	4.2	4.9	85.5	1.1	4.8	5.9	1.4	2.4	1.2	0.4	3.3	19.1
David Lee	14	32.6	6.9	13.1	53.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	3.4	4.6	73.4	2.3	7.4	9.7	2.6	2.4	1.2	0.4	3.4	17.2
Danilo Gallinari	14	29.1	4.6	10.2	45.5	3.0	6.7	44.7	1.7	2.0	85.7	0.6	3.6	4.2	1.5	1.4	0.8	0.6	2.2	14.0
Larry Hughes	12	33.4	4.5	10.8	41.9	1.1	3.8	28.3	2.5	3.2	78.9	0.8	3.3	4.1	4.1	1.7	2.1	0.7	2.5	12.6
Wilson Chandler	14	33.0	4.9	12.3	39.5	0.7	3.3	21.7	1.8	2.0	89.3	1.6	4.0	5.6	1.7	1.7	0.5	1.2	3.6	12.2
Nate Robinson	8	21.4	3.3	8.9	36.6	1.5	4.5	33.3	0.9	1.4	63.6	0.6	1.3	1.9	3.3	1.6	0.8	0.4	2.4	8.9
Toney Douglas	13	14.5	3.4	6.6	51.2	0.8	2.2	37.9	0.4	0.5	83.3	0.2	0.8	1.1	0.6	0.8	0.4	0.0	1.5	8.0
Chris Duhon	14	34.5	1.9	7.7	24.1	0.8	3.9	20.0	1.9	2.3	81.3	0.3	2.9	3.2	6.2	1.9	1.2	0.1	1.4	6.4
Eddy Curry	4	11.3	1.8	4.5	38.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	3.3	53.8	1.0	1.5	2.5	0.0	2.8	0.0	0.0	2.0	5.3
Jordan Hill	7	7.7	2.0	3.1	63.6	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.6	0.7	80.0	1.1	0.6	1.7	0.3	0.7	0.4	0.4	1.6	4.6
Jared Jeffries	13	19.7	1.2	3.0	41.0	0.2	0.8	30.0	0.4	0.7	55.6	1.2	1.7	2.8	1.4	1.2	0.5	0.8	2.2	3.1
Marcus Landry	4	5.3	1.0	2.0	50.0	0.3	1.0	25.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	2.3
Darko Milicic	8	8.8	1.0	2.1	47.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	1.6	2.3	0.5	0.3	0.5	0.1	0.9	2.0

Seth of Posting & Toasting is the funniest 20-year-old I've ever met, which the two exceptions being Donte Greene last year and myself at age 20. (If you can't see the joke in there, my humor is way too next level for you.)

THE KEY BATTLE

I would announce the coming conquest of Tyreke Evans over his worst DraftExpress comp (Hughes) if Evans were certain to play, but alas, he is soft. (This is the greatest: part of the Peaches crusade against Kevin Martin was that Evans was so tough that he'd play through minor things like sprains. "If it isn't broke, you play." Guess what? Sprains hurt! They limit your ability to run, stop, jump, cut and slide! Basketball requires those movements! Frequently! And basketball players -- even tough basketball players -- need to let their body heal sometimes. Sorry that Kevin Martin and Tyreke Evans and Bobby Jackson are robbing you of your $0 tickets.)

In conclusion, if Grant Napear were an actor, he'd be Peter O'TOOLe. If Grant Napear were a president, he'd be IDIOTham Lincoln. If Grant Napear were a Danish philosopher, he'd be Soren DOUCHEgaard. If Grant Napear were a game show host, he'd be Pat SaJACKASS.

THE KEY BATTLE, NON-TANGENT EDITION

Beno Udrih, meet Chris Duhon. Destroy Chris Duhon. Destroy him. (I will also accept Jason Thompson vs. Al Harrington.)

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

The Kings are 0-1 in games when free pregame buffets are provided to fans. But I've got a special feeling about this buffet. Yes, this one will beget good things. Lofty things. (Seriously, nice promo, Kings. Golf clap. If I didn't have a date with an infant and some spit-up, I'd be right there with you shovelling mashed potatoes down my throat, leaving my seat to visit the gentlemen's room at a crucial point in the game. Right there with you.)

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Eddy Curry will not feel like commiserating with Francisco Garcia over the dangerous realities of exercise balls. (Speaking of which, does anyone else think El Flaco should spend his time away from the court doing stand-up? "An Israeli soldier, Sean May and Eric Musselman walk into a bar. And then I'm like, wassup fellas? <cackle>")

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Considering the Sexy Systemic Rating System has been an abject failure in determining margins of victory, let us stick to the mainstream methods: random guesses, based on intuition and hope. Kings 124, Knick 78.

DETAILS

7 PM start (for the game and the game thread. Forreal this time). Buffet opens at 5:30. No Game Thread II tonight. Post-game thread at 9:45. Go Kings.

Tracy McGrady and the New York Knicks... Again

Tom Martin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:48:35 -0000

More photos » by Kevin C. Cox - Getty Images

about 1 month ago: ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 20: Tracy McGrady #3 of the Houston Rockets warms up before the game against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on November 20, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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As you may have read, there's been speculation that Tracy McGrady could end up in New York City, primarily from Newsday's Alan Hahn. Not like we haven't heard this before.

However, this go-around, the timing of the chatter certainly makes sense. McGrady and the Rockets, despite what each says, are clearly not on the same page, and a continued feud between the two could result in a decision to part ways. It's a good foundation upon which to pile countless rumors and ideas. As we here have said for months, it's not easy to trade a giant golden nugget such as McGrady. That said, if there was one club out there who could make it work, it's probably the Knicks.

But even if a proposed trade works contractually, is it a good decision for the team? I'm not sold.

1. We haven't seen him post-microfracture surgery yet.

There's a number of folks out there who think that the surgery and the resulting rehab sessions have revitalized Tracy's career, but there's an equal number who think that while the surgery will heal his leg, it won't improve his game from the paltry form that we saw last season. In other words, we don't know what we are presumably trading. I'd like to see him in game action before anything happens. At least ten games or so.

2. Who would we get in return?

Proposed trades in the blogosphere have included the likes of Eddy Curry, Wilson Chandler, Cuttino Mobely's contract, Larry Hughes, Jared Jeffries... and draft picks (we'll come back to the latter soon enough). None of that sounds very appealing to me, in terms of fitting in with the current roster we have. None of those players are very efficient either. Curry has always played smaller than his size, averaging 7 rebounds per game only once in his career. He's been lamented for his below-averageness, inspiring a Yahoo! Fanasty Sports staple called the "Eddy Curry Line" in which a player must average more turnovers than assists, steals, and blocks combined. Whether it's fantasy or reality, it's not good.

Chandler is just as inefficient as Curry. He doesn't get to the free throw line, and averages 12 points on 11 shots per game. Sounds like Ron Artest doesn't it? Except that Chandler isn't too good of a defender either, making Artest look that much better. It's not something that we want to see return to Houston.

Hughes has always been a negative influence to his team, so much so that a popular (and hilarious, might I add) website was created after him. We'll leave it at that. And Jefferies has been a bust, at best. At worst, he's been transparent.

To summarize, a deal with the Knicks would not be for a personnel upgrade. It would be contractually motivated, so that the Rockets would be able to move McGrady and still be able to knock off 22-23 million dollars off of their salary payments next season.

3. There's no reason why we can't just bench McGrady.

It would be cruel and unusual punishment, but assuming he comes back and gets hurt again, or if he is playing extremely poorly, we can send him to the pine. This little incentive that Xiane was talking about a few days ago makes that a very appealing decision, assuming the worst from Tracy:

"Houston can start to collect up to 80 percent of his prorated per-game salary after he's missed 41 consecutive games. McGrady sat out his 42nd straight game Wednesday in Minnesota, and the league insurance plan would reimburse the Rockets for any additional missed games. For the rest of the season, the insurance policy could cover 80 percent of his per-game salary of $282,946."

4. We're not looking at the "now" as much as we're looking to the future.

Eddy Curry is not so appealing as to trade for him exclusively to plug him in this year and hope that he can make a difference before expiring next season (he does have a player option, though; we've been through that with Cook Daddy thus far, and it's not fun). And if it's not evident enough, Trevor Ariza is a much more attractive developmental wing player than Chandler is. Whereas Chandler looks to score, and takes up a lot of possessions to do so, Ariza fits in much better as a third option, which is what we're hoping to see him as come next season. Yes, we're looking to compete this year, but there's no sense in messing with the future in order to bump a team up from the possible 8th slot in the West to the 5th slot.

5. He could be productive and could be an asset to the team... imagine that!

This news concerning his practice today helps to fortify that front.

Compared to the five reasons that I've laid out supporting McGrady's return to Houston, there are only two that I can think of supporting his exit.

1. He keeps acting up and becomes THAT MUCH of a distraction.

If it gets to the point where he's more of a hindrance than a help, albeit on or off the court, trading him for $$$$ is an acceptable solution. Remember, the deal would not be to improve our current roster, but to move McGrady's attitude and his contract to New York in exchange for expiring contracts such as Mobely and Curry.

2. New York throws a few draft picks into the mix.

One Knicks source that I talked to discussed the possibility that the Knicks throw in a protected 2012 first round pick as well as a 2010 second round pick, or something of that nature. If this were to ever be offered (D'Antoni has a long history of trading first rounders), then I think Daryl Morey would have to at least consider it. Any chance to find more talent for the long run needs to be looked at.

In the end, this is all speculation, which is why I think it's kind of silly that I'm discussing it myself. However, I thought you'd like to see the possibilites of a deal with the Knicks. At least you've got a decent idea of what would be at stake. Personally, I'd like to hold onto McGrady for now, but like I said, if draft picks are in the equation, it becomes much more interesting.