What does it mean to represent basketball in New York City? I'm talking New York, New York, Spike Lee, Patrick Ewing, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Clyde, The Oak man, Starks, Willis Reed. What do all these names have in common? Heart, desire, passion and intensity to say the least; something this current New York Knickerbocker team sorely lacks.
After an embarrassing defeat to their cross-town rivals, the Brooklyn Nets, on Monday afternoon the New York Knicks dropped to 15-26 which is good enough for 10th in the Eastern Conference along with the Cleveland Cavilers. The spark of the recent 5 game winning streak has been completely put out and now the players are starting to really call into question the overall strategy of their head coach Mike Woodson.
We all know the definition of insanity, right? If not, here it is: Doing things over and over, expecting different results. Mike Woodson's defensive strategy of constant switching on picks so a defender doesn't initially get beat off the dribble could very well constitute insanity. How many times can you watch Andrea Bargani, who is to his credit a better post defender than most people thought he was, get switched on to a guard or small forward that he has zero chance of staying with and constantly get beat over and over, it's insane! The offense may not initially get to the basket but if they're able to constantly create favorable match ups they are going to shoot a high percentage from the field and they are going to beat you. Take it from Tyson Chandler who said, "They played to our defense as far their offensive scheme, knowing our rotations and knowing what we wanted to accomplish. Kind of putting us in vulnerable situations." (Ian Begley, NBA.com) after last night's 103-80 loss to Brooklyn. Tyson also let coach Woodson know his personal feelings about switching on defense, "I don't want to switch. I personally don't like it. You come with a defensive plan and then every guy kind of mans up and takes his responsibility, I think switching should always be your last resort." (Ian Begley NBA.com)
Defense should be all about responsibility and accountability played with heart, desire and passion which is what Carmelo Anthony saw wrong with yesterday's game, "That's the only thing that kind of bothers me: Today we didn't even fight. I felt like we didn't fight as a team, them guys from the jump ball just came in and it felt like they owned us." (Ian Begely NBA.com) Melo also explained that this is a situation he's not use to, not use to losing going all the way back to his National Championship at Syracuse in 2003. No team Anthony has been on for a full season since his NBA career started with Denver has lost more than 39 games and that was his very first season with the Nuggets.
So, how bad are things really in New York? Well today there are rumors being leaked that Beno Udrih, the third string point guard, has asked for a trade, not to New York but out of the Big Apple. Udrih came to New York after Kidd departed to be the third head of the point guard trio, making the veterans minimum and not expecting to play much. He then saw himself forced into action after injuries to Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni earlier this season and actually played pretty well. Udrih isn't flashy, super quick or anything close to a star point guard but he's solid for a back up and yet this man seemed to get blamed for everything that was going wrong with the Knicks! Simply unfair in my eyes.
Alright, let's finish this where we ultimately started, with Mike Woodson. This man was brought in under Mike D'Antoni, a guy who did not mesh well with Carmelo Anthony and was stubborn to change his offensive ways. He was fired. Mike Woodson takes over the team and in the inception he changed the culture, let the offense flow while inspiring his team to play some defense. Last season was the cultivation of a perfect storm for Woodson and the Knicks as they brought in veteran leaders to take that role off of Melo's shoulders to let him play his game. The offense and defense were in perfect harmony, flowing like the waters of the Hudson, just down town. This season with a mismatched roster and most of those veteran leaders gone, the Knicks have seen their share of bone headed plays late in games, JR Smiths antics and players constantly blaming themselves for their lack of energy. What I see is a roster that was poorly pieced together, scrambling to patch holes and bringing in the wrong players. A superstar who has elevated his game to a new level for this team, who brings it every single night seemingly producing a double double on a nightly basis and fans are still trying to run him out of town. Finally, a coach, much like Mike D'Antoni before him, stubborn in his ways to change his defensive philosophy which constantly puts his team in a bind on that end of the floor. If he doesn't change his ways and soon, change will be coming and going without him, just as fast as last seasons 54-28 record came and went with him....
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