RG's NY Knicks Recap-November 2K7

RG's NY Knicks Recap-November 2K7

Team record: 5-10
MSG: 5-3 Road: 0-7

November 2K7 Stats

*Team (Averages per game)

Offense: 93 PPG; 43%FG; 32%3p; 70%FT; 43 RPG; 17 APG; 17 TO

Opponents: 102 PPG; 46%FG; 37%3p; 42 RPG; 21 APG

*The Starting Lineup

*PF Zach Randolph aka Z-Bo....Averaging his usual dub-dub at 18ppg &
11.3rpg in 12 games played....Missed 3 games & was on bereavement leave
due to the passing of his grandmother...Z-Bo is still getting acclamated
to his new digs here in NY, & is doing alright so far....He's only
playing an average of 33 minutes per game...Even with his nice start
offensively, Z-Bo is only shooting 44% from the floor & 64% from the
charity stripe....I like his aggression & intensity, but he must improve
on those percentages & he MUST take care of the basketball, especially
during critical stages of the game....Zach averages 4 turnovers a
game...Z-Bo is a nice addition & is becoming a home crowd fan favorite
slowly but surely.

Grade: A-

*C Eddy Curry aka EC....Has started all 15 games playing 31 minutes on
average....Averaging 16.3ppg on 56% shooting from the floor....EC is
only averaging 6rpg & less than a block per game, which again is a
disappointment based on his size & strength at 6'11, 280lbs....And this
is coming from a player who felt he should've been a starting center for
the East All-Stars in Las Vegas February 2K7 over Dwight Howard of the
Orlando Magic, who has now established himself early in his career as
THE best & most dominant big man in the NBA now....EC is shooting only
60% from the foul line, which has to improve...EC must stay out of foul
trouble if he wants to stay on the floor in key situations & must be
aggresive on the defensive end, which according to past track record, is
easier said than done...Eddy has had his nice moments on D, blocking a
Marcus Camby layup attempt in a Knick win over Denver & blocking a shot
in a crucial moment late in game in a win over Utah, both at MSG.

Grade: C

*SF Quentin Richardson aka Q-Rich....14 games played, averaging 31
minutes per....Only averaging 6ppg & 7rpg....Shooting just 31% from the
floor; 23% from behind the arc....57% from the foul line...Q is off to a
bad start shooting the basketball....I will kinda give Q a pass because
he did undergo major back surgery during the offseason & is still trying
to get right physically....Despite his poor shooting, Q has been a
warrior rebounding the basketball & just being a team leader, which has
warranted his playing time.....In a home Knicks win against Chicago,
Q-Rich grabbed 15 boards....Poor shooting aside & being a bit banged up,
Q is putting in the work, trying to be THE leader on the team.....

Grade: B- (for good effort)

*SG Jamal Crawford aka 'Mal, JC....Also has started all 15
games....Averaging 17ppg on 41% from the floor, 30% from downtown &
4.3apg....Shooting a nice 84% from the free throw line early on...JC is
a streaky offensive player....In the Knicks home opening win against
Minnesota, 'Mal scored 24 points & dished out 7 assists....In a huge
come-from-behind victory over Milwaukee, JC scored 28 points....Jamal
has some nice ball-handling skills, but at times tends to be real sloppy
with it, which results in him averaging 3 turnovers a game....JC needs
to be consistent every game offensively for the Knicks to be really
dangerous & must continue to improve defensively....

Grade: B

PG Stephon Marbury aka Starbury....Has played in 14 games; 11 as a
starter, 3 coming off the bench...Averaging 14ppg on 41% shooting; 42%
from behind the arc & handing out 5.3 apg.....Shooting a decent 78% from
the line.....Steph plays hard as usual, but MUST be a leader on this
young team now that he's 12 years deep in the League at age 30....It's
vital that he's a team player & accepts the criticism that head coach
Isiah Thomas tries to give him if he's not playing well...His big game
so far was in a big home win against Utah when he scored 28 points &
dished out 6 assists in a matchup against one of the rising star point
guards in the NBA, Deron Williams...Steph has been booed frequently by
the home crowd because of his selfish & at times immature attitude...Now
he must change that with good play & leadership & slowly he will win the
fans over.

Grade: B- (The minus is for his selfish attitude)

*The Key Bench Players

F David Lee aka D. Lee....Played all 15 games; 3 as starting PF in place
of Zach Randolph when he was on bereavement leave...As a starter in a
Knick home loss to Miami, D. Lee had a dub-dub with 14pts & 14
boards....Averaging 8.5ppg on 48% from the floor & 7.5rpg in 24 minutes
per game....Shooting a nice & improved 82% from the free throw
line.....D. Lee is a super 6th Man & home crowd favorite for the energy,
hard hustle & rebounding that he brings to the table....His minutes will
be down a bit with the acquisition of Z-Bo, but he understands that &
still does his thing...Needs to stay out of foul trouble at times &
continue to improve defensively to really be a bigger factor that he
already is coming off the bench....The sky continues to be the limit for
one David Lee...

Grade: A

G Nate Robinson...14 games played, averaging only 20 minutes per....8ppg
on only 37% from the floor; 41% from 3-point land & averaging 2 apg &
also 2 steals per....For someone that is shooting the 3-ball pretty
well, Nate is struggling from the line, shooting only 65%, which can
only improve as the season goes along....Nate is maturing a bit now
entering his 3rd season & is also a home crowd favorite for his amazing
athletic prowess being the shortest player on the court in most
games....Being that he is Steph's backup PG, Nate must continue to
improve being a floor general & do the best he can on the defensive end
due to his height, but don't get it twisted: Nate is a strong guy who
has played football in college along with basketball...

Grade: C

F Renaldo Balkman aka Dred....Only averaging 4ppg....Missed a few games
nursing an ankle injury, but his presence was sorely missed & it partly
resulted in the Knicks losing 8 straight games....Dred brings a unique
energy & intensity to the team when he checks in for duty & also a big
crowd favorite...See the pattern?.....If u play hard & show that u care
& wanna win, the fans appreciate that a lot & show the love
back...Renaldo needs to stay healthy & also minimize getting quick fouls
early in the game to be effective for the Knicks off the bench...

Grade: B

Head Coach Isiah Thomas....After going through a trying offseason with
the sexual harrasement trial against former employee Anucha Browne
Sanders, with Sanders winning a $11.6M judgement with both Thomas & MSG
appealing the case, Coach must stay focused & guide this talented team
hopefully to a playoff berth....Going 5-10 to start with this Knick team
is not helping matters, as the home fans are growing frustrated with how
Thomas is running things thus far. Benching Marbury in favor of reserve
G Mardy Collins has backfired on him & partly contributed to the 8 game
losing streak early on....This team should be better than 5-10 in the
Eastern Conference....Everytime the Knicks play terrible at home, the
fans call for Thomas' head by chantly loudly, "FIRE ISIAH!!!"....The
saving grace in a way is that teams like Chicago & Miami are both
equally talented teams off to equally bad starts as well....Isiah needs
to get this team to play consistently good quality basketball & if he
can turn the losing culture into a winning one, he will win the Knicks
fans over in a huge way!

Grade: C- (poor start is not all Isiah's fault)

HighLights:

*At home vs MIN-1st home opening win since 2K1.
*Comebacks wins at home against Denver & Milwaukee after being down
double-digits late in game.
*Beating a very good Utah team at home 113-109.
*Zach Randolph making a good 1st impression so far as a NY Knick,
averaging a dub-dub. (18ppg & 11.3rpg)

LowLights

*The 0-7 road record.
*Tough 75-72 loss to the Dwayne Wade-less Heat.
*Historic & embarrasing 104-59 loss to a very talented Celtic team in
Boston.
*Uninspiring bad loss to the Warriors at home 108-82 with fans booing
Steph & Isiah & loud chants of "Fire Isiah!" cascading all over the
arena.
*The whole Marbury-Isiah fiasco before their game in Phoenix against the
Suns.

Saturday, 12/1/07


Ross Guity
Contributing writer, GAME magazine
www.gamesportsmag.com
www.myspace.com/gamesportsmagazine
www.myspace.com/rgmajor