RG's NY Knicks Monthly Recap-December 2K7

RG's NY Knicks Monthly Recap-December 2K7

Team Record: 3-11
MSG: 2-7 Road: 1-4

(H)Sun. 12/2 vs Suns, L--115-104
(A)Wed. 12/5 vs Nets, W--100-93
(A) Fri. 12/7 vs Sixers, L--101-90
(H) Sat. 12/8 vs Sixers, L--105-77
(H) Mon. 12/10 vs Mavs, L--99-89
(H) Wed. 12/12 vs Sonics, L--117-110
(A) Fri. 12/14 vs Bulls, L--101-96
(H) Sat. 12/15 vs Nets, W--94-86
(H) Mon. 12/17 vs Pacers, L--119-92
(H) Wed. 12/19 vs Cavs, W--108-90
(A) Fri. 12/21 vs Bobcats, L--105-95
(H) Sun. 12/23 vs Lakers, L--95-90
(A) Wed. 12/26 vs Magic, L--110-96
(H) Sun. 12/30 vs Bulls, L--100-83

*December 2K7 Team Stats

Offense: 95 PPG; 43%FG; 33%3p; 71%FT; 41 RPG; 16 APG; 14 TO

Opponents: 103 PPG; 51%FG; 40 RPG; 23 APG

*The Players

SG Jamal Crawford......Grade: A
JC picked it up offensively in a big way due to the extended bereavement
leave of Stephon Marbury....In 13 games, 'Mal averaged just under 22ppg
& 5apg in 43mpg.....Shot 87% from the foul line & 39% from the field,
which could be a lot better, but you can't fault his agressiveness
shooting the basketball, especially when the rest of the team isn't
shooting well.....Jamal's best game was against the Nets at MSG when he
scored 32pts on 11-18 from the floor (4-7 from 3pt land), 7 rebounds, 3
assists & turned the ball over only once in over 45 minutes played in a
94-86 win.....Worst game was against the Sixers at MSG when he scored
just 6pts on 3-12 shooting (0-5 from 3) no rebounds, 2 assists &
commited 7 turnovers in over 38 minutes in a 105-77 loss...Jamal did not
play in the final game of the month against the Bulls due to a hand
injury he sustained during practice.

PF Zach Randolph......Grade: B-
Z-Bo had a pretty interesting month, to say the least...A combination of
his usual steady offensive play & moments that have been bad, most
notably on the defensive end of the court....Played in all 14 games &
averaged just over 18ppg & slightly over 9rpg....Shot 48% from the field
& shot an improved 80% from the free throw line. (49-62).....Z-Bo had 7
double-doubles (points & rebounds) this month & was a rebound away from
a dub-dub on two other occasions....His worst stretch were the
back-to-back games against the Sixers...The game in Philly, Zach scored
only 4pts on 2-11 shooting & grabbed 5 boards in 27 minutes in a 101-90
loss....The very next day at MSG against the same Sixers team, he scored
just 2pts on 1-3 from the floor & grabbed 2 rebounds in only 14 minutes
of action & was benched most of the game by coach Thomas due to poor
defensive play in a 105-77 loss.....Z-Bo averaged a little over 33
minutes a game & did a better job taking care of the basketball
averaging 2.5 TO.....In a game against the Orlando Magic, Z-Bo was
pulled from the starting lineup by Coach Thomas & would come off the
bench to score 22pts & grab 9 rebounds in 33 minutes in a 110-96
loss....Bottom line is that Zach is a very talented offensive player,
but he MUST play defense to earn those big time minutes again from
Isiah.

SF Quentin Richardson......Grade: C-
Q-Rich is still struggling big time on the floor, but yet Coach Thomas
continues to put him in the starting lineup as a result of being THE
vocal leader on the team....Q played in 13 games, averaged right around
32MPG, producing 9ppg & slightly less than 5rpg....Did not play in
101-96 loss in Chicago due to injury....Shot 35% from behind the arc &
just 33% from the field overall....BRUTAL!......Get this stat: In the 13
games played this month, Q only attempted 17 foul shots! 17!
(?)....Converted 9 of them for 53%.....Based on that statistic, it's
safe to say that Q no longer takes the ball to the hole with regularity
like he used to & is primarily a jump shooter.....Best game was against
the Cavaliers at MSG when he scored 16pts on 6-12 shooting (4-6 3p),
grabbed 7 rebounds, had 2 assists & a couple of steals in a big 108-90
win....Worst game came against the Lakers at MSG when he scored just
2pts on 1-5 shooting, grabbed 5 boards but commited 3 turnovers & fouled
out of the game trying to contain the great Kobe Bryant in a 95-90
loss...If Q does not improve his overall game soon, he will find himself
out of the starting lineup....I admire that he plays hard, but his lack
of big time, consistent production on both ends of the court is hurting
the team a bit.

C Eddy Curry......Grade: D
December was not a good month for EC....For some reason, his
productivity on the court has regressed, & as a result, he's hearing the
boos at the Garden & the NY sports talk radio hosts & the sports columns
in the newspapers are bashing his recent string of poor play...Even
Coach Thomas has questioned Eddy's passion for the game & rightly so due
to the financial commitment & the high draft picks given up to acquire
Curry.....EC averaged only 11ppg & just 4rpg in just under 23mpg....Shot
49% from the field & 57% from the foul line....EC to me just does not
play with the fire that's needed for a big man on a consistent basis &
it hurts the team in a huge way....When EC is in the starting lineup, &
it's not just Eddy I must reiterate, the opposing teams for the most
part have been jumping off to early double-digit leads against the
Knicks due to the lack of energy & defense & it's very frustrating for
Knick fans...Eddy's best game was a 23pts & 9 rebound effort at MSG
against the Nets in a 94-86 Knicks win....Came off the bench against the
Bulls on 12/30/07 at MSG & scored 12pts & 8rebs in 23 minutes of
action...We hope that Eddy will finally get "it" going into January '08
& play some defense!

F David Lee......Grade: A-
D. Lee's production went up during the month of December, averaging
12ppg on 57% shooting & 8rpg in 30mpg....Shot 76% from the foul
line...Best game was against the Cavs at MSG, scoring 22pts on 9-12 from
the floor & grabbed 11 boards in over 38 minutes off the bench after
Eddy Curry picked 2 quick early fouls in a big 108-90 win....Was a
starter over Eddy Curry in game against the Bulls at MSG & scored 11pts
on 5-7 shooting & grabbed 7 rebounds in 36 minutes....D. Lee must
continue to improve defensively & also needs to work on his jump shot to
become a more effective offensive player.

G Nate Robinson......Grade: B-
Due to the extended bereavement leave of Stephon Marbury, Coach Thomas
has given Nate more playing time after ending November with a couple of
DNPs....Averaged 11ppg on 41% shooting, just under 4rpg & 1apg in
19mpg.....Shot 74% from the line.....Scored 25pts in 20 minutes off the
bench in a 105-77 loss to the Sixers at MSG....His most interesting game
came against the Lakers at MSG where Nate scored 16pts & grabbed 9
rebounds in 35 minutes off the bench in a 95-90 Knicks loss...In
contrast, "Big Man" Eddy Curry in same game, scored only 8pts & grabbed
1 board in 21 minutes....Huh?.....Had 2 DNPs in December (Pacers &
Suns)..Nate must work on being a true point guard; getting teammates
involved & being more organized....Too much one-on-one play at
times....He's 5'7 who plays like he's 7'2....Gotta love his heart &
fearlessness, but he has to control himself at times & make better
decisions with the basketball.

PG Stephon Marbury......No Grade
Missed 10 of the 14 games in December due to the passing of his father
Donald Marbury on 12/2/07 of a heart attack during the game at MSG
against the Suns...In the 4 games Steph was able to play, he averaged
only 11ppg on 42% shooting & 3apg in 26mpg....Shot 65% from the foul
line.....Steph gets a pass from me...Losing a parent is a big deal, no
matter how you slice it & the time off to grieve & make sure the family
is OK was necessary for him & I'm not mad at that...Steph is a great
player, BUT still needs to provide the veteran leadership for this
struggling team.

G Fred Jones......Grade: B
Has earned some decent playing time from Coach Thomas, primarily to
provide defense...Averaged 8ppg on 43% shooting, a little over 2rpg &
3asg in 31msg....Shot 74% from the line.....Was in starting lineup in 7
of the 14 games, largely in part due to Steph's absence for most of the
month...Best game was against the Mavs as a starter at MSG when he
scored 16pts on 4-7 shooting (1-2 from 3p), grabbed 5 boards, dished out
4 assists & 2 steals in 41 minutes in a 99-89 Knicks loss.

*HighLights
~The 108-90 home victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers

*LowLights
~Bad, blowout losses against the Sixers(twice on back-to-back games),
Sonics, Pacers, Bobcats & the Bulls game at MSG. All 11 losses in
December were tough, even to quality teams like the Suns, Mavs & Lakers
with Kobe, but the bad losses I mentioned initially were the toughest
ones to stomach for Knick fans.
~Eddy Curry's individual poor play for most of the month.
~Steph's dad passing away on 12/2/07 from heart attack. (RIP Donald
Marbury)

Overall record after 12/30/07: 8-21


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