LINSANITY!!

[Real Deal]

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[Phills14]

I'm shocked the Knick dream team is having internal issues! How can this be?

After a remarkable Jeremy Lin-led run that made them the toast of the NBA, the Knicks have lost 8 of their last 10 games. There's plenty of blame to go around, but while some within the organization are questioning superstar Carmelo Anthony, most of the fingers are being pointed at head coach Mike D'Antoni, according to several sources close to the situation.

D'Antoni, hailed as an offensive genius during his successful tenure in Phoenix, has lost the Knicks' locker room, the sources say.

"The players like Mike as a person," one source said. "They think he's a good guy. But he doesn't have the respect of the team anymore."

D'Antoni is in the last year of a four-year deal and all indications are that he will not be brought back after this season; that is, if he survives the rest of this season. The Knicks are expected to make a run at Phil Jackson, who retired from the Lakers last year with 11 NBA titles.
But the Knicks, losers of six straight games, still have 24 games left to get through this year, and according to numerous sources close to the team, the reeling club is as dysfunctional in the locker room as it is on the court.

In addition to questioning D'Antoni, players are complaining about playing time, and confused about the offensive and defensive schemes.

It is lost on no one that the Knicks' free-fall coincides precisely with the return of Anthony. While Anthony was out with a groin injury, the Knicks won 6 of 7 games, including victories over the Los Angeles Lakers and defending champion Dallas Mavericks. With Lin leading D'Antoni's offense, the Knicks played fast and free, spacing the floor, hitting the open man, and even improving defensively.

But the day Anthony returned, the Knicks lost to the struggling New Jersey Nets, starting a sorry stretch that has washed away all the feel-good emotions of Lin's emergence and left them on the verge of missing the playoffs.

Management, the coaching staff and the players know Anthony is hurting the offense and in turn, the defensive morale, according to the sources. While D'Antoni's offense calls for Anthony to plant himself on the wing at the 3-point line, he often creeps in to his favorite spot in the floor -- the area between the elbow, the arc and the post. That kills the Knicks' ability to run the high pick-and-roll and ruins the spacing that is so critical to D'Antoni's offense.

"That's at the very core of our problem," one person close to the situation said. "That messes up the fluidity of the offense. Melo could do it, but he's got to trust the offense."

When Anthony first returned -- and it still appears to be the case -- Lin would bring the ball upcourt and try to run D'Antoni's system. When Anthony would abandon the offense, Lin would not pass him the ball, which irritated Anthony, sources said. So when Lin tried to talk to Anthony on the court, Anthony would turn his back to the point guard and tune him out. The two never had heated exchanges, though, and the players tried to come to a compromise, agreeing to run D'Antoni's system while also mixing in post-ups for Anthony.

"But it's just a mess because D'Antoni's system is not designed for that," one source said.

Despite his often poor body language, many of the players believe Anthony is trying to adjust and sincerely wants to win. He has told people close to him that he is being asked to do things he's never done, saying that throughout his career he has always had plenty of post-up opportunities and that he is uncomfortable standing on the wing spacing the floor.

"Half the team is trying to do what coach says and the other half is doing something different," one source said. "Then it spills over to the defensive end because players are (ticked) off about somebody taking a bad shot."

With Anthony sapping the energy from the offense, the players often lose their incentive to play defense. But even when he's trying to play defense, Amare Stoudemire struggles. Having spent almost his entire career in D'Antoni's non-defensive system, Stoudemire has trouble making defensive reads and rotations. Anthony knows what to do defensively, but simply refuses to do it consistently, the sources said.

Some players believe D'Antoni had the leverage to force Anthony to adjust to his system when he first returned from injury. The Knicks were rolling, showing they could win without Anthony, and their fan base was believing in D'Antoni's system. If D'Antoni had checked Anthony, perhaps even benching him, when he strayed from the offense, the players and fans would have been behind the coach and Anthony would have had no choice but to conform. But D'Antoni, ever the one to avoid confrontation with his players, would not do it, and now it's too late. That's when he lost the locker room for good.

Now, the players believe they need a coach who will hold players, especially the stars like Anthony and Stoudemire, accountable, the sources said. They do not believe D'Antoni is willing or able to do it.

On top of that, Baron Davis, who just returned from a back injury, is unhappy with his limited role as Lin's backup. Davis, averaging just 17 minutes a game, has already spoken to D'Antoni about giving him more playing time, according to the sources. While Lin wants to run D'Antoni's system, Davis is more in line with running the offense through Anthony and Stoudemire, the sources said.

"The only way this is going to work is if we have a coach that will hold Melo accountable and teach Melo, Amare and Jeremy how to play winning basketball," a source said.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/sto...new-york-knicks-locker-room-according-sources

 

[Rich]

You'll just never be good when your two best and highest paid players refuse to even try on defense. I thought once those two got together they'd start giving more effort on that endo f the court, but I was wrong. They aren't going to change and are going to continue not caring about defense, and becuase of that this is never going to work. After this season, they need to start trying to figure out how to move one of those two guys.

EDIT: And if I'm New York, I'm doing everything I can to get Dwight HOward, which means offerring Carmelo Anthony. I wouldn't do that if I were the Magic, but you never know what some owner's might want.

 

[Cratylus]

Lin's line tonight:

6 pts, 6 assists, 6 turnovers

6-6-6

All of you who thought Lin was the Savior of the Knicks... it turns out he was the Anti-Christ all along!

Lin seduces Knicks fans with his play and the initial winning streak...
Just when virtually everyone has bought in to his "greatness"...
Carmelo's game turns to shit...
Knicks experience long losing streak...
Dantoni resigns...
Mike Woodson becomes interim coach...

How much more proof do you need??

 

[Mdog1]

I told you guys to let him play more than 5 games before we declare him a legitimate NBA player... I could have a nice stretch of games, but it doesn't mean I am some great player.

 

[Rich]

I told you guys to let him play more than 5 games before we declare him a legitimate NBA player... I could have a nice stretch of games, but it doesn't mean I am some great player.

Wait, you're actually saying he's not a "legitimate" NBA player still?

So let's jsut look at these last 5 games shall we? Last game obviously wasn't the greatest, with 6 points and 6 assists. Of course, he played only like 20 minutes, but hey, abd game.

So, before that he had a 15 point 8 assists game.

Before that 14 points and 7 assists.

Before that 20 points and 13 assists.

And before that 20 points and 4 assists.

These are the numbers of a non-legitimate NBA player?

EDIT: Side note, but man, Carmelo Anthony has been overrated his whole career. I've heard so many analysts put him in the top 5 players in the league before. Now, who would ahve ever put Paul Pierce there? But yet, Paul Pierce has had FOUR seasons of a higher PER than Anthony has ever had. Russell Westbrook, a guy people love to hate, is now working on his second season of a higher PER than Anthony has ever had.

Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kevin Love, Chris Bosh, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum (and I'm sure the list is bigger) have all had MULTIPLE SEASONS (or are going to have when this season is over) of a higher PER than Melo has EVER HAD.

Now, some of these guys I would still say Melo is better than. But this at least gives you an idea of Melo's actual place in the league, where he is clearly a notch below the real superstars.

 

[Powerslave]

Linsanity is over.

Woodson ran his first practice and began to make it clear to his players that this is now his team, at least for the rest of the season, and not Mike D’Antoni’s. That almost certainly means it will be a Knicks team that will slow things down on offense and run an isolation-heavy system more suited to Carmelo Anthony’s ball-dominating inclinations. “It’s everybody’s ball club,” Woodson said after practice Thursday, when he was asked if the Knicks were once again Anthony’s team, as they were before Jeremy Lin briefly took over. “I want everybody to feel comfortable. When I put a guy in the game, if he’s got a shot, I want him to feel comfortable about making that shot.”

But then he spoke more bluntly, saying that he wanted everybody to know that when “I’ve got to get a big shot, I’m going to go to Melo and Amar’e and guys that have done it,” a reference to Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. “A lot of these guys are young,” Woodson said in reference to their teammates. “They’re still trying to figure it out.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/16/s...-will-take-them.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss

 

[Birdy89]

The early reports of Linsanity's demise appear to be greatly exaggerated.

He had 13/5/5 last night in only 26 minutes, and tonight had 19/7/6 in 30 minutes.

Those are solid numbers from a starting point guard who is now the 3rd option offensively. He won't average what he was under D'antoni, but considering he was in the D-league at one point this year getting 15/7 on a nightly basis out of him is nothing but gravy going forward.

 

[Biw]

I told you guys to let him play more than 5 games before we declare him a legitimate NBA player... I could have a nice stretch of games, but it doesn't mean I am some great player.

He may not be the superstar the media was making him out to be, but he is without a doubt a legit NBA player.

 

[Mdog1]

I misspoke when I said legitimate. I tihnk he is a mediocre NBA player, but nothing more. The Knicks are so desperate for anything positive that he was made into a big story, but everyone that had a brain knew it wouldn't last.

 

[staycoolbruh]

I misspoke when I said legitimate. I tihnk he is a mediocre NBA player, but nothing more. The Knicks are so desperate for anything positive that he was made into a big story, but everyone that had a brain knew it wouldn't last.

I think he is an above average NBA player. If he can reduce his TO's he can be much better. Don't forget that this is the first time he is getting decent/major minutes on any team in the NBA.

 

[Mdog1]

I think he is an above average NBA player. If he can reduce his TO's he can be much better. Don't forget that this is the first time he is getting decent/major minutes on any team in the NBA.

I wouldn't say he is above average, like I said about Delonte West he is the defenition of an average player.

 

[Birdy89]

Another 18 & 10 from Lin tonight in 29 minutes for a 4th straight win.

The Knicks will take that all day every day.

 

[Kouki]

At the PG position, he falls somewhere between above average and average. If he was a steak he'd be a medium-medium rare.

These are point guards or combo guards separated where I think Lin would fall (other than that, they aren't really in too much of an order). You might be able to make a case that Lin is a smidge better than some of those guys in the top tier, or that a few guys in the bottom tier are a smidge better than Lin.

CP3
Deron
Nash
Westbrick
Rose
Irving
Parker
Lowry
Wall
Rondo
Lawson
Rubio

Holiday
Lou Williams
Curry
Jack
Conley
Stuckey
Mo Williams
Jennings
Kidd

 

[dano_24_26]

Another 18 & 10 from Lin tonight in 29 minutes for a 4th straight win.

The Knicks will take that all day every day.

6/10 shooting. 1 block. 1 steal only 3 TO's. A nice buzzer beater ending the 3rd qrter too