Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld was formerly the Knicks’ top personnel executive from 1991-99… Knicks forward Jared Jeffries was drafted by Washington 11th overall in 2002… Eddie Jordan was an assistant coach in New Jersey when current Knicks guard Stephon Marbury was a Net… Antonio Daniels was teammates with Knicks forward Zach Randolph in Portland in 2002-03… Daniels and Knicks forward Malik Rose were teammates in San Antonio from 1998-2002… Daniels and Jerome James were teammates in Seattle from 2003-05.
Category: General NBA insight
General NBA insight
Pacers tidbits
Tying his season-high, Jermaine O’Neal blocked six shots at Golden State on Sunday, Jan. 13. That was his 14th straight game with at least two blocked shots and he is now seventh in the NBA with an average of 2.31 blocks per game.
With his two steals at Phoenix on Tuesday, Jan. 9, Jamaal Tinsley became just the sixth player in franchise history with 650 steals in his career. With his three thefts in the next game at Sacramento, he moved ahead of Billy Knight for fifth place on the franchise’s all-time career list.
Against the Warriors, the Pacers had nine steals, their season-high fifth straight game with at least nine thefts. For the season, Indiana is ninth in the league, and fourth in the Eastern Conference, with an average of 7.84 steals per game.
In tying their season-high 14 steals at Sacramento, the Pacers had five players with at least two steals each. That was just the third time this season, and second time in three games, that the Pacers have had more than three players with at least two steals. Indiana had four players with two steals apiece at Utah, Jan. 8.
The Pacers outscored the Warriors, 19-16, at the foul line at Golden State, Jan. 13, ending a streak of 22 straight games in which the Pacers had not outscored its opponent from the free throw line.
The Pacers fielded their eighth different starting lineup of 2007-08, and their 28th since the start of 2006-07, when Kareem Rush was inserted at guard for the game at Sacramento, Jan. 12. In that starting combination Mike Dunleavy moved to forward and Jermaine O’Neal started at center.
The NBA announced on Friday, Jan. 12, that David Harrison of the Indiana Pacers had been suspended without pay for five games for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program. Harrison’s suspension began with the game at Sacramento, Jan. 12.
In the fourth and final update before All-Star starters are announced, which was released on Thursday, Jan. 10, Jermaine O’Neal was seventh among Eastern Conference centers with 143,026 votes. Balloting will continue through Jan. 20 and there are several promotions planned for the games at Conseco Fieldhouse between now and then. Among those promotions will be autograph sessions for fans that turn in a required number of completed ballots. The All-Star starters will be announced during an NBA double-header on TNT Thursday, Jan. 24.
Rockets rookie watch
Aaron Brooks, who posted a career-high 22 points (8-10 FG, 4-5 3FG) vs. New York (1/5/08), has all four of his double-figure scoring games over his last 11 outings. Luis Scola has made 50-of-90 (.556) field goals for 115 points (11.5 ppg) over the past 10 contests, including a career-best 22 points at Memphis (12/28/07), 19 points at New York (1/9/08) and equaling his career-high 22 points vs. Minnesota (1/11/08).
Chauncey Billups On The Knicks:
The question was put to Chauncey Billups after Detroit was beaten by 24 points on Sunday at MSG.
“Are the Knicks really as bad as their record indicates?”
“No, no, no,” he replied adamently. “They’ve got some really good players over there. Really good players. For them, it’s just about finding the right mix. They are as talented as anyone in the league -from 1 to 15. But, talent [alone] don’t win too many games around here. You’ve got to become a unit. That’s what makes a great team.
“When I got here [2002], Detroit already had what it took to be a great team; that’s the reason I came here. I felt like I was one of the players who could continue what they had going on. The year before, they had won 50 games. They had the Coach of the Year in [Rick] Carlisle, Sixth Man of the Year in Corliss [Williamson], and Defensive Player of the Year in Ben [Wallace]. They were on the way up; personally, I was on my way up, too. I thought it would be a perfect marriage. As soon as I got here, man, I realized the culture in this locker room, and how Joe Dumars did it. There’s a trickle-down effect. I have believed that ever since.
[Note: Dumars would win Executive of the Year the following season].
“I don’t know what [the Knicks] have got going on over there. So, I can’t speak for them. But, they have talented players, and they’ve got a coach in Zeke, who has seen every battle, and every war. They can learn from him. That’s all I know. I’m on the outside looking in. I can’t speak for anything else, to be honest.”
Another Gem From The Prophet Isiah…
“The bright spots still come from our younger guys, in terms of their energy and effort. How long will it be [before we are successful] ? I can’t answer that. What we will continue to try to do throughout the remainder of the season is set the standard of work ethic in terms of who plays out on the floor, and how hard they play. If we can continue to try to build on that, and find players who just want to give all out effort on every single play, future generations will reap the benefits from this culture we are trying to build here. Hopefully, there will be a championship that follows that, but we have to build a culture.”
Random Thoughts on Isiah, Knicks
Recently, Isiah Thomas said the NBA is geared toward smaller, quicker teams. Thomas, with a propensity for going against the grain, decided it was prudent to team Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry. Thomas’ statement seems to contradict his logic, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Randolph’s acquisition has defied expectations.
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More on Curry and Randolph. It seems to me that there is only one tangible resolution for working these two in the line-up. Play them separately, and have D Lee on the floor with Curry to protect the boards. It is clear that Randolph and Curry each need the ball to be effective. While neither one passes particularly well, at least they’ll both be interested parties instead of watching what the other will do.
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I asked Thomas two questions over the last two pre-game conferences, and each question was promptly rejected by the coach. On Friday, vs. the Raptors, I wondered [aloud] if he has any intentions of playing Wilson Chandler or Randolph Morris any time soon. I thought it was a fair question.
“Not right now,” Thomas said without much thought.
After all, Thomas did tout these kids as 1A and 1B among his draft picks. With the Knicks currently at 10-26, and not on the playoff map, wouldn’t he want to know if these guys can play?
If they haven’t shown much during practice, it could be because some athletes are just better ‘game’ players than ‘practice’ players. So, why not give ’em some playing time? There is absolutely nothing to lose -aside from more games, which the Knicks will more than likely do anyway.
Same ol’ story. The guy with the big contract will usually get the big minutes. If Thomas feels obligated to play the guy who makes more, that’s certainly his perrogative.
But, keep in mind, that during Lee’s breakout season [2006-07], he was the second lowest paid player on the Knicks.
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The other question was asked yesterday, before the tip vs. the Pistons.
“Have you regretted any moves in assembling this present roster?
“We can talk about that in the summer,” Thomas replied. “Not tonight.”
I’ll be there to ask the question again. But, will he be there to answer?
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Antawn Jamison cleaning the glass
With 33 rebounds over Washington’s last two games, Antawn Jamison has boosted his rebounding average to a career-high 10.9 rebounds per game. Also averaging 21.3 points per game, Jamison joins Orlando’s Dwight Howard as the only two players in the Eastern Conference that average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. Additionally, with 23 double-doubles to date this season, Jamison has more double-doubles than any other forward in the Eastern Conference, and ranks 6th overall in the NBA.
Caron Butler rocking the charity stripe
Caron Butler enters play having connected on his last 33 free throw attempts. Butler last missed a free throw on December 28th in New Jersey. In that game, Butler missed his first free throw — a technical — but connected on his final three foul shot attempts in that game. He has since made 30 more consecutive free throws over the last seven games, brining his streak to 33 consecutive free throws made. On the season, Butler is 136-of-152 from the charity stripe; a career-high .895 clip.
A Brief Look Inside the Raptors Season
To some teams, 18-17 is respectable. There are at least 19, 763 fans in New York who would be delirious if the Knicks were that good. To Michael Grange, who covers the Raptors for the Toronto Globe and Mail, 18-17 is fine considering the hand the team has been dealt. Chris Bosh was hurt before the season began, then strained his right groin against Memphis on Nov. 28. He’s just rounding into form.
Additionally, T.J. Ford developed a left arm ‘stinger’ on Nov. 20, and Jorge Garbajosa underwent surgery on his left ankle on Dec. 11. Each of them sat out against the Knicks on January 11.
Grange also said, that despite the Raptors’ influx of foreign-born players [five countries outside the US are represented], there doesn’t seem to a lack of communication on the court. In fact, several players do speak Italian, and have used their bilingualism to confuse opponents.
Readers pick Suns over Mavs
InsideHoops.com polled our readers, who are a national and worldwide fan base, asking who would win a seven-game playoff series between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, assuming both teams were healthy and at full strength.
Right now, our readers prefer the Suns, with 63% feeling Phoenix wins it, and 37% liking Dallas.
Breaking it down further, 51% of our readers felt the Suns would win in 6 or 7 games, 13% saying the Suns would win in 4 or 5 games. As for fans who picked the Mavs, 33% said they’d win in 6 or 7 games, 3% picked 4 or 5 games.
Over 400 fans voted in the 36-hour poll.