You Sometimes Just Find Yourself
Read my TSB column, where I insist that the future is here (again), if only the Knicks would release Marbury, bench Curry and Randolph until they're traded, and Pat Riley would let this Heat team emulate the 2003-04 cult faves.
On a similar note, and related to Dr. LIC's "little things" spree: I love this quote from Posting and Toasting's coverage of Knicks camp:
Q's intensity is almost frightening. He's clearly feeling the heat of Wilson Chandler reaching for his starting 3 spot. Richardson was animated all night, screaming, spiking balls, and throwing towels after any miscues in the scrimmages. You can tell he sets the tone for the younger guys by taking practice so seriously.
I think we've all already bled enough over where Darius Miles has been, and what we all lost in the fire. Him and Garnett joining up is an oldies package tour, not destiny at last. And I can't say I'd be thrilled to see Miles vindicated in life by backing up Leon Powe on a championship team.
About Richardson, though: I only just realized today that Q and D'Antoni are being reunited. Is this a good or bad thing? Quentin's most consistent season came with Phoenix, but all he did was jack up threes. He probably went to the basket once all year, and overnight stopped being one of the league's better rebounding guards. With the Clippers, he often looked like an exciting young player trying to get steady, bring his skills into focus and define his role (like Miles, but not so grotesque an undertaking). The Suns were his undoing, since they asked him to turn long-range gunner and lose all perspective on the floor. And then abruptly, D'Antoni didn't need him and decided his triggermen had to be a little more steady, less outrageous. Whether D'Antoni ends up having much use for Richardson, and if so, what kind of game he expects of him, will tell us a lot about the evolution of the coach's thinking, as well as of those Suns teams. And if—when the Knicks give him acceptable raw material to work with—he'll move into a new phase, or pick up where he left off pre-Shaq.
I also wonder if Richardson ever thinks about the effect D'Antoni had on his career arc. And whether he's out to prove to his teammates, D'Antoni, or both that he counts among the enlightened in this new era.
Labels: knicks, mike d'antoni, quentin richardson, suns
posted by Bethlehem Shoals @ 10/01/2008 10:19:00 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
I also just realized that he would be reunited with D'Antoni. . that could potentially be more awkward then Phil Jackson returning to Coach the Lakers.
One of the many reasons I hated the Danillo pick is our plethora of 3s. I really love Q and you make a valid point I hadn't considered. I don't think there's room for Qs freestyle creativity in this system, then again most of the time we got treated to it bc every other Knick was standing still on the perimeter with 5 seconds on the shot clock and he had to pull something phenomenal out of his ass, not exactly a recipe for consistent offense. Which brings me to.......Anyone else excited for Duhon? I was at MD while he played at Duke, and even though they were a sworn enemy I always felt his game. Savvy, as that Knicks blog suggests, but dude penetrates shockingly well (II) for someone with average physical gifts. I've said for about two years now they'd benefit from a traditional ball handler to free up Steph and if we couldn't get one of the potentially great PGs we passed up in the draft I'm glad we could poach Chris from Chi.
The notion of benching Curry and Zach all year appeals because it'll make Dolan's head explode and then we can all live happily ever after.
I'm not exactly excited about Duhon, but bringing him in feels like a step in the right direction. Of course, any acquisition by the Knicks that doesn't lead to immediate and repeated facepalm (I still have dents in my forehead named after Shandon Anderson, Howard Eisley, Clarence Weatherspoon, Jerome James, et al) feels like a step in the right direction.
Warning! I'm gonna say something that you might think is mean, but I super swear it's just to set up something nice!! We can still be friends!
I haven't been much of a fan of the TS(N/B) you've done. Mixing metaphors, I feel like they've castrated you of your voice, which from the beginning was my favorite part of this project. I mean, Continental philosophy ('s rhetoric & feel) on basketball--where do you lose with that?
That said, "bold, and a little stupid" and "pleasantly tall" were both note-perfect welds of form and function. As such, both elicited actual noises of pleasure when I read them. (And don't think I didn't nod gravely, thinking of granite, when you slipped in nigh-unnoticably "bring in another Shaq". Nice fucking work. (Is the punchline.)
Heck, though--even with the will and the authority, it's not clear the Knicks have the ability to rebuild in the modern (Nuggets under Kiki, Blazers demolition pre-Pritchard, no matter what you've heard) mode. Your suggestions are exactly right: that's how it's done. But who among us can really fathom shitcanning 40 mil?
(My pal Canada froths at the mouth whenever reminded that NBA trades have to match dollar-wise [with caveats & filips, natch]. What's the point of a cap if it has to be enforced every step along the way, he wonders, and he's not insane to so wonder...)
Anyways, I'm now interested in two of the least-interesting teams of modern times. Again, nice job.
Guys, Duhon sucks. He's not a great shooter, he doesn't create, and more often than not he hurts the offense. He's an adequate backup (maybe) at 18 mpg. Just because he's not Marbury doesn't mean he'es good.
The funniest thing about Duhon is that he was billed a shooter coming out of high school, yet he's never been a great shooter at the college or pro level. He's a good back-up, can run the team, and play decent defense, but that's it. If he plays much for the Knicks, it'll be because he's the only true point guard on the team.
A little different take on Q and D'A:
One of the greatest lineups ever -
Nash, Amare, Marion, Joe Johnson, Q
Nash needed room to probe and run pick and roll with Amare. You've got Marion materializing all over the place, doing everything. Joe Johnson needed room in the mid-range to shoot. For all that to work Q had to stay on the perimeter.
It was perfect.
On that team, Q should have been happy with a place at the table. And he had one. And it was a great table in a great restaurant. And he didn't have to pick up the check. And grow the fuck up, enjoy the green light to jack three's the live-long day and get a coupla rings.
D'A served Q a career on a silver platter. Seems to me Q over-valued himself, chose NY and has been suffering since.
I have hopes that Q's other talents will get loosed and he'll be the man.
Except Richardson was traded for Kurt Thomas. He didn't make that choice. D'Antoni/Colangelo wanted a more standard team and Q was an expendable piece. However, it was his choice to continue playing "Suns" ball for a non-Suns team.
Post a Comment
<< Home