I hated writing the last part of this preview, because it's depressing to write about the negative aspects of my teams. I’m not oblivious to the issues that the Jets and Knicks have, they’re exposed on a regular basis. But I’m usually not masochistic enough to pour salt in my own wound. After bad losses (and I can’t remember a good one) I generally go on a sports-free cleanse for 2-3 days. No Sportscenter, no sports websites, and unless I’m more angry than bummed out, no writing.
But, now that the formality of mentioning the Knicks terrible bench is out of the way, it’s time to remind everyone that the biggest issue facing the Knicks is just that: the bench. The backcourt does have questions, but remember when the answer was Chris Duhon? Or having to hope that Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry could mesh? Next time you see someone, remind them that the Knicks frontline is better than theirs, because for the first time in franchise history, it’s true for the entire league.
Just to put in perspective how unique of a pairing Amar’e and Carmelo are, here are all of the teammates that have combined for 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 45% shooting (sorry Antoine Walker) over the past 10 years.
Year | Teammate #1 | Teammate #2 | Result |
2000-2001 - LAL | Shaq (29/13/57%) | Kobe (29/6/46%) | NBA Champion |
2000-2001 - SAC | Webber (27/11/48%) | Stojakovic (20/6/47%) | W Conf Finals |
2001-2002 – LAL | Shaq (27/11/58%) | Kobe (25/6/47%) | NBA Champion |
2002-2003 – LAL | Kobe (30/7/45%) | Shaq (28/11/57%) | W Conf Semis |
2004-2005 – MIA | Wade (24/5/48%) | Shaq (23/10/60%) | E Conf Finals |
2005-2006 – MIA | Wade (27/6/50%) | Shaq (20/9/60%) | NBA Champion |
2006-2007 – LAL | Kobe (32/6/46%) | Odom (16/10/47%) | W Conf 1 round |
2009-2010 – LAL | Kobe (27/5/46%) | Gasol (18/11/54%) | NBA Champion |
2009-2010 – CLE | LeBron (30/7/50%) | A. Jamison (16/8/49%) | E Conf Semis |
2010-2011 – NYK | Carmelo (26/7/46%) | Amar’e (25/8/50%) | E Conf 1 round |
Whether you’d like to take this with a grain of salt, or toss the shaker over your shoulder is up to you. Every single one of these teams made the playoffs, and four of them got parades. The question asked ad naseum by analysts is “can Amar’e and Carmelo co-exist even though they both need the ball?” If you force two geniuses to work towards a common task, they will eventually find a way to combine their prodigious talents. Both of them have individual accolades stacked head high, now all they have left to do is brand themselves into the brains of basketball junkies worldwide with a title in a city that is famished for one.
Carmelo’s game is as smooth as his name, and he has done a good job shaving down any rough edges over the years. After starting his career laying bricks from beyond the arc (3 of his first 4 years were under 30%), his percentage has increased 3 of the last 4 years to a career-high 38% in 2010. He’s morphed from an underwhelming rebounder, to an occasionally dominant one (18 double doubles last year). That new facet to his game is just another way for an already exceptional offensive player to put the ball in the bucket.
With those improvements, there’s a good argument that Carmelo has the most complete offensive game in the NBA . When he’s having an off shooting day, he stacks up cheap points with hard nosed rebounding and dead-eye foul shooting. When Melo is on, he collects scalps. A 29 point effort against LeBron last year was only mildly impressive when compared to his embarrassing of Andre Iguodala in Philadelphia, and complete evisceration of Paul Pierce in Game 2 of the conference quarterfinals. And that’s without mentioning his uncanny ability to roll the closing credits at the end of games.
All that’s left for Melo to do is spread the wealth a little more with his 1a, Amar’e. Although his vision is usually focused on the hoop, Carmelo sees the rest of the court very well. The issue is not whether he and Amar’e will share the ball, it’s how well they’ll do it. The two of them started to connect on a few great passes last year, and if that continues, theycould lay waste to defenses all year long.
There were 8 players in the NBA last year that averaged 20 points a game, and shot over 50% from the field. The list includes four regular season MVP nominees (LeBron, Dwight, Dirk, Wade), the rookie of the year (Blake Griffin), one of the MVP’s of the postseason (Zach Randolph), the most underrated player in the NBA (LaMarcus Aldridge) and Amar'e Stoudemire.
STAT has range out to the 3-point line and beyond (10/23 from 3 last year), and when he’s completely healthy, borders on unguardable at the power forward spot (unless there’s something you’d like to say about that Kevin.) He’s capable of erasing a shot or two every once in a while, but is otherwise a marginal defender. Fortunately, his game meshes eerily perfectly with the new tower that will be standing next to him.
The Chandler acquisition shows that Mike D’Antoni’s recent confidence is shared by the front office. Within the past two years, the Knicks have transformed from a payroll-bloated punch line to a team that has pieces in place to compete for an NBA championship, and this move reflected that transformation.
My biggest thought on the Chandler signing was that it ensures the Knicks will get plenty more miles out of Amare’s knees. As opposed to having to drive over rocky terrain all season (guarding the Boshs, Boozers, and worst of all Howards of the world) he’ll have smooth travel on defense guarding the second best big on the floor night in and night out.
Chandler is a player that all of the perimeter defenders can feel comfortable funneling their man to. He is not only a great individual defender, but a leader the caliber of Kevin Garnett in his ability to quarterback the defense, and hedge out on screens. His presence on the court will be a shot of life to a team that was sorely in need of one.
I’ll close my thoughts on Chandler with this. If the Knicks had brought in Chris Paul, it certainly would have sold out the Garden for the foreseeable future. But the addition of Tyson Chandler gives them a better chance to sell out the Canyon of Heroes. The last 10 NBA champions have all ranked in top 10 in field goal percentage defense, allowing an average of 43.3% opponents field goal percentage. Last year the Knicks tied for 26th in the NBA in field goal percentage defense (47.2%). Chris Paul would have provided a beautiful product for fans to watch, but wouldn’t have addressed the elephant in the room (lackadaisical defense). Chandler may not be a cure-all for that issue, but he’ll certainly prove more of an antidote than Paul ever would have.
And just a quick note on Baron Davis, whose first name has legally been changed to “Motivated”. Baron represents the possibility for having a talent advantage at three spots on the floor against the majority of the NBA, which should say all you need to know about the correlation between his play and this team’s title chances. At 32, Baron's athleticism may no longer be explosive, but it should still be present, along with his top flight strength. The criticisms on his conditioning have certainly been valid, but he's just a year removed from averaging 15 and 8 when his best teammate was balding ADD-posterchild Chris Kaman.
Worst case scenario, the bulging disc in his back never totally heals, and the Knicks are left with a stiff, out of shape, questionable shooter (32% career 3-point shooter) coming off the bench. Best-case scenario, Baron is a top 5 point guard in the eastern conference, shows off some of his elite-level passing, and shaves his beard at the end of the season; on top of a float.
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