HP 2011-12 Season Preview: The Creatively Titled New York Knicks Preview
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone. The lockout has lifted, we have a season, can I get an Amen? (Amen.) And in the spirit of renewal, our shiny new cadre of writers is putting together previews for all 30 teams in true HP style. From where teams are going to what their disgrace is to explorations of pop culture, we are about to rock, salute us, can I get an Amen? (Amen.) So sit back, relax, and ponder the awesomeness of this fully operational Hardwood Paroxysm 3.0. -Ed.
Quo Vadimus (Where Are We Going?)
by Scott Leedy
Who are the New York Knicks? It’s become a fairly complicated question. Certainly the pipe dream of Chris Paul or Dwight Howard paired with Melo and Amare seems to be dead; and while the Knicks of the past few years were mismanaged and generally awful, we at least knew what to expect. Now? The Knicks have found themselves two iso specialists, no real point guard, a defensive center carrying only two worthwhile years on his resume with all others ranging from serviceable to downright disappointing, and a coach whose system seems to in no way match his personnel. There are so many questions that surround the Knicks: Can Amare’s knees hold up? Will Tyson Chandler be motivated? Can he and Mike Woodson turn Amar’e and Carmelo into serviceable defenders? Does Mike D’Antoni even know that defense exists? Is Shumpert the next Gary Payton? Can Landry Fields continue to be the chillest bro in the league? How long until Carmelo Anthony murders Toney Douglas? All of these questions are certainly important to think about and discuss, but I can’t help but feel the entirety of the Knicks existence and place among the NBA hierarchy will comes down to this question: Who is Carmelo Anthony?
I’m not so much interested in talking about what Carmelo has been, or what the general basketball wisdom has come to define him as. I’ve written extensively on the subject before, but I think even as a poor defender and flawed but dominant offensive force, Carmelo brings a lot of value to any team he’s a part of. However, the gap between what Carmelo is capable of, and what he actually produces remains significant.
Be it Carmelo’s own stubbornness, lack of creative coaching, or something else entirely, Anthony has developed a poor habit of forcing contested jumpers in isolation. Melo has always provided scoring in bunches, but often failed to tap into his potential as a playmaker for his teammates. This is where the pairing of D’Antoni and Carmelo Anthony becomes intriguing. At first I thought D’Antoni and Melo were a terrible fit; D’Antoni was going to resent Carmelo for slowing down an offense predicated on ball movement and quick decisions, and Melo would in turn become frustrated by D’Antoni’s insistence on changing Carmelo’s style of play. However this tweet from John Schumann really opened my eyes to an incredible possibility:
Carmelo Anthony as point forward. Could it really work? The short answer is yes, HELL yes. D’Antoni has been known to squeeze every last ounce of offensive potential out of his players, and a re-invention of Carmelo Anthony would rank among his greatest feats. There’s genius in its jarring simplicity.
On the other end of things, Carmelo absolutely has the physical gifts and basketball skills to pull this off. He’s tall, quick, gifted at getting to the rim, and possesses a deft handle for someone his size. As Gian Casimiro noted over in a great piece for Posting and Toasting, Melo was extremely aggressive coming off the pick and roll against New Jersey, and showed great court vision dumping the ball off to open cutters. Carmelo the playmaker is a real and frightening(for other teams at least) possibility.
Fans generally live at the edges of potential, remaining exceedingly optimistic about their team’s prospects for success. For New York, all of that upside and possibility hinges on Carmelo Anthony. Doubters, and “realists” will claim Carmelo is incapable of this transformation; that reinvention is nothing but a wistful fantasy. However, dredging around in what has been, rather than basking in what could be, feels foolish. Knicks fans are too familiar with the depressing reality of the past. It’s time to stretch and push at the possibility of the future.
Popular Theories In Emerging Basketball-Cultural Cross-References
by Connor Huchton
Much is made of the New York Knicks’ rabid fan base, and rightly so. They’re enthusiastic, large, and desperate for success. Now that their team is finally within seeming reach of success, the yells are nearing justification.
“Iman Shumpert will be an All-Star!” said the dedicated Knicks’ fan.
And who can blame that fan? The Knicks are finally good, they have the stars they’ve yearned for throughout the last decade, and an entire lockout allowed fans to romanticize high expectations once again. It’s fair to be excited somewhat irrationally when you’ve faced down a decade of either “Isiah Thomas-ing” or “blowing it up because of Isiah Thomas-ing”.
The Knicks didn’t always make the right moves. They traveled the wrong path despite holding all of the trappings of a dominant franchise. When Jim Dolan attempted to right this path, the shift didn’t come easy. There were failings and sacrifices (the McGrady trade), and losses upon losses. But Dolan continued with his plan, clearing cap space by dire means in the ever-failing pursuit of stars. He didn’t get LeBron James, but he signed Amar’e Stoudemire, and traded the house for Carmelo Anthony. A steep price of identity was paid, but a necessary change ensued, a change that sought a higher goal. Changes like these garner enthusiasm from a fan base that’s rightly convinced that the future should be brighter, deserves to be brighter.
But what clouds this expected enthusiasm is a team with no clear standing. Are they an upper-echelon team or a Hawks-ian squad guaranteed a second-round exit? The team hasn’t existed in any one form long enough to understand who they truly will be in coming seasons. They have the frontcourt, complete with recent addition Tyson Chandler, to trump any other Eastern team, but lack pedigree in most other aspects. But after Mike D’Antoni explicitly stated that the Knicks are aiming for a championship this season, expectations will rise once again. Teams that are set to compete for a championship can’t afford to get swept in the first round of the playoffs. The Knicks must leap again, this time to a higher pedestal.
In “Billy Madison”, Adam Sandler’s title character languishes aimlessly before deciding to embark on a quest (a quest far more difficult than one would ever expect) to earn a high school degree, grade by grade. He’s a man born into money, holding infinite wealth but little maturity, trying to find his way to an emotional mountaintop. He’s made every wrong choice despite an unending amount of capital available to aid in making the correct choices. What saves Billy is his determination to change that morbid path of overspent living. The freedom grows tiresome. He seeks structure. He seeks a plan. And so his journey to educational redemption begins.
Only a “championship” could save Billy Madison. He had to become the best, after months of hanging out with Norm MacDonald and tilting his hat sideways. What he lacked in intelligence was compensated for by ever-increasing self-belief. Despite everything he possessed in material wealth, the odds stood against him in an arena that demanded personally created strength. Conquering that arena of competition only became possible when he took it upon himself to gain that strength.
Perseverance and wealth disposal are the collective names of Adam Sandler’s game in “Billy Madison”, not overwhelming talent and skill. The Knicks face the same issues Billy once did, issues they’ve attempted to alleviate during a painful shifting period. This period need not stagnate permanently, as they hold the ability to continue that change unto the point when changing is no longer constantly needed. Only derailment of the Knicks’ (and in a way, Billy Madison’s) plan can stop success, success that looms closer and closer with every game and every minute.
Will You Remember Me? I Will Remember You.
by Sean Highkin
The Knicks used their last remaining cap space and trade assets—and then some—to acquire Tyson Chandler. A great fit, to be sure, but also one that completes the transformation of the identity this team has taken on for much of the last decade. There’s no more “This year is just preparation, because next year we’re going to make a run at [LeBron James/Chris Bosh/Joe Johnson/Carmelo Anthony/Chris Paul/Dwight Howard] and then we’ll be contenders.” There are no more stars to chase, no major moves to plan for. These are the Knicks for now and for the future. This will be the year we see whether or not the last several of being mediocre to bad and clearing cap space pay off.
And it may well. Melo-Amar’e-Chandler is as formidable a front line as there is in the Eastern Conference, provided the latter two stay healthy. Chandler in particular is a legitimate defensive force, a rarity in Mike D’Antoni lineups. Rookie Iman Shumpert has shown promise in the preseason. Second-year guard Landry Fields (a favorite of our Connor Huchton) should continue to develop into a solid player after a better-than-expected rookie campaign. Whatever they can get out of Baron Davis once he returns from back surgery could very well be enough to make up for the fact that Mike Bibby will probably be their starting point guard for the first half of the season. This could be an elite team if everything breaks right health-wise, and if the influence of Chandler and new assistant Mike Woodson rubs off on the rest of the team defensively. Either way, this is it. This is what they’ve been building towards since the start of the Isaiah Thomas era.
Oster-Tags: 2011-12 Season Previews
[...] to see how Carmelo Anthony will do in his first “full” season in Mike D’Antoni’s system. Hardwood Paroxysm’s Scott Leedy elaborated on the possibility that we could see Carmelo Anthony evolve into a point-forward in this [...]