Knicks' point guard Baron Davis practiced with the team on Monday for the first time since being acquired in mid December. This was the first time Davis has seen the court in nine months as he has been recovering from a herniated disk in his back. Coach Mike D'Antoni and the Knicks are in desperate need of a spark at the point guard position. The Knicks' offense has struggled without a true point guard to run the D'Antoni offense. With great scorers like Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire on the team, many thought that defense, not offense, would be the side of the ball that was struggling. The offense has looked stagnant with Anthony playing the point-forward position after D'Antoni tried to run the offense through combo guards Toney Douglas and rookie Iman Shumpert. The Knicks lead the league in isolation plays so far this season, and fans have become restless and have even booed Carmelo Anthony when he runs the offense by holding the ball at the elbow for 10 seconds, as he shimmy and shakes followed by hoisting up a brick. In fairness Anthony has been bothered by injuries, particular to his non shooting hand and wrist but the lack of a true point guard is the main reason for his and his teammates struggles.
In Baron Davis coach D'Antoni, as well as Knicks' fans see a band-aid that can help patch up the offense and make this team into the championship contender that many deemed it would be at the start of the season. Their view is very optimistic and they hope they get the Baron Davis that is an all star point guard and not the one who has struggled in the past couple of years dealing with injuries. The Knicks' season and possibly coach D'Antoni's job will rely on how well Davis performs when he eventually gets into some game action. He is sure to struggle in his first couple of games, having to get acclimated with the Knicks' offense, as well as his teammates. Only time will tell if this glimmer of hope will provide a light at the end of the tunnel.
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Interesting read, It is very apparent that the Knicks are desperately needing that one special guy to run the point for them. Douglas is clearly a player who wants to catch and shoot the ball from behind the arc, and Shumpert is showing that he wants to be a true scorer in the league. D'Antoni never really prided his teams on defense which was seen in his Phoenix days. But hes got a lot of talented players on this roster who are athletes and really want to become a true contender and force in the post season.I as well, hope Davis can play the way he did before the injuries hit him. But he does not even need to pick up too big of a role. Davis really just needs to be a good defender with passing abilities. Bibby is not the defensive guard they need to patch the defense up because like Douglas, he is more of an offensive guard. Overall, a good read.
ReplyDeleteI said this from the start and I will always say it, the Knicks should never have traded the package they did for Carmelo. Yes, Carmelo is an outstanding talent, but the Knicks traded away pieces that made the "team" exciting. Gallinari is quietly becoming a very, very good NBA player.
ReplyDeleteLike you mentioned in regards to the "Iso" plays, the Knicks don't have the personnel to run that offense that could very well be effective. They don't have shooters to kick out to in a drive to the basket. They don't make that trade, they wouldn't have to be waiting on Baron Davis. They would have Ray Felton. They don't play much defense either.