I'm hearing the talking heads on radio saying that Melo needs help.
Yes, yesterday he did.

The argument is that Melo will need help to beat teams in the playoffs.

Lebron has help, Durant has help, CP3 has help etc.

Well Melo does have help, but its all coming off the damn bench!

We need to put our best foot forward for so many different reasons.

1- We need to start stat and run the offense through him to start the game.
Melo is gonna get his no matter what. Amare won't he needs to be force fed. Let's feed him early, and Melo will eat later.

2- Defensively we have to start stat.
TC is limited offensively, STAT is limited defensively, we need to run them together so they can make each other complete.
Not to mention with the two bigs back there it'll be harder for guards to get to the rack s easily.
Shump at the three? TOO DAMN SMALL!
Jason Kidd is useless right now. USELESS

3- The Melo at the 4 mismatch point is stupid.
Melo is gonna beast no matter where he is. He will be a problem at the three or the 4.

If the argument is STAT is not starting because he is the only big behind TC right now, and we do not wanna get them both in foul trouble, fine, but that better change when we get a big back.

Not sure if I buy the notion that Amare will help defensively if he starts. We need Wallace back or we need to get another big.

But Kidd definitely shouldnt be starting.

of novak.

Novak only shoot well when we winning by 20 anyway.

It is really hurting the team that he isn't out there
The early season shit of Brewer hitting 50% 3's and all of that shit consistently is over
Back to Earth, start the 2nd best offensive player on the team!

Dude is beasting on the low post and it is needed

I read somewhere though that Woodson is so committed to Kidd and said that a veteran of that stature should get to choose how he is used or some shit similar to that though so lets not hold our breath

Kidd starting is also keeping Shump out of position

>start the 2nd best offensive player on the
>team!

PG (Ray) - can't guard anyone
SG (Kidd) - Can't guard anyone
SF (Shump) - right now, can't guard anyone, but that'll change when he gets right.
PF- (Melo) Can't guard anyone, but can't be guarded.
C- (TC) The only defender in the starting 5.

So we have one defender in the starting 5, along with one scorer in the starting 5? What sense does that make?

my problem with that is that kidd came to be a backup...i really doubt that kidd would have a problem coming off the bench for amare freaking stoudemire.

i mean, he started shump his 1st game back....start amare over shump if you want to keep kidd in there (even though he sucking right now)

On the one side, it makes sense to keep him off the bench, because outside of JR, nobody on the bench has been contributing consistently. Amare just dogs other team's second units

On the other side, you're gonna burn out Carmelo by him having to carry the load offensively, and even with that, we still start off games coming from behind.

Overall, I'm not worried. We got beat by a good team at full strength yesterday, and we had our chances. I think the all star break coming up recharges the batteries for everyone, and lets us get ready for a brutal March.

Should STAT start? I think he's earned it, and hopefully he's outplayed his minutes restrictions. He definitely should start come playoff time, but if we can get away with him coming off the bench en route to 55 wins and a 1st or 2nd seed, I'm with that to keep him as fresh as possible for the playoffs.

I think he should start once we get Wallace or Camby back though

With the 2nd unit. You can still start stat, play him the first 6 minutes or so rest him and bring him back in the 2nd qtr when melo is resting.

Like we have a problem starting every single game from behind. Why not replace the least productive starter with the most productive reserve. I don't see a problem with that but I've seen a problem with what we are doing now.

>With the 2nd unit. You can still start stat, play him the
>first 6 minutes or so rest him and bring him back in the 2nd
>qtr when melo is resting.
Figuring out the minutes and when to pull him would be tough...you can't just pull him after a set # of minutes

>Like we have a problem starting every single game from behind.
>Why not replace the least productive starter with the most
>productive reserve. I don't see a problem with that but I've
>seen a problem with what we are doing now.
I agree with this though, which is why I'm not totally against him starting.

kidd usually comes out around 6 minutes.
Shump about a minute after.
Chandler and Felton usually play the first 9-12 minutes.
Melo plays the whole 1st qtr.

Boston does what i'm saying with kg right now. Plays him the first 6 minutes and usually brings him back late 1st or to start the 2nd.

and teaming with Melo in the 1st/3rd are key.

We always have weak 3rd quarters.

look at kid numbers for this month.

http://espn.go.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/429/jason-kidd

he might just need a popovich style 1 week rest or something

get him that mid range shot and more touches.

drives the last couple of games. (missed a throw down against minny i think) but i was glad to see him being aggressive for a change, but overall he's been passive.

i've been pleased with his defense intensity so far (even though he hasn't been lockdown) but i want to know what his offensive peak is gonna be when he gets 100%

He's had some highlght dunks last year, but he wasn't the best in terms of consistently creating his own shot. His offense was going to be a work in process this season, weather he came back from the surgery or not.

in his offense this season(injury aside), mostly b.c most 2nd year players do and now the offense is fixed and his role is fixed as well(no more heavy pg minutes)

which is why i'm curious to see what his offensive peak will be once he's 100%. We may not find out this year, or this may be what it is.

9?

You can't just hang out the one time saviour of the franchise and completely tell him he's useless.

You only get 9 shots. Damn let the man live.
I really think STAT needs to go have a sit down with Woody and say , c'mon dawgs I'm better than 9 shots.

Even if I gotta come off the bench, treat me like I'm better than 9 shots.

I think overall Woodson can and should be fixing some of his substitution patterns and units. Despite the slow starts I just don't see it as a good move. Ill type more when I'm on comp Instead of phone.

>1- We need to start stat and run the offense through him to
>start the game.
>Melo is gonna get his no matter what. Amare won't he needs to
>be force fed. Let's feed him early, and Melo will eat later.

Melo is the most prolific 1q scorer in the league. The Knicks are 15 games over .500 doing it this way. to go more than halfway through the season and then change the philosophy that got you there? Not gonna happen.


>2- Defensively we have to start stat.
>TC is limited offensively, STAT is limited defensively, we
>need to run them together so they can make each other
>complete.
>Not to mention with the two bigs back there it'll be harder
>for guards to get to the rack s easily.

instead of 1+1=2, -1+-1=-2. Good coaching in the NBA recognizes weaknesses. The knicks weaknesses on D? Their guards are weak at the point of attact, and the big men a) don't rotate well on pick n rolls/hedges b) aren't good in space.

so stat would get pnr'd to death at the top of the key, the guard would get to the lane because he'd be a step behind, which would lead to baskets at the rim, fouls, or wide open 3's (see the wizards game) or stat would be in space with a guard, and he's got lead feet, and the guard would get past him (he's done a better job of moving his feet this last week or so, I'll give him that. His first few weeks back, it was quick crossover and right past him.)

so the notions that guards would just find two shotblocking big men waiting for them is a fallacy, they'd just execute sets to get them on the perimeter so guards could go around them or get behind them.




>Shump at the three? TOO DAMN SMALL!
>Jason Kidd is useless right now. USELESS

the way I see the lineup it's not a traditional 1-2-3-4-5. It's more like felton at the 1, kidd a 1.5 (hybrid point/2guard. there for ball movement/hockey assists and open 3's) shump is to be more of a traditional 2, and melo plays the 3, but he's matched up with 4's on offense.

Shump is the xfactor. he's thinking too much, and the mental hurdle is usually the toughest part with a major injury. he's not handling the ball much unless it's in iso's and his decisionmaking has been bad. and defensively he's not the havoc wreaker you expect him to be. with kidd's hands, shumpert's hands and speed, and feltons speed, the knicks strength should be perimeter d to offense, as opposed to their weakness.

>3- The Melo at the 4 mismatch point is stupid.
>Melo is gonna beast no matter where he is. He will be a
>problem at the three or the 4.

no. it's not. I'll let you have that.taking 4's away from the basket is a good thing. being able to drive against 4's is a good thing.

>If the argument is STAT is not starting because he is the only
>big behind TC right now, and we do not wanna get them both in
>foul trouble, fine, but that better change when we get a big
>back.

he's coming off the bench because a) he's comfortable with it b) woody's comfortable with it, and c) no big can score in the 2nd unit. you can't have reserves on the floor who can only score above foul line extended.

put ronnie brewer back at sf and shump at sg allow ronnie and shump to slash and ronnie to stay in the corner and shump in the corner for threes let j kidd rest for awhile

.

>

in the past twelve months than the Knicks have in the past 13 years.

You will never see me pretend the Sixers are any good but I certainly wouldn't trade Jrue, Thad, no bad contracts or players on the hook past 2014, sane ownership & either Bynum or his money than the Knicks future of cap-hell, chucking & old farts that will never win anything aside from Page 6 appearances.

What top teams have they beat?

0-1 Memphis
1-2 Brooklyn
0-3 Chicago
1-1 Boston
1-1 Indiana

This to me spells 2nd round exit in the playoffs.

yours was just silly.

you can do better.

The Knicks record is not indicative of their record, and you know it.

2nd round exit.

knicks are 4-0 against the conf leaders.

dumbass.

lol @ including bos, ind chicago, memphis and nets as the leagues top teams..all teams knicks have a better record then btw

you should have simply mentioned the knicks record against the bulls and you woulda been fine.

smh.

I don't see them beating any of the top 5 teams in the east.

you said earlier was dumb.

your Bulls lost to last night. You're a Bulls fan, so the Knicks hate is to be expected.

... after the Bulls lost last night. But here's the thing, the Bulls currently constructed are not a #2 seed. We're not a contender. More than anything we're not supposed to be anywhere near the 4th Seed based on our situation. We've lost to teams we shouldn't have (CHA, WAS & a Spurs team w/o their 3).

Bulls will make it further than the Knicks.

No need to debate with you.

Nothing that happens between now and the playoffs REALLY matters.

>What top teams have they beat?
>
>0-1 Memphis
>1-2 Brooklyn
>0-3 Chicago
>1-1 Boston
>1-1 Indiana

when he was in phx i thought it was just b.c he put up numbers and nothing else...and i was cool with that.lol

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/knicks-shot-kidd-find-article-1.1272504

As Knicks halt slide, they need Jason Kidd to snap shooting funk to end what could be a bigger crisis come playoff time

Kidd is in his 19th season, and it isn’t always easy watching him play basketball anymore. That confident jumper from early this season has vanished completely, and he would prefer not to hoist it much anymore.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Monday, February 25, 2013, 12:38 AM


Sixers' Jrue Holliday tries to get the ball away from Jason Kidd, who struggles on offense again


If Jason Kidd needed yet another reminder about his protracted longevity, the old memory bank was jostled again on Sunday when Kenyon Martin walked into the Knick locker room and donned a uniform in the neighboring cubbyhole.

Here was his teammate from the Net glory years back in the early 2000s, which seem like several lifetimes ago.

“We converted a few fans,” Martin said, recalling better days in East Rutherford. “He’s my guy. We’ve stayed close.”

Kidd is in his 19th season, and it isn’t always easy watching him play basketball anymore. That confident jumper from early this season has vanished completely, and he would prefer not to hoist it much anymore. He will turn 40 next month – old, even by Knick standards – and on too many nights recently Kidd has looked every bit his age.

The glue is unglued. Kidd came into the Garden having missed 10 of his last 12 3-pointers, and then he missed six more of them, often badly. Kidd fired an embarrassing air ball in the fourth quarter, from wide open beyond the arc. He clanked one more for good measure in the 99-93 victory over Philly, then rushed out afterward and let his teammates speak in defense of his skewed radar.

“I told him, ‘Keep shooting,’” Tyson Chandler said. “He does so many little things when he’s out there, I don’t care if he goes 0-for-10.”

It is becoming a bit of a crisis, nonetheless, for a contending team with a flawed backcourt. Kidd is the designated quarterback, a playmaker who reads the game and sees the whole floor – even if it’s harder for him now to get to a spot or defend the quicker guards in the league.

Against Philly, the 6-4 Kidd somehow scooted around to grab five of his nine rebounds in the first eight minutes of the game. And when Chandler was going after Spencer Hawes in the third quarter, when it looked as if the Knicks were going to wrestle themselves into potential suspensions, Kidd held back the big center, kept Chandler out of trouble.

Still, the Knicks were minus-nine points with him on the court in a game they won by six – despite a pep talk from Mike Woodson to Kidd about his jumper.

“I don’t want him to stop (shooting),” Woodson said. “Those are good shots he’s giving up.”

Kidd had taken a total of just 14 shots in his last four games, and Woodson had become concerned that Kidd was making one too many passes, passing the ball with only a few seconds left on the shot clock and uncharacteristically putting teammates in difficult positions.

Kidd tried several shots early against the Sixers. He just couldn’t find the range.

“Nothing to do with his age,” insisted Raymond Felton.

RELATED: KNICKS INSIDER: AMAR'E OK WITH BENCH ROLE

Steve Novak said it was unfair to judge Kidd on such a small sample size.

“In a 50-shot block, you’re gonna miss four or five in a row,” Novak said. “He’s not a guy you worry about. He’s gonna shoot his shot.”

He really can’t have too many of these 1-for-7 games too often, and nobody knows that better than Kidd. The backcourt is a weakness, and the Knicks did nothing to change that fact before the trade deadline. If only by default, Kidd needs to be in the mix during April and May, keeping the Knicks smart in the playoff heat. Several teammates do not always make the wisest decisions. It is why J.R. Smith drives him a little crazy. Kidd is a cerebral player. Smith is a force of nature.

Now that they’ve snapped their four-game losing streak, maybe the Knicks rediscover that middle ground between passion and intellect, go about the business of being a pretty good NBA team.

“A must game for us,” Woodson called it on Sunday, after the victory. It was a game that had to encourage any fan who wants to believe Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony can make an effective pairing.

Then again, the Sixers are a panacea for what ails most opponents. With the exception of Jrue Holiday, Philly made life easy for the Knicks at the Garden. They just couldn’t sink Kidd’s jumpers for him.