What Last Night Taught Us About Blake

To piggyback on Steve's piece from last night (consecutive days of Manual Buzzer for the first time...ever?), we have to discuss what has to be Blake Griffin's forgettable Playoff debut. If there was one reason why the Clippers shouldn't have won that game, it would have to be Griffin's paltry effort against that amazing Grizzlies front line through the first 3 quarters. I never thought anyone could make him look mortal in the same vein that I never thought that anyone could make Amar'e look mortal when he was playing alongside Nash. But Griffin is by no means the strongest player on the court. Marc Gasol and Z-Bo and Speights and Cunningham are an excellent front line that can wear him out, especially without a decoy on the Clippers.

I appreciate how Blake pulled it together late, and I'm sure he has a big game in him sometime this series. My main bone to pick with Blake, that I have had anytime I've watched him, is his half-court game. As Steve referred to Bledsoe and Evan's penchant for playing out of control, in isolation, Blake gets lost and tries to do too much in the half court. I always loved Amar'e's game in the half court because he could jab and blow by his defender for a dunk or fake the drive and hit those elbow jumpers. Blake's shot is sporadic, and when he needs to adjust on the drive, you usually see some wild shot thrown up.

The Clippers are reminiscent of the Amar'e-Nashty Suns, and while Paul is a way better defender and scorer and an equal as a passer to Nash, I think Blake's inability to create quality shots on his own will be the Clippers' downfall, especially against a deep frontline who can focus on stopping him. (For all intents and purposes, Reggie Evans Game 1 "masterpiece" will garner little defensive attention, and there isn't another scoring big on that team anyhow.) Unlike Steve, I'm saying Grizzlies in 6, and an apathetic LA crowd gives home-court back to the Grizz.

Checkout Time for New York and Denver

I guess you can call it a Renaissance, but like the one that took place in Europe, it still has its occasional drawbacks. Basketball in New York is a different beast. I've played in LA and Philly and Syracuse as well, and while each city has a different style, there is a swag and intensity to playing in New York where the game is worshipped like the rock those natives worship the Sivalinga stone in Temple of Doom. They love the Jets and the Giants, but basketball runs through their veins in a city that so lacks greenery and has a plethora of concrete.

It was with great sadness that I watched the Knicks get railed tonight by the hot-shooting Celtics. One would assume, after coming within a possession that was ruined by too much selfishness and altruism in games 1 and 2, respectively, that the Knicks would rally back and make up a game or two with the C's at home. But that seemed to be lost on the Knicks. Paul Pierce and Ray-Ray shot the crowd out of the game immediately.

Right before the season began, I had the pleasure of winning some sick seats to the Knicks' open practice at the Garden through Amar'e's VIP club (the answer to the trivia question was Frederic Weis). Watching the team go through drills was exciting: this looked like a team that would make noise. I discussed our runs at the JCC with Andy Rautins. After telling Bill Walker about how he indirectly introduced me to Gang Starr through this highlight video

he told me about how Guru was killed by the Illuminati, of which Jay-Z he purported to be a member.

And early in the year they did: they went 9-7 and 8-5 in November and December, respectively, and ended the calendar year above .500 for the first time since 2004-05.

And they weren't too bad after January 1st either. People forget that they took one from the Heat in the Garden on January 27 exactly one month before Melo arrived and gave them that thriller in Miami. Both were excellent efforts from the 'Bockers, but there was a stark difference between the two teams. The balance next to Amar'e would've probably worked out better in terms of wins at the end of the season. I'm sure Donnie Walsh will reload during the summer (if the lockout doesn't prevent free agency first) and make them a better team in '11-'12, but for now, putting Jared Jeffries on the floor during crunch time is not going to solve anything.

While there may be too much star power in Amar'e and Melo for one ball to be shared, Denver's struggles in Oklahoma City could be diagnosed at the other end of the spectrum. Denver runs a legitimate 10 deep, a luxury very few NBA teams afford. Even the Lakers, considered the class of the NBA, have only three big men and can only go nine deep. Denver can put in a Carolina blue team, a lineup that can completely change the pace. Their new leading scorer following Melo's departure, JR Smith, is a part of this unit. So is the beloved Bird Man, Chris Anderson.

To the dismay of many former Sonics fans, the Thunder closed out the series on Wednesday night. And if you were cheering for the Thunder, you might like Durant and Westbrook (I'm also partial to Serge), or you're from Oklahoma. These Nuggets were coming from a point you don't usually see in the Playoffs, lacking any sort of All-Star and no true go-to guy. Durant showed that he is going to be a huge part of this league's future, and as Sir Charles pointed out, "you need THAT dude." The Nuggets lost him in that trade to New York. Sure, JR loves to gun, but Durant blocked his try from 3. Arron Afflalo was unsuccessful on the final shot, and THAT dude

My hypothetical is this: What if they hadn't gone to these extremes, the Miami paradigm in New York, and early 2000's Dallas in Denver (Dirk and Nash and Michael Finley didn't really understand that they needed to step up yet), and kept going with a star surrounded by a complementary supporting cast, would the playoff results have not been so embarrassing?

In New York, Chauncey makes a big 3, but he's old. His injury in the playoffs took away their best 3-point threat and a lot of experience. His extension is only there to fill space until Chris Paul becomes a free agent after next year. They gave up a lot to get Billups, Melo, and Renaldo Balkman wearing a bowtie on the bench. Giving up a bright future of Raymond Felton, who showed that signing was no fluke and proved a competent complement to Amar'e in the pick and roll, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, who were also coming into their own as complements to Amar'e. Now that is stripped down, with Toney Douglas, Landry Fields, and Shawne Williams remaining, which is nowhere near enough to complement Melo and Stat on offense or defense. Add the free agent signing of Jared Jeffries to the mix, who somehow put Melo's bitchslap behind him, and you have a mess. At least Miami's players filled roles. None of these guys can do anything really well. They're all great players, but this isn't a college team. The NBA demands specialists. Miami overcame this issue with guys like James Jones and Eddie House to shoot 3's and Mike Bibby and Mario Chalmers (no relation to the author) to take some ballhandling duties from LeBron and Wade and also wait for open 3's. Of course, Joel Anthony and Damp are there to hack dudes and block shots. Turiaf fills that last role, and Roger Mason, if he ever actually got time could be that shooter, but he never played this year (I guess he only worked for Popovich, somehow). Otherwise, these guys are there to do everything else. The definite roles among the supporting cast would be good for the Knicks next year.

Free agency will have Roger Mason, Shawne Williams, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter, and Jared Jeffries be unrestricted free agents. Donnie Walsh should probably let everyone of these guys besides Shawne walk away, as the rest of this group were ineffective during their tenures with the Knicks and I wouldn't say there is any sort of hope of them making future contributions. Then again, Mason seemed to never have a chance, getting into only 26 games, with only 4 games of over 20 minutes of playing time. The most came in the last game of the season, where he took 31 minutes as D'Antoni rested his starters.

The Knicks are screwed in terms of their drafting capabilities, with no first round picks in 2011. Luckily, they'll finally pick in the first round in 2012, their last being Houston's Jordan Hill in 2009, who barely played during his time in New York.

Denver, on the other hand, has great prospects going forward even with this ridiculous balance. They'll probably keep JR Smith and probably let Kenyon go while going after a complementary 4 in the draft. Nene will be kept around, and an offer to Afflalo will definitely be matched. Chandler's fade at the end of the contract year was not helpful for himself, and I expect him to stay with the Nuggets without the raise he would've had if he had kept up the pace from earlier in the year. But will they get THAT dude? Could Afflalo and JR step up next year to both fill this role?

While the sea changes each of these teams made got them into the playoffs, their styles and lack of chemistry due to the shorter time together, ended up hurting them in the repeated encounters of playoff series. Both teams have the chance to build on their experiences: the Nuggets will probably look to add a 4 to replace Martin in the draft, as the success of their system could be even greater with a full season together. The Knicks will try to add role players but maintain the cap space to get Chris Paul a max deal next summer. Knicks fans will be pleasantly surprised by Donnie Walsh's efforts. (Maybe even James Dolan will stop thinking about hiring Isiah again. I wouldn't call him a friend to the public after what he did to this team.) Expect an appearance in at least the second round, and then expect Chris Paul to be delivered to their doorstep.

Look out for the Playoffs podcast coming out either Sunday or Monday. A lot of awesome things will be discussed.

A Glimmer of Hope

Now that Miami is stacked and Jon Scheyer hopes to contribute some Dukie hate-fuel to the fire, Carmelo Anthony's wedding to LaLa Vasquez finally has given the NBA some sort of hope. When Chris Paul is toasting to another Big 3 in New York, I am all ears.
I only have one issue: would the Knicks have to give up as much in order to get these three together? The Knicks have 12 spots filled for next season if second-round picks Andy Rautins, Jerome Jordan, and Landry Fields all make the team and Eddy Curry spends this season the way he spent the last one minus the tragedy and the sexual harassment lawsuit from his chaffeur.

So what else can this team do to get better? Gallinari should be untouchable for next year with the progress he showed. Acquiring Anthony Randolph could easily be spoiled by trading him away to get either Melo or CP3. Randolph could be a great player to include in the lineup. Could you imagine Felton running the point, whoever at the 2, Melo at the 3, Randolph at the 4, and Amare at the 5? Gallinari, Toney Douglas, Wilson Chandler, Kelenna Azubuike, and Ronny Turiaf could be an amazing second unit, on the level that the Suns had this past year, and don't forget about those three draft picks, one of which will likely be cut. I'd put my money on Landry Fields just because there aren't any shooters outside Gallinari (Rautins fills that need) and Jordan could turn into a serviceable big man. The Knicks could make these moves this summer and end up being a contender next year, as well as being an option for the part of America who doesn't want to see this Heat team win.

But there is something huge in the way: future draft picks. Curry turned into LaMarcus Aldridge for the Bulls, who then traded him to Portland for Tyrus Thomas. He also turned into Joakim Noah, who had a solid year and looks like he will be an All-Star this season. Donnie Walsh may have been discussing Isiah as a candidate for GM in New York (WHICH IS THE DUMBEST THING EVER WITH KEVIN PRITCHARD UNEMPLOYED), but he'll lock down the draft picks no matter what Isiah thinks is a sure thing. The Knicks need to be able to bring in first-round talent to regain the trust of the New York fans. Amar'e is a great first step, but the franchise needs to show it can nurture pros and not turn them into the mindless idiots Isiah molded for five terrible years at the helm in New York.

It is a long way away, but I think this team has a chance to become a contender and make basketball matter again at MSG. Even on nights when the Lakers or the Heat aren't in town.

That's Amar'e!

So, Amare and the Knicks have agreed in principle. This after he and D'Antoni rekindled the romance over a candle-lit dinner. And now Amar'e can leave Phoenix to sort of play defense for a team that will lack any sort of stopper for next year (Yes, even if David Lee walks). Whatever, D'Antoni now has firepower, as long as Stoudemire brings that aggression he showed during the playoffs against Pau.
Now, we wonder, what else do the Knicks do with their summer? LeBron is enjoying his skills academy and making sure no one tries to dunk on him by teaming up with CP3 to run shit. Could STAT and LBJ be the dynamic duo that New York needs? Dwyane could do the same. Either way, it would give any of these three players the dynamic duo they have never had during the career (Dwyane and Shaq were together when the decline began, Steve Nash can't play defense, Danny Ferry never got any sort of talented player to play with LeBron in Cleveland). While everyone discusses the possibility of a Triumvirate, things are falling in place to look more like two dynamic duos will emerge from these three plus Bosh, with each wing joining a big man in some city.
But New York could be considering making this rebuilding project last one more season. This will be made difficult by the fact that Carmelo is looking like he will sign an extension to remain in Denver. But this also opens up the possibility of a sign-and-trade. If the Nuggets limp out of the playoffs again next year, will Carmelo demand a trade? He has fostered a bond with the Mile High City, so I doubt he would want to make it public and create a PR nightmare.
The Knicks have other options for next summer that have yet to be locked up. Next summer, for now, will include Tayshaun Prince, Caron Butler, a resurgent Z-Bo, possibly David West, Jason Richardson, and Tony Parker among others. The Knicks could wait and make a play for Butler and Parker if the Spurs don't extend him.
The failure of the Knicks will ultimately come from the lack of young talent being put into the team. The Knicks will finally have a draft pick that may actually stay with the team after Jordan Hill was sent to Houston and they had no pick this year (the Jazz had it and got Gordon Hayward). As they now have their ideal salary numbers, I expect them to not move picks, even if Carmelo is made available.