Same Old Knicks?

The above picture of Mike D'Antoni captures how we all feel. However, most of my frustration is with D'Antoni himself.

Usually, we at The Proud Franchise have game notes the day after a game or back-to-back set. However, after the recent five-game losing streak, I have decided that I should switch it up. 

Let's be real. Knicks fans have seen this song and dance before. The song sounds like the Undertaker's theme music from the WWF. The dance is on top of the graves that represent our hopes of finally seeing the Knicks in the playoffs and eventually, raising a championship banner.

Can you tell how depressed I am?

"There is more talent on this team than in years past. They are so young! They'll improve throughout the season!" These are the responses I hear from some Knicks fans.

I can't speak for the rest of you guys...but for me, those excuses are falling on deaf ears. Why? I feel like I've seen this before. Let's review:

1. The other team has a big lead, we come back only to make a huge mistake at the end to lose the game.
2. The Knicks getting blown out early and it ends that way. 
3. Let's not forget my personal favorite, the Knicks have a sizable lead but end up losing because we cannot sustain a lead of any sort.

Doesn't this all sound familiar? It should. That is because it is how we lost almost every single one of our games last year. They are all demoralizing and painful.

For years, D'Antoni's gotten a pass. "He doesn't have enough talent to play with," we used to say. Well, that's not an excuse anymore.

People say that these Knicks are better offensively. Are they? When looking at offensive rating (points per 100 possessions), the Knicks are 25th in the NBA. They actually were better the previous two seasons! Wasn't D'Antoni supposed to be an offensive genius who would improve our team when he had more talent?

The Knicks have been getting outrebounded consistently throughout the five-game losing streak. The Knicks are also 24th in field goal percentage allowed. Some of you will say, "But Turiaf has been hurt! Wait 'til he comes back!" Bullshit. Turiaf is a really nice player, but if he's the difference between 3-3 and 0-4, the Knicks are in big fucking trouble. Our rebounding and shot contesting needs major work. Some of you say we are contesting shots because we currently possess one of the best shotblocking rates in the NBA. That is fool's gold. The Knicks jump at everything. A smart team with players who head fake well can embarass us.

The worst thing is that D'Antoni doesn't make adjustments and doesn't hold his players accountable. Some of you guys will say that he does hold players accountable. You will point at Nate Robinson and Anthony Randolph. I say they are easy scapegoats. It is so painfully obvious that those two needed to sit in order to understand that they weren't playing the right way. How about Wilson Chandler, who takes ridiculous shots at horrible moments? How about Fat Raymond Felton, who cannot run a pick-and-roll or stay in front of an opposing point guard to save his life? Worst of all, he doesn't get the ball to Gallinari, who is 5th on the team in field goal attempts! How is one of the best shooters on the team and, at worst, our third option, getting less shot attempts than Toney Douglas and Wilson Chandler?

How about telling Gallo that he needs to shoot more?

How about telling Amar'e that he needs to work on recognizing a double team earlier so he can pass out of it?

How about...

How about...

Oh man, I feel like I'm about to blow a gasket.

The Knicks have improved talent-wise. It'd be hard to make a case against that. However, the Knicks are the same old horrible team we've gotten used to seeing in the past decade. The onus is on D'Antoni to stop being soft on this team. I'm not the only one that notices this. Peep Game:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Knicks-Fans-Hungry-for-Jeff-Van-Gundy/175969662413904?ref=ts&v=wall

It's make or break time, Mike D. As of now, you are breaking.

Comments

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