THE EXISTENTIALIST

Mix a dab of Kierkegaard, a sliver Sartre, a pinch of Camus, with a dash of Hollinger, and portion of Chappelle. What do you get? You get NBA RAW's " The Existentialist." Henry Thoreau once said, "it is not what you look at, but what you see." The truth is definitely stranger than fiction. Our new feature column, explores the surreal, the sublime, and the absurd goings-on in the NBA

~This just in: Bernard King's Twitter "associate" is dating Manti Te'o "girlfriend." The wedding will be planned by  Mr. Roarke from Fantasy Island ~


~Come on Bernard, did you consult with A-Rod first before coming up with that one? Your defense of  that "story" was better than anything you did in your playing days~

~PS your "associate" was right. The "bad Melo" still haunts the Knicks with his iso-heavy, over-dribbling, ball-stopping ways. A great scorer is not the same  as being  a great player~

~ Forget about attacking the basket, posting up, taking the mid-range J over the off-balance contested long 2, or giving up the good shot for the better shot, JR Smith's answer to his abysmal shooting is to what? Keep shooting. Who are you taking advice from, NRA CEO, Wayne LaPierre?~

~ PS JR,the whole party like a rock star happens after you have won something. Yes, LeBron can go out and party, but guess what? You are not LeBron~

~ Speaking of JR, when did his dad become a shooting expert for the NBA?  That's it pop, tell your boy to just keep heaving up bricks.Great advice. Does the old adage, don't let your dentist do your taxes come to mind~

~ Is it me or should Blake Griffin spend less time on those cute Kia commercials, and more time working on his free throws, post offense, post defense, mid range game, rebounding etc.... You see where we are going~

~ Do you think Derrick Rose has ever see the video of 1970 game 7 finals of Wills Reed? If not, he should Either he is more hurt than we thought, or there are some serious mental toughness questions~

~ Speaking of the undermanned Chicago Bulls, is there a team playing with more heart, passion, and fortitude?~

~ Little Nate or Calvin Murphy? My money is Little Nate~

~ Can we all agree that Mike D'Antoni is one of the mots overrated  coaches in professional sports~

~ Hey Jordan Crawford, talkig trash to Melo about his wife is a classless as you can get. We will all monitor your game next year in the D league~

~ Sorry Bruce Bowen was on of the dirtiest players ever, and gets no respoect here-none.~ PS lose the cheesy  bow ties~

~ Shaq, you are on point with a lot of your analysis, but the world is tired of hearing your self congratulatory smugness. If you stayed in off season shape as much as you talk, may be you would have won a ring for the king huh?~

~ Amare, you are a true warrior, and even know you may not ever be the STAT of old, you get major dap here~

~ Love Baz Luhrman, but featuring Jay Z and hip hop in the Great Gatsby works as well as Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph on the Knicks~

~ Love Josh Smith, but giving his "max money" is about as bright as giving  Lindsy Lohan house sit for you~

~ David Stern, you can not fine me, but the NBA playoff officiating has sucked. From bad calls, to missed calls, to overall cluelessness, it gets lot of Donaghy suspicions up~

~ This just in: JR Smith has just missed another 10 straight shots, and dad says "that my boy!"

Celtic Pride, 2004 Red Sox, and the Men in Black.

They can go from brilliant to asinine to in a New York minute. That is precisely what the New York Knickerbockers have done. Perhaps it is cognitive. They become unhinged at the slightest provocation. Unless Will Smith called and requested a hoops homage, the team's decision to dress in all black to ostensibly preside over a mock Celtic playoff burial  was about as bright  as the guy who robbed the liquor store next to the police station. From JR Smith's "inadvertent elbow," to his ill-timed trash talk, bad judgement and the Knicks seem to sync like bad hair and Donald Trump. It simply underscores the fragility of that little thing called momentum. When you are up 3 games to zero, mentally tough teams are locked-in on sucking the life out of the opposition and closing out the series. Not the Knicks. Their first-round playoff drought dates back to 1999. Until this year they have won a grand total of three post-season games. Their unearned arrogance is steeped in some opague  logic and fake tough-guy bravado.  Providing fuel to fire up the listless Celtic team is just what the Knicks did not need. The battle-scarred, championship-lathered Celtics are imbued with  the mettle of 17 banners hovering above, global empathy from the recent Boston terrorist act, and the still fresh memories of their brethren in Fenway's 2004 historic resuscitation from a 3-game World Series deficit to defeat the  New York Yankees.

As they head back to Boston, still up 3 to 2 , do not think for a  minute the Knicks are not feeling a wee bit tight. After, finally winning the division and seemingly toying with the Celtics after three games , the pressure is on. There is a lot at stake.  For championship-famished Knicks fans, Melo may become the new A-Rod-and at least he has a ring.  Carmelo Anthony is weighed down by his playoff impotence. Melo's iso-heavy, ball-stopping, highly-inefficient scoring prowess  has seen success beyond the first round only once in 9 years. Sure he has made tremendous strides this year by learning  to make plays for teammates and play both sides of the ball. But franchise players endure the burden of failure and success like a too heavy anvil draped around your neck. It can feel like Sisyphus in hades.  On the other hand, JR Smith is trying to fumigate the stench of  his litany of off-the-court  transgressions and perpetual on the court erraticism. Winning Sixth-man of the year will be for naught, if the Knicks succumb to a collapse of historic proportions.

Coach Woodson will also feel the wrath of 40 years of pain, if he can not make the requisite adjustments and win this series. His over reliance on three-point ball and unimaginative  iso-ball, is devoid of any weak side plays, half-court flex-motion sets, old school back-door cuts, give-and-go, or post-ups. Play-off ball is about adjustments and adjustments to the adjustments.  Forget the 52 wins and winning the division. If the Knicks suffer another first-round flame out  ........things in NYC will get really, really hot for Woodson, Melo, and Smith. Go ask Willie Randolph and Mark Sanchez. Everything is bigger in NYC-that includes winning and playoff self-immolation.

The fire is burning and the war has started, can you handle the searing heat?

The war has started. No, I am not talking about any skirmishes in the Middle East. Nor am I referring to any escalations of violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Africa. I am speaking of NBA playoff war

Time for Coach MIke Woodson to step up.

NFL hall of fame coach Bill Parcells once famously said, " you are what your record is." That may apply to the NFL where the best teams do not always win in the one-and-done ,win-or-go-home playoff landscape. In the NBA there are two seasons. There is the mentally exacting, emotionally draining, physically exhausting 82-game grind. Then there is the white-hot spot light of the post-season where pressure is ratcheted up to inferno levels. It is here where legends are born. So conceivably a team  may enjoy tremendous regular season  only to flame out when the fire is hottest. In 1994-95 you had the 47-win Houston Rockets knocking off the 60-win Stockton and Malone led Jazz. In 2011, the 8th seeded Memphis Grizzlies knocked off a Spurs team who had the best regular season record in the NBA. Who can forget the biggest stunner of all time when Nellie's all offense , no defense  Warriors whipped the No. 1 seeded Dallas Mavericks who sported a 67-15 record. Alluring visions of the New York Knicks playing the Miami  Heat in the Eastern conference finals may be a very seductive narrative for championship-famished NY fans. Reality however  suggests a harsher version of the truth. Despite sitting a top the Atlantic division of the Eastern conference at 32-18, the Knicks may in reality be only the fourth best team in the East. Their own elephant in the room may be coach Mike Woodson.

Knick general manager Glen Grunwald  summed it up when he said :"I think teams have adjusted to our offense a bit." He added, " we need to evolve." No truer words have been spoken. In the NBA, it is not just adjusting, it is how you adjust to the adjustment. Like an superb counter puncher, you have to be active and reactive with multiple game plans. Coach Woodson, may have imbued these Knicks with  toughness, an accountability metric,and no- favorite pecking order, but his dearth of imagination on the offensive end  is hurting the team. It goes back to his head coaching days with the Atlanta Hawks. In his six year run with the Hawks, Woodson complied a 206-286 record ( .419)  while leading the Hawks to the playoffs three straight years. The highlight was his 2009-2010 team that finished with a 53-29 record before getting smoked by the Magic 4-0 in the Eastern conference semifinals.  Woodson's hybrid Larry Brown/ Bobby Knight  tough old school defense- first philosophy stresses a heavy does of personal accountability. He is not afraid to get in the grill of his teams top players. In addition, he relates well to his players and they respect him. In his Hawk days, Woodson's offensive schemes were derisively coined "Iso-Joe" for the inert ways of their star player Joe Johnson. The Hawks often featured variations of the same predictable ball-stopping, iso-heavy offensive scheme's featuring Johnson. Either Johnson was hoisting up off-balance contested long 2's, shooting early in the clock three-pointers, or passing the ball for other long 2's or late in the clock three-point shots. Needless to say, this led offensive stagnation and  resentment from the other four players on the floor who were often reduced to spectator status.

After taking the reins from the Mike D'Antoni horror show, Woodson led the Knicks to a first-round playoff thumping from the Boston Celtics. With the season ending injuries to Baron Davis, Iman Shumpert, and Amare Stoudemire's "thrilla in the locker room" with a fire extinguisher, Woodson received a free pass. Spurred by this seasons surprising 18-5 start with two confidence-building wins in Miami, and the dismantling of the San Antonio Spurs,Woodson could do no wrong. But in NBA , teams figure you out. You must have a counter. It is here Woodson has rolled snake eyes.The Knicks are at their best when they are playing unselfishly and moving the ball from side to side making defensive's rotate multiple times. As former Knick coach Jeff Van Gundy would say, " give up the good shot to get the better shot."  When the Knicks play like that they can play with any team . Unfortunately for the Knicks that is happening too infrequently. The early season success has given the Knicks a media-infused unearned sense of entitlement. They are clearly not as good as they think the are. It is exacerbated by a overall low team basketball IQ. Outside of Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, and perhaps 35-year old rookie for Spain Pablo Prigioni, the Knick are not a very smart team in the court. They are thin-skinned, do not like physical and aggressive defensive play, and will often resort to their ball stopping, iso-play while whining to the referees about  non-calls. On the defensive ends, the sole defensive stalwart is rim protector and pick-and roll  defensive extraordinaire Chandler. Without him, the Knicks would be an eigth seed at best . It is Chandler, not Carmelo Anthony who the straw that stirs the drink.  The manifestation  of Woodson's failures are reflected in some  key offensive statistics The New York Knicks are dead last on the NBA in assist percentage( percent of field goals that are assisted . They are also dead last in points in the paint ( 38.3).They rank 22nd in the NBA on free throw rate( free throws attempted /field goal attempted) and 28th out of 30 teams in  in assist ratio. Simply put, there is way too much iso-play, and not enough ball and player movement.

The two biggest culprits are the Knicks two biggest scorers Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith.  The "bad Melo" is an inefficient, ball-stopping, high-volume iso scorer where teammates stand around and watch him do his thing. This year we have seen more of the "good Melo"  making plays for teammates t with better ball movement, quick reads off the double-teams, and dropping  occasional dimes to cutting teammates. As of late we have seen more of the "bad Melo."  While he leads the NBA in scoring he has done so with an inefficiency that has hurt the team.  While he leads the entire NBA in usage at 31.8( the number of plays a player uses per 100 possessions) Melo  has fallen in love with the 3-ball heaving up 6.6 3-pointers a game-nearly double his career average. One could argue he is shooting 38 percent from downtown, but the team  truly needs him to attack the basket more and put pressure on opposing defenses rather than settling for early in the clock 3-pointers.   He assist ratio( the percentage of a player's possessions that end in an assist) is  9.1- the lowest of his 10-year career.That would not be so bad if  most of his 2.8 dimes a game did not lead to either long 2's or 3-pointers( with only 0.9 leading to scores at the rim). His true shooting percentage(which calculates what a player's shooting percentage would be if it accounted for free throws and 3-pointers) is is 92nd in the NBA. Let's not forget Melo is only shooting 44 percent form the field.  So much for the empty declaration of  Melo's becoming a more efficient  scorer. Yes, he has made strides, but he clearly has a ways to go. The MVP talk is ludicrous.

His gunning partner in crime is JR Smith. Smith  is John Starks without the defense. He  puts the streaky in streaky shooter. While he has  made strides under Woodson, averaging career highs in dimes 2.9 and rebounds 5.1, Smith's unrepentant gunning shoots the Knicks out of as many games as he keeps them in. He hoists up at least four momentum killing 3-point bricks a game. Despite a handle and the ability to finish at the rim( 64.4 percent) , Smith has also  fallen in love with the 3-ball. You could live with it if he were not  averaging a measly three free throws a game. But the deal breaker for even the most fervent Smith supporters, is his woeful shooting-career lows across the board. Smith is shooting only 39.9 percent from the field and 34 percent from downtown, with a true shooting percentage of only 50.1( second lowest  of his career).  Like Anthony, most of Smiths assists lead to either long 2's or three-point shots. The Knicks can not ever expect to be true contenders without a more efficient Anthony and  a reliable second  scoring option.

It is here where you would expect Woodson to make adjustments  right? Wrong! When everyone including   the sight-impaired could see he had the wrong starting  five on the court, Woodson persisted as if he had a point to prove. Clearly the injury-diminished Iman Shumpert was ill suited to play the 3, while the age-diminished Jason Kidd should not have been playing the off guard. When two of your prime scoring positions  are averaging a combined seven points over 10 games, while playing porous defense, it is time for a change. To make matters worse, Woodson is still calling the same plays.  Woodson should be calling more half-court motion sets and  weak-side plays that feature flex cuts, flare screens, ball screens, down screens, dive cuts, wing pick- and- rolls, 4-5 five pick-and rolls with Stat and Melo, Smith in high-pick and rolls to get him to attack, and pin downs to free up their best shooter Steve Novak, Woodson stays well..... like Woodson- stagnant and inert. It is the same diet of high-pick-and-rolls with Felton and Chandler and more iso ball with Melo and Smith . This is the epitome of predictability.  One has to wonder if Woodson has the coaching DNA to take a team to the next level . It is easier to make a bad team good, then to take a good team and turn them elite.

The free ride for coach Woodson will end this season. If Woodson does not evolve, he will end up either  running his successful construction business or in the broadcast booth awaiting his next job interview. It won't be long before agitated  Knick fans are calling for Phil  Jackson or perhaps even  Brain Shaw. This time Charles Barkely, may be right when he calls the Knicks " fools gold." They are a good team- a bit schizophrenic-but  remotely  close to being a true contender. Forty years with no championship has a way of making the mind see alternate realities. To be good you have to change, to be great you have to change often. Coach Woodson where is your counter? You are about to see New York fans at their worse.
.

Best Center in NBA ( hint it's not Tyson or Dwight)

Soft, slow, laterally challenged, plays small, and of course poor rebounder, are all adjectives draped over Brook Lopez like an over sized jersey. Fast forward to 2013;you have a new arena, a true point guard, a superior shooting guard, and a coach with a semblance of offensive imagination. What do you get? A Brook Lopez who is outplaying all  NBA centers. Mark Twain may have said  there are " lies, damn lies, and statistics," but the numbers tell a "Brook-credible"story. Lopez has with a PER of 25.33( player efficiency rating measuring statistical per minute production) that ranks fourth in entire NBA-right below some guys named LeBron, Kevin, and Chris.

Sure you can talk about Tyson Chandler, or a diminished Dwight Howard, an emerging Demarcus Cousins, or even Andrew Bynum who has not even suited up yet. But, Brook is playing at a another level-a level that plays out well in the post-season. Lopez is finally playing with the physicality and aggressiveness  his supporters have been yearning for since he was drafted in the first round with the tenth pick in 2008. No longer is Brook hoisting up fall-away jump shots on the perimeter. Rather, he is dominating the interior in this new era of "spread the floor small-ball" by positioning himself under the rim. As a result not only is he is shooting a career high 72.6 percent at the rim, he is sporting the highest offensive rebound rate of his career at 10.9 percent.

Offensively, he is more cognizant of the double teams and he is making quicker more decisive decisions with the ball. That includes passing when opposing teams double on the catch, and re-posting on the blocks using  shot fakes to gain better position while drawing fouls. He finally seems to understand how to use his 7 foot 1, 275 pound frame to his advantage. Moreover, Lopez is also one of the few NBA centers  equally as effective on the pick-and-roll as he is  the pick-and-pop. He is a prime beneficiary of new Brooklyn Net's coach PJ Carlisimo's flex-motion offense where is the primary scoring option.

Defensively, no one is confusing Lopez with Tyson Chandler with his ability to show and recover on pick-and-rolls, but is is showing a better overall court awareness especially on rotations and help defense. His unique ability to block shots with both hands has translated to nearly 2.3 blocks a game-fifth in the NBA. He is also averaging only 2.1 personal fouls a game, second lowest of his career.

Lopez's greatest impact will be in the playoffs where the game slows down and the ability to get points in the paint are critical. This is where the Nets have an advantage over say their New York rivals on 33rd Street. The Nets have two elite-shot creators and a true post presence.   If the Nets do pick up some shooters at the trading deadline( they are discussing a Kris Humphries  for Ben Gordon swap), they will be a tough out. For now Lopez has stepped up and made his detractors look rather myopic when discussing his well chronicled limitations. Bigs take longer to develop then smalls, and Lopez will only get better with time. With some help the best team come playoff time may be the one without Carmelo.

THE EXISTENTIALIST

Mix a dab of Kierkegaard, a sliver of Sartre, a pinch of Camus, a bit of Hollinger, and a dose of Chappelle, and what do you get? You get NBA RAW's: "Existentialist." Henry David Thoreau once said, "it is not what you look at, but what you see." And the truth is definitely stranger than fiction. Our new feature column  revolves around some of the surreal, sublime, and absurd goings-on in the NBA.

December 29, 2012

-With all due respect to the dilettantes in DC, is NY Knick swing-man Ronnie Brewer anything like the fiscal cliff? His play is outright frightening.

- New definition of "delusion": Monta Ellis comparing himself to D Wade. If I did not see this one myself, I would surely say it was a joke. Monta, Monta, wake up....please your scaring the kids.

-There are some inevitabilities in life: death, taxes, Rush Limbaugh will always say something very stupid, and billionaire Russian oligarch NBA owners, who overpay on tier-two talents, will fire their coaches after going 14 and 14.  Hey Prok, I guess those bold championship proclamations are as valid as say.... Patrick Ewing's guarantees?

- Doc J's afro: very cool, Andrew Bynum's afro: ridiculous. Kid's high-top fade: very cool. Iman Shumpert's high-top fade: ridiculous. Gentlemen note: style is not what looks good, style is what looks good on YOU. The fashion police have spoken.

-You have two rings, and beautiful girl, a few great kids, solid ad work with T-Mobile,do you really think it's time to become Bruce Bowen 2.0? Sure, D Wade the groin kick to Ramon Sessions wasn't really a kick? And pulling  Rajon Rondo down and dislocating his elbow, knocking Rip Hamilton out of bounds, and then breaking Kobe's nose in an all-star game are all aberrations, right? 

-Nikola Pekovic is NASTY in the paint. How many of you know last year on a per-minute basis, he was the NBA leader in points in the paint?

-Is it me or did pre-Kim, Kris Humphries use to be a fairly solid player?

-Coach Avery, time to become a bit less autocratic more flexible, less micro-managing on the play-calling, and realize you have won no rings. This is still a player's league and you have to modify your approach. Coach Rick Carlisle will give you a few tips on that.

-Yes, Steve Nash is still that guy. 

-Hey Deron, excuse me for being a tad bit forward, but aren't you supposed to be a franchise point guard?  PS Jerry Sloan says the feelings are not reciprocal.

-Iso-Joe............. hmm....................., guess Danny Ferry saw something.

-Oops, lets get off Brooklyn.

- Hey DeMarcus, talent gets you to the NBA, but the mental keeps you there. PS look up Roy Tarpley and Chris Washburn. Hint, that is where you are heading.

-Hey Coach Brooks, you may not have read the memo: the Thunder are much better at crunch time when you do NOT have Perkins, and Sefolosha on the floor at the same time. It has something to do with floor-spacing.

-Andre Drummond is REAL. 21.32 PER, 20.1 Rebound Rate, shooting 69 percent at the rim. He and Greg Monroe are going to be something to behold.

-The Clippers are coming out of the West. You heard it here.

-Shaq, my bad for calling you out a while back. Dwight Howard is NOT dominant. When healthy, D -12 is a game-changing defender, but he is not dominant. Can we be friends again Diesel? I'll pay for Shake Shack. Get it Shack, as in.... forget it.

-Hey, Barkley it's been a while since you said something dumb, you OK?

-Can someone ask Wizard GM Ernie Grunfeld, what exactly is his game plan?

-If I'm Utah, I say bye to Al Jefferson by the trading deadline.

-Phil Jackson in Brooklyn? Are those the same pundits who nailed the Romney -Ryan 2012 election win? This just in: "Phil Jackson says he will come to Brooklyn if Prokhorov's billions can buy a time machine and trade for a vintage MJ , Pippen, and Horace Grant. His last demand is call them the Brooklyn Bulls. Nah, I'm only kidding. Phil said "hell nyet."

-Hey Coach Woodson, at what point do you consider giving Chris Copeland -with a 20.3 PER- some more shine at the 3 instead of........ say perhaps, Ronnie Brewer?

-Last time I checked, David Lee is averaging 19.9 points with 11 boards on nearly 54 percent shooting. The Warriors are  also 21-10 with no Andrew Bogut.... It's official , D-Lee is legit.

-Happy New Year, hoops fans. See you in 2013.

How real are the New York Knicks?

The year was 1973. US Troops withdrew from Vietnam. Richard Nixon denied involvement in what would would become the Watergate scandal. The Godfather won the Academy award for best motion picture. Roe v. Wade made abortion a constitutional  right. Americans were bopping to Bob Marley, Abba, and Elton John. On Thursdays, we welcomed the Walton family into our homes. On the hardwood, at 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue, the New York Knickerbockers-in the quintessential display of symmetry, balance, and team ball-defeated the fearsome Los Angeles Lakers 4 to 1, to become NBA champions. Fast forward 40 years, and the pain of everything from  the  Kent Banister, Eddie Lee Wilkins years, to the crushing dominance of the Jordan-Pippen Bulls still weighs on Knick fans like bowling balls in a suitcase. Do we dare forget the John Stark's 2 for 18  game seven horror show in the 1994 finals? What about  hoops dystopia under the toxic trifecta, Jim Dolan, Isiah Thomas, and Stephon Marbury? Further down the road, you have the implosion of D'Antoni's speed-ball and the basketball tsunami called Linsanity. It seemed like only yesterday. Well... actually it was. After this long tortuous road, that would have made Sisyphus grimace, there is finally have a glimmer of hope. Yes, Knick fans have a reason to smile. With nearly a quarter of the season gone, the Knickerbockers are sitting a top the Eastern conference with a 15 and 5 record. While no one is mistaking this crew for Reed, Bradley, Debusshere, Frazier, and Barnett, the town is percolating with optimism. Beating a depleted Sixer team and post-Dwight Howard Magic squad is one thing. But, smashing the champion Miami Heat team with  Lebron, Wade, Bosch, and Ray Allen by 20-TWICE? Then going on  to beat San Antonio on the road, these are not your father's Knicks.

 Knick general manager, Glen Grunwald, is the chief architect of one of the seasons true surprise teams. His   savvy acquisitions of battle-scarred, post-season warriors have imbued this Knick team with a fortitude, confidence, and resiliency needed for playoff wars. Kurt Thomas, Rasheed Wallace, Jason Kidd, Marcus Camby have given these Knicks a swagger not seen since the Oakley, Ewing, Mason, and Starks  years. This vet-stacked squad  has a winning point differential of 7.7 points-third in the entire NBA, behind the Spurs and Thunder. They are also number one in least turnovers committed per game at only 11, number two in team offensive efficiency 109.9 ( the number of points a  team scores per 100 possessions), while shooting a ridiculous 40.6% from downtown-third in NBA.

But most impressively the ball is moving. Basketball oracle, Jason Kidd, sees to that. His ability to settle down the team, execute at crunch time, and keep composure under pressure may not always show up in the box score. Kidd, however, is an indispensable piece to team success. He may have lost a few steps, but his ability to slide over to the 2, gives the Knicks two ball handlers on the first-unit (with point guard Raymond Felton). It allows for better offensive flow-especially weak-side ball reversal and spacing. Felton is showing his first stint with Knicks was no fluke. He is the Knick's second leading scorer at 16.5 points  a game, dishing out nearly seven dimes, while keeping opposing teams honest;he is shooting 41.2 % from behind  the arc. His player efficiency rating-PER( a player's statistical per-minute production)- is 18.27% -the highest of his career.

Tyson Chandler, the anchor of the stiffing Knicks defense, is also its leader. His mobility, dexterity at showing and recovering on pick-and rolls, the rim protection, the communication on defense, is the engine that keeps things moving.  He is their Kevin Garnett. Chandler is also having one of his best all around seasons. He has a  PER of 23.6(highest of his career) while leading the NBA with a 73.2% true shooting percentage(calculates what a players shooting percentage would be if you accounted for free throws and three-pointers). He not Carmelo is the most valuable Knick.

But one has to focus on the all-around play of Carmelo Anthony. IN his TRUE POSITION- the 4- Melo is  math-up nightmare. He now stretches the floor opening up the driving lanes. His handle on the perimeters, and quickness on the blocks, allows him to  give the Knicks a nightly positional advantage.blow g by his too quick on the perimeter for opposing 4's, He has finally started to focus on the non-scoring facets of winning ball. One need look only at his dive in the stands against the Hornets to save a loose ball( resulting in a lacerated middle finger on his non-shooting hand) to see Melo is finally getting it. His passing out of the double teams, his nightly commitment to defense are all intangible elements that have produced immediate bottom-line benefits. And this is all being done without two of ther pme-time players: Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert. If Woodson does what he better do, have Stoudemire as a leader on the second unit, this Knick will  field the kind of depth  that championship teams boast. Imagine a starting five of Chandler, Melo, Brewer, Shumpert, and Felton. Your second unit would be Sheed, Stat, Kidd, JR, and Pablo. You can now go small, big, or any where in between.

The are however, some early season structural fissures that must be addressed. If not they are likely to derail this Knick championship aspirations. Elite teams must be able to produce offensive in variety of ways. The Knicks love affair with long-distance dialing has undermined many a team. Right now the Knicks are taking-and making three-point shots. They are averaging 33.2 points in the paint. Only the Wizards are worse. Nearly 35 percent of their points are from downtown-first in NBA. As troubling, they are only 18th in the NBA in 4th quarter points with 23.1. Now factor they are 25th in free throws attempted,28th in percentage of points from from free throw line, 25th in assists( and this is with better ball movement), and 28th in rebounding a disturbing pattern emerges. Simply put , you will NOT win an NBA championship like this. The Knicks must stop relying on the three-ball and attack the basket more. For starter, Carmelo is  not finishing like is should. He is only shooting 52.5 percent at the rim, and 26.3 percent from 3 to 9 feet-both career lows. While he is shooting a stellar 46.2 percent form long 2's ( his best ever), he is only dishing 2.1 dimes with an abysmal 0.6 percent leading to shoots at the rim.

JR Smith is averaging the most minutes in his career 33.2, yet outside of 3-point shooting, he seldom attacks the basket. With his athleticism and handle, that is patently unacceptable. Coach Woodson must address.  that. Smith is also having trouble finishing (could be due to unfamiliarity). He is shooting a career worst 50 percent at the rim. Smith is also mired in a troubling shooting slump.He is only shooting 41 percent. Could it be the propensity of off-balance, fall-away 2's?  By  having Smith and co. attack the rim, with Melo posting-up more, you are not only getting easier, higher percentage looks, you are putting pressure on the defensive. Moreover, opposing defensive's will smarten up and start doubling Melo on the catch, the dribble, fronting him more( as Battier in the play-offs) and what is plan B? Who is the reliable second scoring option that all championships teams have? Is it Felton or Smith? Is it  Stat  or Shumpert when they get back?  Oh, and let's not forget Sheed. "Ball don't lie"  has been a net plus. But please get him on the blocks more. He should not be launching half of his shot attempts from the Queensboro bridge.

The good news is the season is still young and these issues can be addressed. Mike Woodson has proved to be a great motivator, a solid x's and o's guy, and great fit as coach. But in the NBA, it is all about adjustments and how you adjust to those adjustments. Its time coach to dial-up your inner-Red Holzman and figure this all out. Long suffering Knick fans are relying on you.