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When given the opportunity...Nate can score. He was practically the only bright spot from last nights game against Houston and showed some toughness down the stretch against the spurs the other night.

I don't know I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable when Nate starts taking those shots, than anyone else on the team.

He should be the team's 6th man because Lee should be starting.

Nate's our best shooter. I feel comfortable with him shooting more than anyone on this team.

knicksNOTslick wrote:Nate's our best shooter. I feel comfortable with him shooting more than anyone on this team.

yep. it was the steph/nate backcourt with lee as small forward that looked the best in lary brown's time here.

i'd like to see that backcourt again.

Isiah has to let him loose

He can be Bobby Jackson on the great King's teams of the late 90's

hes definitely becoming a favorite. good to see him maturing. he understands the game a lil better although theres still glimpses of the old nate but overall i like him...

god shammgod wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



yep. it was the steph/nate backcourt with lee as small forward that looked the best in lary brown's time here.

i'd like to see that backcourt again.

steph's game has been castrated over the past 2 years.

i don't like steph at all but isiah has made him practically ineffective asking him to play a way he simply can't.

We have 3 guards that could probably score enough to win a game. Steph, JC, and Nate.

Nate and Steph starting is/was good for a couple reasons. As said, Nate is our best shooter, which is big b/c our team can't shoot well. Lee at the 3 is not really a good idea, but it worked b/c Lee on the court in general is very good thing. Also Nate and Steph starting means that JC is in his best role, 6th man.

Nate/Steph starting backcourt is not a great long term solution, if for no other reason defensively (alhtough Steph has shown to be better guarding SG's, but still then the opposing PG still has a huge size advantage over Nate, as opposed to the other way around if JC starts.)

With the current team though i think Zeke should go back to the Steph/Nate starting w/ JC off the bench. It would be better to have a better SG to play w/ Steph and have JC off the bench, Jones might work.

I guess I'm nuts but I feel like several minor moves could fix things if Zeke or preferably a new guy got 2-3 years. 2 years of lotto picks then make a playoff push in year 3. Biggest things, defensive big, a solution at the 3, and better guard. And i said minor, b/c one could be solved via draft (big=Jordan; SF=Greene or Beasley; Guard=Rose, Bayless, Mayo, Gordon), one via MLE (if lucky depending who you are, Artest, maybe Pietrus or Childress), meaning only 1 trade (I would prefer ZBo out..conttact/chemistry reasons).

djsunyc wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



steph's game has been castrated over the past 2 years.

i don't like steph at all but isiah has made him practically ineffective asking him to play a way he simply can't.

I'm not the biggest steph fan in the world either. But he's a player who needs to be allowed to penetrate and score, and dish it out. The paint is clogged.

Curry and Randolph require spot up jump shooters. Players have to make the entrance pass, but not a whole lot of passing is crucial in an offense built around them. What matters is that the players around them can hit their jump shots.

Meanwhile Lee, Balkman and Jeffries, can't really shoot, but they are good cutters, great passers, handle the ball great for forwards and are very athletic and fast. Clear up the paint, and have tons of screens. Pick and roll from the high post, back door passes. Lots of cuts. This team would actually be pretty good on defense and would be great in terms of rebounding. Lots of fast break buckets.

The forwards are very compatible with Nate, Jamal and Marbury.

Wilson Chanlder and Mardy also are suited to this style of play. With this system in place, we draft a top point guard and things will fall into place very quickly.
Guards: Steph, Mardy, Nate, Jamal
Forwards: Lee, Balkman, Jeffries, Chandler, Malik
????
In the long run we try to add the following three pieces.
-Point guard in the model of Paul/Nash/Kidd/Payton/Stockton-----we need a floor general because most players on this team can't score for themselves, but are smart and athletic enough to get themselves easy baskets. (it is possible to find these players----look at Calderon for example...) Hopefully we get Derek Rose.
-Defensive center who protects the paint (gamble in the draft for potential stars). Tyson Chandler/Kaman/Amare/Ben Wallace/etc./etc.
-A perimeter threat in addition to nate who can spread things out.

I have stayed a fan even when others wanted to ship him out. He is a great offensive weapon off the bench. If the rest of our team wasnt so hurting hed be a great bench guy.

I think he can once or twice, but not consistently.

All of our players can take over a game...I think Nate is just resilient. He is definitely someone who believes in himself.

He can do it in spurts. Either against opponents' second teams, or when we're behind by a lot. We can't just unleash him every night. If he just goes 'off', he just becomes another And1 baller without any discipline. We have to harness his skills and direct it properly. He can be very effective for us.

djsunyc wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



steph's game has been castrated over the past 2 years.

i don't like steph at all but isiah has made him practically ineffective asking him to play a way he simply can't.

Agreed completely.

knicksh20b wrote:All of our players can take over a game...I think Nate is just resilient. He is definitely someone who believes in himself.

And that one asset may be what separates him from the others.

king_k4life wrote:He can be Bobby Jackson on the great King's teams of the late 90's

bobby jackson never ever played a game for the kings in any part of the 90's ....fess up you just started watching basketball in 2004 after the marb trade because your basketball knowledge is pretty pathetic.

http://www.nba.com/playerfile/bobby_jac ... stats.html

Nate is special. He might be our best player we don't even know.

Dude can average 20 ppg easily, he shoots a higher percentage than jamal, and even though he can be posted up all night long on D? he's still a physical player who will fight for the ball, get steals, and pressure the opponent and make some special plays like the block on yao last year.

Nate should be our starter at the 2 spot, and guard PGs. A guy like Mardy Collins would be perfect next to him. A playmaker on offense, and a solid defender who can guard swingmen. (like Snow and Iverson used to match).

C Curry/Randolph
PF Lee/Randolph
SF Chandler/Balkman
SG Nate/Crawford
PG Collins/Crawford

should be our rotation

buyouy James and Marbury. Shop Zach.

Nate is a very talented and tough player.

Yet he's best suited for the energizer, 6th man role off the bench. When he can handle the rock, do his thing with the second unit and score in bunches. Just like Crawford.

For a starter he not only lacks height but also smarts and basketball understanding.

nate is the knicks best shooter and most explosive player. The problem with nate is that he does not have any true, PG skills, if he did, he would be a hell of a PG. right now, he should get heavy minutes off the bench, and with correct coaching can be a much more effective player.. right now, we just don't have a good coach...