dantian wrote:Clyde_Style wrote:knicksosmoove wrote:amar'e shouldn't be the scapegoat after this game . . . he was fine . . . he helped us get back in during the fourth, and then played good enough D on garnett (really Amar'e is not that terrible a post-up defender, I don't think). some games where he's clearly taking the night off on defense, I want to kill him though. definitely had one of those nights against the Cavs on Wednesday.
Amare wasn't that good. He was OK which is better than usual of late, but to say he was actually good is an overstatement. He blows about half of his inside possessions and gets stuffed all the time, tonight included. He has no lift and only jams convincingly when there no one contesting him and even then he managed to blow a jam. He was ok at best, but not what we need from our starter at PF. The team started off like crap in the first quarter and Stat was particularly useless in the beginning of the game as we quickly fell behind. He is typically ineffective at the beginning of games and this idea that he needs time to warm up is getting old. Now we're being told by some apologists he needs a whole season to warm up.
Amare was the most effective player on BOTH sides of the court for Knicks in this game, next to Shump. The loss is squarely on MDA's stubbornness to let his PG play through all troubles and his bizarre concept to let Fields/Chandler touch the ball and make off. decisions more than Melo/Amare. Lin was lost out there until the 4th, when he was finally instructed to feed the ball to Melo more consistently. Seeing how Amare and Lin didn't have enough chemistry to create good space when Amare got the ball some how and how he could still make thing happen, either scored close-in or his misses led to off. reb. and score by Chandler, it's clear Lin should involve Amare/Melo a lot more earlier on. Yet, after the break, it's 3-4 time in a roll Fields was to make decisions to start the 2nd half and Amare almost never got the ball until very late in the 4th.
Oh, not to mention the many passes Chandler fumbled would not have the same fate with Amare. It's not discrediting Tyson but rather demonstration of a simple fact: under tight defense, talent comes through and will win you the games in the end, or lose it if you fail to properly utilize the talent on your team. Look at Celtics and see how many times they go early to Pierce/KG/Allen as first option compared to Melo/Amare getting the ball as 3rd option or very late in the clock. But I don't blame Lin cos he is inexperienced. MDA's "system" is to blame which is in its tone "anti-elitism" , in the maxim "we take what defense gives us". Yes, defense will give you "let Chandler/Fields" make decision and make you lose at that!
To be clear, I did not pin the loss on Amare. I consider this very much a collective loss. Look at how many turnovers we produced due to wild and sloppy passes from not only both of our PGs, but everyone else. I can't believe we had this game almost won after playing as sloppy as we did. Out of all of that I can find some good points for most of our players, but aside from Shump's second half performance I cannot honestly say anyone was great. I think Melo did good things that I consider progress in the right direction, particularly with his going into the paint and challenging Boston at crunch time and converting on most of his shots.
I feel Stat was giving an effort and over the whole game I consider him about neutral. I don't feel he was great, nor do I feel he made a real difference in the game. He is showing periods of trying on D, but he also disappears and he was not focused in on D to start the game.
I still think you are looking his performance on a grading curve. Compared to what he has been doing, his grade is above average. Compared to what his own standards once were and what we should expect from our star PF, he is still mediocre. Improvement is good and he was better today than most games this season, but I'm not going to applaud him for being a mediocrity.
On offense, I still see most of the same issues. He is still flat footed under the basket and getting stuffed. He still somehow manages to end up too far under the basket and unable to get back up for a clear lay-in or stuff. He is not quick enough or decisive enough with his moves within 10 feet of the basket so the defenders collapse on him once he does step forward and they are often above him by the time he releases.
What is possibly improving is his jumper may be getting a little better and he is getting a little more active on the offensive boards so he is able to help keep the ball alive for second chances off other guys' misses or get a putback. But I do not see much athleticism yet. He hesitates a whole lot and blows easy makes still.
He gets a C+ IMO and that's better than the F grades he's been pulling in a lot of games, so for me that is a thumbs up, not bitching and moaning. He has nothing to boast about right now. He has a long way to go to justify his salary.
