[h1]As Knicks wait on 2010, signs point toward improvement[/h1]
Peter Vecsey
SARATOGA SPRINGS - So, the final season of "Clearing the Crap, er, Cap" gets underway for the Knicks this afternoon with a preseason tip-offagainst the Nyets at the Times Union Center.
Nothing screams "big ratings" quite like daytime exhibition basketball on a football Sunday.
As if anyone remotely attuned to the NBA has to be reminded . . . romancing LeBron is 271 shopping days away.
The smart money in the Capital area is betting the Knicks are a month away from becoming less relevant (not in my book) than David Paterson.
Never one to jump to conclusions, unless on deadline, I'm holding off making a definitive decision on the team's (mis)fortune until
Danilo Gallinari finds his legs/shooting touch, Eddy Curry gets his first wind and the realDarko Milicic (please!) stands up for more than one straight scrimmage.
Say this much for the training campers, though - at least Barack Obama hasn't told them not to run.
Following several look-sees, my educated guess is Mike D'Antoni's sequel season ought to be reasonably better than the 32-50 wretched resume of ayear ago. Incorporating a defensive emphasis into his coaching values (something he haughtily resisted in Phoenix upon request from management) should go along way toward capturing games misplaced in the heart of the matter (18 losses by five or fewer points) in D'Antoni's unveiling.
That is, if the players cooperate by actually learning defensive fundamentals and nuances that have managed to escape them to date, the effort isunremitting for an entire schedule, not just the first 60-odd games like last season, and help is there in the underbrush when urgently needed.
Having Milicic Roamin' like Polanski cannot help but tighten security. Listed at 7-feet, the six-year Serbian veteran appears conspicuously taller toteammates
David Lee and Jared Jeffries (confidently shooting surprisingly well from outside),who are convinced he's minimally 7-2.
Team president Donnie Walsh says, "Before Darko arrived Rik Smits (7-6) was the only player I ever had who had to tilt his head when walking into myoffice."
"Having Darko means the world to us,"
Al Harrington gushes. "Last yearwe had no line of defense when someone breached the interior. Our best shot blocker was Wilson (Chandler). Darko's length, athleticism and shot blockingability are going to make trespassers think twice about driving to the basket."
Milicic hasn't flat out dominated, but teammates and coaches say they can see signs why he was the second pick of the draft in '03. All indicationsare he's a flawless fit in D'Antoni's pick-and-pop system.
Aside from proving protection in the occupied area, Milicic can shoot, pass, run the floor (though his chosen speed often leaves a lot to be desired),rebound with two hands when he puts his mind to it and dunks on all challengers.
The coaching staff and teammates long for Milicic to transfer all those tools from practice to games on a regular basis.
Is eighth place in the Eastern Bloc rationally within the Knicks grasp?
"We're healthier, more familiar with each other, the rookies are talented and we got a good bunch of guys who get along"
David Lee allows.
"Seems like everyone in the media is writing this off as a wasted year until the real players come aboard," Harrington huffs. "We ain'tplayin' that role. We talk about it all the time. We ain't waitin' for next season. I got a lot of pride. So do my teammates."
By my count, the Knicks' roster is swarming with six impending free agent refugees. Harrington, Lee, Nate Robinson, Larry Hughes, Milicic and ChrisDuhon all are in their final season of servitude and, as we well know, no one in New York not named Bloomberg is guaranteed a job for life.
Fleeting experience with humans and the species known as professional athletes suggests selfishness tends to seep into the locker room and on the court inthis type of a situation. Temptation to pad ones' stats is almost always irresistibly ruinous.
"Scoring a lot of points on a bad team is not viewed in a positive light by management," underlines Harrington, amazingly embarking on his 12thseason and yet only 29. "It gets you nowhere! I lived it in Atlanta. I averaged 19 points (18.6) in my free agent year and we won something like 23 (26)games."
Let's not get carried away; while Harrington may have been "forced to settle" for $36 million from Walsh's Pacers the summer of '06,it's not like collection plates had to be passed to keep him in limos for his feet.
At the same time, Harrington's thrust is irrefutable: The Pistons reached the Eastern Conference finals that same season and defensive specialist BenWallace was rewarded with a $60 million, four-year contract by the Cavaliers.
"Management wants players who can help a team win. At the end of the day, that's all that matters," attests Harrington, so zealous aboutfinishing his career as a Knick he promises to share the ball now and then.
IncrimiNate has yet to be heard from.
"We got to overachieve and the only way we can do that is to sacrifice individual stats for the good of the team," Harrison said. "We win asa team and everyone gets to carve up the payoff."
Even if it means having to go elsewhere.
This just in, Part I: Quentin Richardson was not traded yesterday. Now a member of the Heat after succinct pit stops with the Grizzlies, Clippers andTimberwolves, the slimmed down (dropped 35 pounds) ex-Knick holds the league record for being dealt the most times (four) in the least amount of time (threemonths).
This just in, Part II: Jerry Krause proclaimed, "Presidents don't win Olympics, organizations do."