Diagnosing New York Knicks' Remaining Roster Flaws
Just when you think head coach Jeff Hornacek has settled on his primary bench players, an entirely different collection of backup Knickerbockers sweeps in and blows the roof off Madison Square Garden.
The second-half lineup helped power the New York Knicks to a much-needed 110-96 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night and support the argument I've been making to frenzied family members: The 3-4 Knicks do not need new players, just new lineups.
True, the Knicks' greatest problem overall is defense.
Rim protectors go to help buttress a weak perimeter, and the ball-handler passes to the man who just cut down the baseline. An easy two points ensues. Wings muff switches on the pick-and-roll, colliding with one another and leaving both their men free (believe it or not, but New York's pick-and-roll D looked markedly better last night after the much-maligned Kurt Rambis took over as defensive coach).
Yet the Knicks bench has also struggled mightily to score. While the starters ranked 10th in points per game, the bench was way down at 21st. Without at least one bona fide scorer in the mix, both units have barely been able to keep their heads above water, even when the defense has held.
Then, when the offense's darting attacks in transition don't find their mark, the stilted pace seems to hurt their transition defense as well.
But all is not lost! There are tweaks to be made.
Give Cheese a Chance
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Lithuanian small forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas could be the key offensive spark the Knicks bench needs.
Grittier than his smiling face and delicate frame would lead you to think, he's an excellent rebounder, fearless when driving to the hoop and able to drill buckets from downtown with ease (44.4 percent). He averaged 10.0 points in under 15 minutes during preseason, including an 18-point, 10-rebound blitz.
"Cheese" still zigs when he should zag on D from time to time, but you'll also find him picking Brooklyn Nets' pockets or linking up with Brandon Jennings for a smothering double-team against the Utah Jazz.
Still, he's had a tough time getting minutes. Hornacek has been partial instead to Justin Holiday and Lance Thomas at the respective 2 and 3 spots. After a rough start to the season, Thomas has looked much better his past two outings, and Holiday has emerged as a good defensive presence, but neither can score like Kuzminskas.
Cheese finally got some meaningful minutes this week and put them to good use. For now, he has the best plus-minus on the squad (4.3), just ahead of Joakim Noah (don't get too excited, though; small sample sizes play fast and loose with stats).
Hopefully it's the start of more opportunities to see his sparkling game and smile.
Have Another BJ-Chick-Willy with Cheese
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Take a Brandon Jennings—that bolt-of-lightning point guard who is essential to the Knicks bench—and add in Kuzminskas. What other ingredients do you need for the perfect bench?
Hornacek might have hit on the winning combination during the second half Wednesday night: rookie center Willy Hernangomez and—yes, you guessed it—Sasha Vujacic.
The foursome (which we'll call the BJ-Chick-Willy with Cheese) were teamed up with either Carmelo Anthony or Kristaps Porzingis. The four had an impressive plus-minus of 12.0 with KP, holding opponents to just 21.4 percent shooting from the field. With Anthony, they went plus-3.0, and the Nets didn't sink a single field goal, probably because they were too stunned by Anthony's searing hot streak at the time.
These one-starter lineups achieved a per-minute plus-minus of 1.8. The only one that ranks better (1.9) was Jennings, Justin Holiday, Lance Thomas and Maurice Ndour (BLT Holy Moly) with Porzingis, but they only played one minute and scored two points.
Sub out a starter, and this foursome might function well with the new-and-improved Kyle O'Quinn at the 4 beside Hernangomez—a pairing that has worked surprisingly well—or Lance Thomas, who is finally beginning to look like himself.
O'Quinn, Thomas, Holiday and Ndour have all provided some solid play, but it may be time to try them as the reserves or as additions to pump up the D instead of the first called off the bench.
Consider Benching Courtney Lee
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I suggest this with trepidation, and certainly not as a punishment for Courtney Lee.
It's simply that the starters could probably live without him, while the bench needs a cool and steady hand like the unshakable Lee.
The starters actually have a better plus-minus with Justin Holiday in the lineup in Lee's place, and while the BJ Chick Willy with Cheese did well against the Nets, the Knicks bench might need more than Vujacic power against stiffer opposition.
Courtney Lee could keep the bench D locked down while kicking up the offense. He doesn't shoot often while in the starting lineup, because it already has KP, Rose and Melo to add points to the board.
Yet when called upon to be the go-to guy, Lee can rain down jumpers and drive to the bucket. He's shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 42.1 percent behind the arc for the season.
Make Porzingis the Go-To Guy
4 of 5When the Knicks put the ball in Kristaps Porzingis' hands, beautiful things happen.
To be a true legend, KP must learn to create his own shot, but for now he needs to be fed: 75.9 percent of his made field goals have been assisted by a teammate (and 100 percent of his three-pointers).
For the first several games of the season, Porzingis faded into the scenery because he wasn't getting the attention he needed, but once the Knicks finally started executing flowing ball movement and looking for their young sharpshooter, he started to cook.
On Nov. 4 versus the Chicago Bulls, the Knicks gave a stunning 32-assist performance. KP was one of the biggest beneficiaries, finishing as the team's top scorer with 27 points in the inspiring 117-104 victory in the Windy City. The night included one trailing dime from Rose that led to a monstrous KP slam in transition so breathtaking that I nearly fell off my stool.
A 25-assist night for the Knicks Wednesday also led to another 20-plus-point performance for Porzingis and a W for New York.
The offense flows through Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings and Joakim Noah (who has point guard-esque assist numbers, averaging 4.6 per game currently). But when the Knicks look for Carmelo Anthony, things often screech to a halt. Mind you, that's not entirely Melo's fault. He's so excellent in isolation that the rest of the team will often hang around, stock still, watching to see which way he will score on the poor, helpless defender.
They ought to continue moving and get open for the next pass.
When Rose, Noah and Jennings look to Porzingis first and use Melo as the close-second option, as opposed to the other way around, they're both keeping the offense moving and giving help to the player who needs it more.
Keep the Finger off the Trade Trigger for Now
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We're two weeks into the season. Relax.
The Knicks have 10 new players on the roster to incorporate (including Ron Baker and Marshall Plumlee, who were just recalled from the D-League after being sent there earlier this week).
Just because the team is not operating like a well-oiled machine yet doesn't necessarily mean it's broken or missing some pieces; it might just mean that the coaches misread the assembly instructions or haven't finished tightening the nuts and bolts.
One month from now, it may be a different story.
If the defense hasn't vastly improved, it might be time to call the Miami Heat or Memphis Grizzlies to discuss the fact that their teams are strong defensively but have this little problem with not being able to score points. Maybe a deal could be made.
For now, Phil Jackson should watch from the stands during games—not practices—and let the coaching staff work their magic.
All stats from NBA.com/stats and accurate as of Nov. 11. Disagree with Sara Peters on Twitter @3FromThe7.
