Many questions have surfaced around the recent play of Chris Duhon. As the point guard of the Knicks -- or any other team, for that matter -- Duhon is expected to distribute the ball and create fluidity among his teammates. He has undoubtedly not been able to do that since the closing days of February. He has continued to commit costly turnovers and has become a liability for the Knicks.
It recently came out that Duhon has been playing through injuries to his back and ankle; reducing his speed and flexibility on the court. This is not only evidenced by his diminished passing expertise, but by the steals he has suddenly failed to accumulate. Before February, Duhon averaged a solid and valuable 1.3 steals a game. Since then he has averaged 0.3 steals each contest; moving his season average to a less than desirable 0.9.
Nate Robinson has become the Knicks' best scorer since the three games before the All-Star break. Robinson has proven that he is capable of being the great scorer for New York, and that the team can function with the ball being passed through his hands on every possession.
In addition to scoring, Robinson can pass. But the key word is 'can'. He hardly feeds the rest of the players, which is a detriment to the Knicks team. He needs to realize that it's not okay to drive in the paint 95 percent of the time he has the ball. While he does make a lot of his shots or get fouled, the ones that he misses are poor attempts. What makes his misses so maddening is that they can definately be avoided. Too many times I've seen him run past Danilo Gallinari or Wilson Chandler who would have an open look for a three-point shot or to get into the paint. Robinson has denied the ball to David Lee, a player who is 7th in the NBA in field goal percentage, and decided to take it himself.
I'll admit that Nate Robinson is a great basketball player and a phenominal athlete, but his style of play is not team oriented, and that's not what you want from a point guard. He needs to alter his game for the greater good of getting his teammates more touches. And if Chris Duhon is hurt or continues to play poor basketball, Robinson needs to do that in order for the Knicks to succeed and finish the year strong with a playoff berth.
----------
Video: Danilo Gallinari vs. the Bucks
This was bad on paper. 0-of-5 from the field, 0-of-3 from downtown, 2 points and 1 steal in 16 minutes. On his first shot, there was a great deal of contact and a foul should have been called. The officials were off their game on Tuesday. Play-by-Play Man Mike Breen was not shy about pointing that out on the TV broadcast.
On his second shot, Nate Robinson gave Gallo the ball at the right time, but Luc Richard Mbah a Moute rolled off the screen extremely well and stuck him.
His third attempt was rushed by the shot clock. His fourth was rushed by himself. And the fifth was a good shot, but just didn't find the bottom of the net.
Everyone has an off night. Even the best.
More Video: Danilo Gallinari vs. the Pistons
This was better. 8 points on 2-of-3 shooting, all coming from behind the arc. Also, 1 steal. Breen pointed out how on The Rooster's first shot attempt, he wasn't negatively influenced at all by his poor shooting night against the Bucks. On top of that, he hit the shot. That's a sign of good things to come.
--Max Caster
0 comments:
Post a Comment