After backing Isiah as a coach and a GM, I have to come back to the drawing board and rethink my stance. Last nights loss versus the league-worst Boston Celtics changes some things.
The Knicks only play good defense when their confidence is high, and that only happens when they're scoring. The team has one reason to blame for their loss last night: they got down by 23 points in the first half. The fact that they took the lead midway through the fourth quarter really doesn't apply. If they played the first half anything remotely close to the way they played the second, they would've been able to afford the late run by the Celtics that won them the game.
The Knicks started Malik Rose and Jared Jeffries at their forward positions last night. When you lose a player like Jamal Crawford, you would think you'd want to make up for his lack of scoring. Malik Rose is completely offensively inept. The team had no success getting the ball into Eddy Curry in the beginning of the game because he was being double and triple teamed. So where was the ball ending up? In Jeffries' and Rose's hands 20 feet away from the basket (not exactly where you want it).
Please, Isiah, think about your personnel. Channing Frye has virtually been lights out with his perimeter jump shot -- make him use it! That will only open things up for the rest of your offense, and you won't find your team down by 20 points at the half to the worst team in the league.
