The Arbitrary ChuckJerry

The Knicks record doesn't really reflect the steps forward that the tem has taken in the last hafl year or so. Joe says that Knick fans are playing the half full game when we talk about their potential, but I think it's more than that. At this point, though, it's clearly just potential that we have to be hopful for.

But let's take a look at that young crop of gies. The most impressive of all of them is Channing Frye. Larry Brown does not easily play rookies (see Milicic, Darko), but Channing is not only playing, but has earned a couple of starts in the last few games because of his good play. He's got a nice shot and plays fairly consistently, which is pretty good for a rookie. I can see him being a player in the mold of Chris Webber, making outside shots and smart passes. Playing for Larry Brown would seemt o be a good sign for his defensive ability, so I'm optimistic about that.

What is somewhat disconcerting at this point is not necessarily the team's inconsistency, but rather Larry Brown's inconsistency. There's an article in the New York Post today about that inconsistency and some of the weird moves he has made. At least 6 or 7 guys have rotated between the starting lineup one game to a DNP the next game to the inactive list the following game and back again. Some examples, Penny Hardaway started the season on the inactive list and the last two games has been the 6th man. David Lee looked like a promising rookie and at one point early in the season he was the team's leader in rebounds and also in hustle plays. Larry Brown praised his play and his hustle. Recently he hasn't played and has in fact been on the inactive list. Matt Barnes went from a starter a couple weeks ago to a guy who got cut from the team altogether.

The one guy who's not playing up to his potential is clearly Stephon Marbury. He's been enormously inconsistent and has looked really bad at times. He hasn't dominated a game this year at all, while there have been games where Jamal Crawford has taken over and a game where Channing Frye took over. It's conceivable that Brown is fucking with his head and that Brown's inconsistency is making it hard for Steph to know what to do. Not that Marbury is a winner to begin with, but he at least used to take over games in the 4th quarter.

Every game at this point is a toss up. If they win it's a surprise and if they lose then they invariably just look like they haven't gelled. I think Brown's odd roster decisions have played a part in that. I do like their potential, though. Crawford seems more under control this year. Curry looks good when he's not hurt or in fould trouble. Nate Robinson has been a spark plug, and will contribute more if he calms himself down and stops trying to drive the lane on the Ben Wallace's and Tim Duncan's of the league. I'm going to withold judgement at this point until the end of the season.