Best of the Week: Knicks, Knicks and more Knicks
Nov 20, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. The Pacers defeated the Knicks 103-96 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Each week, the internet blows up with basketball writing from a number of sources. And each week, Right Down Euclid co-editor Chris Manning will be compiling them for you reading pleasure, starting with the best from Right Down Euclid and moving on to the entire NBA. This week features a brilliant essay on why we watch the NBA, information on the NBA’s new stats and more. Have a suggestion? Tweet Chris @cwmwrites or e-mail him at christopherwmanning@gmail.com.
From Right Down Euclid
Examining Jarrett Jack’s Offensive Struggles by Trevor Magnotti
Our own Trevor Magnotti did an excellent job breaking down the struggles of one Jarrett Jack and notes something that I think deserves more attention: Jack has historically played better when he is on a good team. This Cavaliers team is fairly average thus far. Is there a good chance his struggles are due to the frustration of not winning?
Four Early Thoughts on the Cavaliers by Dan Pilar
Also at RDE, Dan Pilar gives some early thoughts on the Cavaliers, including what to make of Mike Brown and Anthony Bennett.
Breaking Down Bennett by Justin Rockhold
Lastly, here’s the first ever piece by our newest writer, Justin Rockhold. He breaks down the horrid start by Anthony Bennett down to the littlest of details.
The Major Headlines
Derrick Rose leaves Bulls’ game with injured right knee (GIF)
Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol injures knee, team schedules MRI
Andre Iguodala leaves Warriors game, with hamstring injury, ‘felt a pop’
Dwight Howard Fined 25k for throwing ball into the stands
Gordon Hayward just missed out his chance at history
Billy Hunter says Kobe Bryant wanted the CBA
Melo: I don’t want to see Shump traded
Ricky Rubio on his fourth quarter benching: “I think it affect[s] me in a bad way.”
From Around the Web
James Dolan Dishes on Knicks, Ranger and Isiah by Mike Vaccaro
Unquestionably, this is the first thing you should read. While not all of it is NBA related, it’s a glimpse into the mind of the one of the worst owners in all of sports. And he believes that his team can still win it all. Just incredible.
Knicks in Crisis (Again) by Colin McGowan
Like the title indicates, this week’s ‘Best of’ has a very large amount of New York Knicks related content. This piece by Colin McGowan (who also edits the Cavaliers True Hoop Blog) is very much worth your time, as it reminds you of how insane the situation in New York really is.
A Foolproof Plan to Fix the New York Knicks by Andrew Lynch
Here’s more Knicks talk! If only the Knicks were capable of rational basketball decisions.
The Carmelo Anthony Myth by Kevin Metz
This was not what I was expecting from the title. Over at Fansided’s Buckets Over Broadway, Kevin Metz makes the case that Carmelo is better than we all think he is. I don’t particularly agree with the overall sentiment, but it’s well written and worth your time.
Also, that’s the last link to Knicks content.
The Power of Transition Threes in the NBA by Jared Dubin
I’m a huge fan of breakdown pieces and this was the best one I read this week. The stats show that teams are shooting threes at a higher clip than ever this season and Jared Dubin expertly breaks down how deadly they can be in transition, focusing in on Stephan Curry and Ryan Anderson, amongst others.
The Repeater Tax is going to transform the NBA by Mark Deeks
Mark Deeks does a great job here pointing out how, moving forward, it’s going to be hard for teams to stick together in the long run. This could mean shorter windows for teams to legitimately contend and that in turn could trigger so many different ripple effects.
5-on-5: Will Chris Paul be the best point guard ever? via ESPN
Let the debate ensue.
Twin Peaks: As in life, Marcus and Markieff Morris lean on each other by Marc Spears
As a twin, I really enjoyed this story. If they really could play the rest of their careers together, that would be an incredible story that could take a large bit of luck. Side note: Markieff looks more and more like a piece every time I watch him play.
The Truth about Jabari by Evan Hall
Jabari Parker, undoubtably, is going to take the NBA by storm next year when he will be taken with a Top-3 pick. But if you know anything about his background, you’ll know how interesting he really is. Either way, read this.
The rerise of Jeremy Lin by Jay Caspian King
Jeremy Lin made his return to where his NBA career took off this past week, and as a result, we got this great essay from Grantland’s Jay Caspian King. Lin truly is one of the more interesting players in the NBA right now – and not necessarily for what happens on the court. This essay convinced me of that fact.
The Defense Rests by Zach Lowe
Predictably, Zach Lowe makes an appearance here because, well, he’s Zach Lowe. This week, he breaks down the sieve that is the Houston Rockets defense and why, at this point, it’s not Finals worthy. Also, there’s a very good trade idea in the footnotes involving Omer Asik.
The Death of Len Bias, My Generation’s One-Person Shock Doctrine by Dave Zirin
Len Bias would have turned fifty years old this week and, instead of mourning a death that came far too soon, we could be taking a nostalgic look back at an outstanding athlete. But alas, he was gone in a moment and Dave Zirin eloquently looks back at the impact his death had on a generation.
Is Jan Vesely finally becoming useful? by Ben Mehic
It is the important question, after all.
The completely fictional oral history of the Cavaliers’ players only meeting by Sam Vecenie
This, by far, was the funniest thing I read all week and really points out how ridiculous the hoopla over the Cavs players’ only meeting was. It happened, we don’t and will never know what really went down so let’s move on. End of discussion.