If you’ve ever wanted to see an NBA head coach attempt to get through to his players, it’s never more evident then during a crucial fourth-quarter timeout. You can often find a head coach pounding Sharpie markers on a makeshift court in the form of a white clipboard, as he lay down offensive sets and defensive schemes.
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Players huddle around like a group of frozen hikers at a campfire.
Players take note or, in some unfortunate cases, just go through the motions. After a merciful end to their season, it’s clear to see exactly which side of that pendulum Knicks head coach Derek Fisher fell on. Let’s be clear, the 2014-15 Knicks were never stock piled with championship caliber pieces. But don’t let anyone tell you they were the ’73 Sixers.
Look no further then the effect that some very notable former Knicks are having in these playoffs. Seven former Knicks who were able to save themselves from the Garden fiasco have become major contributors to their teams.
Cleveland (J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Timofey Mozgov), Houston (Corey Brewer, Pablo Prigioni, Trevor Ariza) and Golden State (David Lee) have all happily taken the Knicks castaways and turned them into legitimate contributors that now stand on the cusp of playing for the NBA’s ultimate prize.
It begs the question, what’s more toxic: the players or the Knicks environment? The fact that numerous Knicks leave the organization and seemingly snatch renewed life speaks for itself.
Prigioni, the ever-reliable veteran point guard was the one source of energy and reason off the Knicks bench – a rare sight in a dysfunction-laden squad.
Other than Prigioni, the general sentiment around the organization was that the growing bellyaching of Smith and Shumpert was a clear indication that the team needed to strip down to its frame and rebuild around Carmelo Anthony and their brand new lottery pick.
The Cavaliers, while in the middle of a mid-season swoon, sensed the moment, and capitalized. On Jan. 7, Cleveland was a below .500 team with massive championship expectations, when they pulled off the shrewd maneuver of trading for Smith and Shumpert.
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Smith, having a reputation as a slacker who frequently disappears in games, immediately became the reliable outside sniper the Cavs were looking for. His 3-point field goal percentage rose to 39.0 from 35.6, while he increased his scoring from 11 to nearly 13 a game.
Shumpert’s numbers suffered, thanks mainly to a dislocated left shoulder, but his impact on defense along with Mozgov might be the x-factors that have Cleveland in the East Finals.
The benefits to the Cavaliers have been clear. Post-Smith/Shumpert trade, they finished the year 34-9 while improving in nearly all defensive and offensive team categories. Meanwhile in Houston, Prigioni has left his fingerprint on the most important of games.
The Rockets use Prigioni in spurts, with head coach Kevin McHale often inserting him in to disrupt offenses, and be the pesky defender he’s shown to be. Prigioni’s biggest asset is arguably his relentlessness. He was a thorn to the side of Chris Paul during the Rockets Game 7 clincher. He gets it. He gets his role, he understands stakes, and he’s unafraid of the circumstance.
If you’ve watched the Knicks, you know often times there is a predisposition to get lost on defense or disappear in the backdrop on offense. On any given play, it’s almost unsurprising to find Smith wandering on offense, or Shumpert gambling on defense.
These are the microscopic things that make or break playoff runs. A new environment is just what they needed. Now the Knicks need to figure out how to make their own environment conducive to player development and manufacture the chemistry that enables potential to flourish.
Lets just hope they’re taking note.
Next: NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of All Time
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