Czar Star: Danilo Gallinari

January 9 by 1 Comment

Italian import Danilo Gallinari is creating a buzz in the Garden, along with David Lee and Wilson Chandler, that hasn’t been heard for far too long if you’re a Knicks fan.  In his second season we’re seeing signs of a potential All-Star player.

Thursday night in the final minutes of the fourth quarter — and with the momentum starting to shift to the Bobcats — he coolly hit a big 3.  Then a couple possessions later he knocked home the dagger from 5-6 feet behind the arc.

Not everyone has what it takes to make that shot, especially in New York, and we’ve seen Gallinari do it several times this season.  I like his makeup: he missed a couple clutch free throws some weeks back and whereas a lot of young players might get down on themselves, he didn’t — instead going on a free throw tear over the next few games.  We know he has the three — he’s living up to Coach D’Antoni’s pre-season praise by leading the league in 3-pointers made — and this year we’ve seen him play off it and get to the rim with an improved first step.

If Gallinari continues to develop his game the sky is the limit and the Garden could be rocking like the days of old. In fact, after a terrible start the Knicks may even slip into the playoffs this year — which will be a good experience for the young guys.  My only knock on Gallinari: he’s no Sinatra.

Filed Under: Czar Star Tagged With: ,

On the Road with Mike: Back in New Orleans

January 8 by Leave a Comment

Arrived in New Orleans with the Nets last night.  Like most of the country this city is locked in freezing cold temperatures – definitely a tough break for Marvelous who was looking forward to a stroll down historic Bourbon Street.  And unfortunately for the Nets, the Hornets are healthy and playing their best stretch of basketball so far this season.

After a slow start the Hornets have steadily moved up the West standings and are now over the 500 mark. The Nets on the other hand are trying to bounce back from a couple of poor performances, which can be tough on the road.  But sometimes being away from the distractions at home and the tough questions from the media actually helps a team come together and focus.

Traveling in the NBA, especially now with charter planes and improved training facilities, isn’t as difficult as it used to be. The biggest issue with going on the road – besides the challenge of packing for a long stretch – is losing practice time and knocking players off their routines.  A lot of these guys are creatures of habit and it’s important to keep a certain rhythm to a season. That was impossible back when I was coaching the Hawks during the 1984-85 season.

I remember when Ted Turner called the coaches and management into a meeting and told us he had the opportunity to make $1.2 million if he agreed to let the Hawks play 12 of their home games down in Louisiana. This was during the early years of TBS and Ted was looking for capital to keep things moving as the NBA wasn’t yet the tremendous business that David Stern has built it into.

It was also a rebuilding year for the Hawks and attendance was down — so Ted agreed to the one-time arrangement and the Hawks hosted a dozen “home” games at UNO’s Lakefront Arena.  We wound up playing 53 road games and only 29 games at home in Atlanta that season.

Filed Under: On the Road with Mike

Fired Up: When’s That Bowl Game Again?

January 7 by Leave a Comment

The waiting is almost over — counting down the hours ‘til tonight’s long anticipated BCS National Championship.  Maybe I’ve just grown impatient with age, but feels like I’ve been sitting in the movie theater watching the increasingly drawn-out and dull previews for too long.  Let’s get on with the show already.

I used to enjoy turning on the TV New Year’s morning and watching a steady stream of marquee bowl games — the Fiesta, Sugar, Orange and Rose – perfect way to kick off the new year.  Now it’s difficult to keep track of the 34 bowl games that span a lengthy 3-week postseason.  The addition of so many periphery bowls in an effort to generate revenue has diminished the once remarkable occasions.

From a coach’s perspective, it’s got to be incredibly challenging to sustain a team’s momentum and keep the players sharp — both teams have been waiting for 33 days since winning their respective Conference championships.  Seems excessive and a bit unfair to the players as well as the fans.  Let’s hope tonight’s Tide vs. Longhorns battle is worth the wait.

Filed Under: Fired Up Tagged With: , ,

Fratello Fundamentals

January 7 by Leave a Comment

Always challenge your opponent’s jump shot. Unless he’s cashing in on a foul at the free throw line the shooter should never get an easy look at the basket. In last night’s game the Hawks wound up shooting almost 60% largely because they had so many wide-open shots.  As in the previous game against the Bucks, the Nets did not hustle to put pressure on the shooters, which resulted in runaway leads both nights.

Watching your defense give up open looks at the basket drives you crazy as a coach. Contesting shots is just a matter of will and effort, not talent, so there’s no excuse for letting your man have a clean look. The defensive side of ball may not be glamorous, but night in and night out it’s where games are won or lost. If you look at the field-goal percentage splits, contested jump shots are made significantly less than uncontested shots. You must get a hand in the shooter’s face on every attempt – that’s how games are won.

Filed Under: Fratello Fundamentals

Czar Asks You

January 7 by 25 Comments

A lot of people thought after Blake Griffin that last year’s was a shallow draft class.  But the freshman pool has proven deep and 40 games in, it looks like this may go down as one of the top drafts for guards in NBA history.

We have Tyreke Evans in Sacramento threatening to work his way into the 20/5/5 club — the current three members of that club: the Big O, Jordan and LeBron — doesn’t get any more exclusive than that.

Last night I had the chance to see Evans’ fellow Rookie of the Month Brandon Jennings in action against the Nets and a couple of things come to mind:  incredible speed and quite a haircut. Back in the eighties I managed to grow a couple inches thanks to my ‘do as well.  Jennings went for 55 points earlier in the season usurping LeBron as the youngest player ever to do so. A lot of teams will be kicking themselves for years for letting this guy slip. He has the quickness and vision to break down a defense along with a surprising jump shot.

When the Wolves took Jonny Flynn sixth in last year’s draft it raised a few eyebrows after taking Ricky Rubio the pick before. Well that selection is looking pretty good now with Flynn averaging 14 ppg and 4 assists — and along with Jefferson, Love and Brewer forming a promising core in Minnesota. Now they have to figure out what to do with Rubio and all the cap room next year.

On draft night Stephen Curry thought he was going to join Rubio in Minnesota, but ended up going one pick later to Golden State. He’s shooting 46 percent from the field and 42 percent from the arc this season. In Tuesday’s game against Denver, he hit six consecutive 3-pointers en route to 26 points. I like Curry’s game and his demeanor on the court; he’s going to do his dad proud in this league.

And finally don’t overlook hard working, hard playing Taj Gibson.  Back in the Bull’s starting lineup, he’s improving day by day and could be a sleeper in the Rookie of the Year race.

I anticipate a photo finish.  Who do you like for Rookie of the Year?

Filed Under: Czar Asks You Tagged With: , , , , ,
«Previous Page
Next Page»