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  • International Players Still Foreign to NY Knicks

    You'll need New York Times Select to view the link, but here it is anyways: link

    International Focus Is Still Foreign to Knicks
    By HARVEY ARATON

    A noteworthy pattern emerges from the opening week of the Knicks’ 2006-7 season. And a characterization that not only contrasts them with opponents but helps sum up the state of professional basketball in cosmopolitan New York: downright unworldly.

    Opening night, on the road, the Knicks narrowly beat a Memphis team without its one indispensable player, the Spaniard Pau Gasol.

    In Atlanta, they couldn’t handle an unheralded center from the Republic of Georgia, Zaza Pachulia, who torched their soft interior for 22 points.

    In their home debut, the Knicks trailed Indiana by a point going into the fourth quarter, but the Lithuanian guard Sarunas Jasikevicius scored 14 of his 16 points. They lost by 14.

    To the Knicks’ credit, they didn’t quit last night after being down by 19 in the fourth quarter. But the Spurs, a team with five contributing foreign-born players orbiting their hub — Tim Duncan of the United States Virgin Islands — brushed them off for a 105-93 victory at Madison Square Garden.

    China’s Yao Ming awaits the Knicks in Houston on Friday night, the Spurs again Saturday in San Antonio and, beyond that, more reminders of how a worldwide basketball revolution somehow happened without the franchise from America’s greatest melting pot.

    The Knicks play in what New Yorkers have been conditioned to believe is the world’s most famous arena, but there are American cities, without intricate train lines tunneling underneath the building, that have more sophisticated basketball operations.

    Deep in south Texas, the Spurs have won two championships since the French point guard Tony Parker and the Argentine pit bull Manu Ginóbili (they combined for 39 points and 17 assists last night, 5 more than the entire Knicks team) became the fruit of Coach Gregg Popovich’s longtime fascination with the international game. Dallas came close last season behind a German, Dirk Nowitzki.

    Across the Hudson, in trendy East Rutherford, N.J., the Nets have a Serbian center, Nenad Krstic, whom they stole with the 24th pick of the 2002 draft and wouldn’t trade for any combination of Knicks. Utah may be one of the country’s most homogenous states, but the Jazz frontline features a Russian, Andrei Kirilenko, and a Turk, Mehmet Okur.

    In sun-drenched, conservative Phoenix, Coach Mike D’Antoni brought his freewheeling offense and it became the N.B.A. rage, quarterbacked by a Canadian (Steve Nash), with a touch of France (Boris Diaw) and Brazil (Leandro Barbosa) on the wings. Bryan Colangelo, who hired D’Antoni away from the Italian team Benetton Treviso, became the front-office heavyweight in Toronto, brought in the respected Benetton executive Mauricio Gherardini as assistant general manager and sprinkled his roster with foreign-born flavor.

    On and on the revolution reigns, except in rare places, Manhattan among them. Dozens of young men from afar have come to David Stern’s league of opportunity in the 21st century to realize their dreams while the Knicks have remained in an international scouting stupor, or sound asleep, having a recurring nightmare about Frédéric Weis.

    Weis, a young French center, was the 15th pick of the N.B.A. draft in 1999 by the Knicks and was greeted with such skepticism and scorn when he arrived in New York for a summer rookie camp — the Knicks had passed on Ron Artest — that he went home, never to return.

    As the Knicks general manager, Scott Layden dabbled in foreign currency, with a couple of second-round picks that amounted to nothing. Isiah Thomas’s reign has been marked by an insularity so thorough you have to wonder if it has been by design.

    His one training camp invitee this fall was Nikoloz Tskitishvili, a Georgian who was selected fifth by Denver in the 2002 draft and failed to earn playing time on four teams in as many seasons.

    While the rest of the league has been test-driving imports, Thomas has steadfastly purchased big American reputations and punitive bloated contracts. Is this dogged provincial strategy ultimately pragmatic? In the global economy, are they Knicks or are they hicks?

    Forget Nowitzki, Yao or Gasol. Landing a great player is more often about the luck of the draft draw. But look around the league at how many useful players have come from abroad via the second round, or as veteran free agents. An Andres Nocioni (Chicago) here, a Beno Udrih (Spurs) there. Could there not have been five big men in Europe — perhaps even Weis — who would have come to the Knicks much cheaper and been more useful than Jerome James?

    This isn’t a call for diversity or quotas. If you have one of the blessed American-born stars — a Dwyane Wade, a LeBron James — you don’t worry about what’s in vogue. But as Popovich, an Air Force Academy graduate with a degree in Russian studies and a Serbo-Croatian family background, said of basketball without borders: “This is not a trend in the sense of furniture or fashion. It’s a fact. And those who don’t understand that are going to be left behind.”

    Sound like any team we have been watching the past few years?

    The more spirited post-Larry Brown Knicks say they want to play fast, just like Phoenix, but basketball is no track meet. The running game requires guards who rebound, who understand the game’s geometry and spacing, who make a living off ball and body movement more than the yo-yo dribble. The passing game requires a big man or two who can step out and hit the jump shot, the way it’s long been done in Europe.

    This was becoming obvious as far back as six years ago, when the United States Olympians escaped the Sydney Olympics with a gold medal, their last in a worldwide competition.

    “What we learn from them is what they learned from us,” Stern said in Sydney.

    How can New York City, of all places, be among the last still living in the past?
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  • #2
    As much as I dislike the NY Times for their more often than not left leaning views, I have to give this one credit where credit is due, and for god's sake why is Starbury still there?
    "A nationality that easily feels wronged is an insecure one, and one that will be difficult to progress."-Anonymous

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    • #3
      Yes an interesting article

      Comment


      • #4
        they better starts recognizing it. Yao psoted 35 points, 17 rebounds, and 7 blocks. made curry and lee look like tree stumps out there with those baseline turn arounds he does
        "A nationality that easily feels wronged is an insecure one, and one that will be difficult to progress."-Anonymous

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Phantim3dx
          As much as I dislike the NY Times for their more often than not left leaning views, I have to give this one credit where credit is due, and for god's sake why is Starbury still there?
          Drudge Report fan, Jay? I love the New York Times, nothing out there like it. As far as New York (or any other team for that matter) not having international players on their roster can only be attributed to inept or insufficient scouting, or just plain old xenophobia.

          Stuart
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          • #6
            Here are some questions to contemplate on:

            1. What do you guys think of the article?
            2. Would you say that foreign players are the way to go?
            3. Would you build your team around a foreign player or a College/ HS superstar?
            4. a. Speaking of franchise players would you do the same thing as Toronto and draft Andrea Bargnani at number 1?
            4. b. Why or why not?


            Here are my answers:

            1. What do you guys think of the article?
            Quite accurate. I am hoping that there would be a change in management and change in coaching staff. I used to be a HUGE Knicks fan back in the 1990s since Patrick Ewing was my favourite player and John Starks was a pure joy to watch as well as the team's trademark tough defense.
            If there is not a change in management and coaching staff I see that they will never obtain the right foreign players needed and highly unlikely that they will have any or very few number of imports.

            2. Would you say that foreign players are the way to go?
            Depends on the goal of the coaching staff. Being a non-American and a HUGE fan of international basketball I would say that it is the way to go. Two main reasons, personally speaking, their 'team first' mentality followed by their fundamentals which is an asset for any team.

            3. Would you build your team around a foreign player or a College/ HS superstar?
            I would however, it would definitely have to be a big man rather than a swingman or a point guard.

            4. a. Speaking of franchise players would you do the same thing as Toronto and draft Andrea Bargnani at number 1?

            Yes

            4. b. Why or why not?
            Reason being is that upside, versatility and work ethic that has been described and displayed from numerous sources, however, it will definitely take time before Andrea becomes a Dirk type superstar.
            "No hay poder en el mundo que pueda cambiar el destino"
            -El Padrino

            Comment


            • #7
              1. Accurate
              2&3. The answer here is also relevant to question 3 for me. FIRST AND FOREMOST the NBA and in my frank opinion 99% of all other leagues out there are in it for the business of making money, nothing personal just business. So from the business perspective it depends how marketable the player is and it does not matter what part of the world he is from. Personally I would put a roster with at least 2 intl players. Sure if the breakout player is from HS and is one of those rarities i'd want one but I would want intl players in the squad because quite frankly their fundamentals exceed those of the American players. They've taken what we taught them and have come back to teach us what we lost...thanks And1. If you look @ the teams that have won championships (yes as in plural form) you'll notice the core of their team have had a substantial amount of intl based players. Look @ the Bulls and their dynasty, their head mean was Jordan, but they had the role players of Kukoc and Longley to add in those little pieces of what gave them the ring, and crowned them WORLD CHAMPIONS. Rockets when they won had olajuwoon (yes it's spelled wrong and I am too lazy to correct it), the Spurs are a prime example here of Parker, Ginobilli, and the rest of their supporting cast. I assume teams like the Lakers or Cleveland Cavaliers probably get more in terms of marketing because of their big names, but it now all depends on what the trade off is and balance, a well known team because they won championships or a team known for their individual all stars and how much they produce in terms of financial assets for the organization.
              4A&B. Yes If i were the owner/mamaner of some team and given he opportunity I would draft an intl player such as Bargnani especially at his young age and develop them more so due to the competition level they won't receive anywhere else except in the NBA. Again if you are looking for answers, I already stated that intl players have better fundamentals and the idea of team first comprehension. Like anything else drafting someone number 1 well never be a gauranteed success it's all a matter of risk, that's why the NBA and every other league there is, no matter what sport, in the end is a business.




              Originally posted by Saskibaloia
              Here are some questions to contemplate on:

              1. What do you guys think of the article?
              2. Would you say that foreign players are the way to go?
              3. Would you build your team around a foreign player or a College/ HS superstar?
              4. a. Speaking of franchise players would you do the same thing as Toronto and draft Andrea Bargnani at number 1?
              4. b. Why or why not?


              Here are my answers:

              1. What do you guys think of the article?
              Quite accurate. I am hoping that there would be a change in management and change in coaching staff. I used to be a HUGE Knicks fan back in the 1990s since Patrick Ewing was my favourite player and John Starks was a pure joy to watch as well as the team's trademark tough defense.
              If there is not a change in management and coaching staff I see that they will never obtain the right foreign players needed and highly unlikely that they will have any or very few number of imports.

              2. Would you say that foreign players are the way to go?
              Depends on the goal of the coaching staff. Being a non-American and a HUGE fan of international basketball I would say that it is the way to go. Two main reasons, personally speaking, their 'team first' mentality followed by their fundamentals which is an asset for any team.

              3. Would you build your team around a foreign player or a College/ HS superstar?
              I would however, it would definitely have to be a big man rather than a swingman or a point guard.

              4. a. Speaking of franchise players would you do the same thing as Toronto and draft Andrea Bargnani at number 1?

              Yes

              4. b. Why or why not?
              Reason being is that upside, versatility and work ethic that has been described and displayed from numerous sources, however, it will definitely take time before Andrea becomes a Dirk type superstar.
              "A nationality that easily feels wronged is an insecure one, and one that will be difficult to progress."-Anonymous

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by stuart
                Drudge Report fan, Jay? I love the New York Times, nothing out there like it. As far as New York (or any other team for that matter) not having international players on their roster can only be attributed to inept or insufficient scouting, or just plain old xenophobia.

                Stuart

                well you are from san francisco so I would typically assume a left leaning view perhaps on your thought hence your affection for the NYT. If it is xenophobia I am truly embarassed of the Knicks org and their representation of this "melting" pot idea that NYC is known for takes a lot for this New Yorker to admit that you know.
                "A nationality that easily feels wronged is an insecure one, and one that will be difficult to progress."-Anonymous

                Comment


                • #9
                  It probably has to do with the team's GM, I have to say.
                  The team has been mis-managed and they can't be much worse than they are now.
                  I would also add some unfortunate draft picks in the past like Frederick Weiss or Lampjei to their negative stance towards international players.
                  Many fans are also hesitant to embrace international players, just look at Yao Ming and how harsh criticism he has had to put up with until recently.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    not anymore. with d antoni at the helm as head coach he just drafted the italiano dude and i think this will def help the italian guy develop under d antoni. get rid of marbury
                    "A nationality that easily feels wronged is an insecure one, and one that will be difficult to progress."-Anonymous

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Judging by the fans' reaction to his pick at the draft, the Knisks are not as yet in terms with the idea of investing on foreign players. The good thing though, as you said, is that D'Antoni will help hip develop as much as possible. Gallinari is not running the risk of being forgotten in the bench for a couple of yers, "because that's what what rookies are for".
                      The Euroleague Organization and Mr Bertomeu are like the Bulgarian Government: corrupt, partially stupid, and a huge underestimator of people's intelligence.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        The fan´s reaction was going to happen no matter who was picked. They would´ve booed if they´d drafted Shaq.

                        Gallinari is going to have a real solid career.
                        "I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go. It doesn't matter. In a book, they write they find a skeleton of [an] eagle and there is no fish. It means that the fish beat him and killed him, but he didn't let go." -- Donatas Motiejunas

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