A Third-Rate Babylon: The Knicks’ Potential Problems This Year and Beyond
三流的繁華之都：尼克隊今年及往後的隱憂（節錄）
To the NBA junkie, almost every team inspires some mix of excitement and
curiosity as a new season approaches. One team executive recently compared
the first wave of regular-season games to unwrapping gifts on Christmas
morning: How will the coach fit New Player X into his team's rotation?
How will Player Y and Player Z mesh on the floor? Even the bad teams are
exciting: How experimental will Brett Brown be in Philly after years of
stodgy Doug Collins offensive philosophy? Who will win the race to lead
the league in turnovers between Michael Carter-Williams and Trey Burke?
(Advantage MCW after Burke broke his finger over the weekend.)
對一個NBA成癮者來說，幾乎每隊在新球季都能激起一些刺激感和期待。一位球隊
執行長最近把新球季第一波比賽喻為聖誕節早晨尚未拆開的禮物：「教練會怎樣
將新球員甲放入球隊輪值表中？球員乙和球員丙同時在場上會怎樣產生化學效應？
」即使是較差的球隊也會期待：「七六人隊在Doug Collins多年來建立起難以消
化的進攻哲學後，新教頭Brett Brown會多富有實驗精神？誰會成為本季的失誤王
，Michael Carter-Williams還是Trey Burke？（在Burke周末時手指斷掉後，MCW
目前占優勢）」
But the Knicks, the wackiest bunch of wackadoos in the league, are
starting to conjure an unnerving anxiety. That's a strange thing to say
about a 54-win team coming off its best season in years, having puked up
draft picks for a starry name in Andrea Bargnani and shrewdly inked
bargain deals for Beno Udrih and Metta World Peace.
然而，聯盟中最怪的一群怪人組成的尼克隊卻開始產生令人不安的焦慮。這對於
一支上季54勝、完成近年來最佳球季的球隊來說是件怪事。這支球隊才剛為了狀
元Andrea Bargnani丟掉選秀權並精明的以實惠價格簽下Beno Udrih和Metta World
Peace。
The queasiness comes from two places:
焦慮感來自以下兩點：
1. A fear that, in the short term, a team that fancies itself a contender
cannot build a good enough defense to sniff that conversation.
1. 擔心在短期內，一個自認為是冠軍角逐者的球隊無法建立良好的防守體系來讓
人閉嘴。
2. A fear that, in the long term, the Knicks have no coherent plan beyond
"re-sign Carmelo Anthony to a potentially damaging max contract and
pray we lure a second star in free agency after the 2015 season." It's
unclear whether the Knicks have the assets to execute an alternative
plan, or whether James Dolan, the team's preposterous owner, would
even permit the sort of creativity required to pursue an alternate
plan.
2. 擔心長期下來，尼克隊沒有一致的長遠計畫，除了「以一紙帶有潛在傷害性的
頂約簽回Carmelo Anthony並禱告2015球季後的自由市場能吸引到另一個球星。
」無法確定尼克隊是否有足夠資產執行替代方案，或荒謬的球隊老闆James
Dolan會允許執行替代方案需要的創造力。
Dolan shocked the entire NBA world late last month by removing Glen
Grunwald as general manager and replacing him with Steve Mills, the
former president of MSG Sports and until about two weeks ago the widely
regarded favorite to snag Billy Hunter's old job as head of the players'
union. The possibility of the Knicks job was so far from Mills's mind
when Dolan called him last month, requesting a meeting, that Mills
simply assumed it would be a run-of-the-mill lunch, Mills told Grantland
in a rare one-on-one. Mills actually tried to put the meeting off until
his next planned trip from New Jersey, his home base, into Manhattan,
and only relented when Dolan made it clear the meeting was urgent, Mills
says.
Dolan在上個月裁掉原球隊總管Glen Grunwald並讓Steve Mills接替其位這件事令
全NBA感到震驚。Steve Mills是前MSG Sports的總裁並在兩周前被大家公認將取
代Billy Hunter球員工會頭頭的位置。直到上個月Dolan找他會面時，Mills從沒
有想過接下尼克隊工作的可能性。Mills在少見的一對一訪問時告訴Grantland，
他單純認為這是個平常的午餐會面。Mills表示他實際上試著把會面延到他下一個
已計畫好的紐澤西之行後，直到Dolan強調這是個緊急會面時他的態度才軟化。
Mills made it clear at Knicks media day that re-signing Anthony would be
the no. 1 priority. Anthony can terminate his contract after this season
and enter free agency, and doing so is the smartest financial route for
him. The Knicks would be able to offer a five-year, $129 million deal
with a first-year salary of nearly $22.5 million and 7.5 percent annual
raises. Other suitors could offer only four-year deals with 4.5 percent
raises, and Anthony, at 29, is at the point in his career when the extra
guaranteed year at a monster dollar figure means something. Depending on
what happens to Kobe Bryant this summer, Anthony may end up the league's
highest-paid player.
Mills在尼克隊的媒體日時強調優先事項便是簽回Anthony。Anthony可以在這季結
束後停止合約並進入自由市場，而這是他以金錢考量的最佳選擇。尼克隊可以給
他一筆5年總和129M美金的合約。合約內第一年有近22.5M美金而且每年7.5%的薪
水成長。其他的追求者只能給4.5%薪水成長的4年合約，而對29歲的Anthony來說
這個時間點多一年的巨額薪水保證是極有吸引力的。端看Kobe Bryant這個夏天的
簽約狀況可以決定Anthony是否成為聯盟最高薪球員。
But that's a story for later, even though it's also a story that is very
much about the current Knicks. The team considers itself a title contender
after taking the Pacers to six games despite Tyson Chandler's pinched
nerve, Mike Woodson's strange semi-return to dreadful Anthony isolation
ball, and J.R. Smith's meltdown. Iman Shumpert is healthy, and the team
has added pieces at every position. Why can't the Knicks take the next
step?
但這個故事不急著說，即使這個故事對現在的尼克來說也很重要。儘管Tyson
Chandler神經受傷、Mike Woodson令人費解將戰術變回四不像的球給Anthony，同
時J.R. Smith徹底澇賽，依然和溜馬隊血戰六場後，尼克視自己為冠軍角逐者。
Iman Shumpert身體健康，而且球隊在每個位置上都有補強。為什麼尼克隊無法更
進一步？
In the most obvious sense, the Knicks leaped up the Eastern Conference
during a one-time-only down year. The Bulls have Derrick Rose back, and
the Nets have revamped their roster. The Pacers have refortified their
bench.
最直觀來看的話，尼克隊去年在東區的大躍進是絕無僅有的機會。現在公牛隊的
Derrick Rose已回歸，而籃網隊的陣容戰力大改造。溜馬隊也強化他們的板凳。
Fine. We don't quite know how all those teams, plus the Heat, will enter
the playoffs. Players will get hurt, trades will backfire, and the
seedings will shake out in ways that will help some teams and hurt others.
Maybe the Knicks will win both the health and matchup lotteries.
好啦好啦。我們不太知道這些球隊加上熱火隊打進季後賽時是怎麼個狀況。球員
會受傷、交易會不如預期而且季後賽排名某種程度上會對某些球隊有利而有些則
吃虧。或許尼克隊會又健康、對戰組合又有利。
The Defense
防守啊!!!
A larger question mars that rosy scenario: Can Woodson build a
championship-level defense with this roster? The Knicks last season
ranked 17th in points allowed per possession, and outside of a stingy
first dozen games or so — when the Knicks were fully healthy, Woodson
points out — they were largely mediocre or worse on that end. Merely
average defense is a contention disqualifier. Since 1990, only two teams
have won the title while ranking outside the top 10 in points allowed
per possession, and both are anomalies: the 2000-01 Lakers and the
1994-95 Rockets. The latter required a midseason trade resuscitation
(via Clyde Drexler), and the former battled through a bunch of regular-
season ugliness before coalescing in the playoffs — Shaq showing up to
camp fat, the first truly poisonous stage of the Shaq-Kobe feud, some
roster turnover, and even a Shaq trade request.
一個明顯的問題玷汙了那樂觀的想法。Woodson可以針對這個陣容打造出冠軍級的
防守嗎？尼克隊上個球季的每單位球權失分排名第17，除了全隊都健康的少數前
十幾場比賽外，Woodson指出他們多半是個中庸或是糟糕的防守球隊。僅僅是個中
庸的防守球隊便足以使球隊沒有冠軍相。從1990年後，只有兩個冠軍隊每單位球
權失分排在10名外，而這兩隊都是例外：2000-01球季的湖人隊和1994-95球季的
火箭隊。後者在季中靠著交易得到解救（得到Clyde Drexler），而前者則是在季
後賽接近前一直面對季賽期間的醜聞。Shaq暴肥、真正開始造成傷害的Shaq-Kobe
情結、一些陣容改變甚至是Shaq的交易消息。
Over that same near quarter-century stretch, only 15 teams — well fewer
than one per season — have advanced to the conference finals with a
defense that ranked outside the top 10 points allowed per possession.
Outside the top 10.
在這近25年間，只有15隊（每季甚至不到一隊）的每單位球權失分在10名外還能
打進分區冠軍賽。10名外喔！
Woodson isn't worried, and he prefers raw points allowed over
possession-based stats, anyway. The Knicks were ninth in that category,
and Woodson doesn't plan on changing anything about the team's defensive
scheme this season, he says. "We were pretty good in terms of our
defensive scheme," Woodson says. "And this year, I just want to magnify
it a little bit — to get guys more comfortable with it."
Woodson並不擔心，反正他也偏好粗略的總失分數據而非單位球權的數據。尼克隊
在總失分排名第九，而Woodson表示他並不打算在這季改變球隊的防守策略。「我
們的防守策略挺不錯的。」Woodson表示。「而這個球季，我只打算在稍稍加強，
讓球員們可以更習慣。」
Scheme and personnel interact in interesting ways, and the Knicks have
some new personnel that could make Woodson's schemes more effective.
They're bigger now, with Andrea Bargnani poised to soak up some minutes
at power forward; a rangy wing in Shumpert; and a bully with an all-time
great pair of hands in World Peace.
策略和球員以各種有意思的方式相互影響，而尼克隊有一些新球員能使Woodson的
防守策略更有效果。有Andrea Bargnani分擔一些大前鋒的時間，尼克隊陣容高度
更高、有側翼防守範圍廣很廣的Shumpert和有史上防守最優秀雙手的凶神惡煞－
World Peace。
Just adding a dash of size could help New York cut down on the two things
that really hurt the team last season: 3-pointers and fouls. "We've just
gotta clean up giving up so many 3s," Woodson admits, "and keeping guys
off the foul line. That's just moving our feet and being more dedicated
to our rotations. Just things of that nature.”
只要加一些些的身材優勢便能幫助尼克隊減少兩個去年最大的傷害－三分球和犯規
麻煩。「我們必須改善被投進過多三分球的問題。」Woodson承認。「並且避免球
員陷入犯規麻煩。就只要更多的腳步移動和更專注於輪轉。只要做好防守的本質。」
Only four teams allowed more opponent 3-point attempts, a stat that looks
worse than it is, since New York played at Tortuga's pace and wiped away
a ton of opponent field goal attempts with shooting fouls. Only seven
teams allowed more free throws per field goal attempt, per NBA.com.
只有四支球隊比尼克隊給與對手更多三分出手機會，因為尼克隊的龜速節奏並以犯
規毀掉大量對手出手機會，使這數據看起來更糟糕。根據NBA.com，只有七支球隊
比尼克隊讓對手有更多每單位出手的罰球次數。
The two problems are connected. New York's perimeter defense was bad last
season. Ball handlers had an easy time getting into the paint, and a lot
of shooters found themselves wide open.
這兩個問題是有關連的。尼克隊上季的外圍防守很糟。持球者很輕易就能切入籃下
，同時一堆射手有空檔出手機會。
This is where small ball, a generally beneficial thing for the Knicks,
kind of hurt: Teams attacked New York in the post, and the Knicks had
to respond with very aggressive double-team help. David West types
bruised Anthony on the block when the Knicks played him at power forward,
and bulkier wings — think Paul George and Paul Pierce — backed down
against Shumpert, Jason Kidd, J.R. Smith, and one of New York's point
guards when the Knicks played two together.
這就是大體上對尼克有利的小球戰術傷害球隊的地方。對手在低位進攻尼克隊，
而尼克隊必須以有威脅性的包夾協防。當Anthony打大前鋒時，David West類型的
球員在籃下不斷衝撞他。同時大一號的側翼球員，像是Paul George和Paul Pierce
，在尼克隊打雙控衛時便背框進攻Shumpert、Jason Kidd、J.R. Smith和其中一
位尼克隊的控球後衛。
And when that happened, the Knicks responded like this:
當其發生時，尼克隊的反應如下：
http://ppt.cc/ob3I
This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Post-ups rank low on the efficiency
scale when defenses can coax the guy actually posting up into finishing
the play. Unless that player can get all the way to the rim, he'll end
up taking a low-value midrange shot. Post-ups are also high-turnover
plays, with back-to-the-basket dribbling, swiping arms, and help
defenders sneaking in from unpredictable angles. New York ranked fifth
in opponent turnovers per possession, and those run-outs fueled a 3-happy
transition attack. New York doubled like this out of both self-defense
and opportunism.
這不全然是個壞事。當防守能誘導進攻球員單打出手時，低位單打的效率並不高
。除非進攻球員可以一路殺進籃下，否則他最終只會投價值低的中距離出手。低
位單打也是高失誤比率的進攻模式，因為背對籃框運球、揮擊手臂並利於防守者
以無法預測的角度溜到身邊。尼克隊製造對手每回進攻的失誤率排名聯盟第五，
而這些拉開分數機會正好激化偏好三分球的轉換快攻。尼克隊像這樣包夾可以說
出自於防守上的自我防衛和進攻上的機會主義。
But if you're going to double-team down low, your rotations up high have
to be on point, and New York was hit-or-miss in this regard. If Felton
is going to leave Hill here to double George, then Smith better be ready
to lunge at Hill — preventing the dreaded one-pass-away 3-pointer. The
Knicks, and especially Smith and Anthony (when at small forward, or after
a switch), were too often late finding that very first shooter; a comical
number of opponent possessions ended with Felton making the "WHERE THE
HELL WERE YOU!?" gesture of exasperation seen here:
但你若要在低位包夾，你的高位輪轉必須要非常到位，然而尼克隊在這方面卻沒
做好準備。假設Felton要在這邊放掉Hill來包夾George，那Smith便要隨時準備撲
向Hill，以防備一個傳球距離的可怕空檔三分球。但尼克隊，尤其是Smith和
Anthony（當他打小前鋒或是防守換人後）常常遲一步防到第一進攻選擇的射手。
不少對手球權會以Felton惱怒的擺出「你他媽的在哪阿？！」手勢的搞笑畫面作結：
http://ppt.cc/qNta
Now, go back to that first photo and imagine if Smith's man, Stephenson,
had stayed behind the 3-point arc instead of cutting into the lane. If
Smith abandons Stephenson to close out on Hill, a second rotating player
has to scurry from the baseline and out to Stephenson — to have Smith's
back, as it were. That second rotation was often nonexistent or fatally
late, especially if Anthony was the next man up, leaving New York
vulnerable to the extra pass around the perimeter. The Knicks produced a
ton of their own 3s by going to Anthony in the post, drawing help, and
then whipping the ball around inside-out until they found a weak spot.
But the identical action sliced New York apart on the other end. And all
that helter-skelter scampering to find shooters created situations that
led to fouls — desperate reaches for the ball, out-of-control close-outs
allowing shooters to pump-fake and drive into the paint, etc.
現在回到第一張圖並想像如果Smith負責防守的Stephenson待在三分線外而不是空
手切。如果Smith放掉Stephenson並對Hill施壓，第二線輪轉球員必須從底線趕去
對位Stephenson，以掩護Smith。這個第二線輪轉通常都不存在或是慢的很致命，
尤其當這個負責人是Anthony時，讓尼克隊面對外圍多一次傳導時更加脆弱。尼克
隊的三分球很多來自於Anthony打低位引誘協防，然後把球傳出去直到找到空檔。
但一樣的戰術卻把尼克隊的防守陣勢打亂。那些匆促慌張對位射手的過程中便導致
犯規，拼命的撲球、失控的施壓造成射手假動作後便輕鬆切入禁區…等等。
One solution is simply to help less — to let more of those opposing
post-ups run their course. Another is to play bigger so that less help is
required. Bargnani is a terrible overall defender, but he can handle the
simple one-on-one duty of fighting against a post-up. Playing Primo Pasta
man alongside the Anthony–Tyson Chandler duo would slide Anthony back
up to small forward, wiping away the mismatch on defense without (in
theory) compromising New York's Melo-centric spacing on offense. World
Peace offers a combination of bulk and length New York just didn't have
on the wing last season, and the World Peace–Shumpert pairing around
Chandler in the middle has defensive potential in both big and small
lineups — even if it blunts Smith's impact. (I'm here all day, people.)
Shumpert is huge for the team's short- and long-term development,
especially if he can develop an off-the-bounce game and hone his already
creative passing. His potential as a defender on a so-so defensive team
is a big reason Woodson's raising the possibility of starting Smith has
been such big deal at Knicks camp.
其中一個解決方案是讓對手更多的去打低位單打，這基本上幫助不大。另一個方
案是擺上更高大的陣容，以便減少協防。Bargnani是個糟糕的防守球員，但他可
以對付簡單的低位一對一單打。讓這位義大利佬和Anthony、Chandler雙人組一起
上場能讓Anthony回到小前鋒的位置，消除防守上的錯位並且（理論上）不改變尼
克隊以Melo為中心的進攻空間。World Peace給予尼克隊上季側翼防守沒有的寬度
和長度，同時World Peace和Shumpert的組合配上Chandler鞏固禁區讓球隊無論想
打高大陣容還是矮小陣容都有防守潛力，即使是削弱Smith的影響力也好。
Shumpert對於球隊的短期和長期發展都相當重要，尤其當他可以加強進攻技巧和
磨練他已經具有創造力的傳球技巧。Woodson把Smith放到先發這個可能性對尼克
隊內一直是個重要議題，主因便是在一個防守普通的球隊需要Shumpert的大鎖潛
力。
The Knicks played a lot of very obvious minus defenders last season, and
some of them — Chris Copeland, Steve Novak, Jason Kidd — are gone.
Giving some of their minutes to World Peace and Shumpert might speed up
rotations and clean things up in general.
尼克隊上季上場球員有許多防守明顯有不佳的球員，而其中的Chris Copeland、
Steve Novak、Jason Kidd已經不在陣中了。把這些上場時間交給World Peace和
Shumpert填補可能可以加快輪轉速度並大體上能守住對方。
Another solution is just to be better, and that's what Woodson seems to
expect now that everyone has had a full season learning this high-risk,
high-reward system. "Our core group should just be more comfortable now,
" he says.
這個解決方案會更好，而這似乎是Woodson所期待的，因現在全隊有整季時間學習
這個高風險、高報酬的防守系統。「我們的核心隊員現在應該感到更適應了。」
他說。
And that's the thing: The post-ups weren't the only problem area. New
York's guards struggled badly against the pick-and-roll, and the Knicks
either had no ability or no interest in keeping ball handlers on side
pick-and-rolls out of the middle of the floor. Felton tries hard and
knows his duties, but he's not the fastest or longest guy, he's jumpy,
and he's very prone to change-of-direction jukes. Watching Felton
stumble his way out of a pick-and-roll, in the wrong direction, was not
an uncommon thing:
但事情是這樣的，低位防守不是唯一的問題所在。尼克隊後衛防守檔拆時相當糟
糕，而且尼克隊面對側邊檔拆時，不是沒有能力就是沒有興趣把持久者從球場中
路驅趕回去。Felton努力嘗試也知道他的責任，但他不快手臂也不夠長。他很不
穩，而且他非常易於被改變方向的運球給騙。看Felton拼命突破檔拆卻跑錯方向
並不少見：
http://ppt.cc/WT8e
Shumpert will be fine in the long run, but so far in his career he's had
issues running right into picks and smooshing himself into a screener's
chest — basically giving ball handlers a clear head start to the rim.
Shumpert未來將會變得更好，但他生涯目前有著習慣衝進檔人者胸膛裡的防守問
題。這基本上給持球者一個無障礙的起跑空間衝向籃框。
Smith is an outright disaster on the pick-and-roll. His attention drifts
in general, and if you're even a beat late reacting to a quick-hitting
pick-and-roll, you'll find yourself in a very compromising place —
scrambling two steps behind, lurching in the wrong direction, or with
your face mashed into someone wearing the opposing jersey color. The
Knicks have internal numbers showing that running a pick-and-roll against
the combination of Smith (defending the ball handler) and Chandler
(defending the screener) was basically the most damaging thing a team
could do against the Knicks last season. "Oh yeah," Woodson laughs when
I bring up that stat. "That's because J.R. just runs into so many screens
."
Smith防守檔拆是場徹底的災難。他通常都心不在焉，而當你對快速啟動的檔拆反
應慢一拍時，會讓自己處於不利的狀況。慢兩步的倉促追趕、步伐歪向錯的方向
或是整個臉衝進對手身體裡。尼克隊內部有數據顯示上季針對Smith（防守持球者
）和Chandler（防守檔人者）這個組合使用檔拆，基本上是他隊對尼克隊最能造
成傷害的方法。「喔是阿。」在我提到這數據時Woodson笑了。「那是因為J.R.太
容易衝向檔人者了。」
The Knicks just couldn't corral opposing ball handlers where they wanted
them. Most defenses focus on keeping the action on one side of the floor,
so that if a team runs a pick-and-roll on the left side, the defenders
involved will position themselves in a way that blocks the ball handler
from getting into the middle of the floor.
尼克隊就是無法按自己意願來困住持球者。多數的防守致力於將進攻維持在半邊
球場，這麼一來當球隊打左側檔拆時，參與防守的球員會想辦法利用站位阻擋持
球者運到球場中路。
The Knicks didn't do that. When teams ran side pick-and-rolls against
them, the results often looked like this:
尼克隊卻不這麼做。當其他球隊對尼克隊使用側邊檔拆戰術時，結果通常變成下
面的情況：
http://ppt.cc/Q9PB
Or this:
http://ppt.cc/26v3
Or this:
http://ppt.cc/egMb
Or this:
http://ppt.cc/jsW7
And once a ball handler comes open into the middle of the floor, very bad
things happen — open driving lanes, dramatic collapsing help that leaves
shooters open all over the place, and bailout fouls. Look at all the
opportunities in front of Miller just a split second after he herky-jerks
around that Faried pick:
一旦持球者來到中路，相當糟的事情變發生了。那就是空檔突破機會、防守崩毀讓
場上各個射手都是空檔，然後是緊急補防的犯規。Miller繞過Faried的檔人後的那
瞬間，看看Miller眼前有多少的機會：
http://ppt.cc/9m38
This was especially true with the Knicks, since Woodson prefers that his
big men — the guys defending the screeners — not stray too far from
those screening bigs, leaving others to cut off dribblers. That's in part
because Woodson knows if opponents drag Chandler too far from the rim,
the Knicks are toast. Who's going to pose as an intimidating rim
protector behind Chandler? Anthony? Bargnani? Please. This is why smart
teams attack the Knicks by involving Chandler in pick-and-rolls — not
because Chandler is a weak defender, but because behind him there is
nothing but squishy goodness. "A lot of that is on Melo," Woodson says.
"Especially when we play him at [power forward]."
這對尼克而言更是如此，因為Woodson偏好防守檔人者的高個子不要離對方負責檔
人的高個太遠，讓其他人來阻擋持球者。這是因為Woodson知道如果對方讓Chandler
遠離籃框，尼克隊就慘了。誰能在Chandler之後有嚇阻力的保護籃框？Anthony？
Bargnani？別鬧了！這是為什麼聰明的球隊打尼克隊時會針對Chandler打檔拆，並
不是因Chandler是個差的防守者，而是過了他之後就只剩好切的豆腐。「很多時候
是要Melo負責。」Woodson說。「尤其是我們把他放在大前鋒時。」
Woodson doesn't appear to be concerned about the side pick-and-roll issue.
Ditto for all of New York's manic switching around the perimeter, a
strategy with sound analytical roots but one that can fail in horrible
Keystone Kops fashion if the two players involved miscommunicate. Woodson
is confident that on both counts, repetition will solve things.
Woodson似乎沒有在擔心側邊檔拆防守的問題。但如同上面提到尼克隊外圍瘋狂輪
轉的防守策略，即使分析基礎再好的戰術，當兩個防守球員溝通不良時結果也會
變成悲劇的搞笑畫面。Woodson有信心在兩個防守問題上都可以用反覆練習來解決。
Maybe he's right. But the larger issue is that the team just has a lot
of bad defenders for whom the strong ones — often just Chandler — must
compensate. Bargnani is bad, Anthony is a bit less bad, Smith and Felton
top out as average (and maybe a tad above-average for Felton on his very
best nights), Shumpert is solid but learning, Pablo Prigioni (The Sneak)
is cagey but aging and small on the wing, and Amar'e Stoudemire was
borderline unplayable last season. Kenyon Martin was very good once the
Knicks signed him, but he's almost 36, and Woodson was reluctant to play
Martin and Chandler together. It may be that regardless of scheme, the
Knicks just have too few average or better defenders to reach the level
they must in order to contend.
也許他是對的。但更重要的問題是這支球隊剛好有一堆糟糕的防守球員，而裡面
少數的防守好手Chandler必須要幫忙擦屁股。Barganani很糟、Anthony小糟、Smith
和Felton頂多到平均值（或許Felton在他表現最好的幾個晚上可以比平均再好一
些）、Shumpert很實在但還有很多要學習、Pablo Prigioni（賺到的好球員）是
個聰明的防守者但年紀已大且在兩翼時身材偏小而Amar’e Stoudemire上季難以
上場。尼克簽下Kenyon Martin這位不錯的防守者，但他已經快36歲了，而且
Woodson不太願意把Martin和Chandler同時擺上場。可能和防守策略沒有關係，尼
克隊就只是擁有太少普通或更佳的防守者以達到爭冠行列的程度。
原文網址－
http://tinyurl.com/nq2rbhq
心得：
我節錄了這篇文討論尼克隊防守的部分
後面討論「未來」的部分各位有興趣可以自己看看
但我想東區的溜馬和籃網都是在拼現在
尼克自己專注於現在就夠了
尼克隊去年因為陣容年紀和傷病的關係，節奏放的非常慢
也隱藏住本身小球和球員本身的防守問題
不過這篇文特別點出尼克隊去年防守最大的問題所在
這兩點也是去年季後賽溜馬贏過尼克的關鍵
拳王擦屁股、阿罵和狀元郎不期不待
特別針對Anthony和JR提一下想法
(因為這兩位沒意外也是今年尼克主要進攻手)
Anthony真的要想辦法在防守端進步了
或許不需要成為像LBJ、香妹這種鎖級小前鋒
但是協防嚇阻力幾乎是0很不應該
（和其他台面上的明星SF比起來甜瓜真的不能看）
在現在強調進攻空間和高位檔拆的進攻模式
明星鋒線球員一定要積極補防
至於JR是否要拉上先發
真的要看看他自己的防守積極度能不能再提升
先不提去年季後賽狀況不佳
要是防守態度不改善，那香波真的更適合打長時間
(在有狀元郎打先發的情況下)
去年東區第二的尼克
今年卻普遍不被大家看好不是沒有原因的