LOS ANGELES —I saw an old friend the other night. It’s funny. Sometimes, people have totally changed from the last time you have seen them. Other times, it’s like nothing has changed at all. Such was the case when I saw Carmelo Anthony, dribbling in place, gobbling up shot-clock seconds, surely causing New Yorkers to scream like Denverites did (with a thicker accent, of course): “Drive! … OK, just pass it! … Don’t just throw up some stupid shot! … That’s a stupid shot!!!”
The Knicks lost that game Thursday night, scoring only 82 points here against the Lakers. They lost the night before too — by 14 — to a Warriors team that didn’t have Stephen Curry.
I know (and you know) that it’s extremely early in this NBA season. The Knicks will make the playoffs. And, with Melo, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler, they have a “Big Three.” These days, they say, you need a “Big Three.”
But to quote TNT’s Charles Barkley, after the loss to the Lakers: “The Knicks don’t have a good team. Soft on defense, not going to rebound the ball and they have no one to run (coach Mike) D’Antoni’s system. With Carmelo and Amar’e … you won’t have any flow.”
Can the Knicks’ Big Three make it to the conference finals, where they will inevitably face another Big Three (Rodney Stuckey, Ben Gordon and Jonas Jerebko, of course)? I’ll answer that question with four questions, Passover-style:
1. Is Baron Davis the best fit at point guard? Once he’s back from the back injury, the 32-year-old will spearhead the Knicks’ offense. He’s infamous for injuries and has clashed with coaches. Davis will have to have some sort of Manhattan renaissance. Oh, and he’s not getting any younger. He missed all of training camp and will have to learn his teammates’ tendencies on the fly.
2. Do the Knicks have enough depth? A good bench is imperative in surviving a lockout-shortened season. They have a rookie — Iman Shumpert — penciled in as a key reserve. And once Davis returns, same for Toney Douglas. (Admit it, how many of you even knew Toney Douglas was in the league? And knew that he spelled Toney with an E?)
3. Will they D up?My buddy Alan Hahn covered the Knicks for Newsday, but he just got a job with the TV station MSG. Here was the headline of his final story: “Anthony making commitment to defense.” This marks the 17th time that headline has appeared in The Denver Post.
4. Can Carmelo ascend? He will make another all-star team, he will make a bunch of money being a star in New York, he will even get some MVP consideration. Nuggets coach George Karl suggested, before the season, that Melo or Amar’e could become basketball’s best.
But Karl also said this recently. Karl wasn’t specifically talking about Melo, but in a recent story I wrote about the Nuggets’ offense, which utilizes principles of dribble-drive motion, Karl said: “What I liked about (dribble-drove motion) was, the thing that always frustrated me about American players is they like to play with the ball. Now I allow you to play with the ball, if you attack the defense. I just don’t want you to kill grass and stay in the same spot.”
Jimmer update. Jimmer Fredette is now in the NBA. Some suggested his game was more of a novelty act, suited for small-conference college hoops. But so far, Jimmer has proved he can play. The Kings rookie entered the weekend averaging 10 points per game in 24.7 minutes, zooming down court in transition but, yes, hoisting shots impatiently at times.
Yeah, I remember him. Wesley Matthews had some big nights against the Nuggets in the 2010 playoffs, and there he was again, this time with Portland, scoring 25 points with five boards in Thursday’s win against Denver. Matthews is a streaky shooter but is averaging 16.3 points, and his scoring will be crucial if underrated Portland makes a playoff push.
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
Spotlight on …
Russell Westbrook, Thunder guard
The NBA has this new ad campaign. It’s sort of silly but fun — it’s footage of a 1960s band called the Turtles, but pasted on their heads are computerized cutouts of NBA players. They’re singing “So Happy Together.” And just as they get to the line: “The only one for me is you, and you is me,” the commercial shows Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, so happy together.
But the Oklahoma City duo got into a quick public tiff recently, fervently arguing on the bench during a timeout last week.
The players and their coach, Scott Brooks, chalked it up as two fiery competitors letting emotions get the best of them. We have, though, seen this show before. While he’s one of the best players in basketball, Westbrook is one of the more outwardly emotional players on the court. He seems to feed off emotion, sometimes for good (as seen in big playoff wins last spring) and sometimes not so good — he finished 0-for-13 in the game last week, following the bench spat.
On Twitter, writer Matt Moore (@HPbasketball) suggested: “Big difference here. Russ and KD don’t have a problem. Russ and not being No. 1 have a problem. A big one.”
Indeed, interesting. Durant is a top-five player. And as seen in his play — and clutch play — so far this season, he might be basketball’s best. Westbrook is a top-10 to top-15 player (he finished second-team All-NBA last season). But the only way this Thunder thing will work is if Westbrook accepts that he’s not the No. 1 player, even though Westbrook would be on most other teams. If anything, it will make for an entertaining season to watch these two on the court — and, now, on the bench during timeouts.
