The David Lee Lovefest has gotten so out of hand, a producer from NBC at practice yesterday stopped Eddy Curry for an interview. "Excuse me, David?"
"David?" Curry replied. "I'm not David."
We've all had our takes on the David Lee phenomenon; Bloggers, beat writers (sometimes one in the same), columnists and even some of you self-proclaimed authorities on racism. Earlier in the season I thought Lee should be the starting power forward. I was wrong. After watching almost three-quarters of a season, I now believe Isiah Thomas is correct. Lee is right where he belongs. At least right now.
His success comes from hustle and energy, but let's not start comparing him to Dennis Rodman (At least not until Lee shows up in a miniskirt and eye-liner and turns his shaggy brown curls into a multicolor perm). For Lee to be an effective starting power forward, he needs to add two more elements to his game: low-post defense and a consistent 15-foot jumper. An extra 10-to-15 pounds of muscle wouldn't hurt, either. The NBA season wears on you, especially when you play in the paint.
If Lee did add these things, he'd be an all-star. He's already starting to get the teen-mag popularity among young fans, which might earn him enough votes to contend next year. Wouldn't that be nice to have in your pocket come contract renegotiation time?
Last weekend in Vegas, especially after he won MVP in the Rookie Challenge game, Lee was often asked why he isn't starting for the Knicks. You can tell it's an issue with him, though he always shows class when he discusses the situation. He calls it Thomas' decision and leaves it at that. Lee would prefer to start.
There are probably some GMs out there who would love to get their hands on him before the deadline and toss him right into their starting lineup.
But right now, where his game is, Lee fits best as the Knicks' sixth man. Does that mean Jerome James or Channing Frye fit better at the starting power forward spot? No. Not at all. But why force Lee into that role when he is having success coming off the bench?
I haven't agreed with everything Isiah has done this season. In fact, I was dumbfounded when he opted to go with Malik Rose and Jared Jeffries as his first subs off the bench in Golden State. Lee didn't get into the game until 10 minutes in. Very strange, unless he was trying to showcase Rose.
There are so many little rumors floating around it's impossible to believe any of them. Thomas says he plans on doing nothing before Thursday's deadline. After seeing the results of the previous three trade deadlines, I'd say that's a good idea.
Comments (5)
I don’t know. I can see the argument that Lee is thriving in this role, so why get rid of something that works? Still, I wouldn’t mind at all if Lee became a starter. I think his game translates well as both a starter and a bench player. Sure he would have some trouble covering certain guys as a starter, but with all the other good things he does on the court, I think it all balances out. In any event, I would like to see Lee average at least 35 minutes a game. The best thing Isiah has ever done for this team in his awful tenure here was the Lee draft pick. I think Isiah badly wants Lee to win the Sixth Man to make him look better with Dolan.
Knicks have a lot of winnable games on their schedule coming off. It would be nice if they can get on a 5 or 6 game-winning streak and get closer to the 7th and 8th playoff seeds.
I want to see a Marbury-Richardson-Balkman-Lee-Curry lineup out there so badly. Every time these 5 have been on the court at the same time, good results happened.
Also, Jerome James must be taken out of the starting lineup. I agree that the only reason why he’s playing or Rose must be for showcasing purposes.
I think Lee is perfect off the bench because it keeps him out of foul trouble. By coming off the bench 6-7 minutes into the game, it shortens that game for him and let's Isiah have him available for most crunch time. Since he is also matched up against bench players of the opposing teams, he has an easier time guarding them and will commit less fouls while in the game. I think he will become a starter next season as he develops his defense and mid-range game. If he can improve his free throws, the 15 foot jump shot is next!
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