ducks
11-15-2005, 09:55 AM
BASKETBALL
Musical chairs continues
Monday, November 14, 2005
By STEVE ADAMEK
STAFF WRITER
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Another game, another lineup, another series of moves by Larry Brown.
Sunday night against the Kings, as the Knicks searched for their first victory after an 0-5 start that matched the worst of Brown's career, he restored forward Matt Barnes not only to the 12-man active roster but to the starting lineup, where he spent the first three games before being deactivated the next two.
He moved Quentin Richardson, the starter at small forward for two games, back to start at shooting guard, where he shot 10-for-29 (3-for-11 on threes) while starting the first three games. And that moved Jamal Crawford, 16-for-30 in his two starts but 6-for-21 off the bench, back to a reserve role.
Finally, project center Jackie Butler, whom Brown called the team's best big man in recent practices, dressed for the first time to serve as starter Eddy Curry's backup in lieu of the injured Jerome James (hamstring).
That makes it four starting lineups in six games, during which all 15 players have dressed at least once. And once was all Penny Hardaway, activated Friday in Golden State to back up Stephon Marbury, played, as he and forward Maurice Taylor (for the second time) were deactivated Sunday.
This from a coach who insisted earlier this season that he wouldn't change the active roster game to game for matchup reasons. Sunday, after joking he was starting Barnes simply because he's a Sacramento high school product, Brown admitted it was because of Barnes' familiarity with Peja Stojakovic when the two were Kings teammates last season.
"I think Matt's a good defender and [Stojakovic is] a great player," Brown said. "Bonzi [Wells] is a post-up player and it would've been maybe a stretch for Jamal having to guard Bonzi on the post. And then Jamal I think can come off the bench and give us something, give us a lift."
"I'm kind of with ," Crawford said of the move, even though he admitted discomfort coming off the bench in the first three games, "until we find something constant."
"I guarded [Stojakovic] every single day," Barnes said of the Kings' practices last season. "I know some of his stuff, but even with me knowing it, it will be tough to stop him."
Barnes, in fact, hit the game-winning free throw in the Kings' stunning 116-115 victory over the Knicks on Feb. 4 in which Herb Williams' team blew a seven-point lead with 1:22 left. He eventually was traded to Philadelphia in the Chris Webber deal, but didn't play and signed with the Knicks two days into training camp.
Activating him and Butler meant the Knicks dressed two minimum-salary players after deactivating almost $25 million worth of payroll in Hardaway ($15.75 million) and Taylor ($9.1 million).
[B]BRIEFS: From the "Duh!" department: An ESPN.com report says the Knicks are shopping James and his five-year, $29 million contract. The injured backup center, whose role was minimized by the trade for Curry and who's been awful when he has played (10 fouls in 18 minutes), is a perfect salary match for another little-used player: Earl Watson, a backup point guard for Denver, which is shopping for size with Nene' out for the season.
To this point, though, the Nuggets apparently are unwilling to take on a big man with a big contract.
Brown wasn't unhappy with the technical Curry got Friday in Golden State with 3:10 left in a tie game for inadvertently slapping the ball off the face of Derek Fisher.
"I love that. He was mad he missed the layup," Brown said. "That shows me he cares."
Musical chairs continues
Monday, November 14, 2005
By STEVE ADAMEK
STAFF WRITER
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Another game, another lineup, another series of moves by Larry Brown.
Sunday night against the Kings, as the Knicks searched for their first victory after an 0-5 start that matched the worst of Brown's career, he restored forward Matt Barnes not only to the 12-man active roster but to the starting lineup, where he spent the first three games before being deactivated the next two.
He moved Quentin Richardson, the starter at small forward for two games, back to start at shooting guard, where he shot 10-for-29 (3-for-11 on threes) while starting the first three games. And that moved Jamal Crawford, 16-for-30 in his two starts but 6-for-21 off the bench, back to a reserve role.
Finally, project center Jackie Butler, whom Brown called the team's best big man in recent practices, dressed for the first time to serve as starter Eddy Curry's backup in lieu of the injured Jerome James (hamstring).
That makes it four starting lineups in six games, during which all 15 players have dressed at least once. And once was all Penny Hardaway, activated Friday in Golden State to back up Stephon Marbury, played, as he and forward Maurice Taylor (for the second time) were deactivated Sunday.
This from a coach who insisted earlier this season that he wouldn't change the active roster game to game for matchup reasons. Sunday, after joking he was starting Barnes simply because he's a Sacramento high school product, Brown admitted it was because of Barnes' familiarity with Peja Stojakovic when the two were Kings teammates last season.
"I think Matt's a good defender and [Stojakovic is] a great player," Brown said. "Bonzi [Wells] is a post-up player and it would've been maybe a stretch for Jamal having to guard Bonzi on the post. And then Jamal I think can come off the bench and give us something, give us a lift."
"I'm kind of with ," Crawford said of the move, even though he admitted discomfort coming off the bench in the first three games, "until we find something constant."
"I guarded [Stojakovic] every single day," Barnes said of the Kings' practices last season. "I know some of his stuff, but even with me knowing it, it will be tough to stop him."
Barnes, in fact, hit the game-winning free throw in the Kings' stunning 116-115 victory over the Knicks on Feb. 4 in which Herb Williams' team blew a seven-point lead with 1:22 left. He eventually was traded to Philadelphia in the Chris Webber deal, but didn't play and signed with the Knicks two days into training camp.
Activating him and Butler meant the Knicks dressed two minimum-salary players after deactivating almost $25 million worth of payroll in Hardaway ($15.75 million) and Taylor ($9.1 million).
[B]BRIEFS: From the "Duh!" department: An ESPN.com report says the Knicks are shopping James and his five-year, $29 million contract. The injured backup center, whose role was minimized by the trade for Curry and who's been awful when he has played (10 fouls in 18 minutes), is a perfect salary match for another little-used player: Earl Watson, a backup point guard for Denver, which is shopping for size with Nene' out for the season.
To this point, though, the Nuggets apparently are unwilling to take on a big man with a big contract.
Brown wasn't unhappy with the technical Curry got Friday in Golden State with 3:10 left in a tie game for inadvertently slapping the ball off the face of Derek Fisher.
"I love that. He was mad he missed the layup," Brown said. "That shows me he cares."