Knicks still working on rotation

Knicks coach Isiah Thomas plans to use at least nine players in the rotation, but he isn’t sure where everybody fits in yet. Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Eddy Curry, Quentin Richardson, Channing Frye, Jamal Crawford, David Lee, Nate Robinson and Renaldo Balkman appear to be the nine currently in favor. “After the first 15 to 20 games, I’ll have a better feel for who plays better with who and at what points and times can they play with each other,” Thomas said.
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Cuttino Mobley — Mensch

I've been out at a meeting all day, so I haven't gotten to the report in the Los Angeles Times that Cuttino Mobley has offered to come off the bench:

Mobley, one of the three veteran perimeter players vying for two starting spots along with Corey Maggette and Quinton Ross, offered to come off the bench in a meeting with Coach Mike Dunleavy. Although Dunleavy said he had not determined who would start the season opener Nov. 1 against the Phoenix Suns, he applauded Mobley's selflessness.

Maggette has repeated stated that he "ain't no sixth man," so I thought it would be constructive to look at how he performed as a starter vs. coming off the bench: 

 

	FG %	3PFG%	PTS/48	FT/48	R/48	TO/48	A/48
As Starter	42.6%	.367	27.7	11.3	7.6	3.3	3.7
As Sub	46.2%	.317	29.9	10.3	9.5	4.6	3.0

One could argue that these stats are red herrings, that coming off the bench, Maggette is likely to matchup against inferior players (which would explain the disparity in FG%), that second teams tend to be smaller (hence the rebounding margin).  And it follows that, playing with the likes of Elton Brand and Sam Cassell, Maggette is going to have more options (which would explain the assist/48 number).  Wouldn't Elton Brand score more and shoot more efficiently against 'Reef than against Kenny Thomas?  An easier time on the glass against Reggie Evans and Nene than a healthy Kenyon Martin and Carlos Boozer?   But this doesn't mean Elton Brand should be backing up Aaron Williams, does it? 

All of this is to say that we should take these stats with a grain of salt because it's impossible to isolate the variables we need to in order to come up with a definitive analysis. 

Nevertheless, it's safe to say that Corey Maggette isn't appreciably better as a starter.   Personally, I like the move – provided that Cuttino demonstrates that Vinnie Johnson "spark plug" quality.  It means a happier Maggette; it allows Dunleavy to start Clipperblog fave and defensive stopper, Quinton Ross, thereby giving Dunleavy the flexibility to assign Maggette to the opponent's lesser wing man.  And it gives the Clippers a serious threat from beyond the arc in the starting lineup, something Mobley just wasn't able to offer last season, for whatever reason. 

So we'll see. 

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CHSFL SQUADS EYEING PLAYOFFS

Perhaps one of Mount St. Michael’s best games of the season came in a 34-27 loss to perennial powerhouse St. Anthony’s earlier in the year. “Obviously, we were disappointed in the outcome,” The Mount’s head coach, Mario Valentini said. “But I think…
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Fan in Orlando directs slurs at Mutombo

Center Dikembe Mutombo got into it with a fan who allegedly yelled racial slurs at him in the third quarter of the Rockets’ preseason loss Thursday night to the Magic in Orlando.
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05/14/06 Clippers

The contributions all season and now in the playoffs from Clipper guard Cuttino Mobley often get unnoticed. But his versatility on defense, the ability to guard multiple-type players, and his varied offensive skills, have been integral to the Clippers’ success. In this series against Phoenix, the 6-foot-4 Mobley has at times guarded the Suns’ league MVP point guard Steve Nash, shooting guard Raja Bell, small forward James Jones, and even 6-9 forward Tim Thomas. Offensively, Mobley has recognized when to go to his outside game and when to utilize his strong post-up game.

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NBA’s Revival Is Pure Magic to One Observer

Don’t get me wrong, the NBA has had great teams since Michael Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls after the 1997-98 season. The San Antonio Spurs teams, particularly the ones with Tim Duncan and David Robinson, could hold their own in any era. The Lakers of Phil Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were, at times, dominating and entertaining. And although great team play usually is enough to maximize interest in pro football and Major League Baseball, that simply isn’t the case with professional basketball.
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ESPN.com 2006-07 April Top 25

Andy Katz gives a rundown of his top 25 for next season. He has UNC ranked third:

3. North Carolina (23-8) The easy pick is to put the Tar Heels at No. 1, but UNC
still will be relying on national freshman of the year Tyler Hansbrough to
carry a heavy load inside. The expectation is that the super freshman class,
with Tywan Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Brandan Wright, will come in
immediately and star. They might, but we’d like to see a bit more before we anoint
the underclass-dominated Tar Heels as the favorites.
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An Outsize Goal, but Why Not?

It’s not often that you come to the opening of Wizards training camp and hear players even remotely suggesting the team’s goal should be to reach the NBA Finals. But it’s also not often the Wizards begin camp with the kinds of pieces in place that would cause anybody to react with that kind of optimism, either. In fact, preseason talk of anything other than trying to reach the playoffs in the last 25 years would induce little more than laughter and eye rolls.
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340 Pages of Semi-New Reading

The 2006-2007 media guides were given out today after practice. This year’s cover? A No. 24 jersey, illuminated against a stark, almost pitch-black backdrop. Pretty cool photo. Granted, it’s the front of the jersey, so I can’t say for sure if it’s meant as a goodbye to Jim Jackson (the last Laker to wear No. 24), a salute to Shea Seals (the last Laker to wear it for an entire season), or an acknowledgment of Kobe Bryant’s new digits. But the next chance I get, I’ll see if I can get a definitive answer.Unfortunately, more than a few dudes in…
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Wizards Prefer The Role of Chaser

They’d rather be 13 behind than 14 ahead. The Washington Wizards can’t stand prosperity. A big lead, as they reminded us Friday night, is positively the worst thing that can happen to them. A lead apparently puts the Wizards to sleep. But a double-digit deficit, one that threatens to end the season, is yummy — just the thing to get their juices stirring enough to play their best, or something reasonably close to it.

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