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A bite out of Big Apple basketball

Random thoughts while watching the Knicks:

New York should give Herb Williams a chance before it starts salivating over Phil Jackson.

Williams replaced Lenny Wilkens as Knicks coach last week, and has played for or assisted some of the game’s brightest basketball minds. That list includes Pat Riley, Don Nelson, Jeff Van Gundy, and yes, Wilkens.

So why not at least give the guy a shot? Especially since the players seem to like Williams’ laid-back approach.

Having written all of that, Wilkens deserved more time. When it comes to the underachieving Knicks, ESPN’s Bill Walton said it best:

“It’s not the coach, it’s the players.”

-- If Jackson is hired, it will be interesting to see if he can get Stephon Marbury to reach his potential.

Longtime readers know of my affection for New York City-bred point guards like Marbury -- but even I can admit they don’t win much. In fact, former Houston Rocket Kenny Smith is the only one I can think of who owns a championship ring.

Meanwhile, Marbury has played for four teams and never even been out of the first round of the playoffs.

-- Marbury recently called himself the best point guard in the NBA, and he probably SHOULD believe that. But not at the expense of getting better.

Defensively, he seems to follow the school of thought that says, “I won’t guard you if you promise not to guard me.”

Offensively, he still needs to learn that racking up big numbers isn’t enough. As a point guard, you need to know when to drive, when to dish, when to encourage your teammates, when to step back and let them figure it out for themselves.

-- OK, back to Jackson.

I’ve been among those to criticize him for taking only jobs in which he was guaranteed to coach the best player (Michael Jordan in Chicago; Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles).

But despite what Marbury thinks, that wouldn’t be the case in New York.

In fact, Marbury isn’t even the best player on his own TEAM. That honor goes to shooting guard Jamal Crawford, as the Knicks’ weren’t really that big of a disappointment until Crawford went down with an injury (he’s since returned).

Either way, if Jackson were to take the job, it would be the first time he wasn’t expected to lead a team of All-Stars to the title right away. Instead, all Knicks fans could expect with Jackson is for someone other than power forward Kurt Thomas to play hard every night -- and their team to pull an upset or two in the playoffs.

I’m guessing they could do all that under Williams, provided he’s given the chance.

-- Finally, Wilkens didn’t resign, and it wasn’t basketball operations president Isiah Thomas’ idea to let him go. The decision was clearly made by owner James Dolan, who had heard that Jackson might be interested in returning to the organization for which he once played.

Not-So-Retro Knicks

Reader Steve Morrow (Auburn, N.Y.) wrote: “In last week’s newsletter, you talked about the overuse of retro uniforms, citing the Celtics as the only team who remained true to their original look. But the Knicks haven’t strayed very far, either. Just look at photographs of the team from the 1970s -- the uniforms are practically the same.”

Dear Steve, you’re right. And I don’t need to look at photographs of the ’70s. I was ALIVE then.

Talkin’ LeBron

-- I never thought anyone but Oscar Robertson would average a triple-double, but LeBron James is really starting to make me wonder. And a lot of it has to do with James’ personality on the court.

-- It was so refreshing to hear James tell reporters, “I’m trying to make this game be played the right way, and it’s a team game. You can’t play without the team. Individual goals mean nothing to me. I know I’m going to get them. I love making my teammates happy. If you ask any of my teammates now, they’re happy.”

-- I received a lot of feedback from last week’s newsletter about the current Chicago Bulls, which remind me very much of the early 1990s Cavaliers of Brad Daugherty, Mark Price and Larry Nance. Like those Cavaliers, these Bulls are unselfish and are being built around college players from top programs (such as Kirk Hinrich from Kansas, Ben Gordon from Connecticut, and Chris Duhon and Luo Deng from Duke).

-- Meanwhile, the current Cavaliers remind me of the old Bulls, with James playing the role of Jordan. As I told WKNR radio host Josh Sabo during my guest spot Jan. 26, this time CLEVELAND has the superstar.

-- What does it all mean? Nothing. At least not until the Cavaliers win a championship. Until then, folks in Northeast Ohio will have a hard time feeling secure, considering their years of suffering with not just the Cavaliers, but Browns and Indians too.

-- Leland Cheyne (Washington, D.C.) e-mailed James’ stats for the season and wrote, “LeBron is making everyone forget that Jordan ever wore No. 23. There is only ONE year, 1988-89, in which Jordan's numbers stack up to LeBron's across the board. LeBron is only 20 years old and already having a season comparable to THE BEST SEASON that ‘the best player ever to play the game’ had. The kid is out of this world and he is going to save the NBA. The trend of shooting 30 times a game among modern players -- a trend that I believe started with Jordan -- will end with King James. He is bringing team basketball back to the United States and cementing himself as the greatest of all time.”

-- I never thought I’d be saying this, but I agree. James is already making a strong case as the best player in the league today. He isn’t the defender Jordan was -- yet. But like I wrote last week, he already possesses the winner’s edge that made Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird two or three levels above everyone else in their era.

More Reader Feedback

-- Dennis Paluch (Denver, Colo.) wrote: “Sam, I know your mom told you to quit writing about the Suns so much, but I wonder what you think of their acquisition of Jimmy Jackson.”

-- Dennis, I LOVE it. The most exciting team in basketball in the past decade just got better, as Jackson gives Phoenix what it lacked most. Namely, an experienced swingman who can score off the bench. Nothing against Casey Jacobsen (the main player traded to New Orleans for Jackson), but he simply wasn’t aggressive, or fast, enough for the Suns’ high-powered offense.

-- And don’t worry about my mom, Dennis. Goodness knows she’s been disappointed with me before.

-- Mathieu Breuzon (Belgium) wrote: “(NBA analyst) Steve Kerr recently said that Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki has re-invented the power forward position with his ballhandling skills and ability to knock down the 3-point shot. But didn’t Larry Bird already do that stuff years ago? And didn’t Bird do it better than Nowitzki?”

-- Mathieu, yes, Bird did it BEFORE Nowitzki and BETTER than Nowitzki. But Bird was primarily a small forward, as Cedric Maxwell and Kevin McHale manned the power forward spots on those Celtic teams. Remember, Nowitzki is a 7-footer. In that sense, he has ‘re-invented’ the power forward spot. He is also having a career season and is the biggest reason the Mavericks look as good as ever. But let’s not kid ourselves. He’s no Bird -- especially when it comes to passing, rebounding, or especially, hitting clutch baskets. That’s not an insult, either. Bird was just THAT good.

Talkin’ Yao

Mark Gilman sent an interesting e-mail about Houston’s Yao Ming, and all I ask is that you don‘t hate me for printing it.

Here it is:

"Is Yao Ming overated? My answer is YES! He’s 7-6, 310 pounds, and how many blocked shots does he average per game? Two? That is unacceptable. Worse, he doesn’t even alter many shots, which in my mind is as good as a block. When I see Yao play, he’s good for a couple of trips up and down the court and then he’s tired and out of breath.

“The biggest disappointment in Yao? He is WAY TOO NICE! His dunks are soft. He won’t attack. He doesn’t ever seem to get fired up.

“That is a personality issue, and it’s him -- but imagine if Yao had the aggressiveness of, say, Alonzo Mourning or Amare Stoudemire.

“And finally … the Rockets really should trade him for some great players who will better complement Tracy McGrady. I know Yao puts fans in the seats and all of China is buying the Rockets jersey. But in three years, when all the experts are saying he will be the ultimate force, he will in all reality probably be broken down and very Shawn Bradley-like.”

OK, my turn.

1. Mark is right -- Yao is not nearly aggressive enough, and probably never will be. But he is more aggressive than last season, and he is getting better at holding his ground underneath the basket on defense.

2. As uninspiring as Yao has been, he’s still among the top five centers in the game today. Obviously, that’s not exactly a huge compliment when you consider the less-than-stellar state of pivot play.

3. Yao is already better than Bradley, Mark Eaton, etc. None of the other extra-tall centers guys could shoot, and it seemed like the only reason they played basketball was because they’re tall. Say what you will about Yao, but he loves the game.

4. Finally, Yao has a great, team-first attitude. He may never be worthy of the No. 1 pick, lead the Rockets to a title, or live up to expectations -- but at the very least, he should be a strong No. 2 guy for McGrady once the two of them get each other figured out.

5. So do I think Yao and McGrady can win a title together in Houston? No. As much as I appreciate how McGrady has brought back memories of George Gervin, he’s nothing more than a spectacular athlete who can score. But the Rockets do have the potential to do great things if they can find another piece, like a rebounder along the lines of Carlos Boozer.

Reading Material

-- Orlando Magic president Pat Williams has an excellent new book out called, “The Three Success Secrets of Shamgar.” You should know that it’s not a basketball book, but it is very inspirational. I highly recommend it.

-- My book, “A Basketball Summer: The Pro Game as it’s Played in the Off-Season,” was released in July 2001. It features interviews with current Suns coach Mike D’Antoni, among others. It is available on numerous Web sites like Amazon.com and MTV.com.

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