Knicks · Burning Q's: How can Fisher change Melo? (page 1)

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/...

Sometimes it was a phone call. On other occasions, it was a recruiting pitch over dinner.

In some form or another, Carmelo Anthony and Derek Fisher have been in touch throughout the summer.

In fact, as soon as Anthony re-signed with the Knicks, Fisher handed Anthony a playbook with the team’s new triangle offense.

“I speak to him all the time,” Anthony said of Fisher, according to an article posted on PrimeraHora.com and translated by ESPN Deportes' Marly Rivera. “He is as excited to start this season as I am, which you don’t see very often in coaches. Usually you see coaches that worry about you, that call you to check how you are and what you need. And he has already developed a good relationship with me in that sense. I believe that our relationship will be very positive.”

Fisher's relationship with Anthony -- and, more important, his effect on Anthony's performance on the court -- will be one of the more interesting aspects of this Knicks season.

Below, we take a look at some of the aspects of Anthony's game that Fisher can impact:

1. Late-game scoring: Last season, Carmelo’s shooting percentage dipped significantly late in games. He shot 47.9 percent from the field in the first quarter, 49.3 percent in the second quarter and 45.2 percent in the third quarter. But in the fourth quarter, Anthony shot just 38.0 percent from the field. In overtime, that number dipped to 30 percent. Anthony also struggled late in close games, going 1-for-12 on potential game-tying or game-winning baskets in the final 30 seconds. He was 1-for-7 in those scenarios in the previous season.

Field goal pct. per quarter in 2013-14: 
                Carmelo Anthony  Knicks team
1st quarter     47.9             45.6
2nd quarter     49.3             45.7
3rd quarter     45.2             45.5
4th quarter     38.0             43.3

Was this due to fatigue? Was it a product of defenses keying in on Anthony late in games? Was it the Knicks’ overreliance on Anthony on offense?

Fisher may have the solution to those problems. Phil Jackson said recently that he is confident that Fisher can keep the ball from sticking in Anthony's hands on offense.

"You always have to have someone who is strong enough to tell your major player -- maybe a Carmelo, or Kobe Bryant or a Michael Jordan -- 'I'm not going here with the ball with you right now. We have other guys who have to be involved in the offense, we have a system we want to run.' And Derek always had that ability to say that," Jackson said in an interview last month on MSG Network.

Jackson said that Fisher had the ability to tell his teammates, "'You may want the ball now but I'm going to adjust this game to how it should be played and we have other guys who need to have touches and [the opponent's] defense is now cocked so they're trying to stop our major scorers all the time.'"

"Derek has that knowledge," Jackson said. "We're a team that has relied a lot on Carmelo to do a lot of the scoring for us. We need to have someone who understands that we don't have to go to Carmelo all the time, we can go back to him later."

If Fisher can keep the ball moving late in games while keeping Carmelo -- and everyone else -- happy, it may improve his star forward's impact late in games.

2. Ball movement: Anthony’s reputation as a "ball stopper" is a bit overblown. The Knicks' assist percentage was nearly identical when Carmelo was on the floor compared to when he was off of it last season. One scout who watched Anthony frequently over the past two seasons noted that his ball movement out of double-teams had improved markedly.

But Anthony still operates heavily in isolation. He led the league in isolation scoring last season, averaging 6.6 isolation PPG, according to Synergy Sports. Those isolation sets had an impact on the Knicks' ball movement. New York ended the season ranked 24th in touches per possession and 25th in points created by assists per game -- two signs of an ineffective offense. The Knicks finished the season ranked 24th in points per possession.

But the ball movement should improve in the offense this season thanks to Fisher and the triangle -- and Carmelo may benefit. The 30-year-old has a strong outside shot and is a good improvisational passer -- two skills that are useful in any offense, but particularly in the triangle.

Also, when run successfully, the triangle can weed out some of Anthony's worst habits (contested jump shots, overreliance on dribbling/holding the ball). So this is another area where Fisher can help Anthony.

No more contested mid-range jumpshots with a lot of time left on the clock. That's pretty much the only thing I'd want him to try to change. He's very effective in the paint and from 3 point range. If he can be a better distributor, great but that doesn't really seem to be part of his game.

the last time Melo had something to prove I stopped hating him and started to really appreciate the level of talet he has. I really hated how he played for MDA. Granted if you look at MDA's history you could certainly assume MDA had some responsibility in that rocky relationship but Melo quit on him and to me thats always inexcusable. So he got "his coach" in Woody and he responded by winning player of the month after MDA walked away and followed that with a 54 win season and a scoring title.

This year he's signed on to buy into what this coach and GM are selling and we have seen that a motivated and challenged Melo is willing to adjust his game and take steps. Its clear he's going to be a 3 so his response has been to get slim and fast. There will be adjustments but if the Knicks come out of the game with a slim Melo balling with some good big bodies and shooters we should be able to get off to a decent start.

Good read. What I liked the most about this article was the part about the communication going on between Fisher/Phil and Melo. I like how they are keeping fans in the loop about how they are changing the culture, on and off the floor. Melo is buying in which is great news, his slimmed down physique is a testament to that. Also glad they pointed out that while some of the negatives about Melo's game are true, some aren't.

Holding onto the ball too long before making his move has been my biggest problem with Melo's game since he got here. If they can weed that bad habit out of him, and help him become a better distributor, we should see a more free flowing offense. Would also help if his teammates step up their game as well.

Acknowledging Melos flaws is a huge step for this organiztion. I am hopeful that they really do get him to buy in and he has his best seasons as a pro the next 5yrs

gunsnewing wrote:Acknowledging Melos flaws is a huge step for this organiztion. I am hopeful that they really do get him to buy in and he has his best seasons as a pro the next 5yrs

What I find interesting for all the biching about how bad his teammates were

Look at the shooting percentages

The team stayed relatively consistent from qtr to qrt

Obviously you had some players who had horrific stretches of play

But not all of them simultaneously

Therefore it was imperative to find out who were the best options as the game progressed

Instead we kept dumping the ball to the Supremely In Shape Player of The Month Stud Muffin

Who's shooting percentage from 1-4qrt went somewhere below sea level/////A FATIGUED SHOOTING TORPEDO!!!!

This year maybe we'll see the TEAM carry a balanced attack

And maybe just maybe SKINNY will find his clutch gene if needed

this thread shouldn't be confused with fish's "burning p's" that he experiences from time to time.

imho, everyone will play good soldier but in the final few mins of a game, expect iso-melo.

I think the knicks should only use ISO plays in urgent situations. Game tied, 2 mins left etc. Keep passing the ball to the open man otherwise.

Reduce the reliance of Melo in the 4th. Last year there was to much reliance on Melo in the 4th and in crunch time teams know the plan. They know Melo is going to get the ball so all they have to do is make it difficult for him. Melo isn't exactly the most willing passer and trust is a huge issue with him. Movement without the basketball is another weakness in Melo's game. I would rather Melo trust his teammates get them the ball and let them shoot, than him forcing the action. If his teammates miss the shot I can live with it, because it's the right play.

For Fisher to change Melo these are the areas to address.
1) less reliance on Melo and more execution of system
2) make Melo a willing passer, teach him Trust
3) emphasis movement without the ball for easier opportunities, not allowing Iso Melo to take place and stagnation taking hold.

gunsnewing wrote:Acknowledging Melos flaws is a huge step for this organiztion. I am hopeful that they really do get him to buy in and he has his best seasons as a pro the next 5yrs

Guns.. thats why the resigning was good. They didnt sign him to be a face of the franchise, the #1 jersey seller, bla bla bla... they resigned him to do the things they know he does well. Score the damn ball and be an impact player. Last year the stats showed that nobody in the league was guarded more without the ball than Melo. He attracts defenders. We saw in the 54 win season that with shooters and a little ball movement the wins will come. This is not an attempt to recreate that team, only to draw from the things that team did right.

djsunyc wrote:this thread shouldn't be confused with fish's "burning p's" that he experiences from time to time.

imho, everyone will play good soldier but in the final few mins of a game, expect iso-melo.

thank god for penicillin. One pill and your back in action!

fishmike wrote:

djsunyc wrote:this thread shouldn't be confused with fish's "burning p's" that he experiences from time to time.

imho, everyone will play good soldier but in the final few mins of a game, expect iso-melo.

thank god for penicillin. One pill and your back in action!

You were the one who posted Felton's Wins and Losses shooting %s correct

Got any explanation of the disparity of shooting from Melo qrt to qrt

Obviously he's not the sole reason we had a poor year last year

Although, did this article clear some of the cataract from your eyes

gunsnewing wrote:Acknowledging Melos flaws is a huge step for this organiztion. I am hopeful that they really do get him to buy in and he has his best seasons as a pro the next 5yrs

+1
If he could score with the efficiency of love and durant, which just requires better shot selection, I'd be thrilled

Great article. I am pretty excited to see what Fish can do as a coach.

I think those who expect that we'll always revert to ISO Melo will be in shock at the change. If you look at how Phil's teams ran late game offense they still ran plays that called for off ball motion even if Jordan or Kobe took the last shot. It's what we have been begging for the Knicks to do. You need to have some kind of alternate options to force the defense to have to react to other threats. That will make things easier for Melo in late game situations. Deliberate ISO without any kind of deception will often make it harder for him.

This team has enough scoring talent that if you force a defense to have to guard the entire floor that will allow our scorers many good opportunities. It's a more inclusive and versatile style of play than we saw in the 54 win season. We still have the ability to shoot the 3 and spread teams out, but the floor is more balanced and our bigs still have a role in this offense. That's what woody struggled with. It took a long time to get everyone involved and that didn't happen til late in the season. This offense will really stress defenses and make them expend a lot of energy. That should have a cumulative effect on opponents. It got easy for defenses to clog the paint on the PnR and force Melo into contested shots. Things were often too predictable.

Melo can get into his Olympic style of play now. It wasn't just that he was playing with a lot of top players. It's more about his approach to the game. Melo was going quick and wasn't looking to always hold the ball. He was passing too. It's funny how Melo resisted MDA during the season but fully bought into his offense in the Olympics. This is why I was bashing Melo s much during that time, cuz it was painfully obvious that he wasn't buying into what MDA was asking him to do. If he really bought in he would've flourished. He proved that with his change in the Olympics. It's not even like Melo was learning MDA's offense for the 1st time with the Knicks. He's been knowing MDA and his system for years.

Even Anthony acknowledged that things between the two could have been weird. He and D’Antoni hadn’t spoken since the resignation until U.S. basketball convened for camp in Las Vegas earlier this month. That’s when they found themselves in a situation that forced them to break the ice.
“I was on the elevator and he was coming onto the elevator,” Anthony told the New York Post. “We didn’t have much of a conversation. Then we walked to the meeting, then talked about it. It could have been an awkward moment, but it never was.”

Carmelo also added that playing under D’Antoni, who was also an assistant on the 2008 Redeem Team in Beijing, has gone on without a hitch.
“It’s been good,” he said. “He’s been Mike. His system is what we run here. It works best for us. We’ve been running the system four, five years now. He controls the offense, Nate [McMillan] controls the defense. [Jim] Boeheim controls the zone. He gets no love because we ain’t running no zone.”

So, everything seems to be all hunky dory between Melo and D’Antoni in London, just like Melo said it would be. It’s almost kind of like how married couples on the rocks go on vacation to settle their differences.

nixluva wrote:I think those who expect that we'll always revert to ISO Melo will be in shock at the change. If you look at how Phil's teams ran late game offense they still ran plays that called for off ball motion even if Jordan or Kobe took the last shot. It's what we have been begging for the Knicks to do. You need to have some kind of alternate options to force the defense to have to react to other threats. That will make things easier for Melo in late game situations. Deliberate ISO without any kind of deception will often make it harder for him.

This team has enough scoring talent that if you force a defense to have to guard the entire floor that will allow our scorers many good opportunities. It's a more inclusive and versatile style of play than we saw in the 54 win season. We still have the ability to shoot the 3 and spread teams out, but the floor is more balanced and our bigs still have a role in this offense. That's what woody struggled with. It took a long time to get everyone involved and that didn't happen til late in the season. This offense will really stress defenses and make them expend a lot of energy. That should have a cumulative effect on opponents. It got easy for defenses to clog the paint on the PnR and force Melo into contested shots. Things were often too predictable.

Melo can get into his Olympic style of play now. It wasn't just that he was playing with a lot of top players. It's more about his approach to the game. Melo was going quick and wasn't looking to always hold the ball. He was passing too. It's funny how Melo resisted MDA during the season but fully bought into his offense in the Olympics. This is why I was bashing Melo s much during that time, cuz it was painfully obvious that he wasn't buying into what MDA was asking him to do. If he really bought in he would've flourished. He proved that with his change in the Olympics. It's not even like Melo was learning MDA's offense for the 1st time with the Knicks. He's been knowing MDA and his system for years.

Even Anthony acknowledged that things between the two could have been weird. He and D’Antoni hadn’t spoken since the resignation until U.S. basketball convened for camp in Las Vegas earlier this month. That’s when they found themselves in a situation that forced them to break the ice.
“I was on the elevator and he was coming onto the elevator,” Anthony told the New York Post. “We didn’t have much of a conversation. Then we walked to the meeting, then talked about it. It could have been an awkward moment, but it never was.”

Carmelo also added that playing under D’Antoni, who was also an assistant on the 2008 Redeem Team in Beijing, has gone on without a hitch.
“It’s been good,” he said. “He’s been Mike. His system is what we run here. It works best for us. We’ve been running the system four, five years now. He controls the offense, Nate [McMillan] controls the defense. [Jim] Boeheim controls the zone. He gets no love because we ain’t running no zone.”

So, everything seems to be all hunky dory between Melo and D’Antoni in London, just like Melo said it would be. It’s almost kind of like how married couples on the rocks go on vacation to settle their differences.

I wonder what his shooting percentages were from qrt to qrt then?

With D'antoni that is

Melo is sold as a scoring machine.

Unfortunately you don't win games in the first qrt

Triangle will help melo see the double team and move the ball to reach the open man. Even in crunch time.

Sure Jordan and Kobe were killers but many times they heroically passed out to a wide open shooter.

If it helps Amare not turn into the weak side defender I will be happy.

These guys learn to move the ball the ball will find its way back to them as well...........

Remember guys, they will make mistakes and cost close games. It will be easy to whine and say we should abanden it.

Phil got 11 blings to say no.

Bonn1997 wrote:No more contested mid-range jumpshots with a lot of time left on the clock. That's pretty much the only thing I'd want him to try to change. He's very effective in the paint and from 3 point range. If he can be a better distributor, great but that doesn't really seem to be part of his game.

Yeah I hate that move- stop, pretend no other team mate exists (all teammates then suddenly freeze where they are and make no attempt to move or cut to free themselves for a shot because they know whats coming) hold onto the ball for several seconds, swing his arms left and right and then launch a mid range shot that you know isn't going in. Amar'e also seems to have picked up this move.

smackeddog wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:No more contested mid-range jumpshots with a lot of time left on the clock. That's pretty much the only thing I'd want him to try to change. He's very effective in the paint and from 3 point range. If he can be a better distributor, great but that doesn't really seem to be part of his game.

Yeah I hate that move- stop, pretend no other team mate exists (all teammates then suddenly freeze where they are and make no attempt to move or cut to free themselves for a shot because they know whats coming) hold onto the ball for several seconds, swing his arms left and right and then launch a mid range shot that you know isn't going in. Amar'e also seems to have picked up this move.

LOL, it a habit you pick up when you sign a 100mil or more contract!!! Joe Johnson got it down pat!

F500ONE wrote:

fishmike wrote:

djsunyc wrote:this thread shouldn't be confused with fish's "burning p's" that he experiences from time to time.

imho, everyone will play good soldier but in the final few mins of a game, expect iso-melo.

thank god for penicillin. One pill and your back in action!

You were the one who posted Felton's Wins and Losses shooting %s correct

Got any explanation of the disparity of shooting from Melo qrt to qrt

Obviously he's not the sole reason we had a poor year last year

Although, did this article clear some of the cataract from your eyes

how about using your own eyes? Did you watch? Or are you one of those gems on this site who like to post trash after trash but never actually watches the games because they arent worth your time?

Im assuming in your eyes the only reason that the 2013 Knicks are the only losing team Melo has ever played on is because of Melo?

Rather than bait me why not just add something of your own? Why do you think Melo's production tailed off late in games? Could it be he led the league in minutes? Could it be he was most guarded player away from the ball in the league? Did you watch any Knick games last year? Do you need me to explain things to you? Feel free to add your own thoughts... your allowed to do that.

As much as I didn't like how MDA and Melo handled things when they were on the Knicks, it's clear that they had in the past and after MDA resigned worked together and that Melo was able to change his game to fit a system. IMO this is evidence that Melo can adjust to the Triangle and be more of a team player with less reliance on Ball Stopping and ISO plays. It's not just a joke to say we want "Olympic Melo". It's something Melo has shown he's more than capable of doing in changing his game to fit the team concept. So all this nonsense that Melo can change isn't true. We see Melo catching and shooting, driving and passing...