Crawford and Lee Have Seemingly Switched Lucky Paths

So, I guess Jamal Crawford was right. After a dismal preseason he said he'd be ready when the regular season came around and indeed through 6 games he has been. Crawford looked passive and at times lost in the new system during the exhibition games but has recently found his stroke. D'Antoni said that Crawford should be no less than a 20 point scorer and after six games he has fulfilled those demands. (19.2 ppg) With field goal percentages higher than usual for Jamal mixed in with the Knicks small recent taste of success, things are looking very encouraging. 45% from downtown and 44% from inside the arch are well above his usual season averages. Crawford currently has the longest active streak of players who have never played a single playoff game. With continued efforts like these, that could soon change.

Conversely, David Lee looked like an all star power forward during the preseason and now looks like an undersized college center trying to make it in the pros. Getting his shot blocked almost twice per game, Lee has looked a step or two slow for all 6 of the Knicks' games thus far. Through a stretch of 3 games, Lee grabbed a total of 7 rebounds after averaging 9 last year and over 10 the year before. Possibly a combination of Lee looking over his shoulder at Wilson Chandler or worries about playing for a contract have distracted Lee. Regardless this is not good for the Knicks. I suggested earlier last week that it may be time to unload Lee before his stock plummets. I can admit now that it may have been a tad bit premature but his struggled are obvious.

Getting both of these guys playing their best ball at the same time would be great for the Knicks. If Lee can flourish now that he is back to his reserve role then other teams would have a hard time keeping up with and matching up with the Knicks. It will be interesting tomorrow night in San Antonio how Coach D'Antoni will lineup with Tim Duncan. Will he still start Chandler at 6'8 or use David Lee along side Zach Randolph to match up with Duncan.