That’s nice of Smith, but it’s not true. The Knicks didn’t have one timeout; they had three. Even after the mindless inbounds pass by Udrih, Woodson could have called two timeouts – one to stop the clock and a second to advance the ball. And he still would have had one more for something unforseen.
Realizing a timeout wasn’t coming, Anthony tried to quickly dribble upcourt and get off a shot before time expired. But he was trapped by two Washington defenders at midcourt. At that point it was too late, as Anthony hoisted up a woefully misguided prayer off one leg that barely grazed the bottom of the backboard.
“I think we were expecting a timeout,’’ Anthony said. “I think everything happened so fast. I don’t know if we were supposed to call a timeout. And we lost the game.”
If Anthony really didn’t know or didn’t expect Woodson to call time, he would not have dribbled it so slowly up the court.
From the opposing bench, Wizards guard Garrett Temple was expecting Woodson to call a timeout.
“Melo brought it up pretty slowly and shot a one-legged shot against two people,” he said. “So I was happy with the shot selection.”
So the final buzzer sounded, ending another home loss for the Knicks as the stunned, dazed and confused crowd witnesses a calamitous collapse that falls squarely on the shoulders of the home team’s embattled coach.
Woodson has preached for patience as the Knicks battle through injuries to Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton and now Pablo Prigioni, who broke his toe in the third quarter and will be out a minimum of two weeks. But this game – and the overall mental state of the ballclub – is on Woodson.
“If he says it’s his fault, then I guess it’s his fault,” Anthony said in a less-than ringing endorsement of Woodson. “As far as I know, he’s secure right now. Nothing to talk about.’’
Knicks owner James Dolan was in the building for this game, seen in the back of his car at halftime. Any logical human being would pin the blame on Woodson. The team may not be constructed so well, but Woodson is just not putting the Knicks in the best position to win games right now.
Just look at their close losses to the Pacers and Rockets as proof. Iman Shumpert fouled a 3-point shooter late in the loss to Indiana, and Anthony’s boneheaded intentional foul of Dwight Howard swung that game in favor of Houston.
The coach ultimately has to be accountable for his players’ poor decisions. And when that’s compounded with that same coach costing you a home game to a Washington team you should beat, the coach should come under even more intense scrutiny.
Woodson often is seen as a rigid traditionalist who still seems to fight the conclusion that the Knicks are better with smaller lineups where Anthony plays power forward. Or that the team had success with two ballhandlers rather than two bigs. So while the team wasn’t properly built and injuries abound, Woodson isn’t properly managing his roster and often is too stubborn to make the necessary adjustments until it’s too late.
Time is running out for a Knicks team that has to win now, because its future was mortgaged for the present. And just like the final seconds Monday, Knicks fans are on their feet, wondering what will happen next.
It’s quite possible that the next time the Knicks are in a similar situation, it won’t be Woodson standing next to the team’s bench, looking frozen as the franchise slowly descends into another dark age.
Shlomo Sprung is a national columnist for Sheridan Hoops who loves advanced statistics and the way they explain what happens on the court. He is also the web editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A 2011 graduate of Columbia University’s Journalism School, he has previously worked for the New York Knicks, The Sporting News, Business Insider and other publications. His website is SprungOnSports.com. You should follow him on Twitter.
What a plurseae to find someone who thinks through the issues
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That’s an ingenious way of thinking about it.
I’d venture that this article has saved me more time than any other.
Frankly I think that’s absolutely good stuff.
I’m not worthy to be in the same forum. ROTFL
Help, I’ve been informed and I can’t become ignorant.
It’s always a pleasure to hear from someone with expertise.
It’s always a relief when someone with obvious expertise answers. Thanks!
It’s a real pleasure to find someone who can think like that
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This forum needed shaking up and you’ve just done that. Great post!
That insight’s perfect for what I need. Thanks!
Hello again! Me and Quita thought it was so cool meeitng you in the flesh. I’ve been bragging about that to all of my students and now I’m suddenly cool, so thanks. :)To answer your question, I haven’t committed it yet (at least I hope not), but I think a faux-pas may be to constantly joke with someone you don’t really “know” on Twitter. I’ve seen an unagented writer constantly take jabs and “bother” an agent on Twitter, and it’s a little embarrassing to witness. I don’t tweet to agents unless it’s an #AskAgent discussion, or if they’re actually throwing a question out there in the Twitterverse.