[Showtyme]

Hi. I'm dropping by from the Bulls board... don't hate on me, I have a simple question.

Who is the leader of your team? Is it Sprewell, the temper-driven attitude-of-a-winner type of guy who might soon begin aging and not be able to back up his talk?

Is it Houston, the highest paid player on the team, who can lead by example but doesn't seem to be the vocal one?

Is it McDyess, the hard-working player who left the shambles of the Nuggets in pursuit of a ring before the years pass and he's past his prime?

How about Frank Williams, a rookie with some real game, but also a known leader whose reputation for toughness and being the heart and soul of a team precedes him?

I would like to say, also, that I think Allan Houston has all the tools to be one of the best SG's in the league. Not that he was shabby last year (career high scoring average...20.4, was it?), but I think he can be the MAN for the Knicks, the go-to guy, and not just be the highly paid role player.

 

[Fordy74]

Being that Spree is the most passionate and the only one not afraid to say something I would say he is the leader. Mcdyess is probably the best player but word is he is soft spoken and not really a leader he is more like Allan Houston leaders by example. If Houston is to be considered one of the best SG's in the game he is going to need to rebound more get more assissts more steals and take it the rack once in a while. He gets about 80 percent of those 20 points a game on jump shots,3's and ft's. He is a great FT shooter who should try and get to the line more by taking it to the hole. So I would say Spree is definitly the leader of the Knicks right now.

 

[truth]

After reading Mitch lawrence article on ESPN its definetly NOT Spree.It sounds if management and coaches are fed up with his coming late to games and are really trying to move him...Of course blockhead layden is insisting on Knight being part of the package

 

[The Phoenix]

>Who is the leader of your team? Is it Sprewell, the temper-driven attitude-of-a-winner type of guy who might soon begin aging and not be able to back up his talk?

I havent really seen him slow down yet.



>Is it Houston, the highest paid player on the team, who can lead by example but doesn't seem to be the vocal one?

lol...no kidding. But i would love to see Houston get a technical just once!


>Is it McDyess, the hard-working player who left the shambles of the Nuggets in pursuit of a ring before the years pass and he's past his prime?

he is soft spoken. Kinda like houston, a leader by example.



>How about Frank Williams, a rookie with some real game, but also a known leader whose reputation for toughness and being the heart and soul of a team precedes him? :laugh:



Talent which he showed little of especially consistantly, before he got hurt

 

[spartansfan223]

Everyone can make their predictions on who is the true leader of the Knicks, but with a whole new set of guys coming onto the team and the starting lineup, I can not really determine a leader until the season starts. As the season progresses, we will be able to see how the team works together with the additions of Williams and McDyess, and who emerges to bring the emotional upstart that the Knicks need to compete with.

 

[Showtyme]

The Knicks used to be TOUGH man.

Childs was a thug. He's not the greatest PG in the world, but the Ward/Childs thing wasn't that bad.

Spre is still a thug. He's rough and tough, doesn't have the greatest habits or manners, but he's the freaking U.S.A. He's a tough heart and soul type.

Camby was tough, except that his body isn't tough. But when he plays, he plays hard and maybe one of the reasons he got injured so much was cuz he threw his body around a little too recklessly.

Even the Gorilla, Ewing, was a tough guy. His massive frame defined the term "filling the lane", both offensively and defensively, and he brought the attitude of an old grizzled warrior.

What happened? Are the Knicks ever going to be the tough team again? Or are they going to aim for becoming softer, more finesse oriented, less power and more touch?

The leader of the team defines the attitude, even more than the coach does. If Spree is the leader, then the team will play its heart out. Technicals, even flagrants, will be all part of what comes along when guys push around and get really physical on the court, and it would become something they would just have to accept.

If Houston becomes the leader, look for the team of thugs and tough guys to turn into a team of players looking to be artistic about the game of basketball... rugged, but structured and looking more like the old school Jazz or Blazers.

I want to see the Knicks come back and win games purely on toughness. I'm not a Knicks fan, by definition (I'm a Bulls fan, thus a Knicks hater), but if this team were to rise back up to the top, I'd like to see them come back hard as nails.