Chandler Could Fill Knicks' Hole at the Three

While a lot of attention has been focused on the Knicks' soap operas at the point guard, head coach, and chairman positions, the team's worst on-court problem is at small forward. The team is getting killed there, and coach and team president (and official lightning rod for criticism) Isiah Thomas is ignoring a potential in-house solution.

Small forward should be the domain of the team's 2006 firstround draft pick, Renaldo Balkman. Although he lacks a smooth stroke from the perimeter, Balkman is a defensive demon, racking up steals, blocks, and rebounds faster than his teammates fire up bricks. He's the perfect complementary player to a lineup full of ball hogs whose defensive intensity might charitably be described as indifferent. But Balkman has been injured: He missed all of training camp with an ankle injury, which he aggravated last week. Although he played in Saturday night's debacle, a 115–83 loss in Denver, he didn't look 100%, fouling out in a mere 12 minutes.

At present, Quentin Richardson gets the start at small forward, and though he has good credentials and played well last season, Q has been miserable so far. He's hitting a mere 33.3% of his shots from the field, and Richardson, normally an excellent long-range gunner, has been even worse from behind the arc, hitting just 6 of 25 attempts (24%).

With Richardson's slump and Balkman's injury, the Knicks have experimented with playing guard Jamal Crawford and pivotman David Lee out of position. This method has failed, though. Crawford doesn't know the role of the three in Knicks offensive design: He keeps defaulting to spots on the floor where the shooting guard should be, often leading to turnovers. Lee lacks the foot speed of the smaller forwards and, by playing on the perimeter, rebounding, his greatest skill, is minimized. Also, Lee lacks the shooting range to space the floor, an important task for any NBA three.

In comparing production numbers by position, the statistics for the Knicks are ugly, according to information from the Web site 82games.com. Opposing small forwards are outscoring the Knicks' threes by 12 points per contest, and out-assisting them by two dimes. In addition, opponents are shooting 55.9% from the field as opposed to 47% for the Knicks' small forwards. Using John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Rating, a per minute accounting of a player's production where 15 represents the league average, Knicks' small forwards have a composite rating of 9.0; the opposing threes have a PER of 19.8.

This week's slate could make this glaring problem even worse. Richardson has a history of back problems and Balkman's ankle injury may take another week or two to heal. Thomas's current game plan will have players playing out of position against an up-and-coming forward, Golden State's Kelenna Azubuike, tonight; one of the best forwards in the Eastern Conference tomorrow, Detroit's Tayshaun Prince, and another riser, Chicago's Andres Nocioni, on Saturday. Crawford lacks the strength to guard these players and Lee lacks the agility.

What is positively mysterious is why Thomas is ignoring a solution at the end of his own bench, 2007 first-round draft choice Wilson Chandler. Chandler is thought of as a Balkman clone: an active, aggressive defender whose midrange shot may be better. He looked good in both summer league and exhibition season action — and most importantly, his natural position is small forward, just where the Knicks need a hand.

Chandler has played sparingly so far this season, but he's looked good in limited minutes. The 6-foot-8-inch forward from DePaul played 18 minutes in last Tuesday's game against Phoenix. He shot 4–7, had a steal, and collected two rebounds. He turned the ball over only once. I'm not saying he should be on the All-Star ballot, and every available caveat about small sample size applies. But that kind of performance makes Chandler worthy of additional minutes. Yet, during the fourth quarter of Saturday night's loss in Denver (the first low leverage action the team had after Chandler's performance against Phoenix), he sat glued to the bench while Malik Rose and Jared Jeffries played. Except as trade bait, neither player fits into this team's future. Chandler and reserve pivotman Randolph Morris, who also sat idle, do fit in, though, and they should receive as many minutes as possible.

Even Thomas's most fervent detractors admit that he drafts very well, yet it's utterly mystifying why he doesn't capitalize on that skill by playing his rookies more. Not only will they save him from playing players out of position, but they may further burnish his resume.

With rumors swirling about Thomas's imminent dismissal, it would be prudent for him to be plotting his road back to an NBA job. His skill in selecting collegiate and American high school players should make him a no-brainer candidate for a gig as a consultant to some team's scouting department. But he is undermining that skill by refusing to let his latest draftees get burn at a time when the team needs them most.

mjohnson@nysun.com