Knicks · Does anyone else want to keep the Melo, Amare, Chandler & Lin group through training camp and next season? (page 2)

I'm in agreement. But it's not going to work without the right pickups. From watching teams that win with team ball, like the Spurs, Clippers, Pacers, it's clear what we need, and Silverfuel is dead on: a backup PG for Lin, and a backup PF/SF. Actually we need 2 more guards.
We need 5 guards to be good money.
Spurs: Parker, Neal, Green, Mills, Ginobli
Clippers: Paul, Williams, Bledsoe, Young, Foye
Pacers: Collison, Hill, George, Barbosa, Jones

Right now: Knicks: Lin, Shumpert, Fields, (Douglas :( ) AND? (Don't say Smith, he's gone)

In addition we need a strong PF off the bench. Harrelson is great, fundamentals, IQ, good touch even if he can't jump, SMART post/lane D. BUT he lacks that fire that Chandler has and that presence is needed off the bench. Someone like Kenyon Martin, Reggie Evans, Al Harrington.

The number 1 thing that STAT and Melo need to work on? I know you think Defense, but it's passing. Learning how to be part of a pick and roll, a give and go, learning how to draw the double team and dish, and move the ball around. With Lin, Amare, Melo on the floor together and able to move the ball around, there should be plenty of buckets to share. No need for iso every trip down the floor. It means going back to school, this game is no different from anything else. Adapt or die. Time to teach old dogs new tricks.

If we're going with what we have, I hope we're only giving it till the trade deadline. If Stat/Melo haven't managed to play together by then, it ain't happening.

I agree lets see how stat/melo looks with a real pg. It worked with Billups and Lin the short time the 3 of them were on the court.. If it doesnt work cos Amare is still not playing defense and helping Tyson out on the boards then you do everything you can to trade Amade at the deadline even if you are getting less in return. Send Amare to whatever team Dantoni winds up coaching since they were made for each other.

gunsnewing wrote:I agree lets see how stat/melo looks with a real pg. It worked with Billups and Lin the short time the 3 of them were on the court.. If it doesnt work cos Amare is still not playing defense and helping Tyson out on the boards then you do everything you can to trade Amade at the deadline even if you ade getting less in return. Send Amare to whatever team Dantoni winds up coaching since they were made for each other.

Amare and Chandler with Lin and Melo sounds good when Woodson is coaching them. I have a feeling Woodson will get the best out of Amare and Melo on defense.We have to give them a chance to get through a full training camp.

I don't mind this at all. Microscopic sample size, but Woody was 6-1 with all of them in the lineup.

gunsnewing wrote:I agree lets see how stat/melo looks with a real pg. It worked with Billups and Lin the short time the 3 of them were on the court.. If it doesnt work cos Amare is still not playing defense and helping Tyson out on the boards then you do everything you can to trade Amade at the deadline even if you are getting less in return. Send Amare to whatever team Dantoni winds up coaching since they were made for each other.

Or trade Anthony. Either way is fine.

Grunefeld need to find someway to package Amare/Field/Douglas into a guard that can actually hit a jumpshot.

Grunwald lol

markvmc wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I agree lets see how stat/melo looks with a real pg. It worked with Billups and Lin the short time the 3 of them were on the court.. If it doesnt work cos Amare is still not playing defense and helping Tyson out on the boards then you do everything you can to trade Amade at the deadline even if you are getting less in return. Send Amare to whatever team Dantoni winds up coaching since they were made for each other.

Or trade Anthony. Either way is fine.

I might be the minority on this....But to me, if we could get a similar deal like the players we traded away for Melo, I would do it.

Melo and Stat together will never play on a superstar level consistently. So it's a waste of money (and cap space) to have them both at such a high salary.

Also, Melo is similar to JR Smith on offense. They both need about 8 dribbles and 5 "And 1" moves just to make one shot. Stat and Chandler are more team oriented players, who understands how to be affective in a basic offensive system.

If I was building an "And 1" team, Melo and Smith would be my 1st pickups....But this is not street ball, and if Melo can't have the offensive freedom he likes, then he's not worth max salary.

If Melo dominates the ball, as he's been known to do, then Stat is not worth max money.

Dolan really messed up this franchise again when he forced the Melo trade. Melo is also to blame, because he was chasing the money and demanded a trade out of Denver (when could've just played it cool, and not get greedy), when he instead should've chased a championship, and just came over during free agency.

Now everybody wants to trade Amari....When the real cancer is Melo. Plus trading Amari will not give you equal value.

The only thing we can hope for now, is if or when Melo's game matures. Usually that comes with age, when you start losing your athleticism. I saw good signs of his game this season, but Melo and Stat is still a bad combination. Add Chandler in there, and you really are reducing Stat to just a 100 million dollar role player....

This is a sign of a franchise with lots of money, but not real plan. Getting rid of Walsh was dumb. Now the future is one big crap shoot.

Go Giants! Thats a real team, that understands you don't need big free agency names to win a championship. You just need good scouts and patience to allow your players to develop. To me, that would've been equal to Isiah and Walsh. As much as we hate Isiah, he and Walsh would’ve been the perfect storm. Isiah with his scouting and Walsh with his GM skills and patience.

Rely too much on Amare and he will turn into the next LJ and be forced to retire young. Except he doesnt play D and box out like LJ. Remember Amare was already breaking down when Dantoni relied heavily on him with the team pre-Melo.

Careful what you wish because the Knicks can easyvgo back to being a lottery team that trades all its lottery picks. Like they did after LJ & H20 were forced to retire early because of overuse

gunsnewing wrote:Rely too much on Amare and he will turn into the next LJ and be forced to retire young. Except he doesnt play D and box out like LJ. Remember Amare was already breaking down when Dantoni relied heavily on him with the team pre-Melo.

Careful what you wish because the Knicks can easyvgo back to being a lottery team that trades all its lottery picks. Like they did after LJ & H20 were forced to retire early because of overuse

Good point

Right after that point you are better off waiting for Amare's contract to come off the books and maybe even trading him in his last year

BasketballJones wrote:Nope. The first thing we need to do is get rid of Amare because he is done. Then we need to get rid of Melo, because he is a me-first player. Then we need to get rid of Chandler because he has no offensive game. Lin's a d-league scrub, so he's gotta go too. Woody's problem is his name isn't Phil, so he is also outta here!

Best option is to blow it up because with this group although we could make the playoffs, we could not win a championship. It is championship or nuttin. What we need is a bunch of rookies and yoots. Give Phil Jackson 3 or 4 years with these rookies, and THEN we will be championship bound!

Why would Phil Jackson want to coach a team of 2nd round draft picks

tj23 wrote:Id love Anthony Parker. I could be wrong but I think he's a free agent who probably isn't going to get paid much.

I could be wrong, but I heard he retired.

Jmpasq wrote:

BasketballJones wrote:Nope. The first thing we need to do is get rid of Amare because he is done. Then we need to get rid of Melo, because he is a me-first player. Then we need to get rid of Chandler because he has no offensive game. Lin's a d-league scrub, so he's gotta go too. Woody's problem is his name isn't Phil, so he is also outta here!

Best option is to blow it up because with this group although we could make the playoffs, we could not win a championship. It is championship or nuttin. What we need is a bunch of rookies and yoots. Give Phil Jackson 3 or 4 years with these rookies, and THEN we will be championship bound!

Why would Phil Jackson want to coach a team of 2nd round draft picks

It is part of his spiritual journey to experience new things.

The only win the Knicks had against the Heat this series happened IMO because Stat stayed in the paint for the most part. Melo and Stat were setting up each other up and it paid dividends

If you do that then you have the understanding that another first round exit next season, injuries or not, would have to result in the complete breakup of the team as current assembled.

JamesKPolk wrote:If you do that then you have the understanding that another first round exit next season, injuries or not, would have to result in the complete breakup of the team as current assembled.

Yup. Same result means it's scrapped. It's been too long to be mediocre. It's Conference finals or bust next year IMO.

I want to see a core of Lin/Melo/Stat/Tyson with a full training camp. If Melo can swallow his pride ala Paul Pierce and let a young PG run the show, then I think this can really work.

BasketballJones wrote:

Jmpasq wrote:

BasketballJones wrote:Nope. The first thing we need to do is get rid of Amare because he is done. Then we need to get rid of Melo, because he is a me-first player. Then we need to get rid of Chandler because he has no offensive game. Lin's a d-league scrub, so he's gotta go too. Woody's problem is his name isn't Phil, so he is also outta here!

Best option is to blow it up because with this group although we could make the playoffs, we could not win a championship. It is championship or nuttin. What we need is a bunch of rookies and yoots. Give Phil Jackson 3 or 4 years with these rookies, and THEN we will be championship bound!

Why would Phil Jackson want to coach a team of 2nd round draft picks

It is part of his spiritual journey to experience new things.

Like coaching a team with no chance of winning?

NYKBocker wrote:I want to see a core of Lin/Melo/Stat/Tyson with a full training camp. If Melo can swallow his pride ala Paul Pierce and let a young PG run the show, then I think this can really work.

this... I have high hopes Lin can be that guy.

we have 3 scorers also... in Lin/Amare/Melo and make no mistake, Lin IS a scorer. I would work on filling the rest of the roster with the best defenders possible. Tony Allen, Reggie Evans and Earl Watson come to mind as blue collar lunch pale guys who are reasonably priced.

Melo/Stat/Chandler/Lin (and eventually hopefully Shump) still smells like an elite core to me, but there are big holes and the quality role players it will take to cover those arent easy to find.