Knicks need another young stud to play with KP during his prime years. Hope we luck out again in the draft in the near future. At least Phil knows what he is going and we don't have to worry about trying to develop KP in another laughing stock losing culture of Isiah & Co
up by 11 and lose....thats tough.
Not a fan of AA getting the last shot. Give it to KP!!
Should've won. Could've won.
Need NBA caliber guards. Grant and Galloway in for AA and Calderon. They can do just as well.
nyknickzingis wrote:The positive I take in tonight is that the team's shown how good it is in terms of being a supporting cast for Melo.
I repeat, the major issue we have is that Melo makes the money worth 3 Afflao's or 3 good players for us. With his physical decline, while he has played at a near MVP level in a 15 game stretch, the rest of the season has seen him either injured, or coming back from an injury and not looking well (early this season). He also missed half of last season. At some point, Phil Jackson has to realize that Melo isn't going to be this team's #1 guy, or be the star that can carry them to the playoffs. You see what Durant and Westbrook did tonight. That's a star that can carry you to the playoffs ever year. There's a few of them in the league, and Melo has the game for it but I question if he has the body left to do it. He reminds me of Dwight Howard in that he's still a very good player, one of the best at his spots when healthy, but he isn't healthy enough anymore. The problem for us is that Melo is making the money of 3 of our players. If we say had 2 starting caliber guards on this team instead of Melo, we'd be more competitive than the 22-25 record we have. A team that has the supporting cast of Porzingis, Lopez, Willilams, Afflalo, Thomas, Galloway etc. should not be missing the playoffs if they've truly invested in an appropriate star. I hate saying this but everytime I see a night like tonight, I think man, we either should have gotten Melo to stay for 18 million a year tops or sign and traded him to the Bulls for some assets. I do fully acknolwdge and love his commitment and development as a player, I just question if we'll ever be a top team in the East with him being the #1 guy to rely on. And so long as Melo is there, I doubt the team can ever truly be someone else's like KP's (Not saying KP is ready to be the man now but even if he is in a year or so, I doubt it becomes his team to lead so long as Melo is on the roster).Killer? Melo's going to make nearly 25, 26+ and 28 million over the next 3 season's after this one. Going to be awfully hard to build an elite team if he can't stay healthy and carry them like a guy who makes that sort of money should. Top it off, he has a NTC. If he is ever to be put on the block, they'd get pennies on the dollar as he'd be able to dictate where he goes.
yes the contract was outrageous, but less so once melo started playing the right way. that's a main reason he has had the playoff record he has had-- his style of play does not galvanize teams and does not translate well to playoff basketball.
now that he is playing the right way his body has started to betray him, making his contract onerous again. but the good news is that so long as he remains a knickerbocker, even as the team gets younger, his finest days as a knick could be in a sixth man role to the tune of 24 minutes a night. i have been mentioning this for months on end but it seems more and more likely as he continues to show signs of breaking down. it'll still be a ridiculous contract for most of its duration, but you can't complain about the way he has been playing this season.
Great game by Gallo KP and even Seraphin. Proud of the way the team played. HOWEVER last night was a perfect example of why I have never been a afflalo fan. Now I understand bad shooting nights happen but the guy doesn't do anything else. many times he missed open guys especially KP. The dude just wants to shoot every time down the floor. I understand we need his scoring but he also needs to understand that when his shot is off like it was last night he needs to do other things to help the team. Afflao really hurt us last night.
We really need to use KPs full skillset. Right now, he can't post up the Ibakas and the like. They are just too strong. They need to run him off screens and let those behemoths chase him around. Have them go through multiple screens and have KP catch the ball on the move at the elbows. A nice 10-12 foot shot or drive to the basket would force the other team to take out Ibaka or switch with a faster player. Then you can post them up.
NYKBocker wrote:We really need to use KPs full skillset. Right now, he can't post up the Ibakas and the like. They are just too strong. They need to run him off screens and let those behemoths chase him around. Have them go through multiple screens and have KP catch the ball on the move at the elbows. A nice 10-12 foot shot or drive to the basket would force the other team to take out Ibaka or switch with a faster player. Then you can post them up.
He had 2 plays like that yesterday, one where he finished with a floater and the other where he finished with his left hand. He should be used on the move against slower bigs. He's figuring it out. The team is just slow at recognizing his strengths right now. Last night there were 2 times he was wide open for a lob play and no one saw it. Afflalo's tunnel vision hurts, but there are a few players like Lance Thomas even who don't look to pass when they get the ball. Important to have multiple guys that can pass and no more than 1 tunnel vision guy in the lineups. I like both Thomas and Afflalo, but when they play together it gives us limitations in what we can do on offense as they just don't recognize the open man enough when the ball is in there hands.
nyknickzingis wrote:NYKBocker wrote:We really need to use KPs full skillset. Right now, he can't post up the Ibakas and the like. They are just too strong. They need to run him off screens and let those behemoths chase him around. Have them go through multiple screens and have KP catch the ball on the move at the elbows. A nice 10-12 foot shot or drive to the basket would force the other team to take out Ibaka or switch with a faster player. Then you can post them up.
He had 2 plays like that yesterday, one where he finished with a floater and the other where he finished with his left hand. He should be used on the move against slower bigs. He's figuring it out. The team is just slow at recognizing his strengths right now. Last night there were 2 times he was wide open for a lob play and no one saw it. Afflalo's tunnel vision hurts, but there are a few players like Lance Thomas even who don't look to pass when they get the ball. Important to have multiple guys that can pass and no more than 1 tunnel vision guy in the lineups. I like both Thomas and Afflalo, but when they play together it gives us limitations in what we can do on offense as they just don't recognize the open man enough when the ball is in there hands.
I feel like the team of sees about 1 of 5 chances to hit either DWill or KP on that lob play.
Best thing I saw last night was that perfectly made bullet pass by KP to Galloway following a Durant slam. Most rookies would have tried to answer with a dunk of their own. Not necessarily a bad thing, but Porzingis made the smartest play, not the flashiest. Shows a great deal of maturity. I really hope KP keeps working on his passing game, scary to think what that could do for his game. That would make him an MVP caliber player in short order.
Worst thing I saw was AA showing he has no reset button. Afflalo says that the Knicks are a playoff team. Not if he cant bail when the lane closes up. They will know that AA will bury his head and shoot regardless. Easy to game plan for that.
It was a tough loss, but I really can't be mad about it yet. Are we still in moral victory territory? I think we are. The games against San Antonio and OKC have made me happy rather than sad.
The team was short its big star and the guy who makes plays for them down the stretch (and yes, one of their best defenders and passers) - and they competed hard. Westbrook and Durant needed to put forth epic games to fight off the Knicks. It was fun.
Hopefully this game keeps the team hungry and they use it to propel towards the playoffs. Beat Toronto on Friday and go from there.
My take away from last night:
My other big take away last night - does it seem like Afflalo is playing on dead legs a lot? It seems like unless he really really jumps his shots are often short. It seems like he was exhausted from the beginning of the game last night.
I like Afflalo's personality... but I'm starting to think I'd be okay cutting ties with him as a player. Or, if he opts out, I'd bring him back... but not for a raise... for something more like $6M a year.
dk7th wrote:nyknickzingis wrote:The positive I take in tonight is that the team's shown how good it is in terms of being a supporting cast for Melo.
I repeat, the major issue we have is that Melo makes the money worth 3 Afflao's or 3 good players for us. With his physical decline, while he has played at a near MVP level in a 15 game stretch, the rest of the season has seen him either injured, or coming back from an injury and not looking well (early this season). He also missed half of last season. At some point, Phil Jackson has to realize that Melo isn't going to be this team's #1 guy, or be the star that can carry them to the playoffs. You see what Durant and Westbrook did tonight. That's a star that can carry you to the playoffs ever year. There's a few of them in the league, and Melo has the game for it but I question if he has the body left to do it. He reminds me of Dwight Howard in that he's still a very good player, one of the best at his spots when healthy, but he isn't healthy enough anymore. The problem for us is that Melo is making the money of 3 of our players. If we say had 2 starting caliber guards on this team instead of Melo, we'd be more competitive than the 22-25 record we have. A team that has the supporting cast of Porzingis, Lopez, Willilams, Afflalo, Thomas, Galloway etc. should not be missing the playoffs if they've truly invested in an appropriate star. I hate saying this but everytime I see a night like tonight, I think man, we either should have gotten Melo to stay for 18 million a year tops or sign and traded him to the Bulls for some assets. I do fully acknolwdge and love his commitment and development as a player, I just question if we'll ever be a top team in the East with him being the #1 guy to rely on. And so long as Melo is there, I doubt the team can ever truly be someone else's like KP's (Not saying KP is ready to be the man now but even if he is in a year or so, I doubt it becomes his team to lead so long as Melo is on the roster).Killer? Melo's going to make nearly 25, 26+ and 28 million over the next 3 season's after this one. Going to be awfully hard to build an elite team if he can't stay healthy and carry them like a guy who makes that sort of money should. Top it off, he has a NTC. If he is ever to be put on the block, they'd get pennies on the dollar as he'd be able to dictate where he goes.
yes the contract was outrageous, but less so once melo started playing the right way. that's a main reason he has had the playoff record he has had-- his style of play does not galvanize teams and does not translate well to playoff basketball.
now that he is playing the right way his body has started to betray him, making his contract onerous again. but the good news is that so long as he remains a knickerbocker, even as the team gets younger, his finest days as a knick could be in a sixth man role to the tune of 24 minutes a night. i have been mentioning this for months on end but it seems more and more likely as he continues to show signs of breaking down. it'll still be a ridiculous contract for most of its duration, but you can't complain about the way he has been playing this season.
Yea it would be wise to start limiting Melo to 30mins a game effective immediately. No more 40min+ games. Just make sure Melo starts and ends games. Study how the Spurs have handled Duncan's minutes and recovery days. This is how we will get the most out of his 5yr contract. We can't afford another situation where we get only 1-2yrs out of our max player and 3-4yrs where he is in a suit and taking up 1/3 of our cap. Melo giving us 30mins a night of this brand of basketball for the next 3 seasons is invaluable to the longterm success of this franchise
crzymdups wrote:My other big take away last night - does it seem like Afflalo is playing on dead legs a lot? It seems like unless he really really jumps his shots are often short. It seems like he was exhausted from the beginning of the game last night.I like Afflalo's personality... but I'm starting to think I'd be okay cutting ties with him as a player. Or, if he opts out, I'd bring him back... but not for a raise... for something more like $6M a year.
We can bring Afflalo back but only with a real PG like Conley. Someone who won't pass to Afflalo if he continues to ISO and miss. Wish we could get our 1st rd pick back from Toronto so we can steal another stud at PG this time.
crzymdups wrote:My other big take away last night - does it seem like Afflalo is playing on dead legs a lot? It seems like unless he really really jumps his shots are often short. It seems like he was exhausted from the beginning of the game last night.I like Afflalo's personality... but I'm starting to think I'd be okay cutting ties with him as a player. Or, if he opts out, I'd bring him back... but not for a raise... for something more like $6M a year.
even when fresh he jackknifes most if not all his shots, which makes for a low trajectory. he has no real hops as it is. he is a liability on defense and is essentially a bench player. can't win with him in the secondary scoring role.
his best season was in orlando, where he led the team to a 23-59 record. fool's gold player... and i actually like the acquisition at the time.
i was wrong.
gunsnewing wrote:dk7th wrote:nyknickzingis wrote:The positive I take in tonight is that the team's shown how good it is in terms of being a supporting cast for Melo.
I repeat, the major issue we have is that Melo makes the money worth 3 Afflao's or 3 good players for us. With his physical decline, while he has played at a near MVP level in a 15 game stretch, the rest of the season has seen him either injured, or coming back from an injury and not looking well (early this season). He also missed half of last season. At some point, Phil Jackson has to realize that Melo isn't going to be this team's #1 guy, or be the star that can carry them to the playoffs. You see what Durant and Westbrook did tonight. That's a star that can carry you to the playoffs ever year. There's a few of them in the league, and Melo has the game for it but I question if he has the body left to do it. He reminds me of Dwight Howard in that he's still a very good player, one of the best at his spots when healthy, but he isn't healthy enough anymore. The problem for us is that Melo is making the money of 3 of our players. If we say had 2 starting caliber guards on this team instead of Melo, we'd be more competitive than the 22-25 record we have. A team that has the supporting cast of Porzingis, Lopez, Willilams, Afflalo, Thomas, Galloway etc. should not be missing the playoffs if they've truly invested in an appropriate star. I hate saying this but everytime I see a night like tonight, I think man, we either should have gotten Melo to stay for 18 million a year tops or sign and traded him to the Bulls for some assets. I do fully acknolwdge and love his commitment and development as a player, I just question if we'll ever be a top team in the East with him being the #1 guy to rely on. And so long as Melo is there, I doubt the team can ever truly be someone else's like KP's (Not saying KP is ready to be the man now but even if he is in a year or so, I doubt it becomes his team to lead so long as Melo is on the roster).Killer? Melo's going to make nearly 25, 26+ and 28 million over the next 3 season's after this one. Going to be awfully hard to build an elite team if he can't stay healthy and carry them like a guy who makes that sort of money should. Top it off, he has a NTC. If he is ever to be put on the block, they'd get pennies on the dollar as he'd be able to dictate where he goes.
yes the contract was outrageous, but less so once melo started playing the right way. that's a main reason he has had the playoff record he has had-- his style of play does not galvanize teams and does not translate well to playoff basketball.
now that he is playing the right way his body has started to betray him, making his contract onerous again. but the good news is that so long as he remains a knickerbocker, even as the team gets younger, his finest days as a knick could be in a sixth man role to the tune of 24 minutes a night. i have been mentioning this for months on end but it seems more and more likely as he continues to show signs of breaking down. it'll still be a ridiculous contract for most of its duration, but you can't complain about the way he has been playing this season.
Yea it would be wise to start limiting Melo to 30mins a game effective immediately. No more 40min+ games. Just make sure Melo starts and ends games. Study how the Spurs have handled Duncan's minutes and recovery days. This is how we will get the most out of his 5yr contract. We can't afford another situation where we get only 1-2yrs out of our max player and 3-4yrs where he is in a suit and taking up 1/3 of our cap. Melo giving us 30mins a night of this brand of basketball for the next 3 seasons is invaluable to the longterm success of this franchise
I agree. It seems a bit silly to play him 49 minutes and then 42 minutes in his first two games back from his ankle injury. Also, he appeared to be wincing after dunks when he ran back up the court in those games ( maybe only the second game) Prior to those two games he went over 40 minutes only twice all season.
Watching again last 5 minutes of game and thinking why not bringing in Melo in last 5 minutes to close the game ? I think he can play for 5 minutes with no problems
Gudris wrote:Watching again last 5 minutes of game and thinking why not bringing in Melo in last 5 minutes to close the game ? I think he can play for 5 minutes with no problems
because playing in a european suit can be difficult...at times.
Cartman718 wrote:Gudris wrote:Watching again last 5 minutes of game and thinking why not bringing in Melo in last 5 minutes to close the game ? I think he can play for 5 minutes with no problems
because playing in a european suit can be difficult...at times.
Even with a good tailor?
This loss hurt a bit but believe that this team will be fine when Melo is back.
Andrew wrote:Cartman718 wrote:Gudris wrote:Watching again last 5 minutes of game and thinking why not bringing in Melo in last 5 minutes to close the game ? I think he can play for 5 minutes with no problems
because playing in a european suit can be difficult...at times.
Even with a good tailor?
it still won't work...the only exception being with Jade Tailor...
It will be interesting to see what happens the first game we play without KP. Not that I'm hoping for that to happen, but...
