2015 NY Knicks offseason thread, Los Almighty appreciation thread

Langston/Melo/Love/Russell would be 
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Where is this Kevin Love talk coming from?

D-Angelo Russell time... watch out 
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http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2015/03/ohio_state_buckeyes_basketball_21.html
[h1]Ohio State basketball: Can D'Angelo Russell be Shabazz Napier or Kemba Walker for the Buckeyes?[/h1]
COLUMBUS, Ohio - D'Angelo Russell wanted to wear No. 3. Then No. 11. Then No. 1. There was always a reason he couldn't. 

Shannon Scott wears No. 3, Ohio State retired No. 11 to honor legend Jerry Lucas and freshman Jae'Sean Tate already claimed No. 1. So why did Russell land on No. 0?

"I honestly couldn't tell you," Russell said. "It was a lower number. I like low numbers, single digit numbers."

That response was boring. So Russell paused a second, smiled and then this came out: 

"Zero people can guard me, that's what it was."

Russell was kidding, but there has been a more open, confident side to him recently. Perhaps it's because he was just named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year after averaging more than 20 points per game in conference play. 

Whatever the reason, Ohio State needs that confidence from its best player as the Buckeyes head into the postseason coming off a 25-point home loss to Wisconsin on Sunday. A new road begins for Ohio State Thursday when it matches up with Minnesota or Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago's United Center. 

Ohio State's success, like it has for much of the season, rests solely on the shoulders of a freshman. How much can Russell do? How much can he score? How will he react to his first postseason? 

Thad Matta on D'Angelo Russell's first MarchOhio State coach Thad Matta talks about what he needs from freshman D'Angelo Russell as the Buckeyes head into the postseason.

Those are the easy questions. 

How about these:

Can he be the next Shabazz Napier or Kemba Walker?

Can Russell put Ohio State on his back - like those two did for Connecticut during national title runs in 2014 and 2011 - and get hot enough to take what has been an average Buckeyes team to great lengths when the stakes are the highest? 

Is Russell good enough to be a one-man show? 

We'll see. But here's what came out, unprompted, when Northeast Ohio Media Group asked Russell what his mindset is heading into his first postseason: 

"I wouldn't say Shabazz or Kemba type thing, but I would definitely do a D'Angelo Russell approach and do whatever I have to do to lead this team," he said. "If it's scoring, rebounding, whatever coach needs me to do, I'm willing. I just want to win." 

View full sizeDoes Ohio State freshman D'Angelo Russell have a little Shabazz Napier or Kemba Walker in him?AP  

Napier and Walker never came up before Russell voluntarily brought them into the conversation. The comparison is tough because both of them were upperclassmen. 

But Russell has been asked about them in the past - like in this ESPN.com article  - and Ohio State coach Thad Matta brought up past UConn teams during a message to his team early this week. 

"I think what he was talking about is that we told our guys that UConn got beat a couple years ago by 33 by Louisville in the last game of the year or something and went to the Final Four," Matta said. UConn actually lost 81-48 in the fourth-to-last game of the regular season last year, but that's not what's important. 

What is important is that there was a seed already planted. Russell was a high school senior, a fan, during last year's NCAA Tournament run when Napier lifted the No. 7 Huskies to the national championship. That UConn team, like Ohio State, was flawed, but Napier got hot enough - he averaged 21.2 points per game in the Big Dance - to make it not matter. 

Now Russell believes he can do it, too. And whether or not Ohio State is willing to admit it, the Buckeyes probably need that type of heroism to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament under Matta, especially considering there's a good chance they'll be matched up with a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the second round of the Dance.  

D'Angelo Russell's first postseasonOhio State freshman D'Angelo Russell is one of the most impressive players in the country. The Buckeyes will surely lean on him as they try to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

"I'll swear to this - D'Angelo would probably rather average 15 points, eight assists and six rebounds and win than score 25," Matta said. "That's kind of his mentality. He doesn't take to losing easily. 

"He's spent a lot of time talking to myself and the other coaches and just saying, 'Hey, what do we have to do since Sunday? What do you want me to do? Let me know whatever you need to me to do.' You know that kid cares." 

Starting with the Big Ten Tournament and then onto the NCAA Tournament, Ohio State will have an advantage in one category in most matchups it could come across - it will usually have the best player on the floor. 

Russell, a projected top-five pick in this year's NBA Draft, is that good. 

Whether he can be Shabazz- or Kemba-good, though, will be the difference.
 
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From what I've seen, Russell always tries to make the greatest pass or the one that will lead to a bucket even if that means a potential turnover which is frequent. Idk how he'll fair in the tourney. I hope he balls out though..

I want okafor regardless
 
Okafor, Towns, or Russell and i'm happy.

maybe WCS if we pick 5th-8th
 
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unless we win out we can't pick lower than 4 so our worst case scenario is mudiay which isn't bad at all
 
hows our cap looking? can we keep everyone including bargs for the vets minimum and still pick up 3 really good role players? i think the team we have now is not bad if they come off the bench...i like galloway and shved has been a decent surprise and lance and lou provide great energy... id get rid of wear, acy and cole is not bad we if keep for cheap...jason smith jumper is money plus he has been healthy all year so he is durable...and i dont want to admit it because i admit i am a hater but bargs has been balling lately and if he can stay on the vets minimum its not a bad idea to keep him same with shane also... but if we let go of bargs its no big deal
 
can definitely get 2 really good players, 3 is possible, but it depends if they're willing to take a few dollars less each.

i like acy, he's got that old school toughness. and he won't cost much.

agree 100% the scrubs we have now would be good role players off the bench. the know the system and play hard.
 
im starting to think we should build our team like the hawks and not get max guys... the draft pick we got will be huge and if we can pick up a good role player not exactly superstar like monroe, milsap wes matthews, bellinelli, robin lopez, danny green, lou williams etc we can be a deep team... obviously not get all those guys but just wanted to give an example but definitely pick up 2-3 of them
 
I think Mudiay is more NBA ready that Russell. Just from what I've read.

I think not playing in college hurt him a ton (besides the fact that he made a million bones). Would've been a menace anywhere he went
 
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haven't seen much of Mudiay so i can't judge him, but i know he's a pretty poor outside shooter which worries me
 
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2396059-is-the-luster-wearing-off-for-langston-galloway

Langston Galloway made an immediate impact upon his arrival to the New York Knicks, but his production has plateaued.

The 6'2" 200-pound guard started his NBA career with authority. For the month of January, he scored 11.9 points per game, grabbed 3.9 rebounds per game and dished 3.0 assists per game. Since then, his impact has been consistent with those numbers—posting an overall stat-line of 10.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 3.0 APG.

At this point, the Knicks know what to expect from the 23-year-old.

He's a solid player that can get into the paint and knock down shots from the perimeter, but he isn't exceptional by any means—he's essentially maxed out his talent as an athlete.



Excellent Role Player

Asking Galloway to be a starter is doable, but it won't help the Knicks become contenders. At the end of the day, he's an excellent role player that plays hard on both ends of the floor that doesn't command a ton of money.

Galloway is set to earn $845,059 next year, via HoopsHype.com, if his team option is picked up. A veteran role player of his caliber would cost north of a million. For comparison's sake, Jason Terry is making $5,450,000 with the Houston Rockets this season, and his impact isn't anywhere near Galloway's.

The Knicks are fortunate to have finagled Galloway into such a cap-friendly contract. The guard's been efficient in his limited sample size. He's averaging only 1.2 turnovers with a turnover percentage of 9.9 percent, via Basketball-Reference.com. Galloway's also been good for 1.8 wins produced, in comparison to Jose Calderon's 2.76, via Box Score Geeks.

His effective field goal percentage leaves room for desire, however, checking in at 45.7 percent, which is the worst amongst all of New York's guards. Galloway also struggles inside the paint and along the left side of the court, as indicated by the shot chart below:

http://on.nba.com/1KiC8vP
From the right side of the floor he's been brilliant, shooting above league averages, but for whatever reason, that consistency hasn't carried over on the opposite end.

Galloway is underwhelming shooting the ball off the dribble, as well. When he takes zero dribbles, he nails 42.4 percent of shots from the field, via NBA.com. When he takes one dribble or more, he hits only 38.9 percent of those chances.

Shooting over an opponent is another challenge for the youngster.

If a defender is within two to four feet, Galloway shoots only 21.7 percent from the field. When there's four to six feet of space, he shoots 42.4 percent, and if he has six feet plus of space, he's knocking down 48.9 percent of those opportunities. Carmelo Anthony on the other hand, made 41.3 percent of his shots when a defender was within zero to two feet.

Galloway is good playmaker and decent shooter when he's open, but he isn't consistent or successful enough to be a dependable starter. In order for him to be more than a role player, he needs to get better finishing at the rim and when a defender has a hand in his face.



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Expecting Galloway to be a starter that puts up 15 plus PPG and dishes more than five APG is a little outlandish.

But that doesn't mean Galloway isn't worthy of remaining with the organization and fortifying its second-unit.

In the young guard, the Knicks have an unselfish player that will do anything that's asked of him on both ends of the floor. Head coach Derek Fisher spoke favorably about the 23-year-old, via Dan Feldman of NBC Sports:

He just showed a level of composure and poise for a first-year player that was pretty special. Didn’t seem to get sped up by competition. Even sometimes the guy’s better than him, he still seems to play at a pace that’s comfortable for him. He’s not afraid to take and make shots when he’s open. Doesn’t pass up on opportunities. And he’s not afraid to guard any guy out there.

Galloway is holding his opponents to a defended field goal percentage of 34.0, via NBA.com. He's not a prolific defender by any means, but he works hard enough to stay in front of his opponents and make their lives difficult.

New York's defensive rating with Galloway on the court is 105.7, without him it's 107.0, via NBA.com. It's a marginal improvement with him out there, but it still shows the effort and intensity he brings when on the floor.

The Knicks assist-to-turnover ratio is also better with Galloway on the court versus off it with a ratio of 1.84 versus 1.31. The same can be said about the franchise's offensive rating, when Galloway is in the game it's 98.6, when resting, it's 92.0.

Galloway isn't an all-star by any means, but he's making an impact for New York each time he suits up. To expect him to be a big time athlete for the organization is unfair to him, but as a role player, he's the perfect competitor for a coach.

The luster may have faded away from the youngster, but he's definitely a competent guard that can be an asset for the Knicks.

Having a guy like Galloway on the bench provides New York with depth on offense and defense. If he can work on his finishing at the rim, become a better shooter off the dribble and when defended closely, he can really make up for the fact that he's currently at his ceiling.
 
yo , Okafor couldn't throw a tennis ball through a hoola hoop :{

i'm a lil turned off by dude tonight ....
 
Hsalem said:
 
I think Mudiay is more NBA ready that Russell. Just from what I've read.

I think not playing in college hurt him a ton (besides the fact that he made a million bones). Would've been a menace anywhere he went
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Brace yourselves: this will be a long one.

Mudiay is a baller no doubt. 

However, it is absolutely foolish for any rational fan of this team to want the Knicks to draft him ahead of Russell at this point. Towns I could understand. Okafor not as much, considering I dont understand all the experts who think it is a good idea to pair our ball dominant superstar who isnt good at defense with a ball dominant college superstar who isnt good at defense... but I get that he is a big man and the media has been hyping him up as the #1 pick all season so I could kind of understand that. However, it is a pure no brainer pick if it were to come down to Mudiay and D'Angelo for us and here's why.

First off let me start off this rant by saying that I just dont understand people saying that Russell is not NBA-ready. I feel like this is just something people who dont want the Knicks to draft him use to knack him when they have nothing else to do so. This is a freshman 6'5 PG who has been one of the best all around players in college basketball this season on a GARBAGE OSU team. Sure he still has potential and enormous room for growth (a major positive) but to say he isnt "NBA ready" while Jahil Okafor is makes no sense. Russell probably has a better NBA body than Okafor comparing by position, he has put up excellent stats and made first team All-American this season, again while carrying a god awful team, and comes into the league right away with excellent shooting ability all around the court and passing vision.

But all that is still besides the point, just felt like addressing that. The reason I want Russell so badly (in addition to the fact that I simply do not understand the notion that centers are more valuable than 6'5 PGs in the NBA today), is because D'Angelo Russell is the kind of player the Knicks need to revolutionizing the triangle offense for 2015 and beyond.

The NBA is a PG driven league nowadays. It just is. This isnt 1996 or 2000. I hate to be a pessimist or sound like I am doubting Phil Jackson, but the Knicks are not winning a championship with crappy PG play. It just wont happen that way in today's NBA.

Over the last 2 years it has AMAZED me how correlated a team's record has been with the quality of their PG play. I have ranted about that in this thread on several occasions, and I am still 100% of the belief that the main reason for the Knicks mysterious drop off from the 54 team we were in 2013 to what we are today, isnt a "lack of leadership" like many suggest but rather because we went running supper effective/efficient 2 PG lineups with Raymond Felton playing excellent basketball alongside a calming influence in either J-Kidd or Prigioni to Felton transforming himself into a fat, worthless piece of ****/ worst PG in the NBA, along with J-Kidd retiring and the Knicks deciding to go back to playing with bigger lineups.

I get that the triangle hasnt ever relied on dominant or even above average PG play, but that doesnt mean it cant today. Remember, the Bulls never had anything resembling a post threat but Phil Jackson adjusted his system for the teams he had with the Lakers, and after winning championships with Shaq, Pau, and Bynum, a good post big man has become thought as "essential' to the triangle offense.

A lot of people think the triangle wont work in today's NBA because its traditional style of play doesnt mesh with 2015 and isnt analytically sound compared to the PG driven offenses of today. These offenses revolve around a ball dominant PG and a lot of pick and rolls and drive and kicks leading to a lot of layups/dunks and 3 point shots. This kind of offense perfectly suit the playing style of Emmanuel Mudiay, and under different circumstances I could see myself potentially wanting the Knicks to draft Mudiay over Russell. It all depends on style of play and personnel. You cant always think Player A vs Player B in the NBA, because basketball is such a team oriented game. Being well meshed is more important than being the most talented. Obviously talent wins games at the end of the day, but it is important to make sure that your talent plays together in an efficient enough way to win you basketball games.

While I will fully admit that analytics are important to look at when judging players, I have never bought into the notion that they are the end all be all to everything basketball and indicate how you should build your roster and what type of system your team should play. Obviously, Phil Jackson doesnt believe in this either, as the Knicks are one of the least analytically focused teams in the NBA and the triangle offense often contrasts what analytics find to be the most efficient way of scoring (layups and threes). While I do find analytics to be important, and think that the Knicks should start utilizing it more especially in determining the best possible players to acquire in free agency and the draft to not only build the most talented roster moving forward, but also the most well put together roster. I am also a strong believer that Phil Jackson has earned the right to say "**** off analytics" every now and then.

I think that despite evidence suggesting otherwise (from basically all head coaching members of Phil Jackson's coaching tree including Fisher this season), the triangle offense can absolutely thrive in 2015, just like it did from 1991-2010, if done so properly with the right personnel. As I am sure that we have all heard a trillion times, the triangle offense is more of an idea on how to create floor spacing and play efficient team basketball than it is a fixed resolute system with a set number of plays. It is as free flowing and interchangeable as the parts that consume it.

Phil stated many times in his book that the triangle could work without the likes of Jordan/Kobe, with a dominant big man or without, and same goes for PG. The triangle was continuously undergoing altercations throughout Phil Jackson's coaching career. The triangle that the Bulls ran differed greatly in many varieties than it did with Shaq's Lakers. How could it not? I don't remember Luc Longeley attempting 20+ shots per game but they made it work and the rest is obviously history. And the triangle differed even more-so with the Lakers last 2 championships in 2009-2010. The triangle has constantly changed based on the time period and the personnel running it, the same remains true to this very day. Similar to what the Lakers had to do with Shaq, the Knicks are going to have to modern-ize the triangle to PG focused 2015 NBA. Adapt or die.

This is where D'Angelo Russell comes in. Traditionally, the triangle offense values different traits in point guards than other systems do. While other systems might value speed, agility, ability to get to the hoop and create open shots over other skill sets in a point guard, the most essential qualities for a triangle PG is to be a team player who is able to hit three pointers consistently (especially from the corners, where they are often placed) and be able to find open teammates effectively in the half court.  Also although it doesnt necessarily have to do with the offensive side of the ball, Phil has been known to prefer big point guards primarily for defensive purposes (like Ron Harper, which he was trying to develop Shump into and failed).

Traditionally, this has worked great for Phil Jackson. He has been able to plug in a PG who fit the prototype despite that player being more of a cog in the system than one of the more featured players/ball handlers like most PGs are in the NBA. Whether it was Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, Derek Fisher, Steve Blake, etc. Phil was able to win championships with not so sexy PGs fulfilling those simple duties while players at other positions took most of the spotlight.

This is the reason the Knicks traded for Jose Calderon this summer. Sure we probably could have/should have gotten more in return for Tyson, but Jose Calderon possessed all the necessary skills to be an effective triangle PG. However, as became evident this season, starting a PG like Jose Calderon just doesnt cut it in today's NBA despite how well he might fit in the triangle. A mediocre system PG just isnt going to cut it if we want the triangle to be effective in 2015, and this was on full display this entire season. Sure the Knicks have many other holes, but there is a reason that Calderon was such a colossar failure based on Jackson's expectations of him coming into the season. If the Knicks want to 2015-ize the triangle offense, we need to get with the times and find ourselves a true franchise PG, but one who fits within the context of the triangle offense. Not Jose Calderon.

This is why it is my opinion that the Knicks should be targeting D'Angelo Russell in this draft and targeting him hard. I had always liked his game coming into the season, as I follow the top draft prospects before they ever start playing college bball even if it is mostly through just scouting reports and youtube videos. But Russell was a player who stood out to me from the start.

I loved his game from the start, reminding me of a young Brandon Roy who was a player I LOVED back in the day, but more importantly I LOVED everything I read about him in scouting reports about his character, winning mentality, leadership, and overall toughness. However, I didnt see him as a guy who could be a potential franchise PG down the road and thus not worth a top draft pick in the beginning of the season. I saw him more of a player the Knicks should target if we finished picking around #10, however I still was never really into any of the top prospects for the Knicks. The same concerns I had about Okafor still ring true for me today, I liked Mudiay a lot but not in the triangle offense at all, and at the time, Karl Towns simply was not producing well enough for me to mentally warrant the Knicks potentially selecting him with the top overall pick. However, this has since changed, and I maintain that I would be absolutely thrilled with either Towns or Russell being drafted by the Knicks.

But as much as I would love Karl Towns in New York, I am not sure if he could be the game changer that D'Angelo Russell could be for us. IMO there are many options at center the Knicks could go after either this offseason or next who would be more than capable of getting the job done. However, like I said this is a point guard driven league. The Knicks need to find themselves a franchise PG in order to be a true contender, no easy task to begin with. But considering that we need our franchise point guard to possess a rather uncommon skill-set for most NBA point guards, finding this player should take priority over everything else.

There are certain PGs who I would like for the Knicks. Obviously the dream is Steph Curry, but that is simply a dream that has no chance of coming true. Another PG option who I think could thrive within this offense is Brandon Knight. I like his skill-set for this offense amongst other things, but again, he is another long shot to sign with the Knicks. Dragic is also a possibility, but word is that he wants to resign with Miami and considering that they surrendered a couple of first rounders to get him, I am sure the feeling is mutual.

These PGs would also all be very expensive even if we could get our hands on one of them, and I am unsure of their ability to take over and lead a team as the true Franchise PG. That is why I think the Knicks best play is to draft D'Angelo Russell as their franchise PG and go on a spending spree to surround him and Melo with a winning basketball team at other positions.

In D'Angelo Russell the Knicks would find our PG. A true franchise PG perfectly suited for the triangle offense and loaded with potential to be great. Russell is a 6'5 PG who is a deadly shooter from the outside and has excellent passing ability in the half court. He is also an unselfish leader who has tremendous character and work ethic. He is the kind of player who would come in right away and earn respect in the locker room from every player on the team, including Carmelo. Under the toolage of Derek Fisher, I fully believe that D'Angelo Russell would become the first triangle PG superstar.

If I can describe what the Knicks need more than anything else in the simplest terms to adapt the triangle offense to the modern NBA and win a championship with the Knicks roster it would be just that. The very first star triangle PG.

As said but worth reiterating, we are looking to adapt the ancient-by-comparison triangle offense into the analytics/PG era. Not only are we trying to do that, but we have invested everything in building a team focused around Carmelo Anthony. George Karl recently and very accurately pointed out that Melo is definitely capable of being the best player on a championship contender, as long as he is getting high quality team play and leadership from the PG position. As I said before, this is the most significant difference between the Knicks in 2013 and the Knicks in 2014 and 2015. Melo has not become a worse player or leader, but he needs better play from the PG position to do the player he can be.

Melo has always played his best team basketball when aided by quality team oriented PG play and leadership. Whether it be Andre Miller, Chauncey Billups, good Felton, etc. the better the PG, the better the Melo. Instead of expecting this to change and Melo to magically play better without a good PG just because we are running the triangle, the Knicks should adapt the triangle not only to 2015 but also for their best player. To do so, IMO the Knicks should be drafting D'Angelo Russell over Jahil Okafor 10 times out of 10.

Think about it. Instead of drafting a player who brings pretty the same exact skill-set and weaknesses as Melo does just at a different position (Okafor), wouldnt it make more sense to give Melo what he really needs to be effective? The Knicks can provide scoring help for Carmelo 10 different ways in free agency. For **** sake, Melo was able to win 54 games with JR Smith as his go-to option and I know we could do better than that. The key for the Knicks is to find a PG to quarterback the team and make things easier for Melo, not find players to take away his touches. This is why the Knicks need D'Angelo Russell. He fits exactly what we should be looking for and I am afraid that if we miss out and/or pass up on him in the draft, that opportunity may not come again.

Russell may or may not be the most talented player in this draft. We could argue that all day long. What I do know is that Russell fits what this team needs more than anything else as good or better than any player who will be available for us to acquire. THAT, explained here in great detail so I hopefully wont have to try and explain myself again, is why I believe that D'Angelo Russell should be our guy in the draft. 

However, tonight was far from his greatest performance unfortunately so cue the haters!
 
onewearz said:
yo , Okafor couldn't throw a tennis ball through a hoola hoop
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i'm a lil turned off by dude tonight ....
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He was 13/18 and went for 28.....i mean i understand the free-throw shooting but that isn't hard to improve. He got to every spot in the paint that he wanted to and finished practically everything that wasn't a fade away against a good big man defender in Auguste
 
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