2015 NY Knicks offseason thread, Los Almighty appreciation thread

We need a player like Taj Gibson or Ibaka.
Man would I LOVE Taj Gibson on this team.

I heard today from an inside source I have with many connections to NBA personnel, that Marc Gasol is very intrigued by and is strongly considering signing with the Knicks this summer. 

I have basically crossed this option off the table because of how well Memphis has played this season in contrast to how bad the Knicks have been, but this friend of mine has been very close with many high ranking NBA personnel because of a project he is working on so I trust that it is the truth.

I mean even with how bad the Knicks are right now, they have a lot of room to improve. We have Melo to offer and we have NYC over Memphis. Sure, contact wise Memphis can offer more and sure they are the better team right now but how long does Gasol really expect that to last? Remember Memphis was pretty good with Pau for awhile before they got old and were terrible by the time he was finally traded, manybe Marc sees the writing on the wall if they dont win this summer.

I mean how much longer will Z-Bo even be a quality NBA 4? Conley is an extremely solid PG, but IMO he has peaked. He isnt getting any younger and will start to decline before he gets better. Other than that, that team probably isnt going to win much beyond this season. I dont think it is a guarantee but I could see why Gasol would want to leave while he has the chance. Kind of sell himself high in a way.

And despite the fact that the Knicks suck and Phil isnt coaching I still HAVE to believe that he has enough pull to sit Gasol down and be like "Listen, when I was in LA I had Kobe and needed a #2 for him, in came your brother and we won 2 championships. Now I have Melo and I need a #2 for him, come join me and we will win a title in a better city than Memphis." I have to believe he has enough pull to really make an impact. And foreigners love NY. We shall see, just interesting because I have kind of crossed out the Gasol option for awhile but IMO he is still the top target of the summer. He is still in his prime and is the only available player who is seriously having an MVP caliber season. Seriously, he is, and if he were in NY people would notice. His offensive game is diverse, team oriented, and perfect for the triangle. And unlike Greg Monroe, who is an atrocious defender, Marc Gasol is an ex defensive player of the year (Might even win it again) and one of the best post defenders in the league.

I love the idea of drafting Russell (obviously) and signing Gasol. I think my favorite scenario for this summer has been changing on a weekly basis lately because there are just so many ways this summer could go, but I think above all else my ideal of all ideal scenarios would be to draft D'Angelo Russell and sign Marc Gasol.

We would have Melo, bring in our PG of the future in Russell who can also be a secondary perimeter scorer and then take care of finding Melo's #2. Our new franchise center, secondary scoring option and rim protecting defender in Marc Gasol. If we could take care of that the rest of the summer would be a breeze. Free agents would be lining up to hop on the wagon and we would have the cap space to sign whoever we want. At that point it would just be up to Phil and Fisher to decide which role players he needs to spend the rest of our cap space on. 

**** if we could do that trade for Taj Gibson and have a Melo/Taj/Gasol frontcout with Russell at point and then maybe sign a Wes Matthews or a Danny Green IMO that team would win a ring down the road. D'Angelo Russell will be a ring winning kind of player on this team IMO. Hes the kind of guy we need with the right attitude and leadership as well as his game. If we can get our Gasol like the Lakers did along with a kid like Russell, **** just cant go wrong. 

Like ive said this summer is so exciting because there are a million different things that can happen but I think my favorite of them all would be D'Angelo Russell and Marc Gasol. Yeah, that sounds nice. Make it happen Phil.
 
Anyone else watching this town hall meeting with Pjax and Steve Mills? Bahahahaha.
 
Marc Gasol is at his peak too though. He's also going to want a huge pay day. I don't think this organization should be over paying established old centers with this new wave of big men coming to the nba. You can spend money, but I just want the money to spent on guys we can actually count on for the next 5-7 years.

No to marc gasol. If where gonna spend money on bigs then it has to be Dandre jordan or Gregg monroe. Well actually get years out of these guys.
 
The GR8'S post would leave you optimistic.

Even if Marc Gasol joins, I think we should still select Okafor or Towns. I'm not sure who would be the better fit with Gasol & Melo tho

Phil also didn't want to throw $ on players in their 30s, but I could see M. Gasol being an exception
 
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how legit is this source
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i'm not drinking the kool aid yet
Dude works for a production  company that is filming a major documentary on history of the NBA that will air during the playoffs next year. He is constant contact with very reliable high up NBA people and word from him is that he is hearing that Marc Gasol is very intrigued by the possibility of coming to NY and is strongly considering signing with the Knicks. Nothing is guaranteed and im sure a lot has to do with how they perform in the playoffs but I am sure that he is considering it and it will probably be New York if he decides to leave Memphis this summer.

On the other hand I am just so on the fringe of who I prefer between Gasol and Monroe. 

Both of them are absolutely perfect fits for the triangle. I couldnt even tell you which one fits better offensively. Both have terrific post games and are great passers in the post. Gasol has a little bit better shooting touch but I think that Monroe is more dominant in the low post and both of them are 2 of the best passing big men in the game right now.

The obvious difference between the 2 is that Gasol is a legit 7 foot center and one of the best defensive rim protecting post defending centers in the game today. Because of this, he is currently an MVP candidate and will demand max dollars. Monroe on the other hand is a shade under 7 foot and due to his defensive liabilities, he might not be able to play center for us due to his inability to defend the paint. If we sign Monroe, we also might need to sign a center like Robin Lopez to protect the paint. This would cause a logjam of bigs offensively between Melo, Monroe, and Lopez. Maybe that team would work in the half court (Lopez has a solid shooting touch and Monnroe is a lefty so that helps) but on the other hand that team is so unathletic up front they may not be able to work in the NBA. If we sign Gasol we dont need to sign another big because Gasol is not only capable of scoring in the paint offensively by himself, he can also protect the rim defensively by himself. This would give us more flexibility in signing another forward to pair with Melo and play with Gasol. We could try and sign Draymond Green and just be absolutely beast mode defensively (Green and Gasol may be the 2 DPOY front runners this season) or even sign somebody like Tobias Harris to play the 4 as long as we have Gasol manning the paint. With Monroe it would be difficult to find the right player to play in between him and Melo and not be screwed defensively (a similar problem to the signing Kevin Love scenario). We could either try and sign a Robin Lopez type to defend the paint (causing problems offensively/athletically IMO) or we could still try and sign Draymond Green or even trade for a defensive minded 4 like Taj Gibson. This would probably be a little bit of a better option, but with Monroe at center and one of those players at 4, it would still be tough for the Knicks to match up defensively with centers because Green/Gibson arent big enough and Monroe sucks at D. Luckily for the Knicks, the NBA is no longer a traditional center league so maybe this wouldnt kill us on most nights but it would still be far from ideal and also would hurt our rim protecting/shot blocking.

On the other side of the equation, Monroe is 24 years old while Gasol is 30. This is a HUGE difference. Monroe is averaging 16 and 10 and has barely scratched the surface. He is such a fantastic fit for this team offensively and he will be able to hold down that spot and even improve for years to come. As opposed to signing Gasol, and basically giving this team a 2-3 year window led by him and Melo. 

The other positive to signing Monroe over the bigger name MVP candidate Gasol is that Monroe will certainly cost us less $. He is a RFA, but with Stan Van Gundy running things in Detroit IMO he will be somewhere else next year and I am not as confident about Gasol leaving. SVG likes to run his team around a ball dominant PG, 3 shooters on the wings, and one athletic center/rim protector. SVG is clearly looking to build the Pistons around Drummond and he will not try very hard to keep Monroe around as he would probably prefer a better shooter to play at the 4. Kind of like the team he built around Dwight in Orlando. 

Phil Jackson has made it clear that he will be looking to assemble a team of young veterans who are ready to win now but young enough to develop and establish a winning culture that will develop for years to come. I love the sound of this but a player like Gasol may be too perfect of a fit offensively and defensively to pass up if we have the chance to sign him despite him being 30 years old. On the other hand Monroe is younger, cheaper, offers just as much as Gasol does offensively, but is entirely different defensively. Like I keep stressing about any moves trhe Knicks make this summer whichever decision we decide to make will have a domino effect for the rest of the team. I dont think either of these players are a great fit unless we draft D'Angelo Russell over one of the centers (except for the potentially successful pairing of Monroe/Towns. Monroe/Okafor would never work and I dont see either working with Gasol)/

Both would be great fits but Phil has expressed his desire for youth and for defense. Well in this case Monroe offers more youth (and a more favorable price tag) while Gasol offers the defense. If wqe have the chance to sign either of them will Phil take the younger Monroe and use his excess cap room to address defense elsewhere or will he break the bank on Marc Gaso and pair him with melo and probably D'Angelo Russell and look to find role players for the rest of the roster to compete for a title within the next 3 years. Quite honestly I am torn, but I think Monroe is more likely to come here just because he will be cheaper and because I do not see him staying in Detroit beyond this season. Either way, like everything else this summer, it should be interesting and will certainly cause a domino affect and shape the rest of our moves this summer.

Yes, all the possibilites of what might happen to this team are causing me to lose my mind a little bit at the moment and I am sure it will only get worse once we get closer to draft day. Go Phil!!  
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not saying it isn't possible, but the best negotiation tactic is letting people think you might find greener pastures elsewhere.
 
In no universe do I expect or want the Knicks to spend $14+ million dollars on DeAndre Jordan annually to play in the triangle offense with all of the other needs we have, one year after trading Tyson Chandler away for a bag of potato chips, rim protectors like Karl Towns and WCS available in the NBA Draft, and MUCH cheaper rim protectors available in free agency who fits our offensive system better (like Robin Lopez).

No thank you. Not at all. Pass. Im losing my mind.
 
I agree with not wanting to throw the bank at Deandre. Just sign Robin Lopez for half of that
 
paul allen is one of the richest men on the planet, he's got a Super Bowl ring and he's gonna want a matching NBA one, he's gonna pay all of his guys to make sure it happens. i dont see us signing anyone from the blazers.
 
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i have low expectations for this summer :lol
im excited to see who we get, but doubt we'll pull any top tier players.
most (all) of them i dont see leaving their current situations. the mindset of winning >> money & familiar teammates >> new team

i also have a feeling we'll overpay someone bc we dont cash in on a big name.


also, am i the only that 'likes' Cauley-Stein? he's basically a younger Tyson Chandler.
trade our pick for an asset + 10th pick. i kid, i kid
 
Rondo
THJR/Calderon
Melo
KAT
Gasol

While giving Rondo a conservative contract

Sippin that Gasol Koolaid with a splash of moonshine in it b
 
I agree that most players will be tough to get out of their current situation but make no mistake, Greg Monroe will NOT be a Detroit Piston next season. Im not saying he will be a Knick, but a team like the Knicks will have $ to throw his way and he is a beautiful fit for our system. As opposed to Detroit where SVG is going to build that team with shooters around Drummond. Thats the style of play he is going for and Monroe does not fit that even if he was cheap, add in the fact that a team like the Knicks would pay Monroe a pretty penny and basically he IMO is the biggest sure thing name to leave the team he is on in free agency.

Same with Gasol. I can see him leaving honestly. Im sure that NY/Phil/Triangle/Melo intrigues him. It wont be easy to get him to leave Memphis and it isnt close to as definite or even as likely ad Monroe, but if that team gets knocked out of the playoffs early again do NOT be surprised to see him take the $ and run.

Memphis' ceiling is right now. They arent stacked with young talent. After Gasol their best players are Z-Bo who is old already and Conley who isnt getting any younger. I mean sure they have a couple of other pieces and are currently sitting pretty at #2 in the west, but if they dont show up in the playoffs dont be surprised to see Gasol look to make a change. We all know how quickly people can forget about successful regular seasons if you fail to show up in the playoffs.

If the Knicks dont draft a center I expect one of those 2 players to be a Knick and like ive said im not sure who I prefer. The other option (Again, all assuming we draft Russell and not a center here. Basically just spit balling) would be to spend the big bucks on a forward like if Kevin Love became available and instead spent our money on Robin Lopez. I expect one of those 3 or Towns/Okafor to be a Knick next season if that limits the options at all...

As far as DeAndre goes like I said his name shouldnt even be brought up. Like how Monroe is a good fit here so he would demand big $ in the open market so it wouldnt be smart for a team like Detroit to pay big $ to keep him when he doesnt fit, thats basically similar to DeAndre Jordan on the Knicks. Just a terrible fit. DeAndre is obviously a good player and is going to demand a HUGE contract this summer if he leaves LA so it would just be beyond stupid for us to look to spend that much to acquire him. Not to mention how ******* stupid it would make Phil Jackson look for basically giving away Tyson Chandler because he was too expensive and didnt fit the system, just to break the bank for DeAndre Jordan who is even more expensive and doesnt fit the system. Wont happen. Shouldnt happen. No need to talk about it.

And **** Paul Allen. Portland aint winning a title any time soon and they sure as hell wont do it if they pay Wes and Lopez big money this summer. Plus they are both unrestricted. They can do whatever the **** they want to. Both of them are very realistic options IMO
 
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