2015 NY Knicks offseason thread, Los Almighty appreciation thread

[the gr8est]

Idk about yall but I have no problems with anything that LMA said. It seems like he had an overall interest in the Knicks, but it mutually wasnt right for either party because of the fit. And I didnt love LMA fit on this team from the start, but it definitely didnt help when we drafted Zinger.

I think it is important that he spoke with Melo and had an interest in playing with Melo/Phil, but there is no need to stray from the system/plan to chase big names when the fit isnt right. That is basically how the Knicks have ****** up in the past from Eddy Curry to Larry Brown to Steve Francis to Zach Randolph to Amar'e Stoudemire.

Also saw that the Knicks made a late push for Deandre after really impressing in their meeting. I also feel good hearing that even though we didnt end up signing him, which was a total long shot from the beginning. But it further emphasizes to me that Phil knows what he is doing and taking this team in the right direction.

I also think/hope we can get similar overall value from Rolo as we would have from Deandre. At least better value compared to salary. Despite not being a physical freak of nature like DJ, Rolo is still big and athletic and a very good rim protector. I think I even saw that opponents shot a lower % in the post against Rolo than they did against DJ this season. Rolo also has a more expansive offensive game than DJ that include a little mid range shot and not being absolute **** from the foul line.

Also important to consider that Deandre has played on the Clips and with Chris Paul basically his entire career. We all should be well aware of the work CP3 does with big athletic centers and how he helps inflate their numbers. Tyson Chandler was basically considered a bust before he exploded alongside CP3 in New Orleans, and then had a little drop off again after he left NO before he resurrected his career playing in Dallas and NY. Who knows how much better Rolo's numbers could have been playing alongside CP3?

I'm glad we signed Rolo and he got one of the more team-friendly contracts of the summer. Less than Omer Asik got, who he is much better than and younger.

 

[d3si]

I am happy for Starbury. He will always be one of my favorite athletes. So he wants to coach China's national basketball team someday. I will root for him.

 

[d3si]

 

[the gr8est]

Marbury was most definitely misunderstood during his time in NY. I always maintained that stance and I blame his fall and departure much more on the Knicks than Marbury himself. Bringing in Larry Brown during Steph's prime was one of the dumbest things we have ever done and it killed his ******* career. 

As happy as I feel for Steph reading that article, it also makes me a little worried at the same time because I often defend Melo in a very similar way to how I used to defend Steph. I mean, there are definitely many differences.

I 100% think that Melo is a much better overall teammate/leader than Marbury was, and doesn't alienate teammates or coaches like Marbury used to. He is also a more valuable player, because despite how talented Steph was in his prime, Melo is probably even more talented and it is easier to build a winning team around a big scoring wing like Melo than a scoring PG like Marbury. I mean, Melo has already taken this team further in the playoffs than Marbury did, and his Knicks career is still generally viewed as disappointing thus far.

But at the same time I can definitely see the similarities in their NYC personality types, focus on building their brand, "me first" scoring/selfish/loser stereotypes, and especially how they are regarded by the media and misunderstood by much of the fan base. I just hope that it works out much better for Melo in NY than it did Marbury. Because if I am reading a similar article about Melo in 5 years, Idk how happy I will be. 

 

... Unless the article takes place in NYC 

 

[squatchnt]

I thought Stat was a good fit until the trade. So it could be said that Melo wasn't a good fit because the chemistry changed when he came. If not for Stats work prior to the trade we would have missed the playoffs again. Stats age and health were the only issues I saw. I firmly believe the success he had here made Melo want to come bad enough to force a trade. Never forget those MVP chants Stat got and how it fun watching Knicks basketball again.

 

[art vandelay]

I thought Stat was a good fit until the trade. So it could be said that Melo wasn't a good fit because the chemistry changed when he came. If not for Stats work prior to the trade we would have missed the playoffs again. Stats age and health were the only issues I saw. I firmly believe the success he had here made Melo want to come bad enough to force a trade. Never forget those MVP chants Stat got and how it fun watching Knicks basketball again.

I will watch Heat games solely for STAT,  I never held his injuries against him, he was Penny to me, a good dude, never anything negative, just injuries. The only knock I have against him was defense, but ever since his Phoenix days, he was never a "defensive powerhouse", a block or two here or there, but he was what he was.

 

[the gr8est]

I thought Stat was a good fit until the trade. So it could be said that Melo wasn't a good fit because the chemistry changed when he came. If not for Stats work prior to the trade we would have missed the playoffs again. Stats age and health were the only issues I saw. I firmly believe the success he had here made Melo want to come bad enough to force a trade. Never forget those MVP chants Stat got and how it fun watching Knicks basketball again.

Yeah I agree with all of that. When I said chasing big names when the fit wasnt right, I was mostly referring to being the only team willing to give him that enormity of a contract given his injury history because he was the biggest name available for us to sign at the time. As well as his poor fit alongside Melo, which was troublesome from the get go because even at full strength, a Melo/STAT/Tyson frontcourt could never have been nearly as effective as a CP3/Melo/Tyson core.

But yeah, like you said, STAT getting that team to play exciting basketball once again was the major reason Melo even wanted to come here so badly in the first place, so it's tough to gauge.

I got no love lost for STAT tho. I'll never fault a player for taking money or getting inured, the 2 major knocks on him. He came here, put in the work, accepted a leadership role, maintained professionalism throughout, and briefly changed the game. I'll always respect that.

 

[mjmoney23]

Why was ZBO so bad here? I like his game and toughness. It's amazing to be how much better he has become.

 

[the gr8est]

Why was ZBO so bad here? I like his game and toughness. It's amazing to be how much better he has become.

To answer that in the most simple way possible: Eddy Curry -----> Marc Gasol 

 

I always liked Z-Bo and said he would be fine next to a rim protecting center who made up for his defensive limitations and complimented him on offense. He basically went from playing with the worst center imaginable for him to the best.

 

[ritchdad]

Us as Knick fans need to face the fact that STAT was a setback for this franchise, the guy earned about 1/10 of his contract during his tenure here. He was almost as bad as the Mcdyess acquisition, except he played half a year of good basketball. Fellas the guy was here to sell cookbooks and wear mink coats to miami heat playoff games with a streets of rage top hat. Just because he took a contract from us doesnt make him a good guy, the reality of the matter is we handled the 2010 offseason horribly. Phil Jackson doesnt bring in STAT if he has the keys to the franchise in 2010.

 

[essential1]

Us as Knick fans need to face the fact that STAT was a setback for this franchise, the guy earned about 1/10 of his contract during his tenure here. He was almost as bad as the Mcdyess acquisition, except he played half a year of good basketball. Fellas the guy was here to sell cookbooks and wear mink coats to miami heat playoff games with a streets of rage top hat. Just because he took a contract from us doesnt make him a good guy, the reality of the matter is we handled the 2010 offseason horribly. Phil Jackson doesnt bring in STAT if he has the keys to the franchise in 2010.

You really have no basis for saying Phil wouldn't have signed Amar'e. Considering where the Knicks were, it's likely the same thing that happened this offseason would have happened in 2010 if Phil was there (as an executive, not as a Coach). If STAT was available, and wanted to come to New York. Phil pulls that trigger as well.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Can't call STAT a setback. Guy made NY relevant again. Just didn't work out. Not like we would've signed anyone else.

 

[the gr8est]

Us as Knick fans need to face the fact that STAT was a setback for this franchise, the guy earned about 1/10 of his contract during his tenure here. He was almost as bad as the Mcdyess acquisition, except he played half a year of good basketball. Fellas the guy was here to sell cookbooks and wear mink coats to miami heat playoff games with a streets of rage top hat. Just because he took a contract from us doesnt make him a good guy, the reality of the matter is we handled the 2010 offseason horribly. Phil Jackson doesnt bring in STAT if he has the keys to the franchise in 2010.

I would agree that in hindsight, STAT was an overall setback. He didnt live up to his contract and 5 years later we are no better than we were. He helped make NY relevant again, but not to the extent he was supposed to, and 5 years later we have the 2nd worst record in the NBA and we only have a couple of unsuccessful playoff trips to show for it.

However, I think there is a difference between acknowledging him as a set back and blaming him for it. Dude did all he could, but it just didnt work out for a variety of reasons, none of which being his attitude and/or work ethic. 

I think there is a major difference between someone like that and someone like Eddy Curry, for example, who was a fat piece of **** and never put in the necessary work to fulfill his potential. THAT is the kind of player I still blame and hold a vendetta against years later. STAT is all good by me.

EDIT: And as for the $, I can't think of a dumber argument than blaming a professional athlete for taking or chasing money. It is their job and they only have a finite amount of time to make all that they can. I would never judge them for that.

It is how a player reacts to the money that makes me judge them. If a player takes the guaranteed NBA contract and decides to cake it, like a Jerome James, than I will blame him as a fan. But STAT always understood the burden that came along with his max contract and he always did his very best to carry that burden and live up to it.

Sure I would have liked more from STAT and a better overall outcome, but that is all I can realistically ask for from a player as a fan. I blame injuries and Knicks management for the rest.

 

[sailo]

Man, the season can't start soon enough

 

[njavier03]

You really have no basis for saying Phil wouldn't have signed Amar'e. Considering where the Knicks were, it's likely the same thing that happened this offseason would have happened in 2010 if Phil was there (as an executive, not as a Coach). If STAT was available, and wanted to come to New York. Phil pulls that trigger as well.

i agree that phil would still sign STAT, BUT with insurance to his contract. no way phil signs him for the full guaranteed 100mil.

 

[ritchdad]

GR8 I agree with you that the guy "attempted" to get back on the court, but lets be honest here. He asked out this year,he didn't come back to NY for less money as people thought he would, He was here doing cookbooks, He punched a fire extinguisher in the playoffs, what happened to his jumper? A true leader would have restructured that deal. Lets not treat this guy like some fallen hero.

 

[squatchnt]

Us as Knick fans need to face the fact that STAT was a setback for this franchise, the guy earned about 1/10 of his contract during his tenure here. He was almost as bad as the Mcdyess acquisition, except he played half a year of good basketball. Fellas the guy was here to sell cookbooks and wear mink coats to miami heat playoff games with a streets of rage top hat. Just because he took a contract from us doesnt make him a good guy, the reality of the matter is we handled the 2010 offseason horribly. Phil Jackson doesnt bring in STAT if he has the keys to the franchise in 2010.

GR8 I agree with you that the guy "attempted" to get back on the court, but lets be honest here. He asked out this year,he didn't come back to NY for less money as people thought he would, He was here doing cookbooks, He punched a fire extinguisher in the playoffs, what happened to his jumper? A true leader would have restructured that deal. Lets not treat this guy like some fallen hero.

I disagree. There wasn't much to set back when we signed Stat. The Knicks got better each year stat was here practically and then the last 2 seasons happened. Don't think any marquee player would come to NY and not take advantage of the off court opportunities it presents. Melo wasn't wearing them stupid hats in Denver. Is Tyson still dressing like a big *** elf? LOL

 

[nydunkhead]

GR8 I agree with you that the guy "attempted" to get back on the court, but lets be honest here. He asked out this year,he didn't come back to NY for less money as people thought he would, He was here doing cookbooks, He punched a fire extinguisher in the playoffs, what happened to his jumper? A true leader would have restructured that deal. Lets not treat this guy like some fallen hero.

Loved STAT when he first got here but I agree with you that I can't overlook these two things..

Especially punching the fire extinguisher like come on bro wtf was that going to accomplish???

 

[njavier03]

if we drafted WCS our starting lineup would probably include grant, afflalo, melo, and LA.

 

[ritchdad]

Lamarcus and Deandre are now stepping forward claiming that the Knicks were serious contenders for there services only to do right by the city, whats wrong with playing center? Thats total B S he know he was going to San Antonio in early May.

 

[njavier03]

its all water under the bridge now, but we are in dire need of another reliable scorer

 

[nycknicks105]

Us as Knick fans need to face the fact that STAT was a setback for this franchise, the guy earned about 1/10 of his contract during his tenure here. He was almost as bad as the Mcdyess acquisition, except he played half a year of good basketball. Fellas the guy was here to sell cookbooks and wear mink coats to miami heat playoff games with a streets of rage top hat. Just because he took a contract from us doesnt make him a good guy, the reality of the matter is we handled the 2010 offseason horribly. Phil Jackson doesnt bring in STAT if he has the keys to the franchise in 2010.

I personally don't think STAT was a set back at all. Had we never gotten STAT, Melo probably would've never came to NY and whose to say if we ever would've gotten to the playoffs?

The issue with STAT were his injuries. The Knicks failed in implementing a system that worked to the strengths of both Amare and Melo. Good teams win games with pure talent, and great teams win games with proper coaching and following a system that works for the players.

Having D'Antoni and then Woodson never providing a suitable identity for the team was the real reason the Knicks never took off. That 2013 season was a product of talent and leadership. Whose to say the Knicks wouldn't have had a better season if we had some type of consistent identity and played in a structured system?

Implementing a triangle/motion offense and brining in guys that sit into the system is a step in the right direction. Unfortunately for us, that process takes time and our best player is 31 years old

 

[essential1]

If NY was a serious contender for Aldridge. He would have actually taken a meeting with them. Does he not understand that we all know he cancelled the meeting with them.

 

[ritchdad]

You guys do know that Amare was never apart of that 2013 team right....you know he was out practically the whole year.

 

[nycknicks105]

You guys do know that Amare was never apart of that 2013 team right....you know he was out practically the whole year.

He played in 29 games and averaged 14 PPG in 23.5 MPG. He also shot 57% from the field as well. This was all coming off the bench. Pretty good production for a small sample size for the year.