my future girlfriend needs to be a Knicks fan so she won't expect a ring
This is almost as good as the quote in your sig
word from the wise; GET THIS **** IN WRITING!!!!!! SHORTY WILL TRY AND ABORT MISSION OR SUDDENLY CATCH A CASE OF AMNESIA ONCE THESE BUM *** ****** START GOIN ON A DROUGHT.. TRUST ME SLIME
@REDd SPYDER easily the most appreciated Knicks fan on NT.
@RuffRydya08 :
First off your implied notions are way off based. So dont insinuate things about me when you dont know me. I played ball my entire life, all 4 years of HS, last 2 varsity. I'm not gonna say I was some kind of superstar but I have always known/loved the game of basketball and was always good enough to make it on to competitive teams and get PT even if I was never the star player. Your boy was known for his defense.
When I watch the Knicks I always watch it as a basketball savant first and foremost, Knicks fan 2nd. But both are a factor. As a basketball head, I can respect your criticism of Melo. I will never argue with you over criticizing his basketball game. Melo is an imperfect player, I understand that as well as anyone.
Pick on his defense, fine. Melo is a sub-par defender although I believe you underrate it. He is nowhere near as bad as James Harden is on that side of the floor and he was generally a solid defender when Tyson was playing DPOY basketball and running the show on D. Melo is an average defender who's deficiencies in the area are heightened (maybe justifiably) because of how deadly he can be on offense. But Melo is no different than other average defenders in the NBA. He often takes on the defensive mindset of others around him which can be good or bad. Melo played solid D on the 09 Nuggets and the 2013 Knicks because they had other players who took control of the defense and the team adopted a very defensive mentality. However, Melo often loses interest defensively when playing on **** defensive teams, something that I believe is 100% fair criticism of his game.
But again, you take things too far by calling him "brutal." He is not James Harden on D. Nor is he anywhere near as bad as other Knicks we have had (some I have loved, others I have hated) like THJR, David Lee, Z-Bo, Eddy Curry, and Felton. All of those players were "brutal" defensively on the Knicks. Often times, they were tough to watch. Especially Curry.
But Melo isnt brutal defensively, he is simply average but is often held to a higher standard than those other players because of his superstar reputation. Which again, is pretty justifiable. You should be a better defender than Melo or Harden is if you want to carry that label. It is for that same reason why I balked at everyone who was lobbying for Harden to win MVP this season. But Melo is far from "brutal" defensively. Maybe "brutal" for a superstar, but he is nowhere near as sub-par of the other "brutal" defenders I mentioned.
And also, switching on "every ******* pick for the last 4 years" is much less about Melo being lazy, and much more about Mike Woodson's approach on defense during that timespan. You must be referring to that, because Melo only played half the season under Fisher and the team as a whole was brutal, which made Melo look worse defensively. But maybe if you knew basketball as much as you like to say you do, and were less of a blind hater, you would have known that and not used it as an excuse to bash Melo when EVERY single player on the team switched on pick situations.
But you are somewhat right. I am a big fan. And this also factors into my judgement of certain players who are on the Knicks. But it doesnt disallow me from seeing basketball things objectively and it isnt always a good thing.
Knicks are put under the microscope for me as a fan, and I form extremely strong opinions about Knicks players who I likely wouldnt give a **** about if they played elsewhere. But the strong decisions I make are always rational and based on what I see on/off the court, I dont like players just because they put on a Knicks jersey. I hold them to a certain standard when they put on that jersey. If they live up to that standard, I will have their back. If they dont, I will hate them when normally I wouldnt give a **** about them. I dont hand out my loyalty as a fan to players just because they put on the jersey, they need to win me over. And this occurs through their effort on the court as well as their actions off of it.
I shouldnt even have to go down the list of players who I ******* hate, mostly because they were on the Knicks. People in this thread already know well about my well documented hatred for Eddy Curry as well as other ex-Knicks (all of the current Knicks besides Melo havent done enough for me to make any judgement about them yet, but it will surely come) such as JR, Steve Francis, KVH, and Felton, amongst others I am probably leaving out.
My opinions formed as a fan have to do with my opinions based on my basketball mind but it goes deeper than that. There have been many flawed players who I loved (Nate Robinson, David Lee, Spree, Kurt Thomas, even Melo) and other sometimes more skilled players who I have despised. The common trait amongst players I despise is that they go out there and they play for them ******* selves. They didnt give a **** about the Knicks, MSG, NYC, or the fans. In certain situations (JR Smith) these players liked NYC because of what NYC did for them, but the process was never reciprocal. Every player I DESPISED was lazy on the court and selfish beyond the court. They didnt conduct themselves professionally during their time here.
The most common type of Knicks are the ones who showed up and did their job. They acted professionally during their time here. They respected being a Knick and all that it meant but it didnt necessarily define who they were or they werent here long enough to build that kind of bond and prove themselves worthy of my undying support. They never proved that they want to win more for the Knicks than themselves. These are the kind of players I will continue to support throughout their careers but never truly love (guys like Amare and Shump, Gallo and Mozgov, Tyson and Prigioni as well I guess but I like them more than the others due to the 2013 season).
Then there is the rare breed. Players who win me over completely as a fan, despite flaws in their game. Ewing represents this category to the fullest, but I'lll leave him out because he was also one of the greatest basketball players of all time. I like to define this category with John Starks, who was my favorite Knick growing up. Starks was an extremely flawed basketball player who often time let his emotions get the best of him, but he understood the importance of being a New York Knick and took this responsibility head on every single time he stepped on the court. He left everything on the ******* court night in and night out for the Knicks. Lee and Nate are the only 2 Knicks from the modern era who have this same kind of support from me.
That is besides Melo. I dont love Melo because he is a Knick. I love Melo because he won me over as a Knick. And it does go beyond the basketball court, so you are right about that much. Melo has proven his loyalty to this city, fanbase, and organization time and time again (even before he became a Knick) and he shows up every night and gives it his ******* all, regardless of whether or not his all is good enough. I can't unrealistically ask for a player to be better than they are. But for someone like Melo to give it his all on the court night and night out, doing his part regardless of the **** we put around him, and choosing to dedicate his ******* career to this team even when all rational thinking was pointing him out the door and he wouldnt have been blamed for doing so (he actually would have been praised for doing so), that is all I can really ask for a player as a FAN. He is a consummate professional.
So go ahead. Pick apart Melo's defense. His passing. His lack of clutch scoring in recent years. His stupid *** fedoras. That horrendous ESPN article from earlier in the year. All that ****. I wont argue with you. You are allowed to not label Melo as not a superstar or a franchise player. I hope that he proves you wrong, but I want argue with you over a simple difference in opinion.
But when you try to assassinate his character based on some stupid media spun bull ****. Bringing up Jeremy ******* Lin or a simple phone call he made to his mentee THJR or saying that he isnt a good teammate when all evidence completely points against that notion. That is when I will come to Melo's defense every ******* time. Because he has dedicated himself to all of us and I will show him the same support in return.
i think we can all agree on the fact that this franchise makes us miserable
