NYK '14 offseason thread

[pr0phecy718]

That commercial is still getting to me. I can't believe he's retiring.

That first-person camera angle of of Torre, Mo, Tino, & Pett just waiting for him makes me feel like Jeter is waiting to join the table full of dead guys.

He's the last one left.

Yes, this feels like someone is dying

Damn bro...you say it like that..it hit me lol

 

[gregzzy23]

I'm guessing Prigioni is going to be released/traded? We have waaaay too many guards and all of them are better assets

 

[ballinsam23]

Na Priggy Smalls a Knick4Lyfe

 

[illoquent aka dsk]

Grantland on the Knicks

[h1]With Melo, ‘Phish,’ and the Kids, Are the Knicks — GASP — Moving in the Right Direction?[/h1]
The Knicks did something very, very strange a couple of weeks ago. For the first time since 2008, they made a trade in which they acquired — and subsequently used — at least one draft pick. Over the last 10 years, they have traded for a draft pick only five times. In that same time span, they have made nine trades in which they surrendered a total of 18 picks.

The deal sent former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler and felony firearm possessor Raymond Felton to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for former 50-40-90 guy Jose Calderon, REM sleep-cycle champion Samuel Dalembert, former University of Miami great (and my future best friend) Shane Larkin, and Wayne Ellington, plus the 34th and 51st picks in the 2014 draft.

As Zach Lowe detailed, the trade adds some money to the Knicks’ books in the summer of 2015, but it also gives them a badly needed upgrade at point guard, a solid stopgap center to replace Chandler, a sharpshooting wing, and, most important, an injection of youth and upside.

Larkin was a first-round pick just last year, and he still has potential. He broke his ankle the day before the Mavs were set to leave for summer league last season, derailing his rookie campaign a bit. But he’s only 21, and he’s lightning fast, and he showed the ability to both get to the rim and get his shot off the dribble when he was at Miami. He was also First Team All-ACC Defense, but after the Toney Douglas Experience[emoji]8482[/emoji], Knicks fans know better than to trust that designation.

Calderon will likely be entrenched as the starter under new coach Derek Fisher, and Pablo Prigioni will certainly get backup minutes, but if the Knicks can develop Larkin into a future MVP quality rotation player, they’ll be better for it.

But back to those picks. When New York selected Wichita State’s Cleanthony Early at no. 34, Knicks Twitter just about lost its ****. You’ve got to understand: Knicks fans are used to reflexively booing whomever the organization takes in the draft. So when the Knicks took the guy Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose, and Jay Bilas were fawning over all night, the same guy who dropped a cool 31 on the Fighting Caliparis in one of the best games of this year’s NCAA tournament, we were understandably psyched.

Early seems pretty well suited to play in the triangle offense. He has a solid post game, particularly against smaller defenders, and he can shoot it from deep (37.3 percent from 3 last season), both traits of traditional triangle wings. Kevin Pelton’s pre-draft projections at ESPN (Insider) pegged Early as the 26th-best player in the class, so getting him at 34 is also good value. Early has looked excellent early on in summer league, shooting well from deep and skying high for acrobatic dunks. He’s played most of his minutes with Larkin and Tim Hardaway Jr. by his side, and the three seem to have already developed a nice chemistry on and off the court.

As if snagging what has been widely praised as a bit of a steal with the first of the two Dallas picks wasn’t enough, Phil Jackson then went and snatched up Internet favorite Thanasis Antetokounmpo, a.k.a. Baby Greek Freak (yes, I know he is actually older than Giannis), at no. 51. I don’t want to speak for Chris Ryan and Andrew Sharp, but this dude is a pretty solid bet to join his brother on the Triangle All-Stars next year. Marc Berman reported that Thanasis may play in Greece next season, but if he stays in the States, he could be a solid defense-and-energy guy (with the potential to develop into more than that) for a Knicks team pretty sorely lacking in the “anyone who can play any semblance of defense” department.

Even all those good vibes coming from a trade that finally gave the Knicks some cost-controlled assets with upside are nothing compared with the fact that Carmelo Anthony will stick around for the foreseeable future. After all the hemming and hawing, all the debating of whether the Knicks should even re-sign the best player they’ve had since the best player they’ve had, he’s back.

So in about four months on the job, Jackson has kicked Mike Woodson to the curb so he is no longer sitting here; hired a coach with whom he shares a deep personal, spiritual, and basketball-philosophical connection; and convinced the best player on the team to stick around and basically just kind of trust that Phil and Fish (portmanteau nickname suggestion: Phish) will be able to figure out how to get the team back into contention.

That last part is the big key here. Jackson convincing Melo to stick around and be part of whatever he’s building, basically on faith that “whatever he’s building” can actually happen, is real, tangible evidence that there’s a plan and a vision that can be trusted.
 
Andrea Bargnani, Amar’e Stoudemire, and J.R. Smith are still floating around the roster, remnants of a past era obsessed with starry names (and CAA clients), and their contracts are largely the reason “whatever Phil’s building” will likely have to wait until at least next summer. But Melo deciding to wait at least a year — when he’s already 30 and likely to start declining within the next couple of seasons — for true contention because he has faith in the front office’s ability to build a contender around him is a fairly huge development.

Melo coming back is a long-term play. In addition to getting paid, he’s placing his faith in a vision. It’s going to be hard to build a winner — a big winner, the kind Knicks fans haven’t seen since the 1970s — in New York. It was going to be hard whether Melo came back or not.

They have their star forward and a plethora of young wings locked up, and they have Jackson making the calls, which means something to players.

Next summer, the Knicks will be armed with their own first-round pick and, depending on the specifics of Melo’s deal, around $20 million to $25 million in cap space. They’ll be free to recruit guys like Kevin Love, Marc Gasol, Goran Dragic, DeAndre Jordan, and Rajon Rondo next summer and beyond. They’ll be able to make lopsided trades or extort contract-dumpers for even more draft picks or do whatever else it is teams with cap space can do; I forget.

They’ll have flexibility to move in any number of directions for the first time in a good long while. It has been a preposterously long time since you’ve been able to say that many positive things in a row about the Knicks’ roster construction. That’s a pleasant development, in and of itself.

When you’ve been riding the Knicks Fan Roller Coaster for as long as I have (27 years and counting!), you’re trained to keep your guard up a bit. Our hands are used for either covering our eyes or shoving into our pockets while simultaneously shrugging and shaking our heads. For the first time in a while, my guard is down. Maybe I’m kidding myself. Maybe I’ll get burned again. All I know is, I don’t know what to do with my hands.

So far, so good Phil.

 

[battousai701]

is herb williams still in the coaching staff?

 

[beh235]

is herb williams still in the coaching staff?

no

 

[battousai701]

YES!!

ive wanted him gone for so long

i felt like he was just there because he was a fan favorite of sort, "ehh seems like a nice guy, lets keep him" type

 

[Master Zik]

They’ll be free to recruit guys like Kevin Love, Marc Gasol, Goran Dragic, DeAndre Jordan, and Rajon Rondo next summer and beyond.

What I like to see. At least others know.

Don't want Jordan.

Marc can be a bit of a long shot given other teams as options.

Goran, Love, and Rondo at the top of my wish list though.

YES!!

ive wanted him gone for so long

i felt like he was just there because he was a fan favorite of sort, "ehh seems like a nice guy, lets keep him" type

Damn so you wanted him gone for no reason

 

[nick.]

That article was good

 

[gregzzy23]

I'm on my phone and cant repost it but everyone needs to read this: http://www.postingandtoasting.com/2014/2/18/5422884/a-brief-history-of-mike-woodson-not-sitting-here

 

[pr0phecy718]

 

[redd spyder]

Lulz wait wutttt

 

[johnnyredstorm]

On the real, I have no interest reading anything affiliated with Sn. Glad he's gone and I'm ready to move on ignorant to his whereabouts.

 

[onewearz]

wow

 

[8pm at msg]

Honestly Herb had to go. He's a holdover from various failed seasons and logically Dolan's mole.

Someone who holds a job just because they go running to the boss man really isn't needed on a team that's finally trying to turn the corner.

 

[7thave btn 31stn33rd st]

I see Tyler is shutting me up with a nice little performance today. Still dont like him. By "fake potential" I mean 3 teams in his first 3 years. Clearly something is wrong here.

Screams Anthony Randolph to me.

Gotta give him time. Dude was basically an immature high school kid that went over seas that didn't pan out too great. He's pretty raw, but yesterday was the first time it looks like he's putting it together.

 

[8pm at msg]

Yeah big men always seem to take a while development wise

 

[losalmighty]

I see Tyler is shutting me up with a nice little performance today. Still dont like him. By "fake potential" I mean 3 teams in his first 3 years. Clearly something is wrong here.

Screams Anthony Randolph to me.

Gotta give him time. Dude was basically an immature high school kid that went over seas that didn't pan out too great. He's pretty raw, but yesterday was the first time it looks like he's putting it together.

He left after his junior year of HS to play professionally overseas. I think it's harder for big men to develop than guards because they don't have the ball that often. He still commits thee dumbest fouls ever, but he's ok in my book.

 

[Hahahaha]

http://grantland.com/features/carmelo-anthony-new-york-knicks-legacy/

Pretty good article Bill Simmons wrote. Long but good.

 

[7thave btn 31stn33rd st]

He left after his junior year of HS to play professionally overseas. I think it's harder for big men to develop than guards because they don't have the ball that often. He still commits thee dumbest fouls ever, but he's ok in my book.

You players do this, but from what I've seen so far with this regime it will get cleaned up.

 

[johnnyredstorm]

Clyde wants a bucket of chicken apparently. Summer league is interesting to say the least.

 

[njavier03]

Man I hope Thanasis makes a way into our rotation.

That height and athleticism is rare amongst most teams in the L

apparently, hes playing in europe for a season we have to many guards/small forwards anyway. i think phil wants him to actually play somewhere since he wont get minutes on our current roster. not enough meaningful minutes anyway. even if we trade 2 or 3 guards, thjr, jr, shump, melo, and early are gonna take all those sg/sf minutes. might as well let him get more experience instead of riding the bench.

What I like to see. At least others know.

Don't want Jordan.

Marc can be a bit of a long shot given other teams as options.

Goran, Love, and Rondo at the top of my wish list though.
Damn so you wanted him gone for no reason

whats wrong with jordan? hes an energy guy that defends and rebounds well. he doesnt need to score either, which is a plus IF we somehow get love to come play with melo. that would be a crazy front court. solid defender and rebounder with jordan, stretch 4 rebounder in love, and a top 5 player in melo. DANGER! haha

 

[8pm at msg]

http://grantland.com/features/carmelo-anthony-new-york-knicks-legacy/

Pretty good article Bill Simmons wrote. Long but good.

Man this is....true and frustrating. Melo is in that Dirk/Iverson region, as in a guy who needs VERY specific players to be paired with. At the same time while he's played on talented squads they were quite incomplete and Melo took a bit more time than his peers to learn the game fully.

 

[redd spyder]

whats wrong with jordan? hes an energy guy that defends and rebounds well. he doesnt need to score either, which is a plus IF we somehow get love to come play with melo. that would be a crazy front court. solid defender and rebounder with jordan, stretch 4 rebounder in love, and a top 5 player in melo. DANGER! haha

He is going to be a hot commodity so he will be harder to obtain is what I believe homie was getting at.

 

[the 7th mile]

They been going at it for 10 years already man. Where you been at? It's not as much of a rivalry as you think.

They were going at it in 2 different conferences with Melo being bounced in the 1st round every yr but 1, only met in the regular season so they played what, twice a year??

Then Lebby ends up in Miami and Melo in NY a lil while later. The Heat got to 4 straight Finals while the Knicks lose to the Celtics and Pacers, and win one Fluke *** game against the Heat. That's not a Rivalry. That's domination by one party. Melo used to give Bron that work in Denver. They played 12 games against each other in them days, Melo won 8 of em. When they both came East and played, lebron has always been on the much better team. Now things are a lil more even and they are in the same conference. Now they can and will really go at it.