While it seems that Amare has been getting his hops back and Melo was moving the ball its been the
play of Chandler that has been most impressive to me.

This is just a few game sample but perhaps a glimpse of the potential our front line can bring.

If ball movement has been our problem, I don't see how getting Dwightmare solves this.

Its also apparent that our guys were not in great shape heading into the season.
Tyson was a free agent and free agents don't risk offseason injury with no contract,
Amare was getting over his back and perhaps while he grew and added muscle he might have not been running
Melo had one or two surgeries as well which had to have limited any offseason regimen. If true then they are just getting their legs.

As a fan, I don't mind "trades" as they are interesting but the continuity of the team is an issue
and this has not been a good thing to our coach. Im still of the mindset you extend this guy as MDA can
provide a greater result than anyone else short of Phil Jax. They play for him.

Lin if he is the real deal changes everything. We'll have to use a good bit of our mid level exemption too keep him.
He seems to be a prodigy of "the system" and perhaps his game with another coach might not yield the same.

This also brings up the subject of Steve Nash.
I don't know his financial situation but he does not look like a Vet minimum salary player
to me nor would it make sense to split the minutes with Lin (again, if he is the real deal).

With Baron about to get off the bench, Im curious how this all plays out.
This was Barons team and he had yet to play a minute.

Lin is our "Tebow"! He even was thanking his lord and savior after the game Monday nite!

We'll know in a few weeks if the kid is for real as teams will break down his tape and adjust.
For them to do that they will have to give up something else.
Thats tough with our front line! That makes us very dangerous.

Lin COULD be the changer of it all.

Its like we might have gotten a lottery type point guard for free!

Maybe luck finally shines on the Knicks?

Luck is: When preparation collides with opportunity!

ITs the year of the Dragon!

As pleased as I am with the job Chandler's done and as much as I respect how he's been instrumental in keeping this team together throughout all the ups and downs, Tyson and Stat could get us the most dominant center in the league. The same goes for Stat. He's had a lot on his plate with his injuries, adjusting to Melo, new teammates, but if this deal can be made, you make it.

As for PJax, I'm guessing a Melo/Howard pairing, not to mention Lin if he can keep playing well, might be enough to get Jackson interested. Probably would need to add a few more defensive minded bench players though.

colombian0725 wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:Chandler has been a big reason this team hasn't gone completely in the toilet until Lin broke out. If anyone should be a captain on the team its him. Having said that, I'd still do Stat/Chandler for Howard. A reporter made a good point about pro sports. He said that teams that get too sentimental end up hurting their franchise in the long run.

As pleased as I am with the job Chandler's done and as much as I respect how he's been instrumental in keeping this team together throughout all the ups and downs, Tyson and Stat could get us the most dominant center in the league. The same goes for Stat. He's had a lot on his plate with his injuries, adjusting to Melo, new teammates, but if this deal can be made, you make it.

As for PJax, I'm guessing a Melo/Howard pairing, not to mention Lin if he can keep playing well, might be enough to get Jackson interested. Probably would need to add a few more defensive minded bench players though.

+ 1

I'd do the trade.

I'd also wouldn't mind keeping both of them but it's Amare knee's that worry me. If you get can Howard and rid our self's of his knee's than I'm sorry you must do it. Howard is In his prime and will perform at a high level for the next 5 years. Now Amare we aren't even sure if he is performing at a high level right now. Could be his knee's, his back? Point guard play? One thing I know for sure is he can't guard to save his life and it does hurt us. Hurts when everyone on the team is playing D and Amare gives up an easy lay up when we need a stop. I like Chandler he plays hard and offensively has been better than I thought. leads the team with 9.9 rebounds.

Who plays the 4?

Hedo? This cat can't guard another 4.

Can't put Dwight on the foul line so he can't close. You can put Amare and Chandler on the FT line.

With Melo if they take him out you need closers. Just talking pts.......

93BUICK wrote:I don't make any trades. One season without trades! ONE! ONE! ONE! Players need to develop together.

Too kinky for me..

sealy wrote:I understand trying not to get sentimental about guys and I definitely do w/ sports teams, but I don't see Dwight or Melo as a leader at all and when it comes playoff time, I think Amar'e and Chandler are gonna show their worth. Yes, I see this team making the playoffs.

DH already tosses teammates under the bus and Melo does the same thing. I can never remember Amar'e or Chandler doing anything close to that and that characteristic alone more than compensates for the difference in talent imo.

I understand that Melo/DH are unbelievably talented and many think they would be a more deadly combo, but I think this team would fold like a lawn chair if they faced any sort of adversity in the media capital the world.

Those are fair points. One thing I've noticed about Melo is that he's responded to the New York crowd as far as changing his game. I read an article somewhere (for what its worth) that says that Howard is the most image conscious athlete in the league. Howard knows his image would suffer if he pulled the same stuff he did in Orlando. If Lin pans out(which is one of the conditions I've set for this trade), he would bring this team the stability that its been lacking. Lin looks like the kind of guy who would know how to share the rock enough to keep both of them in the flow of the offense and happy.

I know its a bit of contradiction to describe another trade as bringing stability, but I believe having a younger combo combined with a rookie(ish) PG and SG makes this team a contender for years to come, enough to battle the Heat and the young guns.

Nalod wrote:
The way Chandler is playing of late I can't see Howard being that much of an upgrade to compensate for losing Amare.

Chandler is a rare comodity. A guy who grabs an offensive board and looks to pass first (sometimes he is more open than he thinks!) is a guy that keeps the ball flowing around.

Dwight has yet to demonstrate ball movement and perhaps with another coach he might be more valuable.

Dwight and Melo are special talents but do they blend?

First, with MDA having a true post center, he would definitely need to run a modified system - that would be interesting.

I think Melo and Howard would actually complement each other far more that Melo and Amare since they both have completely different games while Amare and Melo have some more similarity. We would just turn into more of an ISO spread offense.

Would it be enough of an upgrade to give up Amare? That depends how much value you that he is perceived to have. He has almost 4 years remaining on his contract, which is uninsured. Many teams were reluctant to sign him for this reason. So, its really hard to quantify his value until we see a bit more if he is progressing or regressing.

I love Chandler and see how he brings team/championship qualities to a team and would hate to see him go.

Having said all that, I still make this trade because there are very few talents that come along like DHoward.

Bonn1997 wrote:

sealy wrote:I understand trying not to get sentimental about guys and I definitely do w/ sports teams, but I don't see Dwight or Melo as a leader at all and when it comes playoff time, I think Amar'e and Chandler are gonna show their worth. Yes, I see this team making the playoffs.

DH already tosses teammates under the bus and Melo does the same thing. I can never remember Amar'e or Chandler doing anything close to that and those types of leadership characteristics, alone, more than compensates for the difference in talent imo.

I understand that Melo/DH are unbelievably talented and many think they would be a more deadly combo, but I think this team would fold like a lawn chair if they faced any sort of adversity in the media capital the world.

But Dwight has taken teams with MUCH less talent further in the playoffs than Amare has and overall has.

DH lost to the Lakers in the Finals in just 5 games in '09 and then in '10 made it to the ECF to lose to the Celts and Amar'e lost to the Lakers (both 4-2). While I agree about the talent, because of Nash, DH was in a weak eastern conf while Amar'e played in the beastly west conf.

It's because of this that I think the argument on talent holds less water.

GustavBahler wrote:Chandler has been a big reason this team hasn't gone completely in the toilet until Lin broke out. If anyone should be a captain on the team its him. Having said that, I'd still do Stat/Chandler for Howard. A reporter made a good point about pro sports. He said that teams that get too sentimental end up hurting their franchise in the long run.

As pleased as I am with the job Chandler's done and as much as I respect how he's been instrumental in keeping this team together throughout all the ups and downs, Tyson and Stat could get us the most dominant center in the league. The same goes for Stat. He's had a lot on his plate with his injuries, adjusting to Melo, new teammates, but if this deal can be made, you make it.

As for PJax, I'm guessing a Melo/Howard pairing, not to mention Lin if he can keep playing well, might be enough to get Jackson interested. Probably would need to add a few more defensive minded bench players though.

+100

tkf wrote:

Nalod wrote:
The way Chandler is playing of late I can't see Howard being that much of an upgrade to compensate for losing Amare.

Chandler is a rare comodity. A guy who grabs an offensive board and looks to pass first (sometimes he is more open than he thinks!) is a guy that keeps the ball flowing around.

Dwight has yet to demostrate ball movement and perhaps with another coach he might be more valuable.

Dwight and Melo are special talents but do they blend?

that is the problem I would have with such a trade as well. Is dwight going to be that much better that it cost us amare?

Long-term there's no doubt about it. Between Amare's knees and his age, there's no question that a tandem of Melo/Howard is better than what we have now. Also, Hedo comes off the book in two years so it actually increases payroll flexibility while putting a team together that can contend.

For this year, Harrelson would have to play the four when he gets back and you'd probably have Jeffries and Novak backing up the four and five positions with Lin running the point. If Lin is consistent, you actually have a more D'Antoni-oriented team with this lineup....

Lin
Fields
Melo
Jorts
Howard

Shumpert
Hedo
Douglas
Novak
Jeffries

MaTT4281 wrote:
Dwight is probably my #1 choice if I could pick any one guy in the league to build a team with.

I always says this too. Him or LeBron.