Blair (F/C banger, who is tough and solid on both ends) 0.9 mil
Bonner (stretch big forward) 3.3 mil
Diaw (do-it-all role player) under 0.5 mil
Green (versatile wing, knock-down spot up shooter) 0.9 mil
Leonard (combo forward, tough, good defender, can hit open 3s) 1.7 mil
Neal (steady PG, knock-down shooter) 0.7 mil
Splitter (good center, solid in all areas, good upside) 3.7 mil
Jackson (creative scorer, good energy) 9.2 mil expiring in a year

What a team full a cheap talent. You don't need cap space to find these players, You just need late first/second round picks, and a knack for finding untapped talent. All of these players have specific areas that make them contributers, and none of them will ever be stars. They can all shoot and/or defend and/or rebound at a high level.

Good news for us? We are already doing this. Grunfield seems to have a great knack for finding talent, adding Lin and Novak for minimum deals. We just need to do more of it, starting with this offseason. We need to use our second round pick effectively, maybe trade for another one, and take advantage of free agency. We need to find that Blair, Green, and Neal-type, because they are out there. Look at the FA list for this summer, and see if some of those players can be identified. We can win a title with this team if we find the right players.

The thing we're all waiting for is the Arbitrators ruling on the Bird Rights issue. If the Players win, that would be a HUGE boost to what Grunwald can do and i'd be a lot more confident in the teams success next year. I've been bummed out about how the season ended, but overall when you step back and really assess things, this team isn't that far off from success. Like you say, it's not about big splashy moves anymore. This is gonna be about smart small moves and signings. It's all up to Grunwald now.

Uptown wrote:That cheap talent you speak of looks much better when they surround a core of Duncan (HOF), Parker (one of the elite pgs in the game, Manu and the best coach in the league. Remember, Diaw was fat, out of shape and was cut from the worse team in the league. Stephen Jackson was a malcontent-coach killer and was told to go home several times. Green was cut numerous times and run out of the league. Now, they are all playing starring roles on the best team in the league. Outside of assembling similar role players, who will play the Tim Duncan role for us?

I was thinking a lot about what we really have so far and this much I know.

1. Melo is still a guy that you can rely on to score especially if you have other threats and teams can't focus everything on him. So with this team what seems to be missing are well rounded players who can score the ball too. They don't have to be great, but they should be solid role players. Those Spurs type role players would be perfect for this team. The Knicks finally improved defensively, so it's mostly about adding some more scoring now.

2. We don't have to worry about a Center anymore, tho if he can come back with a jump hook in the post that would be awesome and backup C still needs a little work.

3. I believe in Lin and again only backup PG is unsettled. If they could somehow upgrade that position it would do wonders for the entire team.

4. We need more depth at PF. I like STAT, but we don't know for sure if he can stay healthy. Finding a good PF behind him would be a very important find. Jorts could be that guy, but for right now it's still up in the air.

5. SG, SG, SG. I love Shump but he's got a tough road of recovery and who knows if he'll be able to improve his game when he'll be so busy just trying to get back on the floor. He was coming along nicely tho and I think he's a solid future SG. JR was just too inconsistent. I'd prefer someone less exciting but more dependable.

The real issue will be whether or not the players can win the Bird Rights for Lin and Novak. If that happens then this team will be in much better shape. I feel like they've got a good argument. Most were shocked that the rule on Bird Rights was changed.

yellowboy90 wrote:We need to try and get Terrance Williams for the SG/SF position. Not a great shooter but does all the other things, has some point forward skills. His shooting may improve with more open looks. I think he is a better Fields but he is inexpensive enough to be able to keep Fields. I think we need to find a player at the two that can challenge the best wing players in the league so Melo can take a break like Lebron does. Another guy would be Pietrus but he has injury issues and is older. I think the best way to do things is pick up young talented players that been around the block in the offseason then work the waiver wire in the season to fill any cracks or to add icing. Try to focus on former top picks and put them in a role.

A PF option may be Kenyon Martin if he would play for the min. I would say goodbye to Jeffries if Martin would come to NY.

What does williams bring that shumpert doesnt? We need shooters.

Knixkik wrote:

yellowboy90 wrote:We need to try and get Terrance Williams for the SG/SF position. Not a great shooter but does all the other things, has some point forward skills. His shooting may improve with more open looks. I think he is a better Fields but he is inexpensive enough to be able to keep Fields. I think we need to find a player at the two that can challenge the best wing players in the league so Melo can take a break like Lebron does. Another guy would be Pietrus but he has injury issues and is older. I think the best way to do things is pick up young talented players that been around the block in the offseason then work the waiver wire in the season to fill any cracks or to add icing. Try to focus on former top picks and put them in a role.

A PF option may be Kenyon Martin if he would play for the min. I would say goodbye to Jeffries if Martin would come to NY.

What does williams bring that shumpert doesnt? We need shooters.

Health and more size. Shumpert is great against guards but he struggles against taller players. Its also nice to have similar talent coming in. He is really a place holder for Shump and a replacement for Fields. Kind of like Billy Walker with a high BBIQ.

yellowboy90 wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

yellowboy90 wrote:We need to try and get Terrance Williams for the SG/SF position. Not a great shooter but does all the other things, has some point forward skills. His shooting may improve with more open looks. I think he is a better Fields but he is inexpensive enough to be able to keep Fields. I think we need to find a player at the two that can challenge the best wing players in the league so Melo can take a break like Lebron does. Another guy would be Pietrus but he has injury issues and is older. I think the best way to do things is pick up young talented players that been around the block in the offseason then work the waiver wire in the season to fill any cracks or to add icing. Try to focus on former top picks and put them in a role.

A PF option may be Kenyon Martin if he would play for the min. I would say goodbye to Jeffries if Martin would come to NY.

Did Williams have a bit of a rebirth with the Rockets? He was a certified knucklehead lottery pick with tons of talent playing in the d-league not long ago. If he is worth it and isn't under contract I am sure Grunwald will take a look at him.

He did pretty well in Sacramento. I think sometimes it is environment with young players and older players. Plus fitting a player in a role and not asking him to carry a team. You seen it with Williams last year, or Lin, Novak, Diaw with the spurs, Hickson and Portland, Green, and etc.

I think a nice little trend is having a defensive two that can knock down the open three enough to keep teams honest. Bring the shooters or scoring 2s off the bench.

I agree, we should a good look at Terrence Williams.
Martin, looks great in LA, he has a good shot now, and he still has the same explosiveness, athleticism, that he once had as a Net.

There are plenty of players that I think would fit and fill in for Stats, role.
That is why I do not want to go in to training camp, still trying to figure out if it can work or not.
I would look to move him, while deciding how to use our MLE and Bi Annual Exemptions.

For the MLE, we can look to use it on 1 player, or divide it up to add 2 quality role players.
So with the Bi Annual exemptions, we could look to acquire 3 players on to our roster.

In the end, we still will need to find quality veteran minimum players to fill out our roster spots and needs.

Gaines
Delonte West
Gary Neal
Kidd
Hinrich
Jordan Farmer
Patrick Mills
Hinrich

Danny Green
Terrence Williams
Ray Allen
Terry
Billups
Shannon Brown
Grant Hill
Willie Green

Odom
Boris Diaw
AK47
Gereld Green

Mahimi
Brandon Wright
JJ Hickson

Camby
Omar Osik
Greg Stimmmesa
Ryan Hollins
Hiddayi
Ivan Johnson

maybe picking the best 3 out of these guys, offering both our exemptions. And if possible, acquire the rest at the veterans minimum.

Veteran Min Shooters
Kapono
Redd
Anthony Parker

Full MLE

KG, old or not... just imagine Tyson Chandler, KG, and Iman, being the anchors of our defense, I think he is my #1 option. He is also consistent with his shot, something STAT was not
this year. And he is still a top defender, with good RB, and some shot blocking. He has some post up game, usually resulting to the fade away that cannot be guarded....
Forming our own twin towers, which both set great screens, plays top notch defense, everything will be mutliplied if together. Anything else he brings, which there are plenty, is just pure bonus. I think he can be the same player he is for another 2-3 years, perfect for our gap...

Ilyasova, a stretch 3/4 that has great length and put up many 20+ rebound nights this year, with some shot blocking and steals.

Dragic, nice size, so I can see Lin and Dragic being able to play together with some minutes

Ryan Anderson is a RFA, but can be a nice stretch 4/5 with rebounding that is at least better than Amare

Bonn1997 wrote:I thought the next sentence was going to be "All we need is a miracle."