I hope Willy keeps shooting cuz he looks more and more confident. If he can get that part of his game going to pair with his post play and passing, then he's gonna be a very good player.

meloshouldgo wrote:I love seeing him play and I want to see him and KP become or starting front court for years to come. But if at any point Phil leaves, Willy will be on the next plane out to complete yet another dumb starfukk. At the end of the day we are the Knicks, still Dolan's team.

I actually don't think we have to worry about that!!! Phil isn't doing this alone. The staff has a very big role in what this team looks like. When it comes to the raw talent Phil is not a scout and he has stated he relies on his staff to judge that talent. The guys under him that are learning from him but also have good ideas of their own will be able to keep this going IMO.

Would still like to add another big. KOQ has been a pleasant surprise, but he is undersized. In playoff runs, the Knicks need more height off the bench to compete with the benches of elite teams IMO.

nixluva wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:Willy looks like he is going to become the kind of player that gets under the skin of the other team, which is good. I like that he hasn't been intimidated by the physical aspect of the NBA game. Still getting used to the speed, but Willy looks like he will at least be a quality role player, if not a starter down the road.

Would still like to add another big. KOQ has been a pleasant surprise, but he is undersized. In playoff runs, the Knicks need more height off the bench to compete with the benches of elite teams IMO.

I think we already have enough if you dress Plumlee. He's more than physical enough for the job.

I was thinking of a more proven player, someone with playoff experience. We have a lot of young players on this team, which is great, but Noah is the only big with playoff experience that I can think of.

Knixkik wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

nixluva wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:Willy looks like he is going to become the kind of player that gets under the skin of the other team, which is good. I like that he hasn't been intimidated by the physical aspect of the NBA game. Still getting used to the speed, but Willy looks like he will at least be a quality role player, if not a starter down the road.

Would still like to add another big. KOQ has been a pleasant surprise, but he is undersized. In playoff runs, the Knicks need more height off the bench to compete with the benches of elite teams IMO.

I think we already have enough if you dress Plumlee. He's more than physical enough for the job.

I was thinking of a more proven player, someone with playoff experience. We have a lot of young players on this team, which is great, but Noah is the only big with playoff experience that I can think of.

Between KP, Noah, Willy, and KOQ, we barely have enough time for them as it is. Would be tough to add another big man to the mix. We need to keep developing these guys, Noah provides all of the leadership up front we need. KOQ brings plenty of toughness too. KP and Willy will continue to grow. We shouldn't make any changes up front for a long time.

I was all for going the development route before Rose, Noah, and Lee, were brought in. These players were added to win now while Melo still can ball.

Players get hurt (Noah, cough, cough) if we're going to make a legit playoff run(s) over the next couple of seasons, we need more experience on the bench. Cant think of anyone right off the bat, but Im sure some players will become available, just cant overpay.

fishmike wrote:his contract is incredible. We have him 3 more years for about $1.5mm a year. Incredible asset.

Love him. Love his game. Old school game with old school effort.

I know I'm thinking a number of years ahead, but also remember that he and KP are best friends...down the road that might make a difference when we have to resign each of them...might save us some cap space.

WaltLongmire wrote:

fishmike wrote:his contract is incredible. We have him 3 more years for about $1.5mm a year. Incredible asset.

Love him. Love his game. Old school game with old school effort.

I know I'm thinking a number of years ahead, but also remember that he and KP are best friends...down the road that might make a difference when we have to resign each of them...might save us some cap space.

Yeah, have to think that Willy and KP being so close might have helped the chemistry here. Lots of great competitors who all seem like good dudes - they look like they have the potential to become more than the sum of their parts. I think that, along with drafting KP, have been the two best things Phil has done here. The coach, the roster, all seem to be on the same page and genuinely like one another. That's pretty rare in the NBA these days. Props to Phil on that accomplishment. It was a bit of a bumpy ride to get to this point and there's plenty of uncertainty about Rose and Jennings next summer... but for right now this a nice team. Willy and Kuz were great, affordable bench additions who don't complain if they get 4min or a DNP, but can provide great stretches against the right matchup.