Not just a collection of talent that don't mesh like Isiah Thomas was able to acquire. But a quality combination of talent and fit. No questions about the ability of the coaching staff either. And no worries about the price paid to acquire the talent that has been acquired. As the rare few times the Knicks did collect a decent amount of talent. Was a price to pay on the back end with lost draft picks, minimal young talent and potential cap hell.

Can say from top to bottom it looks like the org is in a healthy space. First preseason game starts tomorrow for what I am expecting and hoping to be a very enjoyable season.

Cheers UK fam!

This current team has Mitch/RJ/IQ/Obi who are all upside and good players in the their rookie deals and likely in the rotation. Chomping at the bit for minutes behind them will be McBride/Grimes/Sims and yes... Kevin Knox.

Jules isnt the scorer Melo was but if last year is sustainable he's a better over all player. Also none of our bigs are as good as Chandler was that year, but we are surely deeper with Noel/Taj.

It will be really interesting to compare this year's team to 2013. That squad was perfectly build to to back Melo's scoring and it was a really good team. We dont have two guys as good as Melo/Tyson but we have some that are close and its a better over all squad. Should be better coached as well.

Kemet wrote:The Jinx is on us Knicks fans .. The Knicks performed successfully in EMPTY stadiums last season.
Having a 41-21 season without any fans in the seat.
When 10 thousand or more fans were allowed in the stadium the Knicks went 1-4 having home court advantage !!!

Last season watching a 6 season average PF Randle, become the Knicks first option on offense, plus take over the PG role as a point-forward for 35 min per game to be name an all-star was all good for Randle, and Knicks fans wanting a Win Win season.
Will Randle have another outstanding season?
Will we have another full season of empty stadiums?
Did Randle transform back to his old self when thousands of fans flooded the arena for the playoffs?

The Knicks finished the regular season 41-31 including a 9-1 run at home down the stretch. The Hawks beat the number 1 seed as well causing Philadelphia to self destruct. The playoffs we're lost in game 1 when Trae got that ticky tack foul call against RJ.

Nalod wrote:We think Randle breakout was due to empty gym and then crowds made him shy? Interesting.
Looked to me and by Randles own admission he went into hero mode and the ball stopped moving. With Rose exhausted and the team constructed as it was he had fewer options to pass out to. Gibson looked good but capella swarmed onto Randle and he reacted too slow. Really, ATL was the better team. Just simple.
Was. OBI’s playoff performance enhanced by the crowd?

yes. when the crowd's chanting your name and your mom's in the stands crying u are PUMPED

Marv wrote:

Nalod wrote:We think Randle breakout was due to empty gym and then crowds made him shy? Interesting.
Looked to me and by Randles own admission he went into hero mode and the ball stopped moving. With Rose exhausted and the team constructed as it was he had fewer options to pass out to. Gibson looked good but capella swarmed onto Randle and he reacted too slow. Really, ATL was the better team. Just simple.
Was. OBI’s playoff performance enhanced by the crowd?

yes. when the crowd's chanting your name and your mom's in the stands crying u are PUMPED

so Randle Shrank like Castanza just out of his bathing trunks while OBI flat out got grew in the spotlight!!!!! Got it.
Nalod? Im an exhibitionist so I can relate. I feel bad for Randle, all those years of underachieving due to his fear of crowds. Must be awful. Too bad nobody on knicks caught this before we extended his contract. Good thing we have a few Dr.’s in the house!!!

fishmike wrote:the 2013 team was good but didnt have anything like the youth this team has. 2013 had JR/Melo/Felton and those guys were 27-28 (not old), Tyson was 30 but the only "young" guy who played meaningful time was Shump and he 8th on the team with just under a 1000 minutes and 45 games.

This current team has Mitch/RJ/IQ/Obi who are all upside and good players in the their rookie deals and likely in the rotation. Chomping at the bit for minutes behind them will be McBride/Grimes/Sims and yes... Kevin Knox.

Jules isnt the scorer Melo was but if last year is sustainable he's a better over all player. Also none of our bigs are as good as Chandler was that year, but we are surely deeper with Noel/Taj.

It will be really interesting to compare this year's team to 2013. That squad was perfectly build to to back Melo's scoring and it was a really good team. We dont have two guys as good as Melo/Tyson but we have some that are close and its a better over all squad. Should be better coached as well.

Last division title. Probably the most cobbled together, hobbling collection of front court players we've ever seen. Stat, Camby, Rashweed, KrazyEyes, KMart... Sounded great on paper, but it wasn't anything like the fully functional vets we have now. Taj and Noel not as sexy namewise, but certainly going to be on the court more. Agreed, nobody on this squad touches Chandler, although I would tend to give the nod to a fully healthy MitchRob, but we haven't ever really seen that yet to a DPOY level.

I would take the PG situation now, even with Kemba's knees and Rose's mileage over 49 year old rook Pablo, WrongRay Felton and JKidd's ghost. And nothing on the 2013 squad is anywhere near the yoots we have in the background today.

JR and Shumpert and even Copeland delivered. Fournier, IQ, Burks, we will see. I know you loved Bullock fish, but I tend to like these targets for Jules to pass to even more.

And as probably the last surviving Melo lover, I have to admit, Jules delivers more on both ends, and his assists alone tip the scales for me. Yes, that hurts. But in a good way. Nod to Melo in the clutch though.

gradyandrew wrote:It's a PG league. When Knicks have had competent PGs they have made the playoffs，when they haven't，they haven't. Ready to retire Jason Kidd was the secret sauce in the 2013 Big Mac，Jeremy Lin the year before. Knicks reached the offseason based on Derrick Rose coming on and didn't when Jose Calderon didn't. I will always have a soft spot for Jarrett Jack and KP should probably send him a Christmas card with a 100k gift card.

Excuse me, how did Jeremy Lin's magic flash in the pan three weeks get us to the playoffs again? JKidd couldn't hit a layup for the last third of the season and was outplayed by Ray Felton, of all people.

We don't make the playoffs at all for 3 years straight without Melo, plain and simple. Anything else is revisionist history.