blkexec wrote:I blame Melo for being over confident and selfish when he forced his way to the Knicks. Eventhough we gave up mediocre players, they were bargaining chips and bench depth and the knicks are not great at building up a team....So I was worried we would be in trouble trying to build around Melo, which isn't easy. But Melo was over confident that his game and his superstar status would attract other stars to play with him in the big apple. But I don't blame Melo for his game.....Whatever you don't like about his game, you never like him before he came into the league. That's a different kind of hate. And I'm one of those fans that didn't like his game as an organized team player. But in street ball, Melo's game fits perfectly....I blame Phil for being over confident and selfish as well....He also came here thinking he could turn Melo into his triangle focus player like Kobe and MJ. And how he can build a championship around Melo, so he gives him a NTC and max money. He tried to use the big apple to provide that he can build a championship without having the best players in the world. And if he turned down that kind of money, it would've been foolish on his part. He's being paid like a vet GM, to learn on a job as a rookie GM. I would take the money too. He's getting paid to learn how to manage a team. Also Phil has been giving out money to rookie coaches like they are vets, just because they are part of his triangle fraternity.
I blame Dolan for making a rookie GM (Phil) one of the highest paid GM's in the NBA. Opening the door for the huge Melo trade....similar to the huge Marbury trade.....and all the bone headed block buster trades and money he's given to players in the past, just to have a reason to increase ticket sales. Yes, I rather have an owner with an open book policy. But he also needs to be surrounded by knowledgeable NBA minds, and place them in positions to succeed....Not just big names to sell tickets.
I blame the fans and the NY media for over hyping everything....And putting so much pressure on the knicks, that each GM and owner in the past never thought a true rebuild would work in NY. This atmosphere is not the best culture for cultivating rookies and building from scratch. Everybody wants a championship in a NY minute. And myself included, since I'm a fan and I hoped we could use Boston as the model of buying a championship, using a combination of vets surrounding a star like melo, similar to Paul Pierce. I still believe that's the only way melo will win in NY.....Otherwise, there was no point in bringing him back. He's not the type of mentor you want a rookie to follow....Unless you are grooming another young gunner!
Plenty of blame to go around after another lost season....And just like every season, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. Lets hope that light is a little closer this year, now that we have a youth movement taking shape!
You play the blame game well.
Im not sure Phil thought he could build a contender in 3 years around melo. In short order he had to do a tear down in year one. If you take Phil at his word during his pressor when he was hired, then your gullible. Same for the Moby loving "coming home" act when Melo was traded here. Did he come to play with Amare? He was coming to Brooklyn if we didn't do the deal. He was coming one way or another.
As for being selfish, I don't fault him for taking the free agent route. He was due a surgery, there was a strike, and he had an opt out. It was just business. Nobody put a gun to Dolans head and made him trade for him as he did.
Phil knew he had to draft a cornerstone franchise type player and told us as much. With one pick in the next three years there was not much to work with.
Melo got to score a lot of points, and maybe he did think he would would work with MDA at first. But if it cost him "his game",we now know otherwise.
I blame the knicks.
