CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:Melo is out on the floor for 35+ a night. With his amount of touches and the way he plays grabbing his own misses for rebounds, it doesn't mean he's playing well just cuz he's putting up numbers. All I know is that for MOST of the season Melo did not play like an Elite player. He wasn't hurt enough to not be able to log normal star minutes in most of the games he played and as other pointed out his injuries didn't seem to effect him from Rebounding or passing if he wanted to.

You guys can keep kissing his butt for a months worth of star level BB, but as Woody himself said IF Melo had played like he did after MDA left all year they wouldn't have been fighting for a playoff spot.

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony caused a bit of a stir on Monday when he seemed to admit to trying harder under interim coach Mike Woodson than he had under previous coach Mike D’Antoni.

“I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven't had so far this season, especially on the defensive end,” Anthony said. “Everybody on this team knows, everybody in the world knows I can score the basketball. It's not that important to me.”

So, naturally, the subject was broached prior to tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Woodson’s initial instinct was to not add fuel to the fire. In the end though, he may have done the exact opposite of that.

“I’ll say to you and I’ll say to Melo, he’s got to bring the energy now,” Woodson said. “I’m the head coach and I can’t speak for what has happened. I was a part of it, but he’s got to play harder and Amar’e’s got to play harder and everybody’s got to get us where we need to go. That’s the only way it’s going to happen. We can’t have lackluster performances out of anyone. It’s my job to continue to push and I’m going to do that.”

The answer didn’t raise an eyebrow except for the fact that Woodson was an assistant with the team for 42 games before his promotion last week. Certainly he’s had to have seen a difference in Anthony’s effort, and if so, to what does Woodson attribute that too?

“I can’t explain that,” Woodson said. “I wish I could. We probably wouldn’t be sitting in this position that we’re sitting in today, fighting for a playoff spot.”

It’s tough to say whether Woodson was implying that the Knicks wouldn’t be fighting for a playoff spot if Anthony had put in more effort defensively prior to the last three games. The Knicks are effectively tied with the Bucks for the eighth seed in the East, so that would not be out of the question.

The one thing that is certain is that Woodson is getting the defensive effort from Anthony, Jeremy Lin and everyone else, and that’s something he’ll continue to demand.

“Sure there’s a difference,” Woodson said of Anthony’s intensity. “There’s a difference with everyone. I think that sense of urgency is floating right now and it’s got to stay that way because I don’t know what Milwaukee’s gonna do and I don’t know what Philadelphia is going to do and Boston—the teams that are above us. We just got to figure out the Knicks and continue to play the way we’ve been playing.”

Woodson admitted to adding a few things schematically, but insists a lot of the improvement has centered around defending the pick and roll. Specifically he’s asked his players to switch off less frequently and Woodson added that he has seen an individual in that improvement from several players, including Anthony.
“Jeremy Lin, I think he’s done great on the ball,” Woodson said. “(Landry Fields has) been great on the ball… Melo, you know, has been pushing it, not in terms of pick and rolls, but just getting over screens and, you know, playing wing denials. I mean, it’s been a total team effort so I it’s really hard to single out everyone because everybody’s been responsible for the three-game win streak.”

One strategic choice that Woodson hasn’t changed from the D’Antoni era has been the use of a half-court trap. The only alteration has been personnel. Whereas D’Antoni would frequently use starting center Tyson Chandler in the half-court trap, Woodson has been giving those assignments to bench players like Jared Jeffries, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.

“We’ve done that since Day 1,” Woodson said. “And this team has been pretty good at it. I try and instill it in the second unit, when they come in with Jared and Shump… They’re defensive guys, they’re aggressive guys that like to get after it a little bit. J.R.’s the same way. You’ve got to utilize their talents defensively by letting them trap some and getting up the floor. I just really like the way we’ve extended our defense. It’s really helped us, I think.”

Woodson has stressed that he’s not making radical changes with the Knicks, but he is clearly fine-tuning a few things and that’s been helpful through three games. Knicks fans can only hope these habits don’t die if the team hits a speed bump.

Amazing that the article also metions everyone else more than once but that's cleaverly ommitted. Woodson is not going to come out and say the team is playing better because of me.

You missed the part where I say that it makes a huge difference to the rest of the team when your best player steps up and plays with High Energy. Melo was dragging the team down. You can't have your best player, who plays 35+ minutes a night and is right smack in the middle of everything not playing hard and sulking and breaking plays and expect the team to perform at it's best.

Melo wasn't helping the team win for most of the year and then Linsanity happened and the team was getting along great without Melo. He comes back and MURDERS all of the momentum the team was building. Imagine if he came back with the same energy he suddenly displayed when MDA resigned!!! He would've fit right into what the team was doing when they had that kind of high energy.

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:Melo is out on the floor for 35+ a night. With his amount of touches and the way he plays grabbing his own misses for rebounds, it doesn't mean he's playing well just cuz he's putting up numbers. All I know is that for MOST of the season Melo did not play like an Elite player. He wasn't hurt enough to not be able to log normal star minutes in most of the games he played and as other pointed out his injuries didn't seem to effect him from Rebounding or passing if he wanted to.

You guys can keep kissing his butt for a months worth of star level BB, but as Woody himself said IF Melo had played like he did after MDA left all year they wouldn't have been fighting for a playoff spot.

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony caused a bit of a stir on Monday when he seemed to admit to trying harder under interim coach Mike Woodson than he had under previous coach Mike D’Antoni.

“I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven't had so far this season, especially on the defensive end,” Anthony said. “Everybody on this team knows, everybody in the world knows I can score the basketball. It's not that important to me.”

So, naturally, the subject was broached prior to tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Woodson’s initial instinct was to not add fuel to the fire. In the end though, he may have done the exact opposite of that.

“I’ll say to you and I’ll say to Melo, he’s got to bring the energy now,” Woodson said. “I’m the head coach and I can’t speak for what has happened. I was a part of it, but he’s got to play harder and Amar’e’s got to play harder and everybody’s got to get us where we need to go. That’s the only way it’s going to happen. We can’t have lackluster performances out of anyone. It’s my job to continue to push and I’m going to do that.”

The answer didn’t raise an eyebrow except for the fact that Woodson was an assistant with the team for 42 games before his promotion last week. Certainly he’s had to have seen a difference in Anthony’s effort, and if so, to what does Woodson attribute that too?

“I can’t explain that,” Woodson said. “I wish I could. We probably wouldn’t be sitting in this position that we’re sitting in today, fighting for a playoff spot.”

It’s tough to say whether Woodson was implying that the Knicks wouldn’t be fighting for a playoff spot if Anthony had put in more effort defensively prior to the last three games. The Knicks are effectively tied with the Bucks for the eighth seed in the East, so that would not be out of the question.

The one thing that is certain is that Woodson is getting the defensive effort from Anthony, Jeremy Lin and everyone else, and that’s something he’ll continue to demand.

“Sure there’s a difference,” Woodson said of Anthony’s intensity. “There’s a difference with everyone. I think that sense of urgency is floating right now and it’s got to stay that way because I don’t know what Milwaukee’s gonna do and I don’t know what Philadelphia is going to do and Boston—the teams that are above us. We just got to figure out the Knicks and continue to play the way we’ve been playing.”

Woodson admitted to adding a few things schematically, but insists a lot of the improvement has centered around defending the pick and roll. Specifically he’s asked his players to switch off less frequently and Woodson added that he has seen an individual in that improvement from several players, including Anthony.
“Jeremy Lin, I think he’s done great on the ball,” Woodson said. “(Landry Fields has) been great on the ball… Melo, you know, has been pushing it, not in terms of pick and rolls, but just getting over screens and, you know, playing wing denials. I mean, it’s been a total team effort so I it’s really hard to single out everyone because everybody’s been responsible for the three-game win streak.”

One strategic choice that Woodson hasn’t changed from the D’Antoni era has been the use of a half-court trap. The only alteration has been personnel. Whereas D’Antoni would frequently use starting center Tyson Chandler in the half-court trap, Woodson has been giving those assignments to bench players like Jared Jeffries, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.

“We’ve done that since Day 1,” Woodson said. “And this team has been pretty good at it. I try and instill it in the second unit, when they come in with Jared and Shump… They’re defensive guys, they’re aggressive guys that like to get after it a little bit. J.R.’s the same way. You’ve got to utilize their talents defensively by letting them trap some and getting up the floor. I just really like the way we’ve extended our defense. It’s really helped us, I think.”

Woodson has stressed that he’s not making radical changes with the Knicks, but he is clearly fine-tuning a few things and that’s been helpful through three games. Knicks fans can only hope these habits don’t die if the team hits a speed bump.

Amazing that the article also metions everyone else more than once but that's cleaverly ommitted. Woodson is not going to come out and say the team is playing better because of me.

You missed the part where I say that it makes a huge difference to the rest of the team when your best player steps up and plays with High Energy. Melo was dragging the team down. You can't have your best player, who plays 35+ minutes a night and is right smack in the middle of everything not playing hard and sulking and breaking plays and expect the team to perform at it's best.

Melo wasn't helping the team win for most of the year and then Linsanity happened and the team was getting along great without Melo. He comes back and MURDERS all of the momentum the team was building. Imagine if he came back with the same energy he suddenly displayed when MDA resigned!!! He would've fit right into what the team was doing when they had that kind of high energy.

MDA lost the TEAM. High energy came into play when Woodson came in.

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:Melo is out on the floor for 35+ a night. With his amount of touches and the way he plays grabbing his own misses for rebounds, it doesn't mean he's playing well just cuz he's putting up numbers. All I know is that for MOST of the season Melo did not play like an Elite player. He wasn't hurt enough to not be able to log normal star minutes in most of the games he played and as other pointed out his injuries didn't seem to effect him from Rebounding or passing if he wanted to.

You guys can keep kissing his butt for a months worth of star level BB, but as Woody himself said IF Melo had played like he did after MDA left all year they wouldn't have been fighting for a playoff spot.

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony caused a bit of a stir on Monday when he seemed to admit to trying harder under interim coach Mike Woodson than he had under previous coach Mike D’Antoni.

“I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven't had so far this season, especially on the defensive end,” Anthony said. “Everybody on this team knows, everybody in the world knows I can score the basketball. It's not that important to me.”

So, naturally, the subject was broached prior to tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Woodson’s initial instinct was to not add fuel to the fire. In the end though, he may have done the exact opposite of that.

“I’ll say to you and I’ll say to Melo, he’s got to bring the energy now,” Woodson said. “I’m the head coach and I can’t speak for what has happened. I was a part of it, but he’s got to play harder and Amar’e’s got to play harder and everybody’s got to get us where we need to go. That’s the only way it’s going to happen. We can’t have lackluster performances out of anyone. It’s my job to continue to push and I’m going to do that.”

The answer didn’t raise an eyebrow except for the fact that Woodson was an assistant with the team for 42 games before his promotion last week. Certainly he’s had to have seen a difference in Anthony’s effort, and if so, to what does Woodson attribute that too?

“I can’t explain that,” Woodson said. “I wish I could. We probably wouldn’t be sitting in this position that we’re sitting in today, fighting for a playoff spot.”

It’s tough to say whether Woodson was implying that the Knicks wouldn’t be fighting for a playoff spot if Anthony had put in more effort defensively prior to the last three games. The Knicks are effectively tied with the Bucks for the eighth seed in the East, so that would not be out of the question.

The one thing that is certain is that Woodson is getting the defensive effort from Anthony, Jeremy Lin and everyone else, and that’s something he’ll continue to demand.

“Sure there’s a difference,” Woodson said of Anthony’s intensity. “There’s a difference with everyone. I think that sense of urgency is floating right now and it’s got to stay that way because I don’t know what Milwaukee’s gonna do and I don’t know what Philadelphia is going to do and Boston—the teams that are above us. We just got to figure out the Knicks and continue to play the way we’ve been playing.”

Woodson admitted to adding a few things schematically, but insists a lot of the improvement has centered around defending the pick and roll. Specifically he’s asked his players to switch off less frequently and Woodson added that he has seen an individual in that improvement from several players, including Anthony.
“Jeremy Lin, I think he’s done great on the ball,” Woodson said. “(Landry Fields has) been great on the ball… Melo, you know, has been pushing it, not in terms of pick and rolls, but just getting over screens and, you know, playing wing denials. I mean, it’s been a total team effort so I it’s really hard to single out everyone because everybody’s been responsible for the three-game win streak.”

One strategic choice that Woodson hasn’t changed from the D’Antoni era has been the use of a half-court trap. The only alteration has been personnel. Whereas D’Antoni would frequently use starting center Tyson Chandler in the half-court trap, Woodson has been giving those assignments to bench players like Jared Jeffries, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.

“We’ve done that since Day 1,” Woodson said. “And this team has been pretty good at it. I try and instill it in the second unit, when they come in with Jared and Shump… They’re defensive guys, they’re aggressive guys that like to get after it a little bit. J.R.’s the same way. You’ve got to utilize their talents defensively by letting them trap some and getting up the floor. I just really like the way we’ve extended our defense. It’s really helped us, I think.”

Woodson has stressed that he’s not making radical changes with the Knicks, but he is clearly fine-tuning a few things and that’s been helpful through three games. Knicks fans can only hope these habits don’t die if the team hits a speed bump.

Amazing that the article also metions everyone else more than once but that's cleaverly ommitted. Woodson is not going to come out and say the team is playing better because of me.

You missed the part where I say that it makes a huge difference to the rest of the team when your best player steps up and plays with High Energy. Melo was dragging the team down. You can't have your best player, who plays 35+ minutes a night and is right smack in the middle of everything not playing hard and sulking and breaking plays and expect the team to perform at it's best.

Melo wasn't helping the team win for most of the year and then Linsanity happened and the team was getting along great without Melo. He comes back and MURDERS all of the momentum the team was building. Imagine if he came back with the same energy he suddenly displayed when MDA resigned!!! He would've fit right into what the team was doing when they had that kind of high energy.

MDA lost the TEAM. High energy came into play when Woodson came in.

BULL!!! There is absolutely NOTHING that Woody could've done on that very 1st day that could explain why Melo played as hard as he did and from that point over the next 3 games. It's all in the statements of Woody and the players from that time, which i've posted repeatedly and you and others continue to just ignore!!! They didn't change anything of consequence for a good while. MDA didn't really lose the team. The passive aggressive fight between Melo and MDA dragged the team down. He surely hadn't "lost" the team during the 8-1 stretch without Melo. Just remember that 2-8 stretch was the real end of the MDA/Melo experiment. Just imagine if he came back and gave them a lift rather than be a drag.

How many times do we have to show in writing how dramatic the change in Melo's approach and effort was on day 1 of MDA's resignation before you guys at least admit that Melo all on his own just decided to play hard and it was NOTHING that Woody did that made that happen?

The Knicks reeled off 3 wins in a row. March 14, 16 & 17. For those 1st 3 wins there wasn't enough time to have squeezed in any real practice. The 15th would've been a rest day. Historically Teams tend to have a burst of good play after a coaching change and in this case that's probably what happened. Eventually Woody would have a chance to put in new things and make some substantive changes, but initially NOTHING Woody did made Melo play harder. No one looking at this objectively would think that he did.

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:Melo is out on the floor for 35+ a night. With his amount of touches and the way he plays grabbing his own misses for rebounds, it doesn't mean he's playing well just cuz he's putting up numbers. All I know is that for MOST of the season Melo did not play like an Elite player. He wasn't hurt enough to not be able to log normal star minutes in most of the games he played and as other pointed out his injuries didn't seem to effect him from Rebounding or passing if he wanted to.

You guys can keep kissing his butt for a months worth of star level BB, but as Woody himself said IF Melo had played like he did after MDA left all year they wouldn't have been fighting for a playoff spot.

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony caused a bit of a stir on Monday when he seemed to admit to trying harder under interim coach Mike Woodson than he had under previous coach Mike D’Antoni.

“I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven't had so far this season, especially on the defensive end,” Anthony said. “Everybody on this team knows, everybody in the world knows I can score the basketball. It's not that important to me.”

So, naturally, the subject was broached prior to tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Woodson’s initial instinct was to not add fuel to the fire. In the end though, he may have done the exact opposite of that.

“I’ll say to you and I’ll say to Melo, he’s got to bring the energy now,” Woodson said. “I’m the head coach and I can’t speak for what has happened. I was a part of it, but he’s got to play harder and Amar’e’s got to play harder and everybody’s got to get us where we need to go. That’s the only way it’s going to happen. We can’t have lackluster performances out of anyone. It’s my job to continue to push and I’m going to do that.”

The answer didn’t raise an eyebrow except for the fact that Woodson was an assistant with the team for 42 games before his promotion last week. Certainly he’s had to have seen a difference in Anthony’s effort, and if so, to what does Woodson attribute that too?

“I can’t explain that,” Woodson said. “I wish I could. We probably wouldn’t be sitting in this position that we’re sitting in today, fighting for a playoff spot.”

It’s tough to say whether Woodson was implying that the Knicks wouldn’t be fighting for a playoff spot if Anthony had put in more effort defensively prior to the last three games. The Knicks are effectively tied with the Bucks for the eighth seed in the East, so that would not be out of the question.

The one thing that is certain is that Woodson is getting the defensive effort from Anthony, Jeremy Lin and everyone else, and that’s something he’ll continue to demand.

“Sure there’s a difference,” Woodson said of Anthony’s intensity. “There’s a difference with everyone. I think that sense of urgency is floating right now and it’s got to stay that way because I don’t know what Milwaukee’s gonna do and I don’t know what Philadelphia is going to do and Boston—the teams that are above us. We just got to figure out the Knicks and continue to play the way we’ve been playing.”

Woodson admitted to adding a few things schematically, but insists a lot of the improvement has centered around defending the pick and roll. Specifically he’s asked his players to switch off less frequently and Woodson added that he has seen an individual in that improvement from several players, including Anthony.
“Jeremy Lin, I think he’s done great on the ball,” Woodson said. “(Landry Fields has) been great on the ball… Melo, you know, has been pushing it, not in terms of pick and rolls, but just getting over screens and, you know, playing wing denials. I mean, it’s been a total team effort so I it’s really hard to single out everyone because everybody’s been responsible for the three-game win streak.”

One strategic choice that Woodson hasn’t changed from the D’Antoni era has been the use of a half-court trap. The only alteration has been personnel. Whereas D’Antoni would frequently use starting center Tyson Chandler in the half-court trap, Woodson has been giving those assignments to bench players like Jared Jeffries, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.

“We’ve done that since Day 1,” Woodson said. “And this team has been pretty good at it. I try and instill it in the second unit, when they come in with Jared and Shump… They’re defensive guys, they’re aggressive guys that like to get after it a little bit. J.R.’s the same way. You’ve got to utilize their talents defensively by letting them trap some and getting up the floor. I just really like the way we’ve extended our defense. It’s really helped us, I think.”

Woodson has stressed that he’s not making radical changes with the Knicks, but he is clearly fine-tuning a few things and that’s been helpful through three games. Knicks fans can only hope these habits don’t die if the team hits a speed bump.

Amazing that the article also metions everyone else more than once but that's cleaverly ommitted. Woodson is not going to come out and say the team is playing better because of me.

You missed the part where I say that it makes a huge difference to the rest of the team when your best player steps up and plays with High Energy. Melo was dragging the team down. You can't have your best player, who plays 35+ minutes a night and is right smack in the middle of everything not playing hard and sulking and breaking plays and expect the team to perform at it's best.

Melo wasn't helping the team win for most of the year and then Linsanity happened and the team was getting along great without Melo. He comes back and MURDERS all of the momentum the team was building. Imagine if he came back with the same energy he suddenly displayed when MDA resigned!!! He would've fit right into what the team was doing when they had that kind of high energy.

MDA lost the TEAM. High energy came into play when Woodson came in.

BULL!!! There is absolutely NOTHING that Woody could've done on that very 1st day that could explain why Melo played as hard as he did and from that point over the next 3 games. It's all in the statements of Woody and the players from that time, which i've posted repeatedly and you and others continue to just ignore!!! They didn't change anything of consequence for a good while. MDA didn't really lose the team. The passive aggressive fight between Melo and MDA dragged the team down. He surely hadn't "lost" the team during the 8-1 stretch without Melo. Just remember that 2-8 stretch was the real end of the MDA/Melo experiment. Just imagine if he came back and gave them a lift rather than be a drag.

How many times do we have to show in writing how dramatic the change in Melo's approach and effort was on day 1 of MDA's resignation before you guys at least admit that Melo all on his own just decided to play hard and it was NOTHING that Woody did that made that happen?

The Knicks reeled off 3 wins in a row. March 14, 16 & 17. For those 1st 3 wins there wasn't enough time to have squeezed in any real practice. The 15th would've been a rest day. Historically Teams tend to have a burst of good play after a coaching change and in this case that's probably what happened. Eventually Woody would have a chance to put in new things and make some substantive changes, but initially NOTHING Woody did made Melo play harder. No one looking at this objectively would think that he did.

Blame Melo all you want for the 1-8 stretch but that's not reality. Using your logic STAT only started to play hard once MDA was gone because Melo did! The entire team picked up their intensity and it had everything to do with the coaching change! Deny it all you want but that's the reality of the situation. When Woody took over did he not meet with the team to tell them what was expected? Maybe, just maybe did you ever think that Woody sat down with Melo and STAT!

Fact is that MDA went 18-24 and Woody went 18-6. Defense and holding players accountable wins over "Shoot the ball." That was also 13 games with no LIN and no STAT!

Dude, your MDA man love is beyond ludicrous at this point.

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:Melo is out on the floor for 35+ a night. With his amount of touches and the way he plays grabbing his own misses for rebounds, it doesn't mean he's playing well just cuz he's putting up numbers. All I know is that for MOST of the season Melo did not play like an Elite player. He wasn't hurt enough to not be able to log normal star minutes in most of the games he played and as other pointed out his injuries didn't seem to effect him from Rebounding or passing if he wanted to.

You guys can keep kissing his butt for a months worth of star level BB, but as Woody himself said IF Melo had played like he did after MDA left all year they wouldn't have been fighting for a playoff spot.

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony caused a bit of a stir on Monday when he seemed to admit to trying harder under interim coach Mike Woodson than he had under previous coach Mike D’Antoni.

“I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven't had so far this season, especially on the defensive end,” Anthony said. “Everybody on this team knows, everybody in the world knows I can score the basketball. It's not that important to me.”

So, naturally, the subject was broached prior to tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Woodson’s initial instinct was to not add fuel to the fire. In the end though, he may have done the exact opposite of that.

“I’ll say to you and I’ll say to Melo, he’s got to bring the energy now,” Woodson said. “I’m the head coach and I can’t speak for what has happened. I was a part of it, but he’s got to play harder and Amar’e’s got to play harder and everybody’s got to get us where we need to go. That’s the only way it’s going to happen. We can’t have lackluster performances out of anyone. It’s my job to continue to push and I’m going to do that.”

The answer didn’t raise an eyebrow except for the fact that Woodson was an assistant with the team for 42 games before his promotion last week. Certainly he’s had to have seen a difference in Anthony’s effort, and if so, to what does Woodson attribute that too?

“I can’t explain that,” Woodson said. “I wish I could. We probably wouldn’t be sitting in this position that we’re sitting in today, fighting for a playoff spot.”

It’s tough to say whether Woodson was implying that the Knicks wouldn’t be fighting for a playoff spot if Anthony had put in more effort defensively prior to the last three games. The Knicks are effectively tied with the Bucks for the eighth seed in the East, so that would not be out of the question.

The one thing that is certain is that Woodson is getting the defensive effort from Anthony, Jeremy Lin and everyone else, and that’s something he’ll continue to demand.

“Sure there’s a difference,” Woodson said of Anthony’s intensity. “There’s a difference with everyone. I think that sense of urgency is floating right now and it’s got to stay that way because I don’t know what Milwaukee’s gonna do and I don’t know what Philadelphia is going to do and Boston—the teams that are above us. We just got to figure out the Knicks and continue to play the way we’ve been playing.”

Woodson admitted to adding a few things schematically, but insists a lot of the improvement has centered around defending the pick and roll. Specifically he’s asked his players to switch off less frequently and Woodson added that he has seen an individual in that improvement from several players, including Anthony.
“Jeremy Lin, I think he’s done great on the ball,” Woodson said. “(Landry Fields has) been great on the ball… Melo, you know, has been pushing it, not in terms of pick and rolls, but just getting over screens and, you know, playing wing denials. I mean, it’s been a total team effort so I it’s really hard to single out everyone because everybody’s been responsible for the three-game win streak.”

One strategic choice that Woodson hasn’t changed from the D’Antoni era has been the use of a half-court trap. The only alteration has been personnel. Whereas D’Antoni would frequently use starting center Tyson Chandler in the half-court trap, Woodson has been giving those assignments to bench players like Jared Jeffries, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.

“We’ve done that since Day 1,” Woodson said. “And this team has been pretty good at it. I try and instill it in the second unit, when they come in with Jared and Shump… They’re defensive guys, they’re aggressive guys that like to get after it a little bit. J.R.’s the same way. You’ve got to utilize their talents defensively by letting them trap some and getting up the floor. I just really like the way we’ve extended our defense. It’s really helped us, I think.”

Woodson has stressed that he’s not making radical changes with the Knicks, but he is clearly fine-tuning a few things and that’s been helpful through three games. Knicks fans can only hope these habits don’t die if the team hits a speed bump.

Amazing that the article also metions everyone else more than once but that's cleaverly ommitted. Woodson is not going to come out and say the team is playing better because of me.

You missed the part where I say that it makes a huge difference to the rest of the team when your best player steps up and plays with High Energy. Melo was dragging the team down. You can't have your best player, who plays 35+ minutes a night and is right smack in the middle of everything not playing hard and sulking and breaking plays and expect the team to perform at it's best.

Melo wasn't helping the team win for most of the year and then Linsanity happened and the team was getting along great without Melo. He comes back and MURDERS all of the momentum the team was building. Imagine if he came back with the same energy he suddenly displayed when MDA resigned!!! He would've fit right into what the team was doing when they had that kind of high energy.

MDA lost the TEAM. High energy came into play when Woodson came in.

BULL!!! There is absolutely NOTHING that Woody could've done on that very 1st day that could explain why Melo played as hard as he did and from that point over the next 3 games. It's all in the statements of Woody and the players from that time, which i've posted repeatedly and you and others continue to just ignore!!! They didn't change anything of consequence for a good while. MDA didn't really lose the team. The passive aggressive fight between Melo and MDA dragged the team down. He surely hadn't "lost" the team during the 8-1 stretch without Melo. Just remember that 2-8 stretch was the real end of the MDA/Melo experiment. Just imagine if he came back and gave them a lift rather than be a drag.

How many times do we have to show in writing how dramatic the change in Melo's approach and effort was on day 1 of MDA's resignation before you guys at least admit that Melo all on his own just decided to play hard and it was NOTHING that Woody did that made that happen?

The Knicks reeled off 3 wins in a row. March 14, 16 & 17. For those 1st 3 wins there wasn't enough time to have squeezed in any real practice. The 15th would've been a rest day. Historically Teams tend to have a burst of good play after a coaching change and in this case that's probably what happened. Eventually Woody would have a chance to put in new things and make some substantive changes, but initially NOTHING Woody did made Melo play harder. No one looking at this objectively would think that he did.

Blame Melo all you want for the 1-8 stretch but that's not reality. Using your logic STAT only started to play hard once MDA was gone because Melo did! The entire team picked up their intensity and it had everything to do with the coaching change! Deny it all you want but that's the reality of the situation. When Woody took over did he not meet with the team to tell them what was expected? Maybe, just maybe did you ever think that Woody sat down with Melo and STAT!

Fact is that MDA went 18-24 and Woody went 18-6. Defense and holding players accountable wins over "Shoot the ball." That was also 13 games with no LIN and no STAT!

Dude, your MDA man love is beyond ludicrous at this point.

Over that 2-8 stretch the team really needed Melo to come in and give it all he had. As i've been saying all the Media and Fans were saying what is gonna happen when Melo comes back!!! Well we found out and it wasn't good.

I don't hate Melo I just hate BS. If the guy played better ALL YEAR then there's no way this team has to play Miami in the 1st rd. Did you actually look at Melo's shooting during that stretch? He had some putrid games and with the team trying to get him going it threw everything off. That 2-8 stretch was brutal for this team. They needed leadership from Melo and at that period of time he let them down.

Look all this is in the past and with the team he has around him now perhaps things will finally all come together. I'm hoping that not only Melo but STAT and Tyson also come back better. JR and Novak as well. This teams bench is much more ready to win and for Melo this bench is made for a halfcourt style of play.

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:Melo is out on the floor for 35+ a night. With his amount of touches and the way he plays grabbing his own misses for rebounds, it doesn't mean he's playing well just cuz he's putting up numbers. All I know is that for MOST of the season Melo did not play like an Elite player. He wasn't hurt enough to not be able to log normal star minutes in most of the games he played and as other pointed out his injuries didn't seem to effect him from Rebounding or passing if he wanted to.

You guys can keep kissing his butt for a months worth of star level BB, but as Woody himself said IF Melo had played like he did after MDA left all year they wouldn't have been fighting for a playoff spot.

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony caused a bit of a stir on Monday when he seemed to admit to trying harder under interim coach Mike Woodson than he had under previous coach Mike D’Antoni.

“I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven't had so far this season, especially on the defensive end,” Anthony said. “Everybody on this team knows, everybody in the world knows I can score the basketball. It's not that important to me.”

So, naturally, the subject was broached prior to tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Woodson’s initial instinct was to not add fuel to the fire. In the end though, he may have done the exact opposite of that.

“I’ll say to you and I’ll say to Melo, he’s got to bring the energy now,” Woodson said. “I’m the head coach and I can’t speak for what has happened. I was a part of it, but he’s got to play harder and Amar’e’s got to play harder and everybody’s got to get us where we need to go. That’s the only way it’s going to happen. We can’t have lackluster performances out of anyone. It’s my job to continue to push and I’m going to do that.”

The answer didn’t raise an eyebrow except for the fact that Woodson was an assistant with the team for 42 games before his promotion last week. Certainly he’s had to have seen a difference in Anthony’s effort, and if so, to what does Woodson attribute that too?

“I can’t explain that,” Woodson said. “I wish I could. We probably wouldn’t be sitting in this position that we’re sitting in today, fighting for a playoff spot.”

It’s tough to say whether Woodson was implying that the Knicks wouldn’t be fighting for a playoff spot if Anthony had put in more effort defensively prior to the last three games. The Knicks are effectively tied with the Bucks for the eighth seed in the East, so that would not be out of the question.

The one thing that is certain is that Woodson is getting the defensive effort from Anthony, Jeremy Lin and everyone else, and that’s something he’ll continue to demand.

“Sure there’s a difference,” Woodson said of Anthony’s intensity. “There’s a difference with everyone. I think that sense of urgency is floating right now and it’s got to stay that way because I don’t know what Milwaukee’s gonna do and I don’t know what Philadelphia is going to do and Boston—the teams that are above us. We just got to figure out the Knicks and continue to play the way we’ve been playing.”

Woodson admitted to adding a few things schematically, but insists a lot of the improvement has centered around defending the pick and roll. Specifically he’s asked his players to switch off less frequently and Woodson added that he has seen an individual in that improvement from several players, including Anthony.
“Jeremy Lin, I think he’s done great on the ball,” Woodson said. “(Landry Fields has) been great on the ball… Melo, you know, has been pushing it, not in terms of pick and rolls, but just getting over screens and, you know, playing wing denials. I mean, it’s been a total team effort so I it’s really hard to single out everyone because everybody’s been responsible for the three-game win streak.”

One strategic choice that Woodson hasn’t changed from the D’Antoni era has been the use of a half-court trap. The only alteration has been personnel. Whereas D’Antoni would frequently use starting center Tyson Chandler in the half-court trap, Woodson has been giving those assignments to bench players like Jared Jeffries, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.

“We’ve done that since Day 1,” Woodson said. “And this team has been pretty good at it. I try and instill it in the second unit, when they come in with Jared and Shump… They’re defensive guys, they’re aggressive guys that like to get after it a little bit. J.R.’s the same way. You’ve got to utilize their talents defensively by letting them trap some and getting up the floor. I just really like the way we’ve extended our defense. It’s really helped us, I think.”

Woodson has stressed that he’s not making radical changes with the Knicks, but he is clearly fine-tuning a few things and that’s been helpful through three games. Knicks fans can only hope these habits don’t die if the team hits a speed bump.

Amazing that the article also metions everyone else more than once but that's cleaverly ommitted. Woodson is not going to come out and say the team is playing better because of me.

You missed the part where I say that it makes a huge difference to the rest of the team when your best player steps up and plays with High Energy. Melo was dragging the team down. You can't have your best player, who plays 35+ minutes a night and is right smack in the middle of everything not playing hard and sulking and breaking plays and expect the team to perform at it's best.

Melo wasn't helping the team win for most of the year and then Linsanity happened and the team was getting along great without Melo. He comes back and MURDERS all of the momentum the team was building. Imagine if he came back with the same energy he suddenly displayed when MDA resigned!!! He would've fit right into what the team was doing when they had that kind of high energy.

MDA lost the TEAM. High energy came into play when Woodson came in.

BULL!!! There is absolutely NOTHING that Woody could've done on that very 1st day that could explain why Melo played as hard as he did and from that point over the next 3 games. It's all in the statements of Woody and the players from that time, which i've posted repeatedly and you and others continue to just ignore!!! They didn't change anything of consequence for a good while. MDA didn't really lose the team. The passive aggressive fight between Melo and MDA dragged the team down. He surely hadn't "lost" the team during the 8-1 stretch without Melo. Just remember that 2-8 stretch was the real end of the MDA/Melo experiment. Just imagine if he came back and gave them a lift rather than be a drag.

How many times do we have to show in writing how dramatic the change in Melo's approach and effort was on day 1 of MDA's resignation before you guys at least admit that Melo all on his own just decided to play hard and it was NOTHING that Woody did that made that happen?

The Knicks reeled off 3 wins in a row. March 14, 16 & 17. For those 1st 3 wins there wasn't enough time to have squeezed in any real practice. The 15th would've been a rest day. Historically Teams tend to have a burst of good play after a coaching change and in this case that's probably what happened. Eventually Woody would have a chance to put in new things and make some substantive changes, but initially NOTHING Woody did made Melo play harder. No one looking at this objectively would think that he did.

Blame Melo all you want for the 1-8 stretch but that's not reality. Using your logic STAT only started to play hard once MDA was gone because Melo did! The entire team picked up their intensity and it had everything to do with the coaching change! Deny it all you want but that's the reality of the situation. When Woody took over did he not meet with the team to tell them what was expected? Maybe, just maybe did you ever think that Woody sat down with Melo and STAT!

Fact is that MDA went 18-24 and Woody went 18-6. Defense and holding players accountable wins over "Shoot the ball." That was also 13 games with no LIN and no STAT!

Dude, your MDA man love is beyond ludicrous at this point.

I just happen to KNOW that MDA wasn't the biggest problem we had last year. If you want to saddle him with the 18-24 and not acknowledge that his best player didn't buy in nor have a normal career avg season. Then go ahead. I can't see the logic of blaming MDA for Melo playing like ISH Most of the year. How did MDA stop Melo from hitting a higher % of his 21 shots a game in January? Melo had the ball in his hands most of the time and should've been able to get a rhythm with that many shots. And don't give me this BS about holding players accountable. That's an excuse for lazy ass players to use. Real stars get it done and don't need a Nanny! Guys is making 20 mil and you need to tell him to play hard? GTFO!!! Where is the pride and dedication?

Over that 2-8 stretch the team really needed Melo to come in and give it all he had. As i've been saying all the Media and Fans were saying what is gonna happen when Melo comes back!!! Well we found out and it wasn't good.

I don't hate Melo I just hate BS. If the guy played better ALL YEAR then there's no way this team has to play Miami in the 1st rd. Did you actually look at Melo's shooting during that stretch? He had some putrid games and with the team trying to get him going it threw everything off. That 2-8 stretch was brutal for this team. They needed leadership from Melo and at that period of time he let them down.

Look all this is in the past and with the team he has around him now perhaps things will finally all come together. I'm hoping that not only Melo but STAT and Tyson also come back better. JR and Novak as well. This teams bench is much more ready to win and for Melo this bench is made for a halfcourt style of play.

January? You have to be kidding me. The guy MISSED 7 GAMES and played 6 minutes in the game he was INJURED IN! Again, the guy was banged up after 10 games. Of course a player is going to put up carer avergage numbers when the guy is not 100%! Oh, I forget after missing that many games he should have come right back and started dropping 25 a game. You keep harpoing on the 2-8 stretch but the fact of the matter is that the Knicks should have won 2 of those games (Celtics/Bulls) and lost two of those WITHOUT TYSON CHANDLER!

Melo played a GRAND TOTAL OF 7 GAMES IN JANUARY but yet you choose that month to show how putrid he played! I get it. He's our best player and when things don't go well he's going to get blamed whether it's fair or not. It is what it is.

Last year is in the books and it's over with. This year there are no excuses for Melo or STAT. We have the coach, we have the players and we have the bench.

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

nixluva wrote:Melo is out on the floor for 35+ a night. With his amount of touches and the way he plays grabbing his own misses for rebounds, it doesn't mean he's playing well just cuz he's putting up numbers. All I know is that for MOST of the season Melo did not play like an Elite player. He wasn't hurt enough to not be able to log normal star minutes in most of the games he played and as other pointed out his injuries didn't seem to effect him from Rebounding or passing if he wanted to.

You guys can keep kissing his butt for a months worth of star level BB, but as Woody himself said IF Melo had played like he did after MDA left all year they wouldn't have been fighting for a playoff spot.

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony caused a bit of a stir on Monday when he seemed to admit to trying harder under interim coach Mike Woodson than he had under previous coach Mike D’Antoni.

“I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven't had so far this season, especially on the defensive end,” Anthony said. “Everybody on this team knows, everybody in the world knows I can score the basketball. It's not that important to me.”

So, naturally, the subject was broached prior to tonight’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Woodson’s initial instinct was to not add fuel to the fire. In the end though, he may have done the exact opposite of that.

“I’ll say to you and I’ll say to Melo, he’s got to bring the energy now,” Woodson said. “I’m the head coach and I can’t speak for what has happened. I was a part of it, but he’s got to play harder and Amar’e’s got to play harder and everybody’s got to get us where we need to go. That’s the only way it’s going to happen. We can’t have lackluster performances out of anyone. It’s my job to continue to push and I’m going to do that.”

The answer didn’t raise an eyebrow except for the fact that Woodson was an assistant with the team for 42 games before his promotion last week. Certainly he’s had to have seen a difference in Anthony’s effort, and if so, to what does Woodson attribute that too?

“I can’t explain that,” Woodson said. “I wish I could. We probably wouldn’t be sitting in this position that we’re sitting in today, fighting for a playoff spot.”

It’s tough to say whether Woodson was implying that the Knicks wouldn’t be fighting for a playoff spot if Anthony had put in more effort defensively prior to the last three games. The Knicks are effectively tied with the Bucks for the eighth seed in the East, so that would not be out of the question.

The one thing that is certain is that Woodson is getting the defensive effort from Anthony, Jeremy Lin and everyone else, and that’s something he’ll continue to demand.

“Sure there’s a difference,” Woodson said of Anthony’s intensity. “There’s a difference with everyone. I think that sense of urgency is floating right now and it’s got to stay that way because I don’t know what Milwaukee’s gonna do and I don’t know what Philadelphia is going to do and Boston—the teams that are above us. We just got to figure out the Knicks and continue to play the way we’ve been playing.”

Woodson admitted to adding a few things schematically, but insists a lot of the improvement has centered around defending the pick and roll. Specifically he’s asked his players to switch off less frequently and Woodson added that he has seen an individual in that improvement from several players, including Anthony.
“Jeremy Lin, I think he’s done great on the ball,” Woodson said. “(Landry Fields has) been great on the ball… Melo, you know, has been pushing it, not in terms of pick and rolls, but just getting over screens and, you know, playing wing denials. I mean, it’s been a total team effort so I it’s really hard to single out everyone because everybody’s been responsible for the three-game win streak.”

One strategic choice that Woodson hasn’t changed from the D’Antoni era has been the use of a half-court trap. The only alteration has been personnel. Whereas D’Antoni would frequently use starting center Tyson Chandler in the half-court trap, Woodson has been giving those assignments to bench players like Jared Jeffries, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.

“We’ve done that since Day 1,” Woodson said. “And this team has been pretty good at it. I try and instill it in the second unit, when they come in with Jared and Shump… They’re defensive guys, they’re aggressive guys that like to get after it a little bit. J.R.’s the same way. You’ve got to utilize their talents defensively by letting them trap some and getting up the floor. I just really like the way we’ve extended our defense. It’s really helped us, I think.”

Woodson has stressed that he’s not making radical changes with the Knicks, but he is clearly fine-tuning a few things and that’s been helpful through three games. Knicks fans can only hope these habits don’t die if the team hits a speed bump.

Amazing that the article also metions everyone else more than once but that's cleaverly ommitted. Woodson is not going to come out and say the team is playing better because of me.

You missed the part where I say that it makes a huge difference to the rest of the team when your best player steps up and plays with High Energy. Melo was dragging the team down. You can't have your best player, who plays 35+ minutes a night and is right smack in the middle of everything not playing hard and sulking and breaking plays and expect the team to perform at it's best.

Melo wasn't helping the team win for most of the year and then Linsanity happened and the team was getting along great without Melo. He comes back and MURDERS all of the momentum the team was building. Imagine if he came back with the same energy he suddenly displayed when MDA resigned!!! He would've fit right into what the team was doing when they had that kind of high energy.

MDA lost the TEAM. High energy came into play when Woodson came in.

BULL!!! There is absolutely NOTHING that Woody could've done on that very 1st day that could explain why Melo played as hard as he did and from that point over the next 3 games. It's all in the statements of Woody and the players from that time, which i've posted repeatedly and you and others continue to just ignore!!! They didn't change anything of consequence for a good while. MDA didn't really lose the team. The passive aggressive fight between Melo and MDA dragged the team down. He surely hadn't "lost" the team during the 8-1 stretch without Melo. Just remember that 2-8 stretch was the real end of the MDA/Melo experiment. Just imagine if he came back and gave them a lift rather than be a drag.

How many times do we have to show in writing how dramatic the change in Melo's approach and effort was on day 1 of MDA's resignation before you guys at least admit that Melo all on his own just decided to play hard and it was NOTHING that Woody did that made that happen?

The Knicks reeled off 3 wins in a row. March 14, 16 & 17. For those 1st 3 wins there wasn't enough time to have squeezed in any real practice. The 15th would've been a rest day. Historically Teams tend to have a burst of good play after a coaching change and in this case that's probably what happened. Eventually Woody would have a chance to put in new things and make some substantive changes, but initially NOTHING Woody did made Melo play harder. No one looking at this objectively would think that he did.

Blame Melo all you want for the 1-8 stretch but that's not reality. Using your logic STAT only started to play hard once MDA was gone because Melo did! The entire team picked up their intensity and it had everything to do with the coaching change! Deny it all you want but that's the reality of the situation. When Woody took over did he not meet with the team to tell them what was expected? Maybe, just maybe did you ever think that Woody sat down with Melo and STAT!

Fact is that MDA went 18-24 and Woody went 18-6. Defense and holding players accountable wins over "Shoot the ball." That was also 13 games with no LIN and no STAT!

Dude, your MDA man love is beyond ludicrous at this point.

I just happen to KNOW that MDA wasn't the biggest problem we had last year. If you want to saddle him with the 18-24 and not acknowledge that his best player didn't buy in nor have a normal career avg season. Then go ahead. I can't see the logic of blaming MDA for Melo playing like ISH Most of the year. How did MDA stop Melo from hitting a higher % of his 21 shots a game in January? Melo had the ball in his hands most of the time and should've been able to get a rhythm with that many shots. And don't give me this BS about holding players accountable. That's an excuse for lazy ass players to use. Real stars get it done and don't need a Nanny! Guys is making 20 mil and you need to tell him to play hard? GTFO!!! Where is the pride and dedication?

Over that 2-8 stretch the team really needed Melo to come in and give it all he had. As i've been saying all the Media and Fans were saying what is gonna happen when Melo comes back!!! Well we found out and it wasn't good.

I don't hate Melo I just hate BS. If the guy played better ALL YEAR then there's no way this team has to play Miami in the 1st rd. Did you actually look at Melo's shooting during that stretch? He had some putrid games and with the team trying to get him going it threw everything off. That 2-8 stretch was brutal for this team. They needed leadership from Melo and at that period of time he let them down.

Look all this is in the past and with the team he has around him now perhaps things will finally all come together. I'm hoping that not only Melo but STAT and Tyson also come back better. JR and Novak as well. This teams bench is much more ready to win and for Melo this bench is made for a halfcourt style of play.

January? You have to be kidding me. The guy MISSED 7 GAMES and played 6 minutes in the game he was INJURED IN! Again, the guy was banged up after 10 games. Of course a player is going to put up carer avergage numbers when the guy is not 100%! Oh, I forget after missing that many games he should have come right back and started dropping 25 a game. You keep harpoing on the 2-8 stretch but the fact of the matter is that the Knicks should have won 2 of those games (Celtics/Bulls) and lost two of those WITHOUT TYSON CHANDLER!

Melo played a GRAND TOTAL OF 7 GAMES IN JANUARY but yet you choose that month to show how putrid he played! I get it. He's our best player and when things don't go well he's going to get blamed whether it's fair or not. It is what it is.

Last year is in the books and it's over with. This year there are no excuses for Melo or STAT. We have the coach, we have the players and we have the bench.

DUDE I think you're talking about February! Melo played in 14 games and only missed 3 games in January and avg'd nearly 36 mpg. February is when Melo missed a lot of games and Linsanity happened. Also when Melo came back he went right back to playing major minutes. You can't do that if you're seriously hurt. Look closely at the minutes Melo logged.

He'll hopefully have no serious issues this year.

You're right....my bad.

nixluva wrote:I think that MOST UK'ers agree that this roster is better than last years and that with Woody and the added defensive players, this team is much better matched to each other. I expect that this team should be able to even more consistently be able to defend at a high level. Things will be simplified on offense from what I can gather and if they play typical low turnover style of BB that could really be the key to a big year.

CashMoney wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

CashMoney wrote:

fishmike wrote:you just cant talk about Melo's done for the Knicks since the trade without being a hater because very little is noteworthy.

How about carrying them to the playoffs? Probably not noteworthy considering he couldn't man up and run point and play SF and PF at the same time while playing 48 minutes a game.

Mr. 470 didn't carry the team into the playoffs. He hurt the team for 80% of the season and then had a great 20% at the end. You trade him for some OK SF like Iggy, Gay, or Wallace and the team still makes the playoffs. The team had to go 18-6 toward the end just to have close to a .500 record in games Melo played in last year.

What did I post that you disagree with?

That Mr. 470 carried the team to the playoffs

So who did? Steve Novak?

I wouldn't say any one person did but if I had to pick one player it would definitely be Tyson.

No doubt Tyson was huge for us. Melo doesn't do what he does and we don't make it. Player of the Month and did everything he could on the floor. Love Tyson but he's not our best player....fat boy is.

No sense arguing anymore. Bonn would tell you Horace Grant and Rodman were the key piece to all those Bull rings.