newyorknewyork wrote:

tkf wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Kevin Durant is a Batman and he got eliminated in the playoffs earlier then Melo did once Westbrook got injured with a better supporting cast.

so what are you saying? Lets not use the he has this guy to help him excuse.. durant has been to an NBA final.. carmelo has the worst playoff record of any active player..

keep it real..

Keeping it real is what I do.

-My first reply was to Dk7th meaning exactly like I stated. There aren't many Batman type of players in the NBA. So without one either you rebuilding looking for one. Or you are trying to make the best team you can without one.

-The follow comment about Durant was showing that even a player that is better then Carmelo as well as having a better team around him got dominated in the 2nd rd of the playoffs and finished 3-6 once Westbrook went down.

-Yea Durant went to an NBA final he also had Westbrook and Harden on his team. Name me one time in Carmelo's career that he ever had the combination of talent like Ibaka, Westbrook & Harden to play along side of him to make that a relevant statement(Keep it real)? The next yr without them he finished 3-6.

-Yea Carmelo has the worst playoff record in the NBA. He also made the playoffs every yr of his career starting from his rookie yr. While Durant didn't make the playoffs his first 2 yrs in the league and lost in the first rd after going to the lottery 2 yrs in a row to land Westbrook and Harden. I'm sure Carmelo's playoff record would look a lot nicer if he wasn't making the playoffs and netting the team lottery picks like Igoudala '04 and Chris Paul'05 for the future. This is the definition of keeping it real. Not making statements bypassing the realness behind them.

-Knickscity then replied that his teammates didn't come thru for him. Which I explained to him that this reasoning (even though I agree with him actually) is only considered an excuse when it comes to Carmelo Anthony so it cannot be allowed when describing Durant's failure in the post season last yr. Which you then confirmed with this latest reply, "Lets not use the he has this guy to help him excuse ".

-Which leads me to my next question. Why did Batman/Mr Sabermetrics himself get dominated in the 2nd rd of the playoffs and go only 3-6 after Westbrook got injured? I would really like an explanation for this. And remember can't use "the he has or didn't have this guy to help him excuse". So if you can't blame his supporting cast, and he is a Superstar caliber player, Who excels in Saber metrics, how does he go from finals to getting dominated in the 2nd rd?

-Also I would like to know how the Denver Nuggets with the major cap space we gave them, multiple young veterans we gave them who excel in saber metrics, along with the draft picks we gave them. 3 yrs later still have not have gotten out of the first rd of the playoffs and don't look like they made any improvements to surpass that going into yr 4. I thought that was the blueprint to championships?

Nalod wrote:Go out side NYC and tell people your a knick fan. They think its funny.

Knicks improved a bit, but so has about 2/3rds the team. Some players that they are developing are ready to step up. Some draft picks/sigings will suprise some. Some teams have one year of chemestry under their belt. Its naive to think just because we improved (subjective) that others have not.

Boston has not, but Nets clearly have. One can hope their chemistry fails, but its naive to dismiss the possibility they could win 62 games as well. Toronto and PHilly are not contending so it should be a two team race in the Atlantic.

Bonn to me is a fan who will intelectualize his points perhaps based on factorals more than on emotion that many UKers exibit.

Is one more accurate than the other? Is one more "FANTASTIC" than another?

Jeeze, we really going to argue degrees of "fans" and the legitimacey of "Troll vs. Hater vs. Somerite vs. Melodite lover"??

Its all good.

newyorknewyork wrote:

tkf wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Kevin Durant is a Batman and he got eliminated in the playoffs earlier then Melo did once Westbrook got injured with a better supporting cast.

so what are you saying? Lets not use the he has this guy to help him excuse.. durant has been to an NBA final.. carmelo has the worst playoff record of any active player..

keep it real..

Keeping it real is what I do.

-My first reply was to Dk7th meaning exactly like I stated. There aren't many Batman type of players in the NBA. So without one either you rebuilding looking for one. Or you are trying to make the best team you can without one.

-The follow comment about Durant was showing that even a player that is better then Carmelo as well as having a better team around him got dominated in the 2nd rd of the playoffs and finished 3-6 once Westbrook went down.

-Yea Durant went to an NBA final he also had Westbrook and Harden on his team. Name me one time in Carmelo's career that he ever had the combination of talent like Ibaka, Westbrook & Harden to play along side of him to make that a relevant statement(Keep it real)? The next yr without them he finished 3-6.

-Yea Carmelo has the worst playoff record in the NBA. He also made the playoffs every yr of his career starting from his rookie yr. While Durant didn't make the playoffs his first 2 yrs in the league and lost in the first rd after going to the lottery 2 yrs in a row to land Westbrook and Harden. I'm sure Carmelo's playoff record would look a lot nicer if he wasn't making the playoffs and netting the team lottery picks like Igoudala '04 and Chris Paul'05 for the future. This is the definition of keeping it real. Not making statements bypassing the realness behind them.

-Knickscity then replied that his teammates didn't come thru for him. Which I explained to him that this reasoning (even though I agree with him actually) is only considered an excuse when it comes to Carmelo Anthony so it cannot be allowed when describing Durant's failure in the post season last yr. Which you then confirmed with this latest reply, "Lets not use the he has this guy to help him excuse ".

-Which leads me to my next question. Why did Batman/Mr Sabermetrics himself get dominated in the 2nd rd of the playoffs and go only 3-6 after Westbrook got injured? I would really like an explanation for this. And remember can't use "the he has or didn't have this guy to help him excuse". So if you can't blame his supporting cast, and he is a Superstar caliber player, Who excels in Saber metrics, how does he go from finals to getting dominated in the 2nd rd?

-Also I would like to know how the Denver Nuggets with the major cap space we gave them, multiple young veterans we gave them who excel in saber metrics, along with the draft picks we gave them. 3 yrs later still have not have gotten out of the first rd of the playoffs and don't look like they made any improvements to surpass that going into yr 4. I thought that was the blueprint to championships?

Oh yeah? Well... you're a doodie head!

CrushAlot wrote:

Nalod wrote:Go out side NYC and tell people your a knick fan. They think its funny.

Knicks improved a bit, but so has about 2/3rds the team. Some players that they are developing are ready to step up. Some draft picks/sigings will suprise some. Some teams have one year of chemestry under their belt. Its naive to think just because we improved (subjective) that others have not.

Boston has not, but Nets clearly have. One can hope their chemistry fails, but its naive to dismiss the possibility they could win 62 games as well. Toronto and PHilly are not contending so it should be a two team race in the Atlantic.

Bonn to me is a fan who will intelectualize his points perhaps based on factorals more than on emotion that many UKers exibit.

Is one more accurate than the other? Is one more "FANTASTIC" than another?

Jeeze, we really going to argue degrees of "fans" and the legitimacey of "Troll vs. Hater vs. Somerite vs. Melodite lover"??

Its all good.

Here is the thing about basketball that makes it different then baseball so a lot of the saber metric stuff doesn't apply. You can't come up with a statistic for Kurt Thomas playing on a fractured foot in the last game of his career to start a 13 game win streak and pull his team out of a horrible rut. You can't come up for a stat when Kenyon Martin reminds the refs what a foul on Garnett really looks like but it does impact the game. There isn't a lot of room for proactive aggression in baseball. Maybe on the base paths. In basketball it is used all the time and it impacts games. So does emotion and momentum. You can't come up with a stat for a monster dunk, its just two points but it can cause a huge swing in momentum. Also, having guys like Ron and Kenyon makes a big difference. Both those guys will go there and at least one of them seems to be on the edge of going off most of the time. No stat for that but there are stats for how much better the team plays when that guy is on the floor for some reason.

We'll see if your theory is right. If it is, we should expect Morey's Rockets to be a bad team. And we should expect teams to stop hiring and start firing metrics experts.

Bonn1997 wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

Nalod wrote:Go out side NYC and tell people your a knick fan. They think its funny.

Knicks improved a bit, but so has about 2/3rds the team. Some players that they are developing are ready to step up. Some draft picks/sigings will suprise some. Some teams have one year of chemestry under their belt. Its naive to think just because we improved (subjective) that others have not.

Boston has not, but Nets clearly have. One can hope their chemistry fails, but its naive to dismiss the possibility they could win 62 games as well. Toronto and PHilly are not contending so it should be a two team race in the Atlantic.

Bonn to me is a fan who will intelectualize his points perhaps based on factorals more than on emotion that many UKers exibit.

Is one more accurate than the other? Is one more "FANTASTIC" than another?

Jeeze, we really going to argue degrees of "fans" and the legitimacey of "Troll vs. Hater vs. Somerite vs. Melodite lover"??

Its all good.

Here is the thing about basketball that makes it different then baseball so a lot of the saber metric stuff doesn't apply. You can't come up with a statistic for Kurt Thomas playing on a fractured foot in the last game of his career to start a 13 game win streak and pull his team out of a horrible rut. You can't come up for a stat when Kenyon Martin reminds the refs what a foul on Garnett really looks like but it does impact the game. There isn't a lot of room for proactive aggression in baseball. Maybe on the base paths. In basketball it is used all the time and it impacts games. So does emotion and momentum. You can't come up with a stat for a monster dunk, its just two points but it can cause a huge swing in momentum. Also, having guys like Ron and Kenyon makes a big difference. Both those guys will go there and at least one of them seems to be on the edge of going off most of the time. No stat for that but there are stats for how much better the team plays when that guy is on the floor for some reason.

We'll see if your theory is right. If it is, we should expect Morey's Rockets to be a bad team. And we should expect teams to stop hiring and start firing metrics experts.

CrushAlot wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

Nalod wrote:Go out side NYC and tell people your a knick fan. They think its funny.

Knicks improved a bit, but so has about 2/3rds the team. Some players that they are developing are ready to step up. Some draft picks/sigings will suprise some. Some teams have one year of chemestry under their belt. Its naive to think just because we improved (subjective) that others have not.

Boston has not, but Nets clearly have. One can hope their chemistry fails, but its naive to dismiss the possibility they could win 62 games as well. Toronto and PHilly are not contending so it should be a two team race in the Atlantic.

Bonn to me is a fan who will intelectualize his points perhaps based on factorals more than on emotion that many UKers exibit.

Is one more accurate than the other? Is one more "FANTASTIC" than another?

Jeeze, we really going to argue degrees of "fans" and the legitimacey of "Troll vs. Hater vs. Somerite vs. Melodite lover"??

Its all good.

Here is the thing about basketball that makes it different then baseball so a lot of the saber metric stuff doesn't apply. You can't come up with a statistic for Kurt Thomas playing on a fractured foot in the last game of his career to start a 13 game win streak and pull his team out of a horrible rut. You can't come up for a stat when Kenyon Martin reminds the refs what a foul on Garnett really looks like but it does impact the game. There isn't a lot of room for proactive aggression in baseball. Maybe on the base paths. In basketball it is used all the time and it impacts games. So does emotion and momentum. You can't come up with a stat for a monster dunk, its just two points but it can cause a huge swing in momentum. Also, having guys like Ron and Kenyon makes a big difference. Both those guys will go there and at least one of them seems to be on the edge of going off most of the time. No stat for that but there are stats for how much better the team plays when that guy is on the floor for some reason.

We'll see if your theory is right. If it is, we should expect Morey's Rockets to be a bad team. And we should expect teams to stop hiring and start firing metrics experts.

Morey has done a great job but I do think he set up himself up for D12 the first time and the cap space he acquired he used brilliantly in the new cba. The guy that isn't doing well and I don't think will is Hollinger.
Also, it isn't a theory. Baseball is very different from basketball.

I wonder what would have happen if the Gasol trade went threw the previous year.

knickscity wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

knickscity wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Kevin Durant is a Batman and he got eliminated in the playoffs earlier then Melo did once Westbrook got injured with a better supporting cast.

Durants supporting cast didnt show up at all.

But i tell you one thing....if melo put up the averages durant did, we would have been playing Miami in the ecf.

He'll never average 30 points 9 rebound 6 assists 1 steal and 1 block in the playoffs...that will never happen.

Supporting cast not showing up excuse doesn't work in Carmelo arguments. Didn't work when Rondo and Allen ate Douglas and Fields food. Didn't work when Lin was 80%, Tyson caught the flu, and Amare was punching fire extinguishers. Didn't work when Smith, Kidd, Tyson laid an egg and Amare was out again with injury. Didn't work when Billups got destroyed by Deron Williams while Nene and Kmart were abused by Milsap and Boozer who lapped there production.

How about 30pts 8.5rebs 3ast 2stls or 27pts 6rebs 4ast 2stls.

doesnt 30 9 and 6 trump whatever you just posted?

And you missed the point melo actually had help, much more than Durant did, but the point still stands....if melo average in this playoffs what Durant did, we'd been playing miami.

but he didnt average the points rebounds and certainly not the assists.

First and foremost Durant is a better player then Melo. This isn't a comparison on who is a better player. But it is a comparison on situations and circumstances. 2nd you have to elaborate more on the "Melo had help, much more then Durant did comment". Do you mean overall in his career or this past playoffs? 3rd you forget that Melo was playing with a screwed up shoulder throughout the playoffs. Durant also played 44mins a game in the playoffs 4min per game more then Melo. Of course I doubt he would put up 30-9-6, but as I have mentioned he has put up 30-8.5-3-2 in the past & 27-6-4-2 in the past.

Regardless, we were told that Melo failed in the playoffs because he wasn't a superstar but a co-star and wasn't a saber metric basketball player. That not having enough help was an excuse. But then there is Durant who is a superstar, who is one of the best saber metric basketball players on the planet, who averaged 30pts 9rebs 6ast. All that led to was 3-6 once Westbrook went down and getting dominated in the 2nd rd. I think its clear to see what the x factor is between the 2 different parallels.

newyorknewyork wrote:

tkf wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:Kevin Durant is a Batman and he got eliminated in the playoffs earlier then Melo did once Westbrook got injured with a better supporting cast.

so what are you saying? Lets not use the he has this guy to help him excuse.. durant has been to an NBA final.. carmelo has the worst playoff record of any active player..

keep it real..

Keeping it real is what I do.

-My first reply was to Dk7th meaning exactly like I stated. There aren't many Batman type of players in the NBA. So without one either you rebuilding looking for one. Or you are trying to make the best team you can without one.

-The follow comment about Durant was showing that even a player that is better then Carmelo as well as having a better team around him got dominated in the 2nd rd of the playoffs and finished 3-6 once Westbrook went down.

-Yea Durant went to an NBA final he also had Westbrook and Harden on his team. Name me one time in Carmelo's career that he ever had the combination of talent like Ibaka, Westbrook & Harden to play along side of him to make that a relevant statement(Keep it real)? The next yr without them he finished 3-6.

-Yea Carmelo has the worst playoff record in the NBA. He also made the playoffs every yr of his career starting from his rookie yr. While Durant didn't make the playoffs his first 2 yrs in the league and lost in the first rd after going to the lottery 2 yrs in a row to land Westbrook and Harden. I'm sure Carmelo's playoff record would look a lot nicer if he wasn't making the playoffs and netting the team lottery picks like Igoudala '04 and Chris Paul'05 for the future. This is the definition of keeping it real. Not making statements bypassing the realness behind them.

-Knickscity then replied that his teammates didn't come thru for him. Which I explained to him that this reasoning (even though I agree with him actually) is only considered an excuse when it comes to Carmelo Anthony so it cannot be allowed when describing Durant's failure in the post season last yr. Which you then confirmed with this latest reply, "Lets not use the he has this guy to help him excuse ".

-Which leads me to my next question. Why did Batman/Mr Sabermetrics himself get dominated in the 2nd rd of the playoffs and go only 3-6 after Westbrook got injured? I would really like an explanation for this. And remember can't use "the he has or didn't have this guy to help him excuse". So if you can't blame his supporting cast, and he is a Superstar caliber player, Who excels in Saber metrics, how does he go from finals to getting dominated in the 2nd rd?

-Also I would like to know how the Denver Nuggets with the major cap space we gave them, multiple young veterans we gave them who excel in saber metrics, along with the draft picks we gave them. 3 yrs later still have not have gotten out of the first rd of the playoffs and don't look like they made any improvements to surpass that going into yr 4. I thought that was the blueprint to championships?

Name me one time in Carmelo's career that he ever had the combination of talent like Ibaka, Westbrook & Harden to play along side of him to make that a relevant statement(Keep it real)? The next yr without them he finished 3-6.

lol, THAT IS NOT keeping it real.. again, more excuse making.. carmelo had billups, the year billups finished like 6th in MVP voting, still didn't make it to the finals... enough with the "carmelo didn't have" excuses.. he is part of the problem his teams don't advance.. he is a wannabe superstar who really doesn't put on star performances in the playoffs..

-The follow comment about Durant was showing that even a player that is better then Carmelo as well as having a better team around him got dominated in the 2nd rd of the playoffs and finished 3-6 once Westbrook went down.

yea, those things can happen once in a while... so what is the point again? I guess Brad pitt gets turned down by women every now and then.. so I guess all the ugly guys of the world should feel great huh?

Yea Carmelo has the worst playoff record in the NBA. He also made the playoffs every yr of his career starting from his rookie yr. While Durant didn't make the playoffs his first 2 yrs in the league and lost in the first rd after going to the lottery 2 yrs in a row to land Westbrook and Harden. I'm sure Carmelo's playoff record would look a lot nicer if he wasn't making the playoffs and netting the team lottery picks like Igoudala '04 and Chris Paul'05 for the future. This is the definition of keeping it real. Not making statements bypassing the realness behind them.

so here we go again.. carmelo loses because he doesn't have help, but carmelo made the playoffs every year, because he is great.. right? again what is the point of this.. you already admitted that durant is a "batman" type player and carmelo isn't.. so this point proves what? we should overpay for a lesser player because sometimes the great players fall short... although they do so a lot less than the not so great players? ok, I got it.. smh

Also I would like to know how the Denver Nuggets with the major cap space we gave them, multiple young veterans we gave them who excel in saber metrics, along with the draft picks we gave them. 3 yrs later still have not have gotten out of the first rd of the playoffs and don't look like they made any improvements to surpass that going into yr 4. I thought that was the blueprint to championships?

nah, there is no blueprint to a championship, just one that should and most likely does lead to continued success which in turn hopefully leads you to a ring. One that gives you a better chance to do so over a longer period.. so far denver has set a new record for wins as a team since they got rid of Mr. wannabe star.. they still have picks, they are still young and they still have a window that is wide open to win now,and in the future, a true foundation in which to build on..

on the flipside, we are flipping has beens like artest, kenyon, journeyman like beno, and bums like bargnani.... and oh, guess what, fans are trying to spin this new 2015 plan... while MR. Wannabee is keeping the team in limbo about his plans of opting out.. LOL..

yea, I will take whats behind the denver curtain... if you really want to know whats going on with denver.. try watching...

nixluva wrote:This is where I have to call B.S. Sometimes teams win despite not measuring up to some prescribed statistic. The Knicks won 54 games and likely would've won more with better health. I don't wanna hear any crap about negative sum players and all this techno babble about TS%. Those are all interesting measurements but what matters most is that your team wins. ONLY ONE TEAM was better in the East last year during the regular season. The only thing that seems to have stopped the Knicks was players breaking down. When the Knicks were relatively healthy they kicked everyone in the teeth except for the Bulls. This team lost to the Pacers playing its worst offensive BB of the year for this team.

This team needed to retool and upgrade and they did. AB provides a needed boost to the teams offensive capabilities and that's what failed this team in the playoffs last year. While it's true this team needed to defend better and rebound better the biggest failure was the lack of scoring. The over-reliance on ISO play and not being able to knock down open shots. So it's important that Woody help AB to give more effort on the boards and on defense, but it's also important that AB score the ball more efficiently and that is mostly going to be about shot selection. Woody has to make sure AB is taking better shots. Having a little less attention from the D will help him as well. AB will also help open things up for Melo too.

regular-season fool's gold teams like the knicks will get exposed in the real season. they struggled mightily against a rondo-less celtics squad. then they were unceremoniously booted in 6 games against a younger, defense-first, superiorly-coached pacers team.

you use the regular season as a means to forge a playoff team, not merely to desperately pile up wins for the highest seed possible, if, again, it is at the price of remaining unprepared for playoff competition.

here is an axiom my fellow knick fans should always bear in mind as the regular season unfolds:

IT IS NOT THAT YOU WIN IT IS HOW YOU WIN THAT MATTERS.

how many times did i repeat this phrase? plenty-- i even had it as my sig. was it dismissed by the "a win is a win" notion? yes. but as with all axioms it proved itself true. the knicks were not prepared to go deep into the playoffs.

some basic changes need to be made if this team is going to do better in the playoffs next year.

hint: selfishness = predictability

newyorknewyork wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

Nalod wrote:Go out side NYC and tell people your a knick fan. They think its funny.

Knicks improved a bit, but so has about 2/3rds the team. Some players that they are developing are ready to step up. Some draft picks/sigings will suprise some. Some teams have one year of chemestry under their belt. Its naive to think just because we improved (subjective) that others have not.

Boston has not, but Nets clearly have. One can hope their chemistry fails, but its naive to dismiss the possibility they could win 62 games as well. Toronto and PHilly are not contending so it should be a two team race in the Atlantic.

Bonn to me is a fan who will intelectualize his points perhaps based on factorals more than on emotion that many UKers exibit.

Is one more accurate than the other? Is one more "FANTASTIC" than another?

Jeeze, we really going to argue degrees of "fans" and the legitimacey of "Troll vs. Hater vs. Somerite vs. Melodite lover"??

Its all good.

Here is the thing about basketball that makes it different then baseball so a lot of the saber metric stuff doesn't apply. You can't come up with a statistic for Kurt Thomas playing on a fractured foot in the last game of his career to start a 13 game win streak and pull his team out of a horrible rut. You can't come up for a stat when Kenyon Martin reminds the refs what a foul on Garnett really looks like but it does impact the game. There isn't a lot of room for proactive aggression in baseball. Maybe on the base paths. In basketball it is used all the time and it impacts games. So does emotion and momentum. You can't come up with a stat for a monster dunk, its just two points but it can cause a huge swing in momentum. Also, having guys like Ron and Kenyon makes a big difference. Both those guys will go there and at least one of them seems to be on the edge of going off most of the time. No stat for that but there are stats for how much better the team plays when that guy is on the floor for some reason.

We'll see if your theory is right. If it is, we should expect Morey's Rockets to be a bad team. And we should expect teams to stop hiring and start firing metrics experts.

Saber metrics are very useful to the NBA just shouldn't be the ONLY thing you base your team off of or evaluate players with. It should be apart of the equation not THE equation.

THIS!! It appears that some here either are purposely ignoring context to make their points, or they do not understand that the interdependencies in basketball between players will effect individual player statistics much more than say a sport like Baseball. Statistics are important, and creating more meaningful statistics for individual performance within the unit aspect of the game should be a continual goal.

Simple example of why one would look at both stats and context when examining a player. Tyson Theraflu had a season TS% of .708. Highly efficient for a big man. But does that mean he is a good offensive player? Within the framework of the Knicks, he knows his role on offense, so that is a plus. But anyone watching him would know that aside from dunks off lobs, layups and pu backs he has no offensive game. In fact he is often a liability on offense. Unguarded near the perimeter allowing his man to double elsewhere.

The point being that one or a few isolated stats do not tell the entire story of a player as some would have you believe on this board. I'll hold my judgement on Bargs until I see him over the course of a season. Having seem him in isolated games, I suspect he will be a very good shooter and heady player from long range who will have to be reigned in by Woodson to increase his effectiveness. He should be an asset in bringing bigger men out of the paint to have to guard him. His defense needs to improve in terms of effort and most likely positioning.

tkf wrote:

dk7th wrote:

nixluva wrote:This is where I have to call B.S. Sometimes teams win despite not measuring up to some prescribed statistic. The Knicks won 54 games and likely would've won more with better health. I don't wanna hear any crap about negative sum players and all this techno babble about TS%. Those are all interesting measurements but what matters most is that your team wins. ONLY ONE TEAM was better in the East last year during the regular season. The only thing that seems to have stopped the Knicks was players breaking down. When the Knicks were relatively healthy they kicked everyone in the teeth except for the Bulls. This team lost to the Pacers playing its worst offensive BB of the year for this team.

This team needed to retool and upgrade and they did. AB provides a needed boost to the teams offensive capabilities and that's what failed this team in the playoffs last year. While it's true this team needed to defend better and rebound better the biggest failure was the lack of scoring. The over-reliance on ISO play and not being able to knock down open shots. So it's important that Woody help AB to give more effort on the boards and on defense, but it's also important that AB score the ball more efficiently and that is mostly going to be about shot selection. Woody has to make sure AB is taking better shots. Having a little less attention from the D will help him as well. AB will also help open things up for Melo too.

regular-season fool's gold teams like the knicks will get exposed in the real season. they struggled mightily against a rondo-less celtics squad. then they were unceremoniously booted in 6 games against a younger, defense-first, superiorly-coached pacers team.

you use the regular season as a means to forge a playoff team, not merely to desperately pile up wins for the highest seed possible, if, again, it is at the price of remaining unprepared for playoff competition.

here is an axiom my fellow knick fans should always bear in mind as the regular season unfolds:

IT IS NOT THAT YOU WIN IT IS HOW YOU WIN THAT MATTERS.

how many times did i repeat this phrase? plenty-- i even had it as my sig. was it dismissed by the "a win is a win" notion? yes. but as with all axioms it proved itself true. the knicks were not prepared to go deep into the playoffs.

some basic changes need to be made if this team is going to do better in the playoffs next year.

hint: selfishness = predictability

dk, woodson is an enabler, it was a big problem of his here in Atlanta.... he hasn't learned, or I guess it is the way he is most comfortable with coaching..

the selfishness will continue because our so called best player is selfish and the guy that is supposed to check that is an enabler..... go figure man...

Couple thoughts......

TKF......you keep referring to Woodson as an enabler and have also referred to him as a clown. Care to elaborate? I'm not really big on the character assassination thing that anonymous fans sometimes do on boards......poor form IMO.

DK......"How you win" is great in the context of teams, coaches and players. There is also cliche's such as "find a way". They know their game plan and how it was properly or improperly executed....and what they need to work on. From a fan perspective......"how they win" means very little, as we are not privy to how they have strategized and/or executed the game plan.