Posted by efw:

Posted by Bippity10:

Posted by efw:

you have to ask what your looking for progress FROM.

If it's from last year, then the win total is progress. If it's from 2 years ago, then you see younger players developing. If it's from Layden's teams then progress is a more interesting ball club to watch = more sales. If it's from the mid 90s teams than there no progress.

Again, progress FROM what?

Progress from the mediocrity that started the day Patrick Ewing left. We have made none. All GM's have gone similar paths with different results. Buy time with vets while trying to rebuild with late draft picks and other unwanted, injured and unmotivated vets, hoping that they catch lighting in a bottle when they arrive. The only difference between Isiah and Layden is that Isiah may actually last long enough to get lucky.

Isn't that the point? Remaining patient to see how things shake out? Although we haven't won a championship in 3 decades, we had 10 years of good, entertaining, playoff basketball. If you need to start over again, which we needed to do, what do you expect? A turnaround in 3 years? Layden didn't do anything in his 3.5 years. To me, the team was worse off then when he started - and boring. Isiah's teams haven't produced results yet (and he's had his share of F-ups to be sure) but there are possibilites. To me, that's progress.

I'm disappointed with how the season ended but that doesn't mean I don't think the same way I did when the team was playing well - encouraged. Maybe some of our kids will turn out to be great NBA players. Maybe we can pull of a Villanueva-Ford type deal and suddenly our chemistry will explode like Toronto's. If you keep firing GMs and coaches, then how can you see the results of your efforts?

Again my distrust with your scenario is that My GM continues to target passionless or one way players. And doesn't appear to be trying to position himself to obtain a high draft pick or get near the cap so we can acquire that team changing player. Instead we are focusing on acquiring MLE, and 20th picks in order to have a "nice" team. When I talk about patience I don't distinguish between Isiah and Laydne. I don't look at it as one regime running into another. I look at it as an organization that creates an environment in which our GM's will not admit that there is not a star on the roster and isntead rebuild on teh fly, all the while selling us on how great the talent is.

Again, if Isiah makes moves in the direction I am asking(which he or someone else eventually will) then I will applaud him. In the meantime I don't call drafting solid but one dimensional role players a boon. Balkman and Lee are the type of guys you use to build around a star. They are not the guys you build around. I will be patient once we start working to get ourselves in position to obtain this player.