Posted by Bippity10:

Posted by nixluva:

Posted by Bippity10:

This is an optimistic post and yet the guy predicts the same amount of wins as many of the haters.

That's really not the point. The point is that he sees the team being able to make the playoffs. The number of wins isn't the issue. From season to season you compete against the competition in your Div and Conf. and whatever number of wins it takes to make the playoffs that's all you need. In a totally pure sense you'd want to be good enough not just to squeak in and be competitive in a weak div or conf., but you'd want at team that can compete against the league and legitimately vie for a title. Still for this team it's not really the number of wins as much as the style of play and level of improvement. I think we all want to see this team be as good as it can be.

In the end I want to see this team make the playoffs and with as much comp as we'll see this year it may end up that 42-44 wins is about right. I hope for more wins as i'm sure most of us do, but the point of the article is that this team will likely be better than many fans and media types predict. 38-42 wins is his range, but he's not saying that they can't win more than that.

What it really comes down to yet again, is that there really is no difference between a lover and a hater. We all predict the same thing. The only difference is the tone in posting.

Posted by BasketballJones:

How do we determine that the team has gotten better? By the players it has and potential over a few years?

Or by its record?

i thought this season for the yanks was great. they didn't surpass previous seasons' win totals. they didn't advance in the playoffs. but i enjoyed this season more than previous ones and look forward to next year even more.

some fans like what they're seeing with the knicks. some like where the team is headed. some don't. i think it's totally subjective.

but if there has to be something to judge by, i would say it's how late into the season the knicks play meaningful games.

Posted by nixluva:

Posted by Bippity10:

Posted by nixluva:

Posted by Bippity10:

This is an optimistic post and yet the guy predicts the same amount of wins as many of the haters.

That's really not the point. The point is that he sees the team being able to make the playoffs. The number of wins isn't the issue. From season to season you compete against the competition in your Div and Conf. and whatever number of wins it takes to make the playoffs that's all you need. In a totally pure sense you'd want to be good enough not just to squeak in and be competitive in a weak div or conf., but you'd want at team that can compete against the league and legitimately vie for a title. Still for this team it's not really the number of wins as much as the style of play and level of improvement. I think we all want to see this team be as good as it can be.

In the end I want to see this team make the playoffs and with as much comp as we'll see this year it may end up that 42-44 wins is about right. I hope for more wins as i'm sure most of us do, but the point of the article is that this team will likely be better than many fans and media types predict. 38-42 wins is his range, but he's not saying that they can't win more than that.

What it really comes down to yet again, is that there really is no difference between a lover and a hater. We all predict the same thing. The only difference is the tone in posting.

I'd agree in a sense, but there's also a degree of displeasure with the make up of the roster. There's a take like Isles just expressed that the team is in no better a position than when Isiah took over and to me that just isn't being fair or accurate to what this current roster has. The record isn't the only factor. This team clearly has more upside than when Isiah took over. It's younger and with more players yet to reach their peak in this league. If you subtract Steph, Malik and Jerome, this is a team we can expect to be in it's prime years for 4 or more years. That just wasn't the case when Isiah took over and to pass that off as nothing is a bit harsh to me.

They'll go on about how we have nothing but role players and so forth, but that's not really true either. True we don't have top tier players like KG, PP and Allen, but they're not low level players and some are capable of near All Star level play. It's not a bad spot for this team to be in. Aside from LeBron who does Cleveland have? You can go around the league and find plenty of teams with only one true Superstar and then you've got teams like Houston, with T-Mac and Yao and they still haven't done much yet. It's not easy to build a title team. I think this team has gotten better and as fans it shouldn't be that hard to acknowledge that.

So Nix: YOu are on one end and like the roster and the direction. I'm in the middle. I'm okay with the roster. I see potential but I feel the GM has to make smarter decisions than he has in the past and focus on a plan instead of changing coaches,focal points, identity and players every year. And some are on the other end and say the team is not going anywhere. Who is to say who is right and who is wrong. I don't see your opinion or Isles opinion anymore valid than the other. They are all just opinions. I will say that over the past 3 years Isles has been closer to the truth than both you and I so I find it hard for me to dismiss what he is saying. No matter what we have all predicted the last 3+ years, as much as we hate to admit it, Isles so far has been right.

I say just take it for what it is. An opinion. We won't know anything until the season starts anyway. Until then, like every other offseason it's just a guess.