I think the team is playing surprisingly very well and could definitely make the playoffs as-is.

BUT, I think there will be additional trades that will gut the team for the year but help us in the long-run.

yes. The attitude around this team has changed. That being said, I'd rather they get a high pick.
Lee, N8. Duhon and Harrington are worth keeping after 2010.

Boston
Cleveland
Orlando
Atlanta
Detroit

those are the probably shoe ins for the playoffs in the East... because Toronto & Philly have both severely underperformed this season, u could honestly say that this team has as good a chance as any of the rest of the teams in contention to get in w/1 of the remaining 3 playoff seeds.

JayNYC....when say the Suns are far superior, who are you saying they are superior to? I certainly didn't think that Suns team was far superior to the Spurs. How do you underachieve when you lose to a team that is better than you? I think he got the absolute most he could get out of those Suns teams and lost to the better team at the end.

I could care less what a so-called expert predicts...many people on here know just as much about the game if not more than they do. Despite rooting for the Suns out west, I would have never put money on the Suns to beat the Spurs because I thought the Spurs were a little better.

As far as these Knicks are concerned, I think its pretty evident that he already has them playing a little over their heads this season. Because MDA has taken over the head chair on the sidelines, I think the way he has them playing could earn them the 7 or 8th spot or just miss the playoffs by a few games. Replace MDA with Isiah, and I dont think a playoff berth is even a dsicussion even this early in the season.

Reasons to Love New York City

26. Because Not Even the Dolans Can Take the Fun Out of Watching These Knicks"

Amid the ridiculousness of the Stephon Marbury situation and the franchise’s decision to more or less give up on two seasons to have a chance at wooing LeBron James in 2010, a strange thing has transpired—this Knicks team has turned into the Harlem Globetrotters, playing for the sake of pure sensation.

Did you hate the dirge of the Pat Riley–directed, run–out–the–shot–clock–then–get–Patrick Ewing–fouled teams? Do you miss when the NBA was freewheeling, ludicrous, and unpredictable? Is your favorite game to watch every year the defenseless All-Star Game?

These Knicks are your team. For this, of course, we must thank new coach Mike D’Antoni, whose nickname at his last job in Phoenix (Coach Pornstache) has sadly not followed him to what is probably the worst team he’s ever coached. He knows this and, oddly, doesn’t seem to mind. Like Jimmy Stewart’s Scottie Ferguson in Vertigo, he has lent these retreads the style of his old team, hoping to recapture some of the old magic. And it’s kind of working! If you squint, Chris Duhon looks a little like Steve Nash, Wilson Chandler kinda resembles Shawn Marion, and David Lee … well, David Lee doesn’t look like Amar’e Stoudemire at all. But D’Antoni is throwing them all out there anyway, mixing and matching, a hyperactive boy having so much fun that he doesn’t seem to mind that all his toys are broken.


The Knicks will keep losing, but it will never, ever, be boring. Stephon Marbury? Eddy Curry? Jerome James? Bor-ing! It doesn’t matter which players you give D’Antoni, or even how many. He’ll create something worth watching. Even if the Knicks never land LeBron, D’Antoni’s already worth it.


http://nymag.com/news/articles/reasonstoloveny/2008/52965/

"We're really locked in on trying to make the playoffs," Harrington said. "That's very real. That could be in our future."

bippity - with all due respect, I'm no therapist but it clearly reads like you are conflicted about what YOU want. Please do not preface such confused feelings with what "we" want. There is no "we" in opinion. News flash - you don't get to have it both ways.

Personally, I NEVER want to lose ANY game. I don't care if it's the last day of the season and Kiki Vandeweghe is riding on it.



[Edited by - misterearl on 12-15-2008 12:40 PM]

There Will Be Blood

Elite - I feel you, but injuries in this marathon are inevitable.

If D'Antoni can play 7 guys at this frenetic pace for 5 months, they should all receive an individual Lou Gehrig Ironman Award.

Posted by Bippity10:

We want our young guys to be good. If they are good it means they win games. At the same time we want them to lose games so we can get a high draft pick. But if they lose, it means that they aren't good. Tough to have it both ways.

Our entire starting line-up(with Nate) is under 28 years of age. Things aren't as bad as we make them out to be. Some of these guys are playing their way into being future Knicks. Not sure Al can keep this up, but if he does who would you replace him with? How many guys but up 26 and 7 in any system?

i completely agree... we do all want our young guys to be good, & a lot of us definitely wouldn't mind losing games so we can end up w/a higher pick at the same time... i think the only way to achieve both ends is to trade Lee to a team that's currently struggling for a high pick like we tried to do w/MEM on draft night... i think Donnie's got the plan on point & he's trying his best to follow through on it... that along w/the fact that this team is starting to really gel is giving me tons of hope for the future... Donnie having the foresight to bring in Al Harrington & dumping Zach's contract for shorter length ones even tho he knew he was giving up the best player in that trade w/the Clips can't be understated & those are the moves we've been hoping would happen for the longest.

bippity - many people thought the Randolph/Crawford deals were salary dumps.

All Walsh did was make the Knicks a better team. Damn him.

Posted by Bippity10:

Posted by TMS:

Posted by Bippity10:

We want our young guys to be good. If they are good it means they win games. At the same time we want them to lose games so we can get a high draft pick. But if they lose, it means that they aren't good. Tough to have it both ways.

Our entire starting line-up(with Nate) is under 28 years of age. Things aren't as bad as we make them out to be. Some of these guys are playing their way into being future Knicks. Not sure Al can keep this up, but if he does who would you replace him with? How many guys but up 26 and 7 in any system?

i completely agree... we do all want our young guys to be good, & a lot of us definitely wouldn't mind losing games so we can end up w/a higher pick at the same time... i think the only way to achieve both ends is to trade Lee to a team that's currently struggling for a high pick like we tried to do w/MEM on draft night... i think Donnie's got the plan on point & he's trying his best to follow through on it... that along w/the fact that this team is starting to really gel is giving me tons of hope for the future... Donnie having the foresight to bring in Al Harrington & dumping Zach's contract for shorter length ones even tho he knew he was giving up the best player in that trade w/the Clips can't be understated & those are the moves we've been hoping would happen for the longest.

I wonder if Donnie is shopping guys as we go through the season. It's a good situation and bad at the same time. Both approaches make sense. If you keep the young guys together they grow and learn to win together. But if you don't trade some of them you may lose them to free agency. If you trade them you may acquire some legit players or really high picks. But if you do trade one or more you run the risk of shattering team morale. So far Donnie and Mike have been on their games. Donnie has made very good moves and Mike has coached his asse off. I am going to trust that the right decisions will be made into the future. It appears our guys are fighting to remain Knicks as well.

On Al, what are the chances he accepts less money to stay in the perfect situation for him?

i don't think Donnie will be done making moves until he believes this team is capable of winning a title, bottomline... whether he views D Lee as a guy he thinks will be part of that championship winning formula is anyone's guess, but signs point to the fact that he doesn't if u consider why he tried to trade him last year & why he hasn't signed him to a contract extension yet... his opinion might have changed after seeing how well Lee's been playing w/Duhon ever since Zach was traded tho... but i know for sure that Donnie loves Al Harrington & i personally feel like Al is the guy that Donnie & MDA envision being here after 2010 & beyond if anything because he's a much more versatile player w/much better range offensively, & is a better defender besides... i dunno how many players out there can rebound & finish the way D Lee can but his game is still very limited & i think if Donnie finds an opportunity to trade him & get a high lottery pick for this draft he's going to take it.

Posted by TMS:

Posted by Bippity10:

Posted by TMS:

Posted by Bippity10:

We want our young guys to be good. If they are good it means they win games. At the same time we want them to lose games so we can get a high draft pick. But if they lose, it means that they aren't good. Tough to have it both ways.

Our entire starting line-up(with Nate) is under 28 years of age. Things aren't as bad as we make them out to be. Some of these guys are playing their way into being future Knicks. Not sure Al can keep this up, but if he does who would you replace him with? How many guys but up 26 and 7 in any system?

i completely agree... we do all want our young guys to be good, & a lot of us definitely wouldn't mind losing games so we can end up w/a higher pick at the same time... i think the only way to achieve both ends is to trade Lee to a team that's currently struggling for a high pick like we tried to do w/MEM on draft night... i think Donnie's got the plan on point & he's trying his best to follow through on it... that along w/the fact that this team is starting to really gel is giving me tons of hope for the future... Donnie having the foresight to bring in Al Harrington & dumping Zach's contract for shorter length ones even tho he knew he was giving up the best player in that trade w/the Clips can't be understated & those are the moves we've been hoping would happen for the longest.

I wonder if Donnie is shopping guys as we go through the season. It's a good situation and bad at the same time. Both approaches make sense. If you keep the young guys together they grow and learn to win together. But if you don't trade some of them you may lose them to free agency. If you trade them you may acquire some legit players or really high picks. But if you do trade one or more you run the risk of shattering team morale. So far Donnie and Mike have been on their games. Donnie has made very good moves and Mike has coached his asse off. I am going to trust that the right decisions will be made into the future. It appears our guys are fighting to remain Knicks as well.

On Al, what are the chances he accepts less money to stay in the perfect situation for him?

i don't think Donnie will be done making moves until he believes this team is capable of winning a title, bottomline... whether he views D Lee as a guy he thinks will be part of that championship winning formula is anyone's guess, but signs point to the fact that he doesn't if u consider why he tried to trade him last year & why he hasn't signed him to a contract extension yet... his opinion might have changed after seeing how well Lee's been playing w/Duhon ever since Zach was traded tho... but i know for sure that Donnie loves Al Harrington & i personally feel like Al is the guy that Donnie & MDA envision being here after 2010 & beyond if anything because he's a much more versatile player w/much better range offensively, & is a better defender besides... i dunno how many players out there can rebound & finish the way D Lee can but his game is still very limited & i think if Donnie finds an opportunity to trade him & get a high lottery pick for this draft he's going to take it.

I love DLee but........My guess is that one of the guys we obtain is going to be a PF/Center. My guess is this makes D.Lee more valuable in trade than on the roster with the salary he is going to be asking for. The timing on that one is going to be huge.