misterearl wrote:The team's success, according to Magic Johnson, comes down to how their two scoring stars co-exist.

"They were never in sync last season, so coach (Mike) D'Antoni has to figure out how to get them in sync and how to get them to play with each other and off of each other," Johnson said. "They're not even used to working with each other. It's going to take a while for them to figure out where each other likes to be, where am I supposed to be on offense?"

"Fans got to be patient, but number one, the players have got to be patient," Johnson said. "If they don't get off to a early good start, they've got to stick with it. Because once they get it down, they're going to be battling with Chicago and Miami for the Eastern Conference championship."

I agree, they weren't as dominant together as we thought they would be. They didn't coexist very well together, as they both looked more comfortable being the go to guy but not utilizing their benefits together very well. However, our team really had a big change after the trade, our our lineup starters, roles of backups, system, philosophy of SSOL, mixed with no training camp, time together, *PnR* PG, our lineup and depth wasn't there, mixed with no Center to go with PG, off bench players, *only shawne, then TD when Billups was back*

It is going to take some times, for the coaching staff and players to adjust to each other. Having a training camp helps, but its not the usual camp, and its a whole new core.
Although the talent is there, we still actually aren't that deep yet, we have to let the players learn their roles, how to play with each other, how to adjust the 2nd/3rd units.
We should get better with more games/practices, but with this shortened season, there isn't as much practice and time, mixed with fatigue as well.

Everything you guys said, there truth in it. As great as our the acquisitions and talent has increased after the trade, its still a new thing for most of players.
We will have players learning their own challenges, as well as the coaches, the team as a whole, the 6th men, our 2nd/3rd units play as a team and unit...

fishmike wrote:also Chandler, Amare and Baron Davis all love MDA. Melo seems on the fence. I bet that changes pretty soon

I actually think Melo is ecstatic about how much faith MDA is placing in him. NO ONE has ever said to Melo we're gonna run the offense thru you. He's gotten a ton of shots, but to have your coach say he has this much faith in you is a much different thing. We've all read what Alan Hahn said about Melo so far.

Melo very engaged in practice this season. A lot of discussion/input about O and D strategy. He's also now running the point full-time.

Mike said he thought Melo could do this even last year, now they've had the time to put it into practice. The early games will be a bit like preseason games, but that doesn't mean the Knicks won't win them.

what was Bostons big three record after 15-25-33 games? Might be a good comparison.

Since you so compared......

If Rondo was the wild card that season, and I think he was the difference maker, then we don't yet know who steps up and provides us the boost.

Olbrannon - the Christmas Day opener vs Boston will be intense. The Knicks should have a sleepover in The Garden... or at least The Marriott Marquis next to Grand Central Station.

The casual fan will have high expectations for instant bonding. A few of us know better. The again, there were hoards of writers who thought Earl and Clyde would need two basketballs. The best thing about this roster - albeit on paper and via second hand reports - is that the Elders appear down with the prime directive - "you suck, you sit."

It's all about getting the ring baby - anyone who isn't ready to hit the floor is not ready to do whatever it takes.

Hit the open man.

loweyecue wrote:I am really not yet seeing how this comes together. If we try to play SSOL and focus the offense through Melo like MDA seems to be indiating - I have no idea what would happen? This team is not built for speed the way the Suns were. We are not going to be slow by any means but I would feel more comfortable witha traditional offense. Having said that till BD is in the mix we have only Bibby who is a known commodity in running an offense with any efficiency. I also don't want Melo to start playing outside all the time, he has a wide array of moves inside the paint and SSOL may not be conducive to that.... I guess am just confused on how this will come together. Melo isn't Grant Hill.

It's simple. Since MDA has been here, this team hasn't been able to run SSOL, so it's not an issue. There was ALWAYS more to the SSOL offense than people thought. It's never been just running up an down. The Suns were perfectly built to run even off of makes. NONE of the teams we've had since MDA has been here have been built for that kind of pace. STILL the teams have been high scoring. So don't worry about the team being able to run SSOL cuz we're not going to be running 100% SSOL. We will be using the VAST other parts of MDA's offense that no one ever talks about.

There's a reason they call him an offensive genius. You think all he knows is SSOL? MDA is so knowledgeable that he can come up with other ways to score the ball with different types of players. If he hasn't proved that to you by now I don't know what you've been watching cuz this team has still managed to score at a high clip despite the lack of a roster built to run.

CrushAlot wrote:D'Antoni's teams are 17-28 out of the gate for the first fifteen games during the three years he has been in NY. He has traditionally needed 15 +games to figure things out after training camp during his tenure here. That being said he has an amazing amount of talent this year so his impact during his figuring out period probably will be minimized. My prediction is 8-7 15 games in with a win streak on the horizon.

those teams where DLee was C are definitely indicative of what may happen here. Add to that the prediction of 30 win seasons.

Hold on to you hat.

WE have to get it down, then implement Baron into it as he is able.

I would be discouraged to hear "simplify the defensive scheme and slow down the offense" as we did with Melo and Billups. I don't expect that.

TD is the wild card this season.

Nalod wrote:My hope is that MDA is given the time and patience by the players to get it right. We have seen the system work in short bursts here and in PHX and it produces results.

WE have to get it down, then implement Baron into it as he is able.

I would be discouraged to hear "simplify the defensive scheme and slow down the offense" as we did with Melo and Billups. I don't expect that.

TD is the wild card this season.

There is more to it than time and patience. The players need to buy in as well. Last year after the trade it was clear some players especially Billups didn't buy into it. And he and others were egged on by the media to unload a bunch of criticism on the coach. Billups isn't able to defend quick guards but that didn't prevent him from blaming the system.

I guess I am tired of hearing players use the system as a cop out for not performing and fans and media encouraging that activity.

This is not to suggest the system or the coach is flawless, but the players need to let the coach do the coaching and they should focus on execution.