Knixkik wrote:It has since 2008, attract 2 major stars to play together and build properly around them to compete for a championship. We still have yet to do this. As we acquired Melo, the player we thought was the 2nd piece to that puzzle, little did we know Stoudemire was fizzling out. We never really saw the 2 of them playing at a high level together for an extended period of time. We continued to function as if we had those 2 players, hoping Stoudemire would get healthy and actually successfully built the team around those 2 players, adding good role players and depth that would fit well around 2 stars. Problem is of course we never had the 2 stars to begin with, making our supporting cast not what it was intended to be.
So here we are many years later, Melo is who Melo is (many will debate whether or not he is truely that star, but thats besides the point) and we are still looking to add that 2nd player. The plan will be over the next year or 2 to add that player (while resigning Melo in the meantime.) We can either do it through free agency in 2015 or consider dealing the many large expiring contracts we will have when the time comes. The question now is, who will be that player. I think Rondo seems to make the most sense realistically, i think Lebron and Kobe will always be outside options until their futures are clear. Aldridge is another option, and Irving and Love are there, but again less realistic. The ultimate fallback option is Rudy Gay, who isn't really a star, but just like Joe Johnson in 2010, will demand looks (and is a NYK type of player.)
Another few players will likely become available via trade or free agency that may fit the bill, but who do you think is our most likely addition, and how will we acquire that player?
the last player stoudemire needed, injury or not, was carmelo anthony. aside from an occasional flashy play, they were incompatible in the extreme, and far from effective. nothing to get excited about and certainly nothing to pine for. yet you assume that they would have been able to figure things out. ok. but they sure did not look like a good tandem to me 98% of the time. so in principle you want to get another player to pair with stoudemire, not someone to displace him, which is what happened. look at pierce and garnett: they went together. now compare that phenomenon with stat and melo. clear, isn't it?
now bargnani is going to become a hero or a scapegoat as stat's replacement. and then there's the shumpert issue. woodson is in a significant bind because shumpert deserves starting minutes and with a two-point guard lineup-- thanks to ray's ineptitude-- shumpert will be underutilized and this will stunt his development. i repeat this kid definitely deserves minutes and it's a shame that woodson will likely be the hurdle because he has decided not to have a point guard competition. stupid move. you have to have defenders and rebounders out there in the playoffs.
the lineup has to be based on the best orchestrator, somebody who can get all players involved and working from their comfort zone.
orchestrator, the best of any of felton, udrih or prigioni, = or - defenders no matter who plays
shumpert-- a + defender at the 2
artest-- an = defender or - defender at the 3
melo- an = or - defender at the 4
chandler-- an = or + defender at the 5
knicks win 38-43 games in 16-17. rose MUST shoot no more than 14 shots per game, defer to kp6 + melo, and have a usage rate of less than 25%
