EnySpree wrote:Camp invites guys...nothing to see here

Exactly- I swear the bball iq on these boards is approaching JR levels lately

smackeddog wrote:

EnySpree wrote:Camp invites guys...nothing to see here

Exactly- I swear the bball iq on these boards is approaching JR levels lately

Funny. I didn't see anybody complaining.

BigDaddyG wrote:I've never seen this guy play, but I'm getting an image of Mario Elie after reading his scouting reports. Phil has a reputation of beating the bushes for talent during his days with the Albany Patroona. It's nice to see him keep that mindset here. It reminds me of how Reilly dug for players like Mason and gave guys like John Starks a chance to flourish.

With the pressure to win in NY....and his legacy on the line. You would be digging through garbage cans too, searching for valuables. Since he can't physically move around too much, he brings the talent to him, for an up close analysis.

At this point, it doesn't matter who we bring in.....We have the nucleus of this team and we saw the triangle take multiple shapes in SL action, which resulted in a fair number of victories. So if a defensive guy like Ndour can score 23 pts, then our NBA team should be able to do well in this revamped triangle system. There's really nobody in the lineup you can just leave open and don't expect them to do anything. And if Rodman can find a way to impact the game offensively in this system, then we shouldn't fear these guys having even more offensive success.

I think thats why Phil can concentrate on defense and passing, when he's building a team. The triangle will help offensively challenge players look above average. For example, creating off the dribble is not needed in this half court system. All you have to do is pass, cut and shot when open. Having a full team of players with ISO creativity is not needed, unless it's in transition or at the end of the shot clock. But in that case, you only need a few guys, not an entire team. We have a nice mix of iso players, team players, defensive players, passers, leaders.....And a lone super star who will always demand a double team.

Playing 4years in college at Marquette University and a son of a NBA Pro father and the mother of a an All American runner and basketball player, he has the DNA and genes of 2 athletes
IMO, Matthews is much better than Arron Affalo but he had his Achilles injury that was a risk that hurt his value and questionable contract

Saunders compares himself to Wesley Matthews but I think he is much closer to Wesley Johnson
IMO, Saunders is best compared to Wesley Johnson, who I wanted to target but signed a vet min deal to join the LA Clippers with Paul Pierce to replace Matt Barnes
I think Wesley Johnson would help the mentor Thanasis and speed the development of him greatly, as both players have similar body builds, strengths, and weakness's, with Johnson being a HIGH pick for the Twolves with experience playing under the Triangle with lead assistant Kurt Rambis

Johnson's length and athleticism allows him to play WITH Thanasis on the court together, with their combined length/athleticism and high motor, I believe they would have been a solid combo together on DEFENSE with the versatility to defend 2 to 3 positions, even PG, SG, SF, and some PF, when needed on switches or against big SF's like Lebron, Durant, Paul George, Jabari Parker, Carroll, Millsap, etc...
So I value Wesley Johnson's experience in the league to mentor Thanasis, play with him together, and help our DEFENSE
Johnson played as stretch 4 in Dantoni's system on the Lakers and his improved his 3pt shot, ball handling, guard skills, and using his length, athleticism, versatility, and mobility to play PF
While Thanasis is a bit shorter/small, being a SF that could develop in to a defensive SG, and if he improves his 3pt shot much along with his handle, he could become a lock down defender when he finishes his development and continues to work on his shooting, a skill that can be taught
He has great length, athleticism, work ethic, high motor/energy, and physical abilities that can not be taught to go with his high potential/versatility on DEFENSE
However, I cannot see the Knicks keeping so many SG/SF's without much experience and are somewhat projects with only Affalo being the only SG that may be closer to a undersized SF with his age

Affalo and then Galloway/Calderon which are PG/SG's, and Early which lacks the skills to play SG consistently

Ledo
Early

Wesley Saunders
Thanasis

Personally I though Jeff Taylor would be ideal for our roster and compliment both Calderon and Galloway much, and be able to play SG/SF, and some PG, he is closest to a SG that could penetrate/finish/create that Galloway/Calderon lack the speed/quickness to do consistently and stay in front of most PG's
Though Jeff Taylor only signed a 1year deal at about 800k to play in Europe, I would certainly like to sign him next year on a 2year vet min deal, at least a 1year vet min deal, maybe a player option for next
Though Knicks may look to save some salary, so just a 1year vet min deal, possibly to target Westbrook which could be a UFA top TIER Guard

Mike James, the YOUNG ONE, certainly isn't a Triangle PG/SG, though he has the handle and athleticism to attack/create his own shot, and create for his team mates with his ability to penetrate and finish
He is a great athlete and we need play makers like that, while we have many high character/high IQ players to keep him in check to develop within this system

With Atkins, I am not sure if we are looking for some more size on a LEGIT Center or a PF/C
With Seraphin available, I think we should be looking for someone that has some more NBA experience

or at least a Jeremy Tyler or even Anthony Randolph, or someone that has high potential that we can sign to a 2year unguaranteed deal, in case we see a better player available whether through waivers/D League/ or even a potential trade with a team looking to save money
Since we have a stronger leadership/professional team, to keep such players in check, along with their age to go with their talent for maturity

N Dour was a player I thought we should have kept, even using part of our Room Exemption to a 3 to 4year deal on a cap friendly deal
His upside being a Draymond Green after a couple of years of developing was too high to pass up, listed at only 200pds, he has the versatility and potential to play SF/PF and maybe even some PF/C like Green did
Had we offered the vet min on Lou Amundson and kept some money instead of signing 2 15th man roster's, I believe we would be able to keep him or other undrafted talents to sign 3 maybe 4year deals, which would have been easily the better move for our franchise moving forward
It was NOT NEEDED to sign both Lance Thomas and Lou Amundson to greater deals than the vet min, bidding with our selves, while we simply lack playmakers and talent
They both were unlikely to get guaranteed deals from any other team than us and if they were that important, they should have signed multiyear deals
I would understand if they were like Horace Grant and Ron Harper, but they are not
With Lakers needing their experience to go with a YOUNG LAKERS team to execute the Triangle with the system with work ethic and leadership

however both LT and LA,

they only have 1/2 year of experience in the Triangle, have 0 upside and 0 to negative trade value
There are plenty of players in the D League that have HIGH IQ, HIGH WORK ETHIC, STRONG CHARACTERS, etc, that could be YOUNG and HAVE A HIGH POTENTIAL like Simmons or players like that, that could be part of our roster moving forward that Lou and Lance simply do not offer

nixluva wrote:I think Wes Matthews is almost exactly the same kind of player Saunders is. I Saunders may be a better passer but in terms of body type and style of play it's a very close match. I would say Saunders is more likely to fit the Wes Matthews mold than Wesley Johnson.

and its most likely that saunders won't fit any mold and probably never be an nba player.

mreinman wrote:

nixluva wrote:I think Wes Matthews is almost exactly the same kind of player Saunders is. I Saunders may be a better passer but in terms of body type and style of play it's a very close match. I would say Saunders is more likely to fit the Wes Matthews mold than Wesley Johnson.

and its most likely that saunders won't fit any mold and probably never be an nba player.

Certainly this is the case! I'm just talking about what his most likely role would be if he succeeds. He'd be in the 3nD mold with some decent passing ability. Smart and skilled guys that have the profile of a Saunders tend to look better in the Triangle than they would in other styles of ball. The reason is there's less emphasis on beating your man individually and more on using the system and team play to succeed.