nixluva wrote:

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

fishmike wrote:you know I think we may have that player in KP. A guy who can make others better on both sides of the ball. A unique player. I am going to predict that if he stays healthy this year he will be the guy who makes MELO BETTER. People keep waiting for Melo to make others better than lament on an on when it doesnt happen. This guy is going to make it easier on Melo, and Melo is going to go out of his way to dispell these notions about his selfish play.

The whole roster has been purged and Im pretty happy with our starting point. No pick hurts, hopefully Willy has a breakout year and that helps.

Looking forward to seeing Fisher work with some pieces here. He's a good leader. I think people will be suprised. This looks like a group that can take some lumps and plough through and get better. Its not all perfect but the board strokes are there. Fit in or move on. Melo has a lot in stake to make this work. The times he's been challenged here (after MDA quit for one) he's been best. I think with the young guys and the injury and the shots at him we see the best Melo we have seen. Unless his body fails him (and us)

I agree with this.

I said it in another thread - but I think Melo will be in good shape to start the season. If the team responds and plays well, I think he'll stick it out here. If it's another disaster or rough season, I do think he and Phil will agree on a path to get him traded by mid-season or next summer.

But I think there's a lot of pieces that can help Melo next season. Afflalo may be the best #2 scorer Melo has ever played with in NY, as crazy and sad as that is, considering Amar'e was always hurt/injured/etc. He certainly fits better alongside Melo than Amar'e did.

How well KP and Grant develop will be a big factor in the season and exciting to watch.

People here obsess and focus on Melo's negatives so much all focus and perspective have been lost. Melo has only played 2 losing seasons in the NBA, his last two with the Knicks. He's good guy and does charity work. He's liked and respected by his peers and teammates. He's been better here than in Denver. If people can look past his tshirts, golden mooby avatars and reading between the one line of his tweets to measure his emotional state they might remember he's a pretty good ball player. He will be a very good player for us next year and I look forward to having that caliber of talent playing well on the roster again.

This is a win win for us. If he squirms his way off the roster fine, lets get good value. If he plays well and the Knicks start winning again thats ideal for all parties invovled. If he's healthy and we get 65 healthy games from Lopez, Calderon and Afflalo the Knicks will be a playoff team.

People must really not understand why Phil wanted to keep an asset like Melo on the roster. Now that he's upgraded the rest of the roster having Melo will be of far more value than last year when the team wasn't able to play at a high enough level. Melo played on one leg and was still the best player on the team. Now this roster is much more reliable IMO. I think his presence will make things easier for KP and Jerian. They have talent but they're not ready to carry the entire load. Melo can help ease their development.

Also as you stated the other vets will be able to provide quality support which we didn't get last year. The rotation is significantly upgraded and a better fit for the system and each other. More lunchpail guys too. Better defenders and rebounders.

fishmike wrote:

nixluva wrote:

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

fishmike wrote:you know I think we may have that player in KP. A guy who can make others better on both sides of the ball. A unique player. I am going to predict that if he stays healthy this year he will be the guy who makes MELO BETTER. People keep waiting for Melo to make others better than lament on an on when it doesnt happen. This guy is going to make it easier on Melo, and Melo is going to go out of his way to dispell these notions about his selfish play.

The whole roster has been purged and Im pretty happy with our starting point. No pick hurts, hopefully Willy has a breakout year and that helps.

Looking forward to seeing Fisher work with some pieces here. He's a good leader. I think people will be suprised. This looks like a group that can take some lumps and plough through and get better. Its not all perfect but the board strokes are there. Fit in or move on. Melo has a lot in stake to make this work. The times he's been challenged here (after MDA quit for one) he's been best. I think with the young guys and the injury and the shots at him we see the best Melo we have seen. Unless his body fails him (and us)

I agree with this.

I said it in another thread - but I think Melo will be in good shape to start the season. If the team responds and plays well, I think he'll stick it out here. If it's another disaster or rough season, I do think he and Phil will agree on a path to get him traded by mid-season or next summer.

But I think there's a lot of pieces that can help Melo next season. Afflalo may be the best #2 scorer Melo has ever played with in NY, as crazy and sad as that is, considering Amar'e was always hurt/injured/etc. He certainly fits better alongside Melo than Amar'e did.

How well KP and Grant develop will be a big factor in the season and exciting to watch.

People here obsess and focus on Melo's negatives so much all focus and perspective have been lost. Melo has only played 2 losing seasons in the NBA, his last two with the Knicks. He's good guy and does charity work. He's liked and respected by his peers and teammates. He's been better here than in Denver. If people can look past his tshirts, golden mooby avatars and reading between the one line of his tweets to measure his emotional state they might remember he's a pretty good ball player. He will be a very good player for us next year and I look forward to having that caliber of talent playing well on the roster again.

This is a win win for us. If he squirms his way off the roster fine, lets get good value. If he plays well and the Knicks start winning again thats ideal for all parties invovled. If he's healthy and we get 65 healthy games from Lopez, Calderon and Afflalo the Knicks will be a playoff team.

People must really not understand why Phil wanted to keep an asset like Melo on the roster. Now that he's upgraded the rest of the roster having Melo will be of far more value than last year when the team wasn't able to play at a high enough level. Melo played on one leg and was still the best player on the team. Now this roster is much more reliable IMO. I think his presence will make things easier for KP and Jerian. They have talent but they're not ready to carry the entire load. Melo can help ease their development.

Also as you stated the other vets will be able to provide quality support which we didn't get last year. The rotation is significantly upgraded and a better fit for the system and each other. More lunchpail guys too. Better defenders and rebounders.

Obviously they havent been watching your youtube videos

HA! Well yes I do love the YouTube. A picture's worth a thousand words.