holfresh wrote:Lopez and Calderon are dead money..Lopez doesn't play in the 4th or crunch time..A complete waste of 20 mil per..Every point that Calderon scores he gives up two on the other end..

We're not even 1/5 of the way through the first season, and already it's a complete waste?

franco12 wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:The biggest difference is in his scoring, which I'm hoping will return to normal with time. Right now he's hitting 45% of his shots when he's normally closer to 55%. And he's at 11 vs. 14 (career) points per 36.

is that the offense we're running?

I'm ok with Lopez, but I think our coaching staff needs to do a better job of getting contributions out of Lopez & Williams. To me, it seems there is talent there that maybe is being utilized/expressed.

2 of our major 4 free agents are basically not playing and Lopez minutes are dwindling. We got much more out of the draft the last two years than we did FA.

BRIGGS wrote:

franco12 wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:The biggest difference is in his scoring, which I'm hoping will return to normal with time. Right now he's hitting 45% of his shots when he's normally closer to 55%. And he's at 11 vs. 14 (career) points per 36.

is that the offense we're running?

I'm ok with Lopez, but I think our coaching staff needs to do a better job of getting contributions out of Lopez & Williams. To me, it seems there is talent there that maybe is being utilized/expressed.

2 of our major 4 free agents are basically not playing and Lopez minutes are dwindling. We got much more out of the draft the last two years than we did FA.

I think this goes to show how wise it was to spread our FA money around rather than going all in on one player.

Lopez plays a role - I think I would sign him again- maybe for the money if pressed. But who else was there with his standing & open to signing with us?

BRIGGS wrote:

franco12 wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:The biggest difference is in his scoring, which I'm hoping will return to normal with time. Right now he's hitting 45% of his shots when he's normally closer to 55%. And he's at 11 vs. 14 (career) points per 36.

is that the offense we're running?

I'm ok with Lopez, but I think our coaching staff needs to do a better job of getting contributions out of Lopez & Williams. To me, it seems there is talent there that maybe is being utilized/expressed.

2 of our major 4 free agents are basically not playing and Lopez minutes are dwindling. We got much more out of the draft the last two years than we did FA.

He's made MElo better with his screens, he's made KP better with his boxing out and drawing attention on the glass... watch the games, he's better than his humbers and a huge part of the good things the Knicks are doing.

franco12 wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

franco12 wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:The biggest difference is in his scoring, which I'm hoping will return to normal with time. Right now he's hitting 45% of his shots when he's normally closer to 55%. And he's at 11 vs. 14 (career) points per 36.

is that the offense we're running?

I'm ok with Lopez, but I think our coaching staff needs to do a better job of getting contributions out of Lopez & Williams. To me, it seems there is talent there that maybe is being utilized/expressed.

2 of our major 4 free agents are basically not playing and Lopez minutes are dwindling. We got much more out of the draft the last two years than we did FA.

I think this goes to show how wise it was to spread our FA money around rather than going all in on one player.

Lopez plays a role - I think I would sign him again- maybe for the money if pressed. But who else was there with his standing & open to signing with us?

Yes, that. Who else was signing at C that is smart enough to work in the Triangle, sets picks to free up the likes of Melo, Jose, tough enough to absorb all of the punishment given by the 5's in the league? Dude does all of the dirty work when playing. Over the next few years, his contract for C will be super under valued.

I still want to say that Rolo is not 100% healthy. Notice he is wearing a sleeve on one knee. These are highlights from last year, he was dunking with authority, haven't see that same guy this year.

knicks1248 wrote:

He almost looks like the geico cavemen...lol

Oh my!!

mreinman wrote:

fishmike wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:

franco12 wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:The biggest difference is in his scoring, which I'm hoping will return to normal with time. Right now he's hitting 45% of his shots when he's normally closer to 55%. And he's at 11 vs. 14 (career) points per 36.

is that the offense we're running?

I'm ok with Lopez, but I think our coaching staff needs to do a better job of getting contributions out of Lopez & Williams. To me, it seems there is talent there that maybe is being utilized/expressed.

2 of our major 4 free agents are basically not playing and Lopez minutes are dwindling. We got much more out of the draft the last two years than we did FA.

actually ALL our guys are playing. Are you not watching? Worst thing I can say is Lopez is underutilized, but he's been very good. Excellent defense, enforcer, physical play, hard fouls, protects KP... he's been a great fit. There will be games and matchups when he plays less an others we lean on him more. He's a nice player to have and Im glad he's in the fold.

He's made MElo better with his screens, he's made KP better with his boxing out and drawing attention on the glass... watch the games, he's better than his humbers and a huge part of the good things the Knicks are doing.

Spot on!

Think about if we would swap him out for amare of two years ago, we would stink ... swap him out for monroe or another non defender, same thing.

Lopez' teams always win, does not always show up in the box but if you watch the game, you would see his value and leadership.

+1 and one.

Even just listening to games on the radio, Lopez has an impact. Especially when KP is on the floor at the same time. This is going to continue to get better and make things better. It's been stated over and over again that Phil got us some lunch pail guys who are going to complement the stat fillers we have. Rolo is the top of those guys. And not just in protecting KP; I may be drastically overstating the case, but from what I can hear, he's going to absorb at least some of the punishment Melo would be taking night in and night out from your random opposing bigs.

I love the "dwindling minutes argument". First we hear about how Pops is a genius for limiting minutes in the regular season, now minutes is the key to a 14 million dollar investment. Maybe we should look into paying FA's by the hour...

BRIGGS wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:Lopez worth is not all in the numbers

Nope you make 14mm you need to give the 10-7 every night or close to it. He has done it in some games but this run he is on his last 4 has been poor to say the least. He needs to step up--its not acceptable to get 1-4 from Lopez. Were winning in spite of his poor recent play. He needs to be part of the offense and make some plays.

Start watching him very closely. Watch how he constantly boxes out and literally lets every rebound fall to another player. He doesn't care about his stats at all. Nothing wrong with having a player like that. Porzingis and Melo will get most of the boards, Lopez will just box out and make smart plays that won't get credited in the box score.

BRIGGS wrote:We mightve caught him on the beginning of the downside of his career. We paid 14mm for what? Hes got to step up and be more consistent and give more to the team. This team is winning with defense and some smoke and mirrors on offense.

Briggs strikes again. Excellent thread topic. You are great at starting a discussion.......Unfortunately I respecfully disagree.

Lopez is one of the few bigs willing to sacrifice his scoring and usage, to be the teams glue guy. We had to over pay him because, there were no other options, and he was willing to sacrifice his glory for others, by doing the dirty work. Lopez is similar to a high paying offensive linemen.....You never give those guys credit when the RB's goes off for 200 plus yards. Lopez is in the trenches, taking and giving elbows all game. It's not pretty, but it's affective.

He box out, someone else gets the rebound.
He sets a pick, someone else scores the bucket.

He's the ultimate teammate to have. Never complains about minutes or points. Just clocks in and clocks out. Leadership at it's best, without being a locker room cancer. You rarely find that these days.

He's also a mentor for KP and the other bigs. He's commited to NYC and loyal to his teammates.

Everybody doesn't have to score, to win games. Lopez provides that balance in an era where buckets is how you get the big contract. Phil was smart to pay for a role player at the most critical position on the court.

Jose is also providing value....He's the same way. You can pull these guys in and out of the lineup like a yo yo....and guess what....They will never be a locker room cancer.....And will always be ready when their number is called.

Phill is smarter than I thought. Thats called old school strategies of building a team. You need these guys around chuckers like Melo. Otherwise, you will have locker room cancers like Amari, hitting fire extinguishers.

fishmike wrote:

blkexec wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:We mightve caught him on the beginning of the downside of his career. We paid 14mm for what? Hes got to step up and be more consistent and give more to the team. This team is winning with defense and some smoke and mirrors on offense.

Briggs strikes again. Excellent thread topic. You are great at starting a discussion.......Unfortunately I respecfully disagree.

Lopez is one of the few bigs willing to sacrifice his scoring and usage, to be the teams glue guy. We had to over pay him because, there were no other options, and he was willing to sacrifice his glory for others, by doing the dirty work. Lopez is similar to a high paying offensive linemen.....You never give those guys credit when the RB's goes off for 200 plus yards. Lopez is in the trenches, taking and giving elbows all game. It's not pretty, but it's affective.

He box out, someone else gets the rebound.
He sets a pick, someone else scores the bucket.

He's the ultimate teammate to have. Never complains about minutes or points. Just clocks in and clocks out. Leadership at it's best, without being a locker room cancer. You rarely find that these days.

He's also a mentor for KP and the other bigs. He's commited to NYC and loyal to his teammates.

Everybody doesn't have to score, to win games. Lopez provides that balance in an era where buckets is how you get the big contract. Phil was smart to pay for a role player at the most critical position on the court.

Jose is also providing value....He's the same way. You can pull these guys in and out of the lineup like a yo yo....and guess what....They will never be a locker room cancer.....And will always be ready when their number is called.

Phill is smarter than I thought. Thats called old school strategies of building a team. You need these guys around chuckers like Melo. Otherwise, you will have locker room cancers like Amari, hitting fire extinguishers.

are you watching the games? Melo is leading the team in assists, other guys are getting shots before he looks for his, they are featuring other guys early in the game before Melo... seems some folks really struggle with simply acknowledging Melo is a very good basketball player.

Call it hero ball, chucking, whatever... but yes, Melo plays very poorly on bad team. He also plays great with better teammates as demonstrated in the olympics, all star games and season's where his team has been very good. They werent winning in spite of him.

They're winning games when he isn't the central focal point. When he's the "Robin" and deferring and doing the other things like diving on the floor and battling for rebounds and dishing is the version of Melo we've all been waiting for.

KP is helping Melo transition into the proper "sidekick" role, gracefully.