GodSaveTheKnicks wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

GodSaveTheKnicks wrote:From the Tommy Dee piece. http://www.theknicksblog.com/2012/02/09/how-melo-and-amare-will-fit-the-celtics-model/

So it would seem that Amar’e will be a fit, which leaves us with Melo, who has to assume the Paul Pierce roll in all of this. Pierce knows when his touches are coming and he learned this very quickly with Rondo in Rondo’s rookie year. Credit Rondo for this, but also Pierce as well. Pierce has learned to CLOSE possessions not DOMINATE them. That’s a Hall of Fame and champion quality.

That takes selflessness.

I don't usually agree with Tommy Dee, but that's a pretty good point.

Yeah I hope people don't go to overboard and say we don't need Melo and Stat to win.

Every team needs someone they can throw the ball to at the end of the shot clock who can create for himself. Especially in the playoffs where teams have plenty of time to learn your go to plays and you have often improvise when plays break down.

I guess the point of the MDA system is supposed to be that instead of all set plays he instills a set of principles so supposedly everyone on offense is on the same page and knows what to do when the 1st or 2nd or 3rd options on a possession are taken away.

The last time I had this much fun watching the Knicks play was when Amare was rolling off that crazy streak of games and Felton/Stoneface Chandler/Gallo etc were contributing too.

Ive often thought that a Melo/Amare combo in an effective SSOL spacing type offense would be epic.

Everyone knows Amare is a P&R player and will fit perfectly w/ Lin. Its Melo we need to buy in, and him watching these guys win games with this style can only help.

Knixkik wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

GodSaveTheKnicks wrote:From the Tommy Dee piece. http://www.theknicksblog.com/2012/02/09/how-melo-and-amare-will-fit-the-celtics-model/

So it would seem that Amar’e will be a fit, which leaves us with Melo, who has to assume the Paul Pierce roll in all of this. Pierce knows when his touches are coming and he learned this very quickly with Rondo in Rondo’s rookie year. Credit Rondo for this, but also Pierce as well. Pierce has learned to CLOSE possessions not DOMINATE them. That’s a Hall of Fame and champion quality.

That takes selflessness.

I don't usually agree with Tommy Dee, but that's a pretty good point.

It is great they pointed out the Celtics Model. This is what the Knicks need to become. They have the center the celtics lacked in this offense, they just need a real shooter at the SG position.

It's also nice that now that we have our Rondo/Nash/PG our front's about 150 years younger than the Celts.

I like the Tyson Jaw Protrusion; reminiscent of Spree...

MaTT4281 wrote:I love reading people bring up how poor the competition was the past 3 games. Remind me, which of these teams are we that much better than without STAT and Melo?

LA is going to be rough on Friday. I don't think Kobe let's himself become a victim to this Linsane phenomenon, but our D-League bench is on fire right now. Keep the fire burning for Amar'e and Melo's returns.

not to mention, the pre-lin stat'n'melo version of our team BARELY squeaked by that same washington team in DC about three weeks ago. and lost badly to a sad bucks team that is much worse than utah. and lost badly to the raptors.

i hope stat and melo are watching and realizing that they CAN fit in, but this team is not JUST about them.

Swishfm3 wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:Also our defense will take a hit when Amare replaces Jeffries in the starting lineup. As hard as Amare tries on occasion he just does not have the defensive instincts

BINGO.

People say Amare will fit in nicely but, the way Tyson is playing the PnR with Lin, do we really need him? Melo, with his outside shooting will fit in fine with Lin driving and dishing. Amare is the one that is the odd man out.

An extra weapon never hurts. How many P&R attempts did Jeffries get the past few games? (And more specifically, how many P&R attempts has Jeffries blown?)

It's not like JJ won't see the minutes. He definitely helps shore up the bench when Tyson gets in foul trouble.

fishmike wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

MaTT4281 wrote:I love reading people bring up how poor the competition was the past 3 games. Remind me, which of these teams are we that much better than without STAT and Melo?

LA is going to be rough on Friday. I don't think Kobe let's himself become a victim to this Linsane phenomenon, but our D-League bench is on fire right now. Keep the fire burning for Amar'e and Melo's returns.

not to mention, the pre-lin stat'n'melo version of our team BARELY squeaked by that same washington team in DC about three weeks ago. and lost badly to a sad bucks team that is much worse than utah. and lost badly to the raptors.

i hope stat and melo are watching and realizing that they CAN fit in, but this team is not JUST about them.

I have ZERO concern over Amare. In fact if his mind wasnt elsewhere with his family Im quite sure he would be foaming at the mouth. Hmm... a good P&R guard who will run the offense? Yea... pretty sure Amare is going to be more than happy with that one.

What will be really interesting to watch is how this plays out with Melo, Lin and MDA. Will the winning continue? If it does will Melo and his touches take a happy backseat to sharing and winning? I think we learn a lot about Melo when he gets back from the groin injury

yeah, i'm not really worried about amar'e at all.

i'm terrified of melo. i think best case scenario is the knicks go on a hot streak when amar'e comes back and get some big wins without melo. hopefully that will get thru to him.

what kind of message would beating the lakers send? i don't see it happening, not with kobe in the garden on national tv... but it'd be a pretty awesome anouncement to melo that his ways are gonna need adjusting when he gets back.

JCrusher wrote:Look im a jeffries fan but you the best thing for this team is amare/lin. remember how great felton/amare was and how it turned amare in a MVP candidate. Melo is gonna be an issue. I know some melo fans might not want to hear it but as good of a player as melo can be he does slow the game down which sucks because lin has shown that he thrives with the up tempo style and the ball movement has been great

I get the feeling some Melo fans are more about Melo than Knicks.

Like that ridiculous 'congrats on the All-Star game Melo!!' thread. A guy on an 8-15 team shouldn't be on an All-Star game, period, and if you're congratulating him you have some work to do on your brain.

Nalod wrote:
Melo as a star is very attractive to many fans. They root for big numbers.

We root for wins.

Nice bit of sophistry there.

earthmansurfer wrote:

Nalod wrote:
Melo as a star is very attractive to many fans. They root for big numbers.

We root for wins.

Melo is not stupid and the team knows what was missing.

Remember Melo made a decision to want to play for mDA.

MDA is inflexible because he is a good coach. Thats right, he only knows his way and thats what good coaches do.

Sometimes its not a good fit and time to move on.

Or in the year of the Dragon you get a gift!

Yeah, fans root for big numbers. But most of us prefer winning. If you can get both then all the better.

I don't at all see Melo as a smart player or one who makes his teamates much better. Maybe a bit on the latter with his passing at times, but generally he prefers ISO - till now anyway. At the same time I don't see Melo as stupid, just a bit selfish. Now maybe this can change.

Melo came to NY first and DAntoni was the coach. I'm not sure he really wanted to play for him, but he did play for him in the Olympics I think, so maybe you are right.

MDA is damn inflexible and it's a big complaint I have. But when he gets the right pg, Like Lin, I think you will see his system take over. Got to give him some credit there.

Now that we have Lin, MDA is the right coach. I didn't like him before Lin and I wanted him gone, but not cause he was bad. Rather because he was inflexible and had the wrong PG and it's hard to find PG's for his system. We have to see what we can do with MDA and Lin. If the system changes Lin, though still great or good, might not be able to show what he has. He has given a lot of credit to the system.

Year of the Dragon baby!

Bonn1997 wrote:

earthmansurfer wrote:

Nalod wrote:
Melo as a star is very attractive to many fans. They root for big numbers.

We root for wins.

Melo is not stupid and the team knows what was missing.

Remember Melo made a decision to want to play for mDA.

MDA is inflexible because he is a good coach. Thats right, he only knows his way and thats what good coaches do.

Sometimes its not a good fit and time to move on.

Or in the year of the Dragon you get a gift!

Yeah, fans root for big numbers. But most of us prefer winning. If you can get both then all the better.

I don't at all see Melo as a smart player or one who makes his teamates much better. Maybe a bit on the latter with his passing at times, but generally he prefers ISO - till now anyway. At the same time I don't see Melo as stupid, just a bit selfish. Now maybe this can change.

Melo came to NY first and DAntoni was the coach. I'm not sure he really wanted to play for him, but he did play for him in the Olympics I think, so maybe you are right.

MDA is damn inflexible and it's a big complaint I have. But when he gets the right pg, Like Lin, I think you will see his system take over. Got to give him some credit there.

Now that we have Lin, MDA is the right coach. I didn't like him before Lin and I wanted him gone, but not cause he was bad. Rather because he was inflexible and had the wrong PG and it's hard to find PG's for his system. We have to see what we can do with MDA and Lin. If the system changes Lin, though still great or good, might not be able to show what he has. He has given a lot of credit to the system.

Year of the Dragon baby!

I'm not sure if it's selfishness or overconfidence. I think he thinks he's Ray Allen when he's taking jump-shots.

Self confidence he has for sure. But when you are shooting terribly (for weeks) and hurting and still taking shots, that is stupidity to me. The line isn't so fine between selfishness and confidence. All of these guys have self confidence (except maybe Douglas right now). This is what I worry about, Melo doesn't seem to think he should defer even when his game is off. The good thing (I hope) is that Lin is turning into something special, and he might just lead this team through some of the problems of the past.