misterearl wrote:Role Model

nixluva - making a "major improvement" could be considered doubling the win total or making the playoffs. Given the uncertainty of Melo's health, and the competition from other franchises who have money to spend, makes two high-end free agents who instantly mesh, highly unlikely.

McAdoo and Spence Haywood were supposed to be great. Allan Houston and Antonio McDyess were slated to be best buddies. Sometimes, it just does not go according to fantasy.

Managing expectations allows one to see what is, not just what is a projection of trading card perfection.

Sheed and Galloway share a positive temperament. They are relatively inexpensive, and fit the Answer Man's criteria of being 27 and under. It takes two to make a thing go right.

May just one of the coveted free agents we sign have the defensive tenacity of Anthony Mason, and be similarly versatile and unselfish as he was on offense.

We have a 1st rd pick and money to bring in the right Free Agents to improve the team. Unlike those past situations this time it's not just a patch job. There's an overarching plan to how this team should be built. Because we're starting with a system and one that has a clear history for what kind of players work best in this system, it makes team building a lot less of a guessing game. You pretty much know which kind of players will work in this system. That's what we're seeing now. Phil has been bringing in players that have the right skills, mentality and BB IQ for the system and even tho they aren't top talents you can already see how that works when you put the right kind of players in this system. These players may not be great but you can see how their talents are maximized playing this way. Now Phil has to find even more talented players who have a similar set of skills and mentality only just more talented.

I'm just tired of this perspective on things. We are not doomed to failure just cuz it's the Knicks!!!

nixluva - your reading comprehension needs serious work. Nowhere was it written the knicks are doomed to fail.

You might consider reading exactly what was stated, be open to another point of view, before rushing to defend the company line. Nothing is guaranteed.

If a general manager can build one player at a time, without any mistakes, he is a genius. It just does not happen. No general manager, in any sport, is EVER perfect. First round selections (some times, even number one picks) go bust every year.

This is not trading cards or fantasy league.

CrushALot - can you please define "significant improvement"?

misterearl wrote:Realistic

nixluva - your reading comprehension needs serious work. Nowhere was it written the knicks are doomed to fail.

You might consider reading exactly what was stated, be open to another point of view, before rushing to defend the company line. Nothing is guaranteed.

If a general manager can build one player at a time, without any mistakes, he is a genius. It just does not happen. No general manager, in any sport, is EVER perfect. First round selections (some times, even number one picks) go bust every year.

This is not trading cards or fantasy league.

OH PLEASE! I happen to have excellent reading comprehension and I can also read between the lines to what people really mean even when they're trying to sound like they're being reasonable. What you're saying is actually no different than all the other naysayers preaching doom and gloom. Why the hell are you talking about all the things that could go wrong even tho that's not necessarily the most likely outcome? Sure not every move a GM makes works out 100% perfect, but can we cut the BS for a second and at least acknowledge that there's a pretty good chance that the team will be a heck of a lot better next year with an influx of talent? Everyone is basing their opinions off the failure to start the year which is fine but I don't put too much weight into that. I think he's much more clear on what he's looking to do now.

For one thing by now it should be clear to you and the other naysayers that Phil has a system and a blueprint for what kind of players have a chance to work in his system. That actually makes his task a good deal less hit and miss. He knows what he's looking for to fulfill certain roles on this team. Now yes sometimes it doesn't work out, but you can tell from what has gone on with the team that for the most part what he's looking to do can work. Phil's not lost or out of his depth. He needs a little bit of luck in the draft and good preparation to get FA right.

Why do we have to act like we don't know what kind of players Phil will be looking to bring in. What kind of skills and BB IQ it takes to excel in this system. We're watching the team right now and we can see what hasn't worked and what is working to a certain degree. I don't wanna hear any BS about McAdoo and Haywood or Allan Houston and McDyess. Those situations have nothing to do with this one nor are they predictive in any way on what is gonna happen this summer.