nixluva wrote:

misterearl wrote:Yellowboy - outstanding

Here's the thing, we need to find cheap players who can function in this system and give us a good cost to performance ratio. We're not expecting them to be superstars. So why piss on the idea that a kid like Shved could be a good fit on this team? It's being negative for no other reason than to be negative. So far he's been pretty good considering he just got here and is picking this up on the fly. People act like he has no talent and that's no true. He does have talent. Perhaps he hasn't had a chance to really put it all together yet. Perhaps this is a good situation for him to settle into a solid role and to show what he can do.

NBA Comparison: Penny Hardaway
Strengths: A 6-7 natural point guard with immense upside ... A real competitor, also very smart. Charismatic ... Really has a great feel for the game at a young age ... Has it all offensively with the ability to shoot off the dribble with range as well as take it to the basket ... Tremendous passer and ball handler ... Has a nasty crossover and handles the ball well against the quickest of defenders ... Makes the game look very easy ... Creates baskets for his teammates and makes those around him better ... Very bouncy, good leaper with huge wingspan ... Looks very young. Could still be growing ... Has huge hands giving him added control over the ball ... Applies himself defensively and shows good instincts staying in front of his man and not biting on fakes ... One of the top overall prospects in all of Europe ...

Weaknesses: His frame is very long but his shoulders are narrow and he is very skinny ... May never be a very strong player, but as a point guard, that's less important ... Added strength will allow him to drive to the basket and absorb contact better ... He'll also be able to use his size better on the boards ... Being from Russia, he has some hurdles to cross as a number of recent Russian players (besides AK47) have struggled to make the transition to the NBA/USA culture ...

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/alexey-shved

Finding a Niche for Alexey Shved
June 23, 2010

Shved flourished in a bigger role this season, averaging 10 points and nearly 4 assists in about 22 minutes per game--impressive numbers for a 21-year-old in the ultra-competitive Russian league. He got to the free throw line at a good rate, shot 55% inside the arc and ranked as the second best distributor per-minute in the Superleague. The assist numbers stand out in particular because he wasn’t always Dynamo’s primary ball handler in his time on the floor. He often shared those duties with fellow Russian backcourt mates Sergey Bykov and Dmitriy Khvostov.

Watching Shved play, it’s tough not to be enamored with the terrific talent he displays, particularly his ability to play the pick-and-roll and operate in the open floor. He’s got great size for either backcourt position at 6-5 and is an extremely fluid, creative player with the ability to create his own shot, which is rare for a European prospect. He has all the typical tricks you see from Euro-style slashers, relying heavily on timing, pace, change of speed and herky-jerky shakes and crossovers to get his man off balance, but he also has an extra gear he can go to to get by his man using either hand, particularly in transition.

In this regard, his style of play is very similar to the way Goran Dragic played for Phoenix this season. Shved is an even better passer, though. He instinctively makes smart, simple passes within the flow of the offense, but he can also wow you at times with his imagination and his ability to thread the needle and find the open man diving to the rim for an easy basket.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alexey-Shved-1097/

Wow, that right up is interesting. What really jumps out at me is that is what written 5 years ago. The likely hood of him becoming a nice player is very low. Even if he finishes the season well that could just be a hot stretch. If he wants to except minimum money then great. I am all for him getting a non-guranteed vet-min contract.

yellowboy90 wrote:

nixluva wrote:

misterearl wrote:Yellowboy - outstanding

Here's the thing, we need to find cheap players who can function in this system and give us a good cost to performance ratio. We're not expecting them to be superstars. So why piss on the idea that a kid like Shved could be a good fit on this team? It's being negative for no other reason than to be negative. So far he's been pretty good considering he just got here and is picking this up on the fly. People act like he has no talent and that's no true. He does have talent. Perhaps he hasn't had a chance to really put it all together yet. Perhaps this is a good situation for him to settle into a solid role and to show what he can do.

NBA Comparison: Penny Hardaway
Strengths: A 6-7 natural point guard with immense upside ... A real competitor, also very smart. Charismatic ... Really has a great feel for the game at a young age ... Has it all offensively with the ability to shoot off the dribble with range as well as take it to the basket ... Tremendous passer and ball handler ... Has a nasty crossover and handles the ball well against the quickest of defenders ... Makes the game look very easy ... Creates baskets for his teammates and makes those around him better ... Very bouncy, good leaper with huge wingspan ... Looks very young. Could still be growing ... Has huge hands giving him added control over the ball ... Applies himself defensively and shows good instincts staying in front of his man and not biting on fakes ... One of the top overall prospects in all of Europe ...

Weaknesses: His frame is very long but his shoulders are narrow and he is very skinny ... May never be a very strong player, but as a point guard, that's less important ... Added strength will allow him to drive to the basket and absorb contact better ... He'll also be able to use his size better on the boards ... Being from Russia, he has some hurdles to cross as a number of recent Russian players (besides AK47) have struggled to make the transition to the NBA/USA culture ...

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/alexey-shved

Finding a Niche for Alexey Shved
June 23, 2010

Shved flourished in a bigger role this season, averaging 10 points and nearly 4 assists in about 22 minutes per game--impressive numbers for a 21-year-old in the ultra-competitive Russian league. He got to the free throw line at a good rate, shot 55% inside the arc and ranked as the second best distributor per-minute in the Superleague. The assist numbers stand out in particular because he wasn’t always Dynamo’s primary ball handler in his time on the floor. He often shared those duties with fellow Russian backcourt mates Sergey Bykov and Dmitriy Khvostov.

Watching Shved play, it’s tough not to be enamored with the terrific talent he displays, particularly his ability to play the pick-and-roll and operate in the open floor. He’s got great size for either backcourt position at 6-5 and is an extremely fluid, creative player with the ability to create his own shot, which is rare for a European prospect. He has all the typical tricks you see from Euro-style slashers, relying heavily on timing, pace, change of speed and herky-jerky shakes and crossovers to get his man off balance, but he also has an extra gear he can go to to get by his man using either hand, particularly in transition.

In this regard, his style of play is very similar to the way Goran Dragic played for Phoenix this season. Shved is an even better passer, though. He instinctively makes smart, simple passes within the flow of the offense, but he can also wow you at times with his imagination and his ability to thread the needle and find the open man diving to the rim for an easy basket.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Alexey-Shved-1097/

Wow, that right up is interesting. What really jumps out at me is that is what written 5 years ago. The likely hood of him becoming a nice player is very low. Even if he finishes the season well that could just be a hot stretch. If he wants to except minimum money then great. I am all for him getting a non-guranteed vet-min contract.

Here's the thing, Shved hasn't really been in the league that long. He's in his 3rd year and hasn't really had a chance to fully develop his NBA game. This represents his best shot so far in terms of minutes played. It looks like he could be a very productive player with solid minutes. He's not suddenly going to forget how to pass or drive effectively. The only thing he needs to do is hit his shots and play hard on D. It seems clear to me that he's been doing things he's already proven he can do, with the exception of hitting his shots at a decent %.

jrodmc - Mozgov is no project. He is a solid starter that gives the Cavs something we sorely lack. A center.

There is no hint of pining or pine brothers. It is a cautionary tale about continuity.

I miss Marcus Camby.

jrodmc - just to be clear, The Answer Man recommends clearing the decks of any Knicks player older than 27. If the idea is to change the culture, the change must be sincere and include guys with the passion of places like Virginia Union (Oakley), Tennessee State (Dick Barnett, Mase), Winston Salem State (Earl Monroe, scout Clarence Gaines Jr.) and Grambling (Willis).

Our future will not be paved with big ticket free agents, baseball card wet fantasy trades or high draft picks labelled as saviors. It will be paved with back stories resembling Galloway's and Shved's and *Amundson's (*making an age exemption for him). Somebody betta do some serious (home)work up in here.

We have a long way to go.

blkexec - it was not Dolan who was reluctant to include Mozgov, it was Donnie Walsh. Dolan overruled Walsh and threw in Donnie's Russian discovery. Walsh had enough of meddling, he resigned NYC and went back to Indiana.

Excellent points on the importance of having a solid core player in the middle.

nixluva wrote:We're in a totally different world now with Phil here. He's going to be looking to build a team similar in structure to some of his past teams. The reason that Galloway and Shved are important is that it follows some of the very proven rules of his past teams. Guards who can make all the passes with good size and length. Good Defense and a threat to shoot the open shot. While Shved isn't exactly Pippen but he's got good size and quick feet and is FAR SUPERIOR to Jose on D IMO. The key part is what these guys bring to the overall flow of the offense and effort on defense. It so far looks a good bit better and gives confidence that as we improve the talent we should see better results.

Nix....this is the problem with Knick "who wants to tank" fans. The more we find guys that fit the system, the more wins we get. The more wins we get, the possibility of getting a top pick decreases. So Knick "who wants to tank" fans will blow a head gasket when the lottery gods give us pick 5 or 6. 100 threads of I told you so will spring up.

We can't have our cake and eat it too....So it looks like Phil doesn't build his team through the draft. He builds his teams through free agency. He will probably select 1 player with the most upside, hoping they impact the game like Jordan or Kobe....But use the free agent market to find players like Horry, Paxson, Horace Grant, etc....and set the team up for a plug and play superstar.

You have to understand who your GM is and how he operates. That will help reduce the level of tension knick fans are experiencing. It's really a waste of energy, from what I'm reading.

(current roster spots under 29 years old)

Cole Aldrich, 26 third center next season, maybe
Alexey Shved, 26 nice cameo, would like to see more of him
Lance Thomas, 26 needs Summer League minutes and to work on his shot, bench depth... maybe

Quincy Acy, 24 may not make roster, pine brother
Travis Wear 24 see Quincy Acy
Cleanthony Early 23 see Quincy Acy

Langston Galloway, 23 Mr. Clutch can stay
Tim Hardaway Jr., 22 has work to do on defense, possibly gone
Shane Larkin, 22 gone

Of these kids, only five will hang around next season. Aldrich, Shved, Galloway, Hardaway and Thomas.