martin wrote:Finestrg wrote:
I guess Swish was talking about me -- sure, I've probably been overly positive on Jimmer but WTF man -- look at what we're dealing with here. Jose and Sasha have been DREADFUL! How much longer do we continue going with these two? STARTING them no less?? I understand AA will be back soon and that the G2 backcourt has been impressive but we're still gonna need at least one more productive guard added to the mix. No way around it...I'm not averse to adding Jimmer right now. Let's see what he can do. If he didn't work out--cut him and move on. Simple as that...What if he did pan out though? What if we catch some lightning in a bottle? What if we uncover a good role player here a-la Steve Kerr/John Paxson? Or what if we're looking at more than that? What if he thrives coming back home, starts to really feed off the crowd, regains his swagger, etc. Would anyone be against that happening? I wouldn't...I know this: just like Jeremy Lin, if Jimmer played well, NY would eat him up. He'd become a sensation here. I honestly think there's potential for that to occur. And even if we didn't have another 'Linsanity' situation on our hands, I think he could still be a good role player for this team...With our current backcourt trouble, this is worth the tiny bit of risk (which equates to nothing more than a small amount of Dolan's money--what other risk is there??). We even have an open roster spot--no one would have to be cut!!! We're approaching this way too cautiously imo -- dive right in an let's see what he's got. No need for a DL tryout imo. Enough with the respect for Calderon and Vujacic -- I don't care how long a player's been around or how much they make--if you're not producing, you shouldn't be playing. Am I right or what? How long does Fish wait to make adjustments? I mean, come on fellas--this isn't last year--there are wins and losses at stake here now.. I'm willing to bet Fredette would be a better option over Jose and Sasha. Is that so hard to believe?? If no one else feels that way, OK--you're all entitled to your opinions. But this is how I feel and I stand by it. This is a complete no-brainer upside move. Nothing to lose here at all from where I'm standing, only something to gain.
It's not as simple as that. You just can't plug and play guys, it's a process and certain types of players need to earn spots and convince coaches that they deserve playing time. This is not JR dominating in China waiting for his contract to finish up so he can pick up where he left off in the NBA. This is a failed player who has had multiple opportunities to show his stuff and has repeatedly failed. Jimmer is going to need to show it at the DLeague level, both shooting and understanding the offense and not be defensive siv.
You bring in Jimmer and give him minutes and the guys who have been working hard, from Jose to AA to Sasha to Grant to Gallo to everyone else will all start to not trust the coaching staff, point blank. There are humans and competitors and this is not some video game.
I know it's not a video game. By your logic, we can't possibly import any help because we'll run the risk of offending certain players (who exactly? The ones not playing well??) and losing an entire locker room?? Is that right?? Wow... Sorry, but I just don't see it like that at all. We owe Jose and Sasha nothing. Absolutely nothing. Those are the 2 players we're talking about replacing with better options and it's something we could do right now very easily -- no waiting for next year. I honestly think it is as simple as that. Phil/Fisher LOVE these guys--that's the problem. Phil traded for Calderon knowing full well his age and salary were detriments and then they decided to throw one of their former teammates, Sasha, a huge bone. Personally, I didn't like either acquisition. Not sure too many GMs out there would've made either of those moves. I'd even be willing to bet deep down Phil now regrets the Calderon move and I bet he may feel the same about Vujacic very soon. So now what, we have them so we're forced to live with them and their shortcomings? You might be good with that, man, but I'm not.
Two schools of thought here I suppose: (1) remain super patient and hope that Jose miraculously turns it around and that Sasha starts playing a much higher %, better brand of basketball (how likely is this, honestly? You feel good about those prospects? I don't at all. I see the writing on the wall with both guys already. I mean how can you not?? Jose's not even trying to shoot his way out of it, something I called for in a thread a few days back--I thought that could maybe be a remedy for him. Part of me still feels that way. We just haven't seen it. The only thing this dude can really do now is shoot the ball. So let's see it--shoot the damn ball more!! He's less than useless if he's not looking for his shot. You know the adage 'make yourself useful'? Well that's what I'd like to see Jose do, make himself useful. Ahh, who am I kidding with that though--even if he did hit some jumpers, he'd just give it right back at the other end) and Sasha just doesn't look good at all. He looks outclassed and overmatched. Both starting guards do. Sasha isn't hitting any shots -- we need this dude to be a perimeter threat and he just isn't right now. And not only that, the evidence has shown he's been a low % offensive player for awhile now...The other school of thought (2) identify the weaknesses on the roster and work feverishly to address them with whatever class of player and amount of cap room available to us. Even if I had to cycle through several low-salary options before I came up with a solution that could help, that's what I'd be prepared to do. Other teams utilize this method to great effect. The Knicks never seem to see it that way.. And who cares that it's only 4 games in? I don't. I'd prefer mgmt. not sit on their hands and play the 'let's wait and see' game with things. Not my style.. When I see something that's not working and has little chance to work, I'll call for change. Believe me, I'm not the only one. Half the beat writers and blog writers out there have the same concerns. Doesn't mean I'm some impatient lunatic. I'm willing to be patient with a lot of things -- both our rookies, Derrick Williams, Fisher as a coach, even Phil as president...
The backcourt needs at least one more guard, even with AA. No way around it...I mean we never even finalized this roster -- we still have one spot open. Are we good enough--specifically, is our backcourt good enough to not go to war with a full 15 players?? No way, man. We're not. We could use the help. All hands on deck...I think it would've been nice to have a Travis Trice or a Thanasis Antetokounmpo to turn to right now with Jose and Sasha not playing well (thank God both are still with us at the DL level--I personally see bright futures for both). Or a Jimmer Fredette (a FA who can sign with anyone whenever he wants to btw--wouldn't it suck if he played great in the DL for a week or two and some GM came along and offered him a guaranteed contract? Money talks, man. Bye-bye Fredette if that happens. It'd be another Mo N'Dour all over again, except this time we could really use the player in question). All I'm saying, man. I don't think you lose an entire locker room with a move to fill the 15th roster spot with a player than could be better than someone you already have. No one would even be getting cut. Let's bring in a Jimmer Fredette, a Bryce Cotton or a Jabari Brown and see if they outplay Jose and Sasha in practice. Let's start there. I bet any of those guys could. Look back to the preseason -- it seemed like every time you turned around, the reserves were kicking the starters' asses, and look what's happened--that trend's carried over into the regular season. Getting AA back will fix some things but not all of them -- Jose will still probably be the starting PG (or the backup if Fish ever gets around to promoting Grant) and Sasha may still be getting mins. as a backup (at whose expense btw? Galloway's? Man, I hope not. That dude looks much improved and is a much better option). How long are you prepared to wait for adjustments? Again, like I said before, wins and loses are at stake now, so is relinquishing our first round pick to a division rival that's already off to a 4-0 start (Toronto), so forgive me for feeling uneasy about Jose and Sasha's poor play game after game thusfar.
11/9/2015 12:05 PM LAST EDITED: 11/9/2015 12:06 PM