Knixkik wrote:

jullybully21 wrote:

newyorker4ever wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

crzymdups wrote:Batum or Conley would be a godsend.

Sounds like the Nets will be bidding Conley up to the max though...

I'm a fan of Batum. My question is, how much of an upgrade is he over Afflalo? Huge upgrade or marginal upgrade?

I would ideally keep both in the case of Batum.

But to me Conley is the far more important guy to get.

I just think a lineup of

Conley
Afflalo
Melo
KP year 2
Rolo

could be an ECF team.

Conley is putting on a show in his first game back right now against the Pelicans with 15pts and 10 ast.

He played well. Also Jrue Holiday played well as well. If we had a a shot to acquire Jrue Holiday for nothing or Mike Conley, which one would everyone prefer?

Only problem with Holiday is he is always hurt, but i have always liked him otherwise. I was hoping the knicks drafted him in 2009 if Curry didn't fall to us. But injuries have really held him back after being an all-star.

I'm pretty convinced he's the guy we should go for.

Batum is an upgrade over Afflalo, but not as much as Conley would be over anything we have now. I don't want to pass on Conley on the off chance Westbrook might come here.

wargames wrote:

martin wrote:

LivingLegend wrote:

martin wrote:

nyknickzingis wrote:The right move.
If we can add either Conley, DeRozan or Batum to the SG or PG spots next season, while keeping Melo/Porzingis/Lopez/Williams for our front line, we'll be very very good.

man I don't see DeRozan outside of highlights but I just don't think he's a Phil type of guy. Always thought of him as a ball dominant guy without the passing. Am I wrong? How's his D?

His shooting from distance seems atrocious.

He is a ball dominant player but he does a few things we really need. He can get to the rim and he can get to the foul line.

He's a legit talent who would take scoring pressure/load off both Melo/KP. Is he ideal in our system -- probably not but if we can't get Conley/Batum/Horford --- DeRozan is probably next best target unless we are going discount shopping with a Bazemore/others.

I've been keeping a quiet eye on Bazemore but don't know what to think. He plays out of position at the SF spot, so he seems undersized there, but he's a fighter on D, lightening quick and can shoot outside. Atlanta runs a system, just not constant ISO PnR, so that's a good indication that he could move into the Triangle. And Bazemore would come much cheaper than those other guys, young too. I like him.

Conley would be the best FA position wise, but I still think the Knicks sit back until 2017 when you have legit star PG's like CP3, Westbrook, Curry available as well as guys like Teague and Hill. If he is the move I'm ok with it. Conley on the low has been a top 10 PG for a while now and could definitely contribute sooner than later. He would be the best guy to go after if the plan was to push to win as soon as possible.

Batum would be the best fit skill wise for the triangle now (3&D wing who is a great passer)and could take Lance's minutes and do a lot more with them. He would also let them put AA as the 6th man or play alongside AA and Melo in a small ball line up. Also Batum would be the best choice (imo) if the goal was to try and attract a star PG in 2017(CP3 is one of Melo's best friends, Westbrook use to be team mates with Fisher) a lineup of KP/Melo/Batum/AA/??? has to look pretty damn good to a ball dominant PG. also Knicks would have time to improve with Picks and Money being available sooner rather than later.

Bazemore would be a great get to go young and see if he could develop with Grant and KP in the future. He would also be cheaper and leave room to sign key players like AA and Dwill to larger/longer deals. If the goal is longterm he makes the most sense he has the highest potential and is younger.

I could see Phil going after any of these 3 for a variety of reasons. I hope whoever he get fits his plan for the team.

this is a good post. though i don't see Curry ever hitting the FA market. CP3 is somewhat interesting - that Clippers team always seems about a step away from implosion these days. Westbrook I could kinda see. Hill I'm not crazy about, but he'd be solid for the Triangle. Teague I like a lot. And maybe by 2017 we know Grant is a starter... who knows?

But I like the idea of Batum coming in and taking Lance Thomas's minutes, as well as some other minutes, obviously. I like Lance, but I think his 25-30 minutes per game are actually an area where we could seriously upgrade.

I'd be absolutely thrilled to add either Batum or Conley though. Unlike some of the unrealistic FA names guys were batting around here last year (Draymond Green and Danny Green!), I think getting one of Batum or Conley is actually somewhat realistic.

magicTs wrote:Batum and an elite PG alongside KP and Melo would be fantastic. We would be a huge threat in the East.

I'm more in line with getting players on good contracts - best bang for your buck than paying a guy superstar money when he isn't worth it. You look at us with guys like Afflalo, Calderon, Derrick Williams - all have been solid. They're being paid 4-8 million each and bringing it and worth the value. Lopez is also worth the contract he got. Easily movable via trade if we want to make one, and also not impacted the capspace for 2016 or 2017.

You sign a guy for 20-22 million, which is Carmelo money, and he doesn't fit in great or has a decline in his play (very possible with some of these free agents) you're screwed in many ways. That has been the Knicks mantra for years. It wouldn't shock me if Phil Jackson goes in with a mindset of getting a bargain from the players not named DeRozan, otherwise settling for quality role players that want to come in for reasonable 2-3 year deals.

I think Phil will want to max out Durant if he can. After that, I'll be surprised if he thinks DeRozan is worth 25 million a year. Batum is worth 20 million a year. Conley worth 20 million a year. That's basically close to Melo money. I think he makes a play for Durant, and after does what he did this past offseason. Maybe go after guys like Lance Stephenson, Mario Chalmers and possibly Parsons. We're a .500 caliber team as is, with improvement from Porzingis/Grant next year we're likely a 45-48 win team. Add some veteran solid free agents, we're as good as any team in the East not having Lebron James.

crzymdups wrote:Today, Langston's inspired play in the OTs showed what it could be like to have a PG like Conley full-time. Conley would bring that type of D, hustle, and penetration, but with more playmaking ability.

I'm pretty convinced he's the guy we should go for.

Batum is an upgrade over Afflalo, but not as much as Conley would be over anything we have now. I don't want to pass on Conley on the off chance Westbrook might come here.

Yeah i can agree with this. I just have to believe that these players do a lot of talking with each other off the court and have to have some inkling on what certain players are wanting to do when they're a free agent. Like you gotta think that Melo knows what some of his close friends are wanting to do when they hit free agency like D-Wade. I would have to think that if Phil wanted to go after D-Wade in the off season that he's already spoken to Melo about Melo finding out what his good buddy is thinking after this season. I'm just using Melo and D-Wade as an example here so i'm not trying to imply that we're going after D-Wade in the off season so don't anyone freak out on me but what i'm getting at is that there's gotta be a way for a guy like Melo to find out what some players are thinking like M.Conley or N.Batum or whoever and even if he doesn't know those two personally then he has to know someone that knows someone that could give him an idea of what certain players are thinking so he can report back to Phil.

Knixkik wrote:

crzymdups wrote:Batum or Conley would be a godsend.

Sounds like the Nets will be bidding Conley up to the max though...

I'm a fan of Batum. My question is, how much of an upgrade is he over Afflalo? Huge upgrade or marginal upgrade?

IMO he's a huge upgrade. Afflalo is a black hole Batum is an all around glue guy type player. Batum and Conley during the offseason would be a godsend. Big fan of both.

H1AND1 wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

crzymdups wrote:Batum or Conley would be a godsend.

Sounds like the Nets will be bidding Conley up to the max though...

I'm a fan of Batum. My question is, how much of an upgrade is he over Afflalo? Huge upgrade or marginal upgrade?

IMO he's a huge upgrade. Afflalo is a black hole Batum is an all around glue guy type player. Batum and Conley during the offseason would be a godsend. Big fan of both.

We can only afford one of those two. And even getting one should be considered a power move by Phil.

crzymdups wrote:

nyknickzingis wrote:

magicTs wrote:Batum and an elite PG alongside KP and Melo would be fantastic. We would be a huge threat in the East.

In theory, that PG could be Grant with a jumper. All we need from Grant is to improve his recognition of how to run the Triangle and mainly to improve his 3 point shot. The summer league and working on it all summer would go a long way. He has all the skills to attack the basket, to defend, to be a point guard. He needs the other stuff, to be a starter for us.

I'm more in line with getting players on good contracts - best bang for your buck than paying a guy superstar money when he isn't worth it. You look at us with guys like Afflalo, Calderon, Derrick Williams - all have been solid. They're being paid 4-8 million each and bringing it and worth the value. Lopez is also worth the contract he got. Easily movable via trade if we want to make one, and also not impacted the capspace for 2016 or 2017.

You sign a guy for 20-22 million, which is Carmelo money, and he doesn't fit in great or has a decline in his play (very possible with some of these free agents) you're screwed in many ways. That has been the Knicks mantra for years. It wouldn't shock me if Phil Jackson goes in with a mindset of getting a bargain from the players not named DeRozan, otherwise settling for quality role players that want to come in for reasonable 2-3 year deals.

I think Phil will want to max out Durant if he can. After that, I'll be surprised if he thinks DeRozan is worth 25 million a year. Batum is worth 20 million a year. Conley worth 20 million a year. That's basically close to Melo money. I think he makes a play for Durant, and after does what he did this past offseason. Maybe go after guys like Lance Stephenson, Mario Chalmers and possibly Parsons. We're a .500 caliber team as is, with improvement from Porzingis/Grant next year we're likely a 45-48 win team. Add some veteran solid free agents, we're as good as any team in the East not having Lebron James.

Durant is a complete pipe dream. He's not going anywhere.

20-22 Million was Carmelo money when the cap was $60M. The cap is going to be $90M this summer and $109M the summer after that. 20-22 Million is now Mike Conley, Nic Batum money. That's the reality.

If both AA and DW opt out of their final year which is expected and we re-sign both to more money which both will want then you can say bye bye to getting either Conley or Batum or any max guy.

newyorker4ever wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nyknickzingis wrote:

magicTs wrote:Batum and an elite PG alongside KP and Melo would be fantastic. We would be a huge threat in the East.

In theory, that PG could be Grant with a jumper. All we need from Grant is to improve his recognition of how to run the Triangle and mainly to improve his 3 point shot. The summer league and working on it all summer would go a long way. He has all the skills to attack the basket, to defend, to be a point guard. He needs the other stuff, to be a starter for us.

I'm more in line with getting players on good contracts - best bang for your buck than paying a guy superstar money when he isn't worth it. You look at us with guys like Afflalo, Calderon, Derrick Williams - all have been solid. They're being paid 4-8 million each and bringing it and worth the value. Lopez is also worth the contract he got. Easily movable via trade if we want to make one, and also not impacted the capspace for 2016 or 2017.

You sign a guy for 20-22 million, which is Carmelo money, and he doesn't fit in great or has a decline in his play (very possible with some of these free agents) you're screwed in many ways. That has been the Knicks mantra for years. It wouldn't shock me if Phil Jackson goes in with a mindset of getting a bargain from the players not named DeRozan, otherwise settling for quality role players that want to come in for reasonable 2-3 year deals.

I think Phil will want to max out Durant if he can. After that, I'll be surprised if he thinks DeRozan is worth 25 million a year. Batum is worth 20 million a year. Conley worth 20 million a year. That's basically close to Melo money. I think he makes a play for Durant, and after does what he did this past offseason. Maybe go after guys like Lance Stephenson, Mario Chalmers and possibly Parsons. We're a .500 caliber team as is, with improvement from Porzingis/Grant next year we're likely a 45-48 win team. Add some veteran solid free agents, we're as good as any team in the East not having Lebron James.

Durant is a complete pipe dream. He's not going anywhere.

20-22 Million was Carmelo money when the cap was $60M. The cap is going to be $90M this summer and $109M the summer after that. 20-22 Million is now Mike Conley, Nic Batum money. That's the reality.

If both AA and DW opt out of their final year which is expected and we re-sign both to more money which both will want then you can say bye bye to getting either Conley or Batum or any max guy.

This is true. As a knick fan you got to hope they give the team a discount or don't use their player option so the knicks would have their early bird rights in 2017.