mreinman wrote:

EnySpree wrote:

mreinman wrote:

EnySpree wrote:Everyone wants to remind us what can happen if things go wrong...

But what if everything goes right?

its not about what ifs but about setting realistic expectation based on recent years/performances.

That's a cowardly existence...

Rose, Courtney, Noah, Jennings and others were not on the Knicks last year... slate is clean. If you want to project how good a team can be then go for it.

I'm not going to say, "welp I'm not going to have anything good in life because I haven't had anything good happen. I guess I'm ****ed". You can't live life that way. People cab change and grow. So can sports teams

I predicted 45 wins. That is really nice improvement. Calling us a contender is way over the top. Why can't we just be happy with steady improvement?

I say 42-40.... 50-32 if everything goes well. We can be happy with steady improvement. So be happy mofuka

2015-2016 Post All-Star – 31 ppg, 7.9 asts, 5.4 rbs, 52 FG%, 48 3P%
2009-2010 MVP Season – 32.1 ppg, 9.9 asts, 5.2 rbs, .44 FG%, 33 3P%

If Rose is healthy
If Noah is fully healthy I expect he is he should be putting up 2014 numbers where he was dpy and 5 the in the mvp vote

Melo is melo all star

KP takes the next easy step of becoming a all star which he will .

Between Rose,melo,KP all those guys can go off for 25 a game you have defensive anchors in Noah,KP, Lee..

We are going to fight for the top spot in the east if healthy for sure. Super teams are only super if healthy but if we are then yea having 4 potential all stars in your starting 5 is a super team.

CrushAlot wrote:

nixluva wrote:It's all about how a team comes together and how the players mesh. Some teams perform above what the individual parts might suggest cuz they have a great fit. I like how this roster looks on paper but we have to see how Hornacek and these players vibe together. What excites me is that Melo n KP play well already and Rose n Noah already have chemistry. Those things make for a natural fit. Lee is the consummate role player that can blend into any lineup. So I'm very high on this team's chances of blending into a cohesive unit.

Not sure if you posted this Nix but this is from Hornacek's first year in Phoenix.

The Suns continue to win and the media continue to be impressed. Maybe one day the surprise will end.

Until it does, Phoenix basketball remains a hot topic of conversation among NBA circles. They’ve won seven of their last eight and 11 of their last 15, vaulting them to sixth in the Western Conference.

ESPN.com labeled the Suns the top surprise team of the season so far, with Kevin Pelton crediting the team-first effort that starts from the coach’s seat:

Phoenix's overachieving has truly been a team effort; all nine rotation players have exceeded their SCHOENE projections, many of them dramatically so. That points to the role of first-year head coach Jeff Hornacek, who has built an outside-in attack around the skills of guards Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic.

USA Today has been similarly impressed by the Bledsoe-Dragic backcourt, which is averaging a combined 37.8 points, 12.2 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game.

In a team spotlight published on Sunday, Sam Amick touched on several aspects of the Suns’ success, but pinpointed the Phoenix’s guard tandem as the first domino in the process.

The unique system has made the Suns one of the more entertaining teams around, as they began the week with the league's sixth-ranked offense (106.1 points per 100 possessions). There are other factors coming into play – among them the revival of guard Gerald Green's game, the contributions of big man twins, Marcus and Markieff Morris, and the triumphant return of Channing Frye after he missed of last season with a heart problem. But the potent pairing of Dragic and Bledsoe, above all else, has led to this surprising Suns season.

Amick’s piece is worth a read for the added insight from Goran Dragic, who admitted to not knowing what Bledsoe’s arrival meant for him until Hornacek reassured him of his plans to play both guards together in an uptempo system that would see them on the floor together as well as alternating shifts.

"When I was back in Europe and as soon as I found out, I said, 'OK, I've got competition,'" he said. "In the end, I talked with Jeff, and he told me that probably we were going to play most of the minutes together."

http://www.nba.com/suns/news/usa-today-espn-praise-surprising-suns

Good Find Crush! I especially liked this article which went a little deeper into how Hornacek decided on his 2 guard system:

When Dragic first heard that the Suns had traded for another point guard in early July, he wasn't about to give up his job without a fight. Phoenix, which hired new general manager Ryan McDonough and rookie coach Jeff Hornacek to clean up last season's mess (25-57 record, worst in the West), brought former Los Angeles Clippers' speedster Eric Bledsoe to town as part of a three-team deal. And Dragic's role, at first glance anyways, appeared to be at risk.

"When I was back in Europe and as soon as I found out, I said, 'OK, I've got competition,'" he said. "In the end, I talked with Jeff, and he told me that probably we were going to play most of the minutes together."

They've done more than play together. They've played exceedingly well together.

With Hornacek employing a two point-guard system that is similar to the one he thrived in with Kevin Johnson during their Suns playing days in the late 1980s, Dragic and Bledsoe are having career years and the Suns — who have won seven of their past eight games — have gone from pathetic to playoff-worthy. Dragic, who entered the season with momentum after starring for Slovenia in the Eurobasket tournament during the summer, is averaging a career-high 18.7 points (career-high 48.1% shooting) and 5.9 assists a game. Bledsoe, who will be a restricted free agent next summer, is starting regularly for the first time and has more than doubled his career-high averages in points (19.1) and rebounds (6.3).

"When Ryan asked me about (the trade), I said, 'Hey, Eric looks like Kevin Johnson when he was here playing in Phoenix, and Goran is kind of like I was,' " Hornacek told USA TODAY Sports. "We turned a team that was winning 28 games (in 1987-88) to winning 55 (in 1988-89).

"I don't think either one of us ever thought when we traded for Eric that, 'Well now, we've got to figure out where we're going to trade Goran.' It was right off the bat, saying 'We're going to play these guys together and have that tempo change.'"

The unique system has made the Suns one of the more entertaining teams around, as they began the week with the league's sixth-ranked offense (106.1 points per 100 possessions). There are other factors coming into play – among them the revival of guard Gerald Green's game, the contributions of big man twins, Marcus and Markieff Morris, and the triumphant return of Channing Frye after he missed of last season with a heart problem. But the potent pairing of Dragic and Bledsoe, above all else, has led to this surprising Suns season.

"I think we saw glimpses of (Dragic's) talent, particularly in the playoffs back in 2010 (when Phoenix fell in the Western Conference Finals to the Lakers)," said the recently-retired Grant Hill, who played with Dragic in Phoenix and Bledsoe with the Clippers. "I think when (Dragic) went to Houston in the trade, and there were some injuries and he started (in 2011-12), I thought you saw a good second half of the season that year during the lockout season.

"But now there's sort of a new energy it seems in Phoenix. And you pair him with Bledsoe…and the two of those guys, it's working. They're both playmakers. They're both very athletic. They complement each other."

I think there's something to the idea of having 2 shot creating guards on the floor. Defenses aren't really setup to deal with 2 guards you have to worry about with the ball. Being able to have 2 guards that can get into the paint, PnR and beat their man off the dribble is particularly tough to deal with. I think this Knicks team is gonna see a lot of that next year with Rose and Jennings actually playing together some time. Lee is actually more crafty with the dribble than people realize. He doesn't only catch and shoot. He's not as aggressive with his dribble drive but he can do it well enough.

stopstandthere wrote:The impact is better if Rose makes this statement in the middle of the season and Knicks is winning over 40+ games.

Before this statement, I thought Knicks is a marginal playoff team fighting for seed 7 and 8.

Rose wasn't trying to make a statement to impact the team. His honest belief is that this team is gonna be a top team. Whether he's wrong or not it's obviously how he really feels. The unfortunate thing is how the media has reacted but it's on the team to play well and make the media eat their words.

I don't see how the Knicks end up fighting for 7 or 8th seed. They didn't just make minor upgrades IMO. They upgraded the backcourt and the bulk of the rotation and also have a coach with a better approach to the game. Better balance, speed and athletic ability. Melo, KP, Rose or Jennings can go off on any given night. I just don't think this team is gonna be at the back of the East playoff race.

nixluva wrote:

stopstandthere wrote:Rose really sound like Afflalo.

Yes but AA couldn't back it up. Rose at least has the talent to back it up if he's healthy.

AA had the same vision he would turned back into the (Orlando magic) afflalo. I simple blame the rotation, the system, and the coach for much of AA's struggles. Trying to run plays for him like he was Black Mamba, or air Jordan in the post, that was retarded.

Just another indication of how most of the players were in the wrong roles.

fitzfarm wrote:I don't think Rose a former mvp would make that "super team" comment if he didn't feel 100% healthy
Rose was arguably right up there with Westbrook as best pg post all star break last year posting mvp like numbers:

2015-2016 Post All-Star – 31 ppg, 7.9 asts, 5.4 rbs, 52 FG%, 48 3P%
2009-2010 MVP Season – 32.1 ppg, 9.9 asts, 5.2 rbs, .44 FG%, 33 3P%

If Rose is healthy
If Noah is fully healthy I expect he is he should be putting up 2014 numbers where he was dpy and 5 the in the mvp vote

Melo is melo all star

KP takes the next easy step of becoming a all star which he will .

Between Rose,melo,KP all those guys can go off for 25 a game you have defensive anchors in Noah,KP, Lee..

We are going to fight for the top spot in the east if healthy for sure. Super teams are only super if healthy but if we are then yea having 4 potential all stars in your starting 5 is a super team.

nixluva wrote:

stopstandthere wrote:The impact is better if Rose makes this statement in the middle of the season and Knicks is winning over 40+ games.

Before this statement, I thought Knicks is a marginal playoff team fighting for seed 7 and 8.

Rose wasn't trying to make a statement to impact the team. His honest belief is that this team is gonna be a top team. Whether he's wrong or not it's obviously how he really feels. The unfortunate thing is how the media has reacted but it's on the team to play well and make the media eat their words.

I don't see how the Knicks end up fighting for 7 or 8th seed. They didn't just make minor upgrades IMO. They upgraded the backcourt and the bulk of the rotation and also have a coach with a better approach to the game. Better balance, speed and athletic ability. Melo, KP, Rose or Jennings can go off on any given night. I just don't think this team is gonna be at the back of the East playoff race.

I also hope the same, every single season.

dk7th wrote:

nixluva wrote:It's all about how a team comes together and how the players mesh. Some teams perform above what the individual parts might suggest cuz they have a great fit. I like how this roster looks on paper but we have to see how Hornacek and these players vibe together. What excites me is that Melo n KP play well already and Rose n Noah already have chemistry. Those things make for a natural fit. Lee is the consummate role player that can blend into any lineup. So I'm very high on this team's chances of blending into a cohesive unit.

you're glossing again. that's two two-man games you allege go great together. and then a 5th guy. will it become a cohesive 5-man unit is the operative question. we shall see.

Also Rose and Noah have run Triangle sets for years. They may not have focused on this fact but they were doing it under Thibs. They will not have trouble understanding how to read those looks given that they spent years doing it. Noah will know how to scan the floor for open shooters and cutters since that's what he had been doing for years. The uptempo stuff is just basketball. There's not much about it that is difficult to grasp trying to score early points in transition. Exactly what part of this sounds like "glossing"?