TheGame wrote:

fishmike wrote:

franco12 wrote:That bolded part is D'Antoni's dream player.

Is Joe better than Al? Yes. But 15 wins better? You're talking about taking 15 of our losses last year, and turning them into wins.

Sure, there were some close games last year, but there were just as many games that we got down big early either because of our swiss cheese defense, or because we simply allow teams to light it up from the outside.

Also, not to call Joe over rated, but the last couple of play offs that I've watched him, he has given new meaning to the word 'disappear'. If he can't handle the pressure of the play offs in Atlanta where he is one of many talented players, what is he going to do when we're 5 and 10 at the start of the season, and the headlines are starting the count down to MDA's departure?

We come away this off season with Joe Johnson as our 'major' acquisition- and I'm pretty much preparing myself to find a new team to follow.

Sure, I'll give it some time, but just adding Joe to more or less the same line up next season, and we're at best a 40 win team, and chances are its more like 35 to 38.

You can't ignore all the holes on this roster.

If we miss out on getting the big names, then I'd rather go the route Briggs has suggested, and try to find as many smaller pieces as possible - go with Mike Miller, Ty Thomas and some other, younger, non max type guys and keep open the possibility of having a max slot open for Carmelo in 2011.

MDA's dream player? Not even close man. Cmon... his offense is about pushing and sharing the ball. Harrington is a one trick pony. He shoots. When that doesnt work he shoots some more. If he's still struggling he tries shooting instead. I 100% agree that JJ is overrated if your talking about his as an elite free agent, but he's far better than Harrington and fits a huge hole here. 1) we dont have a SG. He gives us a 6'7 SG who is efficient, plays some D, rebounds and creates open shots for others. 2) his ability to run MDAs offense will keep Douglas on the floor who has shown limited PG skills at this time. That makes us better on both ends because Douglas can really score and is our best defender.

I dont want JJ for max money but the guy would great help and fit into this team and the style of play they are trying for.

Hey.. Ty Thomas and Mike Miller where the guys I was saying we should go for. Keep Lee, bring in the athletic Thomas to play center and use Mike Miller as a PG/SG so Douglas could play 35 minutes at the PG.

If we struck out on LBJ and Bosh and could sign JJ for $15 mil, resign Lee for $11 Mill, sign Thomas for $5 mil, and resign Barron, it would be bad but not the worse thing in the world. If MDA actually plays Douglas at PG, that team should be good enough to win 40 games, and we should still have enough cap room to go after a max FA next summer to make it all work, i.e. Carmelo Anthony.

No, we wouldn't. We'd only have about $10M next summer if we sign all those players this summer.

This is not a 40 win team.

iSergio wrote:PF: David Lee
SF: Danilo Gallinari
C: Earl Barron
SG: Joe Johnson
PG: Toney Douglas
F: Wilson Chandler
F: Tyrus Thomas

This is not a 40 win team.

iSergio wrote:

fishmike wrote:

iSergio wrote:PF: David Lee
SF: Danilo Gallinari
C: Earl Barron
SG: Joe Johnson
PG: Toney Douglas
F: Wilson Chandler
F: Tyrus Thomas

This is not a 40 win team.

prob closer to 45. 2 all stars, good defensive/scoring PG and some good shooter to go with some guys who can get into the lane.

WOW 45? Adding Joe Johnson and Tyrus Thomas does not equal 16 extra wins.

it's not just about adding the individual players though, is it? It's about a more balanced team. It's about not having Duhon out there who can't shoot and same with Hughes and replacing both of them with someone like JJ, who would also make Tony Douglas's game much better. etc.

Remember, East is still a fairly weak conference.

iSergio wrote:

martin wrote:

iSergio wrote:

fishmike wrote:

iSergio wrote:PF: David Lee
SF: Danilo Gallinari
C: Earl Barron
SG: Joe Johnson
PG: Toney Douglas
F: Wilson Chandler
F: Tyrus Thomas

This is not a 40 win team.

prob closer to 45. 2 all stars, good defensive/scoring PG and some good shooter to go with some guys who can get into the lane.

WOW 45? Adding Joe Johnson and Tyrus Thomas does not equal 16 extra wins.

it's not just about adding the individual players though, is it? It's about a more balanced team. It's about not having Duhon out there who can't shoot and same with Hughes and replacing both of them with someone like JJ, who would also make Tony Douglas's game much better. etc.

Remember, East is still a fairly weak conference.

I get you but I don't see a 45 win team with that roster. We'd still be one of the worst defensive teams in the league with that frontline. And it's pretty depressing to end up with Joe Johnson and Tyrus Thomas after dreaming of LeBron James and Chris Bosh. : /

Who has been the Knick backcourt for the last 2 years? We have had no SGs. Chandler has played the best there and he's really more 3/4 in this system. He's got a below average handle and below average passing. You repace Duhon and our SG mess with Douglas. He's young but we know he can score and he's a great defender. What he lacks in running the offense JJ could help him with. You stick a 4 time 20/5/5 player at SG with great size.

Its not a case of JJ = 15 wins. Its a case of how it changes the makeup of the team, which is drastically.

Johnson is good, but that is still a below average team. If TD blew up, perhaps it would perform better but looking at that hypothetical roster I'm seeing 38-40 wins --- max.