martin wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

dk7th wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

dk7th wrote:I loved everything Jackson said during the news conference. He said he came here to install a system and that is what he doing. He wants to develop players into complete players with the requisite basketball skills. He told the press to back off so players will want to come play in New York. He wants a coach he knows so there is continuity from top to bottom, and I imagine from continuity will spring cohesion, coherence, and a healthy, synergistic culture.

He's tuning out and infuriating the yahoos who want "names" and expect results right away. Good!

I agree for the most part. I wish that the group of people he is comfortable with for the coaching position was a bit larger.

rambis has not had the level of talent during his head coaching stints. i expect that if he gets hired back, that while he is here the talent and skill level will continue to rise, and it will be very easy to spot a coach who is out of his depth. give him the players and give him a chance.

I am a bit concerned with how the team responded to Rambis. Vets having to go and ask for the younger players to get some minutes wasn't a good look. I may have missed something but I haven't read anything from a knick player giving him an endorsement.

There was an article I saw a couple days ago about how players feel Rambis talks down to them. Didn't really have much detail other then that though. I will try to find it.

edit:
http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/241528/knicks-players-feel-kurt-rambis-talks-down-to-them

just to be sure, this is the full context of the "talking down to", and it's 1 player who may have implied it, not "Knicks players". And the whole thing is butted against the AA benching thing.

According to one Knick, the general feeling is that Rambis talks down to them.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/isola-phil-jackson-hire-tom-thibodeau-article-1.2596979

Martin, as I explained in a previous reply I think everything points to Afflalo making a stink in the clubhouse. Melo is a friend, Melo influences the kids and so it is playing out as an us against "him" vignette but as I've pointed out (and the statistics bear out) Afflalo is a mildly troubled soul.

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:I loved everything Jackson said during the news conference. He said he came here to install a system and that is what he doing. He wants to develop players into complete players with the requisite basketball skills. He told the press to back off so players will want to come play in New York. He wants a coach he knows so there is continuity from top to bottom, and I imagine from continuity will spring cohesion, coherence, and a healthy, synergistic culture.

He's tuning out and infuriating the yahoos who want "names" and expect results right away. Good!

Excellent post and spot on. After listening to all the available exit interviews its obvious Phil and Melo are here to stay. It's also obvious that Thibs will not be coaching the Knicks for two reasons; 1.) Thibs has a reputation of tangling with management in unproductive ways and 2.) the Knicks have a 10+ year superstar on their hands with Porzingus who might last four years without injury with Thibs.

Also obvious was the fact that Jerian Grant had not earned playing time in Phil's eyes which means Rambis wasn't playing to win to pad his record as is widely speculated. The entire narrative that veterans needed to step in and insist Rambis play youth is only partially true. They may have asked but Rambis was sending an important message - "get with the program [e.g. system]". It's a message that makes sense and demonstrates, contrary to the popular belief that Rambis is a shill, that Rambis instead listens closely to Jackson's directives and tailor's the minute management and player chemistry to maximize learning. Reluctant learners [say, Afflalo and others] likely consider this commitment to system and learning "condescending".

Carmelo's closing comments were instructive. He thought the Knicks coulda/shoulda won a dozen or so more games and that's worth repeating because he [supporting my own point of view] thinks the Knicks had the talent to do that. They do. But as Jackson pointed out in his own interview, the Knicks lacked tensile strength. This is a function of team and player maturity rather than pure talent. Aside from this being the end of the Jackson Knicks Year One experience, it marks the beginning of a sophomore year for Galloway, Porzingis, Early, and Grant. All these players are going to continue to mature and become dominant.

Williams and Thomas were prominently mentioned in glowing remarks by Jackson. He'll likely reach out to both men with offers to stay.

Given Phil's pattern from last summer I expect him to trade for at least a second-round pick - Gaines probably already has an idea or two along those lines. And his Free agent signings will be low-profile, blue collar players along the lines of Matt Barnes, Evan Turner, Rondo, Teletovic, Pachulia, and Mahinmi.

yeah don't get me started on afflalo. he's a bit of a sulker. i really made a mistake in my estimation of him as a player and a teammate. but anybody who plays for the knicks has to, as you say, get with the program.

you can't win without a plan, and the dolan era has been defined by a lack of a plan and in my opinion dolan's sociopathic impulsivity.

that said, phil made a mistake with afflalo and i think cleanthony early as well. no gm is going to bat a thousand, especially in rebuilding.

I think Afflalo has a touch of manic-depression. His on again/off again performances cost the Knicks 5-10 games. If he stays I hope he gets some counseling. He does sulk and did not at all like taking any corrective guidance from Rambis. The press played this up as a Rambis failure to communicate but honestly Afflalo who is getting paid multi-millions to be a professional acted like a child with recriminations and festering tweets about the coach. He needs a change of scenery.

It should also be mentioned that Phil brought in Afflalo because he and Anthony were kindred spirits - presumably both rowing in the same direction. There was occasional evidence of that but by mid-season Afflalo was MIA. This is not on Melo or Phil. Both had reason to believe Afflalo would be a better JR Smith. Melo in defending Afflalo is being a loyal friend but a foolish teammate. Rambis is not the problem, Afflalo is and it may not be fixable since behavior and emotional stability are not a matter of improving skill. counseling and medication could help assuming a millionaire, occasional prima donna can do what's right.

This folds into the broader discussion that Phil has been making mistakes and blundering his way through his management duties. That is inaccurate. Identifying players and signing FAs is an exercise in risk assessment. Like stock picking, sometimes you win big and other times not. From a bird's eye view, today Phil has won far more than he's lost - but he has lost. That's a function of being in the game.

An example of a loss that's never talked about and is only apparent at this season's end was the decision to let Cole Aldrich walk. Aldrich played and continues to play a much better backup last year and this than either O'Quinn or Seraphin have for the Knicks. And Aldrich had no problem fitting into the system. Signing O'Quinn and Seraphin remains defensible but it also exposes an example of risk mitigation. Aldrich was associated with the 17 win season while O'Quinn and Seraphin looked to be potential steals.

CleAnthony Early is a different example of risk. Early was projected as a first-rounder and dropped through to a position the Knicks could draft him at in the second-round. He didn't arrive a superstar or even a rotation player so its easy to criticize his presence on the team. But again, players like Galloway, Grant, Early and others routinely take 3-5 years to mature. That's just the way things work. Fans who roast the Knicks for letting youth get away need to take a deep breath because in the name of trashing Phil, they are advocating the same thing.

perfectly stated! posts don't get any better than this one.

knicks1248 wrote:while all this make some sense, Rambis, like Fisher, will not attract FA. I felt the entire roster was miss manage, and you absolutely have to take that into consideration, we don't know what phil promised AA when he signed him as a FA, and if he was mostly responsible for 5 to 10 loses, Sasha double that with half the minutes. Sasha did absolutely nothing to deserve a starting spot AND PHIL HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY GRANT DIDN'T DESERVE MINUTES, in fact(sasha) did everything to get his minutes reduce. But he was their little triangle pet.

This team fell apart because the way guys where being rotated in and out of the line up. We went 7-3 with a 9 man rotation leading up to the 22-22 mark, then we went back to 13, 14 players.

Everything wrong is phils fualt, and everything right is phils doing, so when he starts jabbering about players not bonding, think about why, these dudes where enjoying each other months before the season started.

Both Lance and Melo missed games in January around the time they were facing LAC, CHA, OKC, TOR, PHX and GS. They only won the PHX game. Not only did Melo have nagging issues along with Lance missing games, but Gallo slumped, AA and KP started to also slow down. Those things weren't necessarily about what the coaches were doing, but they often are the ones that get the blame. The poor performance of the players and games missed highlights the flaws of a coach just as players ballin out hides the flaws of a coach.

CrushAlot wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

martin wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

dk7th wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

dk7th wrote:I loved everything Jackson said during the news conference. He said he came here to install a system and that is what he doing. He wants to develop players into complete players with the requisite basketball skills. He told the press to back off so players will want to come play in New York. He wants a coach he knows so there is continuity from top to bottom, and I imagine from continuity will spring cohesion, coherence, and a healthy, synergistic culture.

He's tuning out and infuriating the yahoos who want "names" and expect results right away. Good!

I agree for the most part. I wish that the group of people he is comfortable with for the coaching position was a bit larger.

rambis has not had the level of talent during his head coaching stints. i expect that if he gets hired back, that while he is here the talent and skill level will continue to rise, and it will be very easy to spot a coach who is out of his depth. give him the players and give him a chance.

I am a bit concerned with how the team responded to Rambis. Vets having to go and ask for the younger players to get some minutes wasn't a good look. I may have missed something but I haven't read anything from a knick player giving him an endorsement.

There was an article I saw a couple days ago about how players feel Rambis talks down to them. Didn't really have much detail other then that though. I will try to find it.

edit:
http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/241528/knicks-players-feel-kurt-rambis-talks-down-to-them

just to be sure, this is the full context of the "talking down to", and it's 1 player who may have implied it, not "Knicks players". And the whole thing is butted against the AA benching thing.

According to one Knick, the general feeling is that Rambis talks down to them.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/isola-phil-jackson-hire-tom-thibodeau-article-1.2596979

Martin, as I explained in a previous reply I think everything points to Afflalo making a stink in the clubhouse. Melo is a friend, Melo influences the kids and so it is playing out as an us against "him" vignette but as I've pointed out (and the statistics bear out) Afflalo is a mildly troubled soul.

It is hard to say which player talked to isola. No knick player has publicly endorsed Rambis as a guy they want back. They dont trash him but it is different from when Woodson was in the interim role Sam Mitchell in Minny had a lot of guys speak up and call for him to come back. You could assume Afflalo has one foot out the door and doesn't care who the coach of the Knicks will be so he might not say anything. Also, most guys are troubled when their role is changed at work and their performance is criticized.

most guys? or perhaps just a few guys?

knicks1248 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:I loved everything Jackson said during the news conference. He said he came here to install a system and that is what he doing. He wants to develop players into complete players with the requisite basketball skills. He told the press to back off so players will want to come play in New York. He wants a coach he knows so there is continuity from top to bottom, and I imagine from continuity will spring cohesion, coherence, and a healthy, synergistic culture.

He's tuning out and infuriating the yahoos who want "names" and expect results right away. Good!

Excellent post and spot on. After listening to all the available exit interviews its obvious Phil and Melo are here to stay. It's also obvious that Thibs will not be coaching the Knicks for two reasons; 1.) Thibs has a reputation of tangling with management in unproductive ways and 2.) the Knicks have a 10+ year superstar on their hands with Porzingus who might last four years without injury with Thibs.

Also obvious was the fact that Jerian Grant had not earned playing time in Phil's eyes which means Rambis wasn't playing to win to pad his record as is widely speculated. The entire narrative that veterans needed to step in and insist Rambis play youth is only partially true. They may have asked but Rambis was sending an important message - "get with the program [e.g. system]". It's a message that makes sense and demonstrates, contrary to the popular belief that Rambis is a shill, that Rambis instead listens closely to Jackson's directives and tailor's the minute management and player chemistry to maximize learning. Reluctant learners [say, Afflalo and others] likely consider this commitment to system and learning "condescending".

Carmelo's closing comments were instructive. He thought the Knicks coulda/shoulda won a dozen or so more games and that's worth repeating because he [supporting my own point of view] thinks the Knicks had the talent to do that. They do. But as Jackson pointed out in his own interview, the Knicks lacked tensile strength. This is a function of team and player maturity rather than pure talent. Aside from this being the end of the Jackson Knicks Year One experience, it marks the beginning of a sophomore year for Galloway, Porzingis, Early, and Grant. All these players are going to continue to mature and become dominant.

Williams and Thomas were prominently mentioned in glowing remarks by Jackson. He'll likely reach out to both men with offers to stay.

Given Phil's pattern from last summer I expect him to trade for at least a second-round pick - Gaines probably already has an idea or two along those lines. And his Free agent signings will be low-profile, blue collar players along the lines of Matt Barnes, Evan Turner, Rondo, Teletovic, Pachulia, and Mahinmi.

yeah don't get me started on afflalo. he's a bit of a sulker. i really made a mistake in my estimation of him as a player and a teammate. but anybody who plays for the knicks has to, as you say, get with the program.

you can't win without a plan, and the dolan era has been defined by a lack of a plan and in my opinion dolan's sociopathic impulsivity.

that said, phil made a mistake with afflalo and i think cleanthony early as well. no gm is going to bat a thousand, especially in rebuilding.

I think Afflalo has a touch of manic-depression. His on again/off again performances cost the Knicks 5-10 games. If he stays I hope he gets some counseling. He does sulk and did not at all like taking any corrective guidance from Rambis. The press played this up as a Rambis failure to communicate but honestly Afflalo who is getting paid multi-millions to be a professional acted like a child with recriminations and festering tweets about the coach. He needs a change of scenery.

It should also be mentioned that Phil brought in Afflalo because he and Anthony were kindred spirits - presumably both rowing in the same direction. There was occasional evidence of that but by mid-season Afflalo was MIA. This is not on Melo or Phil. Both had reason to believe Afflalo would be a better JR Smith. Melo in defending Afflalo is being a loyal friend but a foolish teammate. Rambis is not the problem, Afflalo is and it may not be fixable since behavior and emotional stability are not a matter of improving skill. counseling and medication could help assuming a millionaire, occasional prima donna can do what's right.

This folds into the broader discussion that Phil has been making mistakes and blundering his way through his management duties. That is inaccurate. Identifying players and signing FAs is an exercise in risk assessment. Like stock picking, sometimes you win big and other times not. From a bird's eye view, today Phil has won far more than he's lost - but he has lost. That's a function of being in the game.

An example of a loss that's never talked about and is only apparent at this season's end was the decision to let Cole Aldrich walk. Aldrich played and continues to play a much better backup last year and this than either O'Quinn or Seraphin have for the Knicks. And Aldrich had no problem fitting into the system. Signing O'Quinn and Seraphin remains defensible but it also exposes an example of risk mitigation. Aldrich was associated with the 17 win season while O'Quinn and Seraphin looked to be potential steals.

CleAnthony Early is a different example of risk. Early was projected as a first-rounder and dropped through to a position the Knicks could draft him at in the second-round. He didn't arrive a superstar or even a rotation player so its easy to criticize his presence on the team. But again, players like Galloway, Grant, Early and others routinely take 3-5 years to mature. That's just the way things work. Fans who roast the Knicks for letting youth get away need to take a deep breath because in the name of trashing Phil, they are advocating the same thing.

perfectly stated! posts don't get any better than this one.

while all this make some sense, Rambis, like Fisher, will not attract FA. I felt the entire roster was miss manage, and you absolutely have to take that into consideration, we don't know what phil promised AA when he signed him as a FA, and if he was mostly responsible for 5 to 10 loses, Sasha double that with half the minutes. Sasha did absolutely nothing to deserve a starting spot AND PHIL HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY GRANT DIDN'T DESERVE MINUTES, in fact(sasha) did everything to get his minutes reduce. But he was their little triangle pet.

This team fell apart because the way guys where being rotated in and out of the line up. We went 7-3 with a 9 man rotation leading up to the 22-22 mark, then we went back to 13, 14 players.

Everything wrong is phils fualt, and everything right is phils doing, so when he starts jabbering about players not bonding, think about why, these dudes where enjoying each other months before the season started.

fwk00 wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:I loved everything Jackson said during the news conference. He said he came here to install a system and that is what he doing. He wants to develop players into complete players with the requisite basketball skills. He told the press to back off so players will want to come play in New York. He wants a coach he knows so there is continuity from top to bottom, and I imagine from continuity will spring cohesion, coherence, and a healthy, synergistic culture.

He's tuning out and infuriating the yahoos who want "names" and expect results right away. Good!

Excellent post and spot on. After listening to all the available exit interviews its obvious Phil and Melo are here to stay. It's also obvious that Thibs will not be coaching the Knicks for two reasons; 1.) Thibs has a reputation of tangling with management in unproductive ways and 2.) the Knicks have a 10+ year superstar on their hands with Porzingus who might last four years without injury with Thibs.

Also obvious was the fact that Jerian Grant had not earned playing time in Phil's eyes which means Rambis wasn't playing to win to pad his record as is widely speculated. The entire narrative that veterans needed to step in and insist Rambis play youth is only partially true. They may have asked but Rambis was sending an important message - "get with the program [e.g. system]". It's a message that makes sense and demonstrates, contrary to the popular belief that Rambis is a shill, that Rambis instead listens closely to Jackson's directives and tailor's the minute management and player chemistry to maximize learning. Reluctant learners [say, Afflalo and others] likely consider this commitment to system and learning "condescending".

Carmelo's closing comments were instructive. He thought the Knicks coulda/shoulda won a dozen or so more games and that's worth repeating because he [supporting my own point of view] thinks the Knicks had the talent to do that. They do. But as Jackson pointed out in his own interview, the Knicks lacked tensile strength. This is a function of team and player maturity rather than pure talent. Aside from this being the end of the Jackson Knicks Year One experience, it marks the beginning of a sophomore year for Galloway, Porzingis, Early, and Grant. All these players are going to continue to mature and become dominant.

Williams and Thomas were prominently mentioned in glowing remarks by Jackson. He'll likely reach out to both men with offers to stay.

Given Phil's pattern from last summer I expect him to trade for at least a second-round pick - Gaines probably already has an idea or two along those lines. And his Free agent signings will be low-profile, blue collar players along the lines of Matt Barnes, Evan Turner, Rondo, Teletovic, Pachulia, and Mahinmi.

yeah don't get me started on afflalo. he's a bit of a sulker. i really made a mistake in my estimation of him as a player and a teammate. but anybody who plays for the knicks has to, as you say, get with the program.

you can't win without a plan, and the dolan era has been defined by a lack of a plan and in my opinion dolan's sociopathic impulsivity.

that said, phil made a mistake with afflalo and i think cleanthony early as well. no gm is going to bat a thousand, especially in rebuilding.

I think Afflalo has a touch of manic-depression. His on again/off again performances cost the Knicks 5-10 games. If he stays I hope he gets some counseling. He does sulk and did not at all like taking any corrective guidance from Rambis. The press played this up as a Rambis failure to communicate but honestly Afflalo who is getting paid multi-millions to be a professional acted like a child with recriminations and festering tweets about the coach. He needs a change of scenery.

It should also be mentioned that Phil brought in Afflalo because he and Anthony were kindred spirits - presumably both rowing in the same direction. There was occasional evidence of that but by mid-season Afflalo was MIA. This is not on Melo or Phil. Both had reason to believe Afflalo would be a better JR Smith. Melo in defending Afflalo is being a loyal friend but a foolish teammate. Rambis is not the problem, Afflalo is and it may not be fixable since behavior and emotional stability are not a matter of improving skill. counseling and medication could help assuming a millionaire, occasional prima donna can do what's right.

This folds into the broader discussion that Phil has been making mistakes and blundering his way through his management duties. That is inaccurate. Identifying players and signing FAs is an exercise in risk assessment. Like stock picking, sometimes you win big and other times not. From a bird's eye view, today Phil has won far more than he's lost - but he has lost. That's a function of being in the game.

An example of a loss that's never talked about and is only apparent at this season's end was the decision to let Cole Aldrich walk. Aldrich played and continues to play a much better backup last year and this than either O'Quinn or Seraphin have for the Knicks. And Aldrich had no problem fitting into the system. Signing O'Quinn and Seraphin remains defensible but it also exposes an example of risk mitigation. Aldrich was associated with the 17 win season while O'Quinn and Seraphin looked to be potential steals.

CleAnthony Early is a different example of risk. Early was projected as a first-rounder and dropped through to a position the Knicks could draft him at in the second-round. He didn't arrive a superstar or even a rotation player so its easy to criticize his presence on the team. But again, players like Galloway, Grant, Early and others routinely take 3-5 years to mature. That's just the way things work. Fans who roast the Knicks for letting youth get away need to take a deep breath because in the name of trashing Phil, they are advocating the same thing.

perfectly stated! posts don't get any better than this one.

while all this make some sense, Rambis, like Fisher, will not attract FA. I felt the entire roster was miss manage, and you absolutely have to take that into consideration, we don't know what phil promised AA when he signed him as a FA, and if he was mostly responsible for 5 to 10 loses, Sasha double that with half the minutes. Sasha did absolutely nothing to deserve a starting spot AND PHIL HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY GRANT DIDN'T DESERVE MINUTES, in fact(sasha) did everything to get his minutes reduce. But he was their little triangle pet.

This team fell apart because the way guys where being rotated in and out of the line up. We went 7-3 with a 9 man rotation leading up to the 22-22 mark, then we went back to 13, 14 players.

Everything wrong is phils fualt, and everything right is phils doing, so when he starts jabbering about players not bonding, think about why, these dudes where enjoying each other months before the season started.

Cash is king in the NBA. Players and agents chase money not warm and fuzzy coaching comfort.

I disagree that the roster was mismanaged. Fisher was criticised early that he played so many players for so long but by mid-seasomn the team was at .500 ball.

Once injuries and the disruption of Fisher's firing took hold, the season and the team chemistry dissolved. You can continue to blame Rambis but like Fisher before him, Kurt had every right to manage as he saw fit and the team played better, more cohesive ball.

The management and players all agree that the season was a letdown.No amount of finger-pointing changes that.

CrushAlot wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:I loved everything Jackson said during the news conference. He said he came here to install a system and that is what he doing. He wants to develop players into complete players with the requisite basketball skills. He told the press to back off so players will want to come play in New York. He wants a coach he knows so there is continuity from top to bottom, and I imagine from continuity will spring cohesion, coherence, and a healthy, synergistic culture.

He's tuning out and infuriating the yahoos who want "names" and expect results right away. Good!

Excellent post and spot on. After listening to all the available exit interviews its obvious Phil and Melo are here to stay. It's also obvious that Thibs will not be coaching the Knicks for two reasons; 1.) Thibs has a reputation of tangling with management in unproductive ways and 2.) the Knicks have a 10+ year superstar on their hands with Porzingus who might last four years without injury with Thibs.

Also obvious was the fact that Jerian Grant had not earned playing time in Phil's eyes which means Rambis wasn't playing to win to pad his record as is widely speculated. The entire narrative that veterans needed to step in and insist Rambis play youth is only partially true. They may have asked but Rambis was sending an important message - "get with the program [e.g. system]". It's a message that makes sense and demonstrates, contrary to the popular belief that Rambis is a shill, that Rambis instead listens closely to Jackson's directives and tailor's the minute management and player chemistry to maximize learning. Reluctant learners [say, Afflalo and others] likely consider this commitment to system and learning "condescending".

Carmelo's closing comments were instructive. He thought the Knicks coulda/shoulda won a dozen or so more games and that's worth repeating because he [supporting my own point of view] thinks the Knicks had the talent to do that. They do. But as Jackson pointed out in his own interview, the Knicks lacked tensile strength. This is a function of team and player maturity rather than pure talent. Aside from this being the end of the Jackson Knicks Year One experience, it marks the beginning of a sophomore year for Galloway, Porzingis, Early, and Grant. All these players are going to continue to mature and become dominant.

Williams and Thomas were prominently mentioned in glowing remarks by Jackson. He'll likely reach out to both men with offers to stay.

Given Phil's pattern from last summer I expect him to trade for at least a second-round pick - Gaines probably already has an idea or two along those lines. And his Free agent signings will be low-profile, blue collar players along the lines of Matt Barnes, Evan Turner, Rondo, Teletovic, Pachulia, and Mahinmi.

yeah don't get me started on afflalo. he's a bit of a sulker. i really made a mistake in my estimation of him as a player and a teammate. but anybody who plays for the knicks has to, as you say, get with the program.

you can't win without a plan, and the dolan era has been defined by a lack of a plan and in my opinion dolan's sociopathic impulsivity.

that said, phil made a mistake with afflalo and i think cleanthony early as well. no gm is going to bat a thousand, especially in rebuilding.

I think Afflalo has a touch of manic-depression. His on again/off again performances cost the Knicks 5-10 games. If he stays I hope he gets some counseling. He does sulk and did not at all like taking any corrective guidance from Rambis. The press played this up as a Rambis failure to communicate but honestly Afflalo who is getting paid multi-millions to be a professional acted like a child with recriminations and festering tweets about the coach. He needs a change of scenery.

It should also be mentioned that Phil brought in Afflalo because he and Anthony were kindred spirits - presumably both rowing in the same direction. There was occasional evidence of that but by mid-season Afflalo was MIA. This is not on Melo or Phil. Both had reason to believe Afflalo would be a better JR Smith. Melo in defending Afflalo is being a loyal friend but a foolish teammate. Rambis is not the problem, Afflalo is and it may not be fixable since behavior and emotional stability are not a matter of improving skill. counseling and medication could help assuming a millionaire, occasional prima donna can do what's right.

This folds into the broader discussion that Phil has been making mistakes and blundering his way through his management duties. That is inaccurate. Identifying players and signing FAs is an exercise in risk assessment. Like stock picking, sometimes you win big and other times not. From a bird's eye view, today Phil has won far more than he's lost - but he has lost. That's a function of being in the game.

An example of a loss that's never talked about and is only apparent at this season's end was the decision to let Cole Aldrich walk. Aldrich played and continues to play a much better backup last year and this than either O'Quinn or Seraphin have for the Knicks. And Aldrich had no problem fitting into the system. Signing O'Quinn and Seraphin remains defensible but it also exposes an example of risk mitigation. Aldrich was associated with the 17 win season while O'Quinn and Seraphin looked to be potential steals.

CleAnthony Early is a different example of risk. Early was projected as a first-rounder and dropped through to a position the Knicks could draft him at in the second-round. He didn't arrive a superstar or even a rotation player so its easy to criticize his presence on the team. But again, players like Galloway, Grant, Early and others routinely take 3-5 years to mature. That's just the way things work. Fans who roast the Knicks for letting youth get away need to take a deep breath because in the name of trashing Phil, they are advocating the same thing.

perfectly stated! posts don't get any better than this one.

while all this make some sense, Rambis, like Fisher, will not attract FA. I felt the entire roster was miss manage, and you absolutely have to take that into consideration, we don't know what phil promised AA when he signed him as a FA, and if he was mostly responsible for 5 to 10 loses, Sasha double that with half the minutes. Sasha did absolutely nothing to deserve a starting spot AND PHIL HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY GRANT DIDN'T DESERVE MINUTES, in fact(sasha) did everything to get his minutes reduce. But he was their little triangle pet.

This team fell apart because the way guys where being rotated in and out of the line up. We went 7-3 with a 9 man rotation leading up to the 22-22 mark, then we went back to 13, 14 players.

Everything wrong is phils fualt, and everything right is phils doing, so when he starts jabbering about players not bonding, think about why, these dudes where enjoying each other months before the season started.

Cash is king in the NBA. Players and agents chase money not warm and fuzzy coaching comfort.

I disagree that the roster was mismanaged. Fisher was criticised early that he played so many players for so long but by mid-seasomn the team was at .500 ball.

Once injuries and the disruption of Fisher's firing took hold, the season and the team chemistry dissolved. You can continue to blame Rambis but like Fisher before him, Kurt had every right to manage as he saw fit and the team played better, more cohesive ball.

The management and players all agree that the season was a letdown.No amount of finger-pointing changes that.

Guys want to get paid but why did Aldridge go to the Spurs? He could have resigned in Portland for more money. Guys want to get paid but they want to win and be in good situations. See the Nets in the summer of 2010 if you think cash is king. See the Heat in 2010 if you think a little more cash is better than a winning situation. Guys on the Knicks don't like Rambis. No one endorsed him. Even Sam Mitchell as an interim got endorsed. Mike Woodson was endorsed and he drew Rasheed back. Is there a guy from Rambis's past that wants to play for him? Do you really think the only guy that could possibly go to the press about Rambis talking down to the team is Afflalo? Your take that Afflalo has psychological issues is pretty far out there. No player on the Knicks endorsed Rambis. Here is a number line showing how many players endoresed RAmbis out of fifteen -0-. I will be psyched if Afflalo doesn't resign but lets not pretend that Afflalo is some rare freak that doesn't like the way Rambis coached. Guys like to win. Rambis doesn't do that.

wow!! good post and so unexpected from a flag waving knick fan :-)

CrushAlot wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:I loved everything Jackson said during the news conference. He said he came here to install a system and that is what he doing. He wants to develop players into complete players with the requisite basketball skills. He told the press to back off so players will want to come play in New York. He wants a coach he knows so there is continuity from top to bottom, and I imagine from continuity will spring cohesion, coherence, and a healthy, synergistic culture.

He's tuning out and infuriating the yahoos who want "names" and expect results right away. Good!

Excellent post and spot on. After listening to all the available exit interviews its obvious Phil and Melo are here to stay. It's also obvious that Thibs will not be coaching the Knicks for two reasons; 1.) Thibs has a reputation of tangling with management in unproductive ways and 2.) the Knicks have a 10+ year superstar on their hands with Porzingus who might last four years without injury with Thibs.

Also obvious was the fact that Jerian Grant had not earned playing time in Phil's eyes which means Rambis wasn't playing to win to pad his record as is widely speculated. The entire narrative that veterans needed to step in and insist Rambis play youth is only partially true. They may have asked but Rambis was sending an important message - "get with the program [e.g. system]". It's a message that makes sense and demonstrates, contrary to the popular belief that Rambis is a shill, that Rambis instead listens closely to Jackson's directives and tailor's the minute management and player chemistry to maximize learning. Reluctant learners [say, Afflalo and others] likely consider this commitment to system and learning "condescending".

Carmelo's closing comments were instructive. He thought the Knicks coulda/shoulda won a dozen or so more games and that's worth repeating because he [supporting my own point of view] thinks the Knicks had the talent to do that. They do. But as Jackson pointed out in his own interview, the Knicks lacked tensile strength. This is a function of team and player maturity rather than pure talent. Aside from this being the end of the Jackson Knicks Year One experience, it marks the beginning of a sophomore year for Galloway, Porzingis, Early, and Grant. All these players are going to continue to mature and become dominant.

Williams and Thomas were prominently mentioned in glowing remarks by Jackson. He'll likely reach out to both men with offers to stay.

Given Phil's pattern from last summer I expect him to trade for at least a second-round pick - Gaines probably already has an idea or two along those lines. And his Free agent signings will be low-profile, blue collar players along the lines of Matt Barnes, Evan Turner, Rondo, Teletovic, Pachulia, and Mahinmi.

yeah don't get me started on afflalo. he's a bit of a sulker. i really made a mistake in my estimation of him as a player and a teammate. but anybody who plays for the knicks has to, as you say, get with the program.

you can't win without a plan, and the dolan era has been defined by a lack of a plan and in my opinion dolan's sociopathic impulsivity.

that said, phil made a mistake with afflalo and i think cleanthony early as well. no gm is going to bat a thousand, especially in rebuilding.

I think Afflalo has a touch of manic-depression. His on again/off again performances cost the Knicks 5-10 games. If he stays I hope he gets some counseling. He does sulk and did not at all like taking any corrective guidance from Rambis. The press played this up as a Rambis failure to communicate but honestly Afflalo who is getting paid multi-millions to be a professional acted like a child with recriminations and festering tweets about the coach. He needs a change of scenery.

It should also be mentioned that Phil brought in Afflalo because he and Anthony were kindred spirits - presumably both rowing in the same direction. There was occasional evidence of that but by mid-season Afflalo was MIA. This is not on Melo or Phil. Both had reason to believe Afflalo would be a better JR Smith. Melo in defending Afflalo is being a loyal friend but a foolish teammate. Rambis is not the problem, Afflalo is and it may not be fixable since behavior and emotional stability are not a matter of improving skill. counseling and medication could help assuming a millionaire, occasional prima donna can do what's right.

This folds into the broader discussion that Phil has been making mistakes and blundering his way through his management duties. That is inaccurate. Identifying players and signing FAs is an exercise in risk assessment. Like stock picking, sometimes you win big and other times not. From a bird's eye view, today Phil has won far more than he's lost - but he has lost. That's a function of being in the game.

An example of a loss that's never talked about and is only apparent at this season's end was the decision to let Cole Aldrich walk. Aldrich played and continues to play a much better backup last year and this than either O'Quinn or Seraphin have for the Knicks. And Aldrich had no problem fitting into the system. Signing O'Quinn and Seraphin remains defensible but it also exposes an example of risk mitigation. Aldrich was associated with the 17 win season while O'Quinn and Seraphin looked to be potential steals.

CleAnthony Early is a different example of risk. Early was projected as a first-rounder and dropped through to a position the Knicks could draft him at in the second-round. He didn't arrive a superstar or even a rotation player so its easy to criticize his presence on the team. But again, players like Galloway, Grant, Early and others routinely take 3-5 years to mature. That's just the way things work. Fans who roast the Knicks for letting youth get away need to take a deep breath because in the name of trashing Phil, they are advocating the same thing.

perfectly stated! posts don't get any better than this one.

while all this make some sense, Rambis, like Fisher, will not attract FA. I felt the entire roster was miss manage, and you absolutely have to take that into consideration, we don't know what phil promised AA when he signed him as a FA, and if he was mostly responsible for 5 to 10 loses, Sasha double that with half the minutes. Sasha did absolutely nothing to deserve a starting spot AND PHIL HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY GRANT DIDN'T DESERVE MINUTES, in fact(sasha) did everything to get his minutes reduce. But he was their little triangle pet.

This team fell apart because the way guys where being rotated in and out of the line up. We went 7-3 with a 9 man rotation leading up to the 22-22 mark, then we went back to 13, 14 players.

Everything wrong is phils fualt, and everything right is phils doing, so when he starts jabbering about players not bonding, think about why, these dudes where enjoying each other months before the season started.

Cash is king in the NBA. Players and agents chase money not warm and fuzzy coaching comfort.

I disagree that the roster was mismanaged. Fisher was criticised early that he played so many players for so long but by mid-seasomn the team was at .500 ball.

Once injuries and the disruption of Fisher's firing took hold, the season and the team chemistry dissolved. You can continue to blame Rambis but like Fisher before him, Kurt had every right to manage as he saw fit and the team played better, more cohesive ball.

The management and players all agree that the season was a letdown.No amount of finger-pointing changes that.

Guys want to get paid but why did Aldridge go to the Spurs? He could have resigned in Portland for more money. Guys want to get paid but they want to win and be in good situations. See the Nets in the summer of 2010 if you think cash is king. See the Heat in 2010 if you think a little more cash is better than a winning situation. Guys on the Knicks don't like Rambis. No one endorsed him. Even Sam Mitchell as an interim got endorsed. Mike Woodson was endorsed and he drew Rasheed back. Is there a guy from Rambis's past that wants to play for him? Do you really think the only guy that could possibly go to the press about Rambis talking down to the team is Afflalo? Your take that Afflalo has psychological issues is pretty far out there. No player on the Knicks endorsed Rambis. Here is a number line showing how many players endoresed RAmbis out of fifteen -0-. I will be psyched if Afflalo doesn't resign but lets not pretend that Afflalo is some rare freak that doesn't like the way Rambis coached. Guys like to win. Rambis doesn't do that.

so what if none of the players endorsed rambis? who is running the team, jackson or the players? in a rebuilding situation like the knicks are in, players are more likely to be told to keep their opinions to themselves, because it would show up management as the franchise claws its way back to relevance, creating controversy. that does not equate with "no player on the knicks endorsed rambis." carmelo anthony, being the player who has all the power with his no trade clause, is simply doing what he has always done, by opening his big fat mouth. he had a pretty terrific 35 games this season but that doesn't give him the right to say what he did, as roundabout as it was.

knicks1248 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:I loved everything Jackson said during the news conference. He said he came here to install a system and that is what he doing. He wants to develop players into complete players with the requisite basketball skills. He told the press to back off so players will want to come play in New York. He wants a coach he knows so there is continuity from top to bottom, and I imagine from continuity will spring cohesion, coherence, and a healthy, synergistic culture.

He's tuning out and infuriating the yahoos who want "names" and expect results right away. Good!

Excellent post and spot on. After listening to all the available exit interviews its obvious Phil and Melo are here to stay. It's also obvious that Thibs will not be coaching the Knicks for two reasons; 1.) Thibs has a reputation of tangling with management in unproductive ways and 2.) the Knicks have a 10+ year superstar on their hands with Porzingus who might last four years without injury with Thibs.

Also obvious was the fact that Jerian Grant had not earned playing time in Phil's eyes which means Rambis wasn't playing to win to pad his record as is widely speculated. The entire narrative that veterans needed to step in and insist Rambis play youth is only partially true. They may have asked but Rambis was sending an important message - "get with the program [e.g. system]". It's a message that makes sense and demonstrates, contrary to the popular belief that Rambis is a shill, that Rambis instead listens closely to Jackson's directives and tailor's the minute management and player chemistry to maximize learning. Reluctant learners [say, Afflalo and others] likely consider this commitment to system and learning "condescending".

Carmelo's closing comments were instructive. He thought the Knicks coulda/shoulda won a dozen or so more games and that's worth repeating because he [supporting my own point of view] thinks the Knicks had the talent to do that. They do. But as Jackson pointed out in his own interview, the Knicks lacked tensile strength. This is a function of team and player maturity rather than pure talent. Aside from this being the end of the Jackson Knicks Year One experience, it marks the beginning of a sophomore year for Galloway, Porzingis, Early, and Grant. All these players are going to continue to mature and become dominant.

Williams and Thomas were prominently mentioned in glowing remarks by Jackson. He'll likely reach out to both men with offers to stay.

Given Phil's pattern from last summer I expect him to trade for at least a second-round pick - Gaines probably already has an idea or two along those lines. And his Free agent signings will be low-profile, blue collar players along the lines of Matt Barnes, Evan Turner, Rondo, Teletovic, Pachulia, and Mahinmi.

yeah don't get me started on afflalo. he's a bit of a sulker. i really made a mistake in my estimation of him as a player and a teammate. but anybody who plays for the knicks has to, as you say, get with the program.

you can't win without a plan, and the dolan era has been defined by a lack of a plan and in my opinion dolan's sociopathic impulsivity.

that said, phil made a mistake with afflalo and i think cleanthony early as well. no gm is going to bat a thousand, especially in rebuilding.

I think Afflalo has a touch of manic-depression. His on again/off again performances cost the Knicks 5-10 games. If he stays I hope he gets some counseling. He does sulk and did not at all like taking any corrective guidance from Rambis. The press played this up as a Rambis failure to communicate but honestly Afflalo who is getting paid multi-millions to be a professional acted like a child with recriminations and festering tweets about the coach. He needs a change of scenery.

It should also be mentioned that Phil brought in Afflalo because he and Anthony were kindred spirits - presumably both rowing in the same direction. There was occasional evidence of that but by mid-season Afflalo was MIA. This is not on Melo or Phil. Both had reason to believe Afflalo would be a better JR Smith. Melo in defending Afflalo is being a loyal friend but a foolish teammate. Rambis is not the problem, Afflalo is and it may not be fixable since behavior and emotional stability are not a matter of improving skill. counseling and medication could help assuming a millionaire, occasional prima donna can do what's right.

This folds into the broader discussion that Phil has been making mistakes and blundering his way through his management duties. That is inaccurate. Identifying players and signing FAs is an exercise in risk assessment. Like stock picking, sometimes you win big and other times not. From a bird's eye view, today Phil has won far more than he's lost - but he has lost. That's a function of being in the game.

An example of a loss that's never talked about and is only apparent at this season's end was the decision to let Cole Aldrich walk. Aldrich played and continues to play a much better backup last year and this than either O'Quinn or Seraphin have for the Knicks. And Aldrich had no problem fitting into the system. Signing O'Quinn and Seraphin remains defensible but it also exposes an example of risk mitigation. Aldrich was associated with the 17 win season while O'Quinn and Seraphin looked to be potential steals.

CleAnthony Early is a different example of risk. Early was projected as a first-rounder and dropped through to a position the Knicks could draft him at in the second-round. He didn't arrive a superstar or even a rotation player so its easy to criticize his presence on the team. But again, players like Galloway, Grant, Early and others routinely take 3-5 years to mature. That's just the way things work. Fans who roast the Knicks for letting youth get away need to take a deep breath because in the name of trashing Phil, they are advocating the same thing.

perfectly stated! posts don't get any better than this one.

while all this make some sense, Rambis, like Fisher, will not attract FA. I felt the entire roster was miss manage, and you absolutely have to take that into consideration, we don't know what phil promised AA when he signed him as a FA, and if he was mostly responsible for 5 to 10 loses, Sasha double that with half the minutes. Sasha did absolutely nothing to deserve a starting spot AND PHIL HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY GRANT DIDN'T DESERVE MINUTES, in fact(sasha) did everything to get his minutes reduce. But he was their little triangle pet.

This team fell apart because the way guys where being rotated in and out of the line up. We went 7-3 with a 9 man rotation leading up to the 22-22 mark, then we went back to 13, 14 players.

Everything wrong is phils fualt, and everything right is phils doing, so when he starts jabbering about players not bonding, think about why, these dudes where enjoying each other months before the season started.

Cash is king in the NBA. Players and agents chase money not warm and fuzzy coaching comfort.

I disagree that the roster was mismanaged. Fisher was criticised early that he played so many players for so long but by mid-seasomn the team was at .500 ball.

Once injuries and the disruption of Fisher's firing took hold, the season and the team chemistry dissolved. You can continue to blame Rambis but like Fisher before him, Kurt had every right to manage as he saw fit and the team played better, more cohesive ball.

The management and players all agree that the season was a letdown.No amount of finger-pointing changes that.

Guys want to get paid but why did Aldridge go to the Spurs? He could have resigned in Portland for more money. Guys want to get paid but they want to win and be in good situations. See the Nets in the summer of 2010 if you think cash is king. See the Heat in 2010 if you think a little more cash is better than a winning situation. Guys on the Knicks don't like Rambis. No one endorsed him. Even Sam Mitchell as an interim got endorsed. Mike Woodson was endorsed and he drew Rasheed back. Is there a guy from Rambis's past that wants to play for him? Do you really think the only guy that could possibly go to the press about Rambis talking down to the team is Afflalo? Your take that Afflalo has psychological issues is pretty far out there. No player on the Knicks endorsed Rambis. Here is a number line showing how many players endoresed RAmbis out of fifteen -0-. I will be psyched if Afflalo doesn't resign but lets not pretend that Afflalo is some rare freak that doesn't like the way Rambis coached. Guys like to win. Rambis doesn't do that.

so what if none of the players endorsed rambis? who is running the team, jackson or the players? in a rebuilding situation like the knicks are in, players are more likely to be told to keep their opinions to themselves, because it would show up management as the franchise claws its way back to relevance, creating controversy. that does not equate with "no player on the knicks endorsed rambis." carmelo anthony, being the player who has all the power with his no trade clause, is simply doing what he has always done, by opening his big fat mouth. he had a pretty terrific 35 games this season but that doesn't give him the right to say what he did, as roundabout as it was.

How does Rambis ineptness and Afflalo's position on Rambis fall back on Melos's NTC. Do you realize every topic we discuss you always seem to put melo in the middle or the end.

I said it earlier, reputable coaches attract FA.

He's talking about cash is king, we had cash, and the king went to MIAMI for less and Im sure MDA's REP for not making defense a priority had something to do with that.

The idea that phil is ready to dismantle a roster after one season, and 2nd tier players are willing to opt out of their contracts after one season, says a lot about the current situation. Phil could couldn't get any of the players he had in his lst season (he consider keeping) to take less for the sake of the team. And now you have players ready to bounce the 1st chance they get, THAT'S NOT ATTRACTIVE.

In the 9 to 5 world that would be consider a company with high employee turnover.

Most NBA vets, taking winning over money anyday of the week, and we have seen that happen more frequent in the last few yrs DAVID WEST, and LBJ BEING THE POSTER CHILDs.

I think phil knows this, he knows what Rambis's qualities are, and head coaching is not one by any stretch, or else he would have name him the Head coach in a heart beat.

1)rambis benched an inept player in afflalo.
2)lebron colluded with bosh and wade-- he never intended to go anywhere but miami.
3)melo said he wanted to have some input on who the coach would be. that is not his place.
4)players go to teams for money and a healthy culture. dolan/thomas was pure dysfunction. dolan's meddling and rash decisions have made the franchise a laughingstock.
5)the knicks have had plenty of reputable coaches since dolan took over ownership. they didn't last long because dolan is a terrible owner, and a lowlife who happens to spend money foolishly.
6)there's no such thing as dismantling in a rebuilding situation.

fwk00 wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:

fwk00 wrote:

dk7th wrote:I loved everything Jackson said during the news conference. He said he came here to install a system and that is what he doing. He wants to develop players into complete players with the requisite basketball skills. He told the press to back off so players will want to come play in New York. He wants a coach he knows so there is continuity from top to bottom, and I imagine from continuity will spring cohesion, coherence, and a healthy, synergistic culture.

He's tuning out and infuriating the yahoos who want "names" and expect results right away. Good!

Excellent post and spot on. After listening to all the available exit interviews its obvious Phil and Melo are here to stay. It's also obvious that Thibs will not be coaching the Knicks for two reasons; 1.) Thibs has a reputation of tangling with management in unproductive ways and 2.) the Knicks have a 10+ year superstar on their hands with Porzingus who might last four years without injury with Thibs.

Also obvious was the fact that Jerian Grant had not earned playing time in Phil's eyes which means Rambis wasn't playing to win to pad his record as is widely speculated. The entire narrative that veterans needed to step in and insist Rambis play youth is only partially true. They may have asked but Rambis was sending an important message - "get with the program [e.g. system]". It's a message that makes sense and demonstrates, contrary to the popular belief that Rambis is a shill, that Rambis instead listens closely to Jackson's directives and tailor's the minute management and player chemistry to maximize learning. Reluctant learners [say, Afflalo and others] likely consider this commitment to system and learning "condescending".

Carmelo's closing comments were instructive. He thought the Knicks coulda/shoulda won a dozen or so more games and that's worth repeating because he [supporting my own point of view] thinks the Knicks had the talent to do that. They do. But as Jackson pointed out in his own interview, the Knicks lacked tensile strength. This is a function of team and player maturity rather than pure talent. Aside from this being the end of the Jackson Knicks Year One experience, it marks the beginning of a sophomore year for Galloway, Porzingis, Early, and Grant. All these players are going to continue to mature and become dominant.

Williams and Thomas were prominently mentioned in glowing remarks by Jackson. He'll likely reach out to both men with offers to stay.

Given Phil's pattern from last summer I expect him to trade for at least a second-round pick - Gaines probably already has an idea or two along those lines. And his Free agent signings will be low-profile, blue collar players along the lines of Matt Barnes, Evan Turner, Rondo, Teletovic, Pachulia, and Mahinmi.

yeah don't get me started on afflalo. he's a bit of a sulker. i really made a mistake in my estimation of him as a player and a teammate. but anybody who plays for the knicks has to, as you say, get with the program.

you can't win without a plan, and the dolan era has been defined by a lack of a plan and in my opinion dolan's sociopathic impulsivity.

that said, phil made a mistake with afflalo and i think cleanthony early as well. no gm is going to bat a thousand, especially in rebuilding.

I think Afflalo has a touch of manic-depression. His on again/off again performances cost the Knicks 5-10 games. If he stays I hope he gets some counseling. He does sulk and did not at all like taking any corrective guidance from Rambis. The press played this up as a Rambis failure to communicate but honestly Afflalo who is getting paid multi-millions to be a professional acted like a child with recriminations and festering tweets about the coach. He needs a change of scenery.

It should also be mentioned that Phil brought in Afflalo because he and Anthony were kindred spirits - presumably both rowing in the same direction. There was occasional evidence of that but by mid-season Afflalo was MIA. This is not on Melo or Phil. Both had reason to believe Afflalo would be a better JR Smith. Melo in defending Afflalo is being a loyal friend but a foolish teammate. Rambis is not the problem, Afflalo is and it may not be fixable since behavior and emotional stability are not a matter of improving skill. counseling and medication could help assuming a millionaire, occasional prima donna can do what's right.

This folds into the broader discussion that Phil has been making mistakes and blundering his way through his management duties. That is inaccurate. Identifying players and signing FAs is an exercise in risk assessment. Like stock picking, sometimes you win big and other times not. From a bird's eye view, today Phil has won far more than he's lost - but he has lost. That's a function of being in the game.

An example of a loss that's never talked about and is only apparent at this season's end was the decision to let Cole Aldrich walk. Aldrich played and continues to play a much better backup last year and this than either O'Quinn or Seraphin have for the Knicks. And Aldrich had no problem fitting into the system. Signing O'Quinn and Seraphin remains defensible but it also exposes an example of risk mitigation. Aldrich was associated with the 17 win season while O'Quinn and Seraphin looked to be potential steals.

CleAnthony Early is a different example of risk. Early was projected as a first-rounder and dropped through to a position the Knicks could draft him at in the second-round. He didn't arrive a superstar or even a rotation player so its easy to criticize his presence on the team. But again, players like Galloway, Grant, Early and others routinely take 3-5 years to mature. That's just the way things work. Fans who roast the Knicks for letting youth get away need to take a deep breath because in the name of trashing Phil, they are advocating the same thing.

perfectly stated! posts don't get any better than this one.

while all this make some sense, Rambis, like Fisher, will not attract FA. I felt the entire roster was miss manage, and you absolutely have to take that into consideration, we don't know what phil promised AA when he signed him as a FA, and if he was mostly responsible for 5 to 10 loses, Sasha double that with half the minutes. Sasha did absolutely nothing to deserve a starting spot AND PHIL HAD THE AUDACITY TO SAY GRANT DIDN'T DESERVE MINUTES, in fact(sasha) did everything to get his minutes reduce. But he was their little triangle pet.

This team fell apart because the way guys where being rotated in and out of the line up. We went 7-3 with a 9 man rotation leading up to the 22-22 mark, then we went back to 13, 14 players.

Everything wrong is phils fualt, and everything right is phils doing, so when he starts jabbering about players not bonding, think about why, these dudes where enjoying each other months before the season started.

Cash is king in the NBA. Players and agents chase money not warm and fuzzy coaching comfort.

I disagree that the roster was mismanaged. Fisher was criticised early that he played so many players for so long but by mid-seasomn the team was at .500 ball.

Once injuries and the disruption of Fisher's firing took hold, the season and the team chemistry dissolved. You can continue to blame Rambis but like Fisher before him, Kurt had every right to manage as he saw fit and the team played better, more cohesive ball.

The management and players all agree that the season was a letdown.No amount of finger-pointing changes that.

Guys want to get paid but why did Aldridge go to the Spurs? He could have resigned in Portland for more money. Guys want to get paid but they want to win and be in good situations. See the Nets in the summer of 2010 if you think cash is king. See the Heat in 2010 if you think a little more cash is better than a winning situation. Guys on the Knicks don't like Rambis. No one endorsed him. Even Sam Mitchell as an interim got endorsed. Mike Woodson was endorsed and he drew Rasheed back. Is there a guy from Rambis's past that wants to play for him? Do you really think the only guy that could possibly go to the press about Rambis talking down to the team is Afflalo? Your take that Afflalo has psychological issues is pretty far out there. No player on the Knicks endorsed Rambis. Here is a number line showing how many players endoresed RAmbis out of fifteen -0-. I will be psyched if Afflalo doesn't resign but lets not pretend that Afflalo is some rare freak that doesn't like the way Rambis coached. Guys like to win. Rambis doesn't do that.

Let me refresh your memory about Aldrich. He was out of Portland no matter what. If NBA lore is to be believed he would have considered the Knicks had Phil not insisted he play center. As for signing with the Spurs, Golden State, Cleveland, or any of the obvious contenders - the playoff money and exposure more than compensate for minor contractual compromises. And let's be clear, Melo dodged a bullet by signing with the Knicks instead of Chicago.

Your argument has many holes in it. Players who want to win by your definition are joining teams with strong, no compromise systems of play which, BTW, are shockingly similar to what Phil advocates and some of our knuckleheads still resist. You refer to "good situations" as if Rambis were an unaccountable, incompetent tyrant, Jackson a fool, and Dolan interfering like he did for over a decade. NONE of that is true or even credible. Every player who Jackson has moved, moved to great situations for them. Rambis didn't take us to the playoffs - that was a monumental task to begin with given what he inherited. League-wide, announcers commented how lazy and unconvincingly the Knicks were cutting and executing just before Rambis took over. We weren't winning much this year no matter what. But yeah, as a Knicks fan it stings not being in the playoffs - but I don't lay that at Rambis's doorstep.

Quite frankly, Rambis is exactly the coach the Knicks need next year because chances are that whoever takes the reigns will still have a midling win-loss record. Rambis has the temperament to weather that storm. Any other coach will be accused of either being incompetent, becoming a shill for Jackson, not becoming a shill for Jackson, not having the players "like" them and so on. That's one of the fears I would have with bringing in, say, Luke Walton who i think could do a great job but might get rolled by the New York media the minute the record wasn't matching the irrational expectations the ticket scalpers demand.

And let's be adults here, Rambis isn't here to be "liked". He's here to get the player's asses in gear. He's not here to have millionaires sit in his lap and tel them how much they want to the the positive experience of winning without actually playing the game to win. I have zero sympathy for the whiner alibis - "it was the coach's fault". Show the idiot the way out please.

BTW, how many players endorsed Phil or Dolan or the Knicks City Dancers? What kind of metric is that? Will they win if they like the coach? No practice, discipline, or application of talent required?

I hate to pick on Afflalo but he faded like a pair of blue jeans after three wash cycles. *Something* is up with that.

And your last statement is bizarre, "Rambis" doesn't do that????? I guess Phil doesn't do that either. Nor Anthony. Winning should be second-hand play with a team full of rookies in the NBA... I have trouble understanding the record myself... Golden State did it overnight...

wow ... this sounds like an msg press release.

fwk00 wrote:

knicks1248 wrote:
The idea that phil is ready to dismantle a roster after one season, and 2nd tier players are willing to opt out of their contracts after one season, says a lot about the current situation. Phil could couldn't get any of the players he had in his lst season (he consider keeping) to take less for the sake of the team. And now you have players ready to bounce the 1st chance they get, THAT'S NOT ATTRACTIVE.

Your interpretation of the exit interview remarks are disingenuous as they are delusional.

Phil, Melo, and Porzingis aren't going anywhere. Neither is the system, part of which is the triangle. And whoever coaches will be implementing the system.

Most of the rest of the team who are under contract will also be back. Phil implied that Thomas and Williams were priority signings. If by "dismantling" you are referring to pruning deadwood - you would be right. If by "dismantle" you mean that players who have had disappointing seasons will need to get their head on straight, their bodies in shape, and their game instincts honed then that too is correct.

But no, the juggernaut know as the 2015/2016 Knicks will not be getting dismantled despite angry NBA mobs demanding as much.

I'm not as high on Galloway and Early. We have 40 mm if Affalo opts out id go Bazemore convince Gasol to come here and I like Seth curry despite a thin resume more than other name brand guys the only guy in the first rd draft that I like is valentine than I like projects like Derrick jones Patrick mccaw or Malik Beasley. My fav is Jones then you have a bunch of players like a bryn Forbes the c from Villanova etc that will be attractive players who fall through rd 2