Knickoftime wrote:Finestrg wrote:Huh?!? So because it's the last 24 games, we should scrap any & all ideas of bolstering the frontline/improving the rebounding and just go with what we have? 'Go get 'em Ronny--only 24 to go, time to kick it in to that extra gear'! Come on...ALL WHILE the top teams in the conference are in the process of re-tooling their teams for the stretch drive???
Who has Chicago added?
Orlando?
Atlanta?
Boston has so far added Troy Murphy.
Miami has so added no one, they are expected to add Bibby. But then Miami's roster was ALREADY 9-deep with waiver wire players, they're just replacing, not retooling.
And if you feel like Googling "NBA, waiver wire impact" you find a few articles spelling it out clearly. Few of these moves ever make much of an impact.
They can reinforce their clubs but we can't??
You're arguing with yourself. Knicks have waived players and brought in 2 new ones, which in fact is the most moves (so far) of any team.
Not liking the moves they're making and arguing that they are doing anything are two different things.
I couldn't care less that there's 24 games to go pal -- that's 24 games left to get this thing right in my book..Not for more of the same..The rebounding problem cost us one of these precious remaining games the other night in Cleveland for Christ's sake..
The dynamic here is you're spouting platitudes and I'm expressing pragmatism.
No one is against or arguing in opposition to the Knicks theoretically addressing a team weakness. You're just vastly overestimating the Knicks ability to do so via the waiver wire.
And whoever said the frontline reinforcement in question has to strictly be a bench guy anyway? I never said that...In fact, the guys I were looking to add would've been instant starters on this team right next to Amar'e & Melo, Earl Barron included..
In YOUR mind. Barron has been available to the Knicks ALL year save for the week or so he was Phoenix.
I'd like to think that even for a narrow-minded guy like D'Antoni, a guy like Cousin's talent would've shone through pretty quickly..What'd ya want me to tell ya??
Start with why Cousin's talent isn't shining through for any of the other 29 teams in the NBA?
Now we've had a chance to do something about it, to pick up specific pieces that could've addressed it & improved upon it, and we didn't, instead opting to go with a project undersized hybrid F stuck between the 3 & the 4 and a stiff of a big man that did very little here for us the first time around. It's justifiable for some to be upset about this. Again, all we can do is hope for the best at this point..
I'm not telling you how to feel. I'm telling you Jeffries is coming back for a VERY specific reason you choose to ignore.
Expecting the Knicks to demonstratively improve by adding waiver wire or D-League players with 24 games left in the regular season is just ignorant - ignorant of what's available and ignorant of how the head coach is liable to use a player of the caliber available to the KNicks right now.
Wow was that over the top..Let's see..Rebuttal one by one:
(1) Orlando just made 2 monster in-season trades to re-model their whole team around Howard..Atlanta just jettisoned Bibby presumably to make room for the younger Jeff Teague..Otherwise that ATL team is very solid..What do these teams need to add right now? Miami and Boston were said to be in competition for Troy Murphy's services and listening to you, it sounds like Boston got him..Point is we're much more in a position of need right now in a few areas (rebounding, more size, etc..) than these other teams are..I can't believe you're making me spell this out for you..Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta----where would a Marcus Cousin play on those teams? Over here, he'd be the starting center. Over here a guy like Jeff Adrien would've started for me at the 4 with Amar'e moving over to the 5..Orlando already has Dwight Howard and Brandon Bass..Atlanta has Al Horford in the middle..Chicago has Noah & Boozer..We have Ronny Turiaf and our star big man isn't a good enough rebounder to compensate for Ronny's shortcomings..See the difference now????? STAT & Turiaf together is missing something..I wasn't talking about these teams anyway damn it...When I said top teams I meant Boston and Miami..Is it safe to say those are the two top teams in the EC? I'd be upset to learn that we were never even in on the Troy Murphy signing as appears to be the case..
(2) You're talking semantics here man -- let's regain focus and get back down to the real issues, namely the rebounding problem..It's the biggest problem this team faces right now and it was not addressd. Period. The team could very well STILL have trouble on the backboard like we did in Cleveland and at many different times throughout the year..As good a player as Melo is, he's not fixing that problem himself...He'll help just like fellow wing Landry Fields helps..We needed more though---a legit 4 or 5 with toughness, preferably with some size (although I would've taken Jeff Adrien in a heartbeat), and the ability to rebound the basketball..That problem remains and it could bite us in the ass coming down the stretch here. You wanna argue that FACT any further, that's on you. I don't care to anymore.
(3) Not adding Earl Barron to this team has been a mystery to me all year (or at least from the point it became clear that we were lacking that something in the middle)..You're fairly new to the board but if you were here and followed discussion about Barron all along from preseason, quite a few of us have been puzzled why he was never brought back..Crzy just speculated that the Knicks weren't "enamoured" with his play enough to bring him back, to which I posted a Marc Berman youtube blog clip which clearly refutes that once you hear what MDA had to say about him..Again, it's a mystery...Did he want too much money? Was he a douche bag or a bad locker room/character guy the first time around?? Maybe..I dunno..All I know is he's not here and he could've helped us...You're damn right it's been on my mind -- it's not even speculation or hypothetical 'he might be able to provide this or that' type stuff..The proof is in the pudding - the man PERFORMED VERY WELL the first go-around..He's an upgrade in size and skill from Ronny Turiaf..Opportunity lost.
(4) Arguing with myself? WTF does that mean?? Yeah, I understand what we did -- we waived two players: one a defensive stopper that I actually wanted to see us at least try (to me Corey Brewer has much more to offer as a player than Jeffries, I don't care how poorly he may have played in Minny this year) and the other a SG with talent that unfortuantely was still too injured to utilize. In their place we picked up Jeffries and Derrick Brown. We made moves--maybe we even lead the league in making moves at this point like you say---who cares??? I'm talking about the right moves...A team can make 100 moves right now---if they're not done with the idea of improving on a team weakness I don't see what the point is. Jeffries I already know isn't much of a difference-maker..Brown I'm gonna have to see...Rebounding problem still remains though..
(5) Why isn't Cousin's talent shining through to other NBA teams?? I don't know and frankly I don't care...Look fella, I wanna see my own team benefit from waiver-wire transactions and get better..I don't care about these other teams and how they evaluate players..Although, like I said, if teams like Miami & Boston, already the two premier EC teams, are competing for the best waiver-wire big man out there--Murphy (and it appears one got him) and we were never even in on the conversation, I'm PISSED about that..You should be too..I needed to hear that we inquired about him, even that we reached out directly to him at one point..Doesn't appear to be the case..All you heard on Twitter the last couple of days was 'Miami & Boston going after Murphy..Knicks don't appear to be involved." Unacceptable. Cousin, meanwhile, is a good young player with height & skill. I've gone out of my way to post plenty of proof on this board in the form of my own opinion after watching him a few times, extensive video clips, favorable write-ups from the experts, etc..I'm convinced his talent is for real and that it would translate over to the NBA..
(6) I know why they're bringing Jeffries back..I'm arguing that they are severely overrating his defensive ability...Tonight for instance, who's he stopping, this defensive guru that can guard 5 positions? Dwight Howard? Nope, that'll be up to Ronny and STAT..Brandon Bass? Advantage Magic..J-Rich? Come on...Jameer Nelson/Agent Zero??? Yeah, good luck with that..Hey maybe the guy comes out energized, happy to be back and he contributes something meaningful both tonight & the rest of the way..I'd welcome it, I'm just not expecting it..I know better.
(7) Who the hell ever said anything about the ballclub "demonstratively" improving with a waiver-wire move?? Of course you hope for that but I wouldn't expect that..Come on..I just wanna to see them improve on a major weakness or two and make the team as a whole work more cohesive and function better. Is that not what you wanna see as a Knick fan? Now you're putting words in my mouth..I'm talking about augmenting and supporting the fine pieces that are already here...I'm talking about plugging holes, about addressing deficiencies here...About taking some of the pressure off our stars and upgrading the rebounding & overall play in the middle...There were guys available that could've supplied that..We didn't appear to be interested..That makes me "ignorant"? Wanting to see my team plug holes is ignorant??? You're out to lunch..Don't bother responding -- I'm not wavering off any point I made..You said your peace already and I gave you the rebuttal...Move on.
3/1/2011 6:48 PM