Per Newsday’s Kimberly A. Martin, Anthony said “I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven’t had so far this season, especially on the defensive end.”

Wow.

Did ‘Melo really utter those words aloud? In public? In front of the media?

Where has his energy been all season? Was it sapped by his point forward duties? Was it eclipsed by his nagging injuries? No, I think we must assume that Carmelo believes that the deposed Mike D’Antoni robbed Anthony of his energy. In fairness, the only difference over the last three games is the coach, right?

To quote Mitt Romney, I find this to be a extraordinary! Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is a player who gets paid over $18 million dollars a year to play basketball, right? Heck, isn’t this the guy who had zero problem exerting all of his “energy” in manipulating his way out of Denver? Is this not the “superstar” who has repeatedly proclaimed himself to be the “leader” of the Knicks?

But it doesn’t stop there.

“When he got the job, I told him, ‘Hold me accountable,’ ” Anthony said of new interim coach Mike Woodson. “I don’t have a problem with criticism. If I can do something to help better this team, let me know. And he’s been doing that.”

Again, call me crazy, but it sure seems like Anthony believes that Woodson has done a better job than D’Antoni at holding him accountable (he certainly hasn’t helped the small forward recapture his shooting form). I’m sorry, but if you’re holding yourself out there as one of the best players in the world, how, exactly, is it that you need someone to hold you accountable? Shouldn’t you be holding yourself accountable?

Is this where we are when it comes to “professional” athletes? They get all the praise and accolades when they successfully “do this,” but when they stumble, it’s someone else’s fault?

How about we try a new approach, Carmelo? It’s called honesty. Keep in mind, honesty is different than transparency. When you make statements about your effort—or in this case, a shocking lack thereof—we see through your words. We see that your agenda lies somewhere between shots across MDA’s bow and laying the groundwork to excuse your future failures.

Instead, why not just come out and say “I just couldn’t play for that other guy. It was either him or me, and in the end, it was him. It’s nothing personal, we just needed a change to reach our potential here, and I respect him for stepping aside. He’s a good man, a good coach, and I respect him greatly. Sometimes things don’t work out, and in this case, I take full responsibility for that, not because I want to be portrayed as a villain, but because I am being honest. I definitely learned a lot through this experience, and I am going to use this to become a better, more complete player, and more importantly, a better leader and a better example to my teammates.”

The irony about ‘Melo holding court on issues like accountability is that he seems completely unable to apply the concept to himself, himself. Making such statements, just as the Knicks may be emerging from their recent funk, only serves to further the narrative—one that I’m increasingly becoming tied to, by the way—and to encourage even more questions and criticisms.

Maybe Anthony doesn’t understand the gravity of his statements. Perhaps he was just making the same observation that everyone else already has—that his effort, energy and willingness to do whatever it takes to win is and always has been entirely within his control. The sad thing is that most of his teammates already “do this”—also known as trying—every single night.

This isn’t about MDA-people v. Carmelo-people, either. This is about calling a player out for his admission that he hasn’t played with maximum effort in the past. We can live with failure ‘round here, but we cannot accept anything less than a player’s all. Save that stuff for when you play in some NBA outpost like Charlotte or New Orleans.

Ultimately, wins have a funny way of curing all, especially here in Gotham, but by opening Pandora’s Box, Carmelo just made his effort and/or energy fair game from now on. Going forward, I hope never to have to ask him about his effort, but deep down, I probably know better.

nixluva wrote:Are we gonna just flat out LIE now about how Melo played last year??? Are you guys gonna stand here and actually LIE and say you didn't see a HUGE increase in Melo's effort level the very day that MDA resigned??? Please don't do that cuz you'll all look ridiculous doing it. There is no question that Melo totally changed his approach to the game and that's why he was asked what has changed by the press:

Per Newsday’s Kimberly A. Martin, Anthony said “I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven’t had so far this season, especially on the defensive end.”

Wow.

Did ‘Melo really utter those words aloud? In public? In front of the media?

Where has his energy been all season? Was it sapped by his point forward duties? Was it eclipsed by his nagging injuries? No, I think we must assume that Carmelo believes that the deposed Mike D’Antoni robbed Anthony of his energy. In fairness, the only difference over the last three games is the coach, right?

To quote Mitt Romney, I find this to be a extraordinary! Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is a player who gets paid over $18 million dollars a year to play basketball, right? Heck, isn’t this the guy who had zero problem exerting all of his “energy” in manipulating his way out of Denver? Is this not the “superstar” who has repeatedly proclaimed himself to be the “leader” of the Knicks?

But it doesn’t stop there.

“When he got the job, I told him, ‘Hold me accountable,’ ” Anthony said of new interim coach Mike Woodson. “I don’t have a problem with criticism. If I can do something to help better this team, let me know. And he’s been doing that.”

Again, call me crazy, but it sure seems like Anthony believes that Woodson has done a better job than D’Antoni at holding him accountable (he certainly hasn’t helped the small forward recapture his shooting form). I’m sorry, but if you’re holding yourself out there as one of the best players in the world, how, exactly, is it that you need someone to hold you accountable? Shouldn’t you be holding yourself accountable?

Is this where we are when it comes to “professional” athletes? They get all the praise and accolades when they successfully “do this,” but when they stumble, it’s someone else’s fault?

How about we try a new approach, Carmelo? It’s called honesty. Keep in mind, honesty is different than transparency. When you make statements about your effort—or in this case, a shocking lack thereof—we see through your words. We see that your agenda lies somewhere between shots across MDA’s bow and laying the groundwork to excuse your future failures.

Instead, why not just come out and say “I just couldn’t play for that other guy. It was either him or me, and in the end, it was him. It’s nothing personal, we just needed a change to reach our potential here, and I respect him for stepping aside. He’s a good man, a good coach, and I respect him greatly. Sometimes things don’t work out, and in this case, I take full responsibility for that, not because I want to be portrayed as a villain, but because I am being honest. I definitely learned a lot through this experience, and I am going to use this to become a better, more complete player, and more importantly, a better leader and a better example to my teammates.”

The irony about ‘Melo holding court on issues like accountability is that he seems completely unable to apply the concept to himself, himself. Making such statements, just as the Knicks may be emerging from their recent funk, only serves to further the narrative—one that I’m increasingly becoming tied to, by the way—and to encourage even more questions and criticisms.

Maybe Anthony doesn’t understand the gravity of his statements. Perhaps he was just making the same observation that everyone else already has—that his effort, energy and willingness to do whatever it takes to win is and always has been entirely within his control. The sad thing is that most of his teammates already “do this”—also known as trying—every single night.

This isn’t about MDA-people v. Carmelo-people, either. This is about calling a player out for his admission that he hasn’t played with maximum effort in the past. We can live with failure ‘round here, but we cannot accept anything less than a player’s all. Save that stuff for when you play in some NBA outpost like Charlotte or New Orleans.

Ultimately, wins have a funny way of curing all, especially here in Gotham, but by opening Pandora’s Box, Carmelo just made his effort and/or energy fair game from now on. Going forward, I hope never to have to ask him about his effort, but deep down, I probably know better.

are you on 's payroll? I give you a lot of credit for sticking to your guns but who gives a ****? Does this matter at all anymore?

SupremeCommander wrote:

nixluva wrote:Are we gonna just flat out LIE now about how Melo played last year??? Are you guys gonna stand here and actually LIE and say you didn't see a HUGE increase in Melo's effort level the very day that MDA resigned??? Please don't do that cuz you'll all look ridiculous doing it. There is no question that Melo totally changed his approach to the game and that's why he was asked what has changed by the press:

Per Newsday’s Kimberly A. Martin, Anthony said “I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven’t had so far this season, especially on the defensive end.”

Wow.

Did ‘Melo really utter those words aloud? In public? In front of the media?

Where has his energy been all season? Was it sapped by his point forward duties? Was it eclipsed by his nagging injuries? No, I think we must assume that Carmelo believes that the deposed Mike D’Antoni robbed Anthony of his energy. In fairness, the only difference over the last three games is the coach, right?

To quote Mitt Romney, I find this to be a extraordinary! Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is a player who gets paid over $18 million dollars a year to play basketball, right? Heck, isn’t this the guy who had zero problem exerting all of his “energy” in manipulating his way out of Denver? Is this not the “superstar” who has repeatedly proclaimed himself to be the “leader” of the Knicks?

But it doesn’t stop there.

“When he got the job, I told him, ‘Hold me accountable,’ ” Anthony said of new interim coach Mike Woodson. “I don’t have a problem with criticism. If I can do something to help better this team, let me know. And he’s been doing that.”

Again, call me crazy, but it sure seems like Anthony believes that Woodson has done a better job than D’Antoni at holding him accountable (he certainly hasn’t helped the small forward recapture his shooting form). I’m sorry, but if you’re holding yourself out there as one of the best players in the world, how, exactly, is it that you need someone to hold you accountable? Shouldn’t you be holding yourself accountable?

Is this where we are when it comes to “professional” athletes? They get all the praise and accolades when they successfully “do this,” but when they stumble, it’s someone else’s fault?

How about we try a new approach, Carmelo? It’s called honesty. Keep in mind, honesty is different than transparency. When you make statements about your effort—or in this case, a shocking lack thereof—we see through your words. We see that your agenda lies somewhere between shots across MDA’s bow and laying the groundwork to excuse your future failures.

Instead, why not just come out and say “I just couldn’t play for that other guy. It was either him or me, and in the end, it was him. It’s nothing personal, we just needed a change to reach our potential here, and I respect him for stepping aside. He’s a good man, a good coach, and I respect him greatly. Sometimes things don’t work out, and in this case, I take full responsibility for that, not because I want to be portrayed as a villain, but because I am being honest. I definitely learned a lot through this experience, and I am going to use this to become a better, more complete player, and more importantly, a better leader and a better example to my teammates.”

The irony about ‘Melo holding court on issues like accountability is that he seems completely unable to apply the concept to himself, himself. Making such statements, just as the Knicks may be emerging from their recent funk, only serves to further the narrative—one that I’m increasingly becoming tied to, by the way—and to encourage even more questions and criticisms.

Maybe Anthony doesn’t understand the gravity of his statements. Perhaps he was just making the same observation that everyone else already has—that his effort, energy and willingness to do whatever it takes to win is and always has been entirely within his control. The sad thing is that most of his teammates already “do this”—also known as trying—every single night.

This isn’t about MDA-people v. Carmelo-people, either. This is about calling a player out for his admission that he hasn’t played with maximum effort in the past. We can live with failure ‘round here, but we cannot accept anything less than a player’s all. Save that stuff for when you play in some NBA outpost like Charlotte or New Orleans.

Ultimately, wins have a funny way of curing all, especially here in Gotham, but by opening Pandora’s Box, Carmelo just made his effort and/or energy fair game from now on. Going forward, I hope never to have to ask him about his effort, but deep down, I probably know better.

are you on 's payroll? I give you a lot of credit for sticking to your guns but who gives a ****? Does this matter at all anymore?

You're missing the point. This isn't about MDA it's about Melo and what he did. You see MDA and your eyes glaze over!!! I've already moved on and have threads i've created about the current team. I just bring this up cuz MELO IS STILL HERE!!! Melo is the one on the clock now. He's got to make changes in how he approaches the game and he's got to stand up and be a PRO! That's what all this stuff is about. If you can't see that then there's no hope for you to ever understand what Melo means to this team's chances to win a title. It's really on his shoulders. Sure other players have to do their job, but he's the main cog. He's the leader and the teams best player.

nixluva wrote:Are we gonna just flat out LIE now about how Melo played last year??? Are you guys gonna stand here and actually LIE and say you didn't see a HUGE increase in Melo's effort level the very day that MDA resigned??? Please don't do that cuz you'll all look ridiculous doing it. There is no question that Melo totally changed his approach to the game and that's why he was asked what has changed by the press:

Per Newsday’s Kimberly A. Martin, Anthony said “I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven’t had so far this season, especially on the defensive end.”

Wow.

Did ‘Melo really utter those words aloud? In public? In front of the media?

Where has his energy been all season? Was it sapped by his point forward duties? Was it eclipsed by his nagging injuries? No, I think we must assume that Carmelo believes that the deposed Mike D’Antoni robbed Anthony of his energy. In fairness, the only difference over the last three games is the coach, right?

To quote Mitt Romney, I find this to be a extraordinary! Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is a player who gets paid over $18 million dollars a year to play basketball, right? Heck, isn’t this the guy who had zero problem exerting all of his “energy” in manipulating his way out of Denver? Is this not the “superstar” who has repeatedly proclaimed himself to be the “leader” of the Knicks?

But it doesn’t stop there.

“When he got the job, I told him, ‘Hold me accountable,’ ” Anthony said of new interim coach Mike Woodson. “I don’t have a problem with criticism. If I can do something to help better this team, let me know. And he’s been doing that.”

Again, call me crazy, but it sure seems like Anthony believes that Woodson has done a better job than D’Antoni at holding him accountable (he certainly hasn’t helped the small forward recapture his shooting form). I’m sorry, but if you’re holding yourself out there as one of the best players in the world, how, exactly, is it that you need someone to hold you accountable? Shouldn’t you be holding yourself accountable?

Is this where we are when it comes to “professional” athletes? They get all the praise and accolades when they successfully “do this,” but when they stumble, it’s someone else’s fault?

How about we try a new approach, Carmelo? It’s called honesty. Keep in mind, honesty is different than transparency. When you make statements about your effort—or in this case, a shocking lack thereof—we see through your words. We see that your agenda lies somewhere between shots across MDA’s bow and laying the groundwork to excuse your future failures.

Instead, why not just come out and say “I just couldn’t play for that other guy. It was either him or me, and in the end, it was him. It’s nothing personal, we just needed a change to reach our potential here, and I respect him for stepping aside. He’s a good man, a good coach, and I respect him greatly. Sometimes things don’t work out, and in this case, I take full responsibility for that, not because I want to be portrayed as a villain, but because I am being honest. I definitely learned a lot through this experience, and I am going to use this to become a better, more complete player, and more importantly, a better leader and a better example to my teammates.”

The irony about ‘Melo holding court on issues like accountability is that he seems completely unable to apply the concept to himself, himself. Making such statements, just as the Knicks may be emerging from their recent funk, only serves to further the narrative—one that I’m increasingly becoming tied to, by the way—and to encourage even more questions and criticisms.

Maybe Anthony doesn’t understand the gravity of his statements. Perhaps he was just making the same observation that everyone else already has—that his effort, energy and willingness to do whatever it takes to win is and always has been entirely within his control. The sad thing is that most of his teammates already “do this”—also known as trying—every single night.

This isn’t about MDA-people v. Carmelo-people, either. This is about calling a player out for his admission that he hasn’t played with maximum effort in the past. We can live with failure ‘round here, but we cannot accept anything less than a player’s all. Save that stuff for when you play in some NBA outpost like Charlotte or New Orleans.

Ultimately, wins have a funny way of curing all, especially here in Gotham, but by opening Pandora’s Box, Carmelo just made his effort and/or energy fair game from now on. Going forward, I hope never to have to ask him about his effort, but deep down, I probably know better.

Another article taking Melo's quotes and making them mean something else. Keep researching for that quote where Melo says he was DOGGING IT for MDA.

In any job when you get a new boss after firing another you go to them to see how to make things work better. What was wrong with this?

All I saw was one coach execute on Defense and another not. Offense didnt' change really..it might have got worse. But the reason why Knicks finished 18 and 6 was DEFENSE & in game adjustments made by Woodson. Add to that results gives you energy. Wins give you energy. What so hard about this.

FoeDiddy wrote:
Another article taking Melo's quotes and making them mean something else. Keep researching for that quote where Melo says he was DOGGING IT for MDA.

In any job when you get a new boss after firing another you go to them to see how to make things work better. What was wrong with this?

All I saw was one coach execute on Defense and another not. Offense didnt' change really..it might have got worse. But the reason why Knicks finished 18 and 6 was DEFENSE & in game adjustments made by Woodson. Add to that results gives you energy. Wins give you energy. What so hard about this?

Mike Woodson will have Carmelo and this band of brothers ready to rumble.

Heat at Madison Square Garden on November 2

Knicks at Lakers on Christmas Day at 3PM

While Melo was out the team defended great. The issue of Melo not giving his all had spread to the rest of the team after he came back and the team went 2-8. Before that the team had been playing great D and had won games during Linsanity. But all year the team was good defensively using the same D D'Antoni has always used but with Tyson and Shump it made it better. When those guys were out of the lineup the D suffered. Especially if Melo wasn't giving max effort and STAT was playing matador. But without them during Linsanity the team was ballin on D!

This season, New York is allowing just 99.5 points per 100 possessions, which ranks sixth-best in the entire league. This is the first time New York has allowed under 100 per 100 possessions since… yes, 2001.

New York is currently holding its opponents to 93.9 points per game on 44.5% shooting after allowing 105.7 points on 47.2% shooting last season. This type of terrific turnaround is rarely seen in the NBA from one year to the next.

In early January, the Knicks actually held three straight opponents under 90 points. Prior to that stretch, the last time New York had held even two straight opponents under 90 points was all the way back in December of 2005. In fact, during that streak, the Knicks kept those teams under 88 points. As a point of comparison, in NY’s three previous seasons with D’Antoni at the helm, they held an opponent under 88 a TOTAL of nine times. That’s three games in a row, versus nine times total over the span of three complete seasons (246 games).

As these numbers illustrate, New York’s team defense hasn’t just been adequate, it’s been very good. And by just reading the headlines you might not know it, but there have actually been other players sharing the court with Jeremy Lin. The most important of these players has been big man Tyson Chandler.

So the team was defending at a high level even under MDA, but when Melo came back and the team went thru that 2-8 stretch things sucked defensively.

It's easy to see that they were not giving it their all under D'Antoni because of how well they have played under interim coach Mike Woodson. They have won their first three games under Woodson and the difference seems to be that all players are now committed defensively to the gameplan. Defense is about effort and it was missing in the last month under D'Antoni.

Jeremy Lin, the one-time Linternational hero who created a frenzy in February when the team appeared to be committed to playing 48 minutes every night, explained what was happening under Woodson. "On offense, we have a little more post-ups, not a lot more," Lin told the New York Daily News. "The defense hasn't changed. We have all 15 guys buying in now. That's the big difference."

The answer didn’t raise an eyebrow except for the fact that Woodson was an assistant with the team for 42 games before his promotion last week. Certainly he’s had to have seen a difference in Anthony’s effort, and if so, to what does Woodson attribute that too?

“I can’t explain that,” Woodson said. “I wish I could. We probably wouldn’t be sitting in this position that we’re sitting in today, fighting for a playoff spot.”

If I found out MDA was my dad, I would detest him and my mom for cheating on my real dad. But hey, to each their own - who am I to judge.

nixluva wrote:None of this other crap matters. What matters is that Melo has to get it right this time. He doesn't have MDA around to blame. He doesn't have Lin to blame for not getting enough touches in the post. Now it's all on Melo!!! This year it's all about Melo and how he approaches this season. He has run out of excuses. He's got 3 PG's 2 of whom are pass 1st almost never looking to score. Melo should be in GREAT shape coming into the season so that shouldn't be an issue. It's all laid out in front of Melo.

When did Melo ever use excuses? And Melo played great down the stretch, didn't he? He was also pretty banged up last year and possibly out of shape too.

Anyway, it is definitely ALL on MELO!!!!!!!!!

Amare? who cares, he came here for half the money that he could have gotten from 10 other teams!

Tyson? Knicks players probably enjoy playing 4 on 5 offensively - more shots for the rest of the selfish pricks - YAY!

All on MELO!

Sure - what the hell.

nixluva wrote:Are we gonna just flat out LIE now about how Melo played last year??? Are you guys gonna stand here and actually LIE and say you didn't see a HUGE increase in Melo's effort level the very day that MDA resigned??? Please don't do that cuz you'll all look ridiculous doing it. There is no question that Melo totally changed his approach to the game and that's why he was asked what has changed by the press:

Per Newsday’s Kimberly A. Martin, Anthony said “I think in the last three games, my focus was to have an energy that I haven’t had so far this season, especially on the defensive end.”

Wow.

Did ‘Melo really utter those words aloud? In public? In front of the media?

Where has his energy been all season? Was it sapped by his point forward duties? Was it eclipsed by his nagging injuries? No, I think we must assume that Carmelo believes that the deposed Mike D’Antoni robbed Anthony of his energy. In fairness, the only difference over the last three games is the coach, right?

To quote Mitt Romney, I find this to be a extraordinary! Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is a player who gets paid over $18 million dollars a year to play basketball, right? Heck, isn’t this the guy who had zero problem exerting all of his “energy” in manipulating his way out of Denver? Is this not the “superstar” who has repeatedly proclaimed himself to be the “leader” of the Knicks?

But it doesn’t stop there.

“When he got the job, I told him, ‘Hold me accountable,’ ” Anthony said of new interim coach Mike Woodson. “I don’t have a problem with criticism. If I can do something to help better this team, let me know. And he’s been doing that.”

Again, call me crazy, but it sure seems like Anthony believes that Woodson has done a better job than D’Antoni at holding him accountable (he certainly hasn’t helped the small forward recapture his shooting form). I’m sorry, but if you’re holding yourself out there as one of the best players in the world, how, exactly, is it that you need someone to hold you accountable? Shouldn’t you be holding yourself accountable?

Is this where we are when it comes to “professional” athletes? They get all the praise and accolades when they successfully “do this,” but when they stumble, it’s someone else’s fault?

How about we try a new approach, Carmelo? It’s called honesty. Keep in mind, honesty is different than transparency. When you make statements about your effort—or in this case, a shocking lack thereof—we see through your words. We see that your agenda lies somewhere between shots across MDA’s bow and laying the groundwork to excuse your future failures.

Instead, why not just come out and say “I just couldn’t play for that other guy. It was either him or me, and in the end, it was him. It’s nothing personal, we just needed a change to reach our potential here, and I respect him for stepping aside. He’s a good man, a good coach, and I respect him greatly. Sometimes things don’t work out, and in this case, I take full responsibility for that, not because I want to be portrayed as a villain, but because I am being honest. I definitely learned a lot through this experience, and I am going to use this to become a better, more complete player, and more importantly, a better leader and a better example to my teammates.”

The irony about ‘Melo holding court on issues like accountability is that he seems completely unable to apply the concept to himself, himself. Making such statements, just as the Knicks may be emerging from their recent funk, only serves to further the narrative—one that I’m increasingly becoming tied to, by the way—and to encourage even more questions and criticisms.

Maybe Anthony doesn’t understand the gravity of his statements. Perhaps he was just making the same observation that everyone else already has—that his effort, energy and willingness to do whatever it takes to win is and always has been entirely within his control. The sad thing is that most of his teammates already “do this”—also known as trying—every single night.

This isn’t about MDA-people v. Carmelo-people, either. This is about calling a player out for his admission that he hasn’t played with maximum effort in the past. We can live with failure ‘round here, but we cannot accept anything less than a player’s all. Save that stuff for when you play in some NBA outpost like Charlotte or New Orleans.

Ultimately, wins have a funny way of curing all, especially here in Gotham, but by opening Pandora’s Box, Carmelo just made his effort and/or energy fair game from now on. Going forward, I hope never to have to ask him about his effort, but deep down, I probably know better.

Hilarious. A member of the NY snotrag media life coaching people on honesty. Now that's some serious humor.

Please tell me she didn't say "Gotham".

KnicksFE wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

nixluva wrote:None of this other crap matters. What matters is that Melo has to get it right this time. He doesn't have MDA around to blame. He doesn't have Lin to blame for not getting enough touches in the post. Now it's all on Melo!!! This year it's all about Melo and how he approaches this season. He has run out of excuses. He's got 3 PG's 2 of whom are pass 1st almost never looking to score. Melo should be in GREAT shape coming into the season so that shouldn't be an issue. It's all laid out in front of Melo.

So if Melo succeeds deos it validate the excuses brought up the past yr?

MDA relied on spacing and strong pg play and we didn't have neither for majority of the season. I don't blame MDA or Melo for it not working the pieces to the puzzle didn't match. If Smith and Fields shot 40% from 3 and Davis or Bibby was 8yrs younger then MDA would probably still be with the knicks and we wouldn't have had the problems we had last season.

Melo would have been able to save MDA's job unless he turned into Magic Johnson with the assist & Larry Bird at the 3pt line.

I disagree with this; I don’t see how a great offensive player could not work with a great offensive coach. Look at Melo’s stats after he got traded to the Knicks in 27 games (26ppg with 3apg and 6.7rpg on 46fg %). He even averaged 26ppg with 5apg and 10rpg in the playoffs against the Celtics and if I remember correctly, Toney Douglas was still our point guard and MDA was still our coach, so system was not the problem.

Honestly, I feel that for some reason unknown to the fans, Melo didn’t want to commit to MDA anymore, and when your best player does that in the NBA, coaches usually resign or they get fired (like Stan Van Gundy in Orlnado). Please know that I’m not knocking Melo or anything for this, I’m just expressing what I felt happened according to my own analytical view of the games.

KnicksFE wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

KnicksFE wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

nixluva wrote:None of this other crap matters. What matters is that Melo has to get it right this time. He doesn't have MDA around to blame. He doesn't have Lin to blame for not getting enough touches in the post. Now it's all on Melo!!! This year it's all about Melo and how he approaches this season. He has run out of excuses. He's got 3 PG's 2 of whom are pass 1st almost never looking to score. Melo should be in GREAT shape coming into the season so that shouldn't be an issue. It's all laid out in front of Melo.

So if Melo succeeds deos it validate the excuses brought up the past yr?

MDA relied on spacing and strong pg play and we didn't have neither for majority of the season. I don't blame MDA or Melo for it not working the pieces to the puzzle didn't match. If Smith and Fields shot 40% from 3 and Davis or Bibby was 8yrs younger then MDA would probably still be with the knicks and we wouldn't have had the problems we had last season.

Melo would have been able to save MDA's job unless he turned into Magic Johnson with the assist & Larry Bird at the 3pt line.

I disagree with this; I don’t see how a great offensive player could not work with a great offensive coach. Look at Melo’s stats after he got traded to the Knicks in 27 games (26ppg with 3apg and 6.7rpg on 46fg %). He even averaged 26ppg with 5apg and 10rpg in the playoffs against the Celtics and if I remember correctly, Toney Douglas was still our point guard and MDA was still our coach, so system was not the problem.

Honestly, I feel that for some reason unknown to the fans, Melo didn’t want to commit to MDA anymore, and when your best player does that in the NBA, coaches usually resign or they get fired (like Stan Van Gundy in Orlnado). Please know that I’m not knocking Melo or anything for this, I’m just expressing what I felt happened according to my own analytical view of the games.

I think once they had a full season together, MDA rightly tried to convert Melo from being a chucker into a well-rounded play-maker who takes high quality shots and sets up his teammates well, and Melo either didn't want to or was unable to do that.

Well Melo averaged 5apg against the Celtics, so obviously his able, now I'm not sure he really wanted to play that way.