nixluva wrote:fwk00 wrote:Is today Negative Nancy day? Good grief. Are we back to dumping on Dolan, Phil can do no right, Fisher sucks, and nobody on this team is any good before they even step on the court?Get some counseling fer crissakes. Or find another team before you jump out the basement window and hurt yourselves.
It seems to me that if the new additions perform at their expected levels this should be a competitive team. It starts with a healthy Melo. People can hate on Melo but really his presence on the roster with the new additions should allow this team to be a playoff contender. But he's got to be healthy and in NBA form, which we won't know until he gets back on the court.The addition of RoLo, Afflalo and O'Quinn should help to make this team more stable. They aren't sexy pick ups but they are hard workers on both ends. Helping this team to be a much better defensive team is a very important key to success this year. We really need bounce back seasons from RoLo and Afflalo. The better they play next to Melo, the better chance this team has to get wins.
Gallo, Jose, LT, Early and Lou should be even more comfortable after a season in the system. We gotta hope Jose can be more efficient and stay healthy. Gallo and Early need to take a step forward in their development this year.
Then we have KP and Jerian, who we hope can contribute at a reasonable rookie level. They won't have to carry the action as our kids did last year.
One question is what will we be able to get out of DWill. He could be a real X factor this year. He's got a lot of untapped talent and if we can get him going it could really provide a nice boost.
There are a lot of questions going into this season but there is also a lot of good news and hope to be more competitive than last year.
Well, "last year" is being misinterpreted by way too many people. It represented a transformation. The first half of the year was Phil providing Melo with empirical evidence that that current roster wasn't winning anything even if Bargnani and Calderon were healthy. Melo's early season injury sealed the deal. So when you factor in no Melo and an unmotivated cadre of vets, the Knicks weren't winning a playoff spot. After that the season was a well-orchestrated drive to lose. To think otherwise and whine endlessly about a 17 win season is just psychotic.
In truth, there is no last season to discuss. Phil tried it Melo's way and it failed none of which is either Melo's or Phil's fault (not that that will stop the blame game). The season simply turned into a transition year. Assuming the obligatory and mandatory tanking exercise were not a factor, the second half team would have won about 25 games and had Melo and others been healthy, maybe as many as thirty. The draft distorts everyone's record.
I think the Knicks can conservatively win 42-45 games IFF the main players stay healthy. Any significant injuries are a playoffs stopper.
I don't think Melo will leave nor do I think he's upset. Where would he go to be guaranteed *anything*. No such place. He can and will win here. I like all the signings. Phil has assembled a roster that is built to win. Grant is going to be a force as will Krisp. That's a Big Three in the making. And Melo is no longer alone in the final seconds taking the last shot - Sasha and Gallo both aren't afraid to shoot. It makes a big difference.
I'm looking forward to the season.
As an aside, I'm so glad the Knicks cut Ledo.